Dolgellau
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Dolgellau (; ) is a town and
community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...
in
Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...
, north-west
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
, lying on the River Wnion, a
tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''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 into which they ...
of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional
county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...
of the historic county of
Merionethshire Merionethshire, or Merioneth ( or '), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. Name 'Merioneth' is a ...
until the county of Gwynedd was created in 1974. Dolgellau is the main base for climbers of
Cadair Idris Cadair Idris or Cader Idris is a mountain in the Meirionnydd area of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies at the southern end of the Snowdonia National Park near the town of Dolgellau. The peak, which is one of the most popular in Wales for walkers and hikin ...
and Mynydd Moel which are visible from the town. Dolgellau is the second largest settlement in southern Gwynedd after Tywyn and includes the community of Penmaenpool.


Etymology

The name ''Dolgellau'' is a compound of 'water-meadow' and , the plural of 'a cell', giving the meaning 'water-meadow of cells'. The in the name was probably located within a bend at the confluence of the rivers Wnion and Aran. The may refer to monastic cells or merchant's stalls. The earliest recorded spelling (from 1254) is ''Dolkelew'', and a spelling ''Dolgethleu'' dates from 1294–5 (the ''thl'' is an attempt to represent Welsh ).
Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...
's scribe wrote ''Dolguelli''. The town's name was commonly
anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
as ''Dolgelly'' or ''Dolgelley''. Up until the 19th century most spellings in English were along the lines of ''Dôlgelly'', ''Dolgelley'', ''Dolgelly'' or ''Dolgelli''.
Thomas Pennant Thomas Pennant (16 December 1798) was a Welsh natural history, naturalist, traveller, writer and antiquarian. He was born and lived his whole life at his family estate, Downing Hall, near Whitford, Flintshire, in Wales. As a naturalist he had ...
used the form ''Dolgelleu'' in his ''Tours of Wales'', and this was the form used in the Church Registers in 1723, although it never had much currency. In 1825 the Registers have ''Dolgellau'', which was the form adopted by Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt in 1836. This became standard in Welsh and later also in English. The official name for the urban district which covered the town and the surrounding
rural district A rural district was a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. I ...
was changed from ''Dolgelley'' to ''Dolgellau'' in 1958 by Merioneth County Council, following requests from both district councils.


History and economy

The site of Dolgellau was, in the pre-Roman
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
period, part of the tribal lands of the Ordovices, who were conquered by the Romans in AD 77–78. Although a few
Roman coins Roman currency for most of Roman history consisted of gold, silver, bronze, orichalcum#Numismatics, orichalcum and copper coinage. From its introduction during the Roman Republic, Republic, in the third century BC, through Roman Empire, Imperial ...
from the reigns of
Emperors The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/ grand empress dowager), or a woman who rule ...
Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...
and
Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...
have been found near Dolgellau, the area is marshy and there is no evidence that it was settled during the
Roman period The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
. There are, however, three
hill fort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...
s in the vicinity of Dolgellau, of uncertain origin. After the Romans left, the area came under the control of a series of Welsh chieftains, although Dolgellau was probably not inhabited until the late 11th or 12th century, when it was established as a "
serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed du ...
village" (or '), possibly by Cadwgan ap Bleddyn. It remained a serf village until the reign of Henry VII (1485–1509). A church was built in the 12th century (demolished and replaced by the present building in 1716), although Cymer Abbey, founded in 1198 in nearby Llanelltyd, remained the most important religious centre locally. Dolgellau gained in importance from this period onwards, and was mentioned in the Survey of Merioneth ordered by
Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...
(Llanelltyd was not). In 1404 it was the location of a council of chiefs under
Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...
. After a visit by
George Fox George Fox (July 1624 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 13 January 1691 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an English Dissenters, English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Quakers, Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as t ...
in 1657, many inhabitants of Dolgellau converted to Quakerism.
Persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...
led a large number of them to emigrate to
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
in 1686, under the leadership of Rowland Ellis, a local gentleman-farmer. The Pennsylvanian town of Bryn Mawr, home to a prestigious women's liberal arts college, is named after Ellis's farm near Dolgellau. The woollen industry was long of the greatest importance to the town's economy; by the end of the 18th century, output was reckoned to be worth £50,000 to £100,000 annually. The industry declined in the first half of the 19th century, owing to the introduction of mechanical
loom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...
s. Another important contributor to the local economy was tanning, which continued into the 1980s in Dolgellau, though on a much reduced scale. The town was the centre of a minor
gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...
in the 19th century. At one time the local gold mines employed over 500 workers. Clogau St. David's mine in Bontddu and
Gwynfynydd Gwynfynydd Gold Mine is near Ganllwyd, Dolgellau, Gwynedd, Wales. The lode, which was discovered in 1860, was worked from 1884. It has produced more than 45,000 troy ounces of Welsh gold until mining ceased in 1998. The equivalent of 1,400  ...
mine in Ganllwyd have supplied
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
for many royal weddings. Dolgellau was the
county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...
of
Merionethshire Merionethshire, or Merioneth ( or '), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. Name 'Merioneth' is a ...
() until 1974 when, following the Local Government Act of 1972, it became the administrative centre of Meirionnydd, a district of the county of
Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...
. This was abolished in 1996 by the
Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (c. 19) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which amended the Local Government Act 1972 to create the current local government structure in Wales of 22 unitary authority areas, referred to as ...
. Today, the economy of Dolgellau relies chiefly on
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
(see below), although
agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
still plays a role; a farmers' market is held in the town centre on the third Sunday of every month. It is believed that Dolgellau Cricket Club, founded in 1869 by
Frederick Temple Frederick Temple (30 November 1821 – 23 December 1902) was an English academic, teacher and Clergy, churchman, who served as Bishop of Exeter (1869–1885), Bishop of London (1885–1896) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1896–1902). Early ...
, is one of the oldest cricket clubs in Wales. For nearly a century Dolgellau was the home of Dr Williams School, a pioneering girls' secondary school. This was funded from the legacy of Daniel Williams the Welsh nonconformist of the 17th/18th century. Shortly before the closure of the town's railway station it displayed signs reading variously Dolgelly, Dolgelley and Dolgellau.


Education

Dolgellau is home to a
bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is additional education to that received at secondary school that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...
college, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor. The site it occupies was originally home to Dr Williams' School, a
direct grant grammar school A direct grant grammar school was a type of selective secondary school in the United Kingdom that existed between 1945 and 1976. One quarter of the places in these schools were directly funded by central government, while the remainder attracted ...
for girls aged 7–18 established in 1875 (opened 1878). It was named after its benefactor Daniel Williams, (1643–1716) a Nonconformist minister from
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
, who also gave his name to Dr Williams's Library in Euston,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The school closed in 1975. Dolgellau Grammar School, a boys' school, had been established in 1665 by the then Rector of Dolgellau, John Ellis, at Pen Bryn (now demolished), before moving to its present site on the Welshpool road. In 1962, it became a
comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...
under the name Ysgol y Gader ("School of the Chair", in reference to the mountain
Cadair Idris Cadair Idris or Cader Idris is a mountain in the Meirionnydd area of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies at the southern end of the Snowdonia National Park near the town of Dolgellau. The peak, which is one of the most popular in Wales for walkers and hikin ...
, whose name translates as "Idris's Chair"). On 1 September 2017, Ysgol Y Gader amalgamated with the village's primary school and seven other schools in the area to become a new middle school for pupils aged 3–16. The combined schools were named Ysgol Bro Idris. As of 2019, there were 581 pupils on roll. 229 of those pupils are of secondary school age and 352 of those pupils are of primary school age. The area school is located across six sites, with two of those sites located within Dolgellau itself. The school is categorised linguistically by
Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...
as a category 2A school, meaning that at least 80% of subjects, apart from English and Welsh, are taught only through the medium of Welsh to all pupils.


Literary connections

Near Dolgellau is the house of Hengwrt, whose 17th-century owner Robert Vaughan (?1592–1667) kept an extensive library. This was home to numerous
manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...
treasures, including the
Book of Aneirin The Book of Aneirin () is a late 13th century Welsh manuscript containing Old and Middle Welsh poetry attributed to the late 6th century Northern Brythonic poet, Aneirin, who is believed to have lived in present-day Scotland. The manuscript is ...
, the Book of Taliesin, the Black Book of Carmarthen, the
White Book of Rhydderch The White Book of Rhydderch (Welsh: ''Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch'', National Library of Wales, Peniarth MS 4-5) is one of the most notable and celebrated surviving manuscripts in Welsh language, Welsh. Mostly written in southwest Wales in the middle of ...
and the Hengwrt manuscript. The Hengwrt manuscripts (not including the Book of Aneirin, taken from Hengwrt in the 1780s) form the majority of the collection now known as the
Peniarth Manuscripts The Peniarth Manuscripts, also known as the Hengwrt–Peniarth Manuscripts, are a collection of medieval Welsh manuscripts now held by the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. The collection was originally assembled by Robert Vaughan (c. 159 ...
, held at the
National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales (, ) in Aberystwyth is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, and the l ...
. In 1971 John Elwyn Jones, a retired teacher who had taught Russian, German and Welsh at Dr Williams School, published ' ("Five Tries for a Welshman"), an account of his time as a
prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
in Poland during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The title of the book refers to the five attempts he made to escape, the last of which succeeded. The book was dramatised by
S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...
in 1997. In 1986 and 1987 John Elwyn published his autobiography in 3 volumes, called ' ("In My Own Way"). These do not duplicate his prisoner of war adventures, but recount his upbringing in the area—he was born at Bryn Gwyn, less than a mile from the town—and subsequent return to the area after his years in the armed services. He died in September 2007. Marion Eames, who was educated at Dr. Williams' School, lived in Dolgellau up to her death in 2007; she is probably best known for her book '' The Secret Room'' (originally published in Welsh as '), a semi-fictional account of the events leading up to the 1686 emigration of
Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...
from Dolgellau. It was dramatised by S4C in 2001.


Local attractions

The surrounding area is known for its wild but beautiful countryside and places of historical interest. It is popular with tourists who enjoy activities such as walking,
hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...
,
horse riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding ( Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...
, white-water
rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
and
climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders) to small boulders. Climbing is done for locom ...
. Dolgellau is the main base for climbers of
Cadair Idris Cadair Idris or Cader Idris is a mountain in the Meirionnydd area of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies at the southern end of the Snowdonia National Park near the town of Dolgellau. The peak, which is one of the most popular in Wales for walkers and hikin ...
. Aircraft enthusiasts also use the town as the base for the
Mach Loop The Mach Loop (; also known as the Machynlleth Loop, ) is a series of valleys in west-central Wales, in the United Kingdom, notable for their use as Low flying military training, low-level training areas for fast aircraft. The system of valley ...
. To the north lies the Dolmelynllyn estate, which includes walking routes that include Rhaeadr Ddu waterfall and the former gold mines on Cefn Coch. The
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
line from Ruabon to
Llangollen Llangollen () is a town and community (Wales), community, situated on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, in Denbighshire, Wales. Its riverside location forms the edge of the Berwyn range, and the Dee Valley section of the Clwydian Range and Dee Val ...
was extended via Corwen and
Llanuwchllyn Llanuwchllyn () is a village and Community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, Wales, near the southern end of Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid). It is one of the most sparsely populated communities in Wales. The electoral ward includes the small settlement ...
to Dolgellau, where it formed an end-on connection with the
Cambrian Railways The Cambrian Railways owned of Railway track, track over a large area of mid Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904. The Cambrian connected with two larger railways with c ...
line from Barmouth Junction and a shared station was opened there in 1868. The Ruabon Barmouth line was closed in the 1960s under the Beeching Axe. The railway line was converted some years ago into the ' (or " Mawddach Trail") which now runs for some eight miles from Dolgellau to
Morfa Mawddach railway station railway station (formerly Barmouth Junction) is an unstaffed station located on the outskirts of the village of Arthog in Gwynedd, Wales, on the Cambrian Line, Cambrian Coast line between and . Built by the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway i ...
, near Fairbourne on the coast. It is maintained by the Snowdonia National Park and is very popular with walkers and cyclists. It passes some estuarine areas that are important for water birds. The site of Dolgellau railway station itself, along with about of former trackbed, was used to construct the Dolgellau bypass in the late 1970s.Historical attractions, apart from the town itself, include the 12th century Cymer Abbey, a short walk from Dolgellau. The
tourist information centre A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center or tourist information centre is a physical location that provides information to tourists. Types A visitor center may be a Civic ce ...
also has an exhibition on Quakers and there is a Quaker graveyard in the town. A field known as Camlan, in nearby Dinas Mawddwy, has been claimed as the site of the last battle of
King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...
(based on a mention of the name in the '; see also
Battle of Camlann The Battle of Camlann ( or ''Brwydr Camlan'') is the legendary final battle of King Arthur, in which Arthur either died or was mortally wounded while fighting either alongside or against Mordred, who also perished. The original legend of Caml ...
). Dolgellau is a good centre for visiting a number of nearby narrow-gauge heritage railways, including the Corris Railway, the Fairbourne Railway and the
Talyllyn Railway The Talyllyn Railway () is a narrow-gauge railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol railway station, Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1865Drummond 2015, page 17 to carr ...
.


Cultural events


Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau

Since 1992 Dolgellau has held ' ("The Great Session of Dolgellau"), an annual
world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...
festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...
. Originally free and held in the streets of the town, it has now grown too big for the centre of Dolgellau. Since 2002 it has been held on the outskirts of the town and admission is charged, which has allowed the organisers in recent years to book such acts as
Bob Geldof Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof (; born 5 October 1951) is an Irish singer-songwriter and political activist. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead singer of the Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats, who achieved popularity as part ...
, Genod droog, Cerys Matthews, , Meic Stevens, Super Furry Animals and Goldie Looking Chain. It attracts crowds of up to 5,000 every year and claims to be one of Europe's biggest and best world music festivals. Since 1995 it has been broadcast live on BBC Radio Cymru and since 1997 on
S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...
. In March 2009 it was announced that there would be no ' in 2009, owing to debts of over £50,000, mostly the result of a wet event in 2007. Smaller musical events took place in pubs, etc., but the future format of the festival was put under review. The festival returned on a smaller scale in 2011, and has been organised annually since then.


Gwyl Cefn Gwlad

Every summer, Dolgellau is also host to the ' ("Festival of the Countryside"), a mix of
agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which selective breeding, bree ...
and
fête In the United Kingdom and some of its former colonies, a fête or fete is a public festival organised to raise money for a charity, typically held outdoors. It generally includes entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments. Fetes are ty ...
. Entry is free, but the money raised on the various stalls is given to good causes.


Eisteddfod

In 1949 Dolgellau hosted the
National Eisteddfod of Wales 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. Competito ...
; in 1960 and 1994 it hosted the Urdd National Eisteddfod. The old market hall, Neuadd Idris, hosts the National Centre for Folk Music, known as Tŷ Siamas.


Twin-town

Dolgellau is twinned with Guérande () in
Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
, France.


Notable people

* Sir Robert Vaughan, 2nd Baronet (1768–1843), landowner and politician, MP for Merioneth for 40 years from 1792 to 1836. * Thomas Richards (1800–1877), surgeon, author, journalist, editor * Sir Cadwaladr Bryner Jones (1872–1954), agricultural educationist, was educated at Dolgellau Grammar School. * Mary Morris (1873–1925), doctor, first female inspector of schools in
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
and suffragette. * Mary Alice Eleanor Richards (1885–1977), botanist and prolific collector of Zambian plants. * Anthony Hulme (1910–2007),
film actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
. * Dilys Elwyn-Edwards (1918–2012), composer, lecturer and accompanist. * Marion Eames (1921–2007), Welsh-language novelist, author of ''Y Stafell Ddirgel''. * Ioan Bowen Rees (1929–1999) Welsh-language poet, mountaineer and political activist. * Alan Llwyd (born 1948), occasional bardic name 'Meilir Emrys Owen', prolific Welsh-language poet, literary critic and editor. * Gwyndaf Evans (born 1959), rally driver, winner of the 1996 British Rally Championship. * Martin Philips (born 1960), Welsh darts captain and 2014 World Masters champion. * Elfyn Evans (born 1988), rally driver (son of Gwyndaf Evans).


Geography


Gallery

File:Dolgellau, Merionethshire.jpeg, Bridge over the River Wnion in Dolgellau, 1830 by artist Henry Gastineau (1791–1876) and engraver (1787–1859) File:Dolgelle.jpeg, 'Dolgelle' 1806 by William Marshall Craig, File:Dolgelly, Merionethshire.jpeg, Large farmhouse in Dolgellau, woman feeding chickens in yard, 1815 by Cornelius Varley (1781–1873) and engraver Francis Stevens File:Dolgelley and Cader Idris.jpeg, 'Dolgelley and Cader Idris' by George Pickering (–1857) and lithographer (1809–1852) File:Dolgelly, north Wales.jpeg, 'Dolgelly, north Wales' 1835?


See also

* Dolgelley power station


References


External links


History of Dolgellau

Dolgellau Archives

Dolgellau Town Council English
* * {{authority control Towns in Gwynedd County towns in Wales Communities in Gwynedd