Friday, 2 April 2010

Menai Bridge

Menai Bridge (Welsh: Porthaethwy) is a small town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford. It is the third largest settlement on the island, and occupies the area of the former parish of Llandysiliogogo, whose former church continues in use as a mortuary chapel.

It has existed as Porthaethwy for many centuries and it still has a house in current use which dates from the 17th century. It is likely that a community has existed at the location of Menai Bridge since Roman times simply because this is the shortest crossing of the Menai Strait. There is a range of buildings including the old court house, a number of old pubs and the buildings associated with the wood-yard (in the process of being converted to houses).