Trawsfynydd (Welsh : "across [the] mountain") is a village in North Wales, adjacent to the A470 north of Dolgellau. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic North Wales (Gogledd Cymru is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales and to the east by England. The A470 is a major long-distance connective spine road in Wales, running from Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast Dolgellau (pronounced /dɔl'gɛɬaɨ/ occasionally /-gɛɬi/ is a Market town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion,
The village is close to Llyn Trawsfynydd, a large man-made reservoir which was originally built to supply water for Maentwrog hydro-electric power station between 1924 and 1928, and later to supply cooling water to a twin reactor nuclear power plant used for the commercial generation of electricity for the UK national grid. Llyn Trawsfynydd is a large man-made Reservoir located near the village of Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd, North Wales. A reservoir is most broadly a place or hollow vessel where Fluid is kept in Reserve, for later use Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water A power station (also referred to as generating station, power plant or powerhouse) is an industrial facility for the generation of Nuclear power is any Nuclear technology designed to extract usable Energy from atomic nuclei via controlled Nuclear reactions The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The National Grid is the high-voltage Electric power transmission network in Great Britain, connecting Power stations and major substations and The reactors were of the magnox type. For other uses of the term see Magnox (disambiguation. Magnox is a now obsolete type of nuclear power reactor which was designed Both reactors are now shut down and the site is in the process of being decommissioned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA is a Non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom formed by the Energy Act 2004.
The original flooding of the area in the 1920s to create the lake, involved the drowning of some two dozen properties, some of historical significance, but there was little objection at the time. The new power station was regarded as a good thing, and indeed on its completion was capable of supplying the whole of North Wales' electricity needs. However, there was certain objection to the loss of rights of way across the former land, necessitating long detours round the new lake. In response to this, a small road was built along its western shore, and a footbridge (still standing) across the narrowest part of the lake.
Four dams were built to create the lake, one of these being subsequently rebuilt after construction of the nuclear power plant. Whereas previously the Maentwrog power station had access to all of the water in the lake, the needs of the nuclear plant dictated that henceforth the former plant should only use the top 5' of water level.
Trawsfynydd was the home of the Welsh bard Hedd Wyn, who died on the battlefields of Flanders during World War I, just before he was to receive the winning prize at the National Eisteddfod. Etymology The word is a Loanword from descendant languages of Proto-Celtic *bardos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gwerh2 Hedd Wyn ( 13 January 1887 &ndash 31 July 1917) was a Merionethshire farmer and Welsh language Poet of World Flanders (Vlaanderen Flandre Flandern is a geographical region located in parts of present day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All See also An eisteddfod (aɪˈstɛðvəd Welsh ə(iˈstɛðvɔd plural eisteddfodau or eisteddfods) is a Welsh Festival The Y Gadair Ddu (The Black Chair) can now be found at his home farm Yr Ysgwrn. He is buried at Flanders.
The parish of Trawsfynydd was also home to Saint John Roberts, one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, canonised in 1970. Saint John Roberts (1575-6 - 10 December, 1610) was a Benedictine Monk and Priest, and was the first Prior of St The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales are a group of Christian martyrs who were canonized on 25 October 1970 by Pope Paul VI to represent the Descended from Welsh saints and princes, he gained great respect helping the plague sufferers in London, but was found guilty of high treason and hung, drawn and quartered on the 10th December 1610.
During the Second World War, the War Office used a site near Trawsfynydd for training exercises. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963 when Its continued use for training exercises following the war was the subject of protest by Plaid Cymru, which also challenged the UK government's continued military conscription in peace time. Plaid Cymru (plaɪd ˈkəmri The Party of Wales often referred to simply as Plaid) is a Political party in Wales. Other locations in Wales used for training exercises included Preseli Hills and Tregaron. Sacred and historic sites Sacred and historic sites of the Preseli Mountains includeBeddyrafanc 51|56|48|N|4|46|25|W|regionGB-PEM_typemountain|display=title}}[[CategoryMountains Tregaron is a Market town in the County of Ceredigion, Mid Wales, lying on the River Brenig (also Brennig a Tributary
Trawsfynydd used to be served by a section of the Great Western Railway mainline which ran from Bala to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The Great Western Railway ( GWR) was a British railway company and a notable example of Civil engineering, linking London with the West To the north of the station the army built its own station to serve the large camp nearby (camp detail). Today Trawsfynydd railway station is a private home. Trawsfynydd railway station was a railway station on the Great Western Railway 's Bala Ffestiniog Line in Wales. (pictures). The line closed to all traffic in 1961, but the section between Blaenau and Trawfynydd Power Station reopened in 1964 for freight traffic. It finally closed in 1998, although the track remains in situ.
The village has a high proportion of Welsh speakers (81. 7%) [1], and is accordingly in the top 5 Welsh communities in Gwynedd [2].
Trivia
The film First Knight had scenes filmed around Lake Trawsfynydd. First Knight is a 1995 Film based on Arthurian legend. The principal characters are Lancelot (played by Richard Gere [1]
The film Hedd Wyn was filmed in and around Trawsfyndd. Hedd Wyn is a 1992 Welsh-language Welsh film written by Alan Llwyd and directed by Paul Turner.
References
External links
- Village website
- Site with a lot of historical information
- Nuclear Decommissioning Authority site (Trawsfynydd page)
- 1851 Census information
- Some photos of Trawsfynydd power station
- Trawsfynydd population
- Map sources for Trawsfynydd
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