Corwen is a town and civil parish in the county of Denbighshire, north-east Wales (but previously in the former county of Merionethshire).
It stands on the banks of the River Dee beneath the Berwyn mountains. The town is situated 11 miles west of Llangollen and 13 miles south of Ruthin.
image: The Corwen Workhouse Building. London Road. Corwen.
The town grew as a centre for cattle drovers. Attractions in Corwen include the motte of a Norman castle, the thirteenth century Church of St Mael and St Sulien and the Capel Rûg built in 1637 by William Salesbury.
Corwen is best known for its connections with Owain Glyndŵr, the early fifteenth century Welsh prince who led the Welsh in their struggle for independence.
A brand new memorial to the 'greatest historical leader of Wales' has been placed in Corwen town centre. It depicts Owain Glyndwr on a battle charger rallying his people to the Welsh cause at the time of the hostilities in September 1400. Its a life size bronze statue, it weighs just under a ton, and stands four and a half metres high on its plinth.
Here you can see an image of the original statue that was on display which this new one replaces.
Transport
In the 1860s Corwen was linked to the national rail network in 1864 by a line from Ruthin along the Vale of Clwyd and in 1865 with a Great Western Railway branch line along the Dee valley from Ruabon. The station was a vital development in the town's importance as the centre of the local Agriculture industry. Unfortunately neither survived the Beeching Axe in the 1960s. Plans are advanced to link Corwen to the private Llangollen Railway which currently terminates in the nearby village of Carrog.
Corwen is the last sizeable town on the A5 road from London to Holyhead until Betws-y-Coed is reached. Because of this it still contains a number of hotels which were used in the past as coaching inns for the Mail coach and stagecoaches. Although the A5 is no longer a main trunk road, having been superseded by the coastal route of the A55, there is still significant traffic travelling through the town centre’s narrow main street.
Culture
Corwen hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1919. The Pavilion in the town has played an important part in Welsh culture throughout the 20th century. It has hosted several concerts and eisteddfodau. It was also the venue for the first concert performed by Edward H. Dafis, the first notable rock band in Wales and appeared at Corwen in 1974.
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Sunday, 14 December 2008
Corwen is a town and civil parish in the county of Denbighshire, north-east Wales (but previously in the former county of Merionethshire). It...
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