Llanelli
Llanelli | |
---|---|
Location within Carmarthenshire | |
Population | 26,225 |
OS grid reference | SN505005 |
Community |
|
Principal area | |
Preserved county | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | LLANELLI |
Postcode district | SA14, SA15 |
Dialling code | 01554[1] |
Police | Dyfed-Powys |
Fire | Mid and West Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
Llanelli | |
Website | llanellitowncouncil.co.uk |
Llanelli ("
The town is 11 miles (18 km) north-west of
Name
Spelling
The anglicised spelling “Llanelly” was used until 1966, when it was changed to Llanelli after a local public campaign. It remains in the name of a local historic building, Llanelly House. It should not be confused with the village and parish of Llanelly, in south-east Wales near Abergavenny.
Llanelly in
History
The beginnings of Llanelli can be found on the lands of present-day Parc Howard. An Iron Age hill fort once stood which was called Bryn-Caerau (hill of the forts). Evidence suggests there were five hill forts from Old Road to the Dimpath. During the Roman conquest of Wales it is unknown whether the area of Llanelli was part of the
According to the Red Book of Hergest during the Norman invasion of Wales Rhys Ieuanc and his uncle Maelgwn ap Rhys took the allegiance of all the Welsh of the Kingdom of Dyfed apart from one region. Cemais would not pay allegiance and thus Rhys Ieuanc and his uncle, Maelgwn ap Rhys, attacked and pillaged the area moving on to attack the castles at Narberth and Maenclochog. At this time Rhys Ieuanc moved against Cedweli and Carnwyllion with his forces besieging and burning Carnwyllion Castle in 1215.[9]
Llanelli was industrialised in the early 19th century as the global centre for
Llanelli people are sometimes nicknamed "Turks", for uncertain reasons. One theory is that many Turkish sailors once called at the port on their voyages.[12]
Several communities nearby may be included colloquially in Llanelli.[13]
In 2024 it was announced that the town would be seeking city status.[14][15]
Culture and language
National Eisteddfod
Llanelli hosted the
Welsh language
In the mid-20th century, Llanelli was the world's largest town in which more than half the inhabitants spoke a
During the 1950s, Trefor and Eileen Beasley campaigned to get Llanelli Rural Council to distribute tax papers in Welsh by refusing to pay taxes until their demand was met. The council reacted by sending in the bailiffs and selling their furniture to recover the money owed. The Beasleys' neighbours bought the furniture and returned it to them. The council finally reversed its policy in the 1960s, giving Welsh equal status with English.[18]
Economy
In 1991 Llanelli was a distinct travel to work area, but a 2001-based revision has merged it into a wider one of Swansea Bay.[19]
Manufacture
Several firms, including Tata Steel Europe tinplate at Trostre and Dyfed Steels, are based in the Llanelli area and service the automotive industry.[20] The Technium Performance Engineering Centre was developed at Llanelli Gate as a business incubator for businesses in the automotive, motor sport and aerospace sectors.[21]
The traditional industries of Llanelli have gradually declined in recent decades. Local government has responded by seeking to attract tourism with developments such as the Machynys Golf Course, retail parks at Trostre and Pemberton, and the Millennium Coastal Park.[22] The core shopping area has now moved largely from the town centre to the Trostre/Pemberton area.
Brewing
The longstanding Felinfoel Brewery continues in Felinfoel, just outside the town.[23]
Rev. James Buckley was an ordained
Leisure and tourism
In the past decade, the longstanding emphasis on heavy industry has shifted towards the tertiary sector employment in leisure and tourism. Ongoing developments include the new Llanelli Scarlets rugby stadium, the Old Castle Works leisure village (see below) and a National Hunt racecourse at Ffos Las near Trimsaran.[25] Machynys Ponds, a Site of Special Scientific Interest notable for its dragonfly population, lies a mile to the south.[26][27]
Religion
Church in Wales
The
Nonconformism
From the early 19th to late 20th centuries, Llanelli was a major centre of Welsh nonconformism. At the end of the Second World War there were 22 chapels in the town of Llanelli, and their history was chronicled in a volume by the BBC journalist Huw Edwards.[31] Edwards noted that many of the chapels had closed and others were in sharp decline, he suggested that if the decline continued, only two or three were likely to survive as functioning chapels in the 2020s.[32]
The most well known of Llanelli's chapels is probably
Situated on Waunlanyrafon, across the road from the police station, is the Roman Catholic Church, Our Lady Queen of Peace Church.
Llanelli has an Islamic centre on Station Road
Sport
Rugby union
The town's
The Welsh folk song "Sosban Fach" (Little Saucepan) is mostly associated with Llanelli RFC.
Many rugby clubs have notable scalps collected from touring international sides but Llanelli has in its rugby history one of the greatest scalps ever. On 31 October 1972, in one of the most famous results in rugby union history, Llanelli beat the New Zealand national team 9–3 in front of around 20,000 spectators. Llanelli centre Roy Bergiers scored the only try of the game, charging down a clearance by All Black scrum-half Lin Colling after a penalty from Phil Bennett rebounded back into play off the crossbar.
There is a strong junior rugby core, including club sides such as Felinfoel, New Dock Stars, Llangennech and the Llanelli Wanderers. In 2005, Coedcae School won the Inter-Schools Cup of Wales with an 8–5 victory over Brynteg Comprehensive.
Rugby league
Llanelli's West Wales Raiders play in RFL League 1, the third tier of rugby league in England and Wales. The club is based at Stebonheath Park.
Association football
Bowls
Llanelli hosts the annual Llanelli Open Bowls Tournaments, the oldest and most prestigious of which, the Roberts-Rolfe Open Singles event, has been run since 1926 and has a first prize of £600. The contests are held from July to September in Parc Howard.
Golf
The Llanelli area has two
Snooker
Llanelli is the birthplace and home of Terry Griffiths OBE, snooker world champion in 1979 and runner-up in 1988. Now a coach and snooker commentator, he runs the Terry Griffiths Matchroom in the town centre.
Media
Llanelli is home to
Coverage of local affairs appears in two papers, the Llanelli Star founded in 1909 and Llanelli Herald launched in 2015.[43] Online coverage is found on Llanelli Online.[44] The main county-wide radio station is Radio Carmarthenshire. Other radio stations covering the area are Hits Radio South Wales, its sister station Greatest Hits Radio South Wales, Swansea Bay Radio, Radio BGM, which serves the Prince Philip Hospital and the local community online, and Heart South Wales.[45]
Local attractions
Some local attractions include:
- The Millennium Coastal Path along 13 miles (21 km) of coastline from Loughor to Pembrey offers views of the Gower Peninsula and the opportunity of traffic-free cycling.
- WWT Llanelli Wetland Centre, about 1-mile (1.6 km) east of Llanelli, near Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
- BBC television show, Restoration.[46]
- Parc Howard Museum[47] is set in the grounds of Parc Howard. The museum houses a collection of Llanelly Pottery (so spelt), an art collection and material on the history of the town.
Leisure
The Ffwrnes Theatre opened in late 2012, replacing the Theatr Elli, which was part of the Llanelli Entertainment Centre.[48][49] A multi-screen cinema opened in October 2012. Much is being spent on regenerating the central shopping district.[50]
Llanelli holds festivals, carnivals and events throughout the year. They include:
- Welsh International Open, a competition of the World Bowls Tour (February)
- Into the Future Festival — educational event about the environment and technology, organised by the county council[51] (August)
- Llanelli Big Day Out — pop and live music event[52] (August)
- Llanelli (August)
- Llanelli Christmas Carnival (November)
- Llanelli Ramblers Festival of Walks, an annual walking festival, late Spring Bank Holiday weekend (May)
- Llanelli Pride (first Saturday in August)
Transport
Llanelli is linked with the
service to London.Services from
Llanelli is connected to the
The nearest passenger airport is Cardiff Airport, 50 miles (80 km) away, although Pembrey, 2 miles (3.2 km), provides air charter services.[55]
Education
Primary and secondary
The first
Further and higher education
Coleg Sir Gâr (Carmarthenshire College), with its main campus at Graig near Pwll, provides a college education for most of the town's further education students and some vocational undergraduate degrees through the University of Wales. There are sixth form colleges at Ysgol Gyfun y Strade (Welsh medium) and St Michael's (English medium).
Prince Philip Hospital has a postgraduate centre for medical training run by Cardiff University's School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education.[56]
Government
Llanelli (Political) | |
---|---|
Mayor | Councillor P.T. Warlow |
Carmarthenshire County Council | |
Leader | Emlyn Dole |
County Councillors (Ward) |
J. Edmunds (Bigyn) E. Morgan (Bigyn) J. P. Jenkins (Elli) )J. Prosser (Glanymor) L. Roberts (Glanymor) R. James(Lliedi) S. Najmi (Lliedi) S. Curry (Tyisha A. McPherson (Tyisha) |
United Kingdom Parliament | |
Nia Griffith | Labour |
Senedd | |
Lee Waters | Labour |
Llanelli is in the ward of the same name parliamentary constituency, currently represented by the Labour party member Nia Griffith Member of Parliament (MP), and by the Senedd constituency of Labour's Lee Waters MS. Llanelli is run on a community level by Llanelli Town Council and Llanelli Rural Council (depending on the area of town) and Carmarthenshire County Council at local government level. Llanelli Rural Council addresses some part of the town, but mainly the Llanelli Rural community. Llanelli's politics has been Labour-dominated for decades. Its geographical location has led to a sense of exceptionalism in relation to the rest of Carmarthenshire, which is dominated by Plaid Cymru. In reaction to this, there have been calls to reinstate the local government district of Llanelli either as a county or as the City of Llanelli.
The community of Llanelli is bordered by those of
In 2024 the town's council voiced its support for a bid to become a city.[14]
Twinning
Llanelli is
Town areas
Settlements near Llanelli
- Llwynhendy
- Burry Port
- Bynea
- Pwll
- Felinfoel
- Dafen
- Carway
- Furnace
- Pemberton
- Llangennech
- Hendy
- Cwmbach
- Trimsaran
- Bryn
- Pen-y-graig
- Cwmcarnhywel
- Five Roads
- Cynheidre
- Horeb
Current developments
Llanelli Waterside
Notable people
Notable Llanelli people with a Wikipedia page in alphabetical order by section:
Art, media and entertainment
- Juliet Ace (born 1938), playwright and dramatist
- Simon Armstrong (living), film, television and stage actor
- David Brazell (1875–1959), opera singer and early recording artist
- Ronald Cass (1923–2006), film writer and composer
- Eleanor Daniels (1886–1994), stage and silent film actress
- Huw Edwards (born 1961), BBC News chief presenter
- Cerith Wyn Evans (born 1958) conceptual artist, sculptor and film-maker[59]
- Peter Anthony Freeman (living), author and storyteller
- Jessica Garlick (born 1981), Eurovision Song Contest 2002 UK entrant and Pop Idol finalist
- Gareth Hughes (1894–1965), silent film actor, born in Halfway/Pemberton
- Julie Gore (born 1958), singer, songwriter, TV presenter and darts player
- James Dickson Innes (1887–1914), artist
- Deke Leonard (1944–2017), rock musician, author, raconteur and TV panellist
- Elizabeth Morgan (born 1930), actress and writer
- Terry Morris (born 1965), artist and photographer
- Natasha O'Keeffe (born 1986), television actress
- John Owen-Jones (born 1971), actor
- Christopher Rees (born 1973), singer, songwriter and musician
- Rachel Roberts (1927–1980), actress
- Dorothy Squires (1915–1998), singer and second wife of actor Roger Moore
- Donald Swann (1923–1994), of the Flanders and Swann duo
- Huw Thomas (1927–2009), ITN newscaster
- Imogen Thomas (born 1982), Big Brother contestant and glamour model
- Jeffrey Thomas (born 1945), acting star of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Spartacus: Gods of the Arena
Public service
- Robert Buckland (born 1968), Conservative Lord Chancellor
- Leslie Griffiths (born 1942), Methodist minister and life peer
- Michael Howard (born 1941), Conservative Party leader (2003–2005)
- Lord Elwyn Jones (1909–1989), Labour Lord Chancellor
- William Lloyd (1725–1796), Royal Navy admiral
- Gwladys Yvonne McKeon (1897–1979), Llanelli-born Australian marine biologist
- Sir Tom O'Brien (1900–1970), Labour MP and trade unionist
- Rod Richards (1947–2019), Conservative MP and leader in the National Assembly for Wales
- Sir John Stepney, 8th Baronet (1743–1811), a Welsh MP from 1767 to 1788.
- David Thomas (1880–1967), Labour organizer and trade unionist
- Sir John Meurig Thomas (1932–2020), chemist and science historian
- Brian Trubshaw (1924–2001), pilot of first flight of British Concorde
- Phil Prosser (living), British army brigadier, Commander of 101 Logistics Brigade in charge of COVID-19 vaccine roll-out
Sports
Rugby Union
- British Lions
- Jonathan Davies (born 1962), Wales in rugby league and rugby union
- Ieuan Evans (born 1964), Wales and British Lions
- Ray Gravell (1951–2007), Wales and British Lions, actor and broadcaster.
- Carwyn James (1929–1983), Wales, coach of Llanelli and British Lions
- Gareth Jenkins (born 1951), Wales, coach of Llanelli, Llanelli Scarlets and Wales
- Barry John (born 1945), Cardiff, Wales and British Lions
- Dwayne Peel (born 1981), Wales and British Lions
- Derek Quinnell (born 1949), Wales and British Lions
Association football
- Wyndham Evans (born 1951), player, manager and commentator
- Emyr Huws (born 1993), Wales and Ipswich Town F.C.
- Matthew Jones (born 1980), Wales and premier league footballer and manager
- Kyle Letheren (born 1987), Plymouth Argyle F.C. goalkeeper
- Byron Stevenson (1956–2007), Wales
Other sports
- Jonny Clayton (born 1974), professional dart player
- Jeff Evans (born 1954), cricket umpire
- Dai Greene (born 1986), 400m hurdler, world champion and IAAF gold medalist
- Terry Griffiths (born 1947), world snooker champion (1979)
- Neil Haddock (born 1964), boxer, British superfeatherweight champion
- Evan Hoyt (born 1995), professional tennis
- Edward Laverack (born 1994), professional cyclist
- Flex Lewis (born 1983), bodybuilder
- Melbourne Tierney (1923–2014), rugby league
- Eirian Williams (born 1955), snooker referee
See also
References
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- ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 829.
- ^ City Population. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ Kirsty B Carter; Joe Harrison (11 December 2020). "Llanelli: An abandoned Welsh town in Australia". BBC Travel.
- ^ Kirsty B Carter; Joe Harrison (17 August 2020). "Forgotten Places: The abandoned Welsh town in the middle of Australia" (video, 5 mins 37 secs). BBC reel.
- ISBN 978-1843833222.
- National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Carnwyllion Castle". Llanelli Community Heritage. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ J. Paxton (1999), The Penguin Encyclopedia of Places, 3rd ed. London: Penguin.
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- ^ "Carmarthenshire County Council: Area and density of Community Wards". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
- ^ a b Harries, Robert (12 January 2024). "The struggling Welsh town that wants to become a city". Wales Online. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Llanelli wants to become Wales' eighth city". Sky News. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
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- ^ The Welsh Academy Encyclopedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press 2008.
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- ^ "National Statistics, Introduction to the 2001-based Travel-to-Work Areas" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2009.
- ^ "DISTRICT SPECIFICATION AND LOCAL INFORMATION FOR SOUTH WEST WALES". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011.
- ^ "Technium Performance Engineering". Archived from the original on 28 December 2008.
- ^ "Strategic Development Project: Overview of Progress". Retrieved 5 February 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Champion Brewers • Felinfoel Brewery". Felinfoel Brewery.
- ^ "Gorseinon: An odd name for a pub". Archived from the original on 20 July 2006.
- ^ "Racecourse launch at ex-mine site". 11 July 2007 – via bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "MAGIC Map Application – Machynys Ponds". DEFRA MAGIC Map. DEFRA.
- ^ "Site of Special Scientific Interest, Carmarthenshire, Machynys Ponds" (PDF). Natural Resources Wales.
- National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- ^ "Church sale set to pave way for revamp project". Llanelli Star. 24 August 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ "St. Alban's Church, Llanelli". Coflein. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
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- ^ Edwards 2009, p. 1.
- ^ Good Stuff (3 December 1992). "Tabernacle Chapel, including Forecourt Railings - Llanelli - Carmarthenshire - Wales". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ "News". Llanelli Choral Society. 8 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ "Swansea: The latest news, sport, what's on and business from Swansea and Gower". www.llanellistar.co.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ "Bethel Baptist Chapel & Schoolroom, including Gates & Railings to Entrance, Marine Street, Llanelli". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
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- ^ "Zion Baptist Chapel, including Forecourt Railings, Upper Park Street, Llanelli". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- ^ "Hall Street Methodist Church, Hall Street, Llanelli". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- ^ Qadeer, Mashhood. "Llanelli Islamic Center Prayer Time - Mosque Near Me". Mosque Finder UK. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
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- ^ "Llanelli Town Council". Archived from the original on 11 March 2014.
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Further reading
- The Llanelli Landscape, by D. Q. Bowen, 1980. ISBN 978-0906821015
- Llanelli, Story of a Town, by John Edwards, 2001. ISBN 9781859835517
- Real Llanelli, by Jon Gower, 2009. ISBN 978-1-85411-506-5
- Homes of Historic Interest in and around Llanelli, by William & Benita Afan Rees, 2011.