Rhuthun/Ruthin isn't actually a single entity. It's less perceptible than once it was but there's still a dividing line between Rhuthun and Llanfwrog. Everything west of the Afon Clwyd River is actually Llanfwrog.
This split reflects what was once the two ecclesiastic parishes of 1. St Meugan’s (the mother church of Rhuthun) & later St Peter's; and 2. SS Mwrog & Mary, Llanfwrog. The town church was "high" and that at Llanfwrog, "low". This to some extent reflected the relative wealth of the town itself and its near Llanfwrog neighbour.
Indeed, politically, Llanfwrog was once divided into Llanfwrog Rural and Llanfwrog Urban. Llanfwrog Urban was to form part of the pre-1974 borough of Rhuthun.
Llanfwrog Rural rises towards Clocaenog and includes land and farms once well within the Pool Parc estate. In the pre-1974 local government landscape, this tiny ward of some 65 households sent a councillor to the then Ruthin Rural District Council (by contrast, about a quarter of the old town Ruthin Borough Council lived in Llanfwrog Urban). Between 1920 and 1937, there had been 55 houses in Llanfwrog Rural. The big jump occurred from 1952 and almost certainly was the result of council-commissioned properties.
The core of Llanfwrog Urban was once its church and pub opposite, the former Old Cross Keys, at the western end of Mwrog Street, plus the wider, residential Mwrog Street itself. This once featured an open stream, something that was again mooted as an initial option shortly after the devastating flooding of 2000, before the Llanfwrog alleviation scheme. Llanfwrog Urban was once almost detached from Rhuthun but council-commissioned social housing, from the 1920s to the 1990s to both sides of Borthyn & Denbigh Road have seen a shift in the community’s centre of gravity. If anywhere, the Porth y Dre stores (now Co-op) with its now closed post office is pretty much at the hub of that part of the Llanfwrog community.
The other ecclesiastic buildings on Mwrog Street were built from 1865. This was the non-conformist Sebuel. Thanks to the Methodist revival, after about 30 years, Sebuel outgrew its premises and alongside the chapel was built Bethania. The original chapel became the large vestry.
Llanfwrog Institute on Mwrog Street opened in 1889 and was a sort of church hall with living accommodation above, for the caretaker. As the importance of the church declined, it became disused, finally closing in the mid-1990s. By modern standards, its facilities were poor and it was sold in 2002 for conversion to housing. It took some years to see a secular replacement in the current Llanfwrog rotunda, the community centre, Lôn Fawr, itself a splendid memorial to the endeavours of its community. It's also known as Elwyn's Wigwam because one of the driving forces was former county councillor Elwyn Edwards but has officially changed its name to The Centre, even though in reality Llanfwrog Urban really has no central focus. Meanwhile, in 2013, the Anglican church bought, converted and opened Rhif Deg, Mwrog Street, as an outreach replacement for the Institute.
Other than Borthyn school, the other notable community building in Llanfwrog is its drill hall, constructed by public subscription and with the help of benefactors, which dates from the late 19th century. It was used initially by riffle volunteers and later by the Territorial Force, soldiers attached to the Royal Welch Fusiliers. It's now used as a youth centre and from February 2009 gained access for disabled people.
Today, Llanfwrog Urban equates to the so-called lower super output area Rhuthun 1 or Denbighshire 014A. Rhuthun 1's prosperity is typical of the average in Denbighshire as a whole.
Llanfwrog Rural
This split reflects what was once the two ecclesiastic parishes of 1. St Meugan’s (the mother church of Rhuthun) & later St Peter's; and 2. SS Mwrog & Mary, Llanfwrog. The town church was "high" and that at Llanfwrog, "low". This to some extent reflected the relative wealth of the town itself and its near Llanfwrog neighbour.
Indeed, politically, Llanfwrog was once divided into Llanfwrog Rural and Llanfwrog Urban. Llanfwrog Urban was to form part of the pre-1974 borough of Rhuthun.
Llanfwrog Rural rises towards Clocaenog and includes land and farms once well within the Pool Parc estate. In the pre-1974 local government landscape, this tiny ward of some 65 households sent a councillor to the then Ruthin Rural District Council (by contrast, about a quarter of the old town Ruthin Borough Council lived in Llanfwrog Urban). Between 1920 and 1937, there had been 55 houses in Llanfwrog Rural. The big jump occurred from 1952 and almost certainly was the result of council-commissioned properties.
At 2,721 acres, the pre-1974 Llanfwrog Rural civil parish ward was one of 18 of the Ruthin Rural District Council
The core of Llanfwrog Urban was once its church and pub opposite, the former Old Cross Keys, at the western end of Mwrog Street, plus the wider, residential Mwrog Street itself. This once featured an open stream, something that was again mooted as an initial option shortly after the devastating flooding of 2000, before the Llanfwrog alleviation scheme. Llanfwrog Urban was once almost detached from Rhuthun but council-commissioned social housing, from the 1920s to the 1990s to both sides of Borthyn & Denbigh Road have seen a shift in the community’s centre of gravity. If anywhere, the Porth y Dre stores (now Co-op) with its now closed post office is pretty much at the hub of that part of the Llanfwrog community.
The other ecclesiastic buildings on Mwrog Street were built from 1865. This was the non-conformist Sebuel. Thanks to the Methodist revival, after about 30 years, Sebuel outgrew its premises and alongside the chapel was built Bethania. The original chapel became the large vestry.
Llanfwrog Urban aka Rhuthun 1 or Denbighshire 014A
Llanfwrog Institute on Mwrog Street opened in 1889 and was a sort of church hall with living accommodation above, for the caretaker. As the importance of the church declined, it became disused, finally closing in the mid-1990s. By modern standards, its facilities were poor and it was sold in 2002 for conversion to housing. It took some years to see a secular replacement in the current Llanfwrog rotunda, the community centre, Lôn Fawr, itself a splendid memorial to the endeavours of its community. It's also known as Elwyn's Wigwam because one of the driving forces was former county councillor Elwyn Edwards but has officially changed its name to The Centre, even though in reality Llanfwrog Urban really has no central focus. Meanwhile, in 2013, the Anglican church bought, converted and opened Rhif Deg, Mwrog Street, as an outreach replacement for the Institute.
Other than Borthyn school, the other notable community building in Llanfwrog is its drill hall, constructed by public subscription and with the help of benefactors, which dates from the late 19th century. It was used initially by riffle volunteers and later by the Territorial Force, soldiers attached to the Royal Welch Fusiliers. It's now used as a youth centre and from February 2009 gained access for disabled people.
Today, Llanfwrog Urban equates to the so-called lower super output area Rhuthun 1 or Denbighshire 014A. Rhuthun 1's prosperity is typical of the average in Denbighshire as a whole.
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