- Penrhyndeudraeth
Penrhyndeudraeth ("peninsula with two beaches" in Welsh) is a
village inGwynedd ,Wales . It is located between theTraeth Mawr ("big beach"), the now largely reclaimedestuary of theRiver Glaslyn , and the Traeth Bach ("little beach"), the estuary of theRiver Dwyryd . The village is close to the mouth of the River Dwyryd on the A487 fromPorthmadog .The village has two stations,
Penrhyndeudraeth railway station on the southern side of the village on the Cambrian Coast Railway fromPwllheli toShrewsbury and to the north,Penrhyn railway station , on the A4085 near the top of the hill, on theFfestiniog Railway .The village is at the junction of the A487 with the A4085 which connects with
Beddgelert andCaernarfon . The first section of this road is very narrow and rises steeply through Upper Penrhyn. In places it is so narrow that only a single vehicle can pass.History
The present village was laid out in the second half of the
19th century by the local landowner David Williams of Castell Deudraeth atMinffordd on land reclaimed by the drainage of stagnantmarsh es. The older settlement at Upper Penrhyn was originally called "Cefn Coch" ('Red Ridge') and that name is perpetuated by the Penrhyndeudraethprimary school , which is known as Ysgol Cefn Coch.The lower half of Penrhyndeudraeth used to be a
lake , which was then drained to create the area where the village's High Street is today. The names of terraces in Penrhyndeudraeth, such as "Glanllyn" ('lakeside') or "Penllyn" ('the furthest side of the lake'), hearken back to a time when the space they occupy was underwater. There is also an area named "Penlan" ('the end of the tide'), which may point to the reason why the lower half of Penrhyndeudraeth is flat. It is believed that the lower half of Penrhyndeudraeth was founded on a spot behind the "Royal Oak"pub where the old Pierce & Sons garage is located.Prior to the many 19th century land reclamation projects (including the Cob at Porthmadog) and the building of the Ffestiniog Railway, both of which spurred economic growth, the few local inhabitants relied on
agriculture and small scalecopper mining . Some men worked boats on theriver Dwyryd , carrying slate fromMaentwrog to the sea forexport . Local women at that time gathered cockles in the estuary for sale in local markets,Penrhyndeudraeth is still known locally,especially by the people ofBlaenau Ffestiniog andPorthmadog , as 'Cockletown'.The main manufacturing industry in Penrhyndeudraeth was established in 1872 to make guncotton. It became Cooke's
Explosives in 1922 and was taken over by Nobel and later still byImperial Chemical Industries . Many here lost their lives during accidents at the works, where there is a slate plaque to remember them and everyone who worked there. When theThatcherite government of the 80's decided to close down thecoal mines ofSouth Wales andNorthern England the works also closed and the site was finally cleared in 1997.It is now anature reserve notable for the presence in summer of nightjars.Another 19th century industry in the district is Garth Quarry at Minffordd, established in 1870 to make
granite setts for road building inVictorian era towns and cities. Like the explosives industry, the quarry relied heavily on the coming of theCambrian Railways in 1872. The quarry is still working and now produces roadstone and railway ballast.Toll bridge
To the south is a
toll road leading over a wooden bridge providing a short-cut to theHarlech road. This toll bridge (at Pont Briwet, gbmapping|SH619383) provides stunning views of the Dwyryd estuary, spoiled only by the electricity pylons crossing immediately downstream. The bridge is also shared with the mainline railway.External links
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=3494494 www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Penrhyndeudraeth and surrounding area]
* [http://www.penrhyndeudraeth.cymru.org Community website]
*oscoor gbx|SH612389
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