Llanllyfni
Encyclopedia
Llanllyfni is a small village
near Penygroes in Gwynedd
, North Wales
.
It is a largely Welsh speaking close-knit village. About over 85% of the villagers speak Welsh as their first language.
Llanllyfni boasts of stunning views towards Dinas Dinlle, Afon Menai (Menai Straits), Ynys Mon(Anglsey) and the rest of the Nantlle Valley.
The river Afon Llyfni, sometimes spelt Afon Llyfnwy, runs through the village.
Llanllyfni existed before the slate
quarries opened. Llanllyfni grew bigger and bigger during the slate quarrying period.
Eglwys Sant Rhedyw (the parish church) has existed since as early as the 4th century. Here, a service is held every year on Christmas Day at 7a.m., this is a tradition that has been ongoing for hundreds of years. In Welsh
, the service is called 'Plygain'. There are two other places of worship in the village - Capel Ebeneser, Felingerrig - (Baptist Chapel) and Capel Moriah (Salem) - (Methodist Chapel). The original Capel Salem chapel was closed in the early 20th century, and replaced by a smaller chapel; named Capel Moriah chapel. The larger Capel Salem chapel was eventually demolished - except for the Sunday School building. To avoid confusion, the new Capel Moriah was casually called Capel Salem by the villagers - (after the old larger chapel). As of today, the three places of worships are still open.
There are five cemeteries in Llanllyfni; Mynwent Yr Eglwys - Sant Rhedyw (the oldest), Mynwent Capel Ebeneser - Felingerrig, Mynwent Capel Salem, Mynwent Bara Caws (dating back to the early 18th century) and Mynwent Gorffwysfa (the newest).
As of 2005, a local football club was set up - Clwb Pel-droed Llanllyfni Football Club. The club, popular among many villagers, sprung their way up from the basic Safelue Caernarfon & District League to the Gwynedd League. It then went on to the very respectable Welsh Alliance League in no less than four seasons of playing football on the King George the 5th playing field, situated in the middle of the village. The King George the 5th playing field is next door to the village's much used Memorial Hall.
Llanllyfni has one remaining pub - The Quarryman's Arms - or more locally known as 'Y Cwari'. The Quarryman's Arms acts as a clubhouse to the football club, and often holds evenings of entertainment. Llanllyfni once had five pubs, at least two of them (except for the Quarryman's) can be seen today, though they have been turned into houses. The King's Head was one of them.
There is one school in the village, Ysgol Gynradd Llanllyfni - a primary school. For secondary school, children have to travel less than a mile to Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle
in Penygroes. World famous Opera singer Bryn Terfel attended Ysgol Gynradd Llanllyfni, along with many other well-known people.
Some of the well-known people that have been churned out of Llanllyfni include; Mathonwy Hughes (1900's writer), Bryn Fon (Welsh singer & actor), Cefin Roberts (founder of Ysgol Glanaethwy School), Ioan Pollard (Welsh personality and broadcaster) , Wynford Ellis Owen (writer & actor) and much more lesser known artists, poets, writers and actors.
In the 2001 census, there were about 650 people living in Llanllyfni - over 85% who could speak Welsh fluently.
Before a road was built passing the village, lorries would drive through the village to reach Porthmadog
.
In addition, Llanllyfni is also 7 miles away from the well known Welsh town
of Caernarfon
.
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...
near Penygroes in 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...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
.
It is a largely Welsh speaking close-knit village. About over 85% of the villagers speak Welsh as their first language.
Llanllyfni boasts of stunning views towards Dinas Dinlle, Afon Menai (Menai Straits), Ynys Mon(Anglsey) and the rest of the Nantlle Valley.
The river Afon Llyfni, sometimes spelt Afon Llyfnwy, runs through the village.
Llanllyfni existed before the slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
quarries opened. Llanllyfni grew bigger and bigger during the slate quarrying period.
Eglwys Sant Rhedyw (the parish church) has existed since as early as the 4th century. Here, a service is held every year on Christmas Day at 7a.m., this is a tradition that has been ongoing for hundreds of years. In Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
, the service is called 'Plygain'. There are two other places of worship in the village - Capel Ebeneser, Felingerrig - (Baptist Chapel) and Capel Moriah (Salem) - (Methodist Chapel). The original Capel Salem chapel was closed in the early 20th century, and replaced by a smaller chapel; named Capel Moriah chapel. The larger Capel Salem chapel was eventually demolished - except for the Sunday School building. To avoid confusion, the new Capel Moriah was casually called Capel Salem by the villagers - (after the old larger chapel). As of today, the three places of worships are still open.
There are five cemeteries in Llanllyfni; Mynwent Yr Eglwys - Sant Rhedyw (the oldest), Mynwent Capel Ebeneser - Felingerrig, Mynwent Capel Salem, Mynwent Bara Caws (dating back to the early 18th century) and Mynwent Gorffwysfa (the newest).
As of 2005, a local football club was set up - Clwb Pel-droed Llanllyfni Football Club. The club, popular among many villagers, sprung their way up from the basic Safelue Caernarfon & District League to the Gwynedd League. It then went on to the very respectable Welsh Alliance League in no less than four seasons of playing football on the King George the 5th playing field, situated in the middle of the village. The King George the 5th playing field is next door to the village's much used Memorial Hall.
Llanllyfni has one remaining pub - The Quarryman's Arms - or more locally known as 'Y Cwari'. The Quarryman's Arms acts as a clubhouse to the football club, and often holds evenings of entertainment. Llanllyfni once had five pubs, at least two of them (except for the Quarryman's) can be seen today, though they have been turned into houses. The King's Head was one of them.
There is one school in the village, Ysgol Gynradd Llanllyfni - a primary school. For secondary school, children have to travel less than a mile to Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle
Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle
Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle is a small bilingual secondary school in Penygroes for pupils aged 11–18. In 2009 there were approximately 530 children enrolled including about 50 pupils in the sixth form...
in Penygroes. World famous Opera singer Bryn Terfel attended Ysgol Gynradd Llanllyfni, along with many other well-known people.
Some of the well-known people that have been churned out of Llanllyfni include; Mathonwy Hughes (1900's writer), Bryn Fon (Welsh singer & actor), Cefin Roberts (founder of Ysgol Glanaethwy School), Ioan Pollard (Welsh personality and broadcaster) , Wynford Ellis Owen (writer & actor) and much more lesser known artists, poets, writers and actors.
In the 2001 census, there were about 650 people living in Llanllyfni - over 85% who could speak Welsh fluently.
Before a road was built passing the village, lorries would drive through the village to reach Porthmadog
Porthmadog
Porthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...
.
In addition, Llanllyfni is also 7 miles away from the well known Welsh town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of Caernarfon
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
.