| Blaenau Ffestiniog | |
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Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog shown within Gwynedd |
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| Population | 5,000 |
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| Language | Welsh |
| OS grid reference | SH705455 |
| Community | Ffestiniog |
| Principal area | Gwynedd |
| Ceremonial county | Gwynedd |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BLAENAU FFESTINIOG |
| Postcode district | LL41 |
| Dialling code | 01766 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Dwyfor Meirionnydd |
| List of places: UK • Wales • Gwynedd | |
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 5,000, including Llan Ffestiniog, which makes it the third largest town in Gwynedd unitary authority, behind Caernarfon & Porthmadog. Although the population reached 12,000 at the peak of the slate industry, the population fell due to a decrease in the demand for slate. Blaenau Ffestiniog at one time was the second largest town in North Wales, behind Wrexham. Today, the town relies heavily on tourism who come to see the many attractions within and around the town such as the Ffestiniog Railway.
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Blaenau Ffestiniog hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1898. It is part of the traditional county of Merionethshire. Locals divide Blaenau Ffestiniog into "areas" - among these are Tanygrisiau, Rhiwbryfdir, Bethania, Dolrhedyn, Glanpwll, Cwmbowydd and Manod. In this sense Blaenau Ffestiniog is sometimes used to refer only to the centre of town.
The English pronunciation of Blaenau Ffestiniog suggested by the BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names is /ˈblaɪnaɪ fɛsˈtɪnjɒɡ/,[1] but the first word is pronounced [ˈbləɨna] by local Welsh speakers and usually /ˈblaɪnə/ by non-Welsh-speakers.
Located in the mountains of Snowdonia, the town was once a centre of the Welsh slate mining industry. This industry declined during the early 20th century. The town's economy is now largely dependent on tourism. Although the town is in the centre of the Snowdonia National Park, the boundaries of the Park are specifically arranged to omit the town with its substantial slate waste heaps from the Park.
The hills around Blaenau Ffestiniog form the watershed between the River Lledr flowing to the north (a tributary of the River Conwy) and the River Dwyryd flowing to the west.
Ysgol y Moelwyn is the main secondary school in the area, covering Blaenau, Manod, Tanygrisiau, Llan Ffestiniog, Trawsfynydd, Gellilydan, Maentwrog and even stretching into the Vale of Ffestiniog. Ysgol Y Moelwyn came third in Britain's best county school in 2006. Headmaster Mr Dewi Lake went to meet Tony Blair, then prime minister of Britain in 2006. There are five primary schools in the area: many are due for closure or mergers with other schools.[2]
The main access route to Blaenau Ffestiniog is via the A470 road which runs from the north to the south of Wales. The A496 runs south from the town down to the coastal resort of Barmouth. The A487, which runs West to East, feeds the Llŷn Peninsula into the A487 (which runs from Bangor through Caernarfon and into Porthmadog, which in turn connects with the north-south A470. Immediately to the north of the town the A470 climbs steeply to the Crimea Pass and meets the A5 at Betws-y-Coed, towards Wrexham and Shrewsbury. In the opposite direction you can follow the A470 to Dolgellau, then on to its eventual end in Caerdydd / Cardiff
At various times the town has been the terminus for four independent railway lines, each with its own station or stations:
Today Blaenau Ffestiniog railway station on the site of the former Great Western station serves as a combined station for the Ffestiniog Railway and the Conwy Valley line, their previous stations being no longer in use.
Blaenau Ffestiniog boasts several major tourist attractions, including the Ffestiniog Railway, and also the Llechwedd Slate Caverns, a former slate mine open to visitors. Llechwedd is regularly listed as one of Wales' top 5 visitor attractions.[3] Blaenau Ffestiniog also plays a host to miles of mountain landscape with derelict quarries, rivers, various lakes and walking routes to look forward to.
Blaenau Ffestiniog's town centre is currently undergoing a regeneration. Due to funding from various organisations, grants and the Welsh Assembly Government, 4.5 million will be spent on redeveloping the town centre in order to create a vibrant shopping experience. Various cycle paths are also been installed. If plans go ahead Blaenau Ffestiniog will have the UK's first vélo-rail, which are popular in France.
Blaenau Ffestiniog has strong roots and tradition with music from the Quarrying boom days with the Caban, Male voice choirs and brass bands, to the Jazz / Dance bands like ‘The New Majestics’ to the popular-rock bands of the 80-90’s such as Llwybr Llaethog and Anweledig, to most recent bands such as Gai Toms, Frizbee and Gwibdaith Hen Fran. Further to this local Alternative Music training Company Gwallgofiaid now has 12 + bands under its umbrella based at their Center 'Cell' at the Old Police Station in Park Square. The Centre has 5 rehearsal rooms, a 24 track studio and Cwrt performance space, but recently the center has been put under threat of closure because of lack of funding.