St Tysilio's
Church
is to be found on Church Island in the shadow of the Menai
Suspension Bridge. It is reached by following the path from the Menai
Bridge to the Belgian Promenade, a walkway that was constructed by Flemish
refugees during the first World War. The Belgian Promenade joins up
with the causeway that connects the island to the mainland. A short
and winding path leads under the overhanging branches of a large
yew tree to the old oak church door. A plaque above the door states that
the church was founded in the 7th Century by St Tysilio, but it seems
to be accepted that the present church was built in the 1400's. No one
knows who built the present church but it is a lovely little stone building
with a grand front door.
The church is popular for weddings and services are still held here. The
churchyard holds the dead of local families and of those workmen
who died building the Menai Suspension Bridge. On the highest point of
the island there is a magnificent monument to the local men who died
in the two World Wars. It is a fantastic piece of carved granite and
a worthy memorial.
Should your interests lie elsewhere than old Welsh churches and graveyards
Church Island is well worth a visit for the views of the Menai Strait,
both the Menai and Britannia Bridges and Ynys Gorad Goch Island, whose
residents once made a living from the fish caught in the traps built
on the island. And if wildlife watching is your hobby then there is
a wide selection of seabirds to be seen from Church Island ( known as
Ynys Tysilio in Welsh ).
Directions: [ Map
of St Tysilio's Church, Church Island ]
Follow the path from Menai Bridge to the Belgian Promenade and
cross the causeway. Alternatively cross the Menai Suspension Bridge
on the A5. Car Park after a few hundred yards on the left. There
is a path from the old Holyhead Road (A5) down to the causeway. |
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