Ammanford, Carmarthenshire
Ammanford (
Welsh:
Rhydaman) is the fourth largest
town in the
county of
Carmarthenshire,
Wales with a population 5,299 according to the
2001 census. Ammanford town is the main
shopping centre for many
villages in the surrounding area.
According to the 2001 census, 75.88% of the population are competent in the
Welsh language, compared to roughly 55% in Carmarthenshire as a whole and 20.5% in Wales as a whole.
Ammanford took its current name on
November 20,
1880. The community that existed then and now known as Ammanford dates back to around the early
1800s. At that time the main highways went through the area, not to it. The north-south road from
Llandeilo and
Llandybie went to
Betws, and the east-west road from the Amman Valley went to Penybanc and Tycroes, and further afield, both converging at a
crossroads (now Ammanford Square). This in turn led to the development of coaching or staging
inns and
taverns catering for the needs of the
traveller. The area eventually became identified by the name of one of these hostelries - Cross Inn.
The community of Cross Inn centred on the activity of the cross road, along with a small group of low-grade
cottages sited in the vicinity of Carregamman Isaf which became known as Pentrefaccas. Betws was a larger
hamlet with the parish
church - St David's - as its focal point. All the area to the west of the
River Amman fell within the parish of Llandybie.
The
Industrial Revolution created a demand for
coal, an essential source of power to operate the
boilers of
steam engines. Coal attracted investment which led to various companies, one of which was the
Llanelli Railway and Dock Company, building an elaborate
transport system of
railways. The first railway was opened in
1840, linking
Llanelli with Ammanford, reaching
Brynamman by
1842 and later extending northwards to Llandeilo and beyond.
Coal could not be mined without manpower, and so an influx of workers began. People needed
houses, services,
entertainment, and
schools. Within a relatively short period of time, what was once a quiet and tranquil
agricultural community changed to a bustling town, hungry to absorb the land of old established
farmsteads. The population increased explosively, with many of the migrants and their families coming from
English language-speaking areas of Wales as well as from
England,
Scotland and
Ireland.
This rapid growth appeared to have been the reason for changing the name of the village, as there was already another village in Carmarthenshire called
Cross Inn. Prominent
citizens convened a public meeting with a view to changing the name, and there was overwhelming support for the proposal, especially amongst the strong representation of church and
chapel members who perhaps resented the hamlet bearing the name of a
public house. Another consideration appears to be that the largest chapel in the village was then known as Cross Inn Chapel: a conflict of ideals, to say the least. There is still an
engraved stone in the grounds of the Chapel, now called Christian Temple, bearing its original name.
On the
October 1,
1880, the following
article appeared in the local
newspaper:
"It has been proposed to call CROSS INN, which is in the parish of Llandybie, in the County of Carmarthen, from this time forth, after the Right Hon. Baron, who owns the place, Dynevor.By adopting a new name, it is hoped to get rid of all previous annoyances, and also, that the other Cross Inn may benefit by the change."From later press reports, it seems that there was by no means unanimity in the selection of the new name. Several public meetings followed and eventually it was decided to refer the choice of a new name to a group of prominent local dignitaries.
On 20 November, the nominated
committee met at the Ivorites Hall (on Hall Street, which took its name from this building). After a long discussion it was proposed by Mr. A. A. Morris of Wernoleu, and seconded by Mr. W. Jones of the Cross Inn Hotel, that from this time forth, the village should be known as Ammanford. The proposal was accepted unanimously, there being no other name before the meeting. After the
vote was taken, the
chairman of the meeting, Watcyn Wyn, could not resist announcing that 'Cross Inn' had finally been 'crossed out'.
Ammanford was an important location as the
1904-1905 Welsh Revival unfolded.
Ammanford hosted the
National Eisteddfod in
1922 and
1970.
On
July 4,
2002, Ammanford was granted
Fairtrade Town status. This status was renewed by the
Fairtrade Foundation on December 27,
2003.
*
Neil Hamilton - the ex-
Tory MP who lost his seat after a cash-for-questions row in 1997.
*
Siân Phillips - Actor in various television series including
I, Claudius and the
David Lynch film
Dune*
John Rhys-Davies - actor starring in
Sliders, the
Indiana Jones films and
Lord Of The Rings (as
Gimli).
*
Jarcrew - Now-defunct eletronica-punk-funk band.
*
Unofficial Town website*
Parish website
