The Carrog trail page one

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The trail is based on an original which was written by the Carrog Womens institute in 1977. In producing this version at their request it was felt important to retain its original concept; apart from additional information and certain necessary amendments the trail is largely unchanged.

Carrog has now become the name by which the whole village is generally known although part of it still retains the old name- Llansantffraid Glyndyfrdwy as it lies within that parish.

Llansantffraid Glyndyfrdwy lies practically in the centre of the lands once belonging to Owain Glyndwr.(1354-1416), a marcher lord in the valley of the Dee and at one stage proclaimed Prince of Wales-the famous leader of the great welsh revolt of 1400.

Carrog, the word for a brook in old welsh, is the name of a late medieval manor house(now a farmhouse) near the buried remains of a Motte and Bailey castle known as "Owain Glyndwr's mound".

The mound is covered with tall pine trees and stands out clearly against the skyline as one approaches the village along the A5 from Llangollen.

Our trail begins on the picturesque five span stone bridge over the river Dee.There doubtless has been a bridge over the Dee at this point since very early times. The date1661 is carved upon one of the stones of one of the triangular refuges. It is listed as a grade two building of architectural or historic interest.

Looking up the river we have a view of the village with a backcloth of the Berwyn mountain Range beyond.

Turning left at the end of the bridge we walk up a short sharp hill.

On the left is Penlan- now modernised- but once the house of a boot and shoemaker, Robert Morris, who was also the first postmaster.

He obliged the village folk by loudly sounding a horn when he collected mail from the stage coach passing along what is now the A5 Trunk Road to Holyhead.

The `Royal Mail` and the `wonder`(London-Holyhead) coaches each day, and the `Nimrod` from Shrewsbury each day except Sunday.He would then wait in Penlan for people to call for an expected letter.

The road curves gently to the left then takes a sharp bend to the right.

Standing back from Afon Ro (originally a shop) on the left of this bend we can see an interesting old house which was previously the Old Swan Inn.

From this point a small lane runs steeply down to the river.

Looking downhill, the last two cottages on the left were once the first nonconformist chapel to be established in the village.

It was baptist by denomination and built in 1832.

Opposite can be seen the burial ground which was made by the members of the chapel when the rector of the time refused to allow the burial of children in consecrated ground who had not been baptised in church.

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