Llanfairpwllgwyngyll

File:Marquess of Anglesey's Column - geograph.org.uk - 786189.jpg, designed by Thomas Harrison, celebrating the heroism of Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey at the Battle of Waterloo. At {{convert|27|m}} high, it offers views over Anglesey and the Menai Strait.]]

The area has been settled since the Neolithic era (4000–2000 BC), with subsistence agriculture and fishing the most common occupations for much of its early history. The island of Anglesey was at that point reachable only by boat across the Menai Strait. A largely destroyed, collapsed dolmen can be found from this period in the parish, located at Ty Mawr north of the present-day church; early Ordnance Survey maps show a long cairn on the site.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d0nwILR1UQEC&pg=PA73 |orig-year=1937 |date=1960 |title=An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Anglesey, Volume 2 |location=Aberystwyth |publisher=Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales |page=73}} The probable remains of a hillfort, with a fragmentary bank and ditch, were recorded on an outcrop known as Craig y Ddinas.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d0nwILR1UQEC&pg=PA74 |orig-year=1937 |date=1960 |title=An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Anglesey, Volume 2 |location=Aberystwyth |publisher=Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales |page=74}}

The area was briefly invaded and captured by the Romans under Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, temporarily abandoned in order to consolidate forces against Boudicca, then held until the end of Roman Britain.

With the withdrawal of the Roman forces, the area fell under the control of the early medieval Kingdom of Gwynedd. There has likely been a small Christian religious site, perhaps a monastic cell, in the area since the 7th century.{{cite web |url=https://parish.churchinwales.org.uk/b235/church-life-en/history-of-st-marys-llanfairpwll/ |title=History of St Mary's Llanfairpwll |first=Geraint I. L. |last=Jones |date=2006 |website=The Church in Wales |access-date=25 February 2020}} Surveys of the later medieval period show that the tenants of the township of Pwllgwyngyll, as it was then known, held a total of 9 bovates of land from the Bishop of Bangor under the feudal system.{{cite book |last=Longley |first=David |title=Medieval settlement on Anglesey: an assessment of the potential for fieldwork |location=Bangor, Gwynedd |publisher=Gwynedd Archaeological Trust}} A church was built during the medieval period and dedicated to Mary, probably under Norman influence: the building, later demolished and replaced by a Victorian-era church, was unusual in having a semi-circular apse, a feature more usually associated with cathedrals.{{cite web |url=http://historypoints.org/index.php?page=st-mary-s-church-llanfairpwll |title=St Mary's Church, Llanfairpwll |website=History Points |access-date=23 November 2018}} Despite religious activity, the rural nature of the settlement meant that the parish had a population of only around 80 in 1563.

Much of the land was absorbed into the Earldom of Uxbridge, which later became the Marquisate of Anglesey, and was subject to enclosures. In 1844, for example, 92% of the land in Llanfairpwll was owned by just three individuals. The population of the parish reached 385 by 1801.

In 1826, Anglesey was connected to the rest of Wales by the construction of the Menai Suspension Bridge by Thomas Telford, and connected with London in 1850 with the building of the Britannia Bridge and the busy North Wales Coast railway line, which connected the rest of Great Britain to the ferry port of Holyhead. The old village, known as {{lang|cy|'Pentre Uchaf'}} ("upper village") was joined by new development around the railway station, which became known as {{lang|cy|'Pentre Isaf'}}, the "lower village".

The first meeting of the Women's Institute took place in Llanfairpwll in 1915, and the movement (which began in Canada) then spread through the rest of the British Isles.{{cite web |url=http://www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk/history.php |title=Llanfairpwll - History of the village |website={{shy|Llanfair|pwllgwyngyll|gogery|chwyrn|drobwll|llan|tysilio|gogo|goch}}.co.uk |access-date=16 May 2018}}

The original name of the medieval township, within whose boundaries the present-day village lies, was {{lang|cy|Pwllgwyngyll}}, meaning "the pool of the white hazels".{{cite book |last=Davies |first=James |date=1866 |title=Bangor diocesan directory, for the year 1866 |location=Tremadoc |publisher=R. I. Jones |page=8}}{{cite encyclopedia |last=Richards |first=Grafton Melville |author-link=Grafton Melville Richards |date=1972 |title=Place Names |encyclopedia=An Atlas of Anglesey |location=Llangefni |publisher=Anglesey Community Council}} Pwllgwyngyll was one of two townships making up the parish, the other being Treforion; its name was first recorded as {{lang|cy|'Piwllgunyl'}} in an ecclesiastical valuation conducted in the 1250s for the Bishop of Norwich.{{cite book |editor-last=Lunt |editor-first=William E. |date=1926 |title=The Valuation of Norwich |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |page=788}} The parish name was recorded as {{lang|cy|Llanfair y Pwllgwyngyll}} ({{lang|cy|'Llanfair'}} meaning "[St.] Mary's church"; {{lang|cy|y}} meaning "(of) the") as far back as the mid 16th century, in Leland's Itinerary. The suffixing of the township name to that of the church would have served to distinguish the parish from the many other sites dedicated to Mary in Wales.

Longer versions of the name are thought to have first been used in the 19th century in an attempt to develop the village as a commercial and tourist centre. The long form of the name is the longest place name in the United Kingdom and one of the longest in the world at 58 characters (51 "letters" since "ch" and "ll" are digraphs, and are treated as single letters in the Welsh language). The village is still signposted {{lang|cy|Llanfairpwllgwyngyll}}, marked on Ordnance Survey maps as {{lang|cy|Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll}} and the railway station is officially named {{lang|cy|Llanfairpwll}}, a form used by local residents. The name is also shortened to {{lang|cy|Llanfair PG}}, sufficient to distinguish it from other places in Wales called {{lang|cy|Llanfair}} (meaning "[St.] Mary's church").

{{wide image|Llanfair PG.png|800px|Illustration of a sign showing the name and English translation}}

File:Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.JPG

File:Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch stationbord.JPG gives an approximation of the correct pronunciation for English speakers.]]

File:Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Postmark.jpg

File:Llanfair Church.jpg]]

The long name was supposedly contrived in 1869 as an early publicity stunt to give the station the longest name of any railway station in Britain.{{cite book |editor1-last=Davies |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Davies (historian) |editor2-last=Jenkins |editor2-first=Nigel |editor2-link=Nigel Jenkins |editor3-last=Baines |editor3-first=Menna |date=2008 |title=The Welsh Academy Encyclopedia of Wales |location=Cardiff |publisher=University of Wales Press |page=487 |isbn=978-0-70831-953-6}} According to Sir John Morris-Jones the name was created by a local tailor, whose name he did not confide, letting the secret die with him.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Np_H_j3hXUEC&pg=PA318 |title=The Companion Guide to Wales |first=David |last=Barnes |date=21 March 2005 |publisher=Companion Guides |via=Google Books |isbn=978-1-90063-943-9}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.historyextra.com/period/pronounced-how/ |title=Pronounced how? |first=Eugene |last=Byrne |date=22 July 2011 |website=History Extra |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321113414/https://www.historyextra.com/period/pronounced-how/ |archive-date=21 March 2019}} This form of the name adds a reference to the whirlpool in the Menai Strait known as the Swellies and to the small chapel of St. Tysilio, located on a nearby island.{{cite book |last1=McDonald |first1=Fred |last2=Cresswell |first2=Julia |date=1993 |title=The Guinness Book of British Place Names |location=Enfield, Middlesex |publisher=Guinness Publications |page=100 |isbn=978-0-85112-576-3}} The final {{lang|cy|-gogogoch}} ("red cave") is supposed to have been an addition inspired by the Cardiganshire parish of {{lang|cy|Llandysiliogogo|italic=no}}, rather than by any local features.{{cite book |last=Owen |first=Hywel Wyn |date=2015 |title=The Place-Names of Wales |location=Cardiff |publisher=University of Wales Press |edition=Revised and expanded |page=63 |isbn=978-1-78316-164-5}}

Literally translated, the long form of the name means: "[The] church of [St.] Mary ({{lang|cy|Llanfair}}) [of the] pool ({{lang|cy|pwll}}){{cite book |last=Davies |first=Ellis |author-link=Ellis Davies (priest) |date=1959 |title=Flintshire Place-names |location=Cardiff |publisher=University of Wales Press |page=141}}{{efn|{{lang|cy|pwll}} - "pool, pond, pit"}} of the white hazels ({{lang|cy|gwyn gyll}}) near to [lit. "over against"] ({{lang|cy|go ger}}) the fierce whirlpool ({{lang|cy|y chwyrn drobwll}}) [and] the church of [St.] Tysilio ({{lang|cy|Llantysilio}}) of the red cave ({{lang|cy|gogo[f] goch}})". Various elements have occasionally been translated differently, for example "the white pool among the hazel trees"{{cite book |editor-last=Edwards |editor-first=J. Hugh |date=1912 |title=Wales: A National Magazine |volume=II |issue=1}} or "the cave of St Tysilio the Red".{{cite journal |last=Pryce |first=Thomas |date=1900 |title=History of the Parish of Llandysilio |journal=Collections Historical & Archaeological relating to Montgomeryshire |volume=XXXI |number=12}}

The true originator and date of the longer version of the name is less certain, however: an ecclesiastical directory published a few years before the claimed renaming gives what it calls the "full" parish name in the slightly differing form of {{lang|cy|{{shy|Llanfair|pwll|gwyn|gyll|goger|bwll|tysilio|gogo}}}} ("St Mary's church of the pool of the white hazels over against the pool of St {{lang|cy|Tysilio Gogo|italic=no}} [{{lang|cy|Tysilio|italic=no}} of the cave]"), while {{lang|cy|Llan-vair-pwll-gwyn-gyll-goger-bwll-dysilio-gogo}} appears in a paper on placenames published in 1849, its author noting that "the name was generally abridged" by locals. While the addition regarding the Swellies is supposed only to have been made in the 1860s, early 19th century guidebooks had already suggested a derivation of the element {{lang|cy|pwllgwyngyll}} from {{wikt-lang|cy|pwll}}, {{wikt-lang|cy|gwyn}} and {{wikt-lang|cy|gwyll}} ("gloomy raging pool"), in reference to the Swellies.{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/cambriantravelle01nich/page/n53/mode/1up |last=Nicholson |first=George |date=1813 |title=The Cambrian Traveller's Guide |location=London |publisher=Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown |page=75}}

A few thousand local residents welcome about 200,000 visitors per year.{{cite web |url=https://rove.me/to/wales/llanfairpwllgwyngyll |title=Llanfairpwllgwyngyll |website=Rove.me |access-date=10 April 2019}} The most popular attraction is the Llanfairpwll railway station that features the plate with the full name of the village. Other places of interest in the area include Anglesey Sea Zoo, Bryn Celli Ddu Burial Chamber, St. Tysilio's Church, and Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens.{{cite web |url=https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g1925973-Activities-Llanfairpwllgwyngyll_Anglesey_North_Wales_Wales.html |title=Things to Do in Llanfairpwllgwyngyll |website=TripAdvisor |access-date=10 April 2019}}

In 2020, a new species of bacteria isolated from soil collected in the parish of the village was placed in the Myxococcus genus and was named Myxococcus llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochensis.{{cite journal |last1=Chambers |first1=James |last2=Sparks |first2=Natalie |last3=Sydney |first3=Natashia |last4=Livingstone |first4=Paul G. |last5=Cookson |first5=Alan R. |last6=Whitworth |first6=David E. |title=Comparative genomics and pan-genomics of the Myxococcaceae, including a description of five novel species: Myxococcus eversor sp. nov., Myxococcus {{shy|llanfair|pwllgwyngyll|gogery|chwyrn|drobwll|llan|tysilio|gogo|goch|ensis}} sp. nov., Myxococcus vastator sp. nov., Pyxidicoccus caerfyrddinensis sp. nov. and Pyxidicoccus trucidator sp. nov |journal=Genome Biology and Evolution |date=2020 |volume=evaa212 |issue=12 |pages=2289–2302 |doi=10.1093/gbe/evaa212|pmc=7846144 |pmid=33022031 |issn=1759-6653|doi-access=free }}

In his 1957 appearance on You Bet Your Life, the Welsh academic John Hughes answered host Groucho Marx's question about the location of his birthplace by mentioning the town.

In the 1966 Stephen Sondheim-penned song "The Boy From...", the singer details her unrequited love for a boy from the (fictional) island of Tacarembo la Tumbe del Fuego Santa Malipas Zatatecas la Junta del Sol y Cruz. The final verse includes the lyric: "Tomorrow he sails/He's moving to Wales/To live in {{shy|Llanfair|pwllgwyngyll|gogery|chwyrn|drobwll|llan|tysilio|gogo|goch}}" (with the very last line of the song simply being the exhortation, "och!").{{cite book |last1=Suskin |first1=Steven |title=Showtunes: the Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers |date=9 March 2010 |isbn=978-0-19-531407-6 |page=266 |publisher=Oxford University Press, USA |edition=4th Revised and expanded}} Part of the song's humour stems from the singer's attempts to catch her breath after repeatedly singing the unwieldy place names.

In the 1968 movie Barbarella, Dildano proposes that the password for a meeting is "{{shy|Llanfair|pwllgwyngyll|gogery|chwyrn|drobwll|llan|tysilio|gogo|goch}}".

The name was submitted to Guinness World Records as the longest word to appear in a published cryptic crossword, having been used by compiler Roger Squires in 1979. The clue was "Giggling troll follows Clancy, Larry, Billy and Peggy who howl, wrongly disturbing a place in Wales (58)", where all but the last five words formed an anagram.{{cite web |url=http://fifteensquared.net/2010/08/30/guardian-25102-rufus/#comments |title=Blog Archive » Guardian 25,102 / Rufus |date=30 August 2010 |website=Fifteensquared.net |access-date=28 May 2013}}

In the 1980s, the village's name was the subject of a question on the American quiz show $ale of the Century. Host Jim Perry later showed a giant cue card bearing the name of the village, he explained what each part of the name meant before joking "and it's pronounced...exactly the way you think it is!"{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

In 1995, Welsh band Super Furry Animals released its debut EP, {{lang|cy|{{shy|Llanfair|pwll|gwyn|gyll|goger|y|chwyrn|drobwl|lan|tysilio|gogo|goch|yny|gofod}}|italic=unset}} (In Space).{{cite web |url=http://www.45cat.com/record/ankst057 |title={{shy|Llanfair|pwll|gwyn|gyll|goger|y|chwyrn|drobwl|lan|tysilio|gogo|goch|yny|gofod}} (In Space) E.P. |website=45cat |access-date=14 October 2019}}

In 2002, the village's website was listed as the longest URL on the Internet.{{Cite web |title=The Story Behind the Longest URL in the World {{!}} BE Insights |url=https://www.brandextract.com/Insights/Resources-Presentations/The-Story-Behind-the-Longest-URL-in-the-World/ |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=BrandExtract |language=en}}

The computer game Civilization V awards the "Longest. Name. Ever." Steam achievement to players for having a city named {{lang|cy|Llanfairpwllgwyngyll}}.{{cite web |url=http://steamcommunity.com/stats/CivV/achievements/ |title=Sid Meier's Civilization V: Global Achievements |website=Steam |access-date=25 February 2020}}

In September 2015, Channel 4 News weatherman Liam Dutton went viral around the world after accurately pronouncing the name of the town in one of his weather reports.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHxO0UdpoxM |website=YouTube |access-date=4 July 2024 |title=Liam Dutton nails pronouncing Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch |date=9 September 2015 }}

In 2024 Volkswagen used the difficult name of the village in a TV commercial as an example to show the functions of the inbuilt navigation system's AI and speech recognition.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxYvOtRr5dI |title=Volkswagen ID 7 Tourer Launch Mainfilm TVC 30ec 16x9 HD DE WEB |date=2024-09-11 |last=W&V |access-date=2025-06-01 |via=YouTube}}

The village has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb; Trewartha Do), with mild summers and cool, wet winters.

{{Weather box

|location = Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, 1961–1990, Altitude: 15 metres above mean sea level

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan record high C = 16

|Feb record high C = 17

|Mar record high C = 22

|Apr record high C = 24

|May record high C = 28

|Jun record high C = 29

|Jul record high C = 31

|Aug record high C = 34

|Sep record high C = 27

|Oct record high C = 25

|Nov record high C = 18

|Dec record high C = 17

|year record high C= 34

|Jan high C = 7.7

|Feb high C = 8.0

|Mar high C = 9.7

|Apr high C = 12.1

|May high C = 15.2

|Jun high C = 17.9

|Jul high C = 19.4

|Aug high C = 19.3

|Sep high C = 17.4

|Oct high C = 14.6

|Nov high C = 10.5

|Dec high C = 8.7

|year high C =

|Jan mean C= 5.2

|Feb mean C= 5.1

|Mar mean C= 6.6

|Apr mean C= 8.5

|May mean C= 11.3

|Jun mean C= 14.0

|Jul mean C= 15.7

|Aug mean C= 15.6

|Sep mean C= 13.9

|Oct mean C= 11.5

|Nov mean C= 7.8

|Dec mean C= 6.1

|year mean C=

|Jan low C = 2.6

|Feb low C = 2.2

|Mar low C = 3.4

|Apr low C = 4.9

|May low C = 7.4

|Jun low C = 10.1

|Jul low C = 11.9

|Aug low C = 11.9

|Sep low C = 10.4

|Oct low C = 8.3

|Nov low C = 5.0

|Dec low C = 3.5

|year low C =

|Jan record low C = -9

|Feb record low C = -8

|Mar record low C = -7

|Apr record low C = -3

|May record low C = -1

|Jun record low C = 2

|Jul record low C = 5

|Aug record low C = 4

|Sep record low C = 1

|Oct record low C = -1

|Nov record low C = -4

|Dec record low C = -8

|year record low C= -9

|Jan sun = 49.6

|Feb sun = 73.5

|Mar sun = 105.4

|Apr sun = 153.0

|May sun = 195.3

|Jun sun = 183.0

|Jul sun = 173.6

|Aug sun = 164.3

|Sep sun = 126.0

|Oct sun = 93.0

|Nov sun = 57.0

|Dec sun = 40.3

|Jan rain mm = 107

|Feb rain mm = 72

|Mar rain mm = 85

|Apr rain mm = 65

|May rain mm = 65

|Jun rain mm = 68

|Jul rain mm = 74

|Aug rain mm = 95

|Sep rain mm = 98

|Oct rain mm = 120

|Nov rain mm = 130

|Dec rain mm = 123

|unit rain days = 0.2 mm

|Jan rain days = 19.7

|Feb rain days = 15.0

|Mar rain days = 18.9

|Apr rain days = 14.1

|May rain days = 18.9

|Jun rain days = 13.7

|Jul rain days = 13.1

|Aug rain days = 15.1

|Sep rain days = 15.8

|Oct rain days = 18.7

|Nov rain days = 19.5

|Dec rain days = 19.5

|year rain days=

|Jan snow days = 2.9

|Feb snow days = 3.1

|Mar snow days = 1.7

|Apr snow days = 0.7

|May snow days = 0.1

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.0

|Nov snow days = 0.4

|Dec snow days = 1.6

|source = Met Office{{cite web |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/climate-estimate |title=Example climate estimate |website=Met Office |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905143115/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/climate-estimate |archive-date=5 September 2015}}

|date = August 2015}}

{{Weather box

|location = Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, 1961–1990, Altitude: 15 metres above mean sea level

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|unit rain days = 1.0 mm

|Jan rain days = 15.6

|Feb rain days = 11.2

|Mar rain days = 13.0

|Apr rain days = 10.4

|May rain days = 10.9

|Jun rain days = 10.3

|Jul rain days = 9.4

|Aug rain days = 11.7

|Sep rain days = 12.3

|Oct rain days = 15.0

|Nov rain days = 15.7

|Dec rain days = 15.1

|source = Met Office

|date = August 2015}}

{{Weather box

|location = Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, 1961–1990, Altitude: 15 metres above mean sea level

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|unit rain days = 10.0 mm

|Jan rain days = 2.5

|Feb rain days = 1.7

|Mar rain days = 2.0

|Apr rain days = 1.5

|May rain days = 1.2

|Jun rain days = 1.6

|Jul rain days = 2.2

|Aug rain days = 2.7

|Sep rain days = 2.8

|Oct rain days = 3.4

|Nov rain days = 3.8

|Dec rain days = 3.5

|source = Met Office

|date = August 2021}}

• Wilfred Mitford Davies (1895–1966) Welsh artist and publisher, went to school in the town.
• Sir John "Kyffin" Williams, KBE, RA (1918–2006) Welsh landscape painter, lived at Pwllfanogl, Llanfairpwll.
• Lady Rose McLaren (1919–2005) aristocrat, 4th daughter of the 6th Marquess of Anglesey, resided in Plas Newydd
• John Lasarus Williams (1924–2004), known as John L, was a Welsh nationalist activist.
• Naomi Watts (born 1968), English actress and film producer, lived in the town as a child.
• Taron Egerton (born 1989), Welsh actor, went to school in the town.
• Siobhan Owen (born 1993), soprano and harpist from Llanfairpwll who now lives in Adelaide, emigrated aged two.
• Elin Fflur (born 1984), Welsh singer-songwriter, television and radio presenter.

• Llanfairpwll F.C., the village's football club
• List of long place names
• Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{sister project links|d=Q322|voy=Llanfairpwllgwyngyll|wikt=Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch|s=no|n=no|v=no|b=no|c=category:Llanfairpwllgwyngyll|m=no|mw=no|species=no|q=no}}

• {{official website|http://www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk}} Listed in the 2002 Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest valid Internet domain name
• {{cite web |url=http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/wales/sounds/llanfairpg.htm |title=Origins and meaning of {{shy|Llanfair|pwllgwyngyll|gogery|chwyrn|drobwll|llan|tysilio|gogo|goch}} |first=John |last=Ball |website=Sounds of Wales}}
• {{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch |title=All Photos Tagged {{shy|llanfair|pwllgwyngyll|gogery|chwyrn|drobwll|llan|tysilio|gogo|goch}} |website=Flickr}}
• {{cite web |url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=3568738 |title=Photos of Llanfair PG and surrounding area |website=Geograph}}
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHxO0UdpoxM&ab_channel=CityNewsToronto Newscaster pronouncing the full name]

{{Anglesey}}

{{Communities of Anglesey}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Villages in Anglesey