Brynrefail (also Bryn-yr-Efail) is a small village in

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The village is in the

Arfon (UK Parliament constituency) Arfon was a Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, constituency in Wales represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament at Palace of Westmins ...

and the

Gwynedd Council Gwynedd Council, which calls itself by its Welsh name , is the governing body for the county of Gwynedd, one of the principal areas of Wales. The council administrates internally using the Welsh language. History The county of Gwynedd was c ...

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

Penisa'r Waun Penisa'r-waun is a small village which is located 4 miles to the east of Caernarfon and a mile to the northeast of Llanrug on the A4244 in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. Education The village includes a primary school, Ysgol Gymuned Penisarwaun, tha ...

. It is close to the northern shore of

Llyn Padarn Llyn Padarn is a glacially formed lake in Snowdonia, Gwynedd, north Wales, and is an example of a moraine dammed lake. The lake is approximately long (about ) and at its deepest point is deep, and is one of the largest natural lakes in Wales. ...

lake. Along the main street there are mainly traditional terraced houses. Notable buildings include the village's

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

and the village's sole chapel, which is still in use. The village is protected from

Llanberis Llanberis () is a village, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activity, outdoor ac ...

and has a dedicated community beat manager.

History

In the 19th century, the village was built to house workers for the nearby Dinorwic slate quarry. It developed around the village's

forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to the ...

; the building that housed the

, built in 1776, still exists and has been converted into a cottage called "The Nook". Brynrefail's development may have also been influenced by the quarry railway between Dinorwic Quarry and

Y Felinheli Y Felinheli (), formerly known in English as Port Dinorwic, is a village and community beside the Menai Strait ( or ''Afon Menai'') between Bangor and Caernarfon in Gwynedd, northwest Wales. History Toponymy Etymologically, its name comes f ...

, which skirted around the village. The village was home to the

Ysgol Brynrefail Ysgol Brynrefail is a bilingual comprehensive school for pupils aged 11–18. It is situated in Llanrug in Gwynedd, north Wales. Most of the school's pupils come from the villages of Llanrug, Bethel, Llanberis and the surrounding rural areas. ...

before the campus was moved to the nearby town of

Llanrug Llanrug (or Llanfihangel-yn-y-grug) is a medium-sized village and community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It lies about to the east of Caernarfon, south of Bangor, Gwynedd, Bangor and northwest of Llanberis. It is the larg ...

in the 1960s. The school's site was cleared in the 1990s. In 2002, work began on a multi-use center called "Caban." Opened in 2004, Caban is home to a café, a meeting room, which doubles as the village's chapel, and 13 business units. The café was mentioned in the

Which? ''Which?'' is a United Kingdom brand name that promotes informed consumer choice in the purchase of goods and services by testing products, highlighting inferior products or services, raising awareness of consumer rights, and offering indepen ...

2008

Good Food Guide ''The Good Food Guide'' is a guide to the best restaurants, pubs and cafés in Great Britain. It was first published in 1951. In October 2021, Adam Hyman purchased ''The Good Food Guide'' for an undisclosed sum from Waitrose & Partners. The ''G ...

References

External links

Caban website

North Wales Police
{{authority control Villages in Gwynedd Llanddeiniolen Mining communities in Wales