Pwllfanogl, Llanfairpwll

button_lang_welshbutton_lang_frenchPwllfanogl, Llanfairpwll

The tranquil area around the mouth of the river Braint was once a hive of industrial activity. The renowned painter Sir Kyffin Williams (1918-2006) lived here.

The 1947 aerial photo, courtesy of the Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Wales, shows Pwllfanogl at the bottom and Llanfairpwll at the top. It is from the Aerofilms Collection of the National Monuments Record of Wales.

Aerial view of Pwllfanogl in 1947
Aerial photo of Pwllfanogl in 1947, courtesy of the RCAHMW and its Coflein website

Pwllfanogl was the terminus of a Menai Strait ferry crossing. The harbour remained in use for goods well into the 20th century.

In the 18th century Pwllfanogl had a boat-building yard. In 1833 a small sailing vessel, called Jane and Ann, was wrecked near Beaumaris with the loss of all three crew. It was reported that the vessel was owned by “some poor people at Pwllfanogl”.

The river bridge was probably built in the 18th century when the river’s course was altered so that a millpond could be created upstream. The corn mill is now a house (south-west of the bridge).

From 1876 the Britannia Slate Works at Pwllfanogl received slate by boat from quarries on the mainland opposite. It produced writing slates for schools across the world.

When most of the land at Pwllfanogl was auctioned in 1909 it included the slate works, corn mill, 12 houses, stables, wharves and sawpits.

A “bacon factory” was opened in Pwllfanogl, possibly in 1913. When auctioned in 1916 it included a steam boiler, lard press, mincing machine, bone crusher and wrought-iron tracking rails, along which hanging meat was moved.

West of the river mouth stands a whitewashed cottage called Min-y-Môr, formerly the Boat Inn. This was the last home of Sir Kyffin Williams. He was born in Llangefni and studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. He retired to Pwllfanogl in 1974, the year he was elected to the Royal Academy. He is best known for his evocative paintings of Welsh landscapes.

Postcode: LL61 6PD    View Location Map

Copies of the old photo and other images are available from the RCAHMW. Contact: nmr.wales@rcahmw.gov.uk

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