Human settlement in Wales
Corwen is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire in Wales; it was previously part of the county of Meirionnydd. Corwen stands on the banks of the River Dee beneath the Berwyn mountains. The town is situated 11 miles (18 km)* west of Llangollen and 13 miles (21 km)* south of Ruthin. At the 2001 Census, Corwen had a population of 2,398.[1]
History
Corwen is best known for its connections with Owain Glyndŵr, the early fifteenth century Welsh prince who led the Welsh in their struggle for independence. A life-size bronze statue of the prince mounted on his battle horse was installed in The Square in 2007. It commemorates the day he was proclaimed the last true prince of Wales in 1400.[2]
The town grew as a centre for cattle drovers. Attractions in Corwen include the motte of a Norman castle, the thirteenth century Church of St Mael and St Sulien and the Capel Rûg built in 1637 by William Salesbury.
Economy
Located in the hills of North Wales, the main economy of Corwen is based in and around farming. The towns main employer is local trailer manufacturer Ifor Williams Trailers, started by a farmer looking to transport sheep to the local market.
Transport
In the 1860s Corwen was linked to the national rail network in 1864 by a line from Ruthin along the Vale of Clwyd and in 1865 with a Great Western Railway branch line along the Dee valley from Ruabon. The station was a vital development in the town's importance as the centre of the local Agriculture industry. Unfortunately neither survived the Beeching Axe in the 1960s. Plans are advanced to link Corwen to the private Llangollen Railway which currently terminates in the nearby village of Carrog.
Corwen is the last sizeable town on the A5 road from London to Holyhead until Betws-y-Coed is reached. Because of this it still contains a number of hotels which were used in the past as coaching inns for the Mail coach and stagecoaches. Although the A5 is no longer the most important road to Holyhead, having been superseded by the coastal route of the A55, there is still significant traffic travelling through the town centre’s narrow main street.
Culture
Corwen hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1919. The Pavilion in the town has played an important part in Welsh culture throughout the 20th century. It has hosted several concerts and eisteddfodau. It was also the venue for the first concerts performed by Edward H. Dafis, the first Welsh-language rock band to receive significant press notice, in August 1973.
