The Menai Heritage Bridges Exhibition is a museum based in the Canolfan Thomas Telford Centre in

Menai Bridge Menai Bridge ( cy, Porthaethwy; usually referred to colloquially as Y Borth) is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north-west Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thom ...

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. It is dedicated to the two bridges across the Menai Strait; the

Menai Suspension Bridge The Menai Suspension Bridge ( cy, Pont y Borth, Pont Grog y Borth) is a suspension bridge spanning the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, it was the world's f ...

and the

Britannia Bridge Britannia Bridge ( cy, Pont Britannia) is a bridge across the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. It was originally designed and built by the noted railway engineer Robert Stephenson as a tubular bridge of w ...

, as well as the local history and natural history of the Menai Strait and the surrounding area

History

The Canolfan Thomas Telford Centre is a former National school associated with the neighbouring St Mary's Church, both designed by well-known local architect Henry Kennedy. It was opened in 1854 as a simple rectangular building. In 1878 an extension was built to the back, a cloakroom was added in 1896, and the front porch in 1909. It continued to be used as a school until 1923, when the school merged with the council school. It was then used as a church hall until 2007. In 2007 it was purchased and refurbished by the Menai Bridge Community Heritage Trust (also known as Menai Heritage), who named it in honour of

Thomas Telford Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scot ...

, the builder of the

. The Trust was formed in 1997 to preserve the historical and architectural heritage of Menai Bridge for the community. The building is now used as a community centre as well as home to Menai Heritage's Bridges Exhibition, a fully accredited museum.

References

External links

Museum website
{{Museums and art galleries in Wales Museums in Anglesey History museums in Wales Local museums in Wales