Chwilog
| Chwilog | |
|---|---|
 The B4354 running through Chwilog | |
  Chwilog Location within Gwynedd | |
| Population | 640 |
| OS grid reference | SH433383 |
| • Cardiff | 156.72 mi |
| Community | |
| Principal area | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PWLLHELI |
| Postcode district | LL53 |
| Dialling code | 01766 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
Chwilog is a village in North Wales which was part of a former medieval commote, Template:Lang-cy; Eifionydd. The area was named after a 5th-century ruler on the Llŷn Peninsula. Today it lies in what is the Dwyfor Meirionnydd parliamentary constituency for the UK and also for the Dwyfor Meirionnydd Senedd constituency in Gwynedd, Wales. It forms part of the community of Llanystumdwy, near Criccieth.[1][2] The name means 'abounding in beetles' and was perhaps transferred from an earlier name of the river (or a part of it).[3][dead link]
It had a population of 640 in 311 households as of the 2011 UK census, with 78% born in Wales.[4]
Village
The village is fairly linear, built up around the B4354 which used to be a turnpike/toll road crossing the peninsula to Porthdinllaen. The Afon Wen or its original name Afon Carrog flows through the lower part of the village on its way to the sea at Afonwen, less than 1 mile (1.6 km) away.[5]
Y Lôn Goed
Nearby is Y Lôn Goed,[6] a tree-lined path, first nicknamed by the local population, then made well known due to its reference in "Eifionydd" a poem by R. Williams Parry. It was originally named 'Ffordd Maughan' (Maughan Way) after John Maughan, land commissioner for Sir Thomas Mostyn (1817-1828). It is a wide tree-lined avenue created in the 18th century for transporting lime from the coast to the upland farms of Eifionydd. The track is no longer used for this purpose but is now popular with walkers.[7]
Local halls (Plas)
During the 16th century, a residence named Plas Chwilog was established in the vicinity. The family was descendants of Rhodri, son of King Owain Gwynedd (c. 12th century), and also the Powys Fadog dynasty (12th - 15th centuries). The patriarch of Chwilog, Griffith Llwyd (Lloyd) was the son of Morris of Clenennau, Dolbenmaen. He founded the hall (Template:Lang-cy) near the village of Llanystumdwy. A son of Llwyd married a descendant of Hywel Coetmor, he had sided with Prince Owain Glyndŵr during the early 1400's Welsh rebellion.[8][9]
Near Chwilog is Talhenbont hall, a manor house (Template:Lang-cy) built in 1607, it is now a Grade II listed building. The property, formerly named Plas Hen, was inherited in 1870 by the future Baronet Hugh Ellis-Nanney of Gwynfryn and Cefndeuddwr. He became the owner of a 12,000 acre estate in North Wales surrounding Chwilog. As well as the Talhenbont residence, he owned the homes near Criccieth. Ellis-Nanney also inherited Bryn Hir and rebuilt the mansion Plas Gwynfryn before 1876.[10][11][12][13]
Amenities
Chwilog Primary School[14][15] was opened in 1908 by Margaret Lloyd George, wife of David Lloyd George.[citation needed] The village was built around the railway station on the Caernarfonshire Railway Line situated at the centre of the village, it opened in 1867 and has been disused since December 1964.[16] Local businesses include a butcher's shop,[17] and also a village pub. The Madryn Arms (est. 1868) had permanently closed in 2019 and has since been reopened as of 2021 by 5 locals.[18] There is also a tractor sales outlet.
,_Chwilog_NLW3363015.jpg)
,_Chwilog_NLW3363014.jpg)
There are two chapels in Chwilog, Capel Siloh, built in 1869 and altered in 1897. Also Capel Uchaf, the chapel is part of the west Gwynedd Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Wales.[19][20]
The village is served by one main bus route - the number 3 from Pwllheli to Porthmadog - and is run jointly by Arriva Cymru and Caelloi. On Mondays to Saturdays, there is also an hourly 3b service that runs on to Blaenau Ffestiniog until late evening. On Sundays there are six journeys each way per day and only up to 18.30.[21]
References
- ^ Lloyd, J. E. (2004) [1911]. A History of Wales; From the Norman Invasion to the Edwardian Conquest. New York City: Barnes & Noble Publishing, Inc. p. 238-239. ISBN 0-7607-5241-9.
- ^ "Dwyfor Meirionnydd". ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ Hywel Wyn Owen (2007). Dictionary of the Place-names of Wales. Ceredigion: Gomer Press. ISBN 978-1843239017.
- ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Chwilog population (W37000300)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "Chwilog, Gwynedd". walesdirector.co.uk.
- ^ "Y Lon Goed". mudandroutes.com.
- ^ "Lon Goed". rhosyddbach.co.uk.
- ^ John Edwards Griffith (1985) [1914]. Pedigrees of Anglesey and Carnarvonshire families, with their collateral branches in Denbighshire, Merionethshire, and other parts. Wrexham: Bridge books. pp. 218, 263. ISBN 0950828556.
- ^ Davies, R. R.; Morgan, Gerald (2009). "3". Owain Glyn Dŵr: Prince of Wales. Ceredigion: Y Lolfa. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-84771-127-4.
- ^ Williams, Philip Nanney (2016). Nannau - A Rich Tapestry of Welsh History. p. 369-371. ISBN 978-0-9955337-0-7.
- ^ "Records of Gwynfryn and Cefndauddwr". archives.jisc.ac.uk.
- ^ "Talhenbont, or Plas Hen (16870)". Coflein. RCAHMW.
- ^ "The history of Talhenbont hall". talhenbont.co.uk. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ "Ysgol Gynradd Chwilog". estyn.gov.wales.
- ^ "Ysgol Gynradd Chwilog". get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
- ^ "Chwilog Station". disused-stations.org.uk.
- ^ "Povey Butchers - Chwilog". poveybutchers.co.uk.
- ^ "Y Madryn". ymadryn.co.uk. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ Cadw. "Capel Siloh, Chwilog (21607)". National Historic Assets of Wales.
- ^ "Capel Uchaf, Chwilog". ebcpcw.cymru. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ "Bus timetables". gwynedd.llyw.cymru.
External links
- "Photos of Chwilog and surrounding area". geograph.co.uk.
