About This CategoryPlaces and sights from around the Earth, catalogued by location, including views and scenery natural and artificial, rural and urban, ugly and beautiful. This gives a feel of what particular parts of the world are like. See also Aloha Earth to zoom in on on a map of the Earth to locate exhibits, and our travel section. - wales = .uk, Cymru, País de Gales, Galles, Payes de Galles = Member of the UK (United Kingdom) and thus the EU (European Union). Visit The Welsh Assembly" (the National Assembly for Wales). Adjective "Welsh".
Wales Menai Straits Menai Bridge to Anglesey water suspension bridge islands BG.jpg ... Wales Snowdon on Three Peaks Challenge lowres 2 CL.jpg
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[95kB] | Wales Menai Straits Menai Bridge to Anglesey water suspension bridge islands BG.jpg (Earth Views)- wales = .uk, Cymru, País de Gales, Galles, Payes de Galles
|  | Wales Menai Straits Menai Bridge to Anglesey water suspension bridge islands tweaked BG.jpg (Earth Views)- wales = .uk, Cymru, País de Gales, Galles, Payes de Galles
Thomas Telford (born 9th August 1757, Dumfriesshire) built more than 1000
bridges, including the Menai Bridge shown here. To quote
Adam Hart-Davis in his book
``Local Heroes'':
One of [Telford's most impressive bridges] was to get across the Menai Straits
to Anglesey, 200 yards across vicious tides and deep water. The Admiralty
insisted that the bridge must be high enough to let the largest ships sail
below with masts erect, and he couldn't make a timber frame to build an arch
over the top, because they would not allow even a temporary obstruction.
Telford designed an amazing suspension bridge, easily the longest in the world
at that time. At each end he planned a massive tower, 153 feet above the
high-water mark. Between them he would hang sixteen chains, and then the
roadway would be built hanging from the chains, 579 feet long and 30 feet wide.
The chains were made of 9-foot links, each of thirty-six iron bars half an inch
square. Would it be possible to lift these massive chains up the towers? For
several nights, as tension mounted, the normally imperturbable Telford was
unable to sleep. Finally, on 26 April 1825, hundreds of people on the banks
watched as the chain was floated underneath on a massive raft, then winched up
on cables by 150 men heaving on capstans. When it reached the top of the
tower there was a colossal cheer, and three men walked high above the sea to
the other tower across the 9-inch wide chain!
On 30 January 1826 the Menai Bridge opened for traffic, and at 1.35 am the Down
Royal London and Holyhead mail coach rumbled over the bridge...
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wales north conwy ... (6)- wales = .uk, Cymru, País de Gales, Galles, Payes de Galles
wales north menai ... (6)- wales = .uk, Cymru, País de Gales, Galles, Payes de Galles
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