Llanfaethlu


Llanfaethlu is a village in the north west of Anglesey, in north-west Wales. The community population taken at the 2011 Census was 553. The village takes its name from the Church of Saint Maethlu. The community includes Llanfwrog.

History

There is a hill fort with a single bank and ditch in the vicinity of Llanfaethlu, and a small hoard of Roman coins was found on a hill to the west of the church, some having been minted when Domitian was emperor, around 90 AD.
The village is built around the Church of Saint Maethlu. This church is dedicated to Maethlu the Confessor who is thought to have founded an early Christian religious establishment about three quarters of a mile to the south of the present building. Two other early Christian burial sites have been found close by, at Hen Siop and at the lodge of Carreglwyd.
In the early nineteenth century, Llanfaethlu was the site of a telegraph station, part of a chain of such stations designed to pass information about the movement of ships between Liverpool and Holyhead. The operation started in 1827 and the signals were at first made using flag semaphore, meaning that they could be obstructed in adverse weather conditions. The visual system was replaced by an electric telegraph later in the century.
Llanfaethlu is home to Condessa, a small liquor company that manufactures specialist liqueurs which include Welsh cream liqueur, praline cream liqueur, black cherry liqueur and sloe gin.
Carreglwyd, a Georgian house and country estate, is to the northwest of the village. The house became a Grade II* listed building in 1952 on the basis that it is "a fine small-scale country house of simple Georgian character". It has "an especially fine hall, the core of the C17 house being retained through subsequent remodelling.".

Governance

An electoral ward of the same name exists. This ward includes the surrounding communities and has a population that totalled 1,648 at the 2011 census.