Points of interest
Llandeilo takes its name from Saint Teilo who had many followers during the 6th Century, and worked closely with the patron saint of Wales, Saint David.
It is strongly believed that Saint Teilo was buried in Llandeilo, as he spent much of his time in and around the area. By the early 12th Century Llandeilo came under the patronage of the Bishopric of St David’s, an ecclesiastic borough that became responsible for the affairs of the town including its development as an important medieval market centre to an extensive agricultural hinterland. Llandeilo was razed to the ground in 1213, 1316 and later during the Glyndwr Rebellion in 1403.
Until the middle of the 20th Century, St Teilo’s Fair, authorised initially by Edward I in 1290, was held annually in the churchyard.
Tregib Wood is a Woodland Trust wood. It is a beautiful site set within a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. Ancient woodland, grassland and new native woodland are the prominent features. Wetland plants are supported within the wood, and dormice have been recorded at this site.
Llandeilo single arch masonry road bridge crosses the River Towy and its water meadows, carrying the A483 out of Llandeilo to Ffairfach. From the town, the road sweeps down into the Towy Valley and the bridge is hard up against the town’s edge. A grade two listed structure, it has been described as the finest single-arch bridge in Wales. The bridge has a clear span of 44.2m and an overall width of 10m. The arch rises 10.67m. It is constructed in coursed masonry, using squared blocks. Most of the stonework has been chiselled or hammer-dressed on the visible surfaces to an flat finish.
Pilasters are placed at each end of the bridge and at intervals along the approach walls.
The voussoirs, or wedge-shaped stones that make up the outer edges of the arch, are long and narrow, and have an ashlar finish and chamfered (shaved) edges. They extend a quite a way up the faces of the bridge, meeting the string course, or horizontal band of masonry at road level, in the centre.