Pontlliw (
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 ...
spelling: ''Pont-lliw'') is a village in the
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, tow ...
of
Pontlliw and Tircoed
Pontlliw and Tircoed is a community and electoral ward in the north of the City and County of Swansea, Wales. It includes the villages of Pontlliw and Tircoed.
According to the 2011 UK Census Pontlliw and Tircoed had a population of 2,529.
Gove ...
, part of the
City and County 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 ...
in
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 ...
. The village is located near
Pontarddulais
Pontarddulais (), also known as Pontardulais (), is both a community and a town in Swansea, Wales. It is northwest of the city centre. The Pontarddulais ward is part of the City and County of Swansea. Pontarddulais adjoins the village of Hendy ...
, off Junction 47 of the
M4 motorway
The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely ...
.
The name of the village comes from 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 ...
word for bridge (''pont'') and the name of the River Lliw which runs through the village.
The Pontlliw and Tircoed community has an elected community council and has a population of 2,075. The village itself had a population of around 1,645 in 2011.
Pontlliw has a primary school, as well as a number of small businesses such as a newsagent, Post Office, a public house - The Buck and two restaurants - Bella's and Rasoi.
Pontlliw has one active chapel, Carmel Baptist, which runs activities throughout the week in both Welsh and English.
The village also is home to Pontarddulais Golf Club - which lies within the boundaries of Pontlliw despite its name featuring neighbouring village Pontarddulais. The 9-hole course opened in the 1990s under the name Allt y Graban.
Pontlliw Village Hall is regularly used to stage theatrical performances and concerts as well as classes run by local groups.
History
The village's roots date back to 1740 when the Lliw Forge was in operation. The forge was developed by a descendant of the Huguenots and was located to make use of the water discharged from a mill wheel. By the 19th century the village was just a mere collection of a few houses.
![1900map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/1900map.jpg-for-web-LARGE.jpg)
In 1908, work began on the construction of a railway line through the village by The Great Western Railway Company. As a result the population of the village began to grow and saw the building of new churches and chapels. In 1809, a mansion named the 'Friedrichsruh' was built by wealthy Austrian F.W.Dahne - the property was later renamed The Poplars.
The local school opened in 1913 and the village's further expansion the erection of The Village Hall - which opened in December 1934.
The building of more houses throughout Pontlliw saw the village grow in size and its semi-rural location combined with its good access to the M4 made it a popular place to live.
Education
![Pontlliwschool](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Pontlliwschool.jpg)
Pontlliw has one school - Pontlliw Primary School, which first opened in the 1910s. There are approximately 200 pupils at the school aged 3-11. The building comprises two blocks - the older main school - and a newer bloc - where nursery, reception and infants are taught. The school's headteacher as of July 2022 is Mrs Alison Norman - who succeeded former headteacher Mr Wynford Harris in 2013. Mr Harris was the school's longest ever serving headteacher - having held the post for 25 years and 11 months. The school's mascot is a cartoon dog called SuperDog.
Transport
Bus
Pontlliw is served by one bus routes - the X13 Service (which runs between Swansea and
Ammanford
Ammanford ( cy, Rhydaman) is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, with a population of 5,411 at the 2011 census. It is a former coal mining town. The built-up area had a population of 7,945 with the wider urban area even bigger.
Acco ...
) that is operated by
FirstCymru.
Rail
The village has a railway line running through it but no train station. The village's station operated briefly between 1923 and 1924.
Road
The lack of public transport means that the most common way to access the village is by car. The A48 runs through the village. And the
M4 motorway - which goes from
Llanedi
Llanedi () is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Once the name of a parish, Llanedi is now a community taking in the hamlet of Llanedi and the villages of Hendy, Fforest (suburbs of Pontarddulais) and Tycroes. The community popula ...
, Carmarthenshire, in the west, to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, eastward, is 1.5 miles away.
Sport
![Pontlliwfc](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Pontlliwfc.jpg)
The village has one sports team - Pontlliw Football Club. The team plays its home games at Pontlliw Park. Its home kit colour is green and the team plays in the
Carmathenshire League Premier Division.
Notable people
*
Gareth Roberts, the former
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 ...
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 ...
player
*Mark Jermin, stage school and acting talent agency owner.
References
External links
Pontlliwon Pontarddulais.com website
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Villages in Swansea