Everything about Holyhead totally explained
Holyhead (; /ˈhɒlihɛd/;
Welsh:
Caergybi, "the fort of Saint
Cybi") is the
largest town in the county of
Anglesey in the north west of
Wales.
Although it's the largest town in the county, with a population of 11,237 (2001 census), it's neither the
county town nor actually on the
island of Anglesey. Instead, it's located on
Holy Island which is connected to Anglesey by
Four Mile Bridge, so called because it's four miles (6 km) from Holyhead on the old post road from London, and a causeway (known locally as "the cob") built by local philanthropist
Lord Stanley in the 19th century. The causeway now carries the
A5/
A55 road and the
railway line to
Chester,
Crewe and
London.
Prehistoric and Roman history
The town centre is built around St.
Cybi's Church, which is built inside one of
Europe's only three-walled
Roman forts (the fourth wall being the sea, which used to come up to the fort). The Romans also built a
watchtower on the top of
Holyhead Mountain inside Mynydd y Twr, a prehistoric fortress. Settlements in the area date from prehistoric times, with circular huts,
burial chambers and
standing stones featuring in the highest concentration in Britain. The current lighthouse is on
South Stack on the other side of Holyhead Mountain and is open to the public. The area is also popular with birdwatchers.
Transport
Holyhead has a busy
ferry port handling more than 2 million passengers each year.
Stena Line, Europe's biggest ferry company, operates from the port as do
Irish Ferries. Ferries sail to
Dublin and
Dún Laoghaire in
Ireland and this forms the principal link for surface
transport from central and northern
England and
Wales to
Ireland. There is archaeological evidence that people have been sailing between Holyhead and Ireland for 4,000 years. Holyhead's maritime importance was at its height in the
19th century when the two and a half mile (4 km)
breakwater, widely acknowledged to be one of Britain's finest, was built, creating a safe harbour for vessels caught in stormy waters on their way to
Liverpool and the industrial ports of
Lancashire. Holyhead's sea heritage is remembered in a maritime museum.
The post road built by
Thomas Telford from London strengthened Holyhead's position as the port from which the
Royal Mail was dispatched to and from Dublin. The A5 terminates at
Admiralty Arch (
1821), which was designed by
Thomas Harrison to commemorate a visit by King
George IV en route to Ireland and marks the zenith of Irish Mail coach operations. In 2001, work was completed on the extension of the
A55 North Wales Expressway from the
Britannia Bridge to Holyhead, giving the town a
dual carriageway connection to North Wales and the main British
motorway network. The A55 forms part of
Euroroute E22 and was funded in the main by money from the
European Union. The Anglesey section was financed through a
Private Finance Initiative scheme.
With the opening of the railway from London to
Liverpool, Holyhead lost the London to Dublin Mail contract in
1839 to the
Port of Liverpool. Only after the completion of the
Chester and Holyhead Railway in
1850 and the building of
Holyhead railway station did the Irish Mail return to Holyhead. Holyhead is currently the terminus of the
North Wales Coast Line and is served by
Virgin Trains and
Arriva Trains Wales services.
Industry
Today, Holyhead's main industry is
aluminium-based, with
Rio Tinto Group's
Anglesey Aluminium subsidiary operating a massive aluminium smelter on the outskirts of the town. There is also a plant that refines
bauxite near the site. A large jetty in the harbour receives ships from
Jamaica and
Australia, and their cargoes of bauxite and aluminium ores are transported on a cable belt rope driven conveyor belt that runs underneath the town to the plant.
Famous people
- David Crystal, linguist and chair of the charity behind Holyhead's arts centre, the Ucheldre Centre, lives in Holyhead.
- Francis Dodd, artist, was born in the town in 1874.
- Dawn French, comedienne, was born in the town in 1957.
- Glenys Kinnock, politician, was born in the town in 1944.
- Gary Pritchard, journalist, is a former pupil of Ysgol Gymraeg Morswyn school in Holyhead.
- Tony Roberts, Welsh international football player, was born in the town in 1969.
- Raymond Sweetman, bass guitarist, was born in the town in 1948.
- R.S. Thomas, poet, grew up in Holyhead.
- Ray Williams, weightlifting Commonwealth gold medallist was born in the town in 1959.
Culture and sport
Holyhead hosted the
National Eisteddfod in
1927. Holyhead is the start and finish point of the
Anglesey Coastal Path.
Holyhead's arts centre, the
Ucheldre Centre, is located in the chapel of an old convent belonging to the
order of the
Bon Sauveur. It holds regular arts exhibitions, performances, workshops and film screenings.
According to the 2001 census, 47% of the residents in the town can speak
Welsh. The highest percentage of speakers is the 15 year old age group, where 66% can speak the language.
The town's main
football team is called
Holyhead Hotspur and they play in the
Cymru-Alliance League (External Link
), with their reserves playing in the
Gwynedd League. There is also
Holyhead Gwelfor Athletic who play in the
Anglesey League.
A
Quidditch Team in the
Harry Potter series is Called the
Holyhead Harpies. It is all woman Quidditch Team.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Holyhead'.
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