Llanelli
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| Llanelli | ||
|---|---|---|
| Statistics | ||
| Population: | 44,475 (2001 census) | |
| Ordnance Survey | ||
| OS grid reference: | Maps for SN505005 | |
| Administration | ||
| Principal area: | Carmarthenshire | |
| Constituent country: | Wales | |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom | |
| Other | ||
| Police force: | Dyfed-Powys Police | |
| Ceremonial county: | Dyfed | |
| Historic county: | Carmarthenshire | |
| Post office and telephone | ||
| Post town: | LLANELLI | |
| Postal district: | SA14-15 | |
| Dialling code: | +44-1554 | |
| Politics | ||
| UK Parliament: | Llanelli | |
| European Parliament: | Wales | |
| Image:Flag of Wales.svg | ||
- For the parliamentary constituency of Llanelli, see Llanelli (UK Parliament constituency)
- For the Llanelli Rural area, see Llanelli Rural
Llanelli, the largest town in the county of Carmarthenshire and in West Wales, Llanelli, sits on the Burry estuary on the south Wales coast, approximately 8 miles (13 km) west of the city of Swansea. Amongst other things, it is famous for its proud rugby tradition. Llanelli is a fast growing town with large residential, leisure and retail developments. This is in addition to the Llanelli waterside development that has seen the town expand further towards the sea.
Llanelli is also surrounded by many small villages and communities known collectively as Llanelli Rural. A large proportion of these communities, more notably those that immediately surround the town are often unofficially referred to as Llanelli.<ref name="footnote_1">Carmarthenshire County Council: Area and density of Community Wards</ref>
Contents |
[edit] History
- see also Timeline of Llanelli history
Historically a minor town, Llanelli grew significantly in the 18th and 19th centuries with the mining of coal and later the tinplate industry and steelworks. It became such a significant regional producer of tin that it was referred to as "Tinopolis" by the latter half of the 19th century. The closure of coal mines and competition from overseas steel plants meant that Llanelli, like many other towns in South Wales, saw significant and sustained economic decline from the late 1970s.
[edit] Facts and figures
- At the 2001 census, the town of Llanelli was recorded to have a population of 44,475.
- People from Llanelli are sometimes nicknamed "Turks". The origin of this name is uncertain. One theory is that many Turkish sailors once called at the port of Llanelli during their voyages.
- It is also recorded that almost 50% of the population can speak the Welsh language.
- Llanelli has hosted the National Eisteddfod five times: in 1895, 1903, 1930, 1962, and 2000.
- The Reverend James Buckley was an ordained Methodist minister, born in Oldham, Lancashire in 1770. After moving to Llanelli towards the end of the 17th century, he became involved in the establishment of a small brewery in the town. After the death of the owner, the Rev. Buckley came into the possession of the brewery and changed its name to Buckley’s Brewery. In 1998, the brewery was purchased by S A Brain & Company Ltd, and production was transferred to their Cardiff brewery. However, S A Brain continue to produce The Reverend James, a bitter named in memory of the Reverend.<ref name="footnote_2">Gorseinon: An odd name for a pub</ref>
- Llanelli has a proud brewing tradition, with another brewery in Felinfoel, located just outside the town.<ref name="footnote_3">Felinfoel Brewery official site</ref>
- Llanelli was the focus of TV show Most Haunted Live in June 2006 for a three-night investigation with David Wells and Richard Felix.
- The first Welsh medium primary school, Ysgol Dewi Sant was established in Llanelli in 1947 by the Local Authority.
- During the 1950s, Trefor and Eileen Beasley campaigned to get Llanelli Rural Council to distribute tax papers in Welsh by refusing to pay taxes until their demand was met. The council reacted by sending in the bailiffs and selling their furniture to recover the money owed. Fortunately, their neighbours bought the furniture and returned it to them. The council finally reversed this policy during the 1960s when they accepted that the Welsh language should be equal with the English language.
[edit] Culture, media and sport
[edit] Sport
Image:Stradey Park.jpg Rugby Union - Stradey Park is the famous rugby ground, home first to Llanelli RFC and, from 2003, also home to the Llanelli Scarlets regional rugby team. It was one of the stadia used during the 1999 Rugby World Cup, hosting the Argentina v Western Samoa game on October 10. The Welsh folk song Sosban Fach ("Little saucepan") is mostly associated with Llanelli RFC.
Rugby League - Llanelli's rugby league club are called the West Wales Sharks and play in the Welsh Conference Premier.
Football - Stebonheath Park is the home of football club Llanelli A.F.C..
Bowls - Llanelli hosts the annual Welsh International Open, which is part of the World Bowls Tour. The event is held at the Selwyn Samuel Centre.
Golf - The Llanelli area has three golf courses, including the Machynys Peninsula Golf & Country Club<ref>Machynys Peninsula Golf & Country Club</ref>, which is and has been the host of the Wales Ladies Championship of Europe since 2005.
Motorsports - The Pembrey Circuit is known as the home of Welsh Motorsport, providing racing for cars, motorcycles, karts and trucks.
[edit] Media
The town has its own radio station, Scarlet FM and newspaper, the Llanelli Star.
Llanelli is home to Tinopolis, one of the UK’s largest independent media producers. The company has many subsidiaries, which produce over 2,500 hours of broadcast television, including English language television programs such as Question Time for the BBC and Welsh language television programs such as Wedi 7 for S4C.<ref>Tinopolis</ref>
[edit] Leisure and tourism
Over the past decade, the emphasis on heavy industry that once played an important part in the district has changed to an emphasis on creating tertiary sector employment in leisure and tourism. Llanelli is now being developed as a leisure and tourism destination, with many ongoing developments such as the new Llanelli Scarlets rugby stadium and the Old Castle Works leisure village (see below).
[edit] Local Attractions
Some local attractions include:-
- The Millennium coastal path, which spans 21 km (13 miles) of coastline from Loughor to Pembrey, offers views of the Gower Peninsula and the opportunity for traffic-free cycling.
- Pembrey Country Park is situated on the outskirts of Llanelli, and consists of about 2 km² (500 acres) of parkland. Cefn Sidan, a beach within the park that has won the coveted Blue Flag award, is approximately 13 km (8 miles) long and half a mile to the sea at its narrowest at low tide. It also has a lifeguard-patrolled area.
- WWT National Wetlands Centre, located about 1 mile east of Llanelli, is one of nine wetland nature reserves managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
- Llanelly House is one of Llanelli's most historical properties, an excellent example of an early 18th century Georgian town house. The house, located directly opposite the parish church, is currently in a poor state of repair, however the town council has recently purchased it with plans to completely restore the house for civic and public use. The then Member of Parliament for Carmarthenshire, Thomas Stepney originally built the house in 1714. It is written that John Wesley, the early leader of the Methodist movement, stayed at the house several times during his many visits to the town. The house has also starred in the first series of the BBC television show, Restoration.
- Kidwelly Castle, Kidwelly. (approx. 10 miles west of Llanelli)
- Burry Port Marina (approx. 5 miles west of Llanelli)
- Park Howard Museum<ref name="footnote_4">Park Howard Museum</ref> is set in the grounds of Park Howard. The museum houses a collection of Llanelli Pottery an art collection and material related to the history of the town.
- Middleton, the National Botanic Garden of Wales (approx. 10 miles north of Llanelli)
- The Gower Peninsula
- The city of Swansea
[edit] Leisure
Theatre Elli, the town's only theatre so far, is part of the Llanelli Entertainment Centre.<ref>Llanelli Entertainment Centre</ref> It is one of the few recreational facilities in the town at the moment, however there are plans currently under development for a multi-screen cinema, an arts theatre (likely to replace Theatre Elli) and ten pin bowling on the former Old Castle Works site located near North Dock and Sandy<ref>Plans for cultural district at Old Castle Works</ref>. Millions of pounds are also being spent on regenerating the town centre shopping district<ref>County Council Report on Regeneration Masterplan</ref>. These plans are in addition to the proposed new stadium for the Llanelli Scarlets in the Pemberton area.
Throughout the year, there are many festivals, carnivals and events held in or near Llanelli. Some of these include:-
- Llanelli half marathon<ref>Llanelli half marathon website</ref> (March)
- Llanelli triathlon - Organised by Clwb Triathlon Llanelli<ref>Llanelli Triaethlon Club</ref> (May)
- Kidwelly Carnival and Airshow - held at nearby Kidwelly<ref>Kidwelly Carnival & Airshow 2006 website</ref> (July)
- Wales Ladies Championship of Europe - golf tournament<ref>Ladies European Tour 2006 Schedule</ref> (August)
- Into the Future Festival - educational event about the environment and technology, organised by the county council<ref>ItFF 2006 website</ref> (August)
- Llanelli Big Day Out - pop music event<ref>LBDO 2006 website</ref> (August)
- Llanelli Beer Festival - offical CAMRA event<ref>LBF 2006 website</ref> (August)
- Llanelli Christmas Carnival (November)
[edit] Location
Latitude and Longitude: (51.68, -4.16) (World gazetteer)
Nearby towns and cities: Swansea, Kidwelly, Carmarthen
The town lies on the river Lliedi, although much of the river is not visible, most especially in the town centre, where the rives is completely covered by roads and buildings.
[edit] Transport
Road - The town is linked to the M4 motorway via the A4138. It has a shortcut route to Swansea via the Loughor bridge.
Bus & Coach - Llanelli is served by regular local bus services between Swansea and Carmarthen and National Express Coaches between many major UK destinations.
Rail - Llanelli railway station is located at Great Western Crescent south of the Town Centre. The station is connected to Fishguard and Swansea along the West Wales Line. The station is also the terminus of the Heart of Wales Line, which connects the town to Mid Wales and Leominster and Shrewsbury via the Welsh Marches Line.
Cycling - Llanelli is connected to the National Cycle Network from the north on NCR 43, and along the coast from the east and west on NCR 4.<ref>Sustrans</ref> These routes are directly connected to the town centre via a cycle path.
Air - Pembrey Airport is approximately 7 miles west of Llanelli, and is connected to the town by regular bus services.
[edit] About the name
[edit] Pronunciation and spelling
The town's name is often mispronounced by non-speakers of Welsh, particularly those from outside the UK. The "ll"s in the name are pronounced as voiceless alveolar lateral fricatives, a phoneme unfamiliar to most English-speakers. In England, where many people are aware that "ll" is not the same as "l" but are unable to pronounce it quite correctly, it is common to hear "Llanelli" approximated as "Clanethli".
[edit] 'Llanelli' or 'Llanelly'
The spelling 'Llanelly' is an anglicised form which was used in government and official documents until the 1970s. This is evident in the name of the local historic building, 'Llanelly House'. It can also lead to confusion with the village and parish, Llanelly, which is in south-east Wales.
On 3 January 1966 Llanelly Borough Council passed a resolution to change the town's spelling to Llanelli. The change became official on 4 March 1966, having been authorised in accordance with the Local Government Act 1958.
[edit] Government
| Llanelli (Political) | |
|---|---|
| Mayor | Cllr. Mike Francis |
| Carmarthenshire County Council | |
| Leader | Cllr. Meryl Gravell |
| County Councillors (Ward) | Cllr. D.C. Prothero (Bigyn) Cllr. S.M. Cooke (Bigyn) Cllr. J.P. Jenkins (Elli) Cllr. D.A. Tucker (Glanymor) Cllr. G.F. Mayler (Glanymor) Cllr. T Devichand (Dafen) Cllr. W.E. Skinner (Lliedi) Cllr. W.G. Thomas (Lliedi) Cllr. K.P. Thomas (Tyisha) Cllr. M.P. Morris (Tyisha) |
| United Kingdom Parliament | |
| Nia Griffith | Labour |
| Welsh Assembly | |
| Catherine Thomas Helen Mary Jones | Labour Plaid (Mid and West Wales) |
Image:Llanellitownhall.jpg Llanelli is within the Llanelli parliamentary constituency, which is presently represented by the elected Labour party member Nia Griffith MP, and the National Assembly for Wales constituency, which is represented by Catherine Thomas AM.
Llanelli is run on a community level by Llanelli Town Council and Llanelli Rural Council (depending on the area of town) and Carmarthenshire County Council on a local government level. Note that Llanelli Rural Council addresses some part of the town, but mainly the Llanelli Rural community.
Recently, there have been many decisions made by the Carmarthenshire authorities, including the Carmarthenshire County Council and Local Health Board that have been very unpopular and damaging to the communities of Llanelli. In reaction to this, there have been calls to reinstate the local government district of Llanelli either as a county or as the City of Llanelli, making the entire area independent of Carmarthenshire.
[edit] Twinning
Llanelli is twinned with the Image:Flag of France.svg French town of Agen.
[edit] Town areas
[edit] Llanelli Waterside
Llanelli Waterside, a joint venture between Carmarthenshire County Council and the Welsh Assembly Government, is a project that aims to drive the regeneration of the Llanelli area by transforming the waterfront into a business, leisure and residential community.
The project has many critics who say that it will lead to the overdevelopment of the coastal area and that it will lead to low-end retail stores and provide few much needed skilled jobs. Many also argue that the project has also failed to consider basic infrastructure, which is supported by evidence of frequent traffic jams in some areas of the town.
Supporters of the project however say that the project will be a much-needed boost to the lengthy process of the regeneration of Llanelli after decades of industrial decline. They believe that the provision of high quality housing mixed with retail, leisure and high tech jobs will lead to a successful and prosperous Llanelli. Their point of view is supported by the success of developments such as Machynys Golf Course and Pentref Nicklaus.
[edit] Famous citizens
[edit] Sports
- Terry Griffiths, world snooker champion (1979).
- Phil Bennett, fly-half, Wales and British Lions.
- Gareth Jenkins, coach: Llanelli RFC (1982-2003), Llanelli Scarlets (2003-2006), Welsh national rugby team (2006-present).
- Eirian Williams, snooker referee.
- Derek Quinnell, Rugby player for Wales, British Lions and Llanelli R.F.C.
[edit] Government and politics
- Michael Howard, QC, former Leader of the Opposition and former leader of the Conservative Party, Home Secretary (1993-1997).
- Lord Elwyn Jones, Lord Chancellor 1974-79.
- Rod Richards, former Conservative member of parliament for Clwyd North West and former leader of the Conservative party at the National Assembly for Wales
[edit] Other
- Huw Edwards, lead anchor, BBC News.
- Brian Trubshaw, pilot of first flight of British Concorde
- Rev'd Dr Leslie John Griffiths, The Lord Griffiths of Bury Port, Methodist Minister
- Keith Allen, British comedian, actor, singer and writer.
- Imogen Thomas, contestant in the 7th UK Big Brother in 2006.
- Sir John Meurig Thomas, chemist
- Geraint (The Snakeman) Hopkins, TV personality, reptile handler and conservationist
- Julia Crawley Boevey World junior violin champion.
[edit] References
<references />
[edit] External links
[edit] Government
- Llanelli Rural Council
- Llanelli Town Council
- Carmarthenshire County Council Guide to Council-run services/Attractions in Llanelli
[edit] Local media
- Llanelli Star Local newspaper
- Scarlet FM Local radio station
- Tinopolis Llanelli based independent media producers
[edit] Other
Llanelli Online The Number #1 Site For Llanelli
- Ymlaen Llanelli, a website about the town and local area.
- Millennium Coastal Park General information including facilities and contact details
- Llanelli Community Heritage Society dedicated to heritage and buildings preservation within the Llanelli community
- Bus timetables
- Ghost Watch Wales, a company of ghost busters based in Llanelli
- Llanelli Scar, an online parody of the local newspaper 'The Llanelli Star'cy:Llanelli
