Anglesey Villages

• Author: Margaret Hughes
• Publication Date 2003
• Format: Paperback, 183x122 mm, 136 pages
  

 
 A delightful collection of 17 short essays comprising historical and interesting information not included in tourist guide books, about various villages around Anglesey. 1 map and 37 black-and-white photographs.

Gwales Review

This is Margaret Hughes's fifth book on aspects of Anglesey history, and it is proof, if any proof were needed, of the very rich cultural heritage of what is surely one of the most fascinating islands in Europe.

Wales is a land of villages, and small rural communities have played a significant role in the historical evolution of the country. What the author has to tell us about the people and events which have shaped the locations she has chosen is of the greatest interest.

The book is not the kind of work which has demanded any specialist research but is primarily a handbook for tourists and also for a readership in Wales with a feeling for the past. The author has has consulted well-known sources: Angharad Llwyd's history of Ynys Môn and William Bulkeley's fascinating eighteenth-century diary, for example - a must for anyone with a genuine interest in the social history of the region.

We are taken from pre-historic sites to underground coastal tunnels, from the Beer Act of 1830 to the bravery of the volunteers who man the Moelfre lifeboat station.

The book dispels the notion, which still prevails to some extent, that villages are essentially dull places. The author has publicised Ynys Môn in a very positive way, and there are thirty-seven excellent photographic illustrations by way of a bonus.

Whether the Wales Tourist Board acknowledge it or not, this publication goes some way towards making the island an attractive and extremely interesting region to visit.

Dewi Roberts