Furnace (Welsh: Ffwrnes) is a village near the town of Llanelli in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales.[2] It is named after the furnace built by Alexander Raby before the village was established. The main furnace remains but is neglected and in ruin.
Furnace
| |
|---|---|
| Village | |
.jpg) Raby’s Furnace | |
  Furnace Location within Carmarthenshire | |
| OS grid reference | SN503013 |
| Community |
|
| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LLANELLI |
| Postcode district | SA15 |
| Dialling code | 01554[1] |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
Before the name 'Ffwrnes' or 'Furnace' was evident, the small hamlet was called 'Cwmddyche'; this consisted of a few farmsteads and Bryn-y-môr house, which is Stradey Park Hotel today. The village is at the mouth of a valley in which the Afon Cille flows. Llyn Trebeddrod or Furnace Pond is also within the village boundaries, and was constructed as a reservoir to serve the furnaces.[3]
It is under the authority of Carmarthenshire County Council and Llanelli Rural Council.[4]
Stradey Park hotel controversy
editIn 2023 the village came under the limelight when plans were announced that its 4-star Stradey Park Hotel would be used to accommodate asylum seekers. These plans led to the dismissal of 95 staff from the hotel.[5] The Furnace Action Committee was formed to oppose the plans and led protests outside the site. Counter-protests were led by the Llanelli branch of Stand Up to Racism with support from TUC Cymru.[6] Incidents at some protests on the site led to arrests and charges.[7] Some reports linked far-right groups with the protests.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Llanelli – UK Codes – The Phone Book from BT". Thephonebook.bt.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ Carmarthenshire County Council: Area and density of Community Wards Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Llanelli Community Heritage on Furnace and its furnace. Archived 15 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Llanelli Rural Council
- ^ "Stradey Park Hotel: Ninety-five staff to be made redundant". BBC News. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ Harries, Robert (12 July 2023). "'There is no racism here' - neighbours of asylum seekers hotel". WalesOnline. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ Jones, Branwen (11 July 2023). "Four charged after protest at hotel set to home asylum seekers". WalesOnline. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ "Stradey Park asylum seeker uncertainty fuels fear in Furnace". BBC News. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.