Llanedeyrn is a district and community in the east of the city ofCardiff, Wales, located around 3.5 miles from the city centre. The parish of Llanedeyrn rests on the banks of the river Rhymney and is visible nesting on a hill side above the A48, westbound on the approach into Cardiff.
History
The name "Llanedeyrn" is believed to be derived from a 6th-century prince and Celtic saint named St Edeyrn or Edern. During the 6th century, St Edeyrn and a fellow monk, St Isan, were given the task of spreading the faith and establishing places of worship. The first location chosen by the two monks was Llanishen. This name commemorates St Isan and the other St Edeyrn. St Edeyrn was reputed to have travelled widely, and as a result there are churches in North and SouthWales dedicated to his memory. St Edeyrn gathered together a community of about 300 that lived and worshipped in the Llanedeyrn area. The original Norman-style church dating back to 1123 exists only as stonework remnants beneath restoration work completed in 1888; the church today is a simple structure with a tower and five bells. Adjacent to this church is a public house called the Unicorn. The building dates to the 14th century and was converted in the late 18th century. Nearby in Pen-y-Groes a Calvinistic Methodist school room and chapel was built in 1840. Comprising only a few buildings, Llanedeyrn became part of Cardiff in 1889. In the late 1960s, Cardiff Council decided to build low cost social housing in Llanedeyrn, with an estimated 3,500 homes to be erected for 12,000 poor people. The first of the estates in the area was opened in 1968. The council provided prefabricated and terraced houses, and many two-, three- and multi-storey blocks of flats were constructed. In 1974 the Maelfa shopping centre was built and a part-time police station was opened, followed in 1975 by the Retreat public house next door. The public house "The Pennsylvania", dating from 1972, closed down and reopened in 2004 as the "New Penn". The area also had the first comprehensive school built in Wales, Llanedeyrn High School, which Colin Jackson attended in his youth. The housing estates in Llanedeyrn are:
Queenwood
Wellwood
Awel-Mor
Coed Ederyn
Ael-y-Bryn
Springwood
Hillrise
Glenwood
Wern Goch
Bryn Fedw
Pennsylvania
Coed-y-Gores
Roundwood
Chapelwood
Coed-y-Caegwyddau
Government
In 2016 Llanedeyrn became one of four new communities in Cardiff, having previously been part of the Pentwyn community. However, like many communities in Cardiff, it does not have a community council. For elections to Cardiff Council Llanedeyrn is part of the Pentwyn electoral ward.
