Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
On our way to Ireland we would usually have some time left to visit this small village on Anglesy in Wales. And even though it's a small village, it has a big name. There are 58 letters in the English language, 51 in the Welsh (ll is considered as one letter, as is ch), making it the longest place-name in the British Isles and one of the longest in the world.
St. Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave. That's the official meaning of the name.
It wasn't always this long. In the nineteenth century the name was Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, but they felt they needed more tourists and lengthened it to its current form. Most signposts still use the older name or an even shorter version Llanfair PG. So, if you ever find yourself in the area, just follow the signs, get your passport stamped and have a nice cup of tea in the restaurant.
For more L words please check out: ABC Wednesday
This is too weird. I have bnever heard of the place before, but it's mentioned in the piece of fiction that I'm reading. It's "Evan Help Us" by Rhys Bowen. Her mythical town is just Llanfair, but in this episode they want to rename it so it's longer than Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogo.
ReplyDeleteHow cool is that!? You probably thought it was a made up name as well?
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, I wouldn't want to have to send a letter to someone who lived there--there wouldn't be enough room on the envelope:)
ReplyDeleteI love your header photo--is that your son?
Ouch, no that's a very old photo of little old me! Probably after a little incident with a pair of scissors!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I had to google this one just to make sure you weren't pulling our legs ;P Then I clicked to enlarge the photo, though, and I could see that indeed you weren't! What a fun name! SO perfect for an 'L' post.
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