place

Dolbenmaen

DolbenmaenGwynedd geography stubsPages including recorded pronunciationsUse British English from March 2015
Bod Hyfryd Traditional Welsh Cottage geograph.org.uk 257770
Bod Hyfryd Traditional Welsh Cottage geograph.org.uk 257770

Dolbenmaen () is a village and community in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, located in Eifionydd, of which it was the administrative centre until 1239. The community includes the villages of Bryncir (), Cenin, Garndolbenmaen, (the largest settlement) Golan, Llanfihangel-y-Pennant, Penmorfa (), Pentrefelin, Wern, Glan-dwyfach, and the hamlet of Prenteg. It has a population of 1,300, increasing slightly to 1,343 at the 2011 Census. The summit of Moel Hebog is shared between Beddgelert and Dolbenmaen. It is a sparsely populated area and covers nearly 100 square kilometres. A castle motte is located to the south of the village which is thought to have been the residence of Llywelyn the Great until the 1230s, when the court moved to a new castle at Criccieth. The castle guarded a ford on the Afon Dwyfor which may have been on the Pen Llystyn (Tremadog) to Segontium Roman road. The parish church of St Mary's is a grade II* listed building. South of Pentrefelin is St Cynhaearn's Church, Ynyscynhaearn.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Dolbenmaen (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 52.964 ° E -4.224 °
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Address

A487
LL51 9RQ , Dolbenmaen
Wales, United Kingdom
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Bod Hyfryd Traditional Welsh Cottage geograph.org.uk 257770
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Nearby Places

Garndolbenmaen
Garndolbenmaen

Garndolbenmaen, known colloquially as Garn, is a village in the county of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies near the A487, approximately 6 miles (10 km) north west of Porthmadog, in the community of Dolbenmaen, which has a population of 1,300. The closest villages are Dolbenmaen and Bryncir. The Papur Bro, the local Welsh language paper, is called Y Ffynnon (The Source/Spring). The village itself has a population of around 300.In 1856-7 Evan Jones of Garndolbenmaen built the Ynys-y-Pandy Mill on the nearby Gorseddau Junction and Portmadoc Railway.Blaen y Cae recording studios are located in the village, where Pep Le Pew's album, Un tro yn y Gorllewin and the last album by Gwyneth Glyn, Wyneb Dros Dro, were recorded. The producer and musician Dyl Mei also lives in Garndolbenmaen. Approximately 50 pupils attend Ysgol Gynradd Garndolbenmaen, many pupils travel from nearby villages including Pant Glas, Bryncir, Cwm Pennant and Golan. The number of pupils attending the school has remained consistent over the past 20 years. Many of the old cottages in Garndolbenmaen have been turned into holiday homes. There is a pub in the village, the Cross Foxes (this is now closed) . However at the turn of the 20th century there were several pubs including the Cross Pipes and Dafarn Faig, this was located on the "lôn gefn" (back road) leading to Bryncir. The Gwynedd county councillor for the Dolbenmaen ward, Steve Churchman, a member of the Liberal Democrats, is the postmaster and he used to run a small shop (this is now closed). The magazine Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review is published by Roy C. Link in Garndolbenmaen

Criccieth Castle
Criccieth Castle

Criccieth Castle (Welsh: Castell Cricieth; [kastɛɬ ˈkrɪkjɛθ]) is a ruined thirteenth-century castle in Criccieth, Gwynedd, Wales. It is located on a rocky headland overlooking Tremadog Bay and consists of an inner ward almost surrounded by an outer ward. The twin-towered inner gatehouse is the most prominent remaining feature and survives to almost its full height, as does the inner curtain wall. The outer curtain wall, the inner ward buildings, and the castle's other three towers are significantly more ruinous, and in places survive only as foundations. The castle was begun in the 1230s by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, the prince of Gwynedd, who probably built the inner ward and gatehouse. It was extended by his grandson, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, who probably constructed the outer ward. The castle was captured by Edward I of England in 1283 during his conquest of Wales and afterwards repaired and improved, work which included heightening the towers and inner gatehouse. The castle was besieged in 1294–1295 during an unsuccessful revolt against English rule by Madog ap Llywelyn, and further repairs took place under Edward II in the early fourteenth century. It was captured in 1404 during another unsuccessful revolt, led by Owain Glyndŵr. It may have been burnt after the latter attack and was certainly ruinous by the 1450s. Until it was destroyed the castle was frequently used as a prison, housing high-status prisoners of the princes of Gwynedd and Scottish prisoners of Edward I. The castle was subsequently left to decay, and was considered a romantic ruin by the time it was sketched by J. M. W. Turner in 1798. It was sold by the Crown in 1858 but returned to state care in 1933, after which extensive consolidation and archaeological excavations took place. The castle is now maintained by Cadw, the historic environment service of the Welsh Government, and is open to the public. It was designated a grade I listed building in 1949, and both the castle proper and its outer defences are scheduled monuments.