Trwyn Du Lighthouse and Penmon Priory, Dovecote, and Church, Anglesey

Part of our whistle-stop tour of parts of Anglesey yesterday included Trwyn Du Lighthouse, a Victorian structure built between 1835 and 1838. As we drove in up the toll road (£2.50 to drive along a lovely long single-track road, plenty of potholes but nothing too bad) we noticed the dovecote at the entrance, and the priory ruins, and determined to visit those on the way back.

The lighthouse is inaccessible, but it's a lovely sight to see, and the sound of the bell tolling out every thirty seconds or so is haunting and beautiful. Puffin Island (Ynys Seriol, where St Seriol established a hermitage in the 5th or 6th century) is not far over the water, and because the island is off limits to visitors the sea-bird population thrives, and so the soundtrack of the shoreline is bird calls and gentle waves. We saw quite a few cormorants in the water, and far off there was an odd keening, humming noise, which we eventually realised was seals on the beaches of the island.

On the way back we parked in the small car park at Penmon Priory and looked around the dovecote, which was built on the orders of Sir Richard Bulkeley around 1600 A.D. to house doves for meat and eggs. It's an very impressive building with its many niches (pigeonholes?) for the doves, and a central column of which no one knows the exact purpose. Adjoining this are the remains of a contemporary barn.

Just over the road are the remains of the Penmon Priory, a monastery which was supposedly founded by St Seriol (he who scarpered later to Puffin Island - maybe he found the life in the priory too headily exciting?) and was rebuilt in stone in the twelfth century. The monastery suffered, as so many places did, during Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, but the church survived.

The view of Puffin Island (Ynys Seriol) from the toll road down to the lighthouse. I'm more used to seeing it as a distant shadow on the sea. I've always wanted to go here, but it's off limits to people to protect the birds.

Trwyn Du Lighthouse (Black Nose Lighthouse, I'll assume, although I don't know if there's a less direct translation) from the exposed rocks on the shore, which were a mix of very grippy (barnacles) and very slippery (seaweed).

Trwyn Du Lighthouse and Puffin Island.

Puffin Island and some kind of channel marker to the right.

Looking back onto the shore (and almost directly at the sun) were these two stately houses, and a group of people taking a sea kayaking lesson.

That channel marker closer up. I need my dear mother to tell me what it is. She's probably sailed around it.

Trwyn Du Lighthouse close up.

And on to Penmon Dovecote, which is at the start of the toll road down to the lighthouse. There seem to be lots of fascinating ruins around here. This dovecote has always made me think of this passage in Dr Dolittle by Hugh Lofting. I imagine that it's this that Jif is smelling. "Then the dog shut his eyes tight, poked his nose straight up in the air and sniffed hard with his mouth half-open.
For a long time he said nothing. He kept as still as a stone. He hardly seemed to be breathing at all. When at last he began to speak, it sounded almost as though he were singing, sadly, in a dream.
"Bricks," he whispered, very low—"old yellow bricks, crumbling with age in a garden-wall; the sweet breath of young cows standing in a mountain-stream; the lead roof of a dove-cote—or perhaps a granary—with the mid-day sun on it; black kid gloves lying in a bureau-drawer of walnut-wood; a dusty road with a horses' drinking-trough beneath the sycamores; little mushrooms bursting through the rotting leaves; and—and—and—"
"Any parsnips?" asked Gub-Gub.
"No," said Jip. "You always think of things to eat. No parsnips whatever. And no snuff—plenty of pipes and cigarettes, and a few cigars. But no snuff. We must wait till the wind changes to the South.""

Across the road from the dovecote are the ruined Penmon Priory and St Seriol's Church.

The Cadw information board for the dovecote.

Inside the dovecote, looking up. I can't help but wonder why it's not full of nesting pigeons.

The strange central pillar, which no one seems to know the purpose of.

Adjoining the dovecote is a rather grand ruined barn.

A barn that has something very like arrow slits? I'm not sure why so many barns have windows like this, but it seems to be a standard feature.

More inside the barn. It's lovely masonry.

Looking back from the dovecote to the ruined priory. The house in between this and the church is a private residence.

Looking up at the dovecote roof from the barn.

The priory to the left, church to the right, and steps up to the church in front.

Inside the priory cellar, looking up to what looks like a blocked up fireplace and doorway.

Cadw noticeboard for this part of the priory.

Outside the priory is what I assume is a mounting block for horses.

The Secretary of State for Wales is very serious about ancient structures again.

Looking up at what seems to be a blocked up window.

Looking around the second half of the priory, standing in the cellar and looking up to the refectory and the dormitory above.

The back wall with a stone that may possibly be carved.

Some rather fine windows.

A closer look at that stone, which seems to have a cross on it.

The Cadw information board for the second part of the priory.

Inside the church is one of the carved crosses, brought in for safety.

Some rather lovely wall features in the back of the church, which is an empty and echoing space.

Again, in the back of the church (the front half is just like a church, with pews, the back half is like this) with a carved cross and font.

The carved cross.

The carved font, which is apparently 11th century. This site has lots of interesting information on the carvings in the church. I'd like to go back and look round in a bit less of a rush.

Beautiful archway through to the rest of the church.

In the used part of the church, which looks very typical of churches in North Wales.

I started to venture round the side of the church but didn't have time to go further. I'd like to explore more and find the holy spring that's supposed to be there. As it was, I got a glimpse of the monastic fishpond, not knowing at the time what it was, and then had to jump back into the car to head off for the other side of the island, for the subject of my next blog post.