Rowen, Conwy

"Rowen" redirects here. For the community in California, see Rowen, California.

For the mountain near Blaenau Ffestiniog, see Y Ro Wen.

Not to be confused with Rowan.

Rowen
The Tŷ Gwyn public house in Rowen
Rowen Rowen shown within Conwy
OS grid reference	SH755719
Community	Caerhun
Principal area	Conwy
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CONWY
Postcode district	LL32
Dialling code	01492
Police	North Wales
Fire	North Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
EU Parliament	Wales
UK Parliament	Aberconwy
Welsh Assembly	Aberconwy
List of places UK Wales Conwy

Coordinates: 53°13′48″N 3°51′50″W / 53.230°N 3.864°W / 53.230; -3.864

Footbridge over the Afon Roe

Rowen is a village on the western slopes of the Conwy valley in the parish of Caerhun and the former County of Caernarvonshire in Wales. It lies off the B5106 road, between Tal y Bont and The Groes Inn. Buildings of Gwynedd 2009 refers to the River Roe probably following the Roman route from Caerhun to Abergwyngregyn. Rowen has won tidiest village awards several times.

In recent times the name of the village has been variously spelled as "Y Wy- Wen" ( white river ), "Rowen", "Ro-wen" "Roe Wen" and "Roewen". Although the Religious Census of 1851 records the name "Ro-wen", most early 20th-century maps simply use the name "Y Ro", Welsh for "gravel" or "pebbles". Wen means "white", or could mean "holy".

The Afon Roe, a tributary of the River Conwy, flows through the village. A tributary of Afon Roe is Afon Tafolog, which drains the eastern slopes of Drum, a mountain in the Carneddau mountains.

In the book Crwydro Arfon (1959, by Alun Llewelyn-Williams), Rowen is described as "...one of the loveliest villages in Wales" (p. 77).

The following poem, called "Voice of Afon Ro", was written by G. Gerallt Davies in 1945:

"Llais Afon, Ro"

Hi ddaw'n deg o Dyddyn Du — yn unswydd

I ddawnsio a chanu,

Ac ugain craig yn gwgu,

Ar wen hon ag oerni hy.

The village has a hotel, Tir y Coed; a pub, Y Tŷ Gwyn; and a memorial hall, but the small primary school closed in 2011. There is a youth hostel on the slope a mile to the west of the village. Social housing came to the village in the 1960s - Llanerch Estate.

In the past, the village had a greater significance; it had three mills, and several ale houses and inns. It also had a pandy or fulling mill, so woollen cloth must have been made nearby. The village is identified in the Caerhun common enclosure award maps. The award map refers to the creation of the White Hart Road on the mountain above Fotty Gwyn and the Roman bridge, possibly related to the old royal mail coaching days.^[1] There are past associations with cattle droving and fairs. Bulkley Mill (completed 1684) is one of the notable old mills of the village. One historic source refers to a mountain cloudburst happening above the village, with properties being lost (probably in the mid-1800s).

Nearby is the Roman road route through Bwlch-y-Ddeufaen, with its cromlech Maen-y-Bardd.

Part of the A Family at War series (Granada TV) was filmed here.

Interesting local buildings

Ty Pandy - the original woollen or fulling mill c.1800 and modified in Victorian times; still has a mill race and mill pond fed by the river
Pen-y-Bont 'By the Bridge' - 16th century, river stone cottage; possibly the oldest building in the village
Seion Methodist Chapel and Vestry - 1841
Former Seion Chapel - 1819
Llannerch y Felin - Elizabethan Snowdonia-type house
Bodafon and Fronfa - houses adjacent to the former post office with old Georgian style porches since removed; stables/store below
Llais Afon - large village terrace house (formerly two houses) with original sash windows and a former carpenter's workshop to the side; now empty
Coed Mawr Hall - probably mid-19th-century
Rock House - large house above Coed Mawr Hall
Tan yr Onnen cottage with dated gate stone^[2]
Glyn Isa - 17th-century country house
Gilfach - with lovely gardens
Y Swan - old village inn, now a house
The old cobbler's shop facing the road (near Ty Gwyn)
Pandy - the manor (historically, Pandy was Lord of the Manorial )
Bulkeley Mill - old mill property

Local connections

G. Gerallt Davies - poet and writer; Pengwern
Huw T. Edwards - politician, poet and writer; Tros fy Tresi; see village plaque
Edward Nefydd Evans - gardener, nurseryman and plantsman; born in Rowen in the 1930s; left in spring 2015, after 85 years
Harriet and Jack Evans - from Llannefydd/Llansannan in the 1930s
Isoline Gee - Gilfach
A. T. Johnson - plantsman and garden writer; 1930s; A Woodland Garden in Wales
Margaret Lacey - actress, ballet teacher and film star in the 1960s - 70s; I'm All Right Jack
Kyffin Roberts - Wern; Tyddyn Robin, Llanbedr
Jess Yates - Yorkshire TV presenter and producer
Paula Yates
H. G. Williams - writer
Scriven Williams

References

↑ Masters of the Post by Duncan Campbell-Smith, 2011, p. 74
↑ Francis Frith site - post card view from the 1960s

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rowen, Conwy.

Conwy Valley

Towns	Llanrwst Conwy

Other Settlements	Betws-y-Coed Caerhun Dolgarrog Eglwysbach Glan Conwy Henryd Llanbedr-y-cennin Llanddoged Llangelynnin Llanrhychwyn Maenan Rowen Tal-y-bont Tal-y-Cafn Trefriw Tyn-y-groes

Rivers & Streams	Afon Conwy Afon Crafnant Afon Geirionydd Afon Hiraethlyn Afon Machno Afon Lledr Afon Llugwy Afon Gallt y Gwg Nant y Goron Afon Ddu (1) Afon Porth-llwyd Afon Dulyn Afon Ddu (2) Afon Garreg-wen Ffrwd Cerriguniawn Afon Melynllyn Afon Roe Afon Tafolog Afon Gyffin

Lakes	Llyn Crafnant Llyn Elsi Llyn Geirionydd Llyn y Parc

Waterfalls	Conwy Falls Grey Mare's Tail Fairy Falls

Hills & Mountains	Mynydd y Dref Tal y Fan Bwlch-y-Ddeufaen Cefn Cyfarwydd Mynydd Hiraethog

Castles & Forts	Canovium Conwy Castle Gwydir Castle Pen y Gaer

Bridges	Conwy Suspension Bridge Pont Fawr (Llanrwst) Tal-y-Cafn Bridge Waterloo Bridge (Betws-y-coed)

Other Features	Bodnant Garden Conwy RSPB reserve Gwydir Forest Klondyke mill Moel Maelogan Snowdonia National Park Surf Snowdonia

Transport	A470 B5106 Conwy Valley Line

Railway Stations	Betws-y-Coed railway station Dolgarrog railway station Glan Conwy railway station Llanrwst railway station North Llanrwst railway station Tal-y-Cafn railway station

Conwy County Borough

Principal settlements	Abergele Colwyn Bay Conwy Deganwy Kinmel Bay Llandudno Llandudno Junction Llanfairfechan Llanrwst Old Colwyn Penmaenmawr Penrhyn Bay

Towns and villages	Betws yn Rhos Betws-y-Coed Bylchau Caerhun Capel Curig Capel Garmon Cerrigydrudion Dinmael Dolgarrog Dolwyddelan Eglwysbach Glan Conwy Henryd Kinmel Bay Llanbedr-y-Cennin Llanddoged Llanddulas Llanfair Talhaiarn Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr Llangernyw Llangwm Llannefydd Llanrhychwyn Llansannan Llysfaen Maenan Mochdre Old Colwyn Pandy Tudur Penmachno Pentrefoelas Rhos-on-Sea Rowen Tal-y-bont Tal-y-Cafn Trefriw Towyn Ysbyty Ifan

Community councils	Abergele Betws-y-Coed Betws-yn-Rhos Bro Garmon Bro Machno Caerhun Capel Curig Cerrigydrudion Colwyn Bay Conwy Dolgarrog Dolwyddelan Eglwysbach Henryd Kinmel Bay and Towyn Llanddoged and Maenan Llanddulas and Rhyd-y-foel Llandudno Llanfair Talhaiarn Llanfairfechan Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr Llangernyw Llangwm Llannefydd Llanrwst Llansanffraid Glan Conwy Llansannan Llysfaen Mochdre Old Colwyn Penmaenmawr Pentrefoelas Rhos on Sea Trefriw Ysbyty Ifan

Rivers	River Conwy River Crafnant River Geirionydd River Lledr River Llugwy River Machno Afon Ddu Afon Ddu (Drum) Afon Dulyn Afon Eigiau Afon Lloer Afon Melynllyn Afon Porth-llwyd Afon Roe Afon Tafolog

Castles and forts	Canovium Conwy Castle Deganwy Castle Dolwyddelan Castle Gwrych Castle Gwydir Castle Pen y Gaer

Headlands	Great Orme Little Orme Penmaenmawr

Topics	Parliamentary constituencies Places Schools Country houses SSSIs Scheduled Monuments Grade I listed buildings Grade II* listed buildings Lord Lieutenants High Sheriffs Museums

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