Llandeilo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Llandeilo |
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 St Teilo's Church, Llandeilo |
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 Llandeilo
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| Population | 1,784 (Community, 2021) |
| OS grid reference | SN625225 |
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| Principal area | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LLANDEILO |
| Postcode district | SA19 |
| Dialling code | 01558 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament |
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| Welsh Assembly |
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Llandeilo (pronounced lan-DEY-lo) is a lovely town in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It sits right where the River Towy flows, with a beautiful stone bridge from the 1800s crossing it. In 2021, about 1,784 people lived in Llandeilo.
The town is very close to the western edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. You can also easily reach Llandeilo by train, as it has its own station on the Heart of Wales Line. In 2021, The Sunday Times newspaper even named Llandeilo one of the top six places to live in Wales! They said it was a great place for shopping and seeing local art.
Contents
Llandeilo's Past: A Journey Through Time
Ancient Beginnings: Roman Times and Saint Teilo
Long ago, around 74 AD, Roman soldiers were active near Llandeilo. We know this because the foundations of two Roman forts were found nearby. These forts were quite large, showing the Romans had a strong presence. Roman roads connected Llandeilo to other important places like Llandovery and Carmarthen. A small village grew outside the forts, and it might have become the early town after the Romans left around 120 AD.
Llandeilo gets its name from a famous Celtic saint from the 500s, Saint Teilo. The Welsh word llan means a monastery or church. Saint Teilo, who lived at the same time as Saint David (Wales's patron saint), started a small religious settlement here. There's good reason to believe Saint Teilo was buried in Llandeilo. The main church in town, called Llandeilo Fawr ("Great Llandeilo"), is dedicated to him.
This early Christian settlement grew and became very important by the 800s. It was even the home of a Bishop-Abbot. The church became a "mother church" for the area, owning a lot of land. It also had one of Wales's most beautiful old books, the Gospel Book of Saint Teilo. Finding pieces of two large Celtic crosses from this time also shows how important Llandeilo was as an early religious center. However, by the late 800s, its importance as a spiritual hub began to fade.
Medieval Castles and Market Days
Dinefwr Castle is a historic castle that looks over the River Tywi near Llandeilo. It sits high up on a ridge, about 250 feet above the river. Dinefwr was once the main home of the powerful kingdom of Deheubarth.
Other important places nearby include the Golden Grove estate and the impressive Carreg Cennen Castle. This was another strong Welsh fortress. You can also see the remains of Talley Abbey about 6 miles north of town. Even further north, about 10 miles away, are the remains of the Roman Dolaucothi Gold Mines.
In the centuries after the Norman conquest of England, Llandeilo became a busy market center. This was thanks to the Bishopric of St David's, which looked after the town's growth. Until the mid-1900s, a fair called St. Teilo's Fair was held every year in the churchyard. This fair was first allowed by Edward I of England in 1291. People even displayed goods for sale on the gravestones!
The town faced challenges too. In July 1403, Owain Glyndŵr marched through the Tywi Valley and set Llandeilo on fire. Later, in 1461, during the Wars of the Roses, Carreg Cennen Castle was attacked and partly destroyed.
Llandeilo from the 1500s to Today
Around 1560, the population of Llandeilo Fawr parish was about 2,790 people, with many living in Llandeilo itself. In the mid-1600s, a small battle took place in the town in April 1648, during the English Civil War.
In 1887, a book called Gazetteer of the British Isles described Llandeilo as having 1,533 people. It said the town's main business was in corn and flour. Other industries included wool mills, timber mills, and tanneries.
Llandeilo's Bridges: Connecting the Town
The road and railway bridges over the River Tywi are quite special. The Llandeilo Bridge for cars, finished in 1848, has a single arch and is a protected historic building. The railway bridge, opened in 1852, is a rare example of an early lattice truss bridge.
Sadly, in the Great Storm of 1987, the River Tywi flooded so badly that it damaged the railway bridge. Four people, including a boy, drowned when a train fell off the damaged Glanrhyd Bridge into the river.
How Llandeilo is Governed
Llandeilo has two levels of local government. The first is the Llandeilo Fawr Town Council, which looks after town matters. The second is the Carmarthenshire County Council, which handles bigger county-wide issues. The town council meets at the Old Courthouse on Carmarthen Street, which was built in 1802.
Fun and Games in Llandeilo
Llandeilo has two main parks for everyone to enjoy: Penlan Park and Parc Le Conquet. Penlan Park has a bandstand and a lovely woodland path leading to the Dinefwr Park National Nature Reserve. Parc Le Conquet is where the town's bowls club plays.
The town is home to several sports clubs. The local rugby union team is Llandeilo RFC, which was one of the first clubs to join the Welsh Rugby Union. There's also Llandeilo Town AFC, a football club. Llandeilo also has a lively cricket club with teams for men, women, and juniors.
From 2015 to 2017, Llandeilo hosted a celebrity football event. It helped raise over £4,500 for Ty Hafan, a children's hospice. Famous people like actors and former sports stars took part. In 2008, Llandeilo was even chosen to host the World Sheepdog Trials, where amazing dogs showed off their skills!
Llandeilo's Culture and Traditions
- In 1996, Llandeilo hosted the National Eisteddfod of Wales, a huge festival of Welsh culture.
- The Tomos Watkin brewery started in Llandeilo.
- Llandeilo once printed its own special banknotes, known as 'Llandeilo Style' notes.
- The town is twinned with Le Conquet in France since 1980.
- Every spring, Llandeilo hosts a literary festival for book lovers.
- The Llandeilo Fawr Festival of Music, started in 2000, brings international classical music to the town every July.
- In November, the Llandeilo Festival of Senses takes place, with food stalls, crafts, and fireworks.
- Llandeilo was named one of the best places to live in Wales in 2017.
Famous People from Llandeilo
- See Category:People from Llandeilo
- Gruffydd ap Rhys (around 1090 – 1137), a Welsh prince.
- William Vaughan (around 1575–1641), a writer who helped start colonies in Newfoundland.
- Rachel Barrett (1874–1953), a teacher and Welsh suffragette who fought for women's right to vote.
- Carey Morris (1882–1968), a Welsh painter and author.
- Ann Pettitt (born 1947), helped create the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp in 1981.
- Roger Hallam (born 1966), an environmental activist and co-founder of Extinction Rebellion.
- Iwan Lewis (born 1988), a Welsh actor.
Llandeilo Relief Road: Easing Traffic
Traffic coming into Llandeilo has been a big topic of discussion. The town mayor, Owen James, said in 2020 that it was "dangerous" for people to come into Llandeilo because of the traffic. Plans for a new bypass road, which would direct traffic around the town, were supposed to start in 2019. This project is estimated to cost £50 million.
While there was a pause on building new roads in Wales, the Llandeilo bypass was still allowed to go ahead. A final decision on the bypass was expected in late 2022.
Images for kids
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Shire Hall
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Salem Chapel, Llandeilo
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Llandeilo Old Post Office
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Annual car show, Llandeilo, 2022
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See also
In Spanish: Llandeilo para niños
