Happy birthday Menai Bridge
The Menai Bridge, that spans the Menai Strait linking Anglesey to mainland Wales, is something islanders often take for granted. The only time we think about it is when it is closed, when getting on or off the island becomes an inconvenience and we have to go the long way around.
The bridge was the first great suspension bridge, 580 feet long, 100 feet above the sea (the navy insisted on being able to sail under it in battle ships) suspended by 16 massive chains, a cutting-edge technology at the time.
It has just celebrated a huge anniversary, first opening 200 years ago and changing everything for islanders. Halen Môn co-founder, Anglesey local and self-confessed Pontist (bridge enthusiast) David Lea-Wilson takes us back to the Bridge’s very first days.
Just after midnight on January 30th 1826, the London mail coach arrived at the Ferry Inn, Bangor for the usual change of horses before the ferry to Anglesey after a long journey from London. But it wasn’t to be!
Willaim Provis, the bridge designer Thomas Telford’s man in charge of the build, took command of the coach and ordered it to drive towards the previously uncrossed bridge, a mile away. As the coach reached the bridge many people crammed into and on to the coach eager to be part of the event. Provis had the iron gates opened and “a crack of the whip put the horses in motion and we were conveyed to the opposite end, amidst the cheers of the men around us and the shrill whistling of a gale”
Telford had inspected the bridge just the day before and pronounced it ready after many years in the building.
The following morning the party to end all parties began – everyone wanted to cross the bridge. A torrent of ‘numerous gentlemen’s carriages, upwards of 130 vehicles and horsemen innumerable’. The demand for tickets to cross was enormous and the bridge was crowded for hours, people could scarcely move.
The architect and designer, Mr Telford, slipped away after crossing the bridge just once. As the party started, he left to work on his next project. Largely self-taught, Telford started life as a shepherd’s son and went on to become the ultimate Civil Engineer. Almost everything he built is still in use today.
The bridge connected the island to the mainland, and nothing has been quite the same since. Artistically and aesthetically, it sits perfectly in the landscape and is the icon of North Wales.
After it’s opening the daily ferries slowly stopped – even the cattle could cross to market over the bridge instead of swimming. And now, in 2026, Anglesey still depends on that bridge. The eighth wonder of the world.
Seaweed is naturally anti-inflammatory, thanks to compounds such as fucoidan and phlorotannins. These soothe skin flare-ups and support conditions like eczema, psoriasis and rosacea by reducing redness and irritation.
5. Seaweed can protect against sun damage
Seaweed is naturally anti-inflammatory, thanks to compounds such as fucoidan and phlorotannins. These soothe skin flare-ups and support conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea by reducing redness and irritation.
