The A484 through Cynwyl Elfed (geograph 4126481)

Cynwyl Elfed (; sometimes Conwyl and formerly anglicised as Conwil Elvet or Conwil in Elvet) is a village 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 the county of

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

, Wales. The community includes the villages of Cynwyl Elfed,

Blaenycoed Blaenycoed, or Blaen-y-coed is a village situated between Carmarthen and Newcastle Emlyn, Wales, of 17 houses, a Welsh Independents chapel, a postbox and small farms. ''Blaen-y-coed'' literally translates to mean "Head-of-the-wood.". Woodland R ...

and

Cwmduad Cwmduad (Welsh "Cwm" valley + "duad" blackness (river Duad, in English Blackcombe)) is a village in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. Location Cwmduad is located on the A484, just north of Cynwyl Elfed. The village is found at the confluence of t ...

. It is situated about north of

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

and had a population of 953 in 2001, increasing to 1,044 at the 2011 Census. The area around the village has yielded a significant number of Roman artefacts, including a statue of Diana. It was the most important centre of the

commote A commote ( Welsh ''cwmwd'', sometimes spelt in older documents as ''cymwd'', plural ''cymydau'', less frequently ''cymydoedd'')''Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru'' (University of Wales Dictionary), p. 643 was a secular division of land in Medieval Wale ...

of Elfed in the Middle Ages. Standing Stone and Pasture - geograph

Cynwyl Elfed transmitting station stands on high ground to the north of the village.

Governance

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to ...

of the same name exists. This ward stretches south to

Newchurch and Merthyr Newchurch and Merthyr is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales including the villages of Newchurch (Welsh: Eglwysnewydd) and Merthyr. The community population at the 2011 census was 676. The community is bordered by the communities of: ...

. There is a

community council A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain. In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. I ...

of the same name and also the ward is represented by one councillor in

Carmarthenshire County Council Carmarthenshire County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin) is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It provides a range of services including education, planning, transport, social services and public safety. The coun ...

. The total population of this ward taken at the 2011 Census was 3,018. The community is bordered by the communities of: Llangeler;

Llanfihangel-ar-Arth Llanfihangel-ar-Arth is a village and a community in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. The area includes six villages: Alltwalis, Dolgran, Gwyddgrug, Llanfihangel-Ar-Arth, New Inn and Pencader. The population of the community taken at the ...

;

Llanpumsaint Llanpumsaint (; Welsh "Llan" church + "pum" five + "saint" saint(s)) is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. In the 2001 UK Census, Llanpumsaint community had a population of 595. It is not to be confused with Pumsaint, a small vil ...

; Bronwydd;

; Abernant;

Trelech Trelech ( Welsh: ''Tre-lech'') is a village in the parish of Tre-lech a'r Betws, Carmarthenshire, in south-west Wales. It is also the name of the community. Trelech is located some 10 miles north-west of Carmarthen and 6.5 miles south of Newcast ...

; and

Cenarth Cenarth () is a village, parish and community in Carmarthenshire, on the border between Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, and close to the border with Pembrokeshire, Wales. It stands on the banks of the River Teifi, east of Cardigan and west ...

, all being in Carmarthenshire.

River

The River Gwili ( cy, Afon Gwili) is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the

River Tywi The River Towy ( cy, Afon Tywi, ) is one of the longest rivers flowing entirely within Wales. Its total length is . It is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing. Route The Towy rises within of the source of the River Teifi on the lower slo ...

, the longest river entirely in Wales. Rising to the east of

Llanllawddog Llanllawddog () is a community located in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2011 census was 703. Llanllawddog is bordered by the Carmarthenshire communities of Llanfihangel-ar-Arth, Llanfihangel Rhos ...

, in the

Brechfa Forest The Brechfa Forest is an area of forest in Carmarthenshire, south Wales. Brechfa Forest is the 'modern' name for part of the ancient Glyn Cothi Forest. From before records began in the 6th century the communities in the 15 villages which encircle ...

, it runs west, through

, to its confluence with the River Duad, just south of Cynwyl Elfed village. Then its course turns to the southeast, running through Bronwydd before joining the River Tywi at Abergwili.

Railway

The Gwili Railway (

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 ...

: ''Rheilffordd Gwili'') is a Welsh standard gauge

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 ...

from the former Abergwili Junction, near

, along a short section of the former Carmarthen to Aberystwyth railway that closed for passenger traffic in 1965. Based at

Bronwydd Arms railway station Bronwydd Arms railway station, originally a stop on the now closed Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Line, is the headquarters of the preserved Gwili Railway. The station first opened on 3 September 1860 as part of the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railwa ...

, the Gwili Railway currently owns of the old railway line, which once ran past Cynwyl Elfed.

Roads

The

A484 List of A road A roads may be *motorways or freeways, usually where the local word for motorway begins with A (for example, ''Autobahn'' in German; ''Autostrada'' in Italian). * main roads or highways, in a system where roads are graded A, B ...

is an

A road A roads may be *motorways or freeways, usually where the local word for motorway begins with A (for example, ''Autobahn'' in German; ''Autostrada'' in Italian). * main roads or highways, in a system where roads are graded A, B and sometimes lower c ...

from

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of 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 C ...

to Cardigan, and runs through Cynwyl Elfed affording connections to

and the A40.

Amenities

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of St Cynwyl of the Church in Wales, founded in the 6th century, contains 14th century elements and a barrel roof. It is a grade II* listed building. Cynwyl Elfed has a primary school.

Notable people

Howell Elvet Lewis, the Independent minister, hymn-writer, poet, known as Elfed, was born in 1860. The house where he was born, 'Y Gangell' is to the west of Cynwyl Elfed near

and contains a small exhibition of his life.

Gallery

File:North part of Hermon, Cynwyl Elfed - geograph.org.uk - 1017404.jpg, North part of Hermon, Cynwyl Elfed File:Pasture above Cwmbele, Cynwyl Elfed - geograph.org.uk - 1017393.jpg File:Wooded Hillside - geograph.org.uk - 701907.jpg, Track to Maes-y-pwll, Cynwyl Elfed File:Saron, Llangeler - geograph.org.uk - 106692.jpg File:Chapel, Cynwyl Elfed - geograph.org.uk - 62681.jpg, Chapel, Cynwyl Elfed, with two doors on the front File:Chapel at Bwlchnewydd - geograph.org.uk - 738433.jpg, Chapel at Bwlchnewydd File:Troedyrhiw, Cwmduad - geograph.org.uk - 116056.jpg, Troedyrhiw, Cwmduad. Baptist Chapel built in 1869, and restored in 1906

External links

:
Photos of Cynwyl Elfed and surrounds
at Geograph.org.uk

Notes

{{authority control Communities in Carmarthenshire Villages in Carmarthenshire