87-572: The Afon Alaw (English: River Alaw ) is a river on Anglesey ( Welsh : Ynys Môn) in Wales which rises near Llanerch-y-medd and flows northwards into the reservoir of Llyn Alaw . Below the dam it then flows southwestwards to the island's west coast near Llanfachraeth . Its lower reaches, west of the A5025 road , are tidal. 53°18′11″N 4°32′55″W / 53.30293°N 4.54851°W / 53.30293; -4.54851 This article related to
174-607: A 30 per cent partner. In 1974, Anglesey became a district of the new county of Gwynedd . Until 1974, Anglesey was divided into civil parishes for the purpose of local government; these in large part equated to ecclesiastical parishes (see the table below), most of which still exist as part of the Church in Wales. (chapelries are listed in italics) a chapelry to Llantrisant in Lyfon hundred The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 abolished
261-631: A Celtic word for 'mountain' (reflected in Welsh mynydd , Breton menez and Scottish Gaelic monadh ), from a Proto-Celtic *moniyos . Poetic names for the island of Anglesey include the Old Welsh Ynys Dywyll (Shady or Dark Isle) for its former groves and Ynys y Cedairn (Isle of the Brave) for its royal courts; Gerald of Wales ' Môn Mam Cymru ("Môn, Mother of Wales") for its agricultural productivity; and Y fêl Ynys (Honey Isle). The history of
348-704: A canal between Gothenburg and Stockholm . His plans were adopted and construction of the Göta Canal began in 1810. Telford travelled to Sweden at that time to oversee some of the more important initial excavations. Many of Telford's projects were undertaken due to his role as a member of the Exchequer Bill Loan Commission , an organ set up under the Public Works Loans Act 1817 ( 57 Geo. 3 . c. 34), to help finance public work projects that would generate employment. During his later years, Telford
435-542: A civil engineer meant he was constantly consulted on numerous other projects. These included water supply works for Liverpool , improvements to London's docklands and the rebuilding of London Bridge (c. 1800). Most notably (and again William Pulteney was influential), in 1801 Telford devised a master plan to improve communications in the Highlands of Scotland , a massive project that was to last some 20 years. It included
522-498: A day, but it was to no avail for he died on the 2nd September, very peacefully at about 5pm. … His old servant James Handscombe and I were the only two in the house [24 Abingdon Street, London] when he died. He was never married. Mr Milne and Mr Rickman were, no doubt, Telford's most intimate friends. ... I went to Mr Milne and under his direction … made all the arrangements about the house and correspondence. ... Telford had no blood relations that we knew of. The funeral took place on
609-541: A few natural lakes, mostly in the west, such as Llyn Llywenan , the largest on the island, Llyn Coron, and Cors Cerrig y Daran, but rivers are few and small. There are two large water supply reservoirs operated by Welsh Water . These are Llyn Alaw to the north of the island and Llyn Cefni in the centre of the island, which is fed by the headwaters of the Afon Cefni . The climate is humid (though less so than neighbouring mountainous Gwynedd ) and generally equable thanks to
696-592: A leaking roof at St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury in 1788, he warned the church was in imminent danger of collapse; his reputation was made locally when it collapsed three days later, but he was not the architect for its replacement. As the Shropshire county surveyor , Telford was also responsible for bridges. In 1790 he designed Montford Bridge carrying the London– Holyhead road over the River Severn at Montford ,
783-461: A majority of independent councillors. Though members did not generally divide along party lines, these were organised into five non-partisan groups on the council, containing a mix of party and independent candidates. The position has been similar since the election, although the Labour Party has formed a governing coalition with the independents. Brand new council offices were built at Llangefni in
870-468: A river in Wales is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Anglesey Anglesey ( / ˈ æ ŋ ɡ əl s iː / ; Welsh : Ynys Môn [ˈənɨs ˈmoːn] ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales . It forms the bulk of the county known as the Isle of Anglesey , which also includes Holy Island ( Ynys Gybi ) and some islets and skerries . The county borders Gwynedd across
957-457: A similar landscape, with a rugged north and west coast and beaches to the east and south. The county is surrounded by smaller islands; several, including South Stack and Puffin Island , are home to seabird colonies. Large parts of the county's coastline have been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The county has many prehistoric monuments, such as Bryn Celli Ddu burial chamber. In
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#17328515173461044-671: A spelling that is still occasionally used today. Ynys Môn , the island and county's Welsh name, first appeared in the Latin Mona of various Roman sources. It was likewise known to the Saxons as Monez . The Brittonic original was in the past taken to have meant "Island of the Cow". The name is probably cognate with the Gaelic name of the Isle of Man , Mannin , ( Manaw in Welsh), usually derived from
1131-431: A wall at Tŷ Mawr and Roman-era pottery from the 3rd to 4th centuries AD. Some of these huts were still being used for agricultural purposes as late as the 6th century. The first excavation of Ty Mawr was conducted by William Owen Stanley of Penrhos, Anglesey (son of Baron Stanley of Alderley ). Historically, Anglesey has long been associated with the druids . The Roman conquest of Anglesey began in 60 CE when
1218-416: Is a local attraction offering looks at local marine wildlife from common lobsters to congers . All fish and crustaceans on display are caught round the island and placed in habitat reconstructions. The zoo also breeds lobsters commercially for food and oysters for pearls, both from local stocks. Sea salt ( Halen Môn , from local sea water) is produced in a facility nearby, having formerly been made at
1305-595: Is a nesting site for skylarks . The sheer cliff faces at South Stack near Holyhead provide nesting sites for large numbers of auks , including puffins , razorbills and guillemots , along with choughs and peregrine falcons . Anglesey holds several tern species, including the roseate tern on three breeding sites – see Anglesey tern colonies . There are marked occurrences of the Juncus subnodulosus – Cirsium palustre fen-meadow plant association marked by hydrophilic grasses, sedges and forbs. Anglesey supports two of
1392-403: Is one of the first villages in Wales, it was built at Llanfaethlu . Also an example permanent settlement on Anglesey is of a Bronze Age built burial mound , Bryn Celli Ddu (English: Dark Grove Hill ). The mound started as a henge enclosure around 3000 BC and was adapted several times over a millennium. There are numerous megalithic monuments and menhirs in the county, testifying to
1479-546: Is restricted to Holyhead (Caergybi), which until 30 September 2009 supported an aluminium smelter , and the Amlwch area, once a copper mining town. Nearby stood Wylfa Nuclear Power Station and a former bromine extraction plant. With construction starting in 1963, the two Wylfa reactors began producing power in 1971. One reactor was decommissioned in 2012, the other in 2015. Anglesey has three wind farms on land. There were plans to install tidal-flow turbines near The Skerries off
1566-500: Is the largest in Wales and the Irish Sea , the seventh largest in Britain , and the sixth most populous island in Britain. The northern and eastern coasts of the island are rugged, and the southern and western coasts are generally gentler; the interior is gently undulating. In the north of the island is Llyn Alaw , a reservoir with an area of 1.4 square miles (4 km ). Holy Island has
1653-601: The Britannia Bridge , originally designed by Robert Stephenson in 1850. The English name for Anglesey may be derived from the Old Norse ; either Ǫngullsey "Hook Island" or Ǫnglisey "Ǫngli's Island". No record of such an Ǫngli survives, but the place name was used by Viking raiders as early as the 10th century and later adopted by the Normans during their invasions of Gwynedd . The traditional folk etymology reading
1740-635: The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway with an unusual system for flushing out mud using a tidal reservoir. He also completed the Grand Trunk after James Brindley died due to being over-worked. In 1820, Telford was appointed the first President of the recently formed Institution of Civil Engineers , a post he held until his death. He was Initiated into Freemasonry in Antiquity Lodge, No. 26, ( Portsmouth , England) in 1770. This lodge no longer exists. He
1827-648: The Gulf Stream . The land is of variable quality and has probably lost some fertility. Anglesey has the northernmost olive grove in Europe and presumably in the world. The coast of the Isle of Anglesey is more populous than the interior. The largest community is Holyhead , which is located on Holy Island and had a population of 12,103 at the 2021 United Kingdom census . It is followed by Amlwch (3,697), Llanfair-Mathafarn-Eithaf (3,085), and Menai Bridge (3,046), all located on
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#17328515173461914-519: The Jómsvíkinga — and by Saxons , and Normans , before falling to Edward I of England in the 13th century. The connection with the Vikings can be seen in the name of the island. In ancient times it was called "Maenige" and received the name "Ongulsey" or Angelsoen, from where the current name originates. Anglesey (with Holy Island) is one of the 13 historic counties of Wales . In medieval times, before
2001-451: The Menai Strait to the southeast, and is otherwise surrounded by the Irish Sea . Holyhead is the largest town, and the administrative centre is Llangefni . The county is part of the preserved county of Gwynedd. Anglesey is the northernmost county in Wales. The Isle of Anglesey has an area of 275 square miles (712 km ) and a population of 69,049 in 2022. After Holyhead (12,103),
2088-529: The River Teme was the joint responsibility of both Worcestershire and Shropshire and the bridge has a bend where the two counties meet. Telford was responsible for the repair to the northern (Shropshire) end of the bridge. Telford's reputation in Shropshire led to his appointment in 1793 to manage the detailed design and construction of the Ellesmere Canal , linking the ironworks and collieries of Wrexham via
2175-529: The Roman departure from Britain in the early 5th century, pirates from Ireland colonised Anglesey and the nearby Llŷn Peninsula . In response to this, Cunedda ap Edern , a Gododdin warlord from Scotland, came to the area and began to drive the Irish out. This was continued by his son Einion Yrth ap Cunedda and grandson Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion ; the last Irish invaders were finally defeated in battle in 470. During
2262-853: The Trent and Mersey Canal (1827), and the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal (today part of the Shropshire Union Canal ) – started in May 1826 but finished, after Telford's death, in January 1835. At the time of its construction in 1829, Galton Bridge was the longest single span in the world. Telford surveyed and planned the Macclesfield Canal , which was completed by William Crosley (or Crossley). He also built Whitstable harbour in Kent in 1832, in connection with
2349-598: The 10th September [in Westminster Abbey ]. ... Mr Telford was of the most genial disposition and a delightful companion, his laugh was the heartiest I ever heard; it was a pleasure to be in his society. Thomas Telford was buried in the nave of Westminster Abbey; a statue was erected to him nearby, in St Andrew's Chapel adjoining the north transept. Throughout his life Telford had a great affection for his birthplace of Eskdale and its people and in his will left legacies to
2436-587: The 17th and 20th centuries, with connections ranging from close geographical proximity and shared transport networks to marriage and family ties. One example, the article notes, is that in 1663 the Duke of Ormonde wrote from Dublin Castle to Lord Bulkley of Baron Hill, Anglesey, who had been created Viscount Bulkeley of Cashel in 1644, about bringing partridges from Anglesey to Ireland for a hunt. The Shire Hall in Llangefni
2523-470: The 1974 county and the five districts on 1 April 1996, and Anglesey became a separate unitary authority . In 2011, the Welsh Government appointed a panel of commissioners to administer the council, which meant the elected members were not in control. The commissioners remained until an election was held in May 2013, restoring an elected Council. Before the period of direct administration, there had been
2610-426: The 1990s for the new Isle of Anglesey County Council . Anglesey is a low-lying island with low hills spaced evenly over the north. The highest six are Holyhead Mountain , 220 metres (720 ft); Mynydd Bodafon , 178 metres (584 ft); Mynydd Eilian , 177 metres (581 ft); Mynydd y Garn , 170 metres (560 ft); Bwrdd Arthur , 164 metres (538 ft); and Mynydd Llwydiarth, 158 metres (518 ft). To
2697-577: The 9th century, King Rhodri Mawr unified Wales and separated the country into at least 3 provinces between his sons. He gave Gwynedd to his son, Anarawd ap Rhodri , who founded the medieval Welsh dynasty , The House of Aberffraw on Anglesey. The island had a good defensive position, and so Aberffraw became the site of the royal court ( Welsh : Llys ) of the Kingdom of Gwynedd . Apart from devastating Danish raids in 853 and 968 in Aberffraw, it remained
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2784-563: The Iron Age, and also some of these sites were later adapted by Celts into hillforts and finally were in use during the Roman period (c. 100 AD) as roundhouses. Castell Bryn Gwyn (English: White hill castle , also called Bryn Beddau, or the "hill of graves" ) near Llanidan , Anglesey is an example of a Neolithic site that became a hillfort that was used until the Roman period by the Ordovices ,
2871-622: The Middle Ages the area was part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd and its cadet branch the House of Aberffraw who maintained courts ( Welsh : llysoedd ) at Aberffraw and Rhosyr . After Edward I 's late 13th century conquest of Gwynedd, Beaumaris Castle was constructed and today is a part of Gwynedd's world heritage sites . The Menai Strait to the mainland is spanned by the Menai Suspension Bridge , designed by Thomas Telford in 1826, and
2958-601: The RAF Fast Jet Training School and 22 Sqn Search and Rescue Helicopters, both units providing employment to about 500 civilians. RAF Valley is now the 22 Sqn Search and Rescue headquarters. The range of smaller industries is mostly in industrial and business parks such as Llangefni and Gaerwen . The island is on one of the main road routes from Britain to Ireland, via ferries from Holyhead on Holy Island to Dún Laoghaire and Dublin Port. The Anglesey Sea Zoo
3045-588: The Roman Empire by Gnaeus Julius Agricola , the Roman governor of Britain, in AD 78. During the Roman occupation, the area was notable for the mining of copper . The foundations of Caer Gybi , a fort in Holyhead , are Roman, and the present road from Holyhead to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll was originally a Roman road . The island was grouped by Ptolemy with Ireland (" Hibernia ") rather than with Britain (" Albion "). After
3132-420: The Roman general Gaius Suetonius Paulinus , determined to break the power of the druids, attacked the island using his amphibious Batavian contingent as a surprise vanguard assault and then destroyed the shrine and the nemeta ( sacred groves ). News of Boudica 's revolt reached him just after his victory, causing him to withdraw his army before consolidating his conquest. The island was finally brought into
3219-665: The Scottish Lowlands, including 184 miles (296 km) of new roads and numerous bridges, ranging from a 112 ft (34 m) span stone bridge across the Dee at Tongueland in Kirkcudbright (1805–06) to the 129 ft (39 m) tall Cartland Crags bridge near Lanark (1822). In 1809, Telford was tasked with improving the Howth Road in Dublin, to connect the new harbour at Howth to
3306-457: The Sea Zoo site. Plans were offered in 2013 by Horizon , a subsidiary of Hitachi , to start production in the 2020s. Though enthusiastically endorsed by Anglesey Council and Welsh Assembly members, protesters raised doubts about its economic and safety claims, and in January 2019 Hitachi announced it was putting development on hold. On 17 January 2019, Hitachi-Horizon Nuclear Power announced it
3393-579: The UK's first cast-iron aqueduct, built by Benjamin Outram on the Derby Canal just months earlier. The aqueduct is no longer in use, but is preserved as a distinctive piece of canal engineering. The Ellesmere Canal was left uncompleted in 1805 because it failed to generate the revenues needed to finance the connecting sections to Chester and Shrewbury. However, alongside his canal responsibilities, Telford's reputation as
3480-456: The UK's remnant colonies of red squirrels , at Pentraeth and Newborough . Thomas Telford Thomas Telford FRS FRSE (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire , he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotland, as well as harbours and tunnels. Such
3567-403: The bays around Carmel Head. The north coast has sharp cliffs with small bays. Anglesey Coastal Path outlining the island is 124 miles (200 km) long and touches 20 towns and villages. The starting point is St Cybi's Church, Holyhead . Tourism is now the major economic activity. Agriculture comes second, with local dairies being some of the most productive in the region. Major industry
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3654-609: The bridge across the River Esk in Langholm in Dumfries and Galloway. He worked for a time in Edinburgh and in 1782 he moved to London where, after meeting architects Robert Adam and Sir William Chambers , he was involved in building additions to Somerset House there. Two years later he found work at Portsmouth dockyard and – although still largely self-taught – was extending his talents to
3741-633: The building of the Caledonian Canal along the Great Glen and redesign of sections of the Crinan Canal , some 920 miles (1,480 km) of new roads, over a thousand new bridges (including the Craigellachie Bridge ), numerous harbour improvements (including works at Aberdeen , Dundee, Peterhead , Wick , Portmahomack and Banff ), and 32 new churches. Telford also undertook highway works in
3828-476: The cables. Telford also worked on the North Wales coast road between Chester and Bangor, including another major suspension bridge at Conwy , opened later the same year as its Menai counterpart. Further afield Telford designed a road to cross the centre of the Isle of Arran . Named the 'String road', this route traverses bleak and difficult terrain to allow traffic to cross between east and west Arran avoiding
3915-547: The capital until the 13th, after Rhodri Mawr had moved his family seat from Caernarfon and built a royal palace at Aberffraw in 873. This is when improvements to the English navy made the location indefensible. Anglesey was also briefly the most southerly possession of the Norwegian Empire . After the Irish, the island was invaded by Vikings — some raids were noted in famous sagas (see Menai Strait History ) such as
4002-614: The castle from the Crown in 1807 and it has been open to the public under the guardianship of the Crown ever since 1925. Due to its geographic proximity, Anglesey (and particularly Holyhead ) enjoyed close cultural ties with Ireland throughout the later parts of this period. A 2023 study in The Welsh History Review by historian Adam N. Coward highlights the interconnectedness of landed gentry families in Ireland and Anglesey between
4089-510: The circuitous coastal route. His work on improving the Glasgow – Carlisle road, later to become the A74 , has been described as "a model for future engineers." Telford improved on methods for the building of macadam roads by improving the selection of stone based on thickness, taking into account traffic, alignment and slopes. The punning nickname 'Colossus of Roads' was given to Telford by his friend,
4176-553: The city of Dublin as part of wider plan to improve communication between Dublin and London. The milestones that are a feature of this route from Howth to the GPO on O'Connell Street still mark the route. He also drafted the first design of the Ulster Canal . Irish engineer, William Dargan , was trained by Telford. Telford was consulted in 1806 by the King of Sweden about the construction of
4263-462: The coast of the island of Anglesey. The largest community in the interior of Anglesey is Llangefni (5,500), the county town; the next-largest is Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog (1,711). Beaumaris (Welsh: Biwmares ) in the east features Beaumaris Castle , built by Edward I during his Bastide campaign in North Wales . Beaumaris is a yachting centre, with boats moored in the bay or off Gallows Point. The village of Newborough (Welsh: Niwbwrch ), in
4350-428: The conquest of Wales in 1283, Môn often had periods of temporary independence, when frequently bequeathed to the heirs of kings as a sub-kingdom of Gwynedd , an example of this was Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn I, the Great c. 1200s) who was styled the Prince of Aberffraw . After the Norman invasion of Wales was one of the last times this occurred a few years after 1171, after the death of Owain Gwynedd , when
4437-574: The ear. Farewell my lov'd, my favourite child, A mother's pride farewell! The muses on thy cradle smiled, Ah! now they ring thy knell. ---- ten verses and then ---- And round the tomb the plough shall pass, And yellow autumn smile; And village maids shall seek the place, To crown thy hallowed pile. While yearly comes the opening spring, While autumn wan returns; Each rural voice shall grateful sing, And SCOTLAND boasts of BURNS. 22nd August, 1796. T.T. (Turnbull includes notes that explain nine references to Burns's life in
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#17328515173464524-429: The eventual Poet Laureate , Robert Southey . In 1821, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences . An Act of Parliament in 1823 provided a grant of £50,000 for the building of up to 40 churches and manses in communities without any church buildings (hence the alternative name: 'Parliamentary Church' or 'Parliamentary Kirk'). The total cost was not to exceed £1500 on any site and Telford
4611-422: The first bridge to the mainland was being built. Hitherto Porthaethwy had been one of the main ferry ports for the mainland. A short distance from the town lies Bryn Celli Ddu , a Stone Age burial mound. Nearby is the village with the longest name in Europe, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch , and Plas Newydd , ancestral home of the Marquesses of Anglesey . The town of Amlwch lies in
4698-434: The first of some 40 bridges he built in Shropshire, including major crossings of the Severn at Buildwas , and Bridgnorth . The bridge at Buildwas was Telford's first iron bridge. He was influenced by Abraham Darby's bridge at Ironbridge , and observed that it was grossly over-designed for its function, and many of the component parts were poorly cast. By contrast, his bridge was 30 ft (9 m) wider in span and half
4785-414: The former house of Aberffraw, Prince Madog ap Llywelyn had attacked King Edward I's castles in North Wales . As a direct response, Beaumaris Castle was constructed to control Edward's interests in Anglesey, but by the 1320s the build was abandoned and never complete. The castle was besieged by Owain Glyndŵr in the early 15th century. It was ruinous by 1609; however, the 6th Viscount Bulkeley purchased
4872-415: The island of Anglesey a new embankment across the Stanley Sands to Holyhead was constructed, but the crossing of the Menai Strait was the most formidable challenge, overcome by the Menai Suspension Bridge (1819–26). Spanning 580 feet (180 m), this was the longest suspension bridge of the time. Unlike modern suspension bridges, Telford used individually linked 9.5-foot (2.9 m) iron eye bars for
4959-402: The island was inherited by Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd , and between 1246 and about 1255 when it was granted to Owain Goch as his share of the kingdom. After the conquest of Wales by Edward I , Anglesey became a county under the terms of the Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284. Hitherto it had been divided into the cantrefi of Aberffraw , Rhosyr and Cemaes . During 1294 as a rebellion of
5046-479: The island's men had died on active service. In 1936 the NSPCC opened its first branch on Anglesey. During the Second World War , Anglesey received Italian POWs . The island was designated a reception zone, and was home to evacuee children from Liverpool and Manchester . In 1971, a 100,000 ton per annum aluminum smelter was opened by Rio Tinto Zinc Corporation and British Insulated Callender's Cables with Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation as
5133-432: The lakes all have significant ecological interest, including a wide range of aquatic and semi-aquatic bird species. In the west, the Malltraeth Marshes are believed to support an occasional visiting bittern , and the nearby estuary of the Afon Cefni has a bird population made famous internationally by the paintings of Charles Tunnicliffe , who lived and died at Malltraeth on the Cefni estuary. The RAF airstrip at Mona
5220-439: The largest settlements are Llangefni (5,500) and Amlwch (3,967). The economy of the county is mostly based on agriculture, energy, and tourism, the latter especially on the coast. Holyhead is also a major ferry port for Dublin , Ireland. The county has the second-highest percentage of Welsh speakers in Wales, at 57.2%, and is considered a heartland of the language . The island of Anglesey, at 261 square miles (676 km ),
5307-403: The local tribe who were defeated in battle by a Roman legion (c. 78 AD). Bronze Age monuments were also built throughout the British Isles. During this period, the Mynydd Bach cairn in South-west Anglesey was being used. It is a Beaker period prehistoric funerary monument. During the Iron Age the Celts built dwellings huts , also known as roundhouses . These were established near
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#17328515173465394-404: The name as the "Island of the Angles (English)" may account for its Norman use but has no merit; the Angles' name itself is probably cognate with the shape of the Angeln peninsula. All of them ultimately derive from the proposed Proto-Indo-European root *ank- ("to flex, bend, angle"). Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and into the 20th, it was usually spelt Anglesea in documents,
5481-411: The north coast, and for a major biomass plant on Holy Island (Ynys Gybi). Developing such low-carbon-energy assets to their full potential forms part of the Anglesey Energy Island project. When the aluminium smelter closed in September 2009, it cut its workforce from 450 to 80, in a major blow to the island's economy, especially to Holyhead. The Royal Air Force station RAF Valley (Y Fali) holds
5568-491: The north-east of the island and was once largely industrialised, having grown in the 18th century to support a major copper -mining industry at Parys Mountain . Other settlements include Cemaes , Pentraeth , Gaerwen , Dwyran , Bodedern , Malltraeth and Rhosneigr . The coastline is classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , with many sandy beaches, notably along its east coast between Beaumaris and Amlwch and west coast from Ynys Llanddwyn through Rhosneigr to
5655-475: The north-west Shropshire town of Ellesmere , with Chester , utilising the existing Chester Canal , and then the River Mersey . Among other structures, this involved the spectacular Pontcysyllte Aqueduct over the River Dee in the Vale of Llangollen , where Telford used a new method of construction consisting of troughs made from cast iron plates and fixed in masonry. Extending for over 1,000 feet (300 metres) with an altitude of 126 ft (38 m) above
5742-507: The poem.) Turnbull also states: His ability and perseverance may be understood from various literary compositions of after life, such as the articles he contributed to the Edinburgh Encyclopædia , such as Architecture, Bridge-building, and Canal-making. Singular to say the earliest distinction he acquired in life was as a poet. Even at 30 years of age he reprinted at Shrewsbury a poem called "Eskdale", … Some others of his poems are in my possession. Another example, later in Telford's life,
5829-539: The poet Thomas Campbell (1777–1844) and to the publishers of the Edinburgh Encyclopædia (to which he had been a contributor). George Turnbull states that Telford wrote and gave him a poem: On reading an account of the death of ROBERT BURNS , the SCOT POET CLAD in the sable weeds of woe, The Scottish genius mourns, As o'er your tomb her sorrows flow, The "narrow house" of Burns.' Each laurel round his humble urn, She strews with pious care, And by soft airs to distance borne, These accents strike
5916-399: The presence of humans in prehistory . Plas Newydd is near one of 28 cromlechs that remain on uplands overlooking the sea. The Welsh Triads claim that the island of Anglesey was once part of the mainland. After the Neolithic age, the Bronze Age began ( c. 2200 BC – 800 BC). Some sites were continually used for thousands of years from original henge enclosures, then during
6003-557: The previous settlements. Some huts with walled enclosures were discovered on the banks of the river ( Welsh : afon ) Gwna near. An example of a well-preserved hut circle is over the Cymyran Strait on Holy Island . The Holyhead Mountain Hut Circles ( Welsh : Tŷ Mawr / Cytiau'r Gwyddelod , Big house / "Irishmen's Huts") were inhabited by ancient Celts and were first occupied before the Iron Age, c. 1000 BC . The Anglesey Iron Age began after 500 BC. Archeological research discovered limpet shells which were found from 200 BC on
6090-405: The settlement of the local people of Anglesey starts in the Mesolithic period. Anglesey and the UK were uninhabitable until after the previous ice age . It was not until 12,000 years ago that the island of Great Britain became hospitable. The oldest excavated sites on Anglesey include Trwyn Du ( Welsh : Black nose ) at Aberffraw. The Mesolithic site located at Aberffraw Bay (Porth Terfyn)
6177-415: The south and south-east, the island is divided from the Welsh mainland by the Menai Strait , which at its narrowest point is about 250 metres (270 yd) wide. In all other directions the island is surrounded by the Irish Sea . At 676 km (261 sq mi), it is the 52nd largest island of Europe and just five km (1.9 sq mi) smaller than the main island of Singapore . There are
6264-485: The south, created when townsfolk of Llanfaes were relocated for the building of Beaumaris Castle, includes the site of Llys Rhosyr , another court of medieval Welsh princes featuring one of the United Kingdom's oldest courtrooms. The centrally localted Llangefni is the island's administrative centre. The town of Menai Bridge (Welsh: Porthaethwy ) in the south-east, expanded to accommodate workers and construction when
6351-540: The specification, design and management of building projects. In 1787, through his wealthy patron William Pulteney , he became Surveyor of Public Works in Shropshire. His projects included renovation of Shrewsbury Castle , the town's prison (during the planning of which he met leading prison reformer John Howard ), the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Bridgnorth and another church, St Michael's , in Madeley . Called in to advise on
6438-484: The two local libraries at Westerkirk and Langholm. In 2011 he was one of seven inaugural inductees to the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame . Telford's reputation as a man of letters may have preceded his fame as an engineer: he had published poetry between 1779 and 1784, and an account of a tour of Scotland with Robert Southey. His will left bequests to Southey (who would later write Telford's biography),
6525-542: The valley floor, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct consists of nineteen arches, each with a 45 ft (14 m) span. Being a pioneer in the use of cast-iron for large scaled structures, Telford had to invent new techniques, such as using boiling sugar and lead as a sealant on the iron connections. Canal engineer William Jessop oversaw the project but left the detailed execution of the project in Telford's hands. The aqueduct
6612-515: The weight, although it now no longer exists. He was one of the first engineers to test his materials thoroughly before construction. As his engineering prowess grew, Telford was to return to this material repeatedly. In 1795, the bridge at Bewdley in Worcestershire was swept away in the winter floods and Telford was responsible for the design of its replacement . The same winter floods saw the bridge at Tenbury also swept away. This bridge across
6699-612: The work often involved building a highway from scratch. Notable features of this section of the route include the Waterloo Bridge across the River Conwy at Betws-y-Coed , the ascent from there to Capel Curig and then the descent from the pass of Nant Ffrancon towards Bangor . Between Capel Curig and Bethesda , in the Ogwen Valley , Telford deviated from the original road, built by Romans during their occupation of this area. On
6786-593: Was a founder member of Phoenix Lodge, No. 257 (also in Portsmouth). Telford designed a room within the George Inn for the lodge. In 1786 he became an affiliate member of Salopian Lodge, No. 262 (Shrewsbury, England). Telford's young draughtsman and clerk 1830–34 George Turnbull in his diary states: On the 23rd [August 1834] Mr Telford was taken seriously ill of a bilious derangement to which he had been liable ... he grew worse and worse … [surgeons] attended him twice
6873-506: Was abandoning plans to build a nuclear plant on the Wylfa Newydd site in Anglesey. There had been concern that the start might have involved too much public expenditure, but Hitachi-Horizon say the decision to scrap has cost the company over £2 billion. Much of Anglesey is used for relatively intensive cattle and sheep farming, but several important wetland sites have protected status and
6960-567: Was built in 1830. Some have been restored and/or converted to private use. Other works by Telford include the St Katharine Docks (1824–28) close to Tower Bridge in central London, where he worked with the architect Philip Hardwick , the Gloucester and Berkeley Ship Canal (today known as the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal ), Over Bridge near Gloucester, the second Harecastle Tunnel on
7047-484: Was buried underneath a Bronze Age 'kerb cairn' which was constructed c. 2,000 BC . The bowl barrow (kerb cairn) covered a material deposited from the early Mesolithic period; the archeological find dates to 7,000 BC. After millennia of hunter-gather civilisation in the British Isles , the first villages were constructed from 4000 BC. Neolithic settlements were built in the form of long houses , on Anglesey
7134-480: Was commissioned to undertake the design. He developed a simple church of T-shaped plan and two manse designs – a single-storey and a two-storey, adaptable to site and ground conditions, and to brick or stone construction, at £750 each. Of the 43 churches originally planned, 32 were eventually built around the Scottish highlands and islands (the other 11 were achieved by redoing existing buildings). The last of these churches
7221-516: Was completed in 1899. During the First World War , the Presbyterian minister and celebrity preacher John Williams toured the island as part of an effort to recruit young men as volunteers. The island's location made it ideal for monitoring German U-Boats in the Irish Sea , with half a dozen airships based at Mona . German POWs were kept on the island. By the end of the war, some 1,000 of
7308-493: Was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009. The same period also saw Telford involved in the design and construction of the Shrewsbury Canal . When the original engineer, Josiah Clowes, died in 1795, Telford succeeded him. One of Telford's achievements on this project was the design of Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct , the cast-iron aqueduct at Longdon-on-Tern , pre-dating that at Pontcysyllte, and substantially bigger than
7395-503: Was his reputation as a prolific designer of highways and related bridges, he was dubbed the 'Colossus of Roads' (a pun on the Colossus of Rhodes ), and, reflecting his command of all types of civil engineering in the early 19th century, he was elected as the first president of the Institution of Civil Engineers , a post he held for 14 years until his death. The town of Telford in Shropshire
7482-508: Was named after him. Telford was born on 9 August 1757, at Glendinning, a hill farm three miles (five kilometres) east of Eskdalemuir Kirk , in the rural parish of Westerkirk, in Eskdale, Dumfriesshire . His father John Telford, a shepherd, died soon after Thomas was born. Thomas was raised in poverty by his mother Janet Jackson (died 1794). At the age of 14, he was apprenticed to a stonemason, and some of his earliest work can still be seen on
7569-671: Was responsible for rebuilding sections of the London to Holyhead road , a task completed by his assistant of ten years, John MacNeill ; today, much of the route is the A5 trunk road, although the Holyhead Road diverted off the A5 along what is now parts of A45 , A41 and A464 through the cities of Coventry , Birmingham and Wolverhampton . Between London and Shrewsbury, most of the work amounted to improvements. Beyond Shrewsbury, and especially beyond Llangollen,
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