Tal-y-bont, Conwy
Tal-y-Bont | |
---|---|
![]() Tal-y-Bont | |
Location within Conwy | |
OS grid reference | SH766688 |
Community | |
Principal area | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | CONWY |
Postcode district | LL32 |
Dialling code | 01492 |
Police | North Wales |
Fire | North Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
Aberconwy | |
Tal-y-Bont is a small village in
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Waterfall_near_Rowlyn_Isa_above_Tal_y_Bont_-_geograph.org.uk_-_212690.jpg/225px-Waterfall_near_Rowlyn_Isa_above_Tal_y_Bont_-_geograph.org.uk_-_212690.jpg)
The 'Bont' (the mutated form of pont, Welsh for "bridge") in the name probably refers to the bridge over the Afon Dulyn, a tributary of the nearby River Conwy, which runs through the village.
The village is served by buses and the nearby Dolgarrog railway station.
Castell, the oldest section of Tal-y-Bont, has a bar/restaurant and a 5-acre garden centre. The village also has a shop and post office and a café, formerly Y Bedol Pub.
Access to Snowdonia and the Carneddau
Tal-y-Bont is the starting point for the road to
Walkers can access peaks in the northern end of the Carneddau Range, such as
Historical interest
Bronze Age fort
To the west is a hill named
Roman fort
Half a mile to the north of Tal-y-Bont is the
Artists' colony
The latter 19th century saw a number of artists living in Tal-y-Bont and neighbouring Llanbedr-y-Cennin. The art movement, which had started in Betws-y-Coed in the 1850s, saw a movement down the valley after the arrival of the railway in Betws-y-Coed. Initial settlement was in Trefriw, and the 1871 census listed the first artist settler in Tal-y-Bont/Llanbedr as J.Cole. There were 7 artists living here by the 1881 census, and 15 by 1891.[2]
Charles Potter, an artist from Oldham, was instrumental in setting up the Tal-y-Bont Artists Club, and in raising funds to construct in 1886 the Artists Club building at Tal-y-Bont (actually Llandbedr-y-Cennin), and he became its first president. The group had originally starting meeting informally at the Olde Bull Inn in 1883, then in 1884 used the upper floor of a stable building (above a carpenter's workshop, and now demolished) as their first studio.
Named “Walden”, the building offered a studio, a gallery, a classroom, a billiard room, and entertainment space. It originally had 40 members, male artists who lived or worked locally, although there were 150 honorary members. It had a committee of 17 members. The building was also used to hold art courses for clubs from far-and-wide, and every autumn there was an exhibition, despite the fact that this was not an altogether accessible place to the average picture-buying tourist. Membership (including non-resident members) grew to a number approaching 150.
The artist colony was a strong influence on the formation of the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art, which moved into Plas Mawr, Conwy in 1886.
The colony came to an end at the onset of World War I, and in the 1920s the building became a private home.[3]
References
External links
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