Open Doors - St. Mary’s Church, Llanfairpwllgwyngyll

A stone’s throw away from the steady stream of traffic travelling along Brittania Bridge, at the far end of a winding road that goes past Carreg Brân Hotel and under the railway bridge, stands St. Mary’s Church, Llanfairpwll. Although so close to the bridge, there is a palpable sense of peace as you wend your way from the car park, through the lychgate and down towards the main church door. 

Ahead, you will see the Menai Strait as it flows onwards towards Plas Newydd and beyond, a breathtaking view when the weather is fine and the Strait shimmering in the sun. And in the far distance, a striking spectacle on the horizon, the gentle outline of Yr Eifl (The Rivals) mountains.

This has been the site of a place of worship for over 600 years but the present building was constructed in September 1853. One of the exceptional features in the church is an unusual stained-glass window celebrating its connection, in years gone by, with the former Indefatigable Training School for Sailors.

Below the churchyard stands a statue of Horatio Nelson erected in 1837. In the churchyard itself, on the left as you walk down to the main door, stands a column to commemorate the lives of fifteen men who died during the process of building the Britannia Bridge between 1846-50. 

A few yards beyond the church’s gable-end stands an impressive Celtic cross denoting the burial place of the poet and scholar Syr John Morris-Jones (1864-1929). He now rests near the banks of Y Fenai, such a source of inspiration for him as a poet, as was his native Môn/Anglesey.

Address -  St. Mary’s Church, Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, Anglesey, LL61 6AD. 
SH 537713 

The church stands at the end of a narrow lane about 0.2 miles south of the main A5 road on the east side of the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll.

No wheelchair access available.

The church will be open and stewarded on Saturday 14 September between 11am and 4pm.