The Flying Boat Factory
In 1940, the company Saunders Roe moved its main flying boat construction from Cowes in the Isle of Wight to Beaumaris on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, the company's thinking being that Anglesey was less likely to be bombed than Cowes (an assumption that was proved true when a large part of the Cowes plant was destroyed in an air raid in 1942)
Though in later years the plant in Beaumaris assumed new roles, it manufactured half-track adaptations of the Land Rover in the 1950s and manufactured an assortment of products from military bridges to refuse lorries until Lairds (who now owned the business) sold it on to Faun who moved to custom built premises in nearby Llangefni in 1997.
Though in later years the plant in Beaumaris assumed new roles, it manufactured half-track adaptations of the Land Rover in the 1950s and manufactured an assortment of products from military bridges to refuse lorries until Lairds (who now owned the business) sold it on to Faun who moved to custom built premises in nearby Llangefni in 1997.
Approaching the site today the general impression of one of decay, of the five huge hangars only one is accessible, the others being securely bolted. The site is peppered with mounds of debris and several smaller buildings are in varying states of decay, including a boiler house and photography lab/darkroom. The remains of the slipway into the Menai Straits are still in place and in surprisingly good condition. The slipway actually crossed the road between Beaumaris and Llanddona, which would have been impressive to witness.