Aberffraw | |
---|---|
The village from the east | |
Map of the community in Isle of Anglesey. | |
Location within Anglesey | |
Population | 597 (2021) |
OS grid reference | SH3568 |
Community |
|
Principal area | |
Preserved county | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | TŶ CROES |
Postcode district | LL63 |
Dialling code | 01407 |
Police | North Wales |
Fire | North Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
UK Parliament | |
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
Aberffraw [lower-alpha 1] is a village and community on the south west coast of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. The village is 9 miles from the island's county town, Llangefni, and is located on the west bank of the Afon Ffraw (Ffraw River). The community includes Soar and Dothan. Located near the A4080 and the nearest rail station is Bodorgan.
The village has a long history as a settlement from the Mesolithic Age. In modern times, during the medieval age, the site became the capital of the Kingdom of Gwynedd and acted as a royal residence for the family of the House of Aberffraw.
The name of the village is often truncated to "Berffro" in the local dialect of Welsh. [2] Local attractions include a part of the Anglesey Coastal Path, the beach and dunes at Aberffraw bay, a lake for recreational fishing, historic churches and prehistoric burial chambers.
Aberffraw is one of the oldest Mesolithic sites from prehistoric Wales, dating c. 9,000 years ago. At Aberffraw Bay is the Trwyn Du (Welsh : Black nose) site. The burial was discovered whilst excavating a Bronze Age kerb cairn (bowl barrow) from 2000 BC, which was excavated because of the threat of coastal erosion. The 1977 dig revealed that the cairn was built on top of a deposit of 7,000 flint tools and two axes from 7000 BC, a few millennia after the last Ice Age. [3] [4] [5]
An intact monument near Aberffraw is Din Dryfol, a Neolithic chambered tomb from 3000 BC, and around the banks of the nearby River Gwna are the remains of a stone hut circle and roundhouses, which were lived in during the Welsh Iron Age, c. 500 BC, until the British Roman period, before the 4th century. [6] [7] [8]
In Welsh mythology Aberffraw features as the site of Branwen and Matholwch's wedding festival, where Efnysien maimed Matholwch's horses. [9]
In the early Middle Ages Aberffraw was settled by Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion who built a palace in the 5th century. [10] Rhodri the Great, King of Gwynedd rebuilt the residence in 873. Rhodri had returned the capital of the Kingdom of Gwynedd to the Aberffraw cantref after Cadwallon ap Cadfan (c. 620) moved the royal court to Caernarfon on mainland Wales in the 7th century. Rhodri built a palace as a royal court and his son started a cadet branch as the Royal House of Aberffraw. [11] [12] [10] The court was dismantled in 1317 to provide building materials for Caernarfon castle over the Menai Strait. [13] [14]
The royal court was destroyed on Saint Nicholas Day, the 6th of December, 1331 when a sandstorm buried 186 acres from Aberffraw north to Rhosneigr on the west of Anglesey in the Aberffraw cantref. The families living in this area were driven from their homes because of the natural disaster and had to migrate south to the villages of Llanddwyn and Newborough, Anglesey. [15]
The Meyrick (Welsh : Meurig) family of Bodorgan, Anglesey, were given the Crown lease for the manor lands of the Aberffraw cantref during the Tudor period (c. 1500). Llewelyn Ap Heilyn fought at the Battle of Bosworth alongside Henry VII of England. Afterward, Heilyn's son Meurig ap Llewelyn became captain of the bodyguard to Henry VIII and was rewarded with the lease. Today, the same family at Bodorgan Hall (near Aberffraw) is represented by the Tapps-Gervis-Meyrick baronets. [10] [16] [17] After the Meyrick family ownership, it was the Owen family of Penrhos locally on Anglesey who owned the lands of Aberffraw until 1808. Subsequently the Hughes family of Baron Dinorben, the Williams and Wynn families of Baron Newborough, then the Marquess of Anglesey Paget family, and finally Lord Bulkeley (Viscount) all briefly owned the lands surrounding Aberffraw. Today, the current town was developed in the mid to late 20th century. By 1949, the village was called the poorest in Anglesey. [18]
Attractions near Aberffraw village include Barclodiad y Gawres, a neolithic burial chamber. [19] [20] Also Llyn Coron is used for fly fishing. [21] The village has a sandy beach, which was awarded the Blue flag rural beach award in 2005. [22] [23] Aberffraw bay is a part of the Anglesey Coastal Path. [24]
Near the village on the tidal island of Cribinau is where St Cwyfan's Church is situated in Bro Aberffraw. Perched on top of a rock, the "church in the sea" was constructed in the 12th century and renovated in 1893-94. [25] [26] The church still holds services in the summer and is sometimes used for weddings.
St Beuno's Church, Aberffraw is a double-naved church of the later medieval style. The building dates from the 12th century and is a Grade II* listed building. Additions to the church were made in the 14th and 16th centuries and a repair that involved reroofing the building in about 1840. There were extensive alterations made in 1868. [27]
There is a holiday home accommodation in the village named Llys Llywelyn, it was once a heritage centre dedicated to the history of the medieval Kingdom of Gwynedd and its royal court (llys) at Aberffraw. There is a sculpted piece of artwork by Jonah Jones dedicated to the Princes of Gwynedd. After more than a decade of negotiations, the heritage centre was moved to Llangefni and the centre was turned into holiday cottages in 2020. There is a cafe on site for visitors. [28] [29] [30] [31]
The village has a Welsh football league system team named C.P.D Aberffraw, they play in the village of Bryn Du. [32] There was a school at Aberffraw since before 1860 but the village school, Welsh : Ysgol closed in 2011. [33]
There was a change in the Anglesey UK electoral wards in 2013, reducing the number of councilors from 40 to 33. Aberffraw remained in the Bro Aberffraw area with 2 council members representing the Isle of Anglesey. [34] [35] As of the 2022 election, the ward is represented by Plaid Cymru councillors Arfon Wyn and John Ifan Jones. [36]
A historical census showed that the population in Aberffraw (Aberffro) grew from 936 in 1801 to 1,042 in 1971. In 1831, there were a total of 332 males in the village, and of those that were over the age of 20, 106 were farmworkers. [37]
For the 2011 census, Aberffraw had a population of 620, with 334 fully fluent Welsh-speaking individuals, 146 who could not speak the Welsh language at all, and the rest of the population as partially fluent. The findings also showed 67.5% of the population could speak the Welsh language, a fall from 80.8% in 2001. [38] [39]
The 2021 census shows Aberffraw to have 597 residents, in an area of 29.55 km sq, and a reduction in population of 0.38% since the previous census from 2011. [40]
RAF Bodorgan near the village was once known as the RAF Aberffraw (Royal Air Force). Constructed in September 1940, the airfield was used in World War 2 as a testing site for military aircraft, Queen Bee, a pilotless airplane. In 1941, the airfield changed its name to Bodorgan, and by 1944 it was only used as a storage airfield. The grass runway airfield was closed in 1945. [41] After the opening of the airfield in Aberffraw, another was opened during the same period, the airfield is based at Rhosneigr, Anglesey. RAF Valley is still in use today. [42]
The Aberffraw dunes cover an area of 883 acres (357 ha) in West Anglesey and are one of the biggest dune habitats in the UK. The dunes are preserved as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and are part of a Special Area of Conservation which spans from Abermenai Point in the southeast of Anglesey, then across the island westward, and they are 5km north-west of Newborough Warren. The most common species of plants are marram grass, which supports the sand and creates dunes, as well as early sand-grass, red fescue, and lady's bedstraw. The dunes are supported by the local lake, Coron, as well as the river Ffraw and are a popular walking destination. [43] [44]
Holy Island is an island on the western side of the larger Isle of Anglesey, Wales, from which it is separated by the Cymyran Strait. It is called "Holy" because of the high concentration of standing stones, burial chambers and other religious sites on the small island. The alternative English name of the island is Holyhead Island. According to the 2011 UK Census, the population was 13,659, of whom 11,431 (84%) lived in the largest town, Holyhead.
Newborough is a village in the southern corner of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. It is a part of the Bro Aberffraw electoral ward; to the northwest is Aberffraw, and to the northeast is Llanfairpwll. There is a church in the village, and a public institute. Nearby is the Newborough Warren, a forest, beach, and public nature reserve.
Beaumaris is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town of Anglesey. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from the coast of North Wales. At the 2021 census, its population was 1,121. The community includes Llanfaes.
Barclodiad y Gawres is a Neolithic burial chamber between Rhosneigr and Aberffraw on the south-western coast of the island of Anglesey in North Wales. It is an example of a cruciform passage grave, a notable feature being its decorated stones. Similar graves and marks exist across the Irish Sea in the Boyne Valley.
The Anglesey Coastal Path is a 200-kilometre (124 mi) long-distance footpath around the island of Anglesey in North Wales. The route is part of the Wales Coast Path.
Chwilog is a village in Gwynedd, north Wales, and located on the Llŷn Peninsula. It is in the community of Llanystumdwy, near Criccieth, and in the medieval commote of Eifionydd, named after a 5th-century ruler. It is within the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency in the UK Parliament and in the Senedd. The name means 'abounding in beetles' and was perhaps transferred from an earlier name of the river.
Llys Rhosyr, also known as "Cae Llys", is an archaeological site near Newborough in Anglesey; the ruins of a pre-Edwardian commotal court.
Rhosyr is a community in the far southern corner of Anglesey, Wales. It includes the villages of Dwyran and Newborough, Llangeinwen and Llangaffo.
Bodorgan is a village and community on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 Census, there were 1,503 residents in the now former electoral ward, 72.7% of them being able to speak Welsh. This increased to 1,704 at the 2011 Census but only 67.72% of this increased population were Welsh speakers.
Llanddeusant is a small linear village, on Anglesey, North Wales about 10 miles (16 km) north east of Holyhead.
Llanidan is a community in the south of Anglesey, Wales which includes the village of Brynsiencyn. The parish is along the Menai Strait, about 4 miles north-east of Caernarfon. The parish church of St Nidan is near the A4080 road, a little to the east of Brynsiencyn. The ruins of an earlier parish church survive.
Anglesey is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island and some islets and skerries. The county borders Gwynedd across the Menai Strait to the southeast, and is otherwise surrounded by the Irish Sea. Holyhead is the largest town, and the administrative centre is Llangefni. The county is part of the preserved county of Gwynedd.
The House of Aberffraw was a medieval royal court based in the village it was named after, Aberffraw, Anglesey within the borders of the then Kingdom of Gwynedd. The dynasty was founded in the 9th century by a King in Wales whose descendants founded the Welsh Royal Houses. The other medieval Welsh dynasties were the Royal Houses of Dinefwr, Mathrafal.
Llaneilian is a village and community in Anglesey, Wales. It is located in the north east of the island, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) east of Amlwch, 16.5 miles (26.6 km) north west of Menai Bridge and 12.5 miles (20.1 km) north of Llangefni. The community includes the villages and hamlets of Dulas, Llaneilian, Pengorffwysfa, Cerrig Man and Penysarn, Gadfa and Nebo, and at the 2001 census had a population of 1,192, decreasing slightly to 1,186 at the 2011 Census. The parish is crowned by its hill, Mynydd Eilian, a HuMP, popular with walkers and ramblers, and its beach, Traeth Eilian, which is popular with holidaymakers and for watersport activities. At the north easternmost point is Point Lynas,, while Ynys Dulas lies off the North East coast of the island, east of Dulas Bay.
St Cadwaladr's Church is a Grade I listed church in Llangadwaladr, Anglesey. The location of the current church was established in the 7th century by the Kings of Gwynedd, after whom the church is named, King Cadwaladr. The Church standing today was built in the 'T' shape perpendicular style. The nave is dated to the 12th to early 13th century and the chancel to the 14th. Later the chapels were built, the north in 1640 and the southern Bodowen Chapel in 1661. Then, during 1856 the church underwent restoration, at which time to south porch was added.
Porth Wen Brickworks first built by Charles E Tidy, is now a disused Victorian brickworks which produced fire bricks, made from quartzite (silica) used to line steel-making furnaces. The substantial remains include a number of buildings and the remains of some of the machinery, but has some damage from sea erosion. The site is a scheduled monument.
Royal Air Force Bodorgan, or more simply RAF Bodorgan, is a former Royal Air Force satellite airfield located near to Bodorgan Hall on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. The airfield was opened as RAF Aberffraw on 1 September 1940. Its named was changed to Bodorgan on 15 May 1941, and it was closed on 30 September 1945.
The Afon Ffraw is a short river on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. It arises at Llyn Coron and flows southwest for two miles along the northwestern margin of Twyn Aberffraw via the village of Aberffraw to Aberffraw Bay on the island's west coast. The river is tidal to a point just northeast of Aberffraw and is accompanied by the Wales Coast Path and Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path. Llyn Coron is fed by the Afon Gwna which rises near to Llangefni in the centre of Anglesey. The flow of the Ffraw is bolstered by the left-bank tributary, the Afon Frechwen and a larger, though unnamed right-bank tributary which rises near Gwalchmai. Pont Aberffraw is a bridge spanning the river constructed as a single stone arch in 1731. When the A4080 main coastal road was diverted onto a new line, the old bridge closed to traffic.
The Isle of Anglesey, a principal area off the north-west coast of Wales, includes the islands of Anglesey, Holy Island and some islets and skerries. It covers an area of 711 km2 (275 sq mi) and in 2021 the population was approximately 68,900.