The A484 through Cynwyl Elfed (geograph 4126481)

Cynwyl Elfed (; sometimes Conwyl and formerly anglicised as Conwil Elvet or Conwil in Elvet) is a village 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 ...

in the 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 ...

, Wales. The community includes the villages of Cynwyl Elfed, Blaenycoed and

Cwmduad Cwmduad (Welsh "Cwm" valley + "duad" blackness (river Duad, in English Blackcombe)) is a village in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. Location Cwmduad is located on the A484, just north of Cynwyl Elfed. The village is found at the confluence of t ...

. It is situated about north of

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

and had a population of 953 in 2001, increasing to 1,044 at the 2011 Census. The area around the village has yielded a significant number of Roman artefacts, including a statue of Diana. It was the most important centre of the

commote A commote (Welsh ''cwmwd'', sometimes spelt in older documents as ''cymwd'', plural ''cymydau'', less frequently ''cymydoedd'')''Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru'' (University of Wales Dictionary), p. 643 was a secular division of land in Medieval Wales ...

of Elfed in the Middle Ages. Standing Stone and Pasture - geograph

Cynwyl Elfed transmitting station stands on high ground to the north of the village.

Governance

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

of the same name exists. This ward stretches south to Newchurch and Merthyr. There is a

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 the same name and also the ward is represented by one councillor in

Carmarthenshire County Council Carmarthenshire County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin) is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It provides a range of services including education, planning, transport, social services and public safety. The counc ...

. The total population of this ward taken at the 2011 Census was 3,018. The community is bordered by the communities of:

Llangeler Llangeler () is a hamlet and community located in north Carmarthenshire, Wales. The name is believed to refer to St. Gelert. Llangeler parish covers a wide area including to the west, the textile village of Drefach Felindre, Waungilwen, Cwmpen ...

;

Llanfihangel-ar-Arth Llanfihangel-ar-Arth is a village and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. The area includes six villages: Alltwalis, Dolgran, Gwyddgrug, Llanfihangel-Ar-Arth, New Inn, Carmarthenshire, New Inn and Pencader, Carm ...

;

Llanpumsaint Llanpumsaint (; Welsh "Llan" church + "pum" five + "saint" saint(s)) is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. In the 2001 UK Census, Llanpumsaint community had a population of 595. It is not to be confused with Pumsaint, a small vil ...

;

Bronwydd Bronwydd is a village and a community in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated about three miles north of Carmarthen in the valley of the River Gwili. Bronwydd community comprises the village of Bronwydd Arms, a couple of nearby hamlets ...

; Newchurch and Merthyr; Abernant;

Trelech Trelech (Welsh: ''Tre-lech'') is a village in the parish of Tre-lech a'r Betws, Carmarthenshire, in south-west Wales. It is also the name of the community. Trelech is located some 10 miles north-west of Carmarthen and 6.5 miles south of Newcastle ...

; and

Cenarth Cenarth () is a village, parish and community in Carmarthenshire, on the border between Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, and close to the border with Pembrokeshire, Wales. It stands on the banks of the River Teifi, east of Cardigan and west o ...

, all being in Carmarthenshire.

River

The

River Gwili : ''For the river which flows into the River Loughor see Afon Gwili (Loughor)'' The River Gwili ( cy, Afon Gwili) in Carmarthenshire, is a tributary of the River Tywi, the longest river entirely in Wales. Its headwater is found east of Llanllaw ...

( cy, Afon Gwili) is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

River Tywi The River Towy ( cy, Afon Tywi, ) is one of the longest rivers flowing entirely within Wales. Its total length is . It is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing. Route The Towy rises within of the source of the River Teifi on the lower slo ...

, the longest river entirely in Wales. Rising to the east of

Llanllawddog Llanllawddog () is a community located in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2011 census was 703. Llanllawddog is bordered by the Carmarthenshire communities of Llanfihangel-ar-Arth, Llanfihangel Rhos ...

, in the

Brechfa Forest The Brechfa Forest is an area of forest in Carmarthenshire, south Wales. Brechfa Forest is the 'modern' name for part of the ancient Glyn Cothi Forest. From before records began in the 6th century the communities in the 15 villages which encircle ...

, it runs west, through

, to its confluence with the

River Duad A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wat ...

, just south of Cynwyl Elfed village. Then its course turns to the southeast, running through

before joining the River Tywi at

Abergwili Abergwili () is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, near the confluence of the rivers Towy and Gwili, close to the town of Carmarthen. It is also an electoral ward. The community includes the settlements of Peniel, Llanfihangel- ...

Railway

The

Gwili Railway The Gwili Railway (Welsh: ''Rheilffordd Gwili'') is a Welsh heritage railway, that operates a preserved standard gauge railway line from the site of Abergwili Junction (near Carmarthen) in southwest Wales along a section of the former Carmarth ...

(

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

: ''Rheilffordd Gwili'') is a Welsh standard gauge

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

from the former

Junction, near

, along a short section of the former Carmarthen to Aberystwyth railway that closed for passenger traffic in 1965. Based at Bronwydd Arms railway station, the Gwili Railway currently owns of the old railway line, which once ran past Cynwyl Elfed.

Roads

The

A484 List of A roads in zone 4 in Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European isla ...

is an A road from

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

to Cardigan, and runs through Cynwyl Elfed affording connections to

and the A40.

Amenities

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of St Cynwyl of the Church in Wales, founded in the 6th century, contains 14th century elements and a

barrel roof A barrel roof is a curved roof that, especially from below, is curved like a cut-away barrel. They have some advantages over dome roofs, especially being able to cover rectangular buildings, due to their uniform cross-section. Barrel vault ...

. It is a grade II* listed building. Cynwyl Elfed has a primary school.

Notable people

Howell Elvet Lewis Howell Elvet Lewis (14 April 1860 – 10 December 1953), widely known by his bardic name Elfed, was a Welsh Congregational minister, hymn-writer, and devotional poet, who served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1924 to 1928. ...

, the Independent minister, hymn-writer, poet, known as Elfed, was born in 1860. The house where he was born, 'Y Gangell' is to the west of Cynwyl Elfed near Blaenycoed and contains a small exhibition of his life.

Gallery

File:North part of Hermon, Cynwyl Elfed - geograph.org.uk - 1017404.jpg, North part of Hermon, Cynwyl Elfed File:Pasture above Cwmbele, Cynwyl Elfed - geograph.org.uk - 1017393.jpg File:Wooded Hillside - geograph.org.uk - 701907.jpg, Track to Maes-y-pwll, Cynwyl Elfed File:Saron, Llangeler - geograph.org.uk - 106692.jpg File:Chapel, Cynwyl Elfed - geograph.org.uk - 62681.jpg, Chapel, Cynwyl Elfed, with two doors on the front File:Chapel at Bwlchnewydd - geograph.org.uk - 738433.jpg, Chapel at Bwlchnewydd File:Troedyrhiw, Cwmduad - geograph.org.uk - 116056.jpg, Troedyrhiw, Cwmduad. Baptist Chapel built in 1869, and restored in 1906

External links

:
Photos of Cynwyl Elfed and surrounds
at Geograph.org.uk

Notes

{{authority control Communities in Carmarthenshire Villages in Carmarthenshire