Holyhead Maritime Museum

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Holyhead Maritime Museum
HolyheadMuseumAndHarbour.jpg
Holyhead Maritime Museum and harbour
Established1984
LocationNewry Beach, Holyhead, North Wales
Coordinates 53°19′01″N4°38′10″W / 53.317°N 4.636°W / 53.317; -4.636
Type Maritime museum
Public transit access Holyhead National Rail logo.svg  : 1 mile
Website Official website

The Holyhead Maritime Museum (Welsh : Amgueddfa Forwrol Caergybi) is a maritime museum located in Holyhead, North Wales.

Welsh language Brythonic language spoken natively in Wales

Welsh or y Gymraeg is a member of the Brittonic branch of the Celtic languages. It is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa. Historically, it has also been known in English as "Cambrian", "Cambric" and "Cymric".

Sea Large body of salt water

The sea, the world ocean or simply the ocean is the connected body of salty water that covers over 70 percent of the Earth's surface. It moderates the Earth's climate and has important roles in the water cycle, carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle. It has been travelled and explored since ancient times, while the scientific study of the sea—oceanography—dates broadly from the voyages of Captain James Cook to explore the Pacific Ocean between 1768 and 1779. The word "sea" is also used to denote smaller, partly landlocked sections of the ocean and certain large, entirely landlocked, saltwater lakes such as the Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea.

Museum institution that holds artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, historical, or other importance

A museum is an institution that cares for (conserves) a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these items available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. The largest museums are located in major cities throughout the world, while thousands of local museums exist in smaller cities, towns and rural areas. Museums have varying aims, ranging from serving researchers and specialists to serving the general public. The goal of serving researchers is increasingly shifting to serving the general public.

Contents

Housed in what is claimed to be the oldest Lifeboat station in Wales (built c. 1858), [1] it houses a number of collections.

A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crew and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine. Lifeboats may be rigid, inflatable or rigid-inflatable combination hulled vessels.

History

The lifeboat station opened in 1858 and the first lifeboat was unnamed, launching 18 times, saving 128 persons. Replaced by the Prince of Wales, she launched 38 times and rescued 128 persons. In 1875, Member of Parliament Joshua Fielden and his brothers donated the Thomas Fielden, named after their father, which necessitated extending the house. In 1890, a second large boat was obtained, for which the house was extended to enable beach based landing from a horse-drawn carriage. [2]

Joshua Fielden was a British cotton manufacturer and Conservative politician.

After local maritime exhibitions were held in 1982 and 1983 elsewhere, a trustees group was formed on 24 September 1984. The trustees obtained a nine-year lease on the redundant St Elbods church from the Church in Wales, with the museum opened officially by the Duke of Westminster in March 1986. [2]

Elfodd, Elvodug or Elfoddw was a Welsh bishop. He induced the Welsh church to accept the Roman computus for determining the date of Easter endorsed elsewhere in Britain at the Synod of Whitby in 664. This was after centuries of continuing the practice they had taught to the Irish.

Church in Wales Anglican church in Wales

The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. It defines itself as "the ancient Church of this land, catholic and reformed. It proclaims and holds fast the doctrine and ministry of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church". In 2017, the Church in Wales reported 210,000 attendees in its membership statistics. The Anglican church is the largest denomination in Wales.

Duke of Westminster title created by Queen Victoria

Duke of Westminster is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. It is the most recent dukedom conferred on someone not related to the British royal family.

On expiration of the lease, and after failing to agree a lease within a new development, Stena Line offered the museum a peppercorn rent on the renovated Lifeboat house at Newry Beach. Deciding to improve the building through the construction of new visitor facilities, after a successful bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and a renegotiation of the lease to 99 years, the museum reopened on its current site in 1998. [2]

Stena Line Swedish ferry operator

Stena Line is one of the largest ferry operators in the world. It services Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, Stena Line is a major unit of Stena AB, itself a part of the Stena Sphere. Stena Line also owns the Swedish vessels of the otherwise German- and Danish-owned Scandlines.

Exhibitions

The museum today tells the maritime history of Holyhead and Anglesey, from earliest days to the modern ferries to Ireland. It features an interactive combination of historical artifacts, models and sensory exhibitions. All of its part-time volunteers have extensive maritime and local knowledge. [3] Accessible to wheelchairs, the museum has its own cafe, the Harbour Front Bistro. [4]

Anglesey Island

Anglesey is an island off the north coast of Wales with an area of 276 square miles (715 km2). Anglesey is by far the largest island in Wales and the seventh largest in the British Isles. Anglesey is also the largest island in the Irish Sea by area, and the second most populous island. The ferry port of Holyhead handles more than 2 million passengers each year. The Menai Suspension Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford in 1826, and the Britannia Bridge span the Menai Strait to connect Anglesey with the mainland.

Ireland Island in north-west Europe, 20th largest in world, politically divided into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (a part of the UK)

Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth.

Coffeehouse establishment serving coffee

A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee, related coffee drinks, and – depending on country – other drinks including alcoholic. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks such as iced coffee and iced tea; in continental Europe, cafés serve alcoholic drinks. A coffeehouse may also serve some type of food, such as light snacks, sandwiches, muffins or other pastries. Coffeehouses range from owner-operated small businesses to large multinational corporations.

The Holyhead at War exhibition is located in an air raid shelter located alongside the Maritime Museum.

Related Research Articles

Holyhead town in the county of Anglesey in Wales

Holyhead is a town in Wales and a major Irish Sea port serving Ireland. It is also a community and the largest town in the Isle of Anglesey county, with a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. Holyhead is on Holy Island, which is separated from Anglesey by the Cymyran Strait and was originally connected to Anglesey via the Four Mile Bridge and now by the Stanley Embankment.

Holy Island, Anglesey island next to the Isle of Anglesey, Wales

Holy Island is an island on the western side of the larger Isle of Anglesey, Wales, from which it is separated by a narrow, winding channel. It is called "Holy" because of the high concentration of standing stones, burial chambers, and other religious sites on the small island. The alternative English name of the island is Holyhead Island. According to the 2011 UK Census, the population was 13,659, of which 11,431 (84%) lived in the largest town, Holyhead.

Amlwch small town in the north of Anglesey in north-west Wales

Amlwch is the most northerly town in Wales and is a community. It is situated on the north coast of the Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Amlwch Port, other settlements within the community include Burwen, Porthllethog/Bull Bay and Pentrefelin. The town has a beach in Llaneilian, and it has significant coastal cliffs. Tourism is an important element of the local economy. At one time it was a booming mining town that became the centre of a vast global trade in copper ore. The harbour inlet became a busy port and significant shipbuilding and ship repair centre, as well as an embarkation point with boats sailing to the Isle of Man and to Liverpool. A number of the houses date from the 19th century and add to the atmosphere of the town.

Moelfre, Anglesey community and village in Anglesey, in north-west Wales

Moelfre is a village, community and electoral ward on the north-east coast of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. The community area covers the village and harbour, and several smaller, dispersed settlements. It includes six scheduled Iron Age 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 in 1859. Near the modernised lifeboat station is the RNLI 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.

Rhosneigr village in United Kingdom

RhosneigrWelsh pronunciation is a village in the south-west of Anglesey, North Wales. It is situated on the A4080 road some 10 km south-east of Holyhead, and is on the Anglesey Coastal Path. From the clock at the centre of the village can be seen RAF Valley and Holyhead Mountain. The major towns of Holyhead and Llangefni and the city of Bangor are all within easy travelling distance. It is the most expensive place to live in Anglesey in terms of house prices. The village is very anglicised.

Salt Island is joined to Holy Island, Anglesey, in North Wales. It is a natural provider of shelter for the town's Old Harbour from the Irish Sea and is part of the Port of Holyhead.

Trearddur human settlement and community covering the south of Holy Island in Anglesey, in north-west Wales

Trearddur or Trearddur Bay is a village, seaside resort and community south of Holyhead on the west coast of Holy Island off the north-west coast of Anglesey in Wales.

The Anglesey Football League is a football league in Anglesey, Wales, and is equivalent to the sixth level of the Welsh football league system in North Wales. The champions are promoted to the Gwynedd League.

Tenby Lifeboat Station lifeboat station on the South coast of Wales

Tenby Lifeboat Station is a lifeboat station in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales that has been situated to the east of the town since 1852, three generations having been built; the original and updates in 1905 and 2005. The station currently houses two lifeboats.

Penmon village in Wales

Penmon is a promontory, village and ecclesiastical parish on the south-east tip of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, about 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the town of Beaumaris. It is in the community of Llangoed. The name comes from Welsh: pen and Môn, which is the Welsh word for Anglesey. It is the site of a historic monastery and associated 12th-century church. Walls near the well next to the church may be part of the oldest remaining Christian building in Wales. Penmon also has an award-winning beach and the Anglesey Coastal Path follows its shores. Quarries in Penmon have provided stone for many important buildings and structures, including Birmingham Town Hall and the two bridges that cross the Menai Strait. The area is popular with locals and visitors alike for its monuments, tranquillity, bracing air and fine views of Snowdonia to the south across the Menai Strait.

Rhoscolyn village in Anglesey, in north-west Wales

Rhoscolyn is a village and community located on Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales. It is just over five miles south of Holyhead and is the most southerly settlement on the island. The name Rhoscolyn is said to mean "The Moor" (Rhos) of The Column (colyn), referring to a pillar which the Romans put up to mark the edge of their territories. The community population taken from the 2011 census was 542. The community includes the village of Four Mile Bridge.

The Anglesey Central Railway was a 17.5-mile (28.2 km) standard-gauge railway in Anglesey, Wales, connecting the port of Amlwch and the county town of Llangefni with the North Wales Coast Line at Gaerwen. Built as an independent railway, the railway opened in portions from 1864 to 1867. Due to financial troubles the railway was sold to the London and North Western Railway in 1876, which invested significantly in the infrastructure. Operation continued under various companies during the 20th century, but passenger services were withdrawn in 1964 as part of the Beeching Axe. Industrial freight services continued until 1993. The railway's tracks remain and local groups have demonstrated an interest in restoring services as a heritage railway.

Llanddeusant, Anglesey village in Anglesey, Wales

Llanddeusant is a small linear village, on Anglesey, North Wales about 10 miles (16 km) north east of Holyhead. The village takes its name from its parish church which is dedicated to St. Marcellus and Saint Marcellina.

Porthdinllaen village in United Kingdom

Porthdinllaen, is a small coastal village in the Dwyfor locality on the Llŷn Peninsula within Gwynedd, Wales, located on a small promontory, and historically in Caernarfonshire. It is near the larger village of Morfa Nefyn.

Trwyn Du Lighthouse lighthouse in Anglesey, Wales

Trwyn Du Lighthouse, also known as Penmon Lighthouse, is a lighthouse between Black Point near Penmon and Ynys Seiriol, or Puffin Island, at the eastern extremity of Anglesey, marking the passage between the two islands.

Llanfachraeth community and village in Anglesey, in north-west Wales

Llanfachraeth is a village and community in the Welsh county of Anglesey. It is located near the west coast of the island, at the head of the Alaw estuary, 6.2 miles (10.0 km) east of Holyhead, 11.7 miles (18.8 km) south west of Amlwch and 11.3 miles (18.2 km) north west of Llangefni. The A5025 road runs through the village. A bus service operates along this road daily, except for Sundays, running between Cemaes, Llanfaethlu, Llanfachraeth and Holyhead. The Wales Coast Path is forced inland here to cross the Afon Alaw. The village has a pub and accommodation is provided by the Holland Hotel.

South Stack Lighthouse lighthouse in Anglesey, Wales


The South Stack Lighthouse is built on the summit of a small island off the north-west coast of Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales. It was built in 1809 to warn ships of the dangerous rocks below.

Holyhead Lifeboat Station

Holyhead Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat station in the coastal town of Holyhead, Anglesey, Wales. It is one of the three oldest lifeboat stations situated on the North Wales coast, a disused building of which houses the Holyhead Maritime Museum.

Church Bay, Anglesey city in Wales, United Kingdom

Church Bay is a settlement located on the north west coast of Anglesey, Wales, United Kingdom.

References

  1. ↑ "Holyhead Maritime Museum". National Library of Wales. Archived from the original on 2004-07-26. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
  2. 1 2 3 "Holyhead Maritime Museum". holyhead.com. Archived from the original on 2009-07-03. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
  3. ↑ "The Maritime History of Holyhead and Anglesey, North Wales". anglesey.info. Archived from the original on 2005-10-26. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
  4. ↑ "Holyhead Maritime Museum". Attractions North Wales. Retrieved 2010-05-28.


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