Heading to Ireland

On  Tuesday, 4th July, 1854, five days after their wedding and having spent four full days in North Wales, our honeymoon couple Charlotte Brontë and Arthur Bell Nicholls caught the train from Bangor to Holyhead. They would cross the Menai Strait which divides mainland Wales from the island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) travelling through Robert Stephenson’s tubular railway bridge - The Britannia Bridge- which had only been completed and opened in 1850.

              The Britannia tubular railway bridge.

The iconic lions which act as sentinels at both ends of the Britannia tubular railway bridge and which no doubt Charlotte and Arthur admired from their steam train. 

The Britannia Bridge as it is now. It was rebuilt as a road and railway bridge after being burnt down in 1970.

Travelling in Arthur’s and Charlotte’s footsteps we drove over the top road of The Britannia Bridge which comes out in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch 

The town in Wales with the longest name.

Charlotte and Arthur alighted the train at Holyhead harbour and boarded the packet steamer from Holyhead to Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire), Dublin. Their passage was smooth and they met up with Arthur’s brother Alan, his cousin Mary Anna (later to become his second wife) and his cousin Joseph.

Here is the PS Cambria which may well have been the packet steamer our newlyweds traveled on. 

The passage took around 5 hours to cross the 60 miles of Irish Sea. 

We too sailed across a very calm Irish Sea to Dun Laoghaire, but our vessel took 3 hours and 15 minutes.

Leaving Holyhead and the Isle of Anglesey behind, with the stunning South Stack Lighthouse built in 1809 in the picture below.



Farewell for now 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Wales

                      The cliffs of Anglesey.
          Sailing away from Holyhead harbour.
Arriving Dublin - Dun Laoghaire - previously known as Kingstown.


           Entrance to Dun Laoghaire harbour.

So our honeymoon couple have finally made it to Ireland. 
Céad Míle Fáilte Plaque                          A 100,000 welcomes!!!

Charlotte & Arthur are sure to have a mighty time!

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