Ffairfach is a village one-half mile (0.80 km) south of the market town ofLlandeilo in the eastern part ofCarmarthenshire, Wales. It is close to the confluence of theAfon Cennen and theRiver Towy. Population is 516 according to 2017 census.[1]
TheWelsh name for the village isFfair-fach signifying 'little fair'. In the early 17th century it was recorded asFfair fach yn Llandilo. The 'large fair' took place in neighbouring Llandeilo.[2] It was reportedly formerly known as Abercennen.
In the early 19th century Ffairfach was a fair sized village of about three dozen houses. It had a corn mill and a village inn, The Torbay Inn, which doubled as ablacksmiths.[3]
Two fairs were held each year, one on 5 May and a cattle fair on 22 November.[3]
The Union Poor House was built about 1839.[3][4]
The stone used to build the nearbyLlandeilo Bridge (1848) was excavated from a quarry near the signal box at the side of the railway and immediately below Rock Villa at Ffairfach, after satisfactory tests for quality.[3]
The British School was established in 1858 near the Torbay Inn. The first schoolmaster was Mr. David Morgan, who later wroteThe Story of Carmarthenshire (1908). The council school was built about 1899.[3]
A gas works were erected about 1860.
Ffairfach railway station lies on theHeart of Wales Line which runs betweenShrewsbury andSwansea.Ffairfach boasted two railway stations within 300 yards of each other, and a third station at Llandeilo was only a mile or so away. Passengers from theAmman Valley andCarmarthen usually alighted at the Ffairfach stations, as they would save1+1⁄2 pence on the return fare, which meant a great deal in those days. Also the distance from Llandeilo station to the church square was almost as far as it would be if they walked from Ffairfach.
Three-quarters of the commerce of the town of Llandeilo at this time came from the south of the Tywi bridge; consequently Ffairfach became important, for rail and road passengers made use of the village as the first stopping place en route for Llandeilo.
The first railway through Ffairfach was built by theLlanelli Dock Railway (Llanelli toLlandovery) in 1856. The second was built by the London North Western in 1865Carmarthen to Llandeilo through the beautiful vale of theTywi. The name of the station was Llandeilo Bridge.
The villageprimary school was built in 1858. According to the latest Estyn report, there are 106 pupils on roll, including 14 full-time nursery age pupils. The school is categorised as a Welsh-medium school, with 37% of pupils coming from Welsh-speaking homes.[5][6]
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Capel Tabernacl in Heol Cennen is anIndependent chapel dating from 1860, designed by the architectThomas Thomas. It replaced an earlier chapel on the site built in 1817 and 1840. The chapel is a Grade IIlisted building.[7]
