The Menai Straits Bridge was the first large-scale suspension bridge in the world.   

Before 1826 travel to or from Anglesey en-route to Ireland meant a dangerous crossing in a ferry across the swirling waters of the Menai Strait. Plenty of people drowned, so a bridge was desperately needed.

Thomas Telford took up the formidable design challenge. His solution was a giant suspension bridge, far bigger than anything ever built before. A huge tower was erected on each side, with 16 massive wrought iron chains between them to support all the weight of the road and traffic. They had to move in the wind, expand in the heat of summer and contract in the winter’s cold, all without cracking or breaking. Plus tall sailing ships had to pass below the bridge.

It was a phenomenal challenge, no wonder it took 15 years to build.

When it finally opened, it slashed the journey time between London and Holyhead by a staggering nine hours. Nearly 200 years later it’s still the main road to the Irish ferries.