Penrhos was a large estate on

Holy Island Sacred space, sacred ground, sacred place, sacred temple, holy ground, or holy place refers to a location which is deemed to be sacred or hallowed. The sacredness of a natural feature may accrue through tradition or be granted through a bles ...

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 north-west

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 ...

History

In 1553, during

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...

's reign, Penrhos was granted to John-ap-Owen (also known as John Derwas). At this time, the land consisted of little more than the Penrhos headland upon which a farm was built, originally known as Tudor House and subsequently, Penrhos. The estate was the seat of the principal land and property owners on Holy Island for over 400 years, passing into the hands of the

Stanley family The Stanley family (or Audley-Stanley family) is an English family with many notable members, including the Earls of Derby and the Barons Audley who descended from the early holders of Audley and Stanley, Staffordshire. The two branches of the Aud ...

following the marriage of Margaret Owen to Sir John Thomas Stanley in 1763. The

were notable residents in the area. They are remembered by having the

Stanley Embankment The Stanley Embankment (known locally as the Cob) is a railway, road and cycleway embankment that crosses the Cymyran Strait in Wales, connecting the Island of Anglesey and Holy Island. It carries both the North Wales Coast Line for trains, wh ...

named after Edward Owen Stanley as well as Ysbyty Penrhos Stanley (

Holyhead Holyhead (,; cy, Caergybi , "Cybi's fort") is the largest town and a community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales, with a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north, and i ...

Hospital) and ''The Stanley Arms'', a pub in Holyhead. Amongst other things he constructed a sailor's hospital in the town and

Elin's Tower Elin's Tower ( cy, Tŵr Elin) is a Victorian stone tower on Holy Island, located around west of Holyhead. The castellated folly, which was originally used as a summer house, was built between 1820 and 1850 for the notable Stanley family from ...

near South Stack. At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in 1939, Penrhos was evacuated and the house occupied by troops. During this time the house and grounds were neglected and became ruinous in places. When the war ended, the existing tenants were given the opportunity to buy their properties and the remaining estate, covering thousands of acres, was sold off. The Penrhos mansion was bought by Sir Patrick Abercrombie with a view to its partial restoration. His ambition was never realised, and the remains were systematically plundered and subsequently demolished. The Home Farm at Penrhos was bought by Captain Nigel Conant, the estate's land agent, who continued to farm some 500 acres until its sale in 1969—for the development of the Anglesey Aluminium smelting plant. Anglesey Aluminium granted public access in 1972 under the direction of Ken Williams, a local policeman and amateur naturalist. Penrhos Nature Reserve was officially opened by H.R.H.

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

in 1971A BBC page on the reserve
which was then owned by

Anglesey Aluminium Anglesey Aluminium was a joint venture between Rio Tinto and Kaiser Aluminum. Its aluminium smelter, located on the outskirts of Holyhead, was one of the largest employers in North Wales, with 540 staff members, and began to produce aluminiu ...

. Since the company's closure in 2009, there have been several planning applications put to the council seeking permission to build on the site. On 6 November 2013 (Land & Lakes Anglesey Ltd) were successful, gaining approval for their Planning application for a Leisure Centre to be constructed on this rich coastal landscape, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The development was intended to initially offer accommodation and transport options for a proportion of the incoming construction workforce for the proposed new Wylfa power station (approx 15 miles away) If this development proceeds, it will bring about the closure of 'most' of the Penrhos Nature Reserve to the public as it is now known. The objections to this development are strong and show the feelings that people have for the Penrhos Estate. There is a great following on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. The community will not let this land go easily and are currently doing battle with the Council and the developers to have this application revoked. To keep Penrhos Nature Reserve/Coastal Park in the hands of the community, run voluntary by the community for the people in perpetuity.

References

{{authority control Villages in Anglesey Holyhead