St Seiriol's Church and Dovecote at Penmon Priory

A beautiful place, known for its tranquil setting, ancient well and priory.

It is the site of an historic monastery and associated 12th-century church. According to tradition, a monastic community was established on a site near the tip of Penmon in the 6th century AD. There was a growth in the Christian Church in Celtic Britain around that time and simple monasteries were often founded by hermits and holy men in remote locations. The scattered medieval township grew up around its monastery, founded by St. Seiriol. The monastery prospered, and two crosses were set up at its gate. In 971 Vikings destroyed much of Penmon. During the 12th century, the abbey church was rebuilt and in the 13th century Penmon became an Augustinian priory with conventional buildings. The priory expanded. After surviving the conquest of Wales by King Edward, it was eventually dissolved in 1538. The buildings were transferred to the ownership of the Bulkeleys of Beaumaris, a prominent local family, and are still in use today. They also used most of the land for a deer park, and built the dovecote near the church. The dovecote was probably built in 1600 and houses 1000 nesting boxes and is one of the largested preserved dovecotes in Britain