Project No. 1823
The area which formed the focus of this year’s HLC work encompassed the area of the Vale of Dolgellau which has been identified on the Register of Landscapes of Outstanding Historic Interest in Wales by Cadw, CCW and ICOMOS, HLW(Gw)13 (Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments, 1998, p 117), although the actual boundaries of the study were not entirely contiguous with the Register area.
The study area was situated in the modern county of Gwynedd, and the historic county of Meirionnydd. It stretched from the upper reaches of the Mawddach estuary at Penmaenpool in the west to Brithdir in the east; and from Bryniau Glo in the north to the top of Cadair Idris in the south. It included a variety of different terrains and habitats, and of different historic landscape types, such as open mountain tops and slopes, wooded valley sides, low-grade agricultural land and nucleated settlements. It was centred on the ancient and prosperous town of Dolgellau, and included a number of outlying small settlements such as Brithdir, Llanelltyd and Llanfachraeth. It was particularly noted for its associations with the woollen industry, the Quaker movement and the (more recent) growth of tourism.
In all, seventeen areas of different historic character were identified, based on themes such as late prehistoric defended enclosures, medieval sheep farming, the woollen industry, the lands of Cymmer Abbey and their later usurpation by the Nannau estate, the town of Dolgellau, the influence of the Quakers and the upland massif (and expanding tourist industry based upon it) of Cadair Idris. A field visit with Cadw’s listed Buildings Inspector identified several interesting strands of architectural development based largely on the estate influence of Nannau, and on a separate vernacular tradition of farm buildings. The townscape of Dolgellau is also quite distinctive.
There is surprisingly little evidence for prehistoric activity in the area, the principal sites being the two stone-built hillforts on Moel Offrwm (area 12) and a number of cairns on the north-facing slopes of Cadair Idris (area 17).
In the early Roman period (late first to early second centuries), the fort at Brithdir was linked by legionary army routes to Llanfor and Tomen-y-Mur (area 15). Later, drovers’ routes from Ardudwy and the south-west also led through the area. The name of the town, Dolgellau (‘Meadow of the Cells’) (area 01), may refer to the pens used for herding animals or to the presence of the medieval Cistercian abbey at Cymer on the south bank of the Mawddach (area 06). The area is also intricately associated with the estate of Nannau, home of one of the most influential Welsh families, the Nanneys (area 11). In the 17th century, another religious community, the Quakers, was important in the town and its surrounding area. However, persecution caused most of them to leave for a new life in Pennsylvania.
Dolgellau has also had an important administrative history. The Welsh Prince, Owain Glyndwr, held an Assembly in the town in 1404, and Dolgellau developed as the main agricultural market, assize and County administrative centre for Meirionnydd for the medieval and post-medieval periods.
Various industries have contributed to the character of Dolgellau and have left their mark on the names of buildings and roads in the town and in the intriguingly complex pattern of streets and small squares to the south of the river, unique in Wales. A valuable woollen industry, specialising in flannel, flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries, and until quite recently tanning was an important occupation. The gold and copper mined in the hills to the north and west of the town employed over 500 miners at the end of the 19th century. Goods produced in the area were taken down river to Barmouth for sea transport, or inland to Shrewsbury (via Bala).
The architectural character of Dolgellau is dominated by the grey dolerite and slate buildings, of which over 200 are listed as of historical or architectural interest. Since the 18th century visitors have come to the area to explore the scenic landscape, particularly of Cadair Idris and the Mawddach, and to savour its historic past and its natural history.
In addition to the above, as part of this project a paper was given at a seminar, held in Welshpool for professional archaeological and planning practitioners, on the uses of historic landscape characterisation in planning, educational and wider contexts. In August, the display boards produced as part of the Cadw/EU-funded Pathways to the Cultural Landscape project (based on the methodology behind historic landscape characterisation) formed a central part of a north Wales community heritage initiative in Llanfairfechan. The biannual characterisation meetings were attended as normal.
David Thompson
