The Menai Suspension Bridge: January 30th 1826
The Menai Bridge connects the island of Anglesey with mainland Wales. Before this bridge was built anyone who wanted to travel to and from Anglesey had to cross over the dangerous water in the Menai Strait. Many lives were lost in the strong tidal flows. The main source of income on Anglesey was from the sale of cattle, and to move them to the markets of the mainland they had to be driven into the water and encouraged to swim across the Menai Strait. This often resulted in the loss of valuable animals.
Thomas Telford designed the bridge which still looks magnificent today. Find out what they did to stop the iron rusting on the bridge; Lewis Carrol wrote in ‘Through the Looking Glass’ that they had boiled the bridge in wine!
Our sets of bridge comprehensions are at three different ability levels. This makes it easy to provide material for a range of reading abilities, or ages, and allows for differentiation in the classroom.
