Ynystawe (also ''Ynysdawe'' in

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 ...

; ) is a village in the City and County of Swansea,

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 in the electoral ward of

Morriston Morriston (; cy, Treforys ) is a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales and falls within the Morriston ward. It is the largest community in Swansea county. Morriston is sometimes referred to as a distinct town (e.g. the local fo ...

. It is north of the M4 motorway junction 45 between

Ynysforgan Ynysforgan is a village in Swansea, Wales, between Morriston and Ynystawe, just off junction 45 of the M4 motorway The origins of its name are not known but ''ynys'' is Welsh for a river-meadow (i.e., an "island" – the main meaning of ''y ...

and Clydach in the

Swansea Valley The Swansea Valley ( cy, Cwm Tawe) is one of the South Wales Valleys. It is the valley from the Brecon Beacons National Park to the sea at Swansea of the River Tawe in Wales. Administration of the area is divided between the City and County of Sw ...

. The Welsh name ''Ynystawe'' or ''Ynysdawe'' derives from ''ynys'', meaning "island" or "river-meadow", and '' Tawe'', the name of the river running immediately to the east and which gives the Welsh name of Swansea, ''Abertawe''.

Geography

The village occupies the steep lower slopes of the otherwise largely green steep hill, Mynydd Gelliwastad, as well as the narrowest section of alluvial plain on the western side of the Swansea Valley. The lower plateau of Mynydd Bach, and Swansea Bay, can be viewed from its summit. The village is built around the B4063 road, towards neighbouring Clydach to the northeast. The River Tawe is diverted westwards below the village by the Glais moraine. This rare crescentic

terminal moraine A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front edge ...

is a relic of the southern edge of the ice sheet of the last glaciation, and can be seen from the upper parts of the village as a distinctive elevation of the valley floor.

History

A memorial stone to Hopcyn ap Tomos (ap Einion) of Ynystawe stands in Ynystawe Park. Tomos was a learned man who commissioned the compilation of the ''Llyfr Coch'' (Red Book), which brought together most of the great Welsh literature of the time into a single volume. This included Cymric (Welsh) prose and poetry as well as the so-called Mabinogion tales. The ''Llyfr Coch'' is considered to be the most complete and impressive collection of Cymric literature, and is housed in the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

's Bodleian Library. Tomos was considered to possess prophetic powers. For this reason, he was called to the court at

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, ...

by Owain Glyndŵr in 1403 to predict the outcome of the coming conflict between the Welsh and the English.

Education

Ynystawe Primary School is the only school in the village. It is a small English-medium school which is primarily a feeder school for Morriston Comprehensive School. Welsh-medium primary schools are available in the neighbouring villages of Clydach and Llansamlet.

Sport and leisure

The village has a public house named "The Millers Arms", situated on the main road near Ynystawe Park. Ynystawe Cricket and Football Club is a sporting-social club located on the periphery of the village. Ynystawe cricket team won the England & Wales National Village Cricket Championship in 2001. Ynystawe Park is a large open space comprising a children's play area, tennis and basketball courts, bowling green, skateboard ramp, and football and cricket pitches.

External links

Location of Ynystawe Park
{{authority control Villages in Swansea Swansea Valley