Holyhead is a coastal town on Holy Island west of Anglesey. A small coastal fort was built by the Romans here in the third or fourth century AD, known as Caer Gybi (NPRN 15607). It is thought to have been concerned with maritime activities. In the medieval period a monastery was established within its walls and this later became a large collegiate church (NPRN 27500), becoming the parish church of St Cybi in 1548. In 1646 the Fort of Holyhead held a Parliamentary garrison.

Holyhead developed into a large town following the building of new roads and the Menai Bridge (by Thomas Telford in c.1801) to improve communications and travel from London to Dublin. In 1810 an Act of Parliament was passed which provided for necessary improvements to the harbour at Holyhead (nprn 41260) which had by then had become established as the principal port for communication with Ireland, and in particular was the station for the Post Office steam packets. This work involved the construction, under the supervision of John Rennie, of the Admiralty Pier and lighthouse and the Harbour-Master's Offices and Customs House, with the later addition of the George IV Arch. The works were completed in 1821.

By the 1840s the amount of coastal shipping using Holyhead had significantly increased and the harbour was deemed inadequate for the demands upon it. In the mid-1840s plans were mooted for a major 'new' harbour which would cover an area of 316 acres and be capable of accommodating up to 1,000 vessels. An important factor in this development was the Chester and Holyhead Railway which had been incorporated in 1844 and would bring much additional traffic - especially passengers and mail - to Holyhead.

In 1847/48 the 'Great Breakwater' began construction at Holyhead to provide one of the main protections for the new harbour. The Great Breakwater was to be 5,360 feet in length, while the secondary breakwater was to be 2,000 feet long. The supply of stone for the construction was found at Holyhead Mountain, at the north-west end of Holy Island. Work was completed in 1854, and the refuge it protected became formally known as the New Harbour. The earlier harbour became known as the Old Harbour. By 1857, due to increased demand on the facilities, the Great Breakwater was extended to a total length of 7,860 feet.

Following the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922, the town began to decline with the subsequent cessation of mail boats to Dublin. The port continued to operate, however, evolving to the ferry port it is today.

Major industry at Holyhead, included the shipyards and the 'Anglesey Aluminium' plant started in 1971.

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Holyhead, on Holy Island, is the largest town on Anglesey and is a major sea port with a ferry link to Ireland. This corner of the island is dotted with remains of circular huts, burial chambers and standing stones giving evidence of human settlements here at least since the Neolithic. In the fourth century, the Romans built a fort, Caer, here which probably served as an outpost of Segontium (near Caernarfon). In the sixth century, Saint Cybi founded a church and monastery on the site of the former camp. The Welsh name of Holyhead, Caergybi, therefore shows the town's Roman and early Christian origins.

For many centuries, Holyhead served as main communications link with Ireland, but Telford's A5 road, including the Menai Suspension Bridge, and the arrival of the Chester and Holyhead railway in 1844, contributed greatly to the growth of the town. The increased sea traffic made it necessary to develop a new harbour capable of accommodating up to 1000 vessels. Holyhead breakwater was built at the same time to make this `New Harbour? storm proof for ships anchored there, and at 3km is Britain's longest.

Picturesquely situated on a small rocky island below towering cliffs, the lighthouse at South Stack is not only evidence of Holyhead's historical importance for shipping, but also of the treacherous rocks below water. Originally built in 1809, it is still in operation and open to visitors today. In the nineteenth century, large colonies of sea birds nested on these cliffs and many tourists came to South Stack Lighthouse to enjoy the spectacle of thousands of shrieking gulls careening through the air.

Record updated as part of the AHRC-funded project 'Journey to the Past: Wales in historic travel writing from France and Germany'.
R. Singer (Bangor University) and S. Fielding (RCAHMW), 2017.