Llanrwst

Llanrwst
Tu Hwnt i'r Bont
Population	3,037 (2001)
OS grid reference	SH800615
Community	Llanrwst
Principal area	Conwy
Preserved county	Clwyd
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LLANRWST
Postcode district	LL26
Dialling code	0149264
Police	North Wales
Fire	North Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
UK Parliament	Aberconwy

Llanrwst (Welsh pronunciation: [ɬanˈruːst]) is a small town and community on the A470 road and the River Conwy in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It takes its name from the 5th century to 6th century Saint Grwst, and the original parish church in Cae Llan was replaced by the 12th-century church.

The growth of the town in the 13th century was considerably aided by an edict by Edward I of England, who built Conwy Castle, prohibiting any Welshman from trading within 10 miles (16 km) of that town. Llanrwst, located some 13 miles (21 km) from Conwy, was therefore strategically placed to benefit from this.

The population of the town was 3,037 and 65% of the inhabitants were Welsh speakers according to the 2001 Census.

The town grew around wool, and indeed for a long time the price of wool for the whole of Britain was set here. Llanrwst also became renowned for harp manufacture, but today, lying as it does in Snowdonia, its main industry aside that of being a market town is tourism.

It is served by two railway stations Llanrwst and North Llanrwst on the Conwy Valley Line (which once terminated here, before being extended to Betws-y-Coed in 1867 and Blaenau Ffestiniog in 1879). It was originally envisaged that the railway would pass closer to the river (on the site of today's Central Garage), and the one-time grand-looking Victoria Hotel was therefore built opposite the bridge in anticipation of this. Had the railway line been built on the west shore of the river Conwy, as originally planned (to serve the inland port of Trefriw, located across the river from Llanrwst), it is unlikely that Llanrwst would ever have achieved its present status. Indeed, at one time Llanrwst was the eighth largest town in Wales, its population being greater than that of Cardiff.

A major feature is the narrow three-arch stone bridge, Pont Fawr. It is said to have been designed by Inigo Jones and it was built in 1636 by Sir John Wynn of Gwydir Castle. The bridge connects the town with Gwydir, a manor house dating from 1492, the fifteenth-century courthouse known as Tu Hwnt i'r Bont and also with the road from nearby Trefriw. Originally built to carry horses and carts, the bridge has stood up well to modern traffic, not to mention the regular floods.

Llanrwst Pont Fawr

Attractions in Llanrwst include the almshouses, two seventeenth-century chapels and the parish church, which holds the stone coffin of Llywelyn the Great.

In 1610 Sir John Wynn of Gwydir constructed the historic Llanrwst Almshouses to house poor people of the parish. The buildings closed in 1976, but were restored in 1996 with the aid of Heritage Lottery funding, reopening as a museum of local history and a community focal point. The museum currently holds a collection of over a hundred items relating largely to the rural Conwy valley, and a number of items are associated with the renowned Llanrwst Bards of the late nineteenth century.

The Gwydir Forest lies to the south west of the town, beyond the bridge.

On the hills above the town is the Moel Maelogan wind farm. The electricity generated by these turbines is sent to the sub-station in the town.

Schools

Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy previously Llanrwst Grammar School, is a bilingual, secondary school with approximately 790 pupils. According to the latest inspection report by Estyn, the school has a GCSE pass rate of 71% (based on 5 GCSEs, grades A-C). This means the school is in equal 24th place in Wales, or just outside the top 10% of secondary schools in Wales. It is also the second best performing secondary school in Conwy, behind Eirias High School in Colwyn Bay.

History and "Independence"

An elevated view of Llanrwst from Gwydir Forest

In 1276 Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, also known as Llywelyn the Last, seized the town, declaring it a "free borough" independent from the diocese of Llanelwy. Although the bishop went as far as to seek the help of the Pope to overturn this, his attempts failed, Llywelyn pleading a close family tie to the place as a reason for safeguarding it.

After the death of Llywelyn in 1282, every further attempt by the bishop of Llanelwy failed, the Cistercian monks of Aberconwy Abbey (where Llywelyn the Great, Llywelyn's grandfather, had died in 1240) insisted that it be allowed to keep the independence which had belonged to it for 29 years, and ripped down any banners related to the Bishopric or to Edward I. A century later, the monastery was moved eight miles (13 km) upriver to Maenan Abbey, near Llanrwst.

The town consequently has its own coat of arms and flag, and this is the origin of the old local motto "Cymru, Lloegr a Llanrwst" (Wales, England and Llanrwst).

In 1947, Llanrwst town council made an unsuccessful submission to the United Nations for a seat on the security council, stating that Llanrwst was an independent state within Wales. The chairman and secretary of the Llanrwst Historical Society have obtained proof of this from the UN in New York.

The River Conwy at Llanrwst

The Llanrwst Almshouses & Museum Trust recently returned the above-mentioned Llanrwst flag to the community. Dating from the twelfth century, this emblem was central to the town's belief that it was independent of the United Kingdom.

The motto "Cymru, Lloegr a Llanrwst", a testament to this apparent independence, has now become synonymous with the song of that title, by local band Y Cyrff.

Llanrwst hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1951 and 1989.

Llanrwst is also home to Llanrwst United FC who have two senior teams, the first team play in the Welsh Alliance League and the Reserve team play in the Clwyd League Division 2. The club also have a Junior section "Llanrwst United Juniors" who have 8 teams and play in the Aberconwy and Colwyn League.

Population Profile

Llanrwst Population Graph 1801-2001

Notable People

• Kai Owen, Welsh actor most noticeable for his role in Torchwood as Rhys Williams
• Members of Catatonia.

See also

Church of St Grwst

• Llanrwst Rural District

External links

• grid reference SH801615
• An aerial photo of the town as it was in 1994
• Llanrwst history
• Street map of Llanrwst
• Accommodation in Llanrwst
• Llanrwst Utd Football Club
• www.geograph.co.uk: photos of Llanwrst and surrounding area
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