Ffairfach is a village south of the market town of

Llandeilo Llandeilo () is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. Its population was 1,795 at the 2011 Census. It is adjacent to the westernmost point of the B ...

in the eastern part 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. It is located close to the confluence of the Afon Cennen and the

River Towy 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 s ...

. Population is 516 according to 2017 census.

Etymology

The

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 ...

name for the village is ''Ffair-fach'' signifying 'little fair'. In the early 17th century it was recorded as ''Ffair fach yn Llandilo''. The 'large fair' took place in neighbouring Llandeilo. It was reportedly formerly known as Abercennen.

History

In the early 19th century Ffairfach was a fair sized village of about three dozen houses. It had a corn mill and a village inn, The Torbay Inn, which doubled as a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

s. The Tabernacle chapel was built in 1818, with a burial ground. Two fairs were held each year, one on 5 May and a cattle fair on 22 November. The Union Poor House was built about 1839. River Towy in Ffairfach

The stone used to build the nearby

Llandeilo Bridge Llandeilo Bridge (Welsh: ''Pont Llandeilo'') is a Grade II* listed road bridge crossing the River Towy in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It carries the main A483 road towards Ffairfach. History and description The single-arch bridge was de ...

(1848) was excavated from a quarry near the signal box at the side of the railway and immediately below Rock Villa at Ffairfach, after satisfactory tests for quality. The British School was established in 1858 near the Torbay Inn. The first schoolmaster was Mr. David Morgan, who later wrote ''The Story of Carmarthenshire'' (1908). The council school was built about 1899. A gas works were erected about 1860.

Railway

Ffairfach railway station Ffairfach railway station serves the village of Ffairfach, near Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The station is on the Heart of Wales Line north east of Swansea. The railway station is located next to the main road Heol Cennen, which crosse ...

lies on the

Heart of Wales Line The Heart of Wales line ( cy, Llinell Calon Cymru) is a railway line running from Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in southwest Wales. It serves a number of rural centres, including the nineteenth-century spa towns Llandrindod Wells, Llanga ...

which runs between

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

and

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 ...

. Ffairfach boasted two railway stations within 300 yards of each other, and a third station at Llandeilo was only a mile or so away. Passengers from the

Amman Valley Amman Valley may refer to: *The valley of the River Amman * Amman Valley Hospital *Amman Valley Railway The Amman Valley Railway Society ( cy, Rheilffordd Dyffryn Aman) is situated near the former Gwaun Cae Gurwen branch line, that runs alongsid ...

and

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, ...

usually alighted at the Ffairfach stations, as they would save 1½ pence on the return fare, which meant a great deal in those days. Also the distance from Llandeilo station to the church square was almost as far as it would be if they walked from Ffairfach. Three-quarters of the commerce of the town of Llandeilo at this time came from the south of the Tywi bridge; consequently Ffairfach became important, for rail and road passengers made use of the village as the first stopping place en route for Llandeilo. The first railway through Ffairfach was built by the

Llanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. ...

Dock Railway (Llanelli to

Llandovery Llandovery (; cy, Llanymddyfri ) is a market town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on the River Tywi and at the junction of the A40 and A483 roads, about north-east of Carmarthen, north of Swansea and west of Brecon. Histo ...

) in 1856. The second was built by the London North Western in 1865

to Llandeilo through the beautiful vale of the

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 sl ...

. The name of the station was Llandeilo Bridge.

Education

Ysgol Bro Dinefwr

Ysgol Gynradd Ffairfach

The village

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

was built in 1858. According to the latest Estyn report, there are 106 pupils on roll, including 14 full-time nursery age pupils. The school is categorised as a Welsh-medium school, with 37% of pupils coming from Welsh-speaking homes.

Religion

Tabernacle Chapel in Heol Cennen is an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

chapel dating from 1860 (replacing a previous chapel from 1817). The chapel is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Etymology

History

Railway

Education

Ysgol Bro Dinefwr

Ysgol Gynradd Ffairfach

Religion

Pubs

References

Further reading

External links