Corris
Encyclopedia
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the south of Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
in the Welsh
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...
county of Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
. Although the Snowdonia National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
covers much of the area around Corris, the village is not within the park. The name is possibly derived from the English word "quarries", and the extensive slate quarries
Slate industry in Wales
The slate industry in Wales began during the Roman period when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then expanded rapidly until the late 19th century, at which time the most important slate producing areas were in...
that surround the village are its most prominent historical feature. However, The Place Names of Wales (published Newport, 1912) states : "We find the forms Corys and Corus in the Cambrian Register for 1795. Some think the place takes its name from a saint called Corus. It is also said that Cunedda Wedig had a son called Coras. Others think that the river which gives the place its name, was called Corus from its making round excavations in the angles of its banks."
The population of Corris community is over 600.
Geography
Corris lies on the west bank of the Afon (river) DulasAfon Dulas
The Afon Dulas is a river forming the border between the counties of Gwynedd and Powys in Wales.Prior to local government reorganisation it formed the boundary between Sir Meirionnydd/Merionethshire and Sir Drefaldwyn/Montgomeryshire.-Route:It rises from a source in the hills above Aberllefenni...
, which here forms the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
boundary between the counties of Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
(formerly Sir Meirionnydd/Merionethshire
Merionethshire
Merionethshire is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, a vice county and a former administrative county.The administrative county of Merioneth, created under the Local Government Act 1888, was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 1974...
) and Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
(formerly Sir Drefaldwyn/Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
), Powys being to the east of the river. The Afon Deri (shown on early maps as the Afon Corris) runs through the village before joining the Dulas. The ancient Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
between northern and southern Roman Wales, Sarn Helen
Sarn Helen
right|thumb|250px|A section of Sarn Helen near Betws-y-coed.Sarn Helen was a Roman road in Wales, running from Aberconwy in the north to Carmarthen in the south.It was some 160 miles in length...
, probably ran through the village. The settlement now known as Corris was at one time known as Abercorris (spelt Abercorys on some early maps), when the old turnpike road
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
from Dolgellau
Dolgellau
Dolgellau is a market town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the county town of the former county of Merionethshire .-History and economy:...
to Machynlleth
Machynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
ran through the village. The modern A487 trunk road was built by the quarry owners in the 1840s and bypasses the village.
On the bluff above the village, known as the Braich Goch, stands a memorial to Alfred Hughes, of Fronwen, near Garneddwen
Garneddwen
Garneddwen is a hamlet in the south of the county of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas in the Meirionnydd area.It consists primarily of a single row of terraced houses, built for the workers at Aberllefenni Slate Quarry....
, who established a hospital in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
during the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
.
Further up the Deri valley is the village of Corris Uchaf
Corris Uchaf
Corris Uchaf , locally known as Top Corris, is a village lying in the south of the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The name is believed to be derived from the English word "quarries", and the extensive slate quarries that surround the village are its most prominent historical feature.The...
(Upper Corris).
Heritage
The area is known for its natural history and for its industrial heritageIndustrial heritage
Industrial heritage is an aspect of cultural heritage dealing specifically with the buildings and artifacts of industry which are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations, often forming a significant attraction for tourism.The...
. The Corris Craft Centre at Braichgoch showcases the work of local craftspeople. Several former slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
mines penetrate the hillsides, and parts of what was once Braichgoch Quarry can be visited on a tourist trip called "King Arthur's Labyrinth". Two miles south of Corris is the Centre for Alternative Technology
Centre for Alternative Technology
The Centre for Alternative Technology is an eco-centre in Powys, mid-Wales, dedicated to demonstrating and teaching sustainable development. CAT, despite its name, no longer concentrates its efforts exclusively on alternative technology, but provides information on all aspects of sustainable living...
.
Corris Railway Station
The narrow gauge Corris RailwayCorris Railway
The Corris Railway is a narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire in Mid-Wales....
from Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas.Part of the ancient county of Merionethshire, it is the location of Foel Grochan, a slate quarry which together with Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu formed the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry, which extracted...
used to pass through Corris. Corris Station was unusual in British narrow gauge railways in having an overall roof covering the main line through the station, although this was removed soon after the railway closed in 1948. Although the buildings containing the carriage shed, waiting room, stationmaster's office and toilets were demolished in 1968, the adjacent railway stable block, comprising parcels office, coachhouse, harness room and hayloft, still survives and is now used as the Corris Railway Museum. North of the station the line was carried over the Afon Deri on a high stone bridge, adjacent to the similar bridge carrying the main street through the village. This bridge is still standing.
The railway carried slate through Machynlleth
Machynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
to be shipped from quays at Derwenlas
Derwenlas
Derwenlas is a hamlet in northern Powys, Wales.Part of the historic county of Montgomeryshire from 1536 to 1974, it lies on the Afon Dyfi and was once a port serving the market town of Machynlleth....
and Morben
Morben
Morben is a hamlet in northern Powys, Wales. Part of the historic county of Montgomeryshire from 1536 to 1974, it lies on the Afon Dyfi and was once the home of a number of riverside quays, including Cei Ward and Y Bwtri. The site of Cei Ward lies alongside the A487 opposite Plas Llugwy, where the...
on the River Dyfi
River Dyfi
The River Dyfi is a river in Mid Wales. The Dyfi estuary forms the border between the counties of Gwynedd and Ceredigion.- Source :...
. The line from Corris to Maespoeth Junction
Maespoeth Junction
Maespoeth Junction lies to the south of Corris in Gwynedd and was where the horse-hauled tramway from the slate quarries around Corris Uchaf met the main line of the Corris Railway coming from Aberllefenni...
has been restored, and passengers are carried by steam train on this section, with plans to extend further south in due course. Much of the abandoned route northwards to Aberllefenni and southwards to Machynlleth
Machynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
can still be traced.
The village
Corris has a junior schoolJunior school
A junior school is a type of school which caters for children, often between the ages of 7 and 11.-Australia:In Australia, a junior school is usually a part of a private school that educates children between the ages of 5 and 12....
, Ysgol Dyffryn Dulas, (formerly Ysgol Gynradd Corris).
Out of the many chapels in the village, only Salem remains open for worship, along with Holy Trinity Church. Corris was formerly a part of the parish of Talyllyn
Talyllyn
Talyllyn or Tal-y-llyn can refer to:* the former parish in southern Merionethshire in Wales, and included the villages of Abergynolwyn and Corris*Tal-y-llyn Lake, a glacial ribbon lake east of Abergynolwyn...
, but the church now shares its vicar with Pennal
Pennal
Pennal is a village on the A493 road in southern Gwynedd, Wales, on the north bank of the Afon Dyfi/River Dovey, near Machynlleth.It lies in the former county of Merionethshire/Sir Feirionnydd, and is within the Snowdonia National Park.-Roman Fort:...
,
while local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
is provided by Corris Community Council, which serves the villages on the Meirionnydd side of the Dulas valley.
Another notable building in the village is the half timbered Corris Institute, built in 1911, which has recently undergone a major refurbishment, completed in late 2006.
At the junction between the A487 and the road into the village is the Braich Goch Inn which was originally a coaching Inn on the Londonderry Estate. Now the Braich Goch is a bunkhouse for walkers, kayakers and mountain bikers.
Corris is host to two Festivals. In February there is the Gwyl Cwrw Corris Beer Festival and September sees the Gwyl Corris Festival of Music.