Llansanffraid Glan Conwy (), usually shortened to Glan Conwy, is a village,

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 ...

and

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 ...

Conwy County Borough Conwy County Borough () is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the north Wales, north of Wales. It borders Gwynedd to the west and south and Denbighshire to the east. The largest settlement is Colwyn Bay, and Conwy is the administrativ ...

, Wales. The name translates from the Welsh as ''Church of St Ffraid on the bank of the River Conwy''. The village was founded in the 5th century and in the past had a marine-based economy, but it is now largely residential. The population was 2,290 in 2001, reducing to 2,196 at the 2011 census. It includes the village of Pentrefelin.

Location

Llansanffraid Glan Conwy faces the town of

Conwy Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy ...

across the estuary of the

River Conwy The River Conwy (; ) is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is long and drains an area of 678 square km. "Conwy" was formerly anglicised as "Conway." The name 'Conwy' derives from the old Welsh words ''c ...

and is located 5 miles south of

Llandudno Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community (Wales), community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 UK census, the community � ...

and 1 mile south of

Llandudno Junction Llandudno Junction (), once known as Tremarl, is a town in the Community (Wales), community of Conwy in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Llandudno Junction and neighbouring Deganwy are both part of the built-up area and community of Conwy. It take ...

which is on the

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 ...

Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...

main railway line. 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 navigate th ...

trunk road A trunk road is a major highway with a specific legal classification in some jurisdictions, notably the United Kingdom, Sweden and formerly Ireland. Trunk roads are planned and managed at the national-level, distinguishing them from non-trunk ro ...

runs through the village. The trunk road is officially known as the Glan Conwy Corner to Cardiff trunk road.

History

The parish was founded, according to tradition, when St. Bridget (Ffraid) is supposed to have sailed from Ireland on a green turf, and landed on a bank of the

, about a quarter of a mile west of the present church. However records show that the parish was created by Maelgwyn Gwynedd in the 5th century and that five royal manors were given to the church to create the parish. These are remembered in the five townships which survive today, the townships of Trellan, Trebwll, Tre Trallwyn, Tre Deunant and Pen y Rhos. The village has one

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

, the Cross Keys Inn. It previously had two, the other being The Estuary, previously named the Conwy Vale before a change of ownership in 2007, and in the 1920s was the Wheatsheaf. The building has since been demolished.

Places of worship

In 1905, the following nonconformist places of worship were to be found in the civil parish of Llansanffraid Glan Conwy: All but Salem Fforddlas and Bryn Ebenezer are now closed.

Notable buildings

Bryn Eisteddfod is a

Grade II listed building 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 ...

which overlooks the river to the north of the village. Its gardens and grounds are listed at Grade II* on the

Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales The Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales is a heritage register of significant historic parks and gardens in Wales. It is maintained by Cadw, the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and ...

Government

The Llansanffraid Glan Conwy Community Council is made up of twelve members, six from each of the two wards, Bryn Rhys and Fforddlas. It represents the local people and is responsible for undertaking local projects.

Education

Ysgol Glan Conwy is a rural primary school set in the village. Described as a “daily, bilingual, co-educational school” with 117 children aged from 3 to 11 years. The current Headteacher is Mrs Eifiona Price-Williams. The school's web address is: https://glanconwy.conwy.sch.uk

Economy

The village's main industry used to be dry docking and chandlery for the port of Conwy. When the Telford (1826) and Stephenson (1848) bridges were built the village was cut off from the high seas and began a period of decline. Today it is a dormitory village, the vast majority of the population either being retirees or people who commute to work. The Cae Ffwt Business Park, located alongside the A470, has seen a number of small businesses set up base in the village.

Transport

The village is served by Glan Conwy railway station on the Conwy Valley line. From the station,

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; ; ) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consisting of itself and its subsidiaries: Trans ...

provide direct trains northbound to

, however the majority of northbound services continue to

, and southbound to

Blaenau Ffestiniog Blaenau Ffestiniog () is a town in Gwynedd, Wales. Once a slate mining centre in historic Merionethshire, it now relies much on tourists, drawn for instance to the Ffestiniog Railway and Llechwedd Slate Caverns. It reached a population of 12,0 ...

. At Llandudno Junction, passengers can change for direct trains to

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the parish had a population of 55,318 and the built-up area had a population of 74,120. ...

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. At Blaenau Ffestiniog, passengers can change for the Ffestiniog Heritage Railway to

Porthmadog Porthmadog (), originally Portmadoc until 1972 and known locally as "Port", is a coastal town and community (Wales), community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, Wales, and the historic counties of Wales, historic county of Caernarfonshire. It li ...

Sport

The village has a local football team associated with the Welsh Alliance "Glan Conwy FC". The club is managed by Howard Vaughan.

References

External links

A Vision of Britain Through Time

British Listed Buildings

Geograph

Office for National StatisticsCommunity Website
{{authority control Llansanffraid Glan Conwy Villages in Conwy County Borough Communities in Conwy County Borough