Population 645 (2011) Community Llanbedr Country Wales Local time Thursday 10:40 AM Number of airports 1 UK parliament constituency Dwyfor Meirionnydd | OS grid reference SH582268 Principal area Gwynedd Sovereign state United Kingdom Dialling code 01341 Ceremonial county Gwynedd | |
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Weather 9°C, Wind NE at 23 km/h, 73% Humidity | ||
Llanbedr is a village and community in the Ardudwy area, formerly Meirionnydd, of Gwynedd, Wales.
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Map of Llanbedr, UK
The village originally grew around the slate quarrying industry. Attractions in Llanbedr include Neolithic standing stones; the Stones of Llanbedr and Bronze Age hut circles. The Morfa Dyffryn sand dunes and Mochras (Shell Island) lie nearby. It also boasts two public houses; Ty Mawr Hotel and The Victoria Inn.
Church and chapel
The church of St Peter, after whom the village is named (Pedr being the Welsh for Peter), is a class II* listed building.
A mile from the village is the hamlet of Pentre Gwynfryn whose chapel, Capel Salem, was the subject of a painting by the artist Sydney Curnow Vosper. The painting, entitled Salem, showed a member of the congregation, Siân Owen, in traditional Welsh costume and became famous throughout Britain in the mid 20th century.
Airport
Llanbedr has a recently reopened airport which, until 2004, was operated by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) and QinetiQ as a launch site for remotely piloted drone 'aircraft' for use as aerial targets by the RAF and other UK forces. Opposite the airfield is one of two NACATC units (National Air Cadets Adventure Training Centres) in the UK (the other being in the village of Windermere in the English Lake District). The airfield was included in the Snowdonia Enterprise Zone by the Welsh Government in January 2013.
To the north of the village is the smaller village of Pensarn, situated at the estuary of the river Artro. This is the location of Llanbedr & Pensarn Yacht Club and the Christian Mountain Centre, a residential adventure activity centre.
Railways
Llanbedr railway station, formerly known as Talwrn Bach Halt, is a little out of the village itself and is served by the Cambrian Line.
Governance
An electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward also covers the Community of Llanfair. The total ward population at the 2011 Census was 1,098.
Twinning
In 2008 Llanbedr was twinned with Huchenfeld, Germany, following many years of exchanges between schools, churches, musicians and community leaders, in remembrance of the ghastly occurrences in 1945 at Pforzheim and Huchenfeld during the Second World War.