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Llanymddyfri

Mannau o ddiddordeb

Mae chwedlau a hanes wrth galon y dref farchnad swynol hon ar gyrion Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog, wedi’i hamgylchynu gan fynyddoedd mawreddog, coetiroedd deiliog a rhaeadrau hudolus sy’n addo golygfa syfrdanol i bob cyfeiriad.

Llywelyn Ap Gruffydd Fychan

Statue of Llywelyn Ap Gruffydd Fychan

Llywelyn ap Gruffydd Fychan of Caeo (c. 1341–1401) was a wealthy Carmarthenshire landowner who was executed in Llandovery by Henry IV of England in punishment for his support of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh rebellion.

Llandovery Castle

Llandovery Castle

The castle in Llandovery occupies a knoll overlooking the River Towy which was built by the Normans. They built a castle in the current location in the early twelfth century and this was rebuilt in stone. It was sacked and burned down in the early 16th-Century and never repaired, thus all that is left today is the ruin, though it sits beside a recently erected statue of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, also known as Llywelyn the Last.

Statue of a drover in Llandovery

Statue of a drover in Llandovery

The statue commemorates that Llandovery was an important drover town and that over 30,000 cattle and sheep were driven from Wales to London each year. Many Welsh drovers responsible for walking large numbers of Welsh livestock to England until the railways came and replaced them. Drovers were very important to Llandovery and the local economy so he stands here, shrewdly eyeing the present day population and looking keen to get walking.

Church of Llanfair-ar-y-Bryn

Church of Llanfair-ar-y-Bryn

Llanfair-ar-y-bryn (English meaning: "St Mary's on the hill"). Peculiarly, the community and parish contain no settlement of that name: in 1801 it comprised the hamlets of Rhandir Abbot, Rhandir Canol, Rhandir Isaf, and Rhandir Uchaf; today the principal settlements are Cynghordy and Rhandir-mwyn the parish church was, until 1883, located one mile outside the parish itself, in Llandingad (Llandovery); in 1883 a new church (also called St Mary's) was opened at a more central location in Cynghordy.

Llandovery College

Llandovery College

The college was founded by Thomas Phillips in 1847, a surgeon and later, plantation owner. After the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 he was compensated £4737 8s 6d in 1836 for the release of 167 slaves. Of which he used £4,600 to build Llandovery College. He wanted the school to offer a classical and liberal education in which the Welsh language, the study of Welsh literature and history, were to be cultivated. The town of Llandovery was decided upon "because of its central position and because of easy communication with all parts of South Wales". Also important was “the great beauty and healthiness of the locality and the absence of manufacturing industries". The school first opened with a handful of boys on St David's Day 1848. On 13 December 1849, the foundation stone of the present building was laid.

Williams Pantycelyn Memorial Chapel

Williams Pantycelyn Memorial Chapel

The Williams Pantycelyn Memorial Chapel was built in 1886 to 1888 after a national appeal had raised £3000. It is built in the Gothic style from grey sandstone with dressings of green Quarella stone from Bridgend. The façade has three bays, pinnacle pilasters and windows with much tracery. The interior has a high hammer beam roof, an apse with a chancel arch. The pulpit is of Caen stone and is embellished with biblical scenes and pieces of text from Williams' work. The main window has fine stained glass depicting David, Isaiah, Miriam and Matthew, installed by Bell of Bristol in 1887.

It was designated as a Grade II*-listed building on 2 January 2000, being a fine example of "an unusually elaborate Gothic chapel designed by a leading Cardiff architect. Fine interior with remarkable amount of figurative detail, including carved pulpit and stained glass.

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