N E W S L E T T E R Cymdeithas Ddinesig Bro Porthaethwy

Menai Bridge and District Civic Society

C Y L C H L Y T H Y R

Inside this issue:

1

Civic Trust —

national news

2

Recent Programme

notes

2

Future Events 3

News about our

Councils

3

Planning , Local News,

Public Meeting

4

Contacts 4

Autumn/Hydref 2014 Page/Tudalen 1

We have continued to celebrate the estab-

lishment of our Society, some forty years

ago, by showing our support for the net-

work of organisations who also play a vital

part in the life of Menai Bridge. We have

awarded grants to the Friends of Church

Island, Menai Bridge Brass Band, and the

Thomas Telford Centre - the money to be

spent on specific projects to aid their de-

velopment. The ‘Friends’ have bought a

small gazebo to provide shelter when they

Dates for your

diary: More details on

page 3. Lectures start at

7.30pm (unless otherwise

stated) and are held in the

Community Centre, Water

Street, Menai Bridge.

Sept. 26th Ann Pedley -

The History of the Royal

Welsh Fusiliers in the Great

War

Oct. 17th Barbara James

- Mountaineering in 1960's

& 70's a time of innova-

tion

Nov. 28th Paul Kay - The

Underwater world of the

Menai Strait

Dec. 12th (2pm) John

Hughes - Menai Bridge

yesterday & today -

Porthaethwy - ddoe a hed-

diw

Jan. 23th Tim Goodwin -

A snapshot of the last 40yrs

of the property market in

Anglesey

Feb. 20/27th Annual Din-

ner guest Richard Douglas

Pennant

March 27th Bob Morris -

April 24th AGM speaker

to be arranged

40th Anniversary

Celebrations

Photos L to R:

Anthony Tavernor

Society President),

David Brydon

(Friends of Church

Island) , Joanna

Robertson (Thomas

Telford Centre),

Brian Mottishead ( MB Brass Band). Photos

by G. Hedgecock, B Madoc Jones

Photo below : members enjoying the late

evening sun and afternoon tea at the presen-

tation in the courtyard, Plas Cadnant.

hold events on the Island; the Band would

like a xylophone to improve their ability to

compete and for the Centre it will help to-

wards their Pier Project. We look forward to hearing more of what

they do and of continued collaboration.

Presentation of the grants was made during

our visit to Plas Cadnant, at the end of July,

by our new President, Anthony Tavernor. It

was a warm, sunny evening so we were

able to hold the presen-

tation outside in the

Courtyard, have some

excellent refreshments

and then have a guided

tour of the latest work

in the Gardens. The

collection of hydrangeas

throughout the Gardens

is outstanding and in-

cludes a vivid deep blue.

Society members hard at work sam-

pling cakes.

CIVIC TRUST and NATIONAL NEWS

Page/Tudalen 2

RECENT PROGRAMME NOTES 2nd May 2014 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

At our Annual General Meeting in May 2014 Anthony

Tavernor was confirmed as our new President.

Anthony takes over from Lady Anglesey. Lady Anglesey

had been President for many years providing us with

sound advice, guidance and enthusiasm.; very much a

’hands on President’. We are grateful for her contribu-

tion to our Society and indeed to the Civic Trust move-

ment as a whole. As she has moved to the south of Eng-

land, to be nearer to her family, she was unable to play

an active role in our Society. We will of course keep

her up to date with our activities. Both Lady Anglesey

and the late Lord Anglesey knew Anthony and Plas Cad-

nant well and I’m sure they would feel that the Society is

in good hands. We are delighted that Anthony is able to

take on this role; he has been a stalwart supporter of

the Society for many years. In a message to members he

says,

“I feel privileged and honoured to have been invited

to be your new President and I share your aspirations

to see Menai Bridge go from strength to strength.

The Civic Society was one of the first organisations I

joined when I came to Menai Bridge nearly 20 years

ago and the sensitive conservation of the town and its

historic buildings is something I have seen with great

pleasure. I hope we can continue to cherish this heri-

tage and sense of place; the wonderful bridges;

Church Island and the waterfront. When improve-

ments or developments are needed the Civic Society

plays an important part in ensuring this is done sym-pathetically, conserving the essential character of

Menai Bridge - a vibrant place we can all be proud of.

architecture and design in Britain from 1914 onwards.

The Society’s prime objectives are conservation and edu-

cation. Contact: Henrietta Billings.

Ancient Monuments Society and Friends of Friendless

Churches. Concerned with the study and conservation of

historic buildings of all ages and types. Publishes a list of

total demolition applications each year. In working part-

nership with the Friends of Friendless Churches which

owns 34 disused but historically important places of wor-

ship in England and Wales. Contact: Matthew Saunders,

Lucy Carayon

The National Churches Trust supports and promotes

church buildings of historic, architectural and community

value. It is the only independent, UK-wide charity sup-

porting churches, chapels and meeting houses of all Chris-

tian denominations, providing grants, support, advice and

information and seeking to highlight the value of these

important buildings. Contact: Matthew Seward.

The Theatres Trust is the National Advisory Body for

Theatres, protecting theatres for everyone. We operate

nationally in England, Scotland and Wales promoting the

value of theatre buildings and championing their future.

We are a statutory consultee on theatre buildings in the

planning system, we provide expert advice on the sustain-

able development of theatres, we distribute small capital

grants, and we help promote awareness and solutions for

theatres at risk.

Continued on page 4.

Following the business of the meeting Mr Robin Grove-White

talked about, ’Living the High Life’, his experiences as High

Sheriff of Anglesey. May 12th Penhesgyn Re-cycling and Waste Manage-

ment site. What do you think of it so far! Can’t believe how

much we throw away or rather we now recycle.— last year An-

glesey recycled 3,300 tonnes of paper. It is estimated that in the

UK we throw away 808,000 tonnes of food past its edible date,

with a value of £2.2 billion.

May 20th National Slate Museum, Llanberis. Guided tour

of the site with the curator Dr. Dafydd Roberts - excellent, the

scale amazes, as do the cream teas.

June 20th Blaenau Ffestiniog Plus! Starting with Pant Du

vinery, Pen y Groes for coffee, tour and wine and cider sam-

ples, on to the Oakley Arms for an excellent lunch (Plas

Maentwrog, home of the Oakleys is itself worth a visit) and to

Melin Pant yr Ynn, Blaenau the water mill restored by the

enthusiasm of Falcon Hildred. The origins of Melin Pant-yr-

Ynn are unknown, but it is the earliest surviving slate mill

in Blaenau Ffestiniog, preserved as it was when it closed in

1964, and is Listed Grade II. His vision over many years has

been to record buildings under threat of demolition or neglect

many of which form part of our past heritage. See http://

www.falconhildred.co.uk/ for more information.

Then onto meet Father Deiniol of the Orthodox Mission

Wales at the Church of All Saints of Wales, Manod Road.

Archimandrite Deiniol is a native of North Wales, speaks

fluent Welsh and English, knows Greek, and can offer sev-

eral other languages for services. He is the abbot of the

Monastery of the Church of the Holy Protection in Blae-

nau Ffestiniog. His collection of Russian and Greek icons

are outstanding. http://www.orthodoxchurch.co.uk/

July 31st Private visit to Plas Cadnant gardens. See

front page.

Despite severe financial cutbacks,

the Civic Trust for Wales contin-

ues to play a vital part in support-

ing us and other Societies across

the nation. Their recent survey of

what we all do should help focus

their effort, and indeed ours in our 40th Year. Recently

they have helped establish the

Wales Heritage Network / Rhwydwaith Treftadaeth

Cymru which will meet quarterly to discuss matters of mu-

tual interest. The Chair of the Network will revolve, with

the Civic Trust for Wales as the secretariat. Listed below

are the current members of the Network:

Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. The oldest

conservation society in the English-speaking world, founded

in 1877 by William Morris and others. Concerned with pre-

1700 buildings and technique and philosophy of repair. Runs

National Maintenance Week. Contact: Judith Leigh, Janet

Poole.

The Victorian Society is the champion for Victorian and Ed-

wardian buildings in England and Wales. Those from 1837 to

1914. Contact: Elaine Davey, James Hughes

The Georgian Group is the national charity dedicated to

preserving Georgian buildings and gardens. They are are

consulted annually on over 6,000 planning applications in-

volving demolition or alterations. Contact: Gareth Roberts

The Twentieth Century Society was founded as the Thirties

Society in 1979, and exists to safeguard the heritage of

Autumn/Hydref 2014 Page/Tudalen 3

Dec. 12th (2pm) John Hughes - Menai Bridge

yesterday & today - Porthaethwy - ddoe a heddiw

Jan. 23th Tim Goodwin - A snapshot of the last 40yrs of

the property market in Anglesey

Feb. 20/27th Annual Dinner guest Richard Douglas Pen-

nant

March 27th Bob Morris - Gerald of Wales and his journey

of 1188 April 24th AGM speaker to be arranged

Jane Cherrett

FUTURE EVENTS

Lectures held monthly at 7.30pm in the lounge

of the War Memorial Community Centre, Wa-

ter Street on Friday evenings, except for Dec.

12th which is in the afternoon.

Sept. 26th Ann Pedley - The History of the Royal

Welsh Fusiliers in the Great War

Oct. 17th Barbara James - Mountaineering in 1960's

& 70's a time of innovation

Nov. 28th Paul Kay - The Underwater world of the

Menai Strait

Menai Bridge seems to have been extra busy

over the past few months. The celebrations

for the 100th Anniversary of the building of

the Belgian Promenade, organised by

Menai Bridge Town Council were well

attended, with Menai Bridge Brass Band

celebrating its 120th anniversary, provid-

ing a rousing start and finale together with

their band colleagues from Tewkesbury. The

celebrations, actually on the Promenade,

which is a ’public highway’, were

enlivened by somewhat bemused

fishermen, with all their gear, walk-

ing through the audience.

Gwyl Tysilio Festival held several

events on Church Island with the

support of the Friends of Church

Island. These included Noson Cynan with readings from his

works and an interview with family

members, a concert by Ped-

warawd y Fenai , Your top 10

favourite hymns and perhaps most poignantly,

‘Over by Christmas’ a presentation of ‘letters

home’ and contemporary poetry and articles from

the First World War - at the end of this the audi-

ence spontaneously joined in to finish with ‘Keep

the Homes Fires Burning’ (emotional enough now,

goodness knows what it was like at the time). It

was written by Ivor Novello, Grove's Dictionary of

Music and Musicians writes of Novello that he was

"until the advent of Andrew Lloyd Webber, the

20th-century's most consistently successful com-

poser of British musicals — and the Cardiff boy

started off competing in Eisteddfodau!

A BUSY SUMMER OF FESTIVALS, FUN AND MEMORIES

The Pierhouse Opening marked a significant milestone in the work of the ‘Telford Centre’ and their display about

Menai Bridge in WW1 together with support from Menai Bridge Women’s Institute, who provided WW1 style refresh-

ments (including ANZAC biscuits), is really gathering pace. Menai Bridge Seafood Festival , including Catrin Ffinch,

really completes a summer of amazing variety, reflecting home grown talent.

Troops assembled outside the Old School in Dale Street, with the clothing factory and its chimney in

the background (now where the car park is and Llys Menai). Photo from Maureen Parry-Williams’ col-

lection. Can you name any of the people in it?

Anthony Tavernor Esq.

Llywydd/ President

Liz Moyle

Cadeirydd/Chair

Maureen Parry-Williams

Ysgrifennydd/Secretary

Jane Cherrett

Ysgifennydd Cymdeithasol/

Social Secretary

Renata Hufton

Trysorydd/Treasurer

Iola Prytherch

Deputy Treasurer/Trysorydd

Cynorthwyol

Liz Moyle

Newsletter Editor/Golygydd

Cylchlythyr

Norman Kneale

Photos/Ffotograffau

CONTACT LIST

Newsletter contributions -

Maureen Parry Williams

Tel. 01248 440668

Booking activities for events

and outings -

Jane Cherrett

Tel 01248 713440

County Councillors :

Alun Mummery, Meirion Jones

and Jim Evans

Town Council :

Canolfan Tysilio, Menai Bridge

For all correspondence please

contact the Secretary,

Mrs Maureen Parry-Williams,

Mynedfa Ynys Mon - Gateway to Anglesey

See our Website at

www.menaibridge

civicsociety.org.uk

Page/Tudalen 4

ANGLESEY COUNTY COUNCIL.

PLANNING COMMITTEE.

My view of ACC Planning.

The members of the Planning Committee are:-

Lewis Davies, Ann Griffith (Vice-Chair), John

Griffith, K P Hughes, W T Hughes

(Chair),Vaughan Hughes, Victor Hughes, Rich-

ard Owain Jones, Raymond Jones, Jeffrey

M. Evans, Nicola Roberts.

The atmosphere in the Committee this term

has seemed very work-like with everyone will-

ing to listen and discuss reasonably (a definite

improvement from past sessions.) Conse-

quently, there has been little drama and fewer

people attending for the entertainment!

Many were new members and unsure of the

rules at times but they were very willing to ask

for, and accept, advice and instruction from the

relevant officers. Their main concerns do seem

to be representing the local people and arguing

issues on their behalf. It is of concern

that we do not have a representative from

Menai Bridge – our 3 County Councillors are

from the Llanfair P.G.area. I do not know how

well they know our area or how easy it is to

approach them. If anyone has personal experi-

ence, we would be pleased to share the infor-

mation.

Our main concern should be the application by

Ynys Mon Wind Energy Ltd (Application num-

ber 41C125B/EIA/RE) to erect three 800kW-

900kW wind turbines with a maximum tip

height of up to 81m, the improvements to the

existing access to the A5025 road, together

with the erection of 3 equipment housing cabi-

nets on land at Bryn Eryr Uchaf, Menai Bridge.

This is between Penhesgyn and Rhorcefnhir,

land through which the Avon Braint and its

tributaries flow.

This application has been deferred by the An-

glesey County Council Planning Department.

The site was visited by the Committee mem-

bers of the Planning and Orders Committee in

Dec.20th, 2013. They resolved to defer their

decision until further responses had been re-

ceived from all consultees and additional infor-

mation from the applicant. Applicants who are

impatient with the non-determination response

from the ACC are then taking it to the Assem-

bly Government and so able to by-pass local

objections.

For those of you who are computer literate,

the Planning Agenda is available on the ACC

web-site immediately before the Planning meet-

ings which take place on the first Wednesday of

every month. We need everyone to be alert to

what may happen in their area. There is con-

cern about the sale of the quarry at the top of

New Street and what the intentions are.

ANGLESEY COUNTY COUNCIL WEBCAST

Council Meetings are beginning to be

available live on the Internet; so far the

Planning Meeting of 3rd September and

Executive Meeting of 8th September are available to review at: http://www.anglesey.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcasts A great step forward and congratulations to all concerned (but to nitpick it’s discon-certing when the video image and sound are out of sync!) Maureen Parry-Williams

Wales Heritage Network /

Rhwydwaith Treftadaeth Cymru

Continued from page 1.

We champion all theatres, historic, contem-porary and new, in theatre use, in other uses or disused. Contact: Mark Price.

Ymddiriedolaeth Addoldai Cymru Welsh

Religious Buildings Trust is a charity that

acquires and conserves some of the best

examples of redundant (non-Church in

Wales) religious buildings in Wales. It has a

national role in promoting the understand-

ing, appreciation and enjoyment of the reli-

gious built-heritage of Wales, and to work

to emphasise its continued relevance for

today’s society as well as for future genera-

tions. The Trust: (i) identifies and acquires

suitable redundant architecturally or histori-

cally important religious buildings;

(ii) protects the buildings in its care, and

ensures their appropriate conservation and

maintenance; (iii) promotes, through the

example of buildings in its care, best conser-

vation practice, including the use and sus-

tainability of traditional skills and materials;

(iv) encourages visitors to buildings in its

care, and seeks to remove barriers affecting

access by any group or individual

(v) encourages community participation in

the use, care and operation of buildings in

the Trust’s care; (vi) works with relevant

organisations to promote the protection,

knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of

Wales’ religious built heritage. Contact:

Gruff Owen

It’s good to see this co-operation both na-tionally and locally.

Liz Moyle

Malcolm Cherrett It is with great sadness that we have

learned of the death of Malcom Cherrett..

He died on 29th August after a short

illness; he will be greatly missed. We

send our condolences to his family.