Furnace, Carmarthenshire
Village in Carmarthenshire, Wales
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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Furnace
| |
|---|---|
| Village | |
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
In 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]