Conwy Falls
| Conwy Falls Welsh: Rhaeadr y Graig Lwyd | |
| Caernarfonshire, Denbighshire | |
|---|---|
 The falls from the viewing platform | |
| River: | River Conwy |
| Co-ordinates: | 53°3’55"N, 3°46’45"W |
The Conwy Falls are a waterfall on the River Conwy on the border of Caernarfonshire on the west bank with Denbighshire on the east. The waterfall is found near Bro Garmon, and just below the point where the River Machno joins the Conwy.
The falls and surrounding area are a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[1] The nearby café, adjacent to the A5, is an interesting example of the work of the architect Clough Williams-Ellis, of Portmeirion fame.[2]
The falls, woodland and wildlife
The falls are located in the last gorge section of the River Conwy at a point where it plunges 50 feet into a deep pool.[3] The falls are accessible via natural paths through the preserved woodland of the SSSI. Polecats and other wild animals, including 32 species of bird, inhabit the surrounding woodlands, which extend to approximately 9½ acres.[4]
Salmon ladder
The River Conwy is a salmon river, and there are two salmon ladders at the falls. One is a disused Victorian wooden ladder that was destroyed by a storm soon after being built, and incorporating steps hewn into the rock. The second is a modern ladder, built in 1993 at a cost of nearly £1 million, which can detect and count every fish that enters.[5] This ladder—not visible to the public—consists of some 30 pools set in a zig-zag pattern within a piped tunnel.[6]
There is a water gauging station at the Falls, measuring the flow into the fish pass. When low levels are detected, the flow is diverted over the falls, rather than through the pass, to ensure that flora in the gorge is protected.[7]
The café building
The first café at the falls was simply a wooden hut.[8] In 1938, the architect Clough Williams-Ellis was consulted with regard to the design of a new building, the original design being for a building perched on the rocks above the falls, but this was never built. The current building dates from the 1950s and, although rather different from Williams-Ellis' design (drawings of which are displayed in the cafe's main room[8]), is nevertheless an excellent example of his style, the cafe being "provided with a pediment in the Georgian style and an open loggia on the upper level."[9]
Outside links
References
- ↑ Sayer, Zoe; Rebecca Terry (2006). All Terrain Pushchair Walks in Snowdonia. Sigma Press, p. 59.
- ↑ Clough Williams-Ellis, by Richard Haslam & Clough Williams-Ellis, published by Academy Editions, 1996
- ↑ RoughGuides.com - Conwy Falls
- ↑ BritainExpress.com - Conwy Falls
- ↑ Conwy Falls - the salmon ladder
- ↑ New Scientist - Technology: The fish ladder with a twist
- ↑ Environment Agency - Conwy Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy, April 2004
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Conwy Falls cafe - History
- ↑ Clough Williams-Ellis: The architect of Portmeirion : A memoir, by Jonah Jones, published by Seren, 1996
- Conwy Falls fish pass tunnel, R.Byles, from International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences and Geomechanics Abstracts, Volume 32, Number 4, June 1995, pp. 189A–189A