THE MARQUESS OF ANGLESEY'S COLUMN
"By God, sir, I've lost my leg!"
There was, allegedly, an exhibit in Belgium of the first Marquess of Anglesey’s detached leg. Gross or Brilliant?
I remember visiting the catacombs under the Vatican and being struck dumb by the skeletons of past Popes in their robes and regalia.
A leg would be nothing compared to that. Or, would it?
Push those macabre images to the back of your mind and consider the Column commemorating the Battle of Waterloo on June 18th 1815. The Column was begun in 1816 and finished in 1817.
The column itself commemorates the Battle and it was not until 1860 that the statute of Henry Paget, hero of Waterloo, was placed on a plinth to top off the fabulous landmark.
The column and statue continue to dominate this stretch of the Menai Straits today.
The column was designed by Thomas Harrison and the brass representative sculpture atop by Matthew Noble.
The Column stands aloof from the surrounding land at a height of 27 metres.
To walk up to the viewing platform will leave you breathless after 115 steps - with the odd one looking decidedly rickety.
Children seem inevitably inclined to race up the inside of the column ahead of their breathless parents. But worry not, because you'll usually encounter them equally breathless and leaden legged before long.
Not that I'm proposing that you bring sandwiches with you to break it into manageable steps, as it were. Remember that the journey of a thousand miles begins with but a steady and dependable step.
CONTENTS
WHERE IS IT?
WHO WAS THE FIRST MARQUESS OF ANGLESEY?
GETTING THERE AND BEING THERE
"With a nervous step do I approach you"
A PARTING SALLY
YOUR STORY
WHERE IS IT?
Well, the Marquess’ column is located on the very outskirts of a large village overlooking the Menai Straits and right by the Britannia Bridge.
The name of the village? Well, we call it Llanfairpwll. There again we also call it Llanfair P.G.
If you’re reading this page from across the world then it is probably better known to you as,
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
If you hunt on the interweb then I’m sure that you’ll find some link or other that’ll teach you how to pronounce the name.
Llanfairpwll... contains 58 letters and is the longest place name in Britain and one of the longest in the World.
But what does it mean?
St Mary's Church in a hollow of white hazel near the swirling whirlpool of the church of St Tysilio with a red cave.
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WHO WAS THE FIRST MARQUESS OF ANGLESEY?
Well, prior to being raised to the title of Marquess of Anglesey, Henry Paget (1768-1854) was the eldest son of Henry Paget, the First Earl of Uxbridge.
That is merely a titular description; however, Lord Paget the younger was an undoubted hero, an old-fashioned warrior in his time.
As cavalry commander under the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo on June 18, 1815, Lord Paget led a heroic charge from the centre of the British and Allied forces, which severely restricted the mobility of the French Corps D'armée.
Imagine charging into a sea of heavily armed enemy forces with lance and sword to stand your ground and cut and thrust that enemy into panic and partial retreat. The courage of these men, their discipline, determination and sense of duty is difficult to imagine in such a horrific military context.
However, is that not a soldier’s role today? Do we not have such men among us today?
One of the final volleys of the Battle of Waterloo so severely wounded Lord Paget in the leg - then at Wellington’s side - that it later had to be amputated to save his life.
It is alleged – and are not warriors defined by such phrases – that when he noticed his grievous wound he declared,
"By God, sir, I've lost my leg!"
The Duke of Wellington allegedly responded with,
"By God, sir, so you have!"
I hope the horse was okay
For his role in the battle and for his courage Lord Paget was elevated to the title of the first Marquess of Anglesey and awarded the lands of Plas Newydd in Llanfairpwll.
The Marquess of Anglesey was fitted with an artificial, a prosthetic limb, and lived to the ripe old age of 85 years.
As I indicate and write above, the First Marquess died in 1854 and the bronze statue was raised to a dominant position on top of the column in 1860 to commemorate his life and service to his country.
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GETTING THERE AND BEING THERE
HANG ON! I Need To Check This And Get Back To You
Entropy, Brexit and Covid Has Surely Buggered This Up.
I'll Be In Touch
Let's pretend for now.
Opening Times:
All year round, everyday: 9am-5pm
Admission:
Adult: £1.50
Child/Senior Citizen: 75p
Contact details:
Marquess of Anglesey's Column
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll
Isle of Anglesey
LL61 5NJ
Tel: +44 (0)1248 714393
GETTING THERE
This is quite easy. If you're travelling across the Britannia Bridge from the Bangor side, the Marquess of Anglesey Column is an obvious landmark.
Come off at the very first left feed-off road.
Keep to your left and follow the road for about a couple of hundred metres and out of the trees. The Neanderthal carpark is on your right. Here you can damage your suspension and park under the indifferent gaze of the horses.
There is a path at the top right of the carpark that'll bring you to the image above.
Follow the path through the woods, gazing upward all the time and you'll soon arrive at the cottage below. Here you can invest your holiday pennies in Anglesey and follow the track up to the column to begin your adventure.
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"With a nervous step do I approach you"
Unless you are of the most courageous breed of individual, the circuitous route up the inside of the narrow tower can fill you with trepidation.
As you rise the anxiety level escalates.
A closer inspection of some of the wooden steps is not advised.
As I write above, there are some 115 steps to the top and the small wooden door you have to step through. I never complete the count.
After all, what are you doing but climbing to stand on a small stone platform 100 feet up. Around which is a square of cast iron railing.
There you are, standing on a platform about 10 inches thick, fixed, somehow, to the column. Take those 10 inches away and you are suspended above what.
I hope I'm not worrying you.
I used to climb to extreme severe standard, though any singularly vertical structure that is man-made always fills me with concern.
So, to prove to myself I'm no coward I oblige myself to walk around the column ten times.
Take a moment to glance down toward the Anglesey bank of the Menai Straits and just below the Church of St Mary you will notice a statue.
This is a concrete effigy of Admiral Lord Nelson built by Lord Paget, the fourth son of the First Marquess.
I enthusiastically encourage you to visit the Marquess of Anglesey's column at the end of a fine late Autumn day.
I hope that the above image conveys adequate evidence to support my invitation to you.
NEW! MENAI BRIDGE EVENING BEAUTY
While you’re in the Menai Bridge area why don’t you indulge yourself with delightful walks along the banks of the Menai Straits.
I have created a page with a walk that you can complete in one endeavour or break it down into a few stage to suit your mood and time.
Click Here to enjoy Menai Bridge Evening Beauty
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A PARTING SALLY
Once upon a time, long ago, a young who shall remain nameless, Wyn from Llangefni, ventured up the Marquess of Anglesey Column one Saturday afternoon for the first time.
So entranced was he by the view around and below that he decided to stick his head through the railings for a better view.
There he remained, stuck, until cadets from the nearby Indefatigable Cadets Training Centre encountered his backside staring back at them as they opened the little door.
I understood that it took four of them ten minutes to pry his head loose from the railings.
I also understand that he never visited it again.
WHY NOT CONTACT ME WITH A DESCRIPTION
OF YOUR EXPERIENCES UP THE TOWER?
I am certain that we'd all love to hear from you.
Maybe you have questions you want to ask in advance of your visit?
Maybe you have special advice - or even warnings?
Please feel free. CONTACT ME BY CLICKING HERE.
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North Stack Fog Signal Station, just south of the Port of Holyhead, offers astonishing coastal walk and beautiful views of rugged Anglesey coastline.
Holyhead Breakwater Country Park. Astonishing coastal beauty. Award Winning Anglesey Green Flag Country Park. A superb green space for family fun and walks
White Beach really, really is a hidden gem. By that, I mean it is really, really well hidden. Dinner plate pebbles, nice picnics, CRAZY HORSES and some pretty good fishing.
