Llanwonno
| Llanwonno | |
 Looking down on St Gwynno's Church |
|
  Llanwonno Llanwonno shown within Rhondda Cynon Taf | |
| OS grid reference | ST029955 |
|---|---|
| Principal area | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Ceremonial county | Mid Glamorgan |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Mountain Ash |
| Postcode district | CF45 |
| Dialling code | 01443 |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Cynon Valley |
| Welsh Assembly | Cynon Valley |
| |
Llanwonno (also known as Llanwynno after name of the ancient parish) is a hamlet high up in the mountains between the historic mining valleys of the Rhondda and Cynon Valleys in Rhondda Cynon Taf deep in the heart of the South Wales Valleys. Llanwonno consists of a church, Eglwys Sant Gwynno and a pub called Brynffynon.
Gwyn Thomas, the Welsh writer and broadcaster immortalised Llanwonno in his autobiography "A Few Selected Exits" (1968) when he recounted how every Sunday he and his father would begin a journey from their home in Porth to visit family in Mountain Ash. They never completed their journey, the pub in Llanwonno being the only place that would serve Gwyn's father on a Sunday. When Gwyn Thomas died in 1981 his ashes were scattered in the church yard. Later, Llanwonno was used for location filming of the BBC film adaptation of Gwyn Thomas' autobiography "Selected Exits" (1993) starring Sir Anthony Hopkins as Gwyn.
The church - Eglwys Sant Gwynno, is where legendary athlete Guto Nyth Brân is buried. The story of the life, and death, of Guto Nyth Brân is remembered and celebrated in the centre of the nearby town of Mountain Ash every New Year's Eve, with an event known as the Nos Galan Road Races, in which runners hailing from all parts of the world, to race through the local streets, with the finishing-line placed at the point of the bronze statue of the legendary figure, which sits in the centre of a public seating area known as 'Guto Square' on Mountain Ash Oxford Street, to commemorate the legend of his person.
The ancient parish of Llanwynno (or Llanwonno) included Abercynon, Penrhiwceiber Ynysybwl, most of Mountain Ash/Aberpennar, part of Pontypridd, Porth, Stanleytown, Ynyshir, Wattstown and Blaenllechau in the Rhondda. The mountainous area is easily reached on foot or by car, using mountain roads, which lead to Penrhiwceiber, Aberpennar, Ferndale, Ynysybwl, and Pontypridd.
On a clear day, you can see the sea and a red flashing light (Bandowey lighthouse) SOURCE: Safari research 2011 (Funded by WAG)
The nearby Llanwynno forestry also boasts the Daerwynno Outdoor Centre, an outdoor pursuits centre run by local people. The centre offers a wide range of activities to visitors, including several training courses for disadvantaged young people.
A Victorian history of the Llanwynno parish, Glanffrwd's History of Llanwonno 1843-90 was published by the Rev. W. Thomas in 1888 in serial form in the Darian.[1] A revised edition in the new spelling by Prof Henry Lewis for the University of Wales Press appeared in 1949, [2]
Gallery
Notes
- ↑ "Glanffrwd's History of Llanwonno, 1843-90 (Hanes Plwyf Llanwonno)". genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
- ↑ Template:Llanwynno, (by Glanffrwd) Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru, Caerdydd 1949 ed Henry Lewis