Local Landmarks and Places of Interest

Here you can visit some of the historic and famous places in and around Aberffraw as well as see some very old photos of village life. Oh, and there's the ghost too.

Llangwyfan - "The Church in the Sea"

Llangwyfan - at low tide!

The old church of Llangwyfan stands on a rocky islet in a bay just outside Aberffraw. The church was certainly in existence in 1254 and was dedicated to St. Cwyfan, probably the Irish saint whose name is spelt Coemgen in Old Irish and Kevin now. His center was at Glendalough not far from the stretch of the Irish coast directly across the Irish Sea from Aberffraw.
The medieval church was added to in the 14th and 15th centuries and was much larger than the building which exists today. Over time the sea eroded the site of the church until the graves started to fall into the water. Parts of the church had to be demolished in the 19th Century. By 1891 the building was a roofless ruin but money was raised to repair the roof. All the windows were restored about 40 years ago but today the church is again in a perilous condition and a local appeal for funds has been started.

Aberffraw Parish Church

Aberffraw Parish Church

This church was founded by Beuno ap Bugi ap Gwenlliw, an itinerant Celtic saint who later became Abbot of Clynnog Fawr in Caernarfonshire and who died around AD 640.
Nothing remains of the church that stood upon this site in those far off days. It was made of wattle and daub (a mixture of clay, rods and twigs) and was destroyed by the weather.
In the 12th century the church was rebuilt out of stone but there is not much of this building left today. In the 16th century almost all the walls were demolished and bigger parts were built instead.
The earliest Parish Register that survives is a record of burials and baptisms dating from the year 1719.

Cable Bay

Cable Bay

Cable Bay is the English name given to Bae Trecastell because the Atlantic telegraph cable terminated there. The Bay is safe for swimming and surfing and is very popular in the Summer. The bay is quite small and very sandy, with steep rocky sides which people jump into the sea from! The picture above was taken from near the Ancient Burial Chamber (see below)

Barcoliad y Gawres

Just a few yards from Cable Bay is the ancient burial chamber, known in Welsh as Barcoliad y Gawres. The chamber is 4,500 years old. This once sacred and holy place is covered by a circular mound from which the view out to sea and inland across Anglesey is fantastic. The mound covers a cruciform shaped inner chamber, used for the burial of the dead and approached by a covered passage. Three of the stones at the junction of the passage and chamber and two at the back of the side chamber bear original decorations which are some of the oldest known markings made by man in the country.

SPOOKY!
We had a few tingles down our spines when we saw this picture - can you see why?
Click here for a clearer view of the GHOST!

The Old Bridge

The Old Bridge standing over the Aberffraw river was built in 1731. The Bridge is made out of stones and no cars are allowed on it, only people on foot or bikes. A new bridge was built in 1932 and rebuilt a few years ago so now the village has two bridges.
A modern memorial of slate and stone by the sculptor and writer Jonah Jones (b. 1919) stood in front of the old bridge until recently, when it was moved to the Llys Llewelyn museum in the village.

Village Well

The Well was the source of water for the whole Village - even until the early part of this century!

The Post Office

Aberffraw Post Office, 1907

The Post Office was opened in 1843, one of the first sub-offices in Anglesey. Note the curious looks of the villagers here - cameras were a rarity in those days! In 1907 the Post Office was housed in the Chemist Shop.
Today the Post Office is in the Village Square and is still an important part of village life.

Central Stores, 1910

This typical village shop stocked an amazing range of goods - groceries, ironmongery and draperies. Note the brass bedsteads leaning against the wall! Other shops at this time included a butcher, a poulterer and a chemist, as well as four other grocery shops, needed to serve a population of 900 in this isolated village.
Today there is only the Post Office and a small general grocery shop but people nowadays can drive or go by bus to the towns to do their other shopping.

View Aberffraw from the Air

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