Bala ( cy, Y Bala) is a town and
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, t ...
in
Gwynedd
Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, an ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. Formerly an
urban district
Urban district may refer to:
* District
* Urban area
* Quarter (urban subdivision)
* Neighbourhood
Specific subdivisions in some countries:
* Urban districts of Denmark
* Urban districts of Germany
* Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (his ...
, Bala lies in the
historic county of
Merionethshire
, HQ= Dolgellau
, Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974)
, Origin=
, Status=
, Start= 1284
, End=
, Code= MER
, CodeName= ...
, at the north end of
Bala Lake ( cy, Llyn Tegid). According to the
2021 Census, Bala had a population of 1,999. 72.5 per cent of the population can speak
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
.
Toponym
The Welsh word ''bala'' refers to the outflow of a lake.
History
The Tower of Bala ''(
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
: Tomen y Bala)'' ( high by diameter) is a tumulus or "moat-hill", formerly thought to mark the site of a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
camp.
In the 18th century, the town was well known for the manufacture of
flannel,
stockings
Stockings (also known as hose, especially in a historical context) are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transpare ...
,
glove
A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves usually have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb.
If there is an opening but no (or a short) covering sheath for each finger they are called fingerless gloves. Fingerless g ...
s and
hosiery.
The large stone-built
theological college
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...
, ''Coleg y Bala'', of the
Calvinistic Methodists
Calvinistic Methodists were born out of the 18th-century Welsh Methodist revival and survive as a body of Christians now forming the Presbyterian Church of Wales. Calvinistic Methodism became a major denomination in Wales, growing rapidly in the 1 ...
and the
grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
(now
Ysgol y Berwyn), which was founded in 1712, are the chief features, together with the statue of the Rev.
Thomas Charles (1755–1814), the theological writer, to whom was largely due the foundation of the
British and Foreign Bible Society
The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply the Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world.
The So ...
.
In 1800 a 15-year-old girl,
Mary Jones, walked the from her home village
Llanfihangel-y-Pennant to purchase a Welsh bible in Bala. The scarcity of the Bible, along with the determination of Mary to get one (she had saved for six years), was a major factor in the foundation of the
British and Foreign Bible Society
The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply the Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world.
The So ...
in 1804.
Betsi Cadwaladr, who worked with
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War ...
in the
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...
, and who gave her name to the
Health Board, came from Bala. Other famous people from the Bala area include
Michael D. Jones,
Christopher Timothy,
Owen Morgan Edwards, born in
Llanuwchllyn, and
T.E. Ellis, born in
Cefnddwysarn.
Bala hosted the
National Eisteddfod
The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitor ...
in 1967, 1997 and 2009. The 2009 Eisteddfod was notable because the chair was not awarded to any of the entrants as the standard was deemed to be too low. Bala hosted the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yr Urdd Gobaith Cymru, National Eisteddfod for the Welsh League of Youth, in 2014. On 16 June 2016, Bala's name was changed to Bale temporarily in honour of
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
forward
Gareth Bale
Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC and the Wales national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wingers of his generation ...
. This was only for the duration of
UEFA Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
.
Twinning
Bala, Ontario
Bala is a compact rural community in the township municipality of Muskoka Lakes, District Municipality of Muskoka in Central Ontario, Canada. It is well-known for the Bala Falls, the source of the Moon River, which flows from Lake Muskoka to the G ...
, Canada, was named after the town in 1868. They have become
twin towns.
Geography
Set within the
Bala Fault
The Bala Fault is a SW-NE trending geological fault in Wales that extends offshore into Cardigan Bay. In the offshore area it is a major normal fault and forms the bounding structure to the Cardigan Bay Basin, with a fill including about of Lias ...
,
Bala Lake is the largest
natural lake in Wales at in length and 800 metres (900 yards) wide. At 35 metres (110 feet), its depths could hide the tower of
St Giles Church in
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
and still have 1 metre (3 feet) of water above. The lake has occasionally been known to freeze over, most recently in the severe winters of 1947 and 1963. The rare
Gwyniad
The gwyniad (''Coregonus pennantii'') is a freshwater whitefish native to Bala Lake ( cy, Llyn Tegid) in northern Wales.
The population is threatened by deteriorating water quality and by the ruffe, a fish introduced to the lake in the 1980s ...
fish—trapped in the lake at the end of the
last ice age, some 10,000 years ago—is in danger because its natural home is increasingly unsuitable. A member of the whitefish family, it is found only in the lake.
Cwm Hirnant, a valley running south from Bala, gives its name to the
Hirnantian Age in the
Ordovician Period of geological time.
The closest major urban areas to Bala are
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
at ,
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
at , and
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
, to the northeast. Nearby villages include
Llanfor
Llanfor is a village in Gwynedd, Wales near the town of Bala, in the community of Llandderfel.
History
There is evidence of an Iron Age Hill Fort in the immediate area and Roman Castrum.
In the 6th century an unknown Monk from Llanfor was repu ...
,
Llandderfel,
Llanycil,
Llangower,
Llanuwchllyn,
Rhyd-uchaf
Rhyd-uchaf is a hamlet in Gwynedd, Wales, approximately northwest of Bala and south of Frongoch (by footpath), on an unnamed road which provides access to Arenig Fawr. The community population taken at the 2011 census was 78.
Talybont Chape ...
and
Rhos-y-gwaliau.
Climate
As with the rest of the UK, Bala benefits from a
maritime climate, with limited seasonal temperature ranges, and generally moderate rainfall throughout the year.
Attractions
The
Afon Tryweryn, a river fed from
Llyn Celyn which runs through Bala, is world-famous for its
white water kayak
A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' ().
The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each s ...
ing. International governing bodies, the
International Canoe Federation, the European Canoe Union and the
British Canoe Union
British Canoeing, formerly known as the British Canoe Union (BCU) is a national governing body for canoeing in the United Kingdom, established in 1936 as the British Canoe Union. In 2000 it federalised to become the umbrella organisation for ...
all hold national and international events there. The
Canolfan Tryweryn National Whitewater Centre has its home in Bala. There are at least three local
campsite
A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using te ...
s that cater for the influx of canoeists from many parts of the world.
An annual
music festival
A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or ho ...
known as 'Wa Bala' is also held in the town. The venue hosts local Welsh bands and is similar in format to
Dolgellau
Dolgellau () is a town and Community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the Historic counties of Wales, historic county of Merionet ...
's
Sesiwn Fawr.
Nearby are the mountains
Aran Fawddwy
Aran Fawddwy is a mountain in southern Snowdonia, Wales, United Kingdom. It is the highest point (county top) of the historic county of Merionethshire (for local government purposes, it lies within the current council area of Gwynedd). ...
and
Arenig Fawr
Arenig Fawr ( en, Great High Ground) is a mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, close to Llyn Celyn reservoir, alongside the A4212 between Trawsfynydd and Bala.
Location
Arenig Fawr is the highest member of the Arenig range, with Arenig F ...
.
Coleg y Bala is at the top of the hill on the road towards
Llyn Celyn. The Victoria Hall is a small old cinema, that had been a community hall. There are several chapels: notably Capel Mawr and Capel Bach. The livestock market on Arenig Street is still going strong. Bro Eryl estate was built just after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
Mary Jones World
Mary Jones World ( cy, Byd Mary Jones) is a small heritage centre located in Llanycil near Bala, Gwynedd, Wales. Situated on the north shore of Bala Lake, it provides information on Mary Jones, a fifteen-year-old girl from Llanfihangel-y-Pennan ...
, a
heritage centre about
Mary Jones and her Bible is located just outside the town in nearby
Llanycil.
Bala Town Hall, which now operates as a restaurant, dates back to circa 1800.
Transport
Bala has been served by various
railway stations on the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
:
*
Bala Lake Halt railway station
Bala Lake Halt railway station in Gwynedd, Wales, was formerly a station on the Ruabon to Barmouth line.
Bala (Penybont) is the current terminus of the Bala Lake Railway, and has occupied the site of the former halt since 1976. The narrow-ga ...
was Bala's first station, on the
Bala and Dolgelly Railway (open 1868 to 1882; 1934 to 1939)
**
Bala (Penybont) railway station is the name of the
Bala Lake heritage railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
's station on the site of the Bala Lake Halt
*
Bala (New) railway station
Bala railway station was on the Great Western Railway's Bala Ffestiniog Line in Wales. It replaced the first Bala station which was further away from the town, on the Ruabon–Barmouth line.
The route to Blaenau was single track throughout. ...
- Bala's second station, on the
Festiniog and Blaenau Railway
The Festiniog & Blaenau Railway (F&BR) was a narrow gauge railway built in 1868 to connect the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog in Wales with the slate quarries around Tanymanod and the village of Llan Ffestiniog, to the south. At Blaenau Ffes ...
(open 1882 to 1965)
*
Bala Junction railway station
Bala Junction railway station was on the Ruabon to Barmouth line in southern Gwynedd, Wales. It closed to passengers on Monday 18 January 1965. Bala Junction was unusual in that it was inaccessible by road and merely served as an interchange ...
- The meeting point of the
Bala and Dolgellau Railway,
Corwen and Bala Railway and the
Bala and Festiniog Railway (open 1882 to 1965)
The
Bala Lake Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid) runs for from
Llanuwchllyn to the edge of the town, along a section of the former trackbed of the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
's
line
Line most often refers to:
* Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity
* Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system
Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to:
Art ...
between
Ruabon and Barmouth. It terminates at
Bala (Penybont) railway station, which opened in 1976 on the site of the former Lake Halt station. As of 2020, work is being undertaken to extend the line along the
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
foreshore to a new station in the town center.
Bus services are provided by
Lloyds Coaches, as part of the
Welsh Government
The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...
funded
TrawsCymru network. Services operate westbound to
Barmouth
Barmouth ( cy, Abermaw (formal); ''Y Bermo'' (colloquial)) is a seaside town and community in the county of Gwynedd, northwestern Wales, lying on the estuary of the Afon Mawddach and Cardigan Bay. Located in the historic county of Merioneth ...
via
Dolgellau
Dolgellau () is a town and Community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the Historic counties of Wales, historic county of Merionet ...
, and eastbound to
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
via
Corwen and
Llangollen. Through ticketing is available for onward connections at Dolgellau, to
Bangor,
Machynlleth and
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location i ...
.
The town lies on the
A494, a major
trunk road that leads to
Dolgellau
Dolgellau () is a town and Community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the Historic counties of Wales, historic county of Merionet ...
, 18 miles to the southwest, and to
Ruthin
Ruthin ( ; cy, Rhuthun) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. It is Denbighshire's county town. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas ...
,
Mold and
Queensferry to the northwest. The
A4212 starts in the town, and crosses the
Migneint to
Trawsfynydd. Heading southeast, the
B4391 crosses the
Berwyn range to the
English border and the town of
Oswestry
Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483 and A495 roads.
The town was the administrative headquarters of the Borough ...
.
Sport
Bala is home to
Cymru Premier football club
Bala Town F.C. who play at
Maes Tegid. Bala's local rugby club is
Bala RFC.
Notable people
*
Thomas Charles (1755 – 1814 in Bala), a Welsh Calvinistic Methodist clergyman.
*
Betsi Cadwaladr (1789–1860), nurse, eponym for
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) ( cy, Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr) is the local health board of NHS Wales for the north of Wales. It is the largest health organisation in Wales, providing a full range of primary, commun ...
*
Michael D. Jones (1822 in Llanuwchlyn – 1898), a Welsh Congregationalist minister, principal of Bala theological college, a founder of the Welsh settlement in Patagonia and one of the fathers of modern Welsh nationalism
*
John Hugh Jones
John Hugh Jones (21 May 1843 – 15 December 1910) was a Welsh Roman Catholic priest, translator, and tutor.
Life
Jones was born in May, 1843, in Bala, Gwynedd, north Wales. After an education at Bala Grammar School and some private tuition f ...
(1843–1910) a Welsh Roman Catholic priest, translator and tutor.
*
Richard John Lloyd Price
Richard John Lloyd Price DL, JP (17 April 1843 – 9 January 1923), was squire of Rhiwlas Estate (about 64,000 acres in North Wales). He was a journalist, author, and judge at field trials and dog shows — best known as the organizer of th ...
(1843–1923), squire, journalist, author and judge at field trials
*
T. E. Ellis
Thomas Edward Ellis (16 February 1859 – 5 April 1899), often known as T. E. Ellis or Tom Ellis, was a Welsh politician who was the leader of Cymru Fydd, a movement aimed at gaining home rule for Wales. Ellis was, for a time, the most pro ...
(1859–1899), politician and leader of
Cymru Fydd
The Cymru Fydd (The Wales to Come; ) movement was founded in 1886 by some of the London Welsh. Some of its main leaders included David Lloyd George (later Prime Minister), J. E. Lloyd, O. M. Edwards, T. E. Ellis (leader, MP for Merioneth, 1886� ...
*
Robert Thomas Jenkins CBE (1881–1969), historian and academic, brought up in Bala.
*
Jack Evans (1889–1971), footballer, played 354 games for
Cardiff City F.C.
*
Christopher Timothy (born 1940), actor
Gallery
Eglwys Crist, y Bala Christ Church, Bala, Gwynedd North Wales 04.JPG, Christ Church
Eglwys Crist, y Bala Christ Church, Bala, Gwynedd North Wales 09.JPG, Christ Church
See also
*
Bala Series of geologic beds in Bala
*
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
*
Bala Town F.C., local
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
team.
*
Bala RFC, local
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
club.
References
External links
Bala informationwww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Bala and surrounding area
{{authority control
Towns in Gwynedd