Llanfair P. G.

Llanfair is the first [or last] station on Anglesey. It is next to the Menai Strait and on the approach to Robert Stephenson’s Britannia bridge, which is Grade II listed. The station was opened in 1848, closed in 1966, reopened in 1970, closed again in 1972, reopened again in 1973, temporarily closed for Covid in 2020 and reopened after the pandemic in 2021. It has an alternative very long name, though the place is usually known either as Llanfair P. G. or Llanfairpwll. The full version was apparently a Victorian invention for publicity purposes, rather than one steeped in earlier history. The settlement is now by-passed by the main trunk road to Holyhead, which also uses the Britannia bridge on the upper level above the railway line to cross the water.

Llanfair has an attractive main street, which includes the station and an extensive car park it shares with a nearby retail area. Opposite is the Oriel Ger Y Fenai Art Gallery, which included a typically gloopy painting by the renowned Welsh artist, Sir Kyffin Williams. At the time of our visit, the only two railway paintings on display [portraits of a Coronation Pacific at Liverpool Lime Street and an A1 Pacific at York] were labelled the wrong way round, which may, or may not, have confused any potential buyer. Nevertheless, it is a spacious, well-lit and welcoming gallery with a good range of original art work.

Just down the road is the National Trust property, Plas Newydd, the former stately home of the Marquess of Anglesey. It has impressive views of Menai Strait and Snowdonia beyond, and includes a very large classically themed mural by Rex Whistler. Their current exhibition explains how the fifth marquess managed to bankrupt the family before his death at a very young age.

That the station sign is itself a bit of a tourist attraction was obvious during the short time that we were there, as quite a few people parked up to have their photos taken in front of the original building on the up side of the line. The signalbox is retained for the use of the level crossing keeper, who still has to open and close the gates manually, as we witnessed.