The site of the original church dedicated to St Grwst was Cae Llan in Llanrwst (land now occupied by the Seion Methodist Chapel).[5] The current church of St Grwst is on land which was donated in about 1170 by Rhun ap Nefydd Hardd, a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, specifically to build a new church so dedicated.[6]
Llanrwst developed around the wool trade, and for a long time the price of wool for the whole of Britain was set here.[8] The growth of the village in the 13th century was considerably aided by an edict by Edward I of England (who built Conwy Castle) prohibiting any Welshman from trading within 10 miles (16 km) of the town of Conwy. Llanrwst, located some 13 miles (21 km) from that town, was strategically placed to benefit from this.
In 1276, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, seized the town, declaring it the Free Borough of Llanrwst independent of the diocese of Llanelwy. This the bishop contested, but the borough kept its freedom for the lifetime of Llywelyn and later through efforts by Aberconwy Abbey, which ripped down banners relating to the bishopric or to Edward I of England. A century later, after the monastery moved to Maenan Abbey,[9] the town had its own coat of arms and flag, the origin of the local motto "Cymru, Lloegr a Llanrwst" (Wales, England and Llanrwst). This motto, a testament to this apparent independence, has now become synonymous with the song of that title by a local band, Y Cyrff. When the Llanrwst Almshouses & Museum Trust closed in 2011,[10] it returned to the community the 12th-century Llanrwst flag, as an emblem central to the town's belief in its independence.[11]
In 1610 Sir John Wynn of Gwydir had the historic Llanrwst Almshouses built to house poor people of the parish. These closed in 1976, but were restored in 1996 with the aid of Heritage Lottery funding, reopening as a museum of local history and community focal point. It held a collection of over 100 items relating largely to the rural Conwy valley, and a number associated with the renowned Llanrwst Bards of the late 19th century. It closed as a museum in 2011, but reopened in 2013 as the new council chamber.[10][12][13]
Llanrwst lies between 10 and 50 metres (33 and 160 ft) above sea level on the eastern bank of the River Conwy. The A470 trunk route between North and South Wales runs through the town, joined by the A548 main road from Rhyl, Prestatyn and Chester. To the south-west is Gwydir Forest. On the hills above is Moel Maeloganwind farm; the power generated by its turbines is fed to the town sub-station.
In 1830 local doctor and naturalist John Williams published a work Faunula Grustensis ('Crusty Plants') which described the fauna, geography and pathologies in and around Llanrwst.
Frontispiece of "Faunula Grustensis" by John Williams published in 1830
Llanrwst was the name of the electoral ward to Gwynedd County Council between 1973 and 1996, electing one county councillor.[22]
Llanrwst now divides into two such wards, Gower and Crwst, each sending a councillor to Conwy County Borough Council.[23] In 2017, Plaid Cymru's Aaron Wynne was elected to the Crwst ward at the age of 20 years, making him Wales's youngest county councillor and Conwy County Borough Council's youngest ever elected member. The town also elects members to Llanrwst Town Council.[24]
Administrative history
Llanrwst was an ancient parish in the historic county of Denbighshire.[25] When elected parish and district councils were established in 1894 it was given a parish council and included in the Llanrwst Rural District. In 1897 part of the parish was converted into an urban district.[26] Llanrwst Urban District was abolished in 1974 and its area became a community instead. District-level functions passed to Aberconwy Borough Council, which was in turn replaced in 1996 by Conwy County Borough Council.[27][28]
Demography
In the 2011 census the town population was put at 3,323,[1] 61 per cent being Welsh speakers.[29] At one time Llanrwst was the Wales's eighth largest town, with a higher population than Cardiff.[31][32] The change in the town population in the 19th and 20th centuries appears in the chart below.
Llanrwst population graph 1801–2001
Transport
Llanrwst has two railway stations, Llanrwst and North Llanrwst, on the Conwy Valley Line, which terminated here before being extended to Betws-y-Coed in 1867 and Blaenau Ffestiniog in 1879. It was originally envisaged that the railway would pass closer to the river, on the site of today's Central Garage. The Victoria Hotel was built opposite the bridge in anticipation of this. Had the line been built on the west bank of the River Conwy, as originally planned, to serve the inland port of Trefriw across the river from Llanrwst, it is unlikely that Llanrwst would have gained its present status.
18th century water colour of Llanrwst Bridge
Plan of bridge, 1753
Engraving, 1790
Early 19th century
Engraving, 1842
Education
Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy, previously Llanrwst Grammar School, is a bilingual secondary school with about 790 pupils. According to the latest inspection report by Estyn, it has a GCSE pass rate of 71 per cent (based on five GCSEs, grades A–C), putting the school in equal 24th place, just outside the top 10 per cent of secondary schools in Wales. It is also the second best-performing secondary school in Conwy, behind Eirias High School in Colwyn Bay.
There is a Christian-based youth club in Seion Chapel called Clwb Cyfeillion.
Sport
Llanrwst hosts Llanrwst United FC, with two senior teams. The first plays in the Welsh Alliance League and the reserves in Clwyd League Division 2. The club has a junior section of eight teams, playing in the Aberconwy and Colwyn League. Llanrwst Cricket Club plays in the North Wales Premier Cricket League. Since 2012, there has been an annual half marathon round the town.[33]
Notable people
In birth order:
Evan Owen Allen (1805–1852), Welsh-language journalist and poet, born at Pant-y-llin, near Llanrwst
^"Llanrwst is the principal mart for this article, and is attended by the English buyers: the price obtained for the wool at this fair is usually the standard for the year."[7]
^"Llanrwst"(PDF). Conservation Area Appraisal – Conwy County Borough Council. Conwy County Borough Council. Archived from the original(PDF) on 18 April 2015.
