Pencader, Carmarthenshire Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Pencader

Pencader
Population	336
OS grid reference	SN445359
Community	Llanfihangel-ar-Arth
Principal area	Carmarthenshire
Ceremonial county	Dyfed
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	PENCADER
Postcode district	SA39
Dialling code	01559

Police	Dyfed-Powys
Fire	Mid and West Wales
Ambulance	Welsh

EU Parliament	Wales
UK Parliament	Caerfyrddin
Welsh Assembly	Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
Website	http://www.pencader.org.uk/
List of places UK Wales Carmarthenshire 52°00′04″N 4°15′58″W / 52.001°N 4.266°W / 52.001; -4.266

Pencader () is a small village in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is part of the Llanfihangel-ar-Arth community. The village is about 3 miles (5 km) south-east of Llandysul. It is also 6.5 miles (10 km) south-west of Llanybydder. Pencader sits in the valley of the Gwen brook. This brook soon joins the River Talog to form the River Tyweli. The River Tyweli is a smaller river that flows into the larger River Teifi.

Pencader has around 500 houses, two shops, and two pubs. It also has an Anglican church called St Mary's. For many years, Pencader was a key stop on the railway line. This line connected Carmarthen to Aberystwyth. It was also where trains could switch to a line going to Newcastle Emlyn. The Pencader Tunnel helped trains reach Carmarthen. However, the railway lines eventually closed. The Newcastle Emlyn branch line closed in 1952. The main passenger line closed in 1965.

Village History
Pencader's Railway Story
Famous People from Pencader
Image gallery
Nearby Areas
See also

Village History

Pencader has a long and interesting history. A battle was fought here in the year 1041. In this battle, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn fought against Hywel ab Edwin. Gruffydd won the battle. He later became the first and only King of Wales.

Pencader is also the site of an old castle. This castle was likely built by Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke. He built it in 1145.

Pencader's Railway Story

The village of Pencader was once very important for railways. The Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway connected Pencader to other major lines. It linked to the West Wales Line of the Great Western Railway. It also went north to Newcastle Emlyn.

In 1845, there was a plan to connect industrial areas like Northwest England and Manchester to the deep port at Milford Haven. This would offer a new way to transport goods. It was an alternative to the very busy Port of Liverpool. In 1865, Parliament approved a new railway for this purpose. This was the Manchester and Milford Railway. It joined the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway at Pencader. From there, it went north to Strata Florida and then to the coast at Aberystwyth.

The Manchester and Milford Railway built the easier section from Pencader to Aberystwyth first. But they ran out of money trying to build the harder connection. This was the part from Llanidloes to Strata Florida. This left a short 1.5-mile section called the Llangurig branch. It connected to the Mid-Wales Railway. The Great Western Railway took over the Manchester and Milford Railway in 1911.

In 1965, passenger train services to Pencader stopped. This was part of a big plan to close many railway lines in Britain. This plan was called the Beeching Axe. Freight and goods services also stopped in 1973. The old station was taken down. Today, the site is used as a lorry haulage depot.

Famous People from Pencader

Some notable people have connections to Pencader:

John Evans (1779–1847) was a Welsh Methodist. He was born at Cwmgwen, near Pencader.
Sarah Jacob (1857–1869) was one of the "fasting girls."
Aled Hall (born 1968) is an opera singer.