Cross Handsis a village[1]inCarmarthenshire,Wales, approximately 12 miles (19 kilometres) fromCarmarthen.
| Cross Hands | |
|---|---|
 site of the former railway station | |
  Cross Hands Location withinCarmarthenshire | |
| OS grid reference | SN562127 |
| Community | |
| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LLANELLI |
| Postcode district | SA14 |
| Dialling code | 01269 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
Cross Hands is notable for its Public Hall, erected in 1920 and designed by an unknown Italian designer in the classic Art Deco Style. Fully restored, the Public Hall has a fully functioning stage and cinema screen and is protected as aGrade II* listed building.During the 1960s and 1970s the village was a useful halfway stop for motorists from South East Wales driving to/from Pembrokeshire with the local chip shop adjacent to the village crossroads being a very popular facility.
The continuous built up area which includes the villages of Cross Hands,Gorslas,CefneithinandPen-y-groeshad a population of 5,717 in 2011.[2]
Cross Hands is a growing residential[3]and employment area and includes the established Cross Hands Food Park to the south west of the A48. A new business park, the Cross Hands Business Park,[4]is being developed to the northeast of the A48 which the local authority hopes will create 1,000 jobs.[5]
Gweunydd Glan-y-glasnant,aSite of Special Scientific Interestnotable for its species-rich neutral grassland[clarification needed],is3⁄4mile (1.2 kilometres) southwest of Cross Hands.[6][7]
Etymology
editThe village's name likely comes from the 'Cross Hands Inn' which was located on its cross roads (like many other villages at the time). An unlikely alternative theory comes from the idea that prisoners were transferred between Carmarthen and Swansea in the village.[8]
History
edit
The village played an important role in the local coal industry, helping to house the many anthracite miners working in the nearby mines such as inTumble.[9]Norton & Co opened the Cross Hands Colliery in 1869. There were 859 employees at its peak in 1923. By 1962 the village's collieries had closed.[8]
Cross Hands is notable for its public hall and cinema. It was built in 1926 by an unknown Italian architect from Swansea. Its elegant art deco style architecture lead to it gaining aGrade II* listed building statusin 1999. After some renovations in the early 1990s, the hall still stands as a fully operational cinema run by a charity. The rear is now used as a hall for the elderly.[10]
New link road
editOn 2 December 2012, Carmarthenshire County Council announced plans for a new road to enable traffic on theA476to bypass the congested Cross Hands roundabout. At an estimated cost of £20 million, the route will start fromGorslas,northeast of the roundabout, and continue to the Cross Hands Food Park junction on theA48.It will reconnect with the existing A476 southwest of the Cross Hands roundabout.[11][12]
Notable people
edit- Eifion Evans(1931–2017), a Welsh pastor and church historian.
- Ken Jones(1941–2022), a Welsh international rugby union player.
References
edit- ^Davies, John;Jenkins, Nigel;Baines, Menna;Lynch, Peredur I.,eds. (2008).The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales.Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 503.ISBN978-0-7083-1953-6.
- ^Ammanford Built up area sub-divisionONS Census 2011 Key Statistics
- ^BBC News – Housing plans for former tip site in Cross Hands
- ^"Cross Hands Food Park".Archived fromthe originalon 3 October 2013.Retrieved10 August2013.
- ^BBC News – £13.5m to create 1,000 jobs park at Cross Hands
- ^"MAGIC Map Application – Gweunydd Glan-y-glasnant".DEFRA MAGIC Map.DEFRA.
- ^"Site of Special Scientific Interest, Carmarthenshire, Gweunydd Glan-y-glasnant"(PDF).Natural Resources Wales.
- ^abDavies, Geoffery (2012). "Cross Hands".Carmarthenshire Villages.Sigma Leisure. p. 36.ISBN978-1-85058-943-3.
- ^Davies, John;Jenkins, Nigel;Baines, Menna;Lynch, Peredur I.,eds. (2008).The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales.Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 503.ISBN978-0-7083-1953-6.
- ^"Listed Buildings - Full Report - HeritageBill Cadw Assets - Reports".cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net.Retrieved29 August2023.
- ^This is South Wales – £20m road scheme for 'booming' town
- ^South Wales Guardian – £20m plan to help end roads misery
External links
edit
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