The Stanley Embankment (known locally as the Cob) is a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

and

cycleway Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except ...

embankment Embankment may refer to: Geology and geography * A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea * Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railway ...

that crosses the

Cymyran Strait {{Location map, Wales Anglesey, mark=Green_pog.svg , lat=53.2820021, long=-4.5845404, width=250, float=center , alt = , caption = , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, connecting the Island of Anglesey and Holy Island. It carries both the

North Wales Coast Line The North Wales Coast Line ( cy, Llinell Arfordir Gogledd Cymru), also known as the North Wales Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell Gogledd Cymru or cy, label=none, Prif Linell y Gogledd), is a major railway line in the north of Wales and Cheshire ...

for trains, which runs from

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...

to Holyhead and the

A5 road A5 Road may refer to: ;Africa * A5 highway (Nigeria), a road connecting Lagos and Ibadan * A5 road (Zimbabwe), a road connecting Harare and Francistown ;Americas * Quebec Autoroute 5, a road in Quebec, Canada * County Route A5 (California) or Bo ...

between

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and Holyhead. The embankment was designed by, and its construction overseen by,

Thomas Telford Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotla ...

and was named after the

Stanley family The Stanley family (or Audley-Stanley family) is an English family with many notable members, including the Earls of Derby and the Barons Audley who descended from the early holders of Audley and Stanley, Staffordshire. The two branches of the A ...

who were significant benefactors to the area.Hughes, Margaret: ''"Anglesey from the sea"'', page 73. Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2001 Prior to its construction the fastest route to Holyhead from the island's mainland was via the old stone bridge at

Four Mile Bridge Four Mile Bridge ( cy, Pontrhydybont / / ) is a village spanning both sides of the Cymyran Strait in Wales, connecting Holy Island with Anglesey, and is approximately southeast of Holyhead. The village is quite small and is split between t ...

( cy, Pontrhydybont/Pont-rhydbont/Pontrhypont). When the A5 road was being constructed between London and the Port of Holyhead a more direct route was needed. Construction started in 1822 and completed a year later and is a total of long.Jones, G: ''"Anglesey Railways"'', page 17. Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2005 It is significantly wider at the base (35 metres) than at the top (10 metres). The embankment to Holy Island was constructed using rock and materials excavated from a site on the Anglesey side. A workers’ hamlet grew up around the artificially-created depression, which was nicknamed “the valley”.Hughes, Margaret: ''"Anglesey Villages"'', page 71. Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2003 After work ended, the settlement remained developing into a medium-sized village known as

Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

. A year after opening, the embankment was partly damaged in a storm in 1824. In the 1840s, the embankment was chosen to carry the

to the Port of Holyhead (rather than build an entirely new crossing). Work to significantly widen the structure was completed in 1848. To allay concerns that passing

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often k ...

s might startle horse drawn traffic using the embankment, a tall stone dividing wall was built between the road and the railway. The embankment remained the only major crossing between Holy Island and Anglesey for more than 175 years. In 2001 it was superseded by a new wider embankment, which was built as part of the final section of the A55 North Wales Expressway. The section completely bypassed Valley and the old A5 at this point. The new crossing, which carries the modern A55 dual carriageway, was built parallel to the Stanley Embankment, following its north–south alignment.

References

{{coord, 53.2899, -4.5825, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Bridges completed in 1823 Railway bridges in Wales Road bridges in Wales Bridges in Anglesey Works of Thomas Telford Valley, Anglesey Holyhead Trearddur