Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant () is a village 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 ...

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

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 ...

; about 9 miles west of

Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...

and 12 miles south of

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 ...

, on the B4580 road. It lies near the foothills of the Berwyn mountains on the river Rhaeadr. At the top end of the valley is the Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall, one of the traditional Seven Wonders of Wales. One mile north of the village is the hill Moel Hen-fache (). The community includes the hamlet of Llanarmon Mynydd Mawr.

History

It was an important site in the ancient

commote A commote (, sometimes spelt in older documents as , plural , less frequently )'' Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru'' (University of Wales Dictionary), p. 643 was a secular division of land in Medieval Wales. The word derives from the prefix ("together" ...

(or

cantref A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a Wales in the Early Middle Ages, medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law. Description Land in medieval Wales was divid ...

; sources disagree) of

Mochnant was a medieval cantref in the Kingdom of Powys. In the 12th century it was divided into the commotes of Mochnant Is Rhaeadr (in the north) and Mochnant Uwch Rhaeadr (in the south) (''Is'' signifying 'below' and ''Uwch'' 'above' the River Rhaeadr) ...

, as indicated by the ''ym-Mochnant'' in its name (translates to "in Mochnant").

Administrative history

Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant (historically also spelt 'Llanrhaiadr-yn-Mochnant') was an

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

, which straddled the county boundary between

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthi ...

and

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after ...

. The county boundary followed the Afon Rhaeadr, which passes through the village. The parish church of St Dogfan was in the Denbighshire part of the parish, north of the river. The division between the two counties reflected the partition of the ancient commote in the 12th century. Under the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The act followed the reforms carried out at county leve ...

, parishes were no longer allowed to straddle county boundaries. The parish was therefore split into two

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

es, one in Denbighshire and one in Montgomeryshire; both parishes were called Llanrhaiadr-yn-Mochnant (later changed to Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant). The divide continued following the local government reorganisation in 1974, with the former Denbighshire parish becoming a

Clwyd Clwyd ( , ) is a preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English cerem ...

and the former Montgomeryshire parish becoming a community in Powys. The northern community was transferred to Powys in 1996. Even then, the two remained separate communities within Powys until 2008, when they were reunited into a single community.

Buildings and antiquities

Capel Seion is in the village. It is a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

chapel rebuilt in the early 20th century in

Arts and Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...

style.

Population

In the 2001 Census the population was 1,470, of whom 55% were Welsh-speaking. In the 2011 census the population had fallen to 1,195, with 408 in the village itself. The village falls in the

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 t ...

of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant/Llansilin. The ward population at the 2011 Census was 2,295.

Parish church

The Norman church of St Dogfan is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

building, restored between 1879 and 1882, but with parts dating back to the 13th century. There is a gravestone with a

Celtic cross upright 0.75 , A Celtic cross symbol The Celtic cross is a form of ringed cross, a Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring, that emerged in the British Isles and Western Europe in the Early Middle Ages. It became widespread through its u ...

possibly commemorating Cwgan son of Ethelstan, a Welsh prince of the 11th century. The parish is best known for its former vicar, William Morgan (1545–10 September 1604), who first translated the whole

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

into Welsh in the 1580s and later became a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Llandaff Llandaff (; ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Bisho ...

and of

St Asaph St Asaph (; "church on the Elwy") is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and community (Wales), community on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had a population ...

. Gwallter Mechain (1761–1849), the bard, was the vicar from 1837 until his death in 1849. Rev. Griffith Hartwell Jones (1859–1944), a Welsh academic and Anglican clergyman, was born in the village. St Dogfan was a son of

Brychan Brycheiniog Brychan ap Anlach of Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire) in Mid Wales. Name variations Brychan had Irish ancestry and came from Ireland to Wales, therefore his original name ...

and a Welsh prince in the 5th century. A clas dedicated to him was founded on the site of the present church. The

holy well A holy well or sacred spring is a well, Spring (hydrosphere), spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christianity, Christian or Paganism, pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualitie ...

of the saint is on the farm of Gwernfeifod in Cwm-ffynnon.

Local attractions

Attractions near the village include the Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall, known for its

natural arch A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, Cliffed coast, coastal cliffs, Fin (geology), fins or Stack ...

, the

Berwyn Mountains The Berwyn range ( Welsh: ''Y Berwyn'' or ''Mynydd y Berwyn'') is an isolated and sparsely populated area of moorland in the northeast of Wales, roughly bounded by Llangollen in the northeast, Corwen in the northwest, Bala in the southwest, ...

, and

Lake Vyrnwy Lake Vyrnwy (, or ') is a reservoir in Powys, Wales, built in the 1880s for Liverpool Corporation Waterworks to supply Liverpool with fresh water. It flooded the head of the River Vyrnwy, Vyrnwy () valley and submerged the village of Llanwddyn ...

. Pistyll Rhaeadr Falls.jpg, Pistyll Rhaeadr Tafarn y Wynnstay Arms Pub, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Powys 05.JPG, The Wynnstay Arms tavern Eglwys Sant Dogfan, Church of St Dogfan, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Powys 31.JPG, Church of St Dogfan Altar Croes Geltaidd yn Eglwys Sant Dogfan, Church of St Dogfan, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Powys 39.JPG, ''Carreg Gwgan'' (Gwgan's Stone'')''; 9-10th century Celtic cross, kept in Church of St Dogfan Eglwys Sant Dogfan, Church of St Dogfan, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Powys 36.JPG, Church of St Dogfan Eglwys Sant Dogfan, Church of St Dogfan, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Powys 34.JPG, Wood carving by altar

Public transport

Bus services are operated by Tanat Valley Coaches, based in the village. Route 76 links the village with

Llanfyllin Llanfyllin ( – ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales. The community (which measures 41.8 square kilometres) population in 2021 was 1,586 and the town's name means ''church or parish'' (Llan (placename), llan) ''o ...

Meifod Meifod, formerly also written Meivod (), is a small village, Community (Wales), community and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward north-west of Welshpool in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales, on the A495 road and loca ...

and

Welshpool Welshpool ( ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales, historically in the Historic counties of Wales, county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn. The c ...

. Routes 79/79A connect the town with

Llangynog Llangynog (; ) is a village and community at the confluence of the Afon Eirth and the Afon Tanat at the foot of the Berwyn range in north Powys (previously Montgomeryshire), Wales. It lies at the foot of the Milltir Cerrig mountain pass ...

Llangedwyn Llangedwyn is a village and community (Wales), community in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales. The population of the community at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 402. The community includes the hamlet of . It lies in the Afon Tanat ...

, Penybontfawr and

. The village was at one point served by the defunct Tanat Valley Light Railway which served Pentrefelin, Llanrhaiadr Mochnant and Pedairffordd Halt. Of these station, Llanrhaiadr Mochant was the closest one to the village being around a mile south east. These closed in 1951 to passengers along with the line to Llangynog, but the line remained open to freight to as far as Llanrhaeadr Mochant until 1964, when the entire line to Blodwell Junction was closed. The trackbed has been incorporated into agricultural use, but the newly formed Tanat Valley Light Railway has expressed interest in reopening the line to as far as Llanrhaiadr Mochnant for heritage and tourist use; it is currently focused on reaching Blodwell Junction from Nantmawr.

Film location

Parts of the 1995 film ''

The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain ''The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain'' is a 1995 romantic comedy film with a story by Ifor David Monger and Ivor Monger, written and directed by Christopher Monger. It was entered into the 19th Moscow International F ...

'', starring

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as a charming and vulnerable romantic leading man, and has since transitioned into a character actor. He has received List of awards ...

, were filmed in the village,OnlineVideo – The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain
Ovguide.com. Retrieved on 2013-02-05. portraying the real-life village of

Taff's Well Taff's Well () is a semi-rural village, Community (Wales), community and electoral ward located at the south-eastern tip of Rhondda Cynon Taf, north-west of the city centre of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. Known locally as the 'Gates to the So ...

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff () and Ely valleys, ...

, which by 1995 had become too developed to use. More recently, the village featured in the 2012 film '' Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger'' with

David Tennant David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...

, as the village where the St. Bernadette's school bus stops to buy sweets on the way to

in search of the (fictitious) ''Castell Llawen'' ('Merry Castle').

References

External links

Photos of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant and surrounding area on geograph
{{DEFAULTSORT:Llanrhaeadr-Ym-Mochnant Villages in Powys