Ilkeston Cam on Holiday
w/e 28 September 2025
All of this week's pictures were taken with a Nikon D3300
Part 09 - Menai Bridge & Caernarfon
The morning of our fourth day in North Wales had been spent in
Bangor and on Anglesey at Llanfair PG but we headed back to the
mainland lunching on the outskirts of Bangor before heading off
for an afternoon in Caernarfon.
As we approached the Menai Bridge, we were held up briefly in
traffic at a roundabout right outside The Anglesey Arms hotel
but soon moved on to cross the bridge.
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Taken from the back seat of the car this is how the bridge looked
as we crossed the Menai Strait. The bridge is another of Thomas
Telford's designs and building started in 1819 which was completed
in 1826 when it became the world's first major suspension bridge.
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There's a sharp left turn on the main road after crossing the
bridge with a minor road off to the right. The suspension cables
carry straight on to and through this building to terminate in
the rock below.
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We arrived in Caernarfon and parked beneath the castle walls
by the harbour on the River Seiont. Signs pointing towards the
Harbour Office and Artisan Shopping Centre were there to tempt
the visitor but instead, we walked back up Castle Hill to Castle
Square.
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At the far end of the square stands Caernarfon's War Memorial
in front of the Presbyterian Church
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It's at the castle end of the square though that a statue of
David Lloyd George was erected in 1921. Lloyd George was the
Member of Parliament for Caernarfon and the surrounding area
between 1890 and 1945, an incredible 55 years. A member of the
Liberal Party he served as Prime Minister from 1916 to 1922.
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Previously full of traffic, Castle Square has been successfully
redeveloped to make it more pedestrian friendly and a range of
shops, restaurants and coffee bars make it a pleasant place to
sit and admire the old buildings or, as we did, just watch the
world go by.
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There is also another statue in the square and this one outside
the Grade II Listed Castle Hotel is of Sir Hugh Owen (1804 -
1881). According to the plinth on which it stands, he was a tireless
philanthropist who devoted his life to the establishment of non-sectarian
primary schools in Wales; training colleges for Welsh teachers;
the University of Wales and Welsh County (Intermediate) schools.
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Turning away from Castle Square, we walked along Castle Ditch
towards the river. With the castle walls on our left we passed
a number of old historic buildings on the right including the
Grade II* listed Palace Vaults. Not easy to see as it is painted
black, but to the right of the left hand window on the ground
floor is a cast iron crane above the cellar trap doors. This
plus the fine frontage and several other details is the reason
for its II* listing.
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Another fine building a little further along Castle Ditch is
The Old Courthouse. Now a restaurant, its "outstanding architectural
importance" has earned it a Grade 1 listing. It was built
in 1863 and served as a Courthouse until 2009.
Continued in Part 10 - Caernarfon
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