Evergreen

122 EVERGREEN Autumn
Situated in a tranquil location
on the eastern tip of Anglesey
are a group of historic
buildings which include the site of a
monastery dating back to St. Seiriol
in the 6th century.
Originally there was a
wooden church which
prospered until it was
destroyed by the Vikings
in 971. During the 12th
century the abbey church was rebuilt
in stone by Gruffydd ap Cynan and
Owain Gwynedd and it is still used
today as a parish church.
Cruciform in arrangement,
the nave was completed in 1140,
followed by the transepts and
tower between 1160 and 1170,
with the chancel added between
1220 and 1240 during the rule of
Penmon church and
priory, Anglesey.
Llywelyn the Great (1173-1240). At
this time the king persuaded all
the monasteries in North Wales to
reorganise under the Augustinian
Order so a refectory, large dining
hall, cellars and a
Penmon’s dormitory were added
Historic
during this period.
The monastery
Monuments was dissolved in 1537,
however, during the
reign of Henry VIII, and the lands
passed to the Bulkeleys of Beaumaris
who built a perimeter wall to enclose
a deer park and also added a fine
square-shaped dovecote with a
domed roof and a small cupola for
the birds to fly in and out. Inside
were 1,000 nesting boxes cleverly
accessed via a central pillar with a
revolving ladder.