Cwm Penmachno (historically called Tre-Gynwal) is a village at the head of
Cwm Machno in
North Wales
, area_land_km2 = 6,172
, postal_code_type = Postcode
, postal_code = LL, CH, SY
, image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg
, map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...
.
History
The village was built in the 1860s as a quarry settlement. The
Penmachno quarry
The Penmachno quarry (also known as Cwm Machno quarry, Rhiwfachno quarry, or Tan-y-Rhiw quarry) was a slate quarry near Cwm Penmachno, Conwy, North Wales. It was directly below the Rhiwbach Quarry. It was worked between 1818 and 1962.
Hist ...
lay immediately south and above the settlement. Higher up the valley was the
Rhiwbach slate quarry, which was formerly linked by the
Rhiwbach Tramway
The Rhiwbach Tramway was a Welsh industrial, narrow gauge railway connecting the remote slate quarries east of Blaenau Ffestiniog with the Ffestiniog Railway. It was in use by 1862, and remained so until progressively closed between 1956 a ...
to the
Ffestiniog Railway
The Ffestiniog Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Ffestiniog) is a heritage railway based on narrow-gauge, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park.
The railway is roughly long an ...
at
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town in Gwynedd, Wales. Once a slate mining centre in historic Merionethshire, it now relies much on tourists, drawn for instance to the Ffestiniog Railway and Llechwedd Slate Caverns. It reached a population of 12,00 ...
.
Streams flow from the steep-sided valley, forming the source of the
River Machno
River Machno ( cy, Afon Machno) is a river in Snowdonia in north-west Wales. It is the first major tributary of the River Conwy, which it joins south of Betws-y-coed, past the Pandy Falls and the Machno Falls.
It has its source in the slopes at ...
, which flows through the larger village of
Penmachno
Penmachno is a village in the isolated upland Machno valley, south of Betws-y-Coed in the county of Conwy, North Wales. The B4406 road runs through part of the village. The village is at the confluence of the Glasgwm and Machno rivers. It has ...
before joining the
River Conwy
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, image = Boats in River Conwy.jpg
, image_size = 300
, image_caption = Boats in the river estuary at Conwy
, map =
, map_size =
, map_caption =
, push ...
south of
Betws-y-Coed
Betws-y-coed (; '' en, prayer house in the wood'') is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located in the historic county of Caernarfonshire, right on the boundary with Denbighshire, in the Gwydir Forest. ...
.
Facilities
The village attracts tourists, particularly mountain bikers, kayakers, canoeists and walkers. The Penmachno Mountain Bike Trail starts at the car park located between Cwm Penmachno and Penmachno.
There is a community centre and Heritage Room in the village at the former Shiloh Chapel.
Situated near the end of the valley is
The Latymer School
The Latymer School is a selective, Coeducation, mixed grammar school in Edmonton, London, Edmonton, London, England, established in 1624 by Edward Latymer. According to league tables, Latymer is one of the top state-schools in the country.
Histo ...
's outdoor centre, Ysgol Latymer Outdoor Pursuits Centre (occupying the buildings of the former primary school). The school runs residential trips each year for year 7 and year 9 pupils, as well as various Geography and PE trips. The Latymer School purchased this centre in Snowdonia National Park so that its pupils could get to know each other better and to discover their individual skills.
File:Rhiw Bach Terrace - geograph.org.uk - 749540.jpg, Terraced housing built for quarry workers (Rhiw Bach Terrace).
Image:cwmpenmachno1969.jpg, Cwm Penmachno from the south (quarry in foreground), 1969.
File:The head of Cwm Machno - geograph.org.uk - 559910.jpg, The head of Cwm Machno, the village and quarry in the background.
File:Capel Shilo, Cwm Penmachno - geograph.org.uk - 750478.jpg, Capel Shiloh, Cwm Penmachno.
File:Ysgol_Centre,_The_Latymer_School_(London,_2005).jpg, The Ysgol Latymer Outdoor Pursuits Centre.
References
External links
Photographs of Cwm Penmachno Slate Quarry
Bro Machno
Villages in Conwy County Borough
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