Old Colwyn ( cy, Hen Golwyn, formerly Colwyn bilingually) is a large village just to the east of

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 ...

, 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 ...

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 ...

. Prior to local government reorganisation in April 1974 it was part of the

Municipal Borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

of Colwyn Bay, but the reorganisation established it as a separate

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, ...

, whose

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 ...

at the 2001

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

was 7,626, increasing to 8,113 at the 2011 census. It hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1941. It also harbours the 3rd Colwyn Bay (Old Colwyn) Scout Group headquarters and is home to the area's comprehensive school, Ysgol Bryn Elian.

Amenities

Old Colwyn has an area of

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...

called the 'Fairy Glen'. This area of woodland is said to contain many different spirits including fairies, hence its name, which dates from the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

and is a common name from that period (e.g. the "Fairy Glen" in

Penmaenmawr Penmaenmawr (, ) is a town and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, which was formerly in the parish of Dwygyfylchi and the traditional county of Caernarfonshire. It is on the North Wales coast between Conwy and Llanfairfechan and was a ...

). This area has recently undergone a regeneration with funding from the council and it is now possible to walk through it easily. The Fairy Glen is subject to an ownership dispute between

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 ...

and the water company, Dŵr Cymru, each claiming that the maintenance of the area is the responsibility of the other. Old Colwyn was once overlooked by the Hotel 70 Degrees, (just above Tan-y-Lan) so named because the architect who designed it used 70 degree angles in its construction. Built in 1972, it was demolished in 2007, to be replaced by a housing development. It also has easy access onto the promenade and beach, as well as a protruded cliff area known as Penmaenhead, marked by a disused stone utility house. This is a popular spot amongst teenagers for the dangerous practice of "

cliff jumping Cliff jumping is jumping off a cliff as a form of sport. When done without equipment, it may be also known as tombstoning. It forms part of the sport of coastal exploration or "coasteering". When performed with a parachute, it is known as BASE ju ...

" when tide is in and the water is deep enough, though to date nobody has been hurt.

History

In 1334, the village was mentioned in a government survey as "Coloyne".
Colwyn Bay Heritage Online In 1685, the village was known as "Colwun" and had a population of twenty. Following the

Census Act 1800 The Census Act 1800also known as the Population Act 1800(citation 41 Geo. III c.15) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which enabled the first Census of England, Scotland and Wales to be undertaken. The census was carried out in 1801 ...

, Colwyn had a population of 150 with twenty-three cottages, twelve farms and two inns. During the nineteenth century, the village of Colwyn became increasingly known as "Old Colwyn" to distinguish it from the newly formed town of

(initially called "New Colwyn") to the west. In 1884,

Old Colwyn railway station Old Colwyn railway station was located in Colwyn, Denbighshire, North Wales, situated between the town to the south and the sea to the north. History The station was opened 9 April 1884 by the London and North Western Railway, it was served by ...

opened (briefly initially named "Colwyn railway station") on the North Wales Coast Line. In December 1952, the railway station closed; however, both the line and a street called "Station Road" remain. Since 1984,with the exception of a two-year period, 1992–1994, when the

Football Association of Wales The Football Association of Wales (FAW; cy, Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru) is the governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Welsh national football team, its corresponding women's team, as well as the Welsh ...

prohibited their playing games in Wales whilst competing in the English football league system Colwyn Bay Football Club's ground has been situated on Llanelian Road, Old Colwyn.

Former tramway

The

Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway The Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway operated an electric tramway service between Llandudno and Rhos-on-Sea from 1907 and extended to Colwyn Bay in 1908. The service closed in 1956. History The Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Light Railway ...

operated an electric tramway service between Llandudno and

Rhos-on-Sea Rhos-on-Sea ( cy, Llandrillo-yn-Rhos) is a seaside resort and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The population was 7,593 at the 2011 census. It adjoins Colwyn Bay and is named after the Welsh kingdom of Rhos established there in late ...

from 1907 and extended to

in 1908. The service closed in 1956.''The Golden Age of Tramways''. Published by Taylor and Francis.

Education

Old Colwyn has one infant school (Ysgol T. Gwyn Jones), one primary school
Ysgol Hen Golwyn
, and one secondary school ( Ysgol Bryn Elian).

Notes

References

External links

A Vision of Britain Through Time

British Listed Buildings

Geograph

Office for National Statistics
{{authority control Towns in Conwy County Borough Populated coastal places in Wales