Llan•fair•pwll•gwyn•gyll•go•ger•y•chwyrn•drob•wll•llantys•ilio•gogo•goch [Llanvirepoollguingillgogeruqueerndroboollllandusiliogogogoch]
Noun
Meaning[]
San Weilpus Guingis or Llanfairpwl Gwingil is a large village, autonomous community on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. It is in contact with Bangor across the Menai Strait, and can be reached through the railroads and roads that pass through the Britannia Bridge and the roads of the Menai Suspension Bridge. Both abbreviated and extended place names are used in various contexts.
Also a collection of geographical and cultural features that are all found in the vicinity of the village.
Facts[]
The undisputable LONGEST VALID INTERNET DOMAIN NAME IN THE WORLD also links to this website, and is : llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochuchaf.org.uk. This has 70 characters (63 characters plus the .org.uk). The ending "uchaf" is the Welsh for "higher" or "upper", and refers to the upper (old) part of the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. The lower village is known as Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochisaf ("isaf" = lower).
Llanfairpwll is on the island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn in Welsh). Anglesey is separated from the mainland by the Menai Strait. There are 2 bridges - Britannia Bridge and Menai Bridge. Llanfairpwll is just over the Britannia bridge.
Anglesey was also the home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - Prince William (heir to the British throne), Kate (Middleton) and their new baby, Prince George, whilst William was based at the Royal Air Force base on Anglesey. Their home was in Bodorgan - just a few miles from Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
In June 2019, a previously unknown soil bacterium was discovered in the village by researchers from Aberystwyth University. After DNA sequencing, it was subsequently named and registered in December 2020 as Myxococcus llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochensis.
The scientific name of this bacteria is the longest name in the binomial nomenclature system.
The Domain Name Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk was listed in the Guinness Book of Records in 2002.
At that time, the maximum number of characters allowed for an internet domain name was 58 (not including the suffix).
This limit was subsequently extended to 63, which, luckily, was exactly enough to enable the name of the upper part of the village to be registered. So an even longer domain name was registered with the 'uchaf' ending.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochuchaf.org.uk now holds the record as the longest valid (i.e. not made-up, such as abcdefg...etc.) domain name in the world.
The additional 'uchaf' signifies the upper part of the village. In the same way, the lower part of the village would be called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochisaf.
The name was used in the 1968 cult film 'Barbarella' (Jane Fonda) as the password for Dildano's headquarters:
Dildano: [radioing instructions to the rebel army] 'Our rendezvous point will be at 1600 hours. And our password will be ... Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.'
Barbarella: 'You mean the secret password is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?'
Dildano: 'Exactly.'
It was also used by Peter Sellers in 'The Road to Hong Kong'. Portraying an Indian neurologist, he examines Bob Hope and tells him to open his mouth and repeat 'Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch'.
Peter Sellers also used it in the 1958 film 'The Naked Truth', in a Dublin Pub setting.
In around 1900-1910 a shrewd shopkeeper in the village was reputed to be selling "An English, Irish and Scotchman's cure for Lock-jaw", which comprised a sealed envelope with instructions inside. A copy of one of these cards is shown here (top image).
During same period, various tourist postcards appeared on sale, printed with a similar 'lock-jaw cure' theme, but appearing to target the 'Englishman' only.
This prank obviously exploited the fact that many tourists were unable to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch correctly (Can you? Why not enter the 'Say the name competition?'
(Lockjaw is a medical condition where the sufferer is unable to move/open their jaw)
Anglesey has its own Monopoly board, with Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Railway Station as one of the property cards.
There have been many cases of misspelling - sometimes by those who would be expected to spell Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch correctly !
Here are a couple of images to illustrate this.
a) The British Tourist Board (Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwlll▍antysiliogogogoch) - 'L' missing from middle
b) A souvenir walking stick pin (Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllandysiliogogogoch)
Say the name Competition[]
So, if you think you're a bit of a wiz at Welsh, or know someone who thinks they know how to say it, get recording and show us what you can do !
Selected sound or video files will be placed on this page, and sending us a file implies your permission to make it public.
Please note that we do not upload photos or videos of young children, so any such videos received that may be selected will be converted to sound-only for uploading. All submissions are subject to our Terms
Be as creative as you like, impressions of famous people are encouraged. We've included a few below, just to get you started. We are looking out for Pronunciation Quality and / or Entertainment Value* !
saythename@llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk
How to say it[]
Now we will break the name up into sections and take at look at how each section is pronounced. The sections are listed below and are followed by a detailed description. Then we will take a look at exactly what the name means.
Finally see if you can identify the voice of a famous celebrity in our unique sound file or even enter the SAY THE NAME COMPETITION yourself. Good Luck!
LLAN - FAIR - PWLL - GWYN - GYLL - GO - GER - YCH - WYRN - DROB - WLL - LLAN - TY - SILIO - GO - GO - GOCH
- LLAN - To start off with, pronounce this section as you would do the Scottish word "clan". Then listen to the sound recording above taking particular notice of how the "ll" is pronounced. It is difficult to explain in words and is more easily learnt by oral example, but we will have a go here anyway. Lie your tongue flat in your mouth so that the tip is firmly touching the bridge behind your front teeth. Keeping the tip of your tongue in place, try and touch your back teeth with the sides of your tongue - now breathe out forcing the air to run strongly over the back of your tongue. This will cause a vibrating noise near your back teeth. Again, keeping the tongue in position, gently change the shape of your tongue until the sound becomes more controlled. This is the "ll" sound you are looking for. Listen to the sound file above and keep on practising.
- FAIR - Simply pronounce this section as you would the english word "fire", (not like you would expect to pronounce the word "fair" in english!) but change the "f" sound to a "v".
- PWLL - Now you have been practising your "ll" sound this will be a little easier to explain. The "pw" section is pronounced like the "pu" in the english word "put". Now add the "ll" on the end as described above. Now listen to the sound file again!
- GWYN - You may have heard the Welsh name "Gwyn", well this is pronounced in exactly the same way. Just say the english word "win" and put a "g" in front of it. (pronounce the "g" as you would in the word "gone"). Easy.
- GYLL - This is a bit more tricky. First say the english word "gill" (as associated with fish - not the girl's name!). Then change the "ll" as explained above under PWLL. Listen to the sound file again.
- GO - Looks easy doesn't it - it is! Pronounce it as you would the "go" in "gone".
- GER - Simply say the word "care" but change the "c" for a "g".
- YCH - Like the pronunciation of "ll", this is another tricky section to explain. Think of something you don't like and say "yuck". Now take the "y" from the beginning to leave "uck". Now change the "ck" to "ch" as pronounced in the Scottish word "loch".
- WYRN - This looks more complicated that it is. Just say the english word "win".
- DROB - First say the english word "draw" and then add a "b" on the end. Easy.
- WLL - You've learnt this already. It's pronounced the same as "pwll" above but without the "p".
- LLAN - Again, this is exactly the same as the "llan" at the beginning of this section.
- TY - Simply pronounce this section as you would the "t" in "twig".
- SILIO - Just say "silly - o". The "o" is pronounced as in "cot".
- GO - As in "gone".
- GO - As in "gone".
- GOCH - We're almost there. Simply say "go" as above, but adding the "ch" after it. The "ch" is a little like clearing your throat - see 'YCH' above.
That's it! Put it all together and keep on practising.
What does it mean[]
- LLANFAIR - Saint Mary's Church. "Llan" originally meant an "enclosure", now "church" and is usually followed by the name of a saint, in this case St. Mary. There are many places in Wales beginning with this, another example is Llangollen which means "church of St. Collen (hazel tree)".
- PWLL - This is the Welsh for "hollow".
- GWYN - This is the Welsh for "white".
- GYLL - This comes from the Welsh for "hazel" which is "collen".
- GER - This is the Welsh "near" or "by".
- DROBWLL - This comes from the word "trobwll" which is the Welsh for "whirlpool".
- LLANTYSILIO - This comes from the words "llan" meaning "parish" and St. Tysilio.
- OGO - This comes from the word "ogof" meaning "cave" in Welsh.
- GOCH - "Coch" (goch) in Welsh means "red".
So that means the full sentence is:
Saint Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio of the red cave.
History[]
Major changes came in the 1800's as a result of the construction of Thomas Telford's new road (1820s) and Robert Stevenson's Britannia railway bridge (1850), which led to the development of a new part of the village (Pentre Isaf, Lower Village) around the railway station. This attracted craftsmen, traders and shopkeepers and Llanfairpwll became an important commercial centre, serving the surrounding agricultural areas of Llanedwen and Penmynydd.
The village development saw the establishment of a Post Office, two schools, half a dozen pubs, a brewery, a hotel and (by 1889) 12 grocers. The village by then had a population of 961. In 1894 a livestock market emerged, and a slate factory opened in the nearby harbour of Pwllfanogl. In the 1960s and 1970s the "new" village began to appear. There was extensive building on various sites, and the population increased from 1,172 in 1961 to 3,101 in 2011. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch still retains its village atmosphere, even though there are more people living there than in many other towns in Wales.
This octagonal building is one of three tollhouses still intact along the A5 between Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch and Holyhead. On the outside of the building is the original table of tolls, which were last charged in 1895, by which time this was the last surviving public toll road in Britain. You would have paid a toll of 1d (one old penny) for a horse not drawing a carriage, wagon or cart, and the old toll charges can still be seen written on the side of the building:
TOLLS TO BE TAKEN AT LLANFAIR GATE
For every Horse, Mule or other Cattle, drawing any Coach or other Carriages, with springs, the sum of 4d.
For every Horse, Mule or other Beast or Cattle, drawing any Waggon, Cart, or other such Carriage, not employed solely in carrying or going empty to fetch Lime for manure the sum of 3d.
For every Horse, Mule or other Beast or Cattle drawing any Waggon, Cart, or other such Carriage, employed solely in carrying or going empty to fetch Lime for manure the sum of 1½d.
For every Horse, Mule or Ass laden or unladen, and not drawing, the sum of 1d.
For every Drove of Oxen, Cows or other neat Cattle per score, the sum of 10d.
For every Drove of Calves, Sheep, Lambs or pigs per score, the sum of 5d.
For every Horse, Mule or other Beast drawing any Waggon or Cart the Wheels being less that 3 inches breadth or having Wheels with Tires fastened with Nails projecting and not countersunk to pay double Toll.
A Ticket taken here clears Carnedd Du Bar.
(image courtesy John Warren)
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is named after St. Mary's Church. (The Welsh name for the church is 'Eglwys y Santes Fair'). It was rebuilt in 1853, there being an earlier (probably 7th century) church on the site dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The original baptismal font from the earlier church is still in use.
The Britannia Memorial was erected after the completion of the Britannia Bridge in 1850, in memory of 16 men who died from injuries during the construction of the bridge. Also included on the memorial are the names of others who lost their lives on the bridge, including men working on the reconstruction of the bridge following the 1970 fire, and a 5 year old girl, Emma Greaves, who died of whooping cough.
The memorial is situated in the grounds of St. Mary's church in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. It was restored in 2008 by the Railway Heritage Trust with improved access.
In 1915 the Women's Institute (WI) was introduced to Britain by Mrs Alfred Watt from Canada, with the very first meeting in the corrugated hall (attached to the Toll House) at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Throughout the next hundred years the hall continued to be used for regular WI meetings. It was renovated in around 2012 for conversion to a Women's Institute museum.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch railway station was first opened in 1848, as the starting point of a train line across Anglesey to Holyhead (this was a main route to Ireland). This was before the opening of the Britannia Bridge in 1850, which provided a rail link to the mainland, and thus also to the south of England.
The original station was reconstructed after it suffered a catastrophic fire on 13 November 1865. After fire also destroyed the Brittania Bridge in 1970, it was again closed, but reopened as the terminus for trains to and from Holyhead, with a single wooden platform.
The rail line to Holyhead is important because it is the route of the Irish Mail train from London.
The railway station now attracts thousands of tourists annually - mainly due to the infamous village name.
On 25th May 1970, a huge fire caused extensive damage to the Britannia tubular railway Bridge, which caused irrepairable damage. The bridge was threfore rebuilt with an improved specification, reusing the original piers, but adding new arches to support two decks - a lower rail bridge and a road on the top. The bridge was rebuilt in phases, initially reopening in 1972 as a single-tier steel truss arch bridge carrying only rail traffic. Over the next eight years more improvements were completed, allowing for more trains to run. The top tier for road transport was opened in 1980.
The Brittania Bridge today.
(image courtesy John Warren)
More recently, Anglesey was also the home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - Prince William (heir to the British throne), Kate (Middleton) and their new baby, Prince George, whilst William was based at the Royal Air Force base on Anglesey.
Their home was in Bodorgan - just a few miles from Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.