Tywyn

For the town in Conwy, seeTowyn.

Tywyn
Tywyn High Street
Flag
Tywyn Location withinGwynedd
Population	3,264
OS grid reference	SH585004
Principal area	Gwynedd
Preserved county	Gwynedd
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	TYWYN
Postcode district	LL36
Dialling code	01654
Police	North Wales
Fire	North Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
UK Parliament	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament	Dwyfor Meirionnydd

Tywyn(/ˈtaʊ.ɪn/;Welsh pronunciation:[ˈtəu̯ɨn]), formerly spelledTowyn,is a town,community,andseaside resorton theCardigan Baycoast of southernGwynedd,Wales.It was previously in the historic county ofMerionethshire.It is famous as the location of theCadfan Stone,a stone cross with the earliest known example of writtenWelsh,and the home of theTalyllyn Railway.

Origins of the name

The name derives from theWelshtywyn('beach, seashore, sand-dune').The place-name elementtywynis found in many other parts of Wales, most notablyTowynnearAbergeleandPorth Tywyn(Burry Port).

InMiddle Welsh,the spelling was generallyTywyn.In theEarly Modern period,however, the spellingTowynbecame common in Welsh in order to reflect a slight variation in pronunciation. That also came to be the usual spelling inEnglishup to the latter part of the twentieth century.

With the standardisation of theorthographyof the Welsh language in the first part of the 20th century, the spellingTywyncame to dominate. A referendum was held in 1968, with residents being asked to decide betweenTywynorTowyn.In the 1970sTywynwas accepted as the official name of the town in both languages.

The spellingTywynbetter reflects the name's pronunciation in modern Welsh as spoken in north Wales.Writing in 1974,Melville Richards,the notedtoponymistand professor of Welsh at theUniversity College of North Wales, Bangorexplained: 'Mae'r holl ymrafael ynglŷn â sillebu'r enw wedi codi am fod cryn ansicrwydd ac amrywio yn Gymraeg gynt rhwng y seiniauowacyw.Ond yn ddiddadl,Tywynyw'r ffurf gywir' ('All of the disagreement about spelling the name arises from the historic uncertainty and variation in Welsh between the soundsowandyw.But, without doubt,Tywynis the correct form').

In Welsh, the town is sometimes referred to asTywyn Meirionnydd.In origin, this usage probably refers to thecantrefofMeirionnydd,but is now generally understood as referring to thehistorical countyof the same name. In English, during the late nineteenth century and until the middle of the twentieth century, the town was sometimes calledTowyn-on-Sea.

History

Tywyn was the location of the first religious community administered by theBretonsaint Cadfanupon his arrival inGwyneddin the early 6th century, prior to his departure he founded amonasteryonBardsey Islandoff theLlyn Peninsula.The church contains some early material (see below).

Location

St Cadfan's Church, Tywyn

The town's historic centre lies about a kilometre from the beach, aroundSt Cadfan's Church.In the second half of the nineteenth century the town expanded considerably, mainly towards the sea.

To the north of the town lie thereclaimedsalt marshesof Morfa Tywyn and Morfa Gwyllt, beyond which lie theBroad Waterlagoon and the mouth of theAfon Dysynni.To the north-east lie the rich farmland of Bro Dysynni and the village ofBryncrug,and to the east the hills of Craig y Barcud and Craig Fach Goch. To the south towardsAberdyfiis the mouth of theAfon Dyffryn Gwynand Morfa Penllyn.

The Tywyn coastal defence scheme, officially unveiled on 24 March 2011 byJane Davidson(thenWelsh Assembly GovernmentMinister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing), provides a rockbreakwaterabove the low-tide level, rockgroynes,and rockrevetmentto protect 80 sea-front properties.The costs of thiscivil engineeringproject was £7.62M, shared between the Welsh Assembly Government (£4.135M) and theEuropean Union'sRegional Development Fund(£3.485M).

Demography and language

At the time of the2001 census,40.5% of the population were recorded as Welsh speakers. By the2011 censusthis had decreased to 37.5%. AnEstyninspection report in 2016 noted that about 22% of the children at the school came from Welsh-speaking homes.

The town's Welsh dialect has several notable features, with one Victorian observer stating that three languages were spoken there: English, Welsh and 'Tywynaeg'.During the 1860s, in the town'sBritish School,a 'Welsh stick' (a version of theWelsh Not) was used to punish children who were caught speaking Welsh in school.Yet Welsh was the dominant language in Tywyn until the middle of the 20th century.L T C Roltin his book 'Railway Adventure' recounts walking up the track of theTalyllyn Railwayin 1950, and stopping to speak to railway workers only to discover they spoke no English. Tywyn is now a veryanglicisedtown, with the majority of its population (52.8%) having been born in England according to the 2011 census. Likewise, slightly more respondents claimed an English-only identity (35.0%) than a Welsh-only identity (33.7%).

Transport and tourism

Improvedtransportlinks during the 19th century increased Tywyn's appeal as atouristdestination. In the early decades of that century, a creek of the river Dysynni allowed ships to approach the town's northern fringes, where there was a shipbuilding yard. The draining of the salt marsh and the channelling of the river brought this industry to an end,but during the early part of that century the town was made more accessible by building new roads along the coast to Aberdyfi andLlwyngwril.

The railway arrived in the mid-1860s (first as theAberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway,then asCambrian Railways), and had a significant effect on the town.Tywyn railway stationopened in 1863. The station is still open, and is served by theCambrian Line.

Slate-quarrying in theAbergynolwynarea led to the building in 1865 of theTalyllyn Railway,anarrow-gaugeline designed to carry slates to Tywyn. Two stations were opened in the town.Tywyn Wharf railway stationwas originally opened to enable slates to be unloaded onto a wharf adjacent to the main railway line. It is now the Talyllyn's western terminus and principal station.Pendre railway stationwas originally the passenger station, and now houses the locomotive and carriage sheds and works.

Notable visitors who stayed at Tywyn in the 19th century include:

• Thomas Love Peacock(1811, at Botalog)
• Thomas Fremantle, 1st Baron Cottesloe(1818)
• Ignatius Spencer(1818)
• Charles Darwin(1819, at Plas Edwards)
• William Morris(1875)
• Elizabeth Blackwell(exact date uncertain, at Brynarfor)
• Sir Rupert Kettle(who built Glan-y-don as a holiday home in 1866)

The beach and its extensivepromenadehave long been key attractions. In 1877, apierwas built towards the northern end of the beach, but the structure only lasted a few months.The street called 'Pier Road', which leads from the town to the beach, offers a suggestion as to its location. The promenade was completed in 1889 at the cost of some £30,000, paid for byJohn Corbett(1817–1901) ofYnysymaengwyn.

There has been extensive bungalow and caravan development in the vicinity.

Other industries

Apart from tourism,agriculturehas long been the most important industry in the area.Leadandcopperused to beminedin the town's hinterland.

TheMarconi Companybuilt aLong Wavereceiver station in Tywyn in 1914, working induplexwith the high-power transmitter station nearWaunfawr.In 1921 the Tywyn and Waunfawr stations initiated a transatlantic wireless telegraph service with a similarRCAwireless transmitting station inNew Brunswick,New Jersey, USA and RCA's receiver station inBelmar, New Jersey.This new transatlantic service replaced Marconi's obsolete transatlantic telegraph station inClifden,Irelandfollowing its 1922 destruction during theIrish Civil War.

For most of the 20th century, the armed forces were a significant presence in Tywyn. The town was a major training ground for theamphibious warfarelandings in theSecond World Warand had a strategic war base. Abandonedpillboxesmay still be seen on the coast to the south of the town.RAF Towynopened on 8 September 1940 as an air-cooperation base for the Royal Artillery Anti-Aircraft Practice Camp at Tonfanau, but closed on 25 July 1945.The links with the armed forces came to an end when the Joint Service Mountain Training Centre at Morfa Camp closed in 1999.Morfa camp is now in private ownership and many buildings are let as small storage units.

Facilities and notable features

Much of the town's infrastructure was put in place by an industrialist from the English Midlands,John Corbett,who in the 1870s decided to develop the town into a major tourist resort to rivalTorquay.As well as constructing a row of boarding houses and a grand esplanade, he developed the water and sewerage system. He gave land and money for a new Market Hall, built to celebrateQueen Victoria'sDiamond Jubileein 1897. He paid for Brynarfor (formerly a private school originally called the Towyn Academy and then Brynarvor Hall School) to be opened as 'Towyn Intermediate School' in 1894. He refurbished theCorbet Arms Hotel(from then on spelled with two 't's), and also contributed to the Assembly Room (1893), now the Magic Lantern Cinema. Plaques commemorating his generosity may still be seen on the north end of the promenade and on the Market Hall. Another commemorative plaque was on Brynarfor (now demolished), and his portrait was hung there when the school first opened. However, the anticipated grand watering-place never took off, and these additions to the town were never matched.

In 1912, adrill hallwas built in the Pendre area of the town for theTerritorial Army(the 7th Battalion theRoyal Welsh Fusiliers). The hall, now known as Neuadd Pendre, has recently been renovated, mainly with money from theNational LotteryBig Lottery Fundand theWelsh Government.The hall houses a 3-manual 9-rankWurlitzer Organwhich was originally installed in a cinema inWoolwichin 1937.

After theFirst World Warmoney was raised to build both theTywyn Cottage Hospital(opened in 1922) and the Tywyn Institute (opened byDavid Lloyd Georgein 1926). The hospital is still in operation, but the institute is now closed.It was the location of the town'slibrarybefore a new library building was built next to it in the early 1970s.

The main schools in Tywyn are theprimary school,Ysgol Penybryn, and thesecondary school,Ysgol Uwchradd Tywyn.

Local places of interest includeCraig yr Aderyn(Bird Rock),Castell y Bere,Llanfendigaid EstateandLlyn Myngul(Tal-y-llyn Lake).Hen Dyffryn Gwynis a Grade II listed building dating from 1640 which retains many of its original features.

Panorama of Tywyn from a hill to the East of the town, taken in July 2012

Religion

For many centuries, St Cadfan's church was the only place of worship in the town, but since the 19th century there have been several.

Following theMethodist Revival,theCalvinistic Methodistsestablished a cause (i.e. a branch) in Tywyn at the end of the 18th century. Bethel Calvinistic Methodist Church (Welsh-speakingPresbyterian Church of Wales) was established in 1815. The current chapel was built in 1871 and altered in 1887.The chapel closed in early 2010 but services are still held in thevestry.

Bethany Calvinistic Methodist Chapel (English-speaking Presbyterian Church of Wales) was also built in 1871 as one of the 'Inglis Côs' ('English cause') chapels that were advocated byLewis Edwardsand fiercely criticised byEmrys ap Iwan.It was opened in part with a view to attracting the increasing numbers of visitors who were coming to Tywyn since the opening of the railway and who previously had been provided for only by the English services at St Cadfan's.The notedpacifistGeorge Maitland Lloyd Davieswas minister of Bethany and also of Maethlon Chapel in nearby Cwm Maethlon (Happy Valley) between 1926 and 1930. Bethany closed in 2016.

Ebeneser (Welsh-speakingWesleyanMethodistChurch in Wales) was first built between 1817 and 1820, with the current building dating from 1883.John Cadvan Davies(1846–1923),Archdruidof Wales in 1923, was minister of Ebeneser between 1889 and 1892.

Bethesda Independent Chapel (Welsh-speakingCongregationalist) was first built in 1820, enlarged in 1865 and rebuilt again in 1892.It closed in January 2010.

Tywyn Baptist Church (English-speaking)was opened in 1900 and re-built in its present form in 1991.

The Church of St David is the town'sRoman Catholicchurch and is part ofDolgellau Deanery.In its grounds is a sculpture ofSt Davidin WelshslatebyJohn Skelton.

Sport

InSamuel Lewis'sA Topographical Dictionary of Wales(1833) it is reported that popular horse races were held on land to the north of the town every September. Between 1904 and 1947, Towyn Golf Club (originally the Towyn-on-Sea Golf Club) was also located on land to the north of the town.

The Towyn-on-Sea club opened with a 10-hole course in 1904, in 1906 a further eight holes were added. Attempts were made to re-establish the club following theSecond World Warbut these proved unsuccessful.

In the past Tywyn has had arugby unionteam, and it now shares afootballteam with neighbouring Bryncrug (Tywyn & Bryncrug F.C.), playing their home matches in the village of Bryncrug. It also has acricket club,Tywyn and District CC and ahockeyteam known as Dysynni Hockey Club. Also based in Tywyn is the Bro Dysynni Athletics Club.

Notable people

SeeCategory:People from Tywyn

• The Anwyl family of Tywyn,direct male line descendants ofRhodri ab Owain Gwynedd,a member of theHouse of Aberffraw
• Arthur ap Huw(fl. 1555–1570), vicar of St Cadfan's 1555/1570, notable patron of Welsh poets, and translator ofcounter-Reformationliterature into Welsh.
• Martin J. Ball(born 1951) professor in Linguistics atBangor University.
• Tom Bradshaw(born 1992), footballer with over 360 club caps and 3 forWales
• Robert L. Chidlaw-Roberts(1896–1989),World War Iflying ace.
• Robin Davies(1954–2010), Welsh TV and film actor; starred inCatweazleplaying the part of Carrot.
• Evan Evans(1731– 1788), bardic nameIeuan Fardd,poet and scholar,curateof St Cadfan's 1772/1777.
• Edward Ernest Hughes(1877–1953), the first professor of history atUniversity College, Swansea,was born in Tywyn, the son of a local policeman.
• Griffith Hughes(1707–c.1758) clergyman from the parish of Tywyn, author ofThe Natural History of Barbados.
• John Ceiriog Hughes(1832–1887), poet,stationmasterat Tywyn for a short period from 1870.
• Joseph David Jones(1827–1870), musician, schoolmaster at Tywyn British School from 1851 to 1855.
• SirHenry Haydn Jones(1863–1950), MP forMerioneth,brought up and lived in Tywyn.
• John Daniel Jones(1865–1942),Congregationalistminister, brought up in Tywyn.
• Owen Wynne Jones(1828–1870), bardic nameGlasynys,Welsh cleric, antiquary, author and poet.
• Dai Lloyd(born 1956),Plaid Cymrupolitician andMember of the Senedd,was born in Tywyn.
• David Richards(1751–1827), bardic nameDafydd Ionawr,poet, from Glanymorfa is the author of anenglynto his mother Ann Dafydd (d. 1785) which is preserved on a brass plate in St Cadfan's Church.
• R. Bryn Williams(1902–1981), bardic nameBryn,Welsh-language writer, poet, playwright and historian; lived in Patagonia as a child.

See also

• Towyn power station
• RAF Towyn

External links

• Visit Tywyn
• Tywyn an illustrated guide
• bbc.co.uk North West Wales: Tywyn
• Tywyn Information
• geograph.co.uk: photos of Tywyn and surrounding area