Dre-fach Felindre
Encyclopedia
Dre-fach Felindre is a village in Carmarthenshire
, West Wales
. It is located four miles south-east of Newcastle Emlyn
. It lies at the confluence of three fast-flowing streams, the Nant Bargod, Nant Esgair and Nant Brân, where their steep-sided valleys open out into the Teifi Valley. In the 19th and early 20th century it was an important centre for the woollen industry and was given the epithet, "the Huddersfield
of Wales". As the population increased, the villages of Dre-fach (Welsh language
, small town) and Velindre (Welsh language, mill town) extended and merged to form the present community.
The Museum of the Welsh Woollen Industry, now the National Woollen Museum
, was opened in 1976 in the Cambrian Mill.
, Dolwyon, Drefach and Cwmpencraig. Spinning and weaving were done by hand or in small workshops at this time. In the 1850s, the power loom was introduced, the need for water power increased and there was a great expansion of the industry. Substantial mills, some employing 50-100 people, were built at Drefach, Felindre, Drefelin, Cwmpengraig, Cwmhiraeth and Pentre-cwrt by the first decade of the 20th century. The population increased in Drefach and Felindre and houses were built for mill workers and mill owners, shops opened and St Barnabas' Church and other places of worship were built. Overflow settlements occurred at Cwmpencraig and Cwmhiraeth, where more factories, mill owner houses, worker houses and chapels clustered in the narrow valleys. The woollen industry declined from the 1920s onwards and the mills closed one by one.
At its peak, there were ten mills on Nant Bargod and twenty four in the whole village. As the textile industry flourished, so did the social, cultural and religious institutions in the village. Because Dre-fach Felindre was reliant on industry rather than on agriculture like the surrounding countryside, the outlook of the inhabitants was different. It resembled that of the South Wales valleys with their billiard halls, brass bands, male voice choirs and soccer teams.
The Unitarian
chapel of Penrhiw was built in 1777. In 1952 it was dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt at St Fagans National History Museum
. Services are still held in the chapel at its new location, and burials still take place at the cemetery at its original site on a grassy slope overlooking Felindre.
The poet and broadcaster Aneirin Talfan Davies
was born in the village.
The musician and writer Rhiannon Cooper resides in the village.
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, West Wales
West Wales
West Wales is the western area of Wales.Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics....
. It is located four miles south-east of Newcastle Emlyn
Newcastle Emlyn
Newcastle Emlyn is a town straddling the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in west Wales and lying on the River Teifi.Adpar is the part of the town that lies on the Ceredigion side of the River Teifi...
. It lies at the confluence of three fast-flowing streams, the Nant Bargod, Nant Esgair and Nant Brân, where their steep-sided valleys open out into the Teifi Valley. In the 19th and early 20th century it was an important centre for the woollen industry and was given the epithet, "the Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
of Wales". As the population increased, the villages of Dre-fach (Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
, small town) and Velindre (Welsh language, mill town) extended and merged to form the present community.
The Museum of the Welsh Woollen Industry, now the National Woollen Museum
National Woollen Museum
The National Woollen Museum located in Drefach Felindre, Llandysul, Carmarthenshire is part of the National Museum Wales.-Background:Historically and into the 19th century, the production and processing of wool surpassed even coal as the most important of Wales' industries...
, was opened in 1976 in the Cambrian Mill.
History
Little development happened in this area before the late 18th century and it is not clear why Dre-fach Felindre became such an important centre for the production of woollen cloth in Wales. By the early 19th century, four fulling mills were established at PentrecwrtPentrecwrt
Pentrecwrt is a village in north Carmarthenshire, Wales on the A486 road half way between Carmarthen and New Quay.-History:Pencastell is a bracken and tree-clad motte that can be seen on the hillside above Pentrecwrt....
, Dolwyon, Drefach and Cwmpencraig. Spinning and weaving were done by hand or in small workshops at this time. In the 1850s, the power loom was introduced, the need for water power increased and there was a great expansion of the industry. Substantial mills, some employing 50-100 people, were built at Drefach, Felindre, Drefelin, Cwmpengraig, Cwmhiraeth and Pentre-cwrt by the first decade of the 20th century. The population increased in Drefach and Felindre and houses were built for mill workers and mill owners, shops opened and St Barnabas' Church and other places of worship were built. Overflow settlements occurred at Cwmpencraig and Cwmhiraeth, where more factories, mill owner houses, worker houses and chapels clustered in the narrow valleys. The woollen industry declined from the 1920s onwards and the mills closed one by one.
At its peak, there were ten mills on Nant Bargod and twenty four in the whole village. As the textile industry flourished, so did the social, cultural and religious institutions in the village. Because Dre-fach Felindre was reliant on industry rather than on agriculture like the surrounding countryside, the outlook of the inhabitants was different. It resembled that of the South Wales valleys with their billiard halls, brass bands, male voice choirs and soccer teams.
The Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
chapel of Penrhiw was built in 1777. In 1952 it was dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt at St Fagans National History Museum
St Fagans National History Museum
St Fagans National History Museum , commonly referred to as St Fagans after the village where it is located, is an open-air museum in Cardiff chronicling the historical lifestyle, culture and architecture of the Welsh people...
. Services are still held in the chapel at its new location, and burials still take place at the cemetery at its original site on a grassy slope overlooking Felindre.
Culture and community
Dre-fach Felindre has little industry today. The mills still stand as monuments to the past but have been put to other uses. One now houses the National Woollen Museum, another a furniture warehouse and others have been converted to residences or accommodation for holiday visitors. There is a post office, a few shops, a church, several chapels and a primary school, Ysgol Gynradd Penboyr. There is a community hall, the Red Dragon Hall, and a children's playground. The football club, Bargod Rangers, plays at the community park, Parc Puw.The poet and broadcaster Aneirin Talfan Davies
Aneirin Talfan Davies
Aneirin Talfan Davies was a Welsh poet, broadcaster and literary critic.Talfan Davies was brought up in Gorseinon. During the 1930s Davies worked in London as a pharmacist before returning to Wales and settling in Swansea. He was the brother of Alun Talfan Davies, with whom he founded the...
was born in the village.
The musician and writer Rhiannon Cooper resides in the village.