MENAI BRIDGE, ANGLESEY, WALES

Menai Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Menai Strait from Bangor, Wales, to the island of Anglesey, a distance of 580 feet (176 metres). It was designed and built between 1819 and 1826 by Thomas Telford, it was the first important modern suspension bridge. The deck, designed for two carriageways, was suspended by iron chains from masonry towers at either end. Sixteen chain cables were each composed of 935 iron bars, a total of 2,000 tons of wrought iron. Though damaged by storms, the bridge survived because of the addition of transverse bracing and trussed railings. In 1939, to accommodate increased automobile traffic, the chains were replaced by steel cables. For centuries, travel to Anglesey from the mainland was often hazardous. Ferries traversed the Menai Strait at various places, but the currents are tricky and numerous boats capsized or ran aground, often with loss of life. Traffic across the strait and Anglesey increased in the early 19th century after the Act of Union of 1800, when Ireland joined the United Kingdom. Travellers to the ferry port of Holyhead, where ships left for Ireland, had to make the dangerous crossing after a long and arduous journey from London. Soon plans were drawn up by Thomas Telford for ambitious improvements to the route from London to Holyhead, including a bridge over the Menai.