Llanfairpwllgwyngyll

Llanfairpwllgwyngyll or Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll (Welsh: [ɬan.ˌvair.puɬˈɡwɨ̞n.ɡɨ̞ɬ]), often shortened to Llanfairpwll and sometimes to Llanfair PG, is a village and community on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. It is located on the Menai Strait, next to the Britannia Bridge. At the 2011 Census the population was 3,107, of whom 71% could speak Welsh. As of the 2021 census, the population had decreased to 2,900 (rounded to the nearest 100). It is the sixth largest settlement in the county by population.

Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch ([ˌɬan.vair.pʊɬ.ˌɡwɨ̞ŋ.ɡɨ̞ɬ.ɡɔ.ˌɡɛ.rə.ˌχwərn.ˌdrɔ.bʊɬ.ˌɬan.tə.ˌsɪl.jɔˌɡɔ.ɡɔ.ˈɡoːχ] ) is a lengthened form of the name, used in some contexts. With 58 characters split into 18 syllables, it is purported to have the longest name in Europe and the second longest one-word place name in the world.

History

The area has been settled since the Neolithic era (4000–2000 BC), with subsistence agriculture and fishing being the most common occupations for much of its early history. The island of Anglesey was at that point reachable only by boat across the Menai Strait. A largely destroyed, collapsed dolmen can be found from this period in the parish, located at Ty Mawr north of the present-day church; early Ordnance Survey maps show a long cairn on the site. The probable remains of a hillfort, with a fragmentary bank and ditch, were recorded on an outcrop known as Craig y Ddinas.

The area was briefly invaded and captured by the Romans under Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, temporarily abandoned in order to consolidate forces against Boudicca, then held until the end of Roman Britain.