Conwy Falls
Encyclopedia
Conwy Falls is a waterfall on the River Conwy
at Bro Garmon
in Conwy County Borough in Wales
. The falls and surrounding area are a Site of Special Scientific Interest
. The nearby cafe, adjacent to the A5, is an interesting example of the work of the Welsh architect Clough Williams-Ellis
, of Portmeirion
fame.
had been involved in proposed designs for a building at the cafe site as early as 1938. The original design was for a building perched on the rocks above the falls, but this was never built. The existing building dates from the 1950s and is an excellent example of the architect's style. The architect's drawings can be seen on display in the cafe's main room.
River Conwy
The River Conwy is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is a little over long. "Conwy" is sometimes Anglicized as "Conway."...
at Bro Garmon
Capel Garmon
Capel Garmon is a village near Betws-y-Coed in the county borough of Conwy, north Wales. It is situated high above the Conwy valley, in the community of Bro Garmon, and commands views over Snowdonia...
in Conwy County Borough in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The falls and surrounding area are a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
. The nearby cafe, adjacent to the A5, is an interesting example of the work of the Welsh architect Clough Williams-Ellis
Clough Williams-Ellis
Sir Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis, CBE, MC was an English-born Welsh architect known chiefly as creator of the Italianate village of Portmeirion in North Wales.-Origins, education and early career:...
, of Portmeirion
Portmeirion
Portmeirion is a popular tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village and is now owned by a charitable trust....
fame.
The falls, woodland and wildlife
The falls are accessible via natural paths through the preserved woodland of the SSSI. There are 32 species of birds, polecats and other wild animals in the woodlands, which extend to approximately 9.5 acres (38,445.2 m²). The River Conwy is a salmon river, and there are two salmon ladders at the falls. One is a disused Victorian ladder which was destroyed by a storm soon after being built. The second is a modern ladder built in 1993.The cafe
Clough Williams-EllisClough Williams-Ellis
Sir Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis, CBE, MC was an English-born Welsh architect known chiefly as creator of the Italianate village of Portmeirion in North Wales.-Origins, education and early career:...
had been involved in proposed designs for a building at the cafe site as early as 1938. The original design was for a building perched on the rocks above the falls, but this was never built. The existing building dates from the 1950s and is an excellent example of the architect's style. The architect's drawings can be seen on display in the cafe's main room.