Llanfair-y-bryn is the name of a sparsely populated, rural community and Church in Wales parish in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Covering an area of some 95 km², it lies along and to the northwest and southeast of the A483

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 ...

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

road immediately north of the town of Llandovery. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 624.

Description

Two particularities of Llanfair-ar-y-bryn (English meaning: "St Mary's on the hill") are that *the community and parish contain no settlement of that name: in 1801 it comprised the hamlets of Rhandir Abbot, Rhandir Canol, Rhandir Isaf, and Rhandir Uchaf; today the principal settlements are

Cynghordy Cynghordy () is a village in the rural community of Llanfair-ar-y-bryn in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on the A483 road northeast of the town of Llandovery, and is served by Cynghordy railway station on the Heart of Wales Line The Heart of ...

and

Rhandir-mwyn Rhandirmwyn (or Rhandir-mwyn) is a small village in the north east of Carmarthenshire, Wales. Located in the upper Towy valley, 3 km north of Cilycwm village, it extends on both sides of the river. It lies in the parish of Llanfair-ar-y-bryn. ...

*the parish church was, until 1883, located one mile outside the parish itself, in Llandingad (Llandovery); in 1883 a new church (also called St Mary's) was opened at a more central location in Cynghordy. The area is served by trains operated between Swansea and

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

via Llandrindod Wells by Transport for Wales, which manages

Cynghordy railway station Cynghordy railway station () serves the rural community of Cynghordy near Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The station is on the Heart of Wales Line north east of Swansea and is located at street level at the end of a gravel track off a l ...

, a

request stop In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, st ...

on the Heart of Wales Line from Llanelli to Craven Arms. The community is bordered by the communities of: Myddfai; Llandovery; and

Cilycwm Cilycwm ( cy, Cil-y-cwm, ) is a village and parish located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The community population taken at the 2011 census was 487. Cilycwm lies on the west bank of Afon Gwenlais, a tributary of the Tywi, north of the town of Llan ...

, all being in Carmarthenshire; by Llanddewi Brefi in Ceredigion; and by: Llanwrtyd Wells; Llangamarch;

Maescar Maescar is a community in the county of Powys, Wales, and is 35.4 miles (56.9 km) from Cardiff and 148.7 miles (239.3 km) from London. It is in the historic county of Brecknockshire. Description The villages of Defynnog and Sennybrid ...

; and

Llywel Llywel () is a small village located on the A40, about west of Sennybridge in Brecknockshire (currently administered as part of the unitary authority of Powys), Wales. The Afon Gwydderig runs through the village, not far from its source. Llywel ...

, all in Powys.

The old parish church, Llanfair-ar-y-bryn

The original Church of St Mary stands a mile outside the parish on the northeastern edge of Llandovery, on the site of the Roman auxiliary fort of

Alabum The rectangular enclosure that defined this Roman fort was built in the 70s AD as part of the campaign to integrate southern Wales into the Roman province of Britannia Superior. It lay on a key road, now known as the Sarn Helen (RR69), from the ...

.CBHC/RCAHMW: Coflein
/ref> William Williams Pantycelyn (1717–1791), generally acknowledged as one of Wales's greatest hymn writers, is buried in the churchyard there, having been a resident of the parish for much of his life.

References

External links

*http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/CMN/Llanfair-ar-y-Bryn/index.html *http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/2056 {{coord, 52.04334, N, 3.73808, W, display=title, region:GB_type:city(500)_source:googlemaps, format=dms Communities in Carmarthenshire