Sun goes down over Marquess of Anglesey's Column
Photo : Tim Snow

Marquess of Anglesey's Column Llanfairpwll

The Marquess of Anglesey’s column also known as Twr Marcwis was dedicated to William Henry Paget, the first Marquess of Anglesey, to commemorate his valour and bravery in the Napoleonic wars.

The column was designed by Thomas Harrison and was erected only a few miles from the Paget families country retreat at Plas Newydd, which lies on the shores of the Menai Strait. It was Henry William Paget, who was the Earl of Uxbridge and was also the first Marquess of Anglesey who also fought in the Battle of Waterloo.

Anglesey and the Battle of Waterloo

The Marquess of Anglesey fought in the Battle of Waterloo which was fought on Sunday 18th June 1815 and he was second in command to the Duke of Wellington, during this battle he lost his leg, but survived and later died in 1854.

The building of The Marquess of Anglesey’s Column was started in 1816 and was finished a year later in 1817, originally it was just the column, which stands at 27 meters, but in 1860 the Paget family added the brass statue of William Henry Paget, the first Marquess of Anglesey and was known as the Marquess’s Column after.

Restoration Campaign

In 2012 the Marquess of Anglesey column was closed after the staircase which has a 115 steps to the top, which commands some of the finest views on Anglesey was deemed unsafe.

This iconic Anglesey attraction that almost welcomes people as they arrive onto the Britannia bridge from the mainland has been closed ever since. There is now a campaign to get the internal staircase repaired and get this fantastic iconic structure reopened. If you would like to view the relevant site and sign up to their newsletter to receive the latest information on this fantastic project please click here.

The old limestone quarry at Holyhead on Anglesey

Anglesey Limestone

Like three other mega local structures the beautiful Menai Suspension Bridge, Britannia Bridge and the Breakwater at Holyhead, the Marquess of Anglesey Column was also built out of Anglesey Limestone.

The Limestone for the column came from the Moelfre quarry and has a 115 steps to the top.

The view from the present day Column, is indeed a magnificent one with spectacular views over across Anglesey on one side then towards the mountains of Snowdonia and down towards the Llyn Peninsular on the other side.

Anglesey Geology - Geo Mon

Many of the rock formations on Anglesey are extremely fine examples of geology, and date back to 500 million years ago, and give us a glimpse of how the planet developed. In recognition of Anglesey’s special rock formation, the Isle of Anglesey has been designated Global Geopark called GeoMon - an accolade endorsed by UNESCO.