Waunfawr
Encyclopedia
Waunfawr is a large village
on the outskirts of the Snowdonia National Park, Gwynedd
, in North Wales
, south of Llanrug. Its population is roughly 1,500
Waunfawr railway station
on the Welsh Highland Railway
between Caernarfon
and Porthmadog
adjoins the Snowdonia Park Brewpub and Inn at the southern end of the village.
The local community enterprise charity, Antur Waunfawr, among its many local initiatives, operates the Bryn Pistyll Site at Waunfawr as a popular attraction for local people and tourists. It includes a nature park, gardens and nursery, museum, crafts and local products shop, cafe and children’s play area.
The Marconi Company
built a large high-powered Long Wave
Wireless Telegraph
transmitting station near the village in 1914 which worked in association with its receiving station at Tywyn
. The station initiated commercial transatlantic wireless service from London
to New York
in 1920. It replaced Marconi's transatlantic wireless service from Clifden
, Ireland
to Canada
, after the Clifden station was destroyed in the Irish Civil War
in 1922. The building is now used as a climbing centre.
There are many recreational facilities available in Waunfawr, from playing snooker
to playing football
on the all-weather pitch. There is also a youth club and a junior football club.
The village changed its name from "Waenfawr" to "Waunfawr" in 1994.
John Evans (explorer)
(April 1770 - May 1799) was born in Waunfawr and produced an early map of the Missouri River in North America.
Another Waunfawr is a former village which now forms a northern suburb of Aberystwyth
.
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 the Snowdonia National Park, 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 North 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...
, south of Llanrug. Its population is roughly 1,500
Waunfawr railway station
Waunfawr railway station
Waunfawr is a station on the narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway, which was built in 1877 as the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Moel Tryfan Undertaking to carry dressed slate to Dinas Junction on the LNWR. Passenger services ceased on 26 September 1936 and the station was reopened on 7 August...
on the Welsh Highland Railway
Welsh Highland Railway
The Welsh Highland Railway is a long restored narrow gauge heritage railway in North Wales, operating from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, and passing through a number of popular tourist destinations including Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass. At Porthmadog it connects with the Ffestiniog Railway...
between 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...
and 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...
adjoins the Snowdonia Park Brewpub and Inn at the southern end of the village.
The local community enterprise charity, Antur Waunfawr, among its many local initiatives, operates the Bryn Pistyll Site at Waunfawr as a popular attraction for local people and tourists. It includes a nature park, gardens and nursery, museum, crafts and local products shop, cafe and children’s play area.
The Marconi Company
Marconi Company
The Marconi Company Ltd. was founded by Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 as The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company...
built a large high-powered Long Wave
Longwave
In radio, longwave refers to parts of radio spectrum with relatively long wavelengths. The term is a historic one dating from the early 20th century, when the radio spectrum was considered to consist of long, medium and short wavelengths...
Wireless Telegraph
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
transmitting station near the village in 1914 which worked in association with its receiving station at Tywyn
Tywyn
Tywyn is a town and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd , in north Wales. The name derives from the Welsh tywyn and the town is sometimes referred to as Tywyn Meirionnydd...
. The station initiated commercial transatlantic wireless service from London
London
London 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...
to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1920. It replaced Marconi's transatlantic wireless service from Clifden
Clifden
Clifden is a town on the coast of County Galway, Ireland and being Connemara's largest town, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". It is located on the Owenglen River where it flows into Clifden Bay...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, after the Clifden station was destroyed in the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
in 1922. The building is now used as a climbing centre.
There are many recreational facilities available in Waunfawr, from playing snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
to playing football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
on the all-weather pitch. There is also a youth club and a junior football club.
The village changed its name from "Waenfawr" to "Waunfawr" in 1994.
John Evans (explorer)
John Evans (explorer)
John Thomas Evans was a Welsh explorer who produced an early map of the Missouri River.John Evans was born in Waunfawr, near Caernarfon...
(April 1770 - May 1799) was born in Waunfawr and produced an early map of the Missouri River in North America.
Another Waunfawr is a former village which now forms a northern suburb of Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
.
External links
- Antur Waunfawr website
- A Short History of the Marconi Long Wave Transmitting Station
- Chamois Mountaineering Club
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Waunfawr and surrounding area
Books
- Marconi and his wireless stations in Wales (Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst 1999 ISBN 0-86381-536-7 Hari Williams)