Historical background
Set on the site of a medieval llys site, of which some elements
may remain visible in the modern landscape around the sub-medieval
house Ty Mawr, this settlement is principally a distinctive
mid- to late nineteenth-century quarry village. It was built
as a ribbon development along the turnpike between the 1850s
and 1890s, in part by the socially-concerned Unitarian management
of Pen yr Orsedd Quarry.
Key historic landscape characteristics
Industrialists' village (terraced housing), literally
in shadow of tips
The earlier dwellings are those to the west, believed to date
from the 1850s, and are standard terraced houses, built out
of field stones and quarry rags, generally stuccoed. The main
part of the village is of later construction, from the 1860s
to the 1880s, and though made largely of terraced housing,
shows some attempt at ornamentation, with in some cases a pattern
of decorated barge-boards facing the street.
The house Ty Mawr (SH50865334) and the mill (SH50775341) may
represent the site of the medieval nucleation, the site of
a Welsh royal llys. In the grounds of Ty Mawr is an 1860s quarry
barracks complex (SH 5083 5339), the only surviving example
within a village, currently being adapted by the Welsh Development
Agency for use as offices and a community centre.
Back to Caernarfon-Nantlle
Landscape Character Map
