Herb Riddle's photos with the keyword: Cemaes

Nestled in a valley between Cemaes and Almwich we come across this on our headland walk. I thought at first it had to be an old mine building but no: this old works produced porcelain from deposits of china clay found on Dinas Gynfor and Llanlleiana Head nearby. The works consist of a main building and a remote chimney, this was to direct the noxious fumes away from the working areas. Llanlleiana means “church of the nuns” and the works were built on the site of a convent. They closed the works in 1920 after it was badly damaged by fire. In the fields behind the ruins are the remains of St Ana’s Church and on the headland above the works are the remains of the Dinas Gynfor Iron Age settlement. The curved walls to our left spills onto a shingle bay with a picnic table. No guesses then where we had our picnic. PiP Enjoy full screen. HWW, have a great day.

Continuing our Cemaes headland walk we come to a secluded sandy cove near the village of Llanbadrig and its old church. The large crescent shaped bay is backed by cliffs but it is the large white quartzite sea stack that sits mid-beach that identifies Porth Padrig. The “White Lady” is named after after Ladi Wen, a ghost from Celtic mythology. The beach itself is named after St Patrick as it is said the saint took shelter in a nearby cave after being shipwrecked. See PiPs. Enjoy full screen.

........... In 1884 this church was refurbished by the 3rd Lord Stanley of Alderly who had married a Spanish Moorish woman and converted to Islam himself. He donated a substantial sum of money to refurbish the interior of the church to reflect his new faith with a dramatic Moorish interior with blue tiles, blue glazed windows and Arab-style iconography.” This all sits in harmony with the traditional stone flooring and otherwise local décor.

As we continue along this coastal path from Cemaes, Anglesey we come across a strange cave and a very interesting church. See PiPs “The Church of St Patrick (Eglwys Llanbadrig) - is said to have been founded by Saint Patrick in 440 AD and is the oldest church in Wales. It sits on a windswept headland overlooking the small islet where St Patrick is said to have been shipwrecked. Legend says that in 440 AD a celtic bishop called Patrick was travelling from Iona to Ireland when he was shipwrecked off the coast of Anglesey. Having made his way ashore from the small islet now known as Ynys Badrig (St. Patrick’s Island), the bishop took refuge in a small cave with a nearby well. Patrick commemorated his escape from danger by founding the original Eglwys Llanbadrig. The original simple timber church was replaced with a stone version in the 12th century, and then rebuilt in the 14th century in the general form seen today. In 1884 it was refurbished by the 3rd Lord Stanley of Alderly who had married a Spanish Moorish woman and converted to Islam himself. He donated a substantial sum of money to refurbish the interior of the church to reflect his new faith with a dramatic Moorish interior with blue tiles, blue glazed windows and Arab-style iconography.” This all sits in harmony with the traditional stone flooring and otherwise local décor. cemaes.wales/local-places/llanbadrig-church ps, if you think this scene looks familiar you may have seen this by our friend Toz: www.ipernity.com/doc/2405228/50825498 Essential full screen. Have a great week.

As we walk on the headlands and coastal path away from the village of Cemaes on Anglesey we see two structures of historical interest here. The most obvious is the decommissioned Wylfa nuclear power station built in 1963, but to our left and less imposing is the oldest church in Wales: St Patricks - said to have been founded by Saint Patrick himself in 440 AD. (More of this in another posting). It looks like they must have run out of real wire fencing here as this wooden pallet has been wired in to stop folk from clambering around the end. Why?.... you may well ask! Enjoy full screen and have a great week.

Time for a rest here at the most northerly village in Wales. sited on Cemaes Bay, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is partly owned by the National Trust. The name Cemaes derives from the Welsh word cemais, meaning "bend or loop in a river, inlet of sea, bay". Wikipedia One would hardly know from this scene that the decommissioned Wylfa nuclear power station sits just a little further to the right :) Perhaps with the out-of-favour natural gas now, this power station might yet breath again! Enjoy full screen and have a great week.