Conwy County Borough Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy (Welsh) | |
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 Coat of arms | |
| Motto: | |
 Conwy shown withinWales | |
| Coordinates:53°08′26″N3°46′14″W / 53.14056°N 3.77056°W /53.14056; -3.77056 | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Wales |
| Preserved county | Clwyd |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1996 |
| Named after | Conwy |
| Administrative HQ | Conwy |
| Government | |
| • Type | Principal council |
| • Body | Conwy County Borough Council |
| • Control | No overall control |
| • MPs | 2 MPs |
| • MSs | 2 MSs |
| Area | |
• Total | 435 sq mi (1,126 km2) |
| • Rank | 6th |
| Population (2024)[2] | |
• Total | 114,891 |
| • Rank | 15th |
| • Density | 260/sq mi (102/km2) |
| Welsh language(2021) | |
| • Speakers | 25.9% |
| • Rank | 5th |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ISO 3166 code | GB-CWY |
| GSS code | W06000003 |
| Website | conwy |
Conwy County Borough (Welsh:Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy) is acounty borough in thenorth of Wales. It bordersGwynedd to the west and south andDenbighshire to the east. The largest settlement isColwyn Bay, andConwy is the administrative centre.
Conwy has an area of 1,126 square kilometres (435 mi2) and a population of 114,891 in 2024,[2] making it sparsely populated. The population is concentrated along the coast, along which are several seaside resorts and the county's largest towns: Colwyn Bay (34,284),Llandudno (20,701), and Conwy (14,753). Inland is much less populous, and the only town isLlanrwst (3,323).
The geography of Conwy is shaped by theRiver Conwy, which forms a wide valley down the western half of the county, bordered by theDenbigh Moors to the east and the mountains ofSnowdoniaNational Park to the west. TheRiver Elwy, a tributary of theClwyd, drains the eastern half of the moors. The Conwy forms a wide estuary as it reaches the coast, which has by wide, sandy beaches and the limestone headlands of theGreat Orme and theLittle Orme. The highest peak within the county isCarnedd Llewelyn, at 1,064 metres (3,491 ft), which is on the boundary with Gwynedd and is thethird-highest summit in Wales. AroundBetws-y-Coed is theGwydir Forest, which is mainly given over toplantations. There are several reservoirs in the valleys, the largest of which isLlyn Brenig, which has an area of 3.7 square kilometres (1.4 sq mi) and extends into Denbighshire.
TheRiver Conwy, after which the county borough is named, lies wholly within the area: rising inSnowdonia and flowing throughLlanrwst andTrefriw en route to theIrish Sea byConwy. The river here marks the border between the 'historic counties' ofCaernarfonshire andDenbighshire.
One third of the land area of the county borough lies in theSnowdonia National Park, and the council appoint three of the 18 members of the Snowdonia National Park Authority. Its total area is 1,126 km2 (435 sq mi), making it slightly larger thanHong Kong.[4] The eastern part includes the larger section ofDenbigh Moors.
The vast majority of the population live on the coast; the only settlement of any size inland is Llanrwst.
According to the2001 census 39.7% of the population of the county borough have "one or more skills" inWelsh.[5]In 2021 census 25.9% reported being able to speak Welsh, which ranks Conwy5th out of 22 principal areas in Wales.[6]The amount of Welsh spoken in the county borough greatly varies from location to location, with generally the least being spoken on the coastal fringe, in which English is mainly spoken.
Examples of the percentage of people age 3+ speaking Welsh by electoral ward, as of the2011 census:[7]
| Ward | Percentage of Welsh speakers |
|---|---|
| Mostyn | 18.4% |
| Colwyn | 20.7% |
| Conwy | 28.7% |
| Trefriw | 45.6% |
| Eglwysbach | 54.3% |
| Uwch Conwy | 60.7% |
| Llangernyw | 65.8% |
The county borough was formed on 1 April 1996 by merging the districts ofAberconwy andColwyn. It was originally namedAberconwy and Colwyn, but its council renamed the district a day later, on 2 April 1996, toConwy.
Conwy is represented in the UK Parliament byLabour Party politiciansGill German andClaire Hughes since the2024 election. This election implemented new boundaries, making Conwy County Borough be in theBangor Aberconwy andClwyd North UK Parliament constituencies.[8] In theSenedd, it is represented byConservative Party politiciansJanet Finch-Saunders andDarren Millar.
Conwy County Borough Council was granted acoat of arms by theCollege of Arms in 2001.[9] The new arms recall those of both Aberconwy and Colwyn Borough Councils. The main part of the shield depicts blue and silver waves for the river from which the county borough takes its name, and also recalls the gold and blue wavy field of Colwyn's arms. On top of the waves is placed a symbolic red tower, representingConwy Castle. Thechief or upper third of the shield is coloured green, the main colour in Aberconwy's arms. In the centre of the chief is a severed head from the heraldry of Marchudd ap Cynan, Lord of Abergele and Rhos. On either side are two black spearsembrued, or having drops of blood on their points. These come from the reputed arms of Nefydd Hardd, associated with theNant Conwy area. In front of each spear is a goldengarb or wheatsheaf, for the rural areas of the county borough.
Above the shield, placed on the steel helm usual in British civic arms, is thecrest. This takes the form of the Welsh red dragon supporting aBible, rising from a wreath of oak leaves and acorns. The Bible is to commemorate the first Welsh language translation of the book, which originated in the area, while the oak circlet recalls that an oak tree formed the main charge in the arms of Colwyn Borough Council, and its predecessor themunicipal borough of Colwyn Bay.
The motto adopted isTegwch i Bawb, meaning "Fairness to All".
TheConwy Valley Line, from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog, runs through the borough.
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