History of the Town and Cottage

Menai Bridge has a long and complex history which substantially predates the famous Telford bridge. Neolithic, Bronze Age and Roman remains have been found in the area. The first recorded use of the name of Porthaethwy (Welsh name for Menai Bridge) comes from an account of the Battle of Porthaethwy c. 1194 where Llywelyn ap Iorweth, who became known as Llywelyn Fawr, defeated his uncle Rhodri to gain control of Anglesey as part of his campaign to unite Gwynedd.

A ferry is recorded in the 12th century and this formed one of a number of ferry links between Anglesey and the mainland. Ferryman’s Cottage was given a licence in 1687 as a house for ferrymen using the Anglesey shore. People emigrating to the colonies in America would wait in the cottage for the slate ship to arrive, which would dock on the opposite side of the strait. Then they would be taken to the ship by the ferryman. This ferry continued up to the early 19th Century with the few dwellings which comprised the town of Porthaethwy clustered on and around the shoreline to serve this purpose.

Following the political Union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, the forging of better physical links between the two countries was imperative. Thomas Telford selected Porthaethwy as the location for the crossing of the Menai Strait by bridge as a vital part of his epic engineering feat to secure a road link from London to Holyhead and onwards to Ireland. The bridge was constructed between 1818 and 1826 to Telford’s innovative design which built upon his own ideas for a Mersey bridge and those of Captain Brown’s Tweed Bridge. It used Penmon Limestone for the towers and had to be high enough to satisfy the Admiralty that ships of the day could pass without obstruction.

The Ferryman’s Cottage enjoys statutory protection as a Building of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (listed building) Grade II. It is listed under Section 1 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, as amended. It was first included on the list in July 1997. The Ferryman’s Cottage exhibits very high evidential value as a surviving structure from the time before the suspension bridge when the ferry was the only link to the mainland. It is an extremely rare survival and sits uniquely within the much larger Victorian structures which surround it.

When the cottage was bought in 2018, it was in an advanced state of deterioration. This included the roof, which had been covered with a concrete slurry mix in the 1960’s to hold together the decayed and damaged slates and roof structure.  The weight had sagged the roof and it was held up with a support. There was water penetration to the interior with rot to the timberwork. It was clear that without attention the roof would continue to deteriorate and likely to eventually collapse. The decision was taken to replace the roof using materials to mirror the original – the new slates were hand cut from the local Penrhyn quarry. 

The cottage walls were covered in a non-breathable cement mix which had to be removed. The concrete/mortar was replaced with a lime render which allows for full breathability of the structure. Rock and earth previously rose up to the height of the cottage at the rear elevation. This was dug out using hand tools, and scores of tonnes of rock were removed and had to be barrowed off site up the hill! This excavation alone took four months. In the space created, a “hidden” structure was created which houses the lounge/kitchenette plus shower room. This structure cannot be viewed directly in front from the road so that only the original cottage is visible. Above this is a roof terrace area, that is fronted by glass, and has (limited) views of the straits plus the bridge. It is a sun trap for most of the day, and is a fabulous feature of the cottage. Note that there is no direct access, visitors have a minute walk round to the rear of the boundary via Cambria Road. The renovation works can be summarised by the photos below.