Llanelli ("

St Elli Saint Elli was a 6th-century Welsh saint, or possibly two saints. Llanelli in Carmarthenshire and Llanelly in Monmouthshire (formerly in Breconshire) are both named after Elli. There are traditions about a male saint Elli and a female saint Elli ...

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

"; ) is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

and the largest community 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 ...

and the

preserved county The preserved counties of Wales are the eight current areas used in Wales for the ceremonial purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty. They are based on the counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 and used for local government and othe ...

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was also the name of the area's county council and the name remains in use f ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. It is located on the

Loughor Loughor () ( cy, Casllwchwr) is a Welsh town in the City and County of Swansea, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Loughor. The town has a community (Wales), ...

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

north-west of

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 ...

and south-east of the county town,

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, ...

. The town had a population of 25,168 in 2011, estimated in 2019 at 26,225. The local authority was

Llanelli Borough Council The Borough of Llanelli was one of six local government districts of the county of Dyfed, Wales from 1974 to 1996. History The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of four former districts ...

when the county of Dyfed existed, but it has been under

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 ...

since 1996.

Name

Spelling

The anglicised spelling “Llanelly” was used until 1966, when it was changed to Llanelli after a local public campaign. It remains in the name of a local historic building, Llanelly House. It should not be confused with the village and parish of

Llanelly Llanelly ( cy, Llanelli) is the name of a parish and coterminous community in the principal area of Monmouthshire, within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire, south-east Wales. It roughly covers the area of the Clydach Gorge. The popula ...

, in south-east Wales near

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wi ...

. Llanelly in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia was named after this town of Llanelli, using the spelling current at that time.

History

The beginnings of Llanelli can be found on the lands of present-day Parc Howard. An Iron Age hill fort once stood which was called ''Bryn-Caerau'' (hill of the forts). Evidence suggests there were five hill forts from Old Road to the Dimpath. During the Roman conquest of Wales it is unknown whether the area of Llanelli was part of the

Silures The Silures ( , ) were a powerful and warlike tribe or tribal confederation of ancient Britain, occupying what is now south east Wales and perhaps some adjoining areas. They were bordered to the north by the Ordovices; to the east by the Dobunn ...

tribe or the

Demetae The Demetae were a Celtic people of Iron Age and Roman period, who inhabited modern Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales, and gave their name to the county of Dyfed. Classical references They are mentioned in Ptolemy's ''Geograp ...

tribe. There is evidence of a Roman camp near St Elli shopping centre but it is unknown when it was built, and it was completely abandoned shortly after construction either due to the Romans thinking the area was completely worthless or due to a raid by either rebellious local Britons or an Irish raid. During the post-Roman period, the area of Llanelli would be under the

Cydweli Kidwelly ( cy, Cydweli) is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales, approximately northwest of the most populous town in the county, Llanelli. In the 2001 census the community of Kidwelly returned a population of 3,289, inc ...

cantref in the

Ystrad Tywi Ystrad Tywi (, ''Valley of the Tywi'') is a region of southwest Wales situated on the banks of the River Tywi and possibly the River Loughor. Although Ystrad Tywi was never a kingdom itself, it was historically a valuable territory and was fough ...

ruled by local warlords. There is also evidence of Irish settlement, as there is a hidden Ogham Stone near the coastal path of

Pwll Pwll is a small coastal village, located between Llanelli and Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Description Pwll has a local shop, pet shop, Post Office located in The Blue Anchor (Wednesdays and Fridays 12:00 until 15:00), a few pubs, a stea ...

. During the early medieval period, it is said a saint named Elli, or Ellyw, who in legend is the son or daughter of King Brychan, established a church on the banks of the

Afon Lliedi The River Lliedi ( cy, Afon Lliedi) has its source near Mynydd Sylen Llanelli and Llannon in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The river fills the Cwm-Lliedi Reservoirs and meets the sea at the Loughor Estuary (Welsh-Moryd Llwchwr) at the former Carmarth ...

. The original church would have been a wooden or partly stone, thatched structure. According to early Welsh transcripts, the church of Carnwyllion, i.e. the mother church of the cwmwd, was at Llanelli. The current St Elli's Church dates from the 14th century although extensive restorations were completed in 1911. According to the

Red Book of Hergest The ''Red Book of Hergest'' ( cy, Llyfr Coch Hergest, Oxford, Jesus College, MS 111) is a large vellum manuscript written shortly after 1382, which ranks as one of the most important medieval manuscripts written in the Welsh language. It preser ...

during the

Norman invasion of Wales The Norman invasion of Wales began shortly after the Norman conquest of England under William the Conqueror, who believed England to be his birthright. Initially (1067–1081), the invasion of Wales was not undertaken with the fervour and purpose ...

Rhys Ieuanc and his uncle Maelgwn ap Rhys took the allegiance of all the Welsh of the

Kingdom of Dyfed The Kingdom of Dyfed (), one of several Welsh petty kingdoms that emerged in 5th-century sub-Roman Britain in southwest Wales, was based on the former territory of the Demetae (modern Welsh ''Dyfed''). The medieval Irish narrative, ''The Expuls ...

apart from one region. Cemais would not pay allegiance and thus Rhys Ieuanc and his uncle, Maelgwn ap Rhys, attacked and pillaged the area moving on to attack the castles at Narbeth and Maenclochog. At this time Rhys Ieuanc moved against Cedweli and Carnwyllion with his forces besieging and burning Carnwyllion Castle in 1215. Llanelli was industrialised in the early 19th century as the global centre for

tinplate Tinplate consists of sheets of steel coated with a thin layer of tin to impede rusting. Before the advent of cheap milled steel, the backing metal was wrought iron. While once more widely used, the primary use of tinplate now is the manufacture of ...

production. Lying near the Western fringe of the South Wales Coal Field, Llanelli played an important role in industry, with coal exported through three small docks along with the copper and tin produced within the town itself. Although Llanelli is not located within the South Wales valleys, coal from the Gwendraeth and the Loughor Valleys was transported to Llanelli for export. The Stepney Family and other prominent families (including the Raby family, Howard family and Cowell family), played an important role in the development of the town. Aside from industry, Llanelli is also renowned for its pottery, which has a unique cockerel hand-painted on each item. A collection of this pottery can bee seen at the Llanelli Museum in Parc Howard. Llanelli people are sometimes nicknamed "Turks", for uncertain reasons. One theory is that many Turkish sailors once called at the port on their voyages. Several communities nearby may be included colloquially in Llanelli.

Culture and language

National Eisteddfod

Llanelli hosted the

National Eisteddfod The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitors ...

six times between 1895 and 2014.

Welsh language

In the mid-20th century, Llanelli was the world's largest town in which more than half the inhabitants spoke a

Celtic language The Celtic languages ( usually , but sometimes ) are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic. They form a branch of the Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward ...

. It is ranked as the seventh largest urban area in Wales. According to the

2011 UK Census A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...

returns, 23.7 per cent of Llanelli town residents habitually spoke

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 ...

. However, the area around Llanelli is a Welsh stronghold, in which 56 per cent do so in communities such as

Llwynhendy Llwynhendy sometimes spelt Llwyn-Hendy is a village near the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin), Wales with a population of the 'Llwynhendy ward' which includes Llwynhendy, Cefncaeau, parts of Cwmcarnhywel, parts of Bryn and Pe ...

and

Burry Port Burry Port ( cy, Porth Tywyn) is a port town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, on the Loughor estuary (Moryd Llwchwr), to the west of Llanelli and south-east of Kidwelly. Its population was recorded at 5,680 in the 2001 census and 6,156 i ...

. During the 1950s, Trefor and

Eileen Beasley Eileen Beasley (4 April 1921 – 12 August 2012) was a Welsh teacher who, along with her husband Trefor, conducted a campaign of civil disobedience in the 1950s against the Rural District Council of Llanelli in a demand for council rate bills ...

campaigned to get Llanelli Rural Council to distribute tax papers in Welsh by refusing to pay taxes until their demand was met. The council reacted by sending in the bailiffs and selling their furniture to recover the money owed. The Beasleys' neighbours bought the furniture and returned it to them. The council finally reversed its policy in the 1960s, giving Welsh equal status with English.

Economy

In 1991 Llanelli was a distinct

travel to work area A travel to work area or TTWA is a statistical tool used by UK Government agencies and local authorities, especially by the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentres, to indicate an area where the population would generally commute to a ...

, but a 2001-based revision has merged it into a wider one of

Swansea Bay Swansea Bay ( cy, Bae Abertawe) is a bay on the southern coast of Wales. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan, River Kenfig and Clyne River flow into the bay. Swansea Bay and the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel experience a large tidal ...

Manufacture

Several firms, including

Tata Steel Europe Tata Steel Europe Ltd. (formerly Corus Group plc) was a steelmaking company headquartered in London, England, with its main operations in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The company was created in 2007, when Tata Group took over the ...

Trostre Pemberton is an area situated east of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is part of the Llanelli Rural (Welsh-Llanelli Wledig) community bordering Llanelli and the villages of Cwmcarnhywel, Dafen, Carmarthenshire, Dafen, Cefncaeau and the out ...

and

Dyfed Steels Dyfed Steels is a steel company based in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to ...

, are based in the Llanelli area and service the automotive industry. The

Technium Technium are a group of buildings in Wales that are part of the property portfolios of local authorities. They have attracted an increasing number of companies as tenants. Technium was originally an innovation programme by the Welsh Government. ...

Performance Engineering Centre was developed at Llanelli Gate as a business incubator for businesses in the automotive, motor sport and aerospace sectors. The traditional industries of Llanelli have gradually declined in recent decades. Local government has responded by seeking to attract tourism with developments such as the

Machynys Machynys, or Machynys Peninsula is a coastal area just to the south of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. In the nineteenth century an industrial community lived here working at the brickworks and tinplate works that occupied the site. When the ...

Golf Course, retail parks at Trostre and Pemberton, and the

Millennium Coastal Park The Millennium Coastal Park was originally a project undertaken by Llanelli Borough Council to transform a 12 miles stretch of industrial wasteland on the south Carmarthenshire coast into green parkland. The project was then taken over by Carmart ...

. The core shopping area has now moved largely from the town centre to the Trostre/Pemberton area.

Brewing

The longstanding

Felinfoel Brewery Felinfoel Brewery is a brewery based in the village of Felinfoel near Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The existing brewery building dates from 1878 (according to a date plaque on its south facade), constructed by local innkeeper (and iron and ...

continues in

Felinfoel Felinfoel (pronounced ) is a small village and electoral ward on the River Lliedi on the northern border of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, West Wales, with a population of about 2,000. The Felinfoel Brewery, home of Double Dragon Ale, is the oldest ...

, just outside the town. Rev. James Buckley was an ordained

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister, born in

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

in 1770, who after moving to Llanelli towards the end of the 18th century became involved in establishing a small

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

. After the death of the owner, Buckley gained possession of the brewery and changed its name to Buckley's. In 1998, the brewery was bought by

Brains Brewery Brains (S. A. Brain & Company Ltd.) is a regional brewery based in Cardiff, Wales. It was founded in 1882 by Samuel Arthur Brain. The company controls more than 250 pubs in South Wales (particularly in Cardiff), Mid Wales and the West Country. Th ...

, which transferred production to its facility in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. However, Brains continues to produce ''The Reverend James'', a

bitter Bitter may refer to: Common uses * Resentment, negative emotion or attitude, similar to being jaded, cynical or otherwise negatively affected by experience * Bitter (taste), one of the five basic tastes Books * '' Bitter (novel)'', a 2022 nove ...

named in Buckley's memory. Since then the Llanelli brewery has been partly demolished.

Leisure and tourism

In the past decade, the longstanding emphasis on heavy industry has shifted towards the tertiary sector employment in leisure and tourism. Ongoing developments include the new Llanelli Scarlets rugby stadium, the Old Castle Works leisure village (see below) and a National Hunt

racecourse A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...

Ffos Las Ffos Las is a rural area between the villages of Carway and Trimsaran, north of the town of Llanelli in the Gwendraeth Valley in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The Ffos Las area is named after a farm which had existed at the site before mining operati ...

near

Trimsaran Trimsaran is a community and former mining village which lies on the B4308 between Llanelli and Kidwelly, in the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire. Trimsaran is six miles (10 km) from Llanelli, and from Carmarthen. It is close to Burry Port ...

Machynys Ponds Machynys Ponds (Welsh: Pyllau Machynys) is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Carmarthenshire, Wales, designated in 1993 for its botany, botanical features. SSSI Machynys Ponds SSSI is located approximately to the south-east of Llan ...

, a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

notable for its

dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

population, lies a mile to the south.

Religion

Nonconformism

Grade II* listed Tabernacle Chapel, Llanelli (geograph 3055142)

From the early 19th to late 20th centuries, Llanelli was a major centre of Welsh

nonconformism Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

. At the end of the Second World War there were 22 chapels in the town of Llanelli, and their history was chronicled in a volume by the BBC journalist

Huw Edwards Huw Edwards (; born 18 August 1961) is a Welsh journalist, presenter, and newsreader. Edwards presents ''BBC News at Ten'', the corporation's flagship news broadcast. Edwards also presents BBC coverage of state events, international events, th ...

. Many of the chapels have now closed and others are in sharp decline, with only two or three likely to survive as functioning chapels in the 2020s. The most well known of Llanelli's chapels is probably Capel Als, where

David Rees David or Dai Rees may refer to: Entertainment * David Rees (author) (1936–1993), British children's author * Dave Rees (born 1969), American drummer for SNFU and Wheat Chiefs * David Rees (cartoonist) (born 1972), American cartoonist and televis ...

was a minister for many years in the 19th century. Llanelli had seven other Independent (Congregationalist) chapels, namely Tabernacle, Lloyd Street, Siloah, Soar, Ebenezer, Dock Chapel, and Park Church (the only chapel where services were conducted in English). The Tabernacle Chapel built in 1872–1873 by John Humphreys of

Morriston Morriston (; cy, Treforys ) is a Community (Wales), community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales and falls within the Morriston (electoral ward), Morriston ward. It is the largest community in Swansea county. Morriston is sometimes ref ...

overlooks the Town Hall. There is a prominent four-pillared

Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...

arcade at the entrance. The building was

Grade II* listed 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 ...

in December 1992. It is used as a venue by the Llanelli Choral Society. Other listed chapels include Bethel Baptist Chapel in Copperworks Road, Park Congregational Chapel, Zion Baptist Chapel at Island Place, and Hall Street Methodist Church. Situated on Waunlanyrafon, across the road from the police station, is the local Catholic Church, Our Lady Queen of Peace Church.

Church in Wales

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, ...

has a medieval tower. The body of the church was rebuilt by G. F. Bodley in 1905–1906. It 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 ...

. Several other churches in the town are also listed buildings, but made redundant by the Church in Wales and now in private ownership. They include

All Saints' All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are kn ...

and St Alban's.

Sport

Rugby union

The town's

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

teams – the

Scarlets The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...

competing in the

Pro14 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

, and

Llanelli RFC Llanelli Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Llanelli) is a Welsh rugby union club founded on 30 March 1872. The club's historic home ground was Stradey Park in Llanelli, but they moved in 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent Pembert ...

in the

Principality Premiership The Welsh Premier Division, () known for sponsorship reasons as the Indigo Group Premiership, (''Uwch Gynghrair grŵp indigo'') is a rugby union league in Wales first implemented by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) for the 1990–91 season. Compe ...

– play at ''

Parc y Scarlets ''Parc y Scarlets'' (, en, Scarlets Park) is a rugby union stadium in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, that opened in November 2008 as the new home of the Scarlets and Llanelli RFC. The ground replaced Stradey Park, the home of Llanelli's rugby teams ...

'', which opened in November 2008 in Pemberton. Previously they had played at

Stradey Park Stradey Park (Welsh: ''Parc y Strade'') was a rugby union stadium located near the centre of the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was the home of the Scarlets region and Llanelli RFC rugby teams. The stadium was a combination of s ...

, home to Llanelli RFC for over 130 years and one site used for the

1999 Rugby World Cup The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial international rugby union championship. It was principally hosted by Wales, and was won by Australia. This was the first Rugby World Cup to be held in the sport's professi ...

, hosting the

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Western Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); a ...

game on 10 October. Stradey Park is being redeveloped. The Welsh folk song " Sosban Fach" (Little Saucepan) is mostly associated with Llanelli RFC. Many rugby clubs have notable scalps collected from touring international sides, but on 31 October 1972, Llanelli claimed perhaps the greatest by beating the New Zealand All Blacks. The Scarlets side emerged 9–3 winners at Stradey Park. There is a strong junior rugby core, including club sides such as

, New Dock Stars,

Llangennech Llangennech (()) is a village and community in the area of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales, which covers an area of . It is governed by Llangennech Community Council and Carmarthenshire County Council. Llangennech is also the name of the count ...

and the Llanelli Wanderers. In 2005, Coedcae School won the Inter-Schools Cup of Wales with an 8–5 victory over Brynteg Comprehensive.

Rugby league

Llanelli's

West Wales Raiders The West Wales Raiders were a semi-professional rugby league club based in Llanelli, Wales. They competed in RFL League 1, League 1, the third tier of the British rugby league system, from 2018 until 2022. The club was founded in 2015 as an ama ...

play in the

Rugby Football League The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league in England, and until 1995 for the whole British Isles. The name Rugby Football League previously also referred to the main league competition run by the organisati ...

's League 1 competition. The club is based at

Stebonheath Park Stebonheath Park (''Welsh: Parc Stebonheath'') is a multi-use stadium in Llanelli, West Wales with a capacity of 3,700. It is primarily used as a football ground and is the home of Llanelli Town A.F.C. It was also used for athletics and Llanel ...

Association football

is the home of

football club A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...

Llanelli A.F.C. Llanelli Town Association Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Tref Llanelli) are a semi-professional Welsh football club that plays in the Cymru South. The original club was wound up on 22 April 2013 at the High Court in London following a ...

, which plays in the

Cymru South The Cymru South is a regional football league in Wales, covering the southern half of the country. It has clubs with semi-professional status and together with the Cymru North, it forms the second tier of the Welsh football league system. The fi ...

. The town has many active local teams and tournaments such as the 2018 Challenge Cup, where West End United beat Trostre Sports AFC.

Bowls

Llanelli hosts the annual Llanelli Open Bowls Tournaments, the oldest and most prestigious of which, the Roberts-Rolfe Open Singles event, has been run since 1926 and has a first prize of £600. The contests are held from July to September in Parc Howard.

Golf

The Llanelli area has two

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

s: the Machynys Peninsula Golf & Country Club which hosted the Wales Ladies Championship of Europe from 2005 until 2008, and Glyn Abbey Golf Club, which was named Welsh Golf Club of the Year 2009.

Snooker

Llanelli is the birthplace and home of Terry Griffiths OBE, snooker world champion in 1979 and runner up in 1988. Now a coach and snooker commentator, he runs The Terry Griffiths Matchroom in the town centre.

Media

Llanelli is home to Tinopolis, one of Britain's largest independent media producers. It has subsidiaries that produce over 2,500 hours of broadcast television, including English language programmes such as ''Question Time (TV series), Question Time'' for the BBC and Welsh language, Welsh-language television programs such as ''Wedi 7'' for S4C. Coverage of local affairs appears in two papers, the ''Llanelli Star'' founded in 1909 and Llanelli Herald launched in 2015. Online coverage is found on ''Llanelli Online''. The main county-wide radio station is Radio Carmarthenshire. Other radio stations covering the area are 96.4 The Wave, The Wave, Greatest Hits Radio South Wales, Easy Radio, Radio BGM, which serves the Prince Philip Hospital and the local community online, and regional station Heart Wales, Heart South Wales.

Local attractions

Some local attractions include: *The Millennium Coastal Path along of coastline from

to Pembrey offers views of the Gower Peninsula and the opportunity of traffic-free cycling. *WWT Llanelli Wetland Centre, about east of Llanelli, near

and Bynea, is one of ten wetland nature reserves managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. * Llanelly House is an example of an early 18th-century Georgian architecture, Georgian Townhouse, town house. Located directly opposite the

, it is currently in a poor state of repair, but the town council recently bought it with an eye to civic engagement, civic and public use. It was built for Thomas Stepney, the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Carmarthenshire, in 1714. John Wesley, the early leader of the Methodist movement, stayed there several times. It also featured in the first series of the BBC television show, ''Restoration (TV series), Restoration''.Llanelli House
*Parc Howard Museum is set in the grounds of Parc Howard. The museum houses a collection of Llanelly Pottery (so spelt), an art collection and material on the history of the town.

Leisure

The Ffwrnes Theatre opened in late 2012, replacing the Theatr Elli, which was part of the Llanelli Entertainment Centre. A multi-screen cinema opened in October 2012. Much is being spent on regenerating the central shopping district. Llanelli holds festivals, carnivals and events throughout the year. They include: *Welsh International Open, a competition of the World Bowls Tour (February) *Into the Future Festival — educational event about the environment and technology, organised by the county council (August) *Llanelli Big Day Out — pop and live music event (August) *Llanelli Beer Festival — official Campaign for Real Ale, CAMRA event (August) *Llanelli Christmas Carnival (November) *Llanelli Ramblers Festival of Walks, an annual walking festival, late Spring Bank Holiday weekend (May) *Llanelli Pride (first Saturday in August)

Transport

Llanelli is linked with the M4 motorway via the A4138 road, A4138 and with

via the Loughor Bridge on the A484 road, A484. It is served by regular bus services between

and

and a National Express Coaches, National Express service to London. Services from Llanelli railway station on the Great Western Crescent south of the town centre connect with Fishguard Harbour railway station, Fishguard Harbour and Swansea railway station, Swansea along the West Wales Line. It is the terminus of the Heart of Wales Line for Craven Arms railway station, Craven Arms and Shrewsbury railway station, Shrewsbury. There are daily Great Western Railway (train operating company), Great Western Railway services with Paddington railway station, London Paddington and regular services with Cardiff Central railway station, Cardiff Central and Manchester Piccadilly railway station, Manchester Piccadilly. The district is also served by stations at Bynea railway station, Bynea, Llangennech railway station, Llangennech, Pembrey & Burry Port railway station, Pembrey & Burry Port and Kidwelly railway station, Kidwelly. Llanelli is connected to the National Cycle Network from the north on NCR 43, and along the coast from the east and west on NCR 4. These routes link with a cycle path to the town centre. The nearest passenger airport is Cardiff Airport, away, although Pembrey Airport, Pembrey, , provides air charter services.

Education

Primary and secondary

The first

-medium primary school, Ysgol Dewi Sant (Llanelli), Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant, was founded in Llanelli in 1947. The English-medium secondary schools are St John Lloyd Catholic Comprehensive School, St John Lloyd, Bryngwyn Comprehensive School, Bryngwyn and Coedcae School, Coedcae; the only Welsh medium secondary school is Ysgol y Strade. St Michael's School, Llanelli, St Michael's School is a Public school (UK)#England, Wales and Northern Ireland, private school for ages 3–18. Ysgol Heol Goffa is a special school for pupils with disabilities.

Further and higher education

Coleg Sir Gâr (Carmarthenshire College), with its main campus at Graig near Pwll, provides a college education for most of the town's further education students and some vocational undergraduate degrees through the University of Wales. There are sixth form colleges at Ysgol Gyfun y Strade (Welsh medium) and St Michael's (English medium). Prince Philip Hospital has a postgraduate centre for medical training run by Cardiff University's School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education.

Government

Llanelli is in the Llanelli (UK Parliament constituency), Llanelli parliamentary constituency, currently represented by the Labour Party (UK), Labour party member Nia Griffith Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP), and by the Senedd constituency of Labour's Lee Waters Member of the Senedd, MS. Llanelli is run on a Community (Wales), community level by Llanelli Town Council and Llanelli Rural Council (depending on the area of town) and

at local government level. Llanelli Rural Council addresses some part of the town, but mainly the Llanelli Rural community. Llanelli's politics has been Labour-dominated for decades. Its geographical location has led to a sense of exceptionalism in relation to the rest of Carmarthenshire, which is dominated by Plaid Cymru. In reaction to this, there have been calls to reinstate the local government district of Llanelli either as a county or as the City of Llanelli. The community of Llanelli is bordered by those of Llanelli Rural, Llanrhidian Higher and Llanrhidian Lower, the last two being in the City and County of Swansea. Llanelli Borough Council, based at Llanelli Town Hall, was the area local authority until

became the unitary authority in 1996.

Twinning

Llanelli is town twinning, twinned with Agen, France.

Town areas

*Bigyn *Glanymôr *Llanerch *

*Morfa, Llanelli, Morfa *Tyisha *New Dock *Sandy, Carmarthenshire, Sandy *Stradey

Towns and villages near Llanelli

Current developments

Llanelli Waterside

Llanelli Waterside, a joint venture between

and the Welsh Assembly Government, aims to transform the waterfront into a business, leisure and residential community. There are two seafront housing developments under construction. Pentre Nicklaus Village, located on the Machynys, Machynys Peninsula has been criticised for being above the price range for local people. Pentre Doc Y Gogledd (North Dock Village) in the historic North Dock, Llanelli, North Dock area is nearing completion by the firm of David McLean.

Notable people

:''See :People from Llanelli'' Notable Llanelli people with a Wikipedia page in alphabetical order by section:

Art, media and entertainment

*Juliet Ace (born 1938), playwright and dramatist *Simon Armstrong (living), film, television and stage actor *David Brazell (1875–1959), opera singer and early recording artist *Ronald Cass (1923–2006), film writer and composer *Eleanor Daniels (1886–1994), stage and silent film actress *Huw Edwards (journalist), Huw Edwards (born 1961), BBC News chief presenter *Cerith Wyn Evans (born 1958) conceptual artist, sculptor and film-maker *Peter Anthony Freeman (living), author and storyteller *Jessica Garlick (born 1981), Eurovision Song Contest 2002 UK entrant and ''Pop Idol'' finalist *Gareth Hughes (1894–1965), silent film actor, born in Halfway/Pemberton *Julie Gore (born 1958), singer, songwriter, TV presenter and darts player *James Dickson Innes (1887–1914), artist *Deke Leonard (1944–2017), rock musician, author, raconteur and TV panellist *Elizabeth Morgan (actress), Elizabeth Morgan (born 1930), actress and writer *Terry Morris (artist and photographer), Terry Morris (born 1965), artist and photographer *Natasha O'Keeffe (born 1986), television actress *John Owen-Jones (born 1971), actor *Christopher Rees (born 1973), singer, songwriter and musician *Rachel Roberts (actress), Rachel Roberts (1927–1980), actress *Dorothy Squires (1915–1998), singer and second wife of actor Roger Moore *Donald Swann (1923–1994), of the Flanders and Swann duo *Huw Thomas (1927–2009), ITV News, ITN newscaster *Imogen Thomas (born 1982), ''Big Brother'' contestant and glamour model *Jeffrey Thomas (actor), Jeffrey Thomas (born 1945), acting star of ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' and ''Spartacus: Gods of the Arena''

Government and politics

*Robert Buckland (born 1968), Conservative Lord Chancellor *Michael Howard (born 1941), Conservative Party leader (2003–2005) *Lord Elwyn Jones, Baron Elwyn-Jones, Elwyn Jones (1909–1989), Labour Lord Chancellor *Sir Tom O'Brien (trade unionist), Tom O'Brien (1900–1970), Labour MP and trade unionist *Rod Richards (1947–2019), Conservative MP and leader in the National Assembly for Wales *David Thomas (educationalist), David Thomas (1880–1967), Labour organizer and trade unionist

Sports

Rugby Union

*Phil Bennett (born 1948), Wales national rugby union team, Wales and British and Irish Lions, British Lions *Jonathan Davies (rugby player born 1962), Jonathan Davies (born 1962), Wales in rugby league and rugby union *Ieuan Evans (born 1964), Wales and British Lions *Ray Gravell (1951–2007), Wales and British Lions, actor and broadcaster. *Carwyn James (1929–1983), Wales, coach of Llanelli and British Lions *Gareth Jenkins (born 1951), Wales, coach of Llanelli, Scarlets, Llanelli Scarlets and Wales *Barry John (born 1945), Cardiff, Wales and British Lions *Dwayne Peel (born 1981), Wales and British Lions *Derek Quinnell (born 1949), Wales and British Lions

Darts

*Jonny Clayton (born 1974), professional

Association football

*Wyndham Evans (born 1951), player, manager and commentator *Emyr Huws (born 1993), Wales national football team, Wales and Ipswich Town F.C. *Matt Jones (footballer, born 1980), Matthew Jones (born 1980), Wales and premier league footballer and manager *Kyle Letheren (born 1987), Plymouth Argyle F.C. goalkeeper *Byron Stevenson (1956–2007), Wales

Other sports

*Jeff Evans (umpire), Jeff Evans (born 1954), cricket umpire *Dai Greene (born 1986), 400m hurdler, world champion and IAAF gold medalist *Terry Griffiths (born 1947), world snooker champion (1979) *Neil Haddock (born 1964), boxer, British superfeatherweight champion *Evan Hoyt (born 1995), professional tennis *Edward Laverack (born 1994), professional cyclist *Flex Lewis (born 1983), bodybuilder *Melbourne Tierney (born 1924), rugby league *Eirian Williams (born 1955), snooker referee

Other categories

*Leslie Griffiths (born 1942), Methodist Church of Great Britain, Methodist minister and life peer *William Lloyd (British Naval officer), William Lloyd (1725–1796), Royal Navy admiral *Gwladys Yvonne McKeon (1897–1979), Llanelli-born Australian marine biologist *Sir John Meurig Thomas (1932–2020), chemist and science historian *Brian Trubshaw (1924–2001), pilot of first flight of British Concorde *Phil Prosser CBE, British army brigadier, Commander of 101 Logistics Brigade in charge of COVID-19 vaccine roll-out

References

External links

Llanelli Rural CouncilLlanelli Town CouncilLlanelli Town GuidePhotos of Llanelli and surrounding areaLlanelli Community Heritage - Promoting Llanelli's rich heritage
{{Authority control Llanelli, Towns in Carmarthenshire Communities in Carmarthenshire Populated coastal places in Wales Ports and harbours of Wales

Name

Spelling

History

Culture and language

National Eisteddfod

Welsh language

Economy

Manufacture

Brewing

Leisure and tourism

Religion

Nonconformism

Church in Wales

Sport

Rugby union

Rugby league

Association football

Bowls

Golf

Snooker

Media

Local attractions

Leisure

Transport

Education

Primary and secondary

Further and higher education

Government

Twinning

Town areas

Towns and villages near Llanelli

Current developments

Llanelli Waterside

Notable people

Art, media and entertainment

Government and politics

Sports

Rugby Union

Darts

Association football

Other sports

Other categories

See also

References

Further reading

External links