Clynderwen ( cy, Clunderwen; ) is a rural
linear village
Linearity is the property of a mathematical relationship (''function'') that can be graphically represented as a straight line. Linearity is closely related to '' proportionality''. Examples in physics include rectilinear motion, the linear r ...
and
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
,
historically
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
in
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...
in Wales, but administered as part of
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...
. It lies on the
A478 Tenby
Tenby ( cy, Dinbych-y-pysgod, lit=fortlet of the fish) is both a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the western side of Carmarthen Bay, and a local government community.
Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembroke ...
to
Cardigan road south of the village of
Llandissilio
Llandissilio is a village and parish in the community of Llandissilio West in east Pembrokeshire, Wales on the A478 road between Efailwen to the north and Clunderwen to the south. A largely ribbon development along the main road, the village is ...
and north of the town of
Narberth.
The village has its own
community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.
In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. In ...
of 10 members.
Name
Clunderwen, translating into English as "oak thicket", is named after an estate of the same name. On 1 April 2003, the village was transferred from the administrative county of
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...
to that of Pembrokeshire, following a boundary change between the counties. At the same time, a name change to Clunderwen was proposed to reflect the actual usage by the community council and on road and other signs.
History
The earliest known record of Clynderwen is in 1822: a mansion and farm of that name, the Clynderwen Estate, is to the east of the present village and may have dated back to the 17th century. Robert Frederick Gower, High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire in 1844, whose son
Erasmus Gower
Admiral Sir Erasmus Gower (3 December 1742 – 21 June 1814) was a Welsh naval officer and colonial governor.
Naval career
Gower, aged 13, joined the Royal Navy in 1755 under the patronage of his uncle, Captain John Donkley. He was present at ...
rose to the rank of admiral, owned Clyn Derwen (sic).
Clynderwen was listed in The Welsh Church Year Book of 1929 as having a Chapel of Ease in the parish of ''Llanfallteg with Clynderwen with Castell Dwyran'' and had been listed in the parish of Castell Dwyran since before 1850.
The village developed after the advent of the railway in 1854. The
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
(
West Wales Line) to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
from the ports of
Milford Haven
Milford Haven ( cy, Aberdaugleddau, meaning "mouth of the two Rivers Cleddau") is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has ...
and
Fishguard
Fishguard ( cy, Abergwaun, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,419 in 2011; the community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5,407. Modern Fishguard consists of two pa ...
passes through the village at
Clunderwen railway station
Clunderwen railway station serves the village of Clynderwen ( cy, Clunderwen) in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The station is unmanned. It is a request stop.
History
The South Wales Railway was extended from to on 2 January 1854, and among the origi ...
. From 1876 a light railway, the
Narberth Road and Maenclochog Railway
The Narberth Road and Maenclochog Railway was a Welsh light railway company in Pembrokeshire. Services started in January 1876.
Route
The line ran from Clynderwen (formerly Narberth Road) on the Great Western Railway via Maenclochog to Rosebu ...
ran from Clynderwen to
Rosebush slate quarries via
Maenclochog
Maenclochog () is a village, parish and community in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales. It is also the name of an electoral ward comprising a wider area of four surrounding communities. Maenclochog Community includes the small settlement of Ll ...
. The line was closed to passengers in 1937 and to freight in 1949.
The railway encouraged the development of the local economies and Clynderwen became a focus for agricultural produce and livestock shipment. Clynderwen and Cardiganshire Farmers cooperative opened its first branch in the village in 1904, the first of 22 covering much of Wales. The cooperative was a prime mover in a number of agricultural advances and projects beneficial to the farming community particularly during the depression in the 1920s and the technical revolutions after World War 2. The Clunderwen Agricultural Society was established in 1911 and held an annual show until 1963 and from 1979 to the present. The Clunderwen Young Farmers Club, established 1929, was the first in Wales.
The village was notable for the efforts of the James brothers who in 1913 were the first men in Pembrokeshire to build and fly their own aircraft.
There are 18
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
structures in the community.
Education
Clynderwen is home to Redhill High School, an independent co-educational secondary school, associated with Redhill Preparatory School at Haverfordwest. The school occupies the historic building of Clynderwen House, and opened in 2018, teaching up to year 13 with a maximum class size of 20.
References
External links
(NOTE: A search on Wikimedia Commons for Clunderwen provides more uncategorised images)
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Villages in Pembrokeshire
Communities in Pembrokeshire