Llanbedrog
Encyclopedia
Llanbedrog is a village
and community
on the Llŷn peninsula
of Gwynedd
in Wales
. It is situated on the south side of the peninsula
on the A499 between Pwllheli
and Abersoch
. Formerly in the county
of Caernarfonshire
, it has a population of 1,020.
The village takes its name from Saint Petroc
, which may be the Welsh form of Saint Patrick
. South of the village is the headland
and open area of Mynydd Tir-y-cwmwd
. Granite
quarrying was commercially important in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. The quarry closed down in 1949.
Holiday-makers started coming to Llanbedrog in significant numbers in the early 20th century, and the Pwllheli and Llanbedrog Tramway
was built, linking the village to Pwllheli
. Most of the track has now eroded and washed away but sections are still visible. The beach is now managed by the National Trust
. In 1856 a dower house
, "Plas Glyn-y-Weddw", was built in lower Llanbedrog for Lady Love Jones Parry. The house is now an important centre for the arts
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
on the Llŷn peninsula
Llyn Peninsula
The Llŷn Peninsula extends into the Irish Sea from north west Wales, south west of the Isle of Anglesey. It is part of the modern county and historic region of Gwynedd. The name is thought to be of Irish origin, and to have the same root Laigin in Irish as the word Leinster...
of Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is situated on the south side of the peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
on the A499 between Pwllheli
Pwllheli
Pwllheli is a community and the main market town of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It has a population of 3,861, of which a large proportion, 81 per cent, are Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of Albert Evans-Jones -...
and Abersoch
Abersoch
Abersoch is a large village in the community of Llanengan in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a popular coastal seaside resort with approximately 1,000 inhabitants, on the east-facing south coast of the Llŷn Peninsula at the southern terminus of the A499. It is about south-west of Pwllheli and south-west of...
. Formerly in the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Caernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire , historically spelled as Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire in English during its existence, was one of the thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county of Wales....
, it has a population of 1,020.
The village takes its name from Saint Petroc
Saint Petroc
Saint Petroc is a 6th century Celtic Christian saint. He was born in Wales but primarily ministered to the Britons of Dumnonia which included the modern counties of Devon , Cornwall , and parts of Somerset and Dorset...
, which may be the Welsh form of Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
. South of the village is the headland
Headland
A headland is a point of land, usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends out into a body of water.Headland can also refer to:*Headlands and bays*headLand, an Australian television series...
and open area of Mynydd Tir-y-cwmwd
Mynydd Tir y Cwmwd
Mynydd Tir y Cwmwd is an area of about 175 acres in north Wales to the south of the village of Llanbedrog.From the top of the Headland, with a covering of gorse and heather, there are fine views towards Abersoch and Pwllheli as well as over Cardigan Bay. The whole area is privately owned common...
. Granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
quarrying was commercially important in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. The quarry closed down in 1949.
Pwllheli and Llanbedrog Tramway
The Pwllheli and Llanbedrog Tramway was a horse tramway on the coast of the Llŷn Peninsula. It originally ran from Pwllheli town centre to the West End resort on the sea front, and was later extended to Llanbedrog. The tramway was one of many developed by Solomon Andrews....
was built, linking the village to Pwllheli
Pwllheli
Pwllheli is a community and the main market town of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It has a population of 3,861, of which a large proportion, 81 per cent, are Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of Albert Evans-Jones -...
. Most of the track has now eroded and washed away but sections are still visible. The beach is now managed by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. In 1856 a dower house
Dower house
On an estate, a dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the estate-owner. The widow, often known as the "dowager" usually moves into the dower house from the larger family house on the death of her husband if the heir is married, and upon his marriage if he...
, "Plas Glyn-y-Weddw", was built in lower Llanbedrog for Lady Love Jones Parry. The house is now an important centre for the arts
The arts
The arts are a vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and...
.