Great Orme
Great Orme | |
---|---|
Pen y Gogarth | |
Marilyn | |
Coordinates | 53°20′0″N 3°51′20″W / 53.33333°N 3.85556°W |
Geography | |
Location | Conwy county borough, Wales |
OS grid | SH767833 |
Topo map | OS Landranger 115 |
The Great Orme (
Toponym
Both the Great and Little Ormes have been etymologically linked to the Old Norse words urm or orm that mean sea serpent (English worm is a cognate). One explanation is that the Great Orme is the head, with its body being the land between the Great and Little Ormes, whilst another, possibly more likely, is that the shape of the Great Orme viewed as one enters the isthmus of Llandudno from the southeast landward end resembles a giant sleeping creature. The Vikings left no written texts of their time in North Wales although they certainly raided the area. They did not found any permanent settlements, unlike on the Wirral Peninsula, but some Norse names remain in use in the former Kingdom of Gwynedd (such as Point of Ayr near Talacre).
Despite there being a theory for the origin of the name "Orme", the word was not commonly used until after the creation of the
Orme only appears to have been applied to the headland as seen from the sea. In 1748, the Plan of the Bay & Harbour of Conway in Caernarvon Shire by Lewis Morris names the body of the peninsula "CREUDDYN" but applies the name "Orme's Head" to the headland's north-westerly seaward point.[3] The first series Ordnance Survey map (published in 1841 and before the establishment of Llandudno) follows this convention. The headland is called the "Great Orme's Head" but its landward features all have Welsh names.[4] It is likely that Orme became established as its common name due to Llandudno's burgeoning tourist trade because a majority of visitors and holidaymakers arrived by sea. The headland was the first sight of their destination in the three-hour journey from Liverpool by paddle steamer.
Natural history
Parts of the Great Orme are managed as a nature reserve by the
Geology
The Great Orme is a peninsula made mostly of limestone and
Wells
Natural wells were greatly prized in limestone districts and the Great Orme was no exception. Water was required for copper mining purposes as well as for domestic and agricultural use. The following Great Orme wells are known and most still supply running water:
- Ffynnon Llygaid. Possibly one of the wells supplying the needs of the once populous Gogarth community before much of it was lost to coastal erosion.
- Ffynnon Gogarth. The main water source for Gogarth and in the later 18th and early 19th centuries the power source to operate the famous Tom and Gerry engine that through a long series of Brammock rods powered the mine water pumps at the Higher shaft near the summit above Pyllau.
- Ffynnon Powel. One of the water supplies together with ffynnon Tudno and ffynnon Rufeining serving the medieval farming community of Cyngreawdr.
- Ffynnon Galchog. This well, near Mynydd Isaf, to the north of Pen Dinas, is a source of lime-rich water known for its petrifying qualities, it is one of two wells known to have been used in the washing of copper ores.
- Ffynnon Tudno. Situated beyond the road, near the northeast corner of St Tudno's Church, ffynnon Tudno was, together with ffynnon Rufeining, a principal source of water for the community settled around the church.
- Ffynnon Rufeining. Translated as "Roman Well", it takes its name from the tradition that Roman copper miners used its waters to wash the copper ores mined nearby.
- Ffynnon Llech. A spring of water in Ogof Llech, a cave on the headland which is very difficult to access. It is claimed to have been used as a hermitage by Bangor-is-y-Coedwho established the first church here.
- Ffynnon Gaseg. Literally "Mare's well", this spring was revealed at the side of the road, about halfway round and near the highest point, during the construction of the Marine Drive in the 19th century. It was ideally situated to refresh the horses on the five-mile carriage drive round the base of the Great Orme.
Flora
The Great Orme has a very rich flora, including most notably the only known site of the critically endangered wild cotoneaster (
Fauna
The headland is the habitat of several endangered species of
The headland is also home to about 200
The caves and abandoned mine workings are home to large colonies of the rare horseshoe bat. This small flying mammal navigates the caves and tunnels by using echolocation to obtain a mental picture of its surroundings. During the daytime, horseshoe bats are found suspended from the roof of tunnels and caves, with their wings tightly wrapped around their bodies. Only at dusk do the bats leave the caves and mine shafts, to feed on beetles and moths.
The cliffs are host to colonies of seabirds (such as
Below the cliffs, the rock-pools around the headland are a rich and varied habitat for aquatic plants and animals including barnacles, red beadlet anemones and hermit crab
History
Copper mines
Large-scale human activity on the Great Orme began around 4,000 years ago during the
The mine was abandoned and evidence suggests it was not worked again until the late 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Mining began in the late 17th century due to the demand for copper and improved ability to pump water out of the mine. A steam engine was introduced in 1832 and ten years later an 822-metre long tunnel was mined at sea level to drain the deeper mine workings. Commercial-scale mining on the Great Orme ended in the 1850s, although small-scale mining continued until the mines were finally abandoned in 1881.[citation needed]
In 1987, the improvement of the derelict mine site was commissioned by the local council and
In April 1991 the Great Orme Mines site was opened to the public. Pathways and viewing platforms were constructed to give access to the surface excavations. In 1996 a bridge was erected over the top of Vivian's Shaft. The visitor centre's extension, built-in 2014, contains a selection of mining tools and bronze axes along with displays about life and death in the Bronze Age, mining and ancient metallurgy. Also accessible is the 3,500-year-old Great Cavern.
Medieval period
The medieval parish of Llandudno comprised three townships all established on the lower slopes of the Great Orme. The township of Y Gogarth at the south-western 'corner' of the Great Orme was latterly the smallest but it contained the palace of the Bishop of Bangor. The Manor of Gogarth (which included all three townships) had been bestowed on Anian, Bishop of Bangor by King Edward I in 1284 in recognition of services rendered to the crown, notably the baptism of the first English Prince of Wales, newly born at Caernarfon. The palace was burnt down by Owain Glyndŵr in 1400 and the ruins have mostly been washed away together with much of the township by coastal erosion in the Conwy Estuary.
The significant agricultural yet north-facing township of Cyngreawdr includes the original
The third township was Yn Wyddfid clustered below the
Victorian expansion
In 1825 the Board of the
In 1826 the summit of the Great Orme was chosen as the location for one of the 11
In March 1855 the Great Orme telegraph station was converted to
By the late 1860s, Llandudno's blossoming tourist trade saw many Victorians visit the old semaphore station at the summit to enjoy the panorama. This led to the development of the summit complex.
Twentieth century
By the early 20th century, a nine-bed hotel was built on the site. It served as the clubhouse for the Great Orme Golf Club that was founded in the early 1900s.[20] The course closed in 1939 and is now a sheep farm.
On 11 July 1914, Beatrice Blore drove a Singer Ten car up the cable track of the Great Orme, with a gradient of 1 in 3 in places, becoming the first woman to drive up the steep and challenging headland. She was six months pregnant at the time and the drive was a publicity stunt developed by her partner George Wilkin Browne to help sell the cars at his Llandudno garage, North Wales Silver Motors.[21] Her feat is commemorated by her unusual gravestone in St Tudno's graveyard.[21]
During the
Second World War
The
Also of note was the Aerial Defence Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) known as "X3" which was a 3-storey building erected in 1942. This seems to have been a secret radar experimental station above the artillery school. The road put in to serve it now serves a car park on the approximate site of the station, which was demolished in 1956.
Tourism
With the creation of Llandudno, the first route round the perimeter of the Great Orme was a footpath constructed in 1858 by Reginald Cust, a trustee of the Mostyn Estate. In 1872 the Great Ormes Head Marine Drive Co. Ltd. was formed to turn the path into a Victorian carriage road. But it went bankrupt before work was finished. A second company completed the road in 1878. The contractors for the scheme were Messrs Hughes, Morris, Davies, a consortium led by Richard Hughes of Madoc Street, Llandudno.[22] The road was bought by Llandudno Urban District Council in 1897.[22] The four-mile (six-kilometre) one-way toll road starts at the foot of the Happy Valley. After about 1+1⁄2 miles (2.5 km) a side road leads to St. Tudno's Church, the Bronze Age Copper Mines and to the Great Orme Summit complex with car park. The toll road ticket also pays for the parking at the Summit Complex. Marine Drive has been used as a stage on the Wales Rally GB in 1981, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2018.
In 1902, the Great Orme Tramway was built to convey visitors to the top of the Great Orme. In 1969, the Llandudno Cable Car was also constructed to take visitors up to the summit attractions. These include a tourist shop, cafeteria, visitors' centre, play areas, a licensed hotel, and the vintage tram/cable-car stations.
On clear days Winter Hill, the Isle of Man and the Lake District can be seen from the summit of the Orme.
The Orme has one of only two artificial ski slopes in North Wales, complete with one of the longest toboggan runs in the United Kingdom.
Landscaped gardens in the Happy Valley and terraces in the Haulfre Garden cover the lower landward facing steeply sloping southern side. Walkways link the Haulfre Gardens with the western end of the Marine Drive.
On the northernmost point of the Orme is the former Llandudno
Notes
Citations
- ^ J. E. Caerwyn Williams (ed.), Gwaith Meilyr Brydydd a'i ddisgynyddion (University of Wales Press, 1994). 9.153n.
- ^ "Great Orme copper mines". BBC Cymru Wales history website. BBC Cymru Wales. 25 August 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
- ^ Mary Aris, Historic Landscapes of the Great Orme page 32
- ^ Ordnance Survey (1841) First Series 78-Bangor
- ^ Great Orme Warden Service Archived 24 November 2012 at the UK Government Web Archive.
- ^ "National Trust spends £1m to secure precious archaeological site on Great Orme in North Wales". The Independent. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- ^ "Geology of Britain viewer". British Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-7538-2886-1
- ^ "Rock fall closes Great Orme road at Llandudno". BBC News. 24 July 2014.
- ^ Species Action Plan "Wild Cotoneaster (pdf file)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007.
- ^ "The Great Orme Kashmiri Goats". llandudno.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ^ "Contraceptive jabs cut goat herd on the Great Orme". BBC News. 12 April 2010.
- ^ "Soldiers choose regimental goat". BBC. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "Royal Welsh appoints new regimental goat Fusilier Llywelyn". BBC News. 22 January 2016.
- ^ "Covid: Lack of contraception sees goats boom in Llandudno". BBC News. 17 March 2021.
- ^ "Special task force created to control famous street-wondering LLandudno goats". www.countryliving.com. 22 October 2022.
- ^ Johnson, Ben, ed. (2014). "The Great Orme Mines". Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ Ruggeri, Amanda (21 April 2016). "The Ancient Copper Mines Dug By Bronze Age Children". BBC. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ "Bronze Age discovery reveals surprising extent of Britain's trade with Europe 3,600 years ago".
- ^ "Great Orme Golf Club". Golf’s Missing Links. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ OCLC 1231051081.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ a b Wynne Jones, Ivor (2002). Llandudno Queen of Welsh Resorts. Landmark Publishing Ltd. pp. 70–121.
Bibliography
- Aris, Mary (1996). Historic Landscapes of the Great Orme. Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst Wales. ISBN 0-86381-357-7.
- Evans, Philip C. (2011). Llandudno Coast Artillery School. Llandudno Town Council.
- Roberts, Jim (1992). Llandudno Past & Present. Sutton Publishing Ltd, Stroud, Gloucestershire. ISBN 0-7509-2903-0.
- Saxon (1578). Map of Anglesey and Caernarvonshire. Great Orme peninsula labelled as "Ormeshead Point".
- Wynne Jones, Ivor (2002). Llandudno Queen of Welsh Resorts. Landmark, Ashbourne Derbyshire. ISBN 1-84306-048-5.
- Jowett, Nick (2016). Great Orme Bronze Age Mines. Great Orme Mines Ltd, Great Orme, Llandudno, Wales.