Llangollen

Coordinates: 52°58′12″N 3°10′12″W / 52.970°N 3.170°W / 52.970; -3.170
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Llangollen
Llangollen Riverside Walk
Llangollen is located in Denbighshire
Llangollen
Llangollen
Location within Denbighshire
Population3,658 (2011)
OS grid referenceSJ215415
Community
  • Llangollen
Principal area
Preserved county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLLANGOLLEN
Postcode districtLL20
Dialling code01978
PoliceNorth Wales
FireNorth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
Websitellangollentowncouncil.gov.uk
List of places
UK
Wales
Denbighshire
52°58′12″N 3°10′12″W / 52.970°N 3.170°W / 52.970; -3.170

Llangollen (Welsh: [ɬaŋˈɡɔɬɛn] ⓘ) is a town and community, situated on the River Dee, in Denbighshire, Wales. Its riverside location forms the edge of the Berwyn range, and the Dee Valley section of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with the easternmost point of the Dee Valley Way being within the town. It had a population of 3,658 at the 2011 census.[1]

History

Llangollen Bridge, 1793
Llangollen in 1850
St. Collen's parish church
Llangollen Bridge
Eglwyseg Mountain

Llangollen

St Collen’s Church is the only church in Wales dedicated to St Collen, and he may have had connections with Colan in Cornwall and with Langolen in Brittany
.

Above the town to the north is

Rhosllannerchrugog
is located near its easternmost end [Grid Ref: SJ 2459 42870].

The ancient parish of Llangollen was divided into three traeanau (traean being the Welsh for "a third"): Llangollen Traean, Trefor Traean, and Glyn Traean.

  • Llangollen Traean contained the townships of Bachau, Cysylltau, Llangollen Abad, Llangollen Fawr, Llangollen Fechan, Feifod, Pengwern and Rhisgog.
  • Trefor Traean contained the townships of Cilmediw, Dinbren, Eglwysegl, Trefor Isaf and Trefor Uchaf.
  • Glyn Traean contained the townships of Cilcochwyn, Crogeniddon, Crogenwladus, Erwallo, Hafodgynfor, Nantygwryd, Pennant and Talygarth.

Valle Crucis Abbey [Grid Ref: SJ 20441 44168] was established at Llantysilio in about 1201, under the patronage of Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor of Castell Dinas Brân.

The

Scheduled Ancient Monument.[5]

Plas Newydd ("New Mansion" or "New Place") on the outskirts of the town, was from 1780 the home of the Ladies of Llangollen; the Honourable Sarah Ponsonby, Lady Eleanor Butler and their maid Mary Carryl. They share the same grave memorial in the church.[6]

The Pillar of Eliseg [Grid Ref: SJ 20267 44528] is another ancient monument located 400m NNW of Valle Crucis Abbey. Llangollen Community Hospital was completed in 1876.[7]

Governance

Llangollen Town Hall

There is an electoral ward of Denbighshire County Council of the same name. This ward includes Llantysilio community and has a total population taken at the 2011 census of 4,079.[8] Llangollen Town Council is based at Llangollen Town Hall.[9]

Economy

Today Llangollen relies heavily on the

wool industry, both spinning and weaving, was important in the area for centuries. Several factories were later built along the banks of the River Dee, where both wool and cotton were processed. The water mill opposite Llangollen railway station
is over 600 years old, and was originally used to grind flour for local farmers.

Culture

In the late 19th century, Llangollen had a weekly newspaper, the Llangollen Advertiser.

Llangollen hosted the

Gorsedd ceremony was held on the Hermitage Field, next to Plas Newydd, and the circle of stones was later moved into the grounds of the hall. The eisteddfod itself took place on the old Vicarage Field at Fronhyfryd and was visited by David Lloyd George, accompanied by Winston Churchill
.

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod

Main article:
International Eisteddfod

The annual Llangollen

International Eisteddfod is a large international music festival. It starts on a Tuesday and ends on the following Sunday. It opens with a parade led by the Llangollen Silver Band, in which both locals and visitors take part in dancing, singing, and playing musical instruments.[10]

Llangollen Fringe Festival

The Llangollen Fringe Festival is an independent arts festival, usually held in mid July in the town hall. The Fringe includes music, comedy, theatre, dance and workshops. Artists who have taken part in the Llangollen Fringe include

Juan Martín, the Black Seeds, John Cooper Clarke, Will Self, Gang of Four, Lee Scratch Perry, Victoria Coren Mitchell and Gruff Rhys.[11]

Dee Rocks

Dee Rocks is a local fundraising music festival, usually held during May when the town hall is transformed into a music venue.[12]

Songs and nursery rhymes

Transport

Llangollen Railway Station and the River Dee.
River Dee and Llangollen Railway

Llangollen was an important coaching stop for the mail coach on the old mail route which is now the A5 from London to Holyhead.

Buses

Various buses serve the town, including buses to Wrexham (Arriva service 5), Barmouth (TrawsCymru service T3) and the Ceiriog Valley. Services 5 and T3 connect Llangollen to Ruabon and Wrexham, which have the closest railway stations. The Dee Valley Picturesque Bus (service 199) operates between April and November, linking Llangollen and the surrounding villages to popular local attractions including Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Wenffrwd Nature Reserve, Horseshoe Falls, Valle Crucis Abbey, Plas Newydd house and the Horseshoe Pass.

Railways

The railway, operating both passenger and goods services, was extended from

Rainhill locomotive trials
were re-staged on the line.

Waterways

The

coal mines and ironworks at Ruabon and Wrexham to the canal network and thence to the sea via the River Mersey and the River Severn. The plans were altered, and instead of connecting Trevor northwards to the sea via the River Dee and southwards to the Severn, the canal ran eastwards to join the national network at Hurleston Junction on the Shropshire Union Canal near Nantwich. A feeder canal, navigable to Llangollen, was constructed from Trevor to tap water from the River Dee at Llantysilio (at the weir called "Horseshoe Falls"). After company mergers, the canal became part of the Shropshire Union System.[16] Until recently it was properly called the Llangollen Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, though it is now known as the Llangollen Canal
.

The canal supplied enough Dee water to supply Crewe and Nantwich, and when commercial traffic failed in the 1940s, it was its function as a water supply which kept it open. The canal is unusual amongst Britain's artificial waterways in having a strong flow (up to 2 miles per hour). Since the use of canals for leisure took off in the 1970s and 1980s, the route, twisting through Welsh hills and across the Dee Valley on the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, is an important part of Llangollen's attraction as a holiday destination. A marina, built at the end of the navigable section, allows summer visitors to moor overnight in Llangollen.

Sport

Llangollen on the

British Canoe Union
(BCU) all hold events in Llangollen.

Cricket,[17] football and rugby union teams play at Tower Fields, which overlooks the town and the International Eisteddfod field and pavilion.

Thermals rising up the valley sides to the south of the town are used for paragliding. Mountain bikers enjoy the hills.

Llangollen was the starting point of the first massed-start cycle race held on British roads, on 7 June 1942.

Notable people

Portrait of Ladies of Llangollen, 1819

References

  1. ^ "Community population 2011". Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  2. ^ "The official website for Llangollen - where Wales welcomes the World". www.llangollen.org.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Llangollen". Llangollen. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  4. ^ "Llangollen Bridge". Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Llangollen Bridge,a539, Llangollen". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  6. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/48928. Retrieved 24 March 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)
  7. ^ "Llangollen Cottage Hospital, Llangollen". National Archives. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  8. ^ "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  9. ^ "Llangollen Town Hall". Llangollen Chamber of Trade & Tourism. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  10. ^ Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod
  11. ^ "About us". Llangollen Fringe Festival. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  12. ^ Goodier, Steve (1 May 2019). "Town in Focus". North Wales Magazine. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  13. ^ "Llangollen Museum". Archived from the original on 16 May 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2008.
  14. ^ Lawton, p.20
  15. ^ Lawton, p.21
  16. ^ "Llangollen Canal". Canal and River Trust. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  17. ^ Llangollen Cricket Club Archived 29 July 2012 at archive.today
  18. ^ "The Ladies of Llangollen". The British Museum. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  19. ISBN 1-872424-11-2
    .

Bibliography

  • Lawton, Paul. Llangollen Station - A History. Chester: W.H. Evans.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Llangollen.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Llangollen.
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