Tremadog
Encyclopedia
Tremadog is a village
on the outskirts of Porthmadog
, in Gwynedd
, north west Wales
. It was a planned settlement
, founded by William Madocks
, who bought the land in 1798. The centre of Tremadog was complete by 1811 and remains substantially unaltered.
It hosted an unofficial National Eisteddfod event in 1872.
, in Porthmadog.
Excerpt from A Brief History of Tremadog by Cyfeillion Cadw Tremadog
Excerpt from A Brief History of Tremadog by Cyfeillion Cadw Tremadog
Excerpt from A Brief History of Tremadog by Cyfeillion Cadw Tremadog
Excerpt from A Brief History of Tremadog by Cyfeillion Cadw Tremadog
"crags" (one of which has been closed due to rock instability) which attract climbers from all over the UK. Below these crags is Eric's Cafe, Campsite & Bunkhouse (owned by the Welsh climber and base-jumper Eric Jones
, famous for his solo ascent of the Eiger
's North face), which provides a useful base for climbers at Tremadog.
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...
on the outskirts of 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 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 west 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 was a planned settlement
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
, founded by William Madocks
William Madocks
William Alexander Madocks was a landowner and Member of Parliament for the town of Boston in Lincolnshire from 1802 to 1820, and then for Chippenham in Wiltshire from 1820 to 1826...
, who bought the land in 1798. The centre of Tremadog was complete by 1811 and remains substantially unaltered.
Education
'Ysgol y Gorlan', a primary school, is the only school in Tremadog. From here most of the leavers go to 'Ysgol Eifionydd', the nearest secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, in Porthmadog.
Planning
Tremadog provides a notable example of town planning. Its siting, layout, buildingBuildingIn architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
s and resulting spaces were all designed to create the impression of a boroughBoroughA borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
. Lacking the wealth to build the town single-handedly, Madocks wished to attract people into Tremadog to build within his overall plan. The most important part of the town was the Market Square, with the backdrop of a sheer cliffCliffIn geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
giving a theatricalTheatreTheatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
effect to this area. The High Street and Dublin Street form the crossed streetStreetA street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
s at the top of this square, and are lined by the most significant buildings: the Town Hall and Dancing Room (built in 1805), and the Coaching innCoaching innIn Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
.
The Town Hall (now Siola shop) sits on a plinthPlinthIn architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
of stepsStairwayStairway, staircase, stairwell, flight of stairs, or simply stairs are names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps...
that initially extended across the whole facadeFacadeA facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
. It has a simple beauty, with five round archArchAn arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
ed openings on the ground floor, the generously proportioned sash windowSash windowA sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s on the first, and the shallow pitched, wide-eaved hipped roofRoofA roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
above. Dancers would enter the first floor dancing room via the Tap Room of the adjoining Madocks' Arms, avoiding the chaos of the Market Hall on the ground floor, and would dance to music from the minstrel's gallery facing the windowWindowA window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
s. The roof is typical of the Madocks' style it is similar to that his other buildings such as the Manufactory and his houseHouseA house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
, Tan yr Allt. Featured on the facade are six medallions, and the five keystonesKeystone (architecture)A keystone is the wedge-shaped stone piece at the apex of a masonry vault or arch, which is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allowing the arch to bear weight. This makes a keystone very important structurally...
depict theatrical figures, hinting at the building’s use as a theatre in the short summer season.
Excerpt from A Brief History of Tremadog by Cyfeillion Cadw Tremadog
Church and chapel
Most Welsh chapelChapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
s of the early 19th century were very simple, with a pulpitPulpitPulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
in the centre of a long wallWallA wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
, so that all could hear the preacherPreacherPreacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
. However, Tremadog's chapel, Peniel, is in the style of a Greek templeGreek templeGreek temples were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in Greek paganism. The temples themselves did usually not directly serve a cult purpose, since the sacrifices and rituals dedicated to the respective deity took place outside them...
. Its main facade is in stuccoStuccoStucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
with a circular window in the pedimentPedimentA pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. The impressive porticoPorticoA portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
was added in 1849, probably in accordance with the original design. The first galleryBalconyBalcony , a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade.-Types:The traditional Maltese balcony is a wooden closed balcony projecting from a...
was inserted in 1840, and extended along both sides in 1880. The present ceilingCeilingA ceiling is an overhead interior surface that covers the upper limit of a room. It is generally not a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the floor or roof structure above....
dates from 1908–1910.
St Mary's Church was finished 18 months after the chapel's completion. It is one of the earliest Gothic revival churches in Wales, dating from 1811. Originally it had box pewBox pewBox pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th century.-History in England:...
s, paintingPaintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s at each side of the altarAltarAn altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
, and cast ironCast ironCast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
windows throughout. These have since gone, with the present diamond-leaded, sandstoneSandstoneSandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
-framed windows being a late Victorian eraVictorian eraThe Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
alteration, and the Greaves Family east window having been installed in 1899. A plain brassBrassBrass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
plaqueCommemorative plaqueA commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
commemorates Madocks, and the wedding of Mary Madocks to Martin Williams in the church in 1811. A marbleMarbleMarble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
plaque commemorates John Williams, who died in 1850, his wife Anne and their only son, W T Massey Williams, all being buriedBurialBurial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
in a vaultBurial vaultBurial vault may refer to:*Burial vault , protective coffin enclosure*Burial vault , underground tomb...
in the church.
The church is romantically placed on an outcropOutcropAn outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...
of rockRock (geology)In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
. The entrance to the churchyardChurchyardA churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language or Northern English language this can also be known as a kirkyard or kirkyaird....
is a Coade StoneCoade stoneLithodipyra , or Coade stone, was ceramic stoneware that was often described as an artificial stone in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was used for moulding Neoclassical statues, architectural decorations and garden ornaments that were both of the highest quality and remain virtually...
gate, shipped in kit form from LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The church's spireSpireA spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
is brickBrickA brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
, rendered in Parkers Roman CementRoman cementFor the architectural material actually used by the ancient Romans, see Roman concrete."Roman cement" is a substance developed by James Parker in the 1780s, and finally patented in 1796...
. Both CoadeCoadeCoade is a surname and may be:* Eleanor Coade, inventor of Coade Stone* Thorold Coade, schoolteacher, after whom the Coade Hall is named...
and Parkers Roman were early types of imitation stone. The bricks for the spire were probably made locally, the clayClayClay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
coming from the farmyard nearby.
The importance of both the Gothic Church and the ClassicalClassicismClassicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
Chapel is a good reminder of Madocks' words: "In educationEducationEducation in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and religionReligionReligion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
all ought to have fair play".
Excerpt from A Brief History of Tremadog by Cyfeillion Cadw Tremadog
Industry
Madocks' vision for the town included industry, and in 1805 he built the Manufactory. It became the site for one of the first woollenWoolenWoolen or woollen is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn...
mills in WalesWalesWales 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...
where cardingCardingCarding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...
and spinningSpinning (textiles)Spinning is a major industry. It is part of the textile manufacturing process where three types of fibre are converted into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. The textiles are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. There are three industrial processes available to spin yarn, and a...
were powered. Beside the mill was the Loomery, where weavingWeavingWeaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
took place. This building remains and was used from around 1835 as a tanneryTanningTanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
. There was also a fullingFullingFulling or tucking or walking is a step in woolen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker. The worker who does the job is a fuller, tucker, or walker...
mill and a cornWheatWheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
millMill (grinding)A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
, all worked by water power. The waterWaterWater is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
was drawn from Llyn Cwm Bach, created above the Manufactory to serve a series of catchponds and wheelWheelA wheel is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily through rotating on an axle through its center, facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Common examples found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle,...
s.
As always, Madocks was aware of the look of his buildings. The Loomery was designed with a roof very similar to the Town Hall; with its rows of windows alternating with masonryMasonryMasonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
, and two lower buildings flanking it, it was a handsome building. Madocks instructed that the mill should be "well yellowYellowYellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
ed" and the windows painted dark greenGreenGreen is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
. Its present roof is temporary.
Excerpt from A Brief History of Tremadog by Cyfeillion Cadw Tremadog
Houses
The houses of Tremadog had robust plain detailing and a typical plan, with a central doorDoorA door is a movable structure used to open and close off an entrance, typically consisting of a panel that swings on hinges or that slides or rotates inside of a space....
way and either a generous parlourParlourParlour , from the French word parloir, from parler , denotes an "audience chamber". In parts of the United Kingdom and the United States, parlours are common names for certain types of food service houses, restaurants or special service areas, such as tattoo parlors...
or shop on each side, with two bedroomBedroomA bedroom is a private room where people usually sleep for the night or relax during the day.About one third of our lives are spent sleeping and most of the time we are asleep, we are sleeping in a bedroom. To be considered a bedroom the room needs to have bed. Bedrooms can range from really simple...
s above. At the back a lean-to scullerySculleryScullery may refer to:*Dishwashing*Scullery * Scullery maid...
ran the width of the house. On the Square two of these plans were modified for Inns; half the scullery had a stone vaultedVault (architecture)A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
roof so that an even temperatureTemperatureTemperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
could be kept in the dry cellarBasement__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
.
The first phase of building on Church Street (originally London Street) ended at Ty Pâb. There was to have been a cross Street here, as the archArchAn arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
es on the side of Ty Pâb indicate.
In addition, many gentlemen'sGentlemanThe term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
villaVillaA villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
s were built in the area. Ty Nanney in Tremadog is an example, though lacking a dramatic setting. Tan yr Allt was Madocks' own home, and has typically wide eaves, shallow pitched roofs and verandahVerandahA veranda or verandah is a roofed opened gallery or porch. It is also described as an open pillared gallery, generally roofed, built around a central structure...
s, with coved ceilings and a few GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
details inside.
Excerpt from A Brief History of Tremadog by Cyfeillion Cadw Tremadog
Canal
Madock enlarged a drainage ditch to the river Glaslyn to form a canal which was opened in about 1815. It was used for thirty-five years to carry copper ore from a local miner before being replaced by a tramline.Tourism
Tremadog is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination. The area's long, quiet roads attract motorcyclists, and Tremadog also has two good quality rock climbingRock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
"crags" (one of which has been closed due to rock instability) which attract climbers from all over the UK. Below these crags is Eric's Cafe, Campsite & Bunkhouse (owned by the Welsh climber and base-jumper Eric Jones
Eric Jones (climber)
right|thumb|250px|Eric Jones' cafe at Tremadog , viewed from Craig Bwlch y moch.Eric Jones is a Welsh solo climber, skydiver and BASE jumper....
, famous for his solo ascent of the Eiger
Eiger
The Eiger is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m...
's North face), which provides a useful base for climbers at Tremadog.
Famous residents
- Tremadog was the birthplace of T. E. LawrenceT. E. LawrenceLieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
, also known as "Lawrence of Arabia". The house is now Snowdon Lodge hostel. - Eric JonesEric Jones (climber)right|thumb|250px|Eric Jones' cafe at Tremadog , viewed from Craig Bwlch y moch.Eric Jones is a Welsh solo climber, skydiver and BASE jumper....
, climber and base jumper - Gethin Evans, S4C presenter and Genod DroogGenod DroogGenod Droog were a hip hop, indie, pop band from Wales, which was formed in 2005 by Carwyn Jones, Gethin Evans, Dylan Roberts, Aneirin Karadog and Ed Holden, and split up on November 16, 2008.-History 2005 - 2008:...
- Barri GriffithsBarri GriffithsBarri Griffiths is a Welsh professional wrestler and former Gladiators competitor, also known as Goliath and by his ring name Mason Ryan. He is signed to WWE, where he wrestles on the Raw brand.He was also a member of The Nexus...
, TV Gladiator, WWE wrestler