The Villages and Towns of Anglesey

Anglesey Towns & Villages.

Anglesey, Beaumaris, The Castle and the Mountains

By virtue of the agricultural history of Anglesey in North Wales, it is mostly filled with small, picturesque villages and hamlets surrounded by sweeping green fields. The towns that we have are not large, with Holyhead - the largest - having a population of approximately 13,000.

Holyhead is primarily a port to Dublin and Dun Laoghaire, and this has been the case for thousands of years. There are lots of small welcoming pubs and places to eat and stay. The church of St Cybi`s has been there since the 13th century, and was built on the site of a Roman garrison. On the outskirts of the town are some new shopping complexes, albeit Anglesey sized. You may be interested to read and see photos of the maritime history of Holyhead.

Llangefni is a market town historically, and remains so today, and it boasts an hotel and one or two pubs. The town market is friendly and quite varied in its offerings. A walk down the Dingle just off the town car park is a must for the first time visitor. An interesting art gallery - Oriel Mon - is well worth a visit. It houses the Tunnicliffe and soon the (Kyffin Williams) collections, and exhibitions by other local artists. The gallery is located right next to Llangefni Golf Club, and both are within walking distance of the town, otherwise there is sufficient parking at both of these venues.

Beaumaris (meaning beautiful marsh) boasts the last Edwardian castle to be built in Wales. The castle is in a remarkably good state of repair, and is actually accessible from within this small town. Built by James of St George, who I believe also designed the beautiful Norman church in the town - St Mary`s. St Mary`s houses the sarcophagus of Joan (died 1237), daughter of King John and consort of Llewellyn ap Iorwerth - Prince of Wales. The sarcophagus was rescued from use as a horse watering trough. Another attraction is Beaumaris Gaol. There is a tourist info office on the main street. Enjoy cream teas outside a cafe, or a pint of beer sitting outside the pub in the square.

Newborough (formerly Rhosyr) was a very important part of mediaeval Anglesey, as proven by the recent discovery there of the royal court of Prince Llywelyn, named Llys Rhosyr. There is a beautiful building in the village named the J. Pritchard Jones Memorial Hall, which houses an excellent small library, and also an exhibition of the Llys Rhosyr site. I understand that Menter Mon are in the process of trying to acquire funds to refurbish this building, and we wish them every success in this commendable effort.

To find out more about these and other places, click on a link in the right hand column.

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