Menai Heritage
Community-run museum in the Thomas Telford Centre telling the story of the Menai Suspension Bridge and the Britannia Bridge.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Menai Heritage is run by the Menai Bridge Community Heritage Trust, formed in 1997 to protect the area's historical and architectural heritage. In 2007 the trust bought a former church school on Mona Road in Menai Bridge and refurbished it as the Thomas Telford Centre, named after the engineer of the Menai Suspension Bridge.
The building itself dates from 1854, when it opened as a National school linked to St Mary's church, to a design by the Bangor architect Henry Kennedy. It was extended in 1878 and gained a cloakroom in 1896 and an enlarged porch in 1909. It served as a school until 1923 and afterwards as a Sunday school and parish hall until the trust took it over.
The centre now holds a fully accredited museum exhibition about the two famous bridges across the Menai Strait, Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge and Robert Stephenson's Britannia Bridge. It uses artefacts, drawings, films and quizzes, and volunteer guides can lead walks and talks. The trust also covers local topics such as the town of Menai Bridge, Church Island and the training ships HMS Conway and HMS Clio, and it holds a seasonal lecture series.
Highlights
- Exhibition on the Menai Suspension Bridge and the Britannia Bridge
- Artefacts, drawings, films and quizzes
- Guided walks and talks arranged by qualified guides
- School workshops where pupils build model bridges
- Former Victorian church school, refurbished in 2007
Permanent exhibition
- Menai Bridges Exhibition – The story of the building of the Menai Suspension Bridge and the Britannia Bridge and of the people involved, told through artefacts, drawings, films and quizzes.
- Founded
- 2007
- Operated by
- Menai Bridge Community Heritage Trust
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £5 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 15 · Children under 16 enter free. |
| Groups (10+ people) | –Visits can be arranged for groups of 10 or more. |
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The front entrance has steps; wheelchair access is through the rear of the building.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 15 |
|---|
- Hands-on stations
Children under 16 enter free. Hands-on bridge-building is offered in school workshops; no separate family activities are listed.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Telford Road bus stop · 5-min walk
The nearest main-line station is Bangor, on the Holyhead line. From Bangor, bus routes 62, X4, 42, 43, 47 or 57 run to Menai Bridge; the centre is a walk of about five minutes from the stop on Telford Road. Many other bus routes serve Menai Bridge.
By car
Parking available
Some parking in front of the centre, and the Coed Cyrnol pay and display car park is 100 m further down the road.
The centre is on Mona Road, opposite the Waitrose car park and about 300 m from the Anglesey end of the Menai Suspension Bridge. It is near national cycle routes 5 and 8.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided walks, lectures and special events are arranged by the trust. School workshops last half a day or a full day: pupils hear a short talk, walk across the Menai Suspension Bridge and build simple suspension and tubular bridges, and on the full-day programme build model bridges from construction kits and test them. Content can be adapted to a school. |
