Llysfaen 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, ...
in
Conwy County Borough
Conwy County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy) is a county borough in Wales. It borders Gwynedd to the west and south, and Denbighshire to the east. Other settlements in the county borough include Abergele, Betws-y-Coed, Colwyn Bay, Conwy ...
overlooking the north coast of
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 the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, and situated on the hill
Mynydd Marian
Mynydd Marian is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Conwy, Wales. It is also a hill reaching a height of 208 metres (682 feet), with a trig point, and views to Snowdonia. It has high limestone cliffs which are popular with rock climbers. Th ...
. For
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...
purposes, it is also a
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
. The community includes the
Peulwys estate of
Old Colwyn.
Introduction
Llysfaen located one kilometre (0.6 miles) inland, halfway between the coastal towns of
Abergele
Abergele (; ; ) is a market town and community, situated on the north coast of Wales between the holiday resorts of Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, in Conwy County Borough and in the historic county of Denbighshire. Its northern suburb of Pensarn lies ...
and
Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...
. Neighbouring villages include
Old Colwyn,
Llanddulas
Llanddulas is a village in Conwy county borough, Wales, midway between Old Colwyn and Abergele and next to the North Wales Expressway in the community of Llanddulas and Rhyd-y-Foel. The village lies beneath the limestone hill of Cefn-yr-Og ...
,
Dolwen and
Betws-yn-Rhos
Betws yn Rhos ('' en, Chapel house in Rhos'') is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales.
Betws yn Rhos is located about inland between the coastal towns of Abergele and Colwyn Bay. Until 1974 it formed part of Denbighshire, bu ...
. To its immediate west is
Mynydd Marian
Mynydd Marian is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Conwy, Wales. It is also a hill reaching a height of 208 metres (682 feet), with a trig point, and views to Snowdonia. It has high limestone cliffs which are popular with rock climbers. Th ...
, a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...
known for its
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...
and the rare dwarf subspecies of the
silver-studded blue butterfly, and
Craig y Forwyn is to the east. Llysfaen also overlooks the Irish sea, as well as
Kinmel Bay
Kinmel Bay ( cy, Bae Cinmel) is a seaside village in Conwy County Borough, north-east Wales. It is also an electoral ward to the county council and town council. The resort town of Rhyl lies just across the River Clwyd in the neighbouring coun ...
,
Rhyl
Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the historic boundaries of Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at the mouth of the River Clwyd ( Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd'').
To the we ...
, and the
Clwydian Range
The Clwydian Range ( cy, Bryniau Clwyd; also known as the Clwydian Hills; or simply the Clwyds) is a series of hills in the north-east of Wales that runs from Llandegla in the south to Prestatyn in the north, the highest point being the pop ...
.
The council ward, including the village centre and surrounding precincts, occupies 5.11 square kilometres (1,260 acres, 511 hectares). The community's
population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
has remained relatively static in recent times and was 2,652 at the census held in 2001.
The community is currently part of
Conwy County Borough
Conwy County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy) is a county borough in Wales. It borders Gwynedd to the west and south, and Denbighshire to the east. Other settlements in the county borough include Abergele, Betws-y-Coed, Colwyn Bay, Conwy ...
. However, it historically formed an
exclave of
Caernarfonshire
, HQ= County Hall, Caernarfon
, Map=
, Image= Flag
, Motto= Cadernid Gwynedd (The strength of Gwynedd)
, year_start=
, Arms= ''Coat of arms of Caerna ...
assumed by the surrounding
Denbighshire
Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...
in 1923; subsequent local government reorganisation saw it administered as part of
Clwyd (1974–1996).
The name, ''Llysfaen'' is
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 ...
for ''stone court'' (i.e. a court built of stone).
![Doris T - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Doris_T_-_geograph.org.uk_-_775457.jpg)
Throughout much of Llysfaen's recent history, many of its villagers worked at the nearby Llysfaen and Llanddulas
Limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...
from where
lime
Lime commonly refers to:
* Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit
* Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide
* Lime (color), a color between yellow and green
Lime may also refer to:
Botany ...
was shipped to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
or
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census.
Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830s, when the principal lando ...
using Raynes Jetty in
Llanddulas Bay.
Facilities
The village has a small number of facilities including a
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 ...
,
Ysgol Cynfran, accepting pupils from nursery age to 11; a
convenience store; the
mediaeval St. Cynfran's 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, ...
(see below); the
village hall
A village hall is a public building in a village used for various things such as:
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building which contains at least one large room (plus kitchen and toilets), is owned by a local ...
; a playgroup; three
parks, a small hairdressers and barbers, two telephone boxes, and two post boxes. There are two drinking establishments; one, which is also a restaurant- The Semaphore. The second is a
micro pub, M.A.S.H, which opened in recent years as part of Conwy Brewery.
A
mobile library
A bookmobile or mobile library is a vehicle designed for use as a library. They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service. Bookm ...
run by
Conwy Library Service also calls at the village every three weeks.
Llysfaen currently has a number of youth
football teams catering for ages from 7 to 18 and a men's team too. A majority of the teams' games are played on the village's Banana Pitch, so called because it dips heavily in the middle.
Llysfaen has a
bowling green
A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls.
Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...
which is home to a
lawn bowls
Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...
team and a
MUGA where netball, tennis and hockey is played.
History
![Llysfaen Church - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Llysfaen_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_25274.jpg)
The
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
of Llysfaen is
Saint Cynfran, who is traditionally believed to have, in 777, founded the eponymous church in the village, above whose entrance is a carving in rock of the saint. The primary school is also named after Cynfran.
In the 1254
Norwich Taxation
Annates ( or ; la, annatae, from ', "year") were a payment from the recipient of an ecclesiastical benefice to the ordaining authorities. Eventually, they consisted of half or the whole of the first year's profits of a benefice; after the appropr ...
, Llysfaen was recorded as ''Ecc'a de Llesvaen'', and in the 1291 taxation as ''Rectoria di Lisnaen'' and taxed at £4.
St. Cynfran's church has been rebuilt a number of times; the current twin-
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
d building is said to date from 1377 but is believed to incorporate stones from the original church. In 1870, the building was the subject of an extensive £1,950 internal restoration with only a few panels remaining from the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, although the mediaeval stone walls remain. The rectilinear
churchyard contains memorials going back as far as the 17th century. The churchyard is surrounded by a stone wall with
yew tree
Yew is a common name given to various species of trees.
It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Taxus'':
* European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'')
* Pacific yew or western yew (''Taxus b ...
s both in and outside the walls, and there is a holy
well
A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...
, the Ffynnon Gynfran, about 100 metres to the north.
The ancient
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 o ...
of Llysfaen was an
exclave of the
cwmwd
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 Wal ...
(equivalent to a
hundred
100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101.
In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...
) of
Creuddyn within the county of
Caernarfonshire
, HQ= County Hall, Caernarfon
, Map=
, Image= Flag
, Motto= Cadernid Gwynedd (The strength of Gwynedd)
, year_start=
, Arms= ''Coat of arms of Caerna ...
, and comprised the townships of
Isallt,
Isyffordd,
Pant (or ''Tre'r Pant''),
Penmaen and
Rhwngyddwyffordd. According to the
Royal Commission of the Welsh Church, the then parish had a population of 585 in 1831 rising to 1,489 in 1901.
The parish was originally slightly larger than today with an area of 1,772 acres (7.17 square kilometres) in the 1840s. In 1872, part of the parish was lost to
Colwyn
Colwyn was a local government district with borough status from 1974 to 1996, being one of six districts in the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales.
History
The borough was created on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. It cover ...
but the township of
Twynnan was gained from
Llanelian-yn-Rhos. Around 1910 the parish had increased to 1,879 acres (7.6 square kilometres).
In 1873, the local lime quarrying firm, Raynes & Co. Ltd, was established by James Trevelyan Raynes II to make
sodium carbonate and
limestone dust for use in
glass
Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling ( quenching ...
manufacture.
20th century
*1923, the parish of Llysfaen was moved from
Caernarfonshire
, HQ= County Hall, Caernarfon
, Map=
, Image= Flag
, Motto= Cadernid Gwynedd (The strength of Gwynedd)
, year_start=
, Arms= ''Coat of arms of Caerna ...
(of which it had been an
exclave) to the surrounding
Denbighshire
Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...
.
*1927,
United Alkali Company Ltd took over Raynes & Co. and were then purchased themselves in the same year by
Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI).
*1931,
Llysfaen railway station
Llysfaen railway station was located in Colwyn, Denbighshire, North Wales, situated between the Old Colwyn to the west and the sea to the north.
History
Opened 1 August 1862 by the London and North Western Railway, it was served by what is ...
closed, but the signal box was not removed until 1983 as it served sidings used by the ICI lime works.
*1972, the church was subject to another restoration.
*1974, the vast majority of the county of
Denbighshire
Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...
including Llysfaen was assumed by the larger
Clwyd with Llysfaen also becoming part of the borough of
Colwyn
Colwyn was a local government district with borough status from 1974 to 1996, being one of six districts in the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales.
History
The borough was created on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. It cover ...
.
*1996, as part of the reorganisation of Wales into
unitary authorities
A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governme ...
, Llysfaen became part of the
county borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent te ...
of
Conwy
Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on ...
.
Governance
A Llysfaen
electoral ward exists, coterminous with the boundaries of Llysfaen community. One county councillor is elected to
Conwy County Borough Council
Conwy County Borough Council ( cy, Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy) is the local authority for Conwy County Borough, one of the principal areas of Wales.
History
Conwy County Borough was created in 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 199 ...
. At the May 2017 election the seat changed hands, being won by the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
from
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
, who had held the seat since the first election in 1995.
Llysfaen also elects community councillors to represent them on Llysfaen Community Council, from the community wards of Peulwys and Upper Llysfaen.
Home
Llysfaen Community Council website. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
References
External links
A Vision of Britain Through Time
British Listed Buildings
Genuki
Llysfaen Weather Station
Office for National Statistics
{{authority control
Villages in Conwy County Borough
Communities in Conwy County Borough
Wards of Conwy County Borough