Introduction
Town and community in Conwy, Wales
Human settlement in WalesLlanfairfechanA view over LlanfairfechanLlanfairfechanLocation within ConwyPopulation3,637 (2011)OS grid referenceSH683747CommunityLlanfairfechanPrincipal areaConwyPreserved countyClwydCountryWalesSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townLLANFAIRFECHANPostcode districtLL33Dialling code01248PoliceNorth WalesFireNorth WalesAmbulanceWelsh
UK ParliamentBangor AberconwySenedd Cymru – Welsh ParliamentBangor Conwy Môn
List of places
UK
Wales
Conwy
53°15′11″N 3°58′23″W / 53.253°N 3.973°W / 53.253; -3.973
Map of the community
Llanfairfechan (Welsh for 'little St Mary's parish'; Welsh pronunciationⓘ) is a town and community in the Conwy County Borough, Wales. It is known as a seaside resort and had a population at the 2001 Census of 3,755, reducing to 3,637 at the 2011 Census. The history of the area dates back to at least Roman times, as demonstrated by the discovery of a large second century milestone, which is now preserved in the British Museum.
History
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There are a number of prehistoric sites on the hills above the village. The most important of these today is the old hillfort of Dinas; but the large defensive fortress of Braich-y-Dinas, at the summit of Penmaenmawr, was among the largest in Britain and Ireland until it was finally destroyed by quarrying at the start of the 20th century.
As in the case of Penmaenmawr, the present town grew up as a granite quarrying town and a seaside town from the mid-19th century onwards. At one time there were hundreds of men working in the Penmaenmawr quarry, but today quarrying has stopped completely on this side of the mountain.
Heidelberg Materials Aggregates Penmaenmawr currently employs about ten people at the quarry.
Governance
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Town Hall, Village Road
There are two tiers of local government covering Llanfairfechan, at community (town) level and principal area (county borough) level: Llanfairfechan Town Council (Cyngor Tref Llanfairfechan) and Conwy County Borough Council. The town council is based at the Town Hall on Village Road.
Administrative history[edit]
Llanfairfechan was an ancient parish within the historic county of Caernarfonshire. In 1872 the parish was made a local government district, administered by an elected local board.
Such local government districts were reconstituted as urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894. Llanfairfechan Urban District was abolished in 1974, with its area becoming a community in the Aberconwy borough of the new county of Gwynedd. Further reforms in 1996 abolished the boroughs and counties created in 1974, and Llanfairfechan was placed in the new Conwy County Borough. For the ceremonial purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty, Llanfairfechan remained in the preserved county of Gwynedd until 2003, when the whole of Conwy County Borough was placed in the preserved county of Clwyd.