Stories tagged "Holyhead": 49
Stories
Major Thomas Swift of Holyhead
Towards the end of the Civil War, Major Thomas Swift took control of the fort of Holyhead in 1649, and in the following year he was made Postmaster. This gave him responsibility for the ships carrying the mail to Ireland, which was a troublesome…
St Cybi in Holyhead – and in Ireland
Most Welsh place-names that incorporate the names of saints occur in the form of llan with the name of the saint, and places named Llangybi (the enclosure, church or parish of Cybi) can be found elsewhere in Wales on the Llŷn Peninsula, in…
Ellin’s Tower
The two-storey folly was erected in 1868 for Ellin or Ellen Stanley. Ellen came from the Williams family of Bodelwyddan near St Asaph in north Wales and married William Owen Stanley of Penrhos in 1832. They lived at Penrhos mansion near Holyhead,…
Canolfan Ucheldre Centre
The Ucheldre Centre is the beating heart of culture in Holyhead; it is housed in a former convent in the middle of Holyhead, just minutes from the port. The building was rescued from demolition by local residents in the late nineteen eighties and…
A Little Bit Eco, Holyhead
A Little Bit Eco has been a feature in Holyhead for the last four years. Owner Cathie is early adopter and champion of sustainable practices. Her new, airy premises on William’s Street will provide you with all your refill needs, be it for your…
‘The Cry of the Hungry’
In the first half of the nineteenth century, Holyhead experienced considerable growth and improvements to the town infrastructure thanks to the growing importance of its port. The completion of Thomas Telford’s Holyhead to London postroad, the…
The Pollecoffs of Holyhead
Residents of Holyhead fondly remember Pollecoff’s department and drapery store for its ‘elegance and quality’. Its owner, Solomon Polliakoff, was born in Russia in 1867. He emigrated to the United Kingdom to escape persecution and to better himself…
The Boathouse Hotel
The newly-created Boathouse Hotel is the first social enterprise Eco-Hotel in North Wales with a social and environmental mission. Nestled in a dip on Newry Beach Promenade, the Boathouse Hotel boasts a perfect location on the Anglesey Coastal Path…
My Life on the Irish Sea: A Few Memories II | Fy Mywyd ar Fôr Iwerddon: Ambell i Atgof II
For some 25 years I regularly took students from Bangor University to Ireland. We set off on the Friday afternoon boat from Holyhead and then settled into our lodgings. On Saturday we went south: to the south Dublin tombs, including Brennanstown,…
My Life on the Irish Sea: A Few Memories I | Fy Mywyd ar Fôr Iwerddon: Ambell i Atgof I
As my name suggests, I have crossed the Irish Sea many times. I first went to Ireland to pursue archaeology in 1960 when I was researching the North Wales megalithic tombs and needed to see the Irish ones as well.
My memory of that first visit to…