Cemaes
| Cemaes | |
| Anglesey | |
|---|---|
 Cemaes Harbour | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SH371934 |
| Location: | 53°24’45"N, 4°27’5"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 1,392 |
| Postcode: | LL67 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Anglesey |
Cemaes is a village on the north coast of Anglesey, sitting on Cemaes Bay, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and which is partly owned by the National Trust.
It is the home to both a wind farm and a nuclear power station (Wylfa). It is also a fishing port and is known for its beach. The village also has a football team, Cemaes Bay FC, who play in the Welsh Alliance League, but once got as high as the League of Wales, becoming the first team on Anglesey to do so.
Cemaes is the most northerly village in Wales and its development has been shaped by the natural resources available to it. Cemaes Bay is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, some of which is owned by the National Trust. The village includes a sheltered natural harbour that looks north to the Irish Sea and is a site of an ancient settlement that in more recent centuries has become a centre for maritime activities.
Since Victorian times, the picturesque character of Cemaes and the natural beauty of the island has attracted many artists. They have responded to the sea and sky as it changes with the weather, the superb sunsets, the multicoloured rocks and sands exposed on the cliffs and beaches as well as the charm of Cemaes village.
For more than a hundred years, Cemaes has attracted holiday makers and tourists including David Lloyd George. Cemaes is located on the Anglesey Coastal Path and is quite popular with walkers. One popular path which runs behind the high-street called Valley of the Otters is very peaceful. It is surrounded by woodland, wildflowers and the sounds of the river. The river itself is called 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. The name Wygyr itself in Welsh means "where two rivers meet".
History
The village was a commotal centre for the Prince of Wales before the invasion of Edward I in 1282-3. Dafydd ap Llywelyn, 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 railway down to the sea. The pier, 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.
Thoroughout 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 in the River Wygyr that are near the village. The name of the nearby Wylfa nuclear power station is linked to the village. The late 19th-century Cemaes resident David Hughes, who travelled to Liverpool and found riches in the building industry, lived for much of his life on the island. He built the village town hall in 1898 and his cottage, on the site of the current power station, was called Wylfa.
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, the hills of the Lake District and the Mourne Mountains in Ulster.
The Welsh name Llanbadrig means ‘church of St Patrick’. There are three churches in Wales with dedication to St Patrick, although Llanbadrig church, founded in 440 AD, is probably the only one with a direct link to the patron saint of Ireland. We know that Patrick, then Bishop, was sent by the Bishop of Rome 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 now called Middle Mouse because of its shape). This is the island that can be seen deom 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 – Ffynon Badrig (Patrick's Well). Legend states that this fresh water allowed Bishop Patrick to recover from his ordeal and he founded the church as thanks to God.
Geology
The rocks exposed by coastal erosion in North Anglesey belong mainly to what geologists call the Mona Complex, which is among the oldest rock units seen in Great Britain. 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 is 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, 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 foxes and peregrine falcons to marine life. Usually, on Wylfa head, you can see porpoises coming up for air. The currents around there are perfect feeding spots for them. Cemaes habour is a perfect spot for fishing, as you can catch Atlantic mackerel, flatfish, red crabs and other fish and crustaceans. Near Cemaes is Cemlyn, which hosts the only breeding Sandwich Terns 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.[1]