Chester and Holyhead Railway

The Chester and Holyhead Railway is one of Britain's most important main line routes, connecting London with mainland north Wales, and the Isle of Anglesey.The line was completed in 1850 under the direction of Robert Stephenson whose work included the famous tubular bridges that cross the river at Conwy and the Menai Straits near Bangor, the latter one destroyed by fire in 1970.The line was built primarily to support British rule in Ireland but was later instrumental in developing north Wales as a major tourist destination. Today the railway remains an important part of the Welsh and UK networks, providing trains that link north Wales with Cardiff and major English cities, as well as connecting with ferry services to Ireland.

Phil Lloyd was born in Stockport and has lived in the north-west of England all his life, apart from a first degree in history at York from 1971\. He gained an MA (Econ) and social work qualification at Manchester University in 1978 and worked as a probation officer until 1998\. He led Youth Offending Teams in Manchester and Cheshire before managing in social care in Cheshire. He retired from his post as a director in Cheshire East in 2011 and completed a doctorate in Railway Studies at York in 2017\. He now lives in Merseyside with his wife Ceri and spends a lot of time in north Wales.