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Beaumaris

An attractive and elegant town, Beaumaris was granted a charter by Edward I in 1294 and adopted the Norman name 'beau marais' which translates as 'beautiful marsh'. The lawned seafront with its elegant Georgian and Victorian terraces was once a marsh that protected the approaches to Beaumaris Castle (CADW). Often cited as the most technically perfect medieval castle in Britain, Beaumaris Castle was the last of Edward I's Iron Ring of fortresses built to stamp his authority on the Welsh. Begun in 1295 and designed by the king's military architect, James of St George, this was to be his largest and most ambitious project. Regarded as a pinnacle of military architecture of the time, with a concentric defence rather than the traditional keep and bailey, the outer walls contained 16 towers while the inner walls were 43 feet high and up to 16 feet thick in places. It looks as if it would be impregnable to any medieval army, but in fact it was seized in 1403 by Owain Glyndwr who held it for 2 years. Now a World Heritage listed site, Beaumaris Castle is still virtually surrounded by its original moat; there was also a tidal dock here for ships coming in through a channel in the marshes - an iron ring where vessels of up to 40 tons once docked still hangs from the wall.

In later years, the town briefly enjoyed notoriety as a haven for pirates, as well as being a busy trading port. With the advent of steam ships and paddle boats, the resort developed during Victorian times as visitors from Liverpool and elsewhere took the sea trip down to Beaumaris. The town is now a popular place with the yachting fraternity due to its facilities and involvement in the annual Menai Strait Regatta. Beaumaris Lifeboat Station is one of seven operated by inshore boats funded by the television programme Blue Peter. The station, which has a new weather station, can be visited daily between 10.30 and 4.30.

While having connections with both sea trade and developing as a holiday resort, Beaumaris was at one time also an administrative and legal centre for the island. The Courthouse, dating from 1614, is the oldest active court in Britain. It is open to the public during the summer and although it was renovated in the 19th century much of its original Jacobean interior remains. It was here, in 1773, that Mary Hughes stood in the dock and was sentenced to transportation for seven years after she had been found guilty of stealing a bed gown valued at six pence (2½p)!

Close by is Beaumaris Gaol, which was designed as a model prison by Hansom in 1829. In this monument to Victorian law and order, the last man to hang was Richard Rowlands, who cursed the church clock opposite as he climbed to the scaffold in 1862. Today's visitors can relive those days of harsh punishment, view the cells, the stone-breaking yard and the tread-wheel, and follow the route taken by the condemned men to their rendezvous with the hangman.

An equally interesting place for all the family to visit is the Museum of Childhood Memories, a treasure house of nostalgia with a collection of more than 2000 items, all collected over 40 years by one man. There are nine different rooms, each with its own theme, such as entertainment, pottery and glass, and clockwork tin plate toys. The amazing variety of toys vividly illustrate the changing fashions in toys from the 1840s to around 1970.

A popular excursion from Beaumarais is the boat trip around (but not on to) Puffin Island (see below) - trips can be booked at the kiosk at the foot of the truncated pier.

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