Trawsfynydd
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Trawsfynydd (; Welsh for "across hemountain") is a
linear village Linearity is the property of a mathematical relationship ('' function'') that can be graphically represented as a straight line. Linearity is closely related to '' proportionality''. Examples in physics include rectilinear motion, the linear ...
in Gwynedd, Wales, near Llyn Trawsfynydd reservoir, and adjacent to the
A470 The A470 (also named the Cardiff to Glan Conwy Trunk Road) is a trunk road in Wales. It is the country's longest road at and links the capital Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. While previously one had to navigat ...
north of Bronaber and Dolgellau and 10 km (6 miles) south of Blaenau Ffestiniog. The total
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, ...
area is 12,010 hectares (46.4 square miles) with a population of only 973. The area is sparsely populated with each hectare (acre) inhabited by an average 0.07 (0.03) persons. The village is typical of many Welsh villages. There is one grocery shop, one public house, a newsagent, a chemist, garage, petrol service station, and a branch of a large agricultural merchants. The community includes
Bronaber Bronaber is a village in Gwynedd, Wales, adjacent to the A470 north of Dolgellau and in Trawsfynydd community. General information During the Second World War, the War Office used a site near Bronaber up in the Ranges for training exercises. ...
.


History

Prehistoric people lived in the area in scattered groups of circular huts near the river, Afon Crawcwellt, about two miles south of today's village. A substantial
Romano-British The Romano-British culture arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest in AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, ...
fort and settlement was established at Tomen y Mur in the first century CE. The area continued to be inhabited during sub Roman Britain. An example of activity is the Trawsfynydd tankard, a late
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
jug used drink mead and beer between 100BC and 75AD. By the
early medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
period, the village was part of a large Celtic Christian
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
of the three settlements of Trawsfynydd, Prysor, and Cefn Clawdd. Trawsfynydd parish church is dedicated to St Madryn. Although the medieval church was badly damaged by fire in 1978 (re-opened 1981), it remains the only listed building in the village. Records in the
Meirionnydd Meirionnydd is a coastal and mountainous region of Wales. It has been a kingdom, a cantref, a district and, as Merionethshire, a county. Kingdom Meirionnydd (Meirion, with -''ydd'' as a Welsh suffix of land, literally ''Land adjoined to Meirio ...
Lay Subsidy Rolls show that following the English conquest of Wales there were 105 taxpayers in the parish in 1292–3. Throughout the next centuries, agriculture and mineral extraction (such as quarrying) remained the main economic focus of the area. In the late 16th century, the parish of Trawsfynydd was home to Saint John Roberts, one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales (he was canonised in 1970). Roberts, who was baptised in the church, gained great respect helping those with the
plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...
in London. However, he was found guilty of
high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
and hanged, drawn and quartered on 10 December 1610. By the mid 17th century, the parish of Trawsfynydd had grown to roughly 300 houses and cottages with a population of 1200, although there only 12 properties and a church in Trawsfynydd itself. Due to the economic hardship in the area, Trawsfynydd would remain quite small until the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
established a training area near the village in 1930. Between 1924 and 1928, a large man-made
reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
named Llyn Trawsfynydd was created to supply water for
Maentwrog Maentwrog () is a village and community in the Welsh county of Merionethshire (now part of Gwynedd), lying in the Vale of Ffestiniog just below Blaenau Ffestiniog, within the Snowdonia National Park. The River Dwyryd runs alongside the vi ...
hydro-electric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...
. This would lead to the largest change to the village, when a location nearby was chosen as a site for one of the UK's first nuclear power stations in the 1950s.


Military training area

Before the
Second World War 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, the
War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...
opened a site at
Bronaber Bronaber is a village in Gwynedd, Wales, adjacent to the A470 north of Dolgellau and in Trawsfynydd community. General information During the Second World War, the War Office used a site near Bronaber up in the Ranges for training exercises. ...
near Trawsfynydd as an artillery range and training area. Its continued use for training exercises after the war was the subject of protest by
Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...
, who also challenged the UK government's continued military conscription in peacetime.


Trawsfynydd nuclear power stations

In 1959 the new
power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...
was completed. It was capable of supplying the whole of North Wales' electricity needs. The lake was subsequently also used to supply cooling water to the twin reactor
Trawsfynydd nuclear power station Trawsfynydd nuclear power station ( cy, Atomfa Trawsfynydd) is a decommissioned Magnox nuclear power station situated in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The plant, which became operational in 1965, was the only nuclear power station i ...
, which was used for the commercial generation of electricity for the UK national grid. It also became the biggest employer in the area which brought financial wealth to the village. One of the four original dams built to create the lake was subsequently rebuilt after construction of the nuclear power plant. Whereas previously the Maentwrog power station had access to all of the water in the lake, the needs of the nuclear plant dictated that from then on, the hydro plant should only use the top five feet of water. In the 1990s the site was closed. Decommissioning is expected to take until 2083.


Governance

An electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward includes the community of
Maentwrog Maentwrog () is a village and community in the Welsh county of Merionethshire (now part of Gwynedd), lying in the Vale of Ffestiniog just below Blaenau Ffestiniog, within the Snowdonia National Park. The River Dwyryd runs alongside the vi ...
and Gellilydan and has a total population of 1,604.


Transport


Railways

Trawsfynydd used to be served by a section of the Great Western Railway branch line, which ran from Bala to Blaenau Ffestiniog. To the north of the station, the army built its own station to serve the large camp nearby
camp detail
Today Trawsfynydd railway station is a private home.
pictures
. The line closed to all traffic in 1961, and the trackbed at the Bala end was subsequently severed by the Llyn Celyn reservoir, but the section between Blaenau and Trawsfynydd Power Station reopened in 1964 for
nuclear flask A nuclear flask is a shipping container that is used to transport active nuclear materials between nuclear power station and spent fuel reprocessing facilities. Each shipping container is designed to maintain its integrity under normal transport ...
traffic. Access from the Bala end being no longer possible, a new section of track – the so-called "Trawsfynydd Link" – was constructed to link the previously separate ex-GWR and ex-
LNWR The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the L ...
stations in Blaenau Ffestiniog. It finally closed in 1998, although the track remains in situ. The village has a high proportion of
Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...
speakers (81.7%), and is accordingly in the top five Welsh-speaking communities in Gwynedd.


Road

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries a
turnpike Turnpike often refers to: * A type of gate, another word for a turnstile * In the United States, a toll road Turnpike may also refer to: Roads United Kingdom * A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...
was built that ran through the village. With the advent of motor transport, this became the
A470 The A470 (also named the Cardiff to Glan Conwy Trunk Road) is a trunk road in Wales. It is the country's longest road at and links the capital Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. While previously one had to navigat ...
in the 1920s. Between 1963 and 1965, a bypass was built around the village for through traffic.


In popular culture

In 1976 the
Children's Film Foundation The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) was a non-profit organisation which made films for children in the United Kingdom originally to be shown as part of childrens' Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. The films typically were about 55 ...
production ''
One Hour to Zero ''One Hour To Zero'' is a film made in 1976 by Charles Barker Films for the Children's Film Foundation.listing
at Chi ...
'' was filmed in the village and at the nearby power station. The film '' First Knight' (1995)' had scenes filmed around Llyn Trawsfynydd.


Notable people


Hedd Wyn

Trawsfynydd was the home of the Welsh bard
Hedd Wyn Hedd Wyn (born Ellis Humphrey Evans, 13 January 188731 July 1917) was a Welsh-language poet who was killed on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele during World War I. He was posthumously awarded the bard's chair at the 1917 National ...
(1887–1917), who died during the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917, six weeks before his poem won the Bard's Chair at that year's National Eisteddfod. It was sent to his parents in the village draped in a black cloth. ''Y Gadair Ddu'' (The Black Chair) is now on display at his home farm ''Yr Ysgwrn''. A statue of him by
Leonard Stanford Merrifield Leonard Stanford Merrifield (1880 – 25 April 1943) was a British sculptor, notable for the public monuments he created in Cornwall and in Northern Ireland. Biography Merrifield was born at Wyck Rissington in Gloucestershire and initially trai ...
, unveiled in 1924, stands in the main street of Trawsfynydd. Hedd Wyn is buried with others from his regiment, the
Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designate ...
, at Artillery Wood Cemetery, Boezinge in
Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
. The film ''
Hedd Wyn Hedd Wyn (born Ellis Humphrey Evans, 13 January 188731 July 1917) was a Welsh-language poet who was killed on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele during World War I. He was posthumously awarded the bard's chair at the 1917 National ...
'' (1992) was filmed in and around Trawsfynydd.


Others

* Margaret Davies (ca.1700 – ca.1778) , poet and poetry collector, was born near Trawsfynydd. *
Maurice Jones Maurice Antonia Jones (born September 14, 1964) is the CEO of OneT a coalition of companies dedicated to creating one million jobs for African Americans by the end of the 2020s. Previously, he was president and CEO of the Local Initiatives Supp ...
(1863–1957), bardic name ''Meurig Prysor'', a priest and university educator. * Humphrey Lloyd (1610–1689),
Bishop of Bangor The Bishop of Bangor is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor. The see is based in the city of Bangor where the bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Cathedral Church of Saint Deiniol. The ''Report of the Commissioners appointed ...
from 1674 until 1689. *
Morgan Lloyd Morgan Lloyd (1822 - 5 September 1893) was a Welsh Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1874 to 1885. Biography Lloyd was the son of Morris Lloyd of Cefngellgwm, Trawsfynydd, Merionethshire. He was educated at the Unive ...
(1822-1893), Liberal politician and MP, was born in the parish of Trawsfynydd. * Dewi Prysor, novelist and poet, was raised in the parish of Trawsfynydd. * Iwan Roberts (born 1967), actor, lyricist and singer, was raised in the village. * St. John Roberts (1577–1610), a Benedictine monk and priest;
martyred A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
at Tyburn. * John Rowlands (1938–2015), novelist and academic, was born in the parish of Trawsfynydd. * Elfed Wyn Jones (born ca.1998), originates from Hafodwen farm and known for his week-long hunger strike for broadcasting devolution in Wales. Elfed was also one of the six youngsters who repainted the ''
Cofiwch Dryweryn (English: "Remember Tryweryn") or (English: "The Remember Tryweryn Wall") is a graffitied stone wall near Llanrhystud, Ceredigion, Wales. Author and journalist Meic Stephens originally painted the words onto the wall of a ruined cottage in the ...
'' mural in
Llanrhystud Llanrhystud is a seaside village and electoral division on the A487 road in the county of Ceredigion, in Wales, 9 miles (14 km) south of Aberystwyth, and 7 miles (11 km) north of Aberaeron. It takes its name from an early Welsh saint. Th ...
,
Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cer ...
after it was defaced with an “
Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
in early February, 2019.


References


Article published by WalesHome.org on the power station, October 2009


External links



* ttp://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/MER/Trawsfynydd/Trawsfynydd51.html 1851 Census information
Trawsfynydd population

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Trawsfynydd and surrounding area


* {{Authority control Gwynedd electoral wards