Gwalchmai () is a village on
Anglesey
Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...
in north
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 ...
, within the Trewalchmai
community
A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...
.
The community's population in the
2011 census was 1009. The village is considered to be named after the 12th-century court poet
Gwalchmai ap Meilyr, whose own name may be derived from that of the Welsh hero known as Gwalchmei ap Gwyar, who became the
Gawain
Gawain ( ), also known in many other forms and spellings, is a character in Matter of Britain, Arthurian legend, in which he is King Arthur's nephew and one of the premier Knights of the Round Table. The prototype of Gawain is mentioned und ...
of later
Arthurian
According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a leader of the post-Ro ...
legend.
Location
Gwalchmai is a village along the
A5 adjacent to the
A55, less than a mile from the Anglesey Show Ground and less than two miles from
RAF Mona.
Amenities and history
There are the remains of a windmill in the southern part of the village and a communications tower just north of the village. Llyn Hendref (''The Lake of Winter Dwelling'') is a small lake to the north-east. The village consists of two distinct parts, Gwalchmai Uchaf (Upper Gwalchmai) which is the south-east section and Gwalchmai Isaf (Lower Gwalchmai) which is the north-west section. On the village
clock
A clock or chronometer is a device that measures and displays time. The clock is one of the oldest Invention, human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month, a ...
are inscribed the names of the 29 people from the village who died in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and the nine who died in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. In 2015 the 90 year old memorial received a grant of £5,000 to be restored.
The local
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
team,
C.P.D. Gwalchmai, won the 2009–2010
Gwynedd League championship and were promoted to the
Welsh Alliance League
The Welsh Alliance Football League (formerly the ''Lock Stock Welsh Alliance Football League'', for sponsorship reasons) was a football league formed in 1984, and discontinued in 2020 following the reorganisation of the Welsh football pyramid for ...
.
Gwalchmai facilities include a village shop, a pub called the Gwalchmai Hotel, a mechanic / car sales business, a doctors' surgery, a church, two chapels, and a community hall. The village primary school is called Ysgol y Ffridd. Features near the village include a recycling centre, a stone quarry, Anglesey Showground, Mona Business Park, and Mona Airfield..
According to the 2001 Census the community of Trewalchmai had 898 people and 367 dwellings. The area retains a strong Welsh character with 75% of the ward population being recorded as Welsh speakers in the 2001 Census.
The ward (which includes Gwalchmai and Bryngwran) is represented on Anglesey County Council by Councillor Bob Parry OBE, who leads the Plaid Cymru Group. Trewalchmai Community Council normally meets on a monthly basis to consider local issues.
The village hosted several matches of the
2019 Inter Games Football Tournament, a replacement football tournament for the popular
Island Games
The Island Games (currently known as the NatWest International Island Games for sponsorship reasons) are biennial international multi-sports events organised by the International Island Games Association (IIGA). Competitor teams each represent ...
. The games were held in Gibraltar but due to lack of pitches there Anglesey was deemed to be a better host.
See also
*
St Morhaiarn's Church, Gwalchmai
References
External links
Gwalchmai on Multimap.comphotos of Gwalchmai and surrounding area on geograph
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Villages in Anglesey