Fairbourne was part of the historic county of Meirionnydd. The area was originally salt marshes and slightly higher grazing lands. Before development began in the mid 19th Century there were three farms on the land. The coastal area was originally known as Morfa Henddol, while the promontory outcrop now occupied by the Fairbourne Hotel was called Ynysfaig. About 1865 Solomon Andrews, a Welsh entrepreneur, purchased the promontory. Over the next several years he built a seawall for tidal protection and several houses. To facilitate this he built a gauge horse-drawn tramway from the main railway to the site in order to bring in building materials. In 1916, the tramway was converted to a gauge steam railway. Sir Arthur McDougall had been looking for a country estate, but when he discovered this area, he soon conceived of it as a seaside resort. In July 1895 Arthur McDougall purchased a substantial acreage from land speculators, which he enlarged by additional lots the following year. He hired a builder in 1896 who began the development of a model seaside resort. Unusually for Gwynedd county, the village has no official Welsh-language name. Unlike most of Gwynedd, where Welsh is the majority language, English is the predominate language in Fairbourne with most of its inhabitants coming from or descended from those who came from England.
Managed retreat
Fairbourne has been identified as unsustainable to defend, given predicted sea level rise. The best estimate at present is that the area will be abandoned between 2052 and 2062, though the range of uncertainty is between 2042 and 2072. This is based on a rise in critical sea level of. There is an intent to maintain defences of the village for a period of 40 years from 2014. The policy of managed retreat was strongly opposed by local residents.
Attractions
Beach
The Blue Flag beach at Fairbourne is a two-mile stretch of beach, backed by steep pebble banks, which exposes a vast amount of golden sandy beaches from mid-tide level. At the northern end the beach joins the Mawddach Estuary, while at the southern end of the beach is squeezed between sheer cliffs and the sea. The beach is an attractive venture for people exercising their dogs, however, during the summer months there is a dog ban enforced on the central area. There is sufficient access to the beach for those visitors with prams and/or wheelchairs, making this a welcoming rural location for all. The beach is fronted by tank traps known as "Dragon's Teeth" dating from the Second World War.
