Llanrwst


Llanrwst is a small market town and community on the A470 road and the River Conwy, in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It developed around the wool trade and became known also for the making of harps and clocks. Today, less than a mile from the edge of Snowdonia, its main industry is tourism. Notable buildings include almshouses, two 17th-century chapels, and the Parish Church of St Grwst, which holds a stone coffin of Llywelyn the Great. The 2011 census gave the town a population of 3,323.

History

The site of the original church dedicated to St Grwst was Cae Llan in Llanrwst. The current church of St Grwst is on land which was donated in around 1170 by Rhun ap Nefydd Hardd, a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, specifically to build a new church so dedicated.
Llanrwst developed around the wool trade, and for a long time the price of wool for the whole of Britain was set here. The growth of the village in the 13th century was considerably aided by an edict by Edward I of England prohibiting any Welshman from trading within of the town of Conwy. Llanrwst, located some from that town, was strategically placed to benefit from this.
In 1276, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, seized the town, declaring the Free Borough of Llanrwst independent from the diocese of Llanelwy. Although this was contested by the bishop, the borough retained its status both through the lifetime of Llywelyn and later through the efforts of Aberconwy Abbey, which ripped down banners related to the bishopric or to Edward I of England. A century later, after the monastery moved to Maenan Abbey, the town had its own coat of arms and flag, the origin of the local motto "Cymru, Lloegr a Llanrwst". This motto, a testament to this apparent independence, has now become synonymous with the song of that title by a local band, Y Cyrff. When the Llanrwst Almshouses & Museum Trust closed in 2011, it returned to the community the 12th-century Llanrwst flag, as an emblem central to the town's belief in its independence.
In 1610 Sir John Wynn of Gwydir had the historic Llanrwst Almshouses built to house poor people of the parish. The buildings closed in 1976, but were restored in 1996 with the aid of Heritage Lottery funding, reopening as a museum of local history and a community focal point. The museum held a collection of over a hundred items relating largely to the rural Conwy valley, and a number of items are associated with the renowned Llanrwst Bards of the late 19th century; it closed as a museum in 2011, but reopened in 2013 as the new council chamber.
Grade I-listed Pont Fawr, a narrow, three-arched stone bridge said to have been designed by Inigo Jones, was built in 1636 by Sir Richard Wynn of Gwydir Castle. The bridge connects the town with Gwydir, a manor house dating from 1492, the 15th-century courthouse known as Tu Hwnt i'r Bont and also with the road from nearby Trefriw.
In 1947, allegedly, Llanrwst Town Council unsuccessfully sought a seat on the United Nations Security Council, as an independent state within Wales. There is no confirmation of this in the United Nations Security Council minutes available online..
Llanrwst hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1951, 1989 and 2019.

Geography

Llanrwst lies between above sea level on the eastern bank of the River Conwy. The A470 trunk route between North and South Wales runs through the town, where it is joined by the A548 main road from Rhyl, Prestatyn and Chester. To the south-west of the town is the Gwydir Forest. On the hills above is the Moel Maelogan wind farm; the electricity generated by these turbines is sent to the town's sub-station.

Governance

Llanrwst was the name of the electoral ward to Gwynedd County Council between 1973 and 1996, electing one county councillor.
Llanrwst is now divided into two electoral wards, Gower and Crwst, each electing a councillor to Conwy County Borough Council. In 2017, Plaid Cymru's Aaron Wynne was elected to the Crwst ward on Conwy County Borough Council at 20 years of age, making him Wales's youngest county councillor and Conwy County Borough Council’s youngest ever elected member. The town also elects councillors to Llanrwst Town Council.

Demography

In the 2011 census the town population was put at 3,323, 61 per cent being Welsh speakers. At one time Llanrwst was the Wales's eighth largest town, with a higher population than Cardiff. The change in the town population in the 19th and 20th centuries appears in the chart below.

Transport

Llanrwst is served by two railway stations, Llanrwst and North Llanrwst, on the Conwy Valley Line. It was originally envisaged that the railway would pass closer to the river, and the Victoria Hotel was built opposite the bridge in anticipation of this. Had the railway line been built on the west bank of the River Conwy, as originally planned, it is unlikely that Llanrwst would have achieved its present status.

Education

, previously Llanrwst Grammar School, is a bilingual secondary school with about 790 pupils. According to the latest inspection report by Estyn, the school has a GCSE pass rate of 71 per cent. This puts the school in equal 24th place, just outside the top 10 per cent of secondary schools in Wales. It is also the second best-performing secondary school in Conwy, behind Eirias High School in Colwyn Bay.
There is a Christian-based youth club in Seion Chapel called Clwb Cyfeillion.

Sport

Llanrwst is home to Llanrwst United FC, which has two senior teams. The first plays in the Welsh Alliance League and the reserve team in Clwyd League Division 2. The club also has a junior section: Llanrwst United Juniors has eight teams and plays in the Aberconwy and Colwyn League. Llanrwst Cricket Club plays in the North Wales Premier Cricket League. Since 2012, there has been an annual half marathon around the town.

Notable people

In birth order: