Penrhos was a large estate on Holy Island,

Anglesey Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...

, in north-west

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

History

In 1553, during

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

'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 Earl of Derby, Earls of Derby and the Baron Audley, Barons Audley who descended from the early holders of Audley, Staffordshire, Audley ...

following the marriage of Margaret Owen to

Sir John Thomas Stanley Sir John Thomas Stanley, 6th Baronet FRSE Society of Antiquaries of London, FSA (26 March 1735 – 29 November 1807) was an 18/19th century British landowner and amateur scientist. Life He was born at Alderley Park on 26 March 1735, the elde ...

in 1763. The

were notable residents in the area. They are remembered by having the Stanley Embankment named after Edward Owen Stanley as well as Ysbyty Penrhos Stanley (

Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...

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 near

South Stack South Stack () is an island situated just off Holy Island on the northwest coast of Anglesey, Wales. Geology South Stack is an island known as a sea stack. It was formed by the wave erosion of sedimentary rocks that once connected the isla ...

. At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie ( ; 6 June 1879 – 23 March 1957) was an English architect, urban designer and town planner. Abercrombie was an academic during most of his career, and prepared one city plan and several regional studies prior ...

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 until its sale in 1969—for the development of the

Anglesey Aluminium Anglesey Aluminium Metal Ltd. 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 ...

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. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

in 1971,A BBC page on the reserve
which was then owned by Anglesey Aluminium. 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 the coastal landscape, an

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...

. 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 approximately away. If the development proceeds, it will bring about the closure of most of the Penrhos Nature Reserve to the public as it is now known.

References

{{authority control Villages in Anglesey Holyhead