Anglesey's Past Landscapes are revealed in a new book offering readers an enhanced understanding of the cultural and historical influences which have helped shape the landscape of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The coastal landscapes of the Anglesey AONB have been documented in Anglesey: Past Landscapes of the Coast, a pictorial record from prehistoric settlements to the present day.
In the book the fact that Anglesey is an island is emphasised as being crucial to its history with the coast being the source of prehistoric fishing and oyster catching. The book then takes the reader on a journey from neolithic burial tombs, Bronze Age round barrows, Roman influenced villas, Irish incursions, a Norman motte, to the last Edwardian castle built in Beaumaris.
It also takes into account more recent developments such as the growth of Holyhead into the island's main port and more recently the development of wind farms.
The stunning images were taken by Mick Sharp and Jean Williamson and are supplemented with text by Frances Lynch, one of North Wales's leading archaeologists, who introduces each chapter and provides detailed captions describing and providing background information to the photographs. The book is published by Oxbow Books as part of the Landscapes of Britain series.
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Isle of Anglesey County Council - AONB department were happy to part fund the project through its Sustainable Development Fund, a Welsh Assembly Government fund administered by the Anglesey AONB. It will hopefully increase awareness and understanding of the AONB's historic landscape among members of the local community and visitors alike, as well as encouraging visits to the area's heritage sites.