Tal-y-Cafn (

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 ...

meaning : ''"place opposite the ferry-boat"'') is a small settlement 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, ...

north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

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 ...

, 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 ...

Eglwysbach Eglwysbach is a village and community in Conwy county borough, Wales. The village plays host to an annual Agricultural show and horticultural show in August, which includes displays of local cattle, sheep, heavy and light horses, showjumping a ho ...

. It lies in the

Conwy valley , name_etymology = , image = Boats in River Conwy.jpg , image_size = 300 , image_caption = Boats in the river estuary at Conwy , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , push ...

close to the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

settlement of

Canovium Canovium was a fort in the Roman province of Britannia. Its site is located at Caerhun in the Conwy valley, in the county borough of Conwy, in North Wales. Etymology The fort appears in the Antonine Itinerary as ''Conovio'' and in the Ravenna ...

Caerhun Caerhun ( cy, Caerhûn) is a scattered rural community, and former civil parish, on the west bank of the River Conwy. It lies to the south of Henryd and the north of Dolgarrog, in Conwy County Borough, Wales, and includes several small villages ...

, and was the site of a Roman river-crossing point of the

River Conwy , name_etymology = , image = Boats in River Conwy.jpg , image_size = 300 , image_caption = Boats in the river estuary at Conwy , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , push ...

. A

medieval 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, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

ferry, which operated from as early as 1301, was replaced by a steel bridge of rivetted plates and angles on piers of concrete and masonry in 1897. Originally a

toll bridge A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or ''toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road. ...

, it is now toll free, and is the only road bridge over the river between

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 ...

and

Llanrwst Llanrwst ('church or parish of Saint Grwst'; ) is a market town and community on the A470 road and the River Conwy, in Conwy County Borough, Wales, and the historic county of Denbighshire. It developed round the wool trade and became known als ...

. The present bridge dates from 1977-8 following severe rusting of the original structure. The chosen design by

A. M. Hamilton Archibald Milne Hamilton (1898–1972) was a New Zealand civil engineer, notable for building the Hamilton Road through Kurdistan and designing the Callender-Hamilton bridge system., and with the Callendar-Hamilton aeroplane shed of the late 1930 ...

is of interest, being a Callender-Hamilton type B10 bridge of unit construction and intended for rapid deployment in civilian and military applications. The pre-fabricated steel sections are hot-dip galvanised for protection against corrosion, and no part is too heavy for two men to carry. The piers of the old bridge were in perfect condition, and it was a stipulation that the footway be available for use at all times during reconstruction. It was therefore decided to adopt an unusual installation method, whereby the new bridge was assembled through and around the old bridge. Once completed, the new bridge was lowered onto the piers by cutting away piece-by-piece the old bridge. The bridge also carries water in a pipe from

Llyn Dulyn Llyn Dulyn ( cy, black lake) is a lake on the edge of the Carneddau range of mountains in Snowdonia, North Wales. The lake is in extent and 189 feet (58 metres) deep. Less than a kilometre to its south lies the smaller Llyn Melynllyn. Cliffs ris ...

and

Llyn Melynllyn Llyn Melynllyn (Welsh for ''yellow lake'') is a lake within the Carneddau range of mountains in Snowdonia, North Wales. It lies at a height of just over , and has an area of some . Cliffs rise steeply from its western edge, up to the summit of ...

in the

Carneddau The (lit. 'the cairns'; is a Welsh plural form, and is sometimes anglicised to ''Carnedds'') are a group of mountains in Snowdonia, Wales. They include the largest contiguous areas of high ground (over or high) in Wales and England (although l ...

mountains to the coastal town of

Llandudno Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2011 UK census, the community – which includes Gogarth, Penrhyn Bay, Craigsi ...

. Tal-y-Cafn is primarily known as the site of the Tal-y-Cafn Hotel, a former

coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of tra ...

located on the

A470 road The A470 (also named the Cardiff to Glan Conwy Trunk Road) is a trunk road in Wales. It is the country's longest road at and links the capital Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. While previously one had to navigate t ...

, and the adjacent

Tal-y-Cafn railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Tal-y-Cafn station (geograph 6529303).jpg , caption = Tal-y-Cafn station (July 2020) , borough = Tal-y-Cafn, Conwy , country = Wales , coordinates = , grid_name = Grid reference , grid_p ...

. A livestock market was situated to the south of the railway level-crossing where there was previously a goods siding and loading dock. Following the livestock movement restrictions brought about by the Foot-and-mouth Disease outbreak of 2001, the market did not re-open. The site is now occupied by a housing development. The shop and post office are also now closed, and demolished. The hotel, which closed in 2010, has been significantly rebuilt and re-opened under the name Tal y Cafn in the summer of 2016. Nearby lies

Bodnant Garden Bodnant Garden ( cy, Gardd Bodnant) is a National Trust property near Tal-y-Cafn, Conwy, Wales, overlooking the Conwy Valley towards the Carneddau mountains. Founded in 1874 and developed by five generations of one family, it was given to the N ...

, a

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

property set in . A modern

housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States a ...

development on the western bank of the river was the location of ''The Ferry'', a former

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

. This pub, popular at a time when alcohol could be served on a Sunday (which was not legal across the river),BBC website - Sunday drinking
/ref> suffered when the

Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881 The Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was one of the Licensing Acts 1828 to 1886. It required the closure of all public houses in Wales on Sundays. The Act had considerable political importan ...

was repealed.

References

External links

The Tal-y-Cafn Hotel, including a historyConwy Valley RailwayCallender-Hamilton lattice girder bridgeswww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Tal-y-Cafn and surrounding area
{{authority control Eglwysbach Villages in Conwy County Borough