Llanfair Talhaiarn ( cy, Llanfair Talhaearn), abbreviated to ''Llanfair TH'', is a village and
community approximately south of
Abergele in
Conwy county borough, Wales. Until 1974 it was included in
Denbighshire.
The village derives its name from the church ("Llan") dedicated to
Mary ("Mair", altered in this compound word to "Fair", hence "Llanfair"), that was founded by a monk called Talhaiarn from Valle Crucis Abbey (according to local legend). The original church has long disappeared.
The poet and architect John Jones (January 1810 – October 1869) was born at the Harp Inn (now known as Hafod y Gân) in Llanfair. He took the bardic name "Talhaiarn", and there is a popular misconception that this was the origin of the name of the village. However, the name of the village is documented long before Jones's birth.
The village is situated on the
flood plain
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...
of the
River Elwy (Afon Elwy). The
population was 979 in 2001, increasing to 1,070 at the 2011 census with 44% being
Welsh language speakers. The community includes the hamlet of
Moelfre, Conwy
Moelfre is a hamlet in the county of Conwy, North Wales, close to Abergele (3 miles north), Betws yn Rhos (4 miles west) and Llanfair Talhaiarn (3 miles south). A commercial fishing pond, some small places of accommodation, a small independent ...
and Moelfre Path near
Abergele Hospital
Abergele Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Abergele) is a community hospital in Abergele, Wales. It is managed by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
History
The facility was established by Manchester City Council to treat children suffering from tub ...
.
Llanfair is accessible from the Abergele to Llanrwst road via an ancient three arch bridge that spans the Elwy and leads directly into the heart of the village, where can be found two old pubs, The Black Lion and The Swan Inn.
About 100 yards north of the old bridge is a more modern bridge that carries the main Abergele to Llansannan road across the river.
Nearby is Mynydd Bodran, a 287 m (942 ft) hill which towers above the
River Elwy. From the hill are fine views of
Snowdonia and the North Wales coast. Other nearby hills include
Moelfre Isaf and
Moelfre Uchaf.
The village was once part of the estate of Garthewin. The first written records of Garthewin date to the fourteenth century,
but both that house and a later Jacobean house were replaced in the 18th century by the present building,
which was subsequently altered in 1930 by
Clough Williams-Ellis. It was from the 18th century until the late 20th the home of the Wynne family and notable for a private theatre constructed in the stables by R.O.F. Wynne which in the 1950s saw the first performances of several of
Saunders Lewis
Saunders Lewis (born John Saunders Lewis) (15 October 1893 – 1 September 1985) was a Welsh politician, poet, dramatist, Medievalist, and literary critic. He was a prominent Welsh nationalist, supporter of Welsh independence and was a co-found ...
's dramas.
[John Davies, Menna Baines, Nigel Jenkins a Peredur I. Lynch ''Gwyddoniadur Cymru'', Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru, 2008, , Page 553]
References
External links
A Vision of Britain Through TimeBritish Listed BuildingsGeographOffice for National Statistics
{{authority control
Villages in Conwy County Borough
Communities in Conwy County Borough