Cemaes
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Cemaes () is a village on the north coast of
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 ...
in
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 ...
, sited on Cemaes Bay, an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of ...
which is partly owned by the
National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
. It is the most northerly village in Wales (excluding the nearby hamlet of Llanbadrig). The name Cemaes derives from the Welsh word ''cemais'', meaning "bend or loop in a river, inlet of sea, bay". In 2011 the population of Cemaes in Llanbadrig
community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...
was 1,357. The most northerly point in Wales, Ynys Badrig, is nearby. Cemaes is a
fishing port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...
and tourist resort, and is known for its beach. It has a sheltered natural harbour that looks north to the Irish Sea and is the site of an ancient settlement. Cemaes also has a
wind farm A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turb ...
and at nearby
Wylfa Wylfa nuclear power station ( cy, Atomfa'r Wylfa) is a Magnox nuclear power station undergoing decommissioning. Wylfa is situated west of Cemaes Bay on the island of Anglesey, off the northwestern coast of Wales. Construction of the two 490MW n ...
is a
nuclear power station A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a generator that produces ele ...
. The river in the village is the River Wygyr, which flows from just below Parys Mountain to the sea at Cemaes. It is joined along the way by the Afon Meddanen on Carrog Farm,
Carrog Carrog is a village in Denbighshire, Wales, near Corwen. Formerly referred to as Llansanffraid-Glyn Dyfrdwy, as it lies within the parish of Llansanffraid Glyndyfrdwy, it takes its modern name from the Great Western Railway station on the oppo ...
. The name Wygyr is Welsh and may mean "green wood" (''(g)wig'' + ''ir'') or perhaps 'where two rivers meet'. Since the
Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
the picturesque character of Cemaes and the natural beauty of the island have attracted many artists and tourists. Lloyd George used to visit here. Cemaes is located on the Anglesey Coastal Path and is popular with walkers. The village football team, Cemaes Bay F.C., play in the
Welsh Alliance League The Welsh Alliance Football League (formerly the ''Lock Stock Welsh Alliance Football League'', for sponsorship reasons) was a football league formed in 1984, and discontinued in 2020 following the reorganisation of the Welsh football pyramid for ...
, but previously have played in the
League of Wales The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 2 ...
, being the first team on Anglesey to do so.


History

The village was a commotal seat for the
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
before the invasion of Edward I in 1282–83.
Dafydd ap Llywelyn Dafydd ap Llywelyn (''c.'' March 1212 – 25 February 1246) was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246. He was the first ruler in Wales to claim the title Prince of Wales. Birth and descent Though birth years of 1208, 1206, and 1215 have ...
, prince of Wales from 1240 to 1246, is recorded as having issued an act at Cemaes in 1238. Between the end of the 18th and beginning of the 20th century the village was noted for producing salted herring as well as bricks from a nearby works, which was served by a narrow gauge tramway down to the sea. The
pier Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...
, which was badly needed for trade and fishing, and later tourism, was damaged badly by storms in 1828 and 1889. Both times they were rebuilt and improved by local businessmen. Throughout its history the village has had three names. The first was Castell Iorwerth ("Iorwerth's Castle") after an important Welsh prince of the time. The second name, Cemais, is similar to the modern name and refers to the
meanders A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank ...
in the River Wygyr that are near the village. The name of the nearby
Wylfa Wylfa nuclear power station ( cy, Atomfa'r Wylfa) is a Magnox nuclear power station undergoing decommissioning. Wylfa is situated west of Cemaes Bay on the island of Anglesey, off the northwestern coast of Wales. Construction of the two 490MW n ...
nuclear power station is linked to the village. The late 19th-century Cemaes resident David Hughes, who travelled to
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
and found riches in the building industry, lived for much of his life on the island. He built the village hall in 1898 and his home 'Wylfa Manor' in 1896, on the site of the current power station. It is located under the current Wylfa car park. The village hosted several matches of the
2019 Inter Games Football Tournament The 2019 Inter Games Football Tournament was an association football tournament which was held between 15 and 22 June 2019 in Anglesey, Wales. It was organised due to the hosts of the 2019 Island Games, Gibraltar being unable to run a tournament d ...
, a replacement football tournament for the popular
Island Games The Island Games (currently known as the NatWest International Island Games for sponsorship reasons) are biennial international multi-sports events organised by the International Island Games Association (IIGA). Competitor teams each represent d ...
. The games were held in Gibraltar but the lack of pitches there meant Anglesey was deemed to be a better host.


Cemaes Heritage Centre

The centre forms a permanent exhibition, tea room/coffee shop and a meeting and training room. It features a brand new heritage experience, in which one can learn about the bygone era of Cemaes and the parish of Llanbadrig, from Stone Age nomads, and the area's connection to the native Welsh Princes, to Cemaes' more recent maritime and industrial heritage. It retells the life stories of some of Cemaes' most interesting and most notable characters – 'Portraits of Cemaes' – and displays a permanent art collection reflecting how artists were inspired by Cemaes' landscape and rich heritage.


Llanbadrig Church

Those who make the pilgrimage from Cemaes to the headland to the east, where the church stands, will be rewarded by both the history of the church and views on a clear day to the
Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...
, the hills of the Lake District and the
Mountains of Mourne The Mourne Mountains ( ; ga, Beanna Boirche), also called the Mournes or Mountains of Mourne, are a granite mountain range in County Down in the south-east of Northern Ireland. They include the highest mountains in Northern Ireland, the hig ...
in Ireland. The Welsh name Llanbadrig means "church of St Patrick". There are three churches in Wales dedicated to St Patrick, although Llanbadrig church, founded in AD 440, is probably the only one with a direct link to the patron saint of Ireland. We know that Patrick, then Bishop, was sent by
Pope Celestine I Pope Celestine I ( la, Caelestinus I) (c. 376 – 1 August 432) was the bishop of Rome from 10 September 422 to his death on 1 August 432. Celestine's tenure was largely spent combatting various ideologies deemed heretical. He supported the missi ...
to Ireland to convert the Irish to Christianity during the 5th century. Local legend insists that Patrick was shipwrecked on Ynys Badrig (Patrick's Island, which is also called Middle Mouse because of its shape). This island can be seen from the stile in the churchyard wall. He succeeded in crossing to Anglesey, landing at Rhos Badrig (Patrick's Moor) and finding refuge in Ogof Badrig (Patrick's Cave). This cave, below the churchyard, has a freshwater well, Ffynnon Badrig (Patrick's Well), but rockfalls have made the well inaccessible. Legend states that this fresh water allowed Bishop Patrick to recover from his ordeal and he founded the church in thanks to God. Opening hours are limited to 10am–5pm May to September, and a monthly service of Evensong is held at 2pm on the first Sunday of the month during summer.


Geology

The rocks exposed by
coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landwa ...
in North Anglesey belong mainly to what geologists call the Mona Complex, which is among the oldest rock units seen in
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 underlies, and is therefore older than, the slates of the North Wales quarrying industry, but is probably not very much older in geological terms. Since the remains of fossilized remains have been found in the rocks, it does not pre-date the origins of life and is therefore probably about 600 million years old. The locality is well known to geologists following the enthusiastic description by
Edward Greenly Edward Greenly (3 December 1861 – 4 March 1951) was an English geologist known for his a detailed geological survey of the island of Anglesey. ''The Geology of Anglesey'' was published in two volumes in 1919 and followed by a one-inch geologic ...
, in his pioneering book on the geology of Anglesey dated 1919: ‘a many coloured mélange that is really indescribable, and must therefore be seen in the field to be envisaged’.


Wildlife

Cemaes has a range of wildlife from
fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
es and peregrine falcons to marine life. On
Wylfa Wylfa nuclear power station ( cy, Atomfa'r Wylfa) is a Magnox nuclear power station undergoing decommissioning. Wylfa is situated west of Cemaes Bay on the island of Anglesey, off the northwestern coast of Wales. Construction of the two 490MW n ...
Head, you can see porpoises coming up for air. Cemaes harbour is a good spot for fishing, as you can catch
Atlantic mackerel The Atlantic mackerel (''Scomber scombrus''), also known as Boston mackerel, Norwegian mackerel, Scottish mackerel or just mackerel, is a species of mackerel found in the temperate waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the northern ...
, flatfish, red crabs and other fish and
crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group can ...
s. Near Cemaes is Cemlyn, which hosts the only breeding
Sandwich tern The Sandwich tern (''Thalasseus sandvicensis'') is a tern in the family Laridae. It is very closely related to the lesser crested tern (''T. bengalensis''), Chinese crested tern (''T. bernsteini''), Cabot's tern (''T. acuflavidus''), and elega ...
s in Wales.


Wales in Bloom

Cemaes Bay through the hard work of local volunteers has won the 'Wales in Bloom' village category on a number of occasions, the last being 2008.


Notable people

* Sonia Edwards, a Welsh poet and writer who writes primarily in Welsh; she taught Welsh at
Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni is a bilingual community comprehensive school for pupils aged 11 to 18 years old located in Llangefni, Anglesey. Pupils come from the town of Llangefni and the surrounding villages and rural areas. The school opened aroun ...


References


External links


Cemaes BayCemaes Heritage Centrephotos of Cemaes and surrounding area on geograph
{{authority control Villages in Anglesey Llanbadrig