| Pwllheli | |
|---|---|
 A view of Pwllheli and its marina from Pen-y-Garn | |
  Pwllheli Location withinGwynedd | |
| Population | 3,947 (2021) |
| OS grid reference | SH374350 |
| Community |
|
| Principal area | |
| Preserved county |
|
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PWLLHELI |
| Postcode district | LL53 |
| Dialling code | 01758 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
52°53′13″N4°25′05″W / 52.887°N 4.418°W /52.887; -4.418  Map of the community | |
Pwllheli (Welsh:[pʊɬˈhɛli] ;listenⓘ) is a market town and community on theLlŷn Peninsula (Welsh:Penrhyn Llŷn), inGwynedd, north-westWales. It had a population of 4,076 in 2011, which declined slightly to 3,947 in 2021;[1][2][better source needed] a large proportion (81%) wereWelsh speaking.[3] Pwllheli is the place wherePlaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of the Welsh poetSir Albert Evans-Jones (bardic nameCynan).
Pwllheli has a range of shops and other services. As a local railhead with a market every Wednesday, the town is a gathering point for the peninsula's population.
The town's name means 'salt-water pool'.[4]
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The town was given its charter as a borough byEdward, the Black Prince in 1355;[5] a market is still held each Wednesday in the centre of the town onY Maes (‘the field’ or ‘the town square’ in English).
The town grew around theshipbuilding andfishing industries and thegranitequarry atGimlet Rock (Welsh:Carreg yr Imbill).[6]
The population in 1841 was 2,367.[7]
During the 1890s, the town was developed bySolomon Andrews, aCardiff businessman. This work included thepromenade, roads and houses at West End. ThePwllheli and Llanbedrog Tramway was built, linking the town toLlanbedrog. The trams ran until 1927, when the section of track between Carreg-y-Defaid and Tyddyn-Caled was seriously damaged by a storm. Andrews ran the Cardiff Road section in 1928 and offered to sell the tramway to Pwllheli Corporation at the end of the season, but they did not take up his offer. He then sold the assets and the Corporation removed the tracks during the winter of 1928/29.[8]
PoetAlbert Evans-Jones, who was an archdruid for theNational Eisteddfod of Wales and was known by his bardic nameCynan, was born in Pwllheli. Before becoming an archdruid, he joined theFirst World War effort through the Welsh Student Company of theRAMC, serving inSalonika and France, initially as an ambulance driver and medic, later as the company's chaplain. He was the son of the proprietor of the Central Restaurant in Penlan Street, Pwllheli.
There are two tiers of local government covering Pwllheli, atcommunity (town) andcounty level, with both councils using Welsh as their primary language:Cyngor Tref Pwllheli ('Pwllheli Town Council') andCyngor Gwynedd ('Gwynedd Council'). The town council is based at theOld Town Hall at 9 Penlan Street.[9][10]
Pwllheli formed part of theancient parish of Denio (or Deneio).[11] It also was part of the medievalcantref ofLlŷn, which in 1284 was made part of the new county ofCaernarfonshire under theStatute of Rhuddlan.[12] Pwllheli was made aborough in 1355 under a charter fromEdward the Black Prince.[13] The borough covered the same area as the parish of Denio.[14] The borough was reformed to become amunicipal borough in 1836 under theMunicipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country.[15]
The borough of Pwllheli was abolished in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972. A community called Pwllheli was created instead, covering the area of the abolished borough. District-level functions passed toDwyfor District Council, which was in turn replaced in 1996 by Gwynedd Council.[16][17]
Ysgol Cymerau is the town'sprimary school.
Ysgol Glan y Môr was formed in 1969 by the merger of the former PwllheliGrammar School at Penrallt and the FrondegSecondary Modern School in Upper Ala Road to form acomprehensive school based on two sites in the town. The junior pupils (year 1 and year 2) were located at the Penrallt site and the senior pupils (year 3 and upwards) at a new complex in Cardiff Road. This new school was subsequently expanded to accommodate all pupils under theYsgol Glan y Môr name.
The Penrallt site was later redeveloped as the Pwllheli campus ofColeg Meirion-Dwyfor. The façade of the main building of the old grammar school was retained and incorporated into the design of the current college buildings. Thus the 'old school' is readily seen from the town square (Y Maes), as it has been since the former Pwllheli County School moved to Penrallt in the early 20th century.
Pwllheli railway station is the north-western terminus of theCambrian Coast Line, which provides services toMachynlleth; most trains continue on toShrewsbury andBirmingham International. Services are operated byTransport for Wales.[18]
The railway line toCaernarvon, via theCarnarvonshire Railway, was axed under theBeeching cuts and it closed in December 1964.[19]
Pwllheli is connected to the wider road network by theA497 toPorthmadog and theA499 toCaernarfon. From there, major roads lead away from Gwynedd to the rest of Wales.
Bus services on the Llŷn Peninsula are operated by Berwyn Coaches and Nefyn. Routes connect the town withAberdaron, Caernarfon,Nefyn andRhydlios.Pwllheli bus station is sited in the town centre.[20]
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Pwllheli has a section of theWales Coast Path along its shoreline.
Pwllheli has a small harbour at the confluence of theAfon Erch and Afon Rhyd-Hir.[23]
Hafan Pwllheli is a marina built in Pwllheli Harbour during the 1990s.
Pwllheli hosted theNational Eisteddfod in 1925, 1955 and 2023, as well as an unofficial National Eisteddfod event in 1875.
According to the2011 Census, 80% of the population spoke Welsh.[24]
Pwllheli is home toassociation football teamPwllheli F.C.,rugby union teamPwllheli RFC and running club Llŷn Striders. There is a hockey club,Clwb Hoci Pwllheli.
It is a hub for water sports, owing in part to a marina;Pwllheli Sailing Club andPlas Heli (the Welsh National Sailing Academy) are based here.
The town has two beaches, South Beach and Glan-y-don. South Beach stretches from Gimlet Rock, across the Promenade and West End, towardsPenrhos andLlanbedrog. Glan-y-don Beach is on the eastern side of the river mouth and runs for 3 miles (5 km) from behind the marina workshops and out towardsPenychain (holiday camp).
The town has a golf club on the Llŷn coastline.
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Another relaxing place in Pwllheli is Gimblet Rock. It is a rock which stands on the southerly side of the town. It was once a huge rock, but was used to make setts for the streets in England.
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