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The unusually named community lies along the Menai Straits on the Isle of Anglesey. The moniker is probably the longest in Europe and one of the longest on the planet. In print, the name commonly appears abbreviated as Llanfairpwll or Llanfair PG. The English translation for the Welsh phrase means, “St. Mary’s church in the hollow of the white hazel near the rapid whirlpool and the church of St. Tysilio by the red cave.” The name was lengthened in the 1860s to bring attention to the community for commercial and tourist purposes. Tourists frequently photograph the railway station sign, bearing the entire name of the village.
For over 10,000 years, the idyllic location attracted human populations who developed settlements. Celtic nations dominated the region for centuries until the Romans invaded. Once Roman Britain ended, Llanfairpwll was ruled by Gwynedd. Under a feudal system, the minute population toiled on small farms for the crown.
By the 1500s, Earls acquired territories and employed tenant farmers to work the land. Besides agriculture, the community supported itself through fishing and other trades eventually followed. Water transportation provided the means of exports and imports until the 1800s when the two bridges and the railway connected Llanfairpwll with the rest of Wales and Britain.
Activities and Attractions
The first British branch of the Women’s Institute organization was established in Llanfairpwll in 1918. The building that held the initial meeting for the educational and social benefit of women remains intact today.
The Anglesey Commemorative Column is an historic landmark situated just outside the town limits. Standing over 88 feet (27 metres) tall, the column remembers the First Marquess wounded in battle at Waterloo. Visitors frequently climb the staircase within the column to the observation point that provides amazing views over the landscape, including the Snowdon Mountains and the Lleyn peninsula.
Many consider the Britannia and the Menai Bridges as modern feats of engineering technology. The Britannia, in particular, combines access for automotive and railway traffic onto and off the island. The pedestals of the bridge on both ends harbour giant concrete lion sculptures measuring 25 feet (7.6 metres) in length and 12 feet (3.6 metres) in height.
While strolling the shores along the Menai Straits, visitors are welcome to tour the Plas Newydd Country Home and Gardens estate. Home to the Anglesey Marquess for over 400 years, the manor house contains exquisite artwork and a military museum. The gardens surrounding the property are a wondrous combination of flowering plants, sculpted shrubbery and woodlands.
Places to Stay and Dining
Lodging facilities located along the Menai Straits in Llanfairpwll offer stunning room views of the waterfront while providing easy access to attractions and thoroughfares.
The Tafarn Ty Gwyn restaurant serves affordable meals seven days a week, prepared with the finest local ingredients. Dine on fresh fish, Cumberland sausage or homemade lasagne in a friendly, quaint atmosphere. Sundays mean carvery with a choice of beef, gammon or turkey with all the trimmings.
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