Historic background

Tal-y-bont is another in the series of small, mainly 19th century ribbon settlements which developed along the main north-south coastal road. It is a settlement which was carved out of the southern corner of the Cors-y-gedol estate, and the original ‘core’ of the village, which consists only of a loose cluster of 19th century stone houses, was, like Llanbedr, centred on the bridge which carried the road over the Afon Ysgethin. Otherwise the settlement consists of a vast late 20th century housing estate.

Key historic landscape characteristics

20th century settlement with earlier core

There is a small cluster of stone-built early 19th century houses around (and mainly to the south of) the bridge which carries the main road over the Afon Ysgethin. These appear to pre-date the present road, as they are not built ‘against’ it. The village shop/post office (which is the only commercial building in the settlement and again stone-built and which is later 19th century in date – see photograph), however, is just to the north of the bridge and obviously was built to front on to the road.

The remainder of the settlement is a housing estate which spreads up the hill to the east of the road (behind the shop) comprising single-storey (probably 1960s) bungalows, mainly semi-detached with small garden plots. There is no focus for the settlement or character about it and it hardly merits the description of a ‘village’.

 

 

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