Moelfre () is a village, a
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, villag ...
and, until 2012, an
electoral ward on the north-east coast of the
Isle 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 islan ...
in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. The community area covers the village and harbour, and several smaller, dispersed settlements. It includes six scheduled
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
hut groups and many other sites of archaeological interest. The harbour was formerly a local fishing port; a lifeboat station has been based here since 1854. Among many shipwrecks off the coast was that of the
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
in 1859. Near the modernised lifeboat station is the
RNLI
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...
Seawatch Centre. The coastline includes a rocky headland north of the village and a large sandy beach at
Lligwy Bay, both traversed by the
Anglesey Coastal Path. The 2011 census measured the village population as 710. It was estimated at 614 in 2019.
Location
The village of Moelfre wraps around a small harbour sheltered from the north by a substantial headland and the rocky island of
Ynys Moelfre. Also within Moelfre Community are the more dispersed settlements of
Marian-glas,
Llanallgo,
Brynrefail and
Mynydd Bodafon. It had a population of 1,064 at the time of the 2011 UK census. The village today has 502 households and 5 per cent unemployment. The
Royal Mail
, kw, Postya Riel, ga, An Post Ríoga
, logo = Royal Mail.svg
, logo_size = 250px
, type = Public limited company
, traded_as =
, foundation =
, founder = Henry VIII
, location = London, England, UK
, key_people = * Keith Williams ...
postcode
A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal ...
begins LL72. The main road through the community is the
A5025, which is a five-minute drive from the village. The nearest mainline
railway stations
A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing su ...
are in
Bangor and
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, or Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll (), is a large village and local government community on the island of Anglesey, Wales, on the Menai Strait next to the Britannia Bridge and across the strait from Bangor. Both shortened (Llanf ...
. These can be reached in under half an hour by
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
services which run through the village.
Heritage
The meaning of the Welsh name is "bald" or "barren hill", which refers to the land behind the village, as seen from the sea. The name has the same origin as that of the
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern. The highest summit aff ...
.
Archaeology

The Community of Moelfre has 14
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
s, which is more than any other in
Anglesey
Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a Local government in Wales, principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strai ...
. The majority are prehistoric and include a neolithic burial site and a standing stone. However six of them are
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
settlements, suggesting a well-settled landscape by the time the Romans arrived. Three of the monuments (denoted in the table by

) are in the care of
Cadw
(, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage ...
. These are signposted from the road, have public access and explanation boards at the site. Other scheduled monuments may or may not be visible from roads or footpaths, and have no automatic right of access.
Maritime history
The headland north of Moelfre was the site of the
wreck in 1859 of the steam clipper ''
The Royal Charter'' near the end of its voyage from
Australia to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
. A memorial on the headland and an obelisk in
Llanallgo Churchyard commemorate the 400 lives lost. On July 30, 1862, the screw sloop ''Enrica'', soon to be commissioned as the
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confede ...
warship ''
CSS Alabama
CSS ''Alabama'' was a screw sloop-of-war built in 1862 for the Confederate States Navy at Birkenhead on the River Mersey opposite Liverpool, England by John Laird Sons and Company. ''Alabama'' served as a successful commerce raider, attacking ...
'', sheltered in Moelfre Bay while evading both British customs authorities and the ''
USS Tuscarora
The first USS ''Tuscarora'' was a ''Mohican''-class sloop of war in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.
''Tuscarora'' was laid down on 27 June 1861 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Merrick & Sons; launched on 24 August 18 ...
'', which had been sent to capture or sink her.
The difficulties posed to sailing ships by the east-facing shore and limited seaway resulted in many ships being wrecked off the Moelfre coast. As well as the ''Royal Charter'', there is the wreck of the ''Princess Amelia'' (1868) on Lligwy beach, and the ''Kate'' caught fire off Moelfre harbour in 1933. Many ships, like the ''Royal Charter'' and, 100 years later, the ''Hindlea II'', ended up driven by autumn or spring gales onto the shore. On the 500m of coast south of Moelfre there are the wrecks of the ''Brothers'' (1826), the ''Sarah Davison'' (1881), the ''Riviera'' (1892), the ''Dart'' (1888), the ''Alexandrina'' (1890), the ''Margaret Elizabeth'' (1906), the ''Dinas'' (1907), the ''Jewess'' (1910) and the ''William Henry'' (1915).
Lifeboats
Moelfre
RNLI
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...
Lifeboat Station has a distinguished history, including the ''Hindlea'' rescue in 1959, when all the crew were rescued. There has been a lifeboat in Moelfre since 1854. The lifeboat station is open to the public for most of the year, and houses the
Tamar-class lifeboat
Tamar-class lifeboats are all-weather lifeboats (ALBs) operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. They have replaced the majority of the older Tyne ALBs. The prototype was built in ...
''Kiwi'' and the inshore inflatable
D-class lifeboat (IB1) ''Enfys''.
Actress
Jennifer Ellison
Jennifer Lesley Ellison (born 30 May 1983) is an English actress, former glamour model, television personality, dancer and singer. Ellison is perhaps best known for playing Emily Shadwick in the television soap opera '' Brookside'' until 2003, a ...
was rescued in August 2013 off Moelfre.
A statue of
Richard Evans, lifeboatman, was unveiled in 2004 by
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 ...
, outside the Seawatch Museum, which is close to the lifeboat station. It presents information relating to the area and the history of the lifeboats associated with Moelfre.
Nature
This area is by the large sandy beach
Traeth Lligwy and the ancient stone homestead of
Din Lligwy
Din Lligwy (or Din Llugwy) hut circle is an ancient village site near the east coast of Anglesey, close to the village of Moelfre, North Wales.
Excavations in 1905–1907 produced hundreds of Roman-period pot sherds of the 3rd and 4th centu ...
. Nearby
Ynys Moelfre is a haven for birds, and seals and porpoises may also be seen. There are more details on the village website.
Amenities

St Galgo's Anglican Church dates back to the 7th century. Carmel Congregational Chapel was built in 1829. Both have weekly services in Welsh and English. Paradws Chapel is Calvinistic Methodist.
The village has a school with a hall that can be used for public events. Ysgol Gymuned Moelfre (Community School) teaches in Welsh. There were 63 pupils at all levels in 2013. The local library is in the same building. The village also has a football club,
CPD Bro Goronwy, based in School Lane.
There were no street lights in the village until well after the
Second World War
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 ...
, when they were installed as a memorial to the village's war dead.
In the village there are restaurants, a
bakery
A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers wh ...
, and a
fish and chip shop
A fish and chip shop, sometimes referred to as a chip shop, is a (often fast food) restaurant that specialises in selling fish and chips. Usually, fish and chip shops provide takeaway service, although some have seating facilities. Fish and ...
. The RNLI Gwylfan Moelfre Seawatch Centre has a small museum, shop and book store.

Notable people
*
Richard Evans (1905–2001) a lifeboatman with 50 years of service
*
Aled Eames (1921–1996), maritime historian, lived in the village for a long period.
*
John Walter Jones
John Walter Jones (April 14, 1878 – March 31, 1954) was a politician and farmer in Prince Edward Island, Canada. An agronomist, he was instrumental in introducing the potato crop to the island, which was to become a staple of the economy. ...
(1946–2020), first Chief Executive of the
Welsh Language Board
The Welsh Language Board ( cy, Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg) was a statutory body set up by Her Majesty's Government under the Welsh Language Act 1993. It was an Assembly Sponsored Public Body. It began its life under John Walter Jones, and its last ...
from 1993 to 2004.
References
External links
photos of Moelfre and surrounding area on geograph
{{authority control
Villages in Anglesey
Former wards of Anglesey