Cymdeithas Treftadaeth Dyffryn Conwy
Conwy Valley Civic Society
Past meetings
2024
July - excursion to Yr Ysgwrn, childhood home of Hedd Wyn
July - Rowen Memorial Hall - Reception and AGM, with guest speaker Anna Reynolds, local historian and author
May - Llanbedr and Tal-y-bont Memorial Hall - Elisabeth Parfitt, Conwy Archives - 'Herbert Luck North – the Arts and Crafts style in Conwy County'
April - Church of St Grwst, Llanrwst - Naomi Jones, Eryri National Park - 'Managing heritage assets of the Eryri National Park'
March - Rowen Memorial Hall - Dr Marc Collinson and Dr Mari William, Bangor University - 'Atomic Structures: how North Wales' nuclear power stations impacted people and places'
February - Rowen Memorial Hall - Edward Hiller, Managing Director, The Mostyn Estates - 'The Mostyn Estates'
February - Princes Arms Hotel, Trefriw - Annual Lunch, with guest speaker the Rev Eryl Parry
January - Church of St Grwst, Llanrwst - Dr Elizabeth Green, Senior Curator for Wales, National Trust - 'The work of 'Friends of Friendless Churches'
2023
December - no meeting
November - meeting postponed
October - Rowen Memorial Hall - Charles Hawkins - 'Madagascar – the land that time forgot'
September - Rowen Memorial Hall - Joan Prime, biologist and horticulturalist - 'Aliens and invaders'
July - Rowen Memorial Hall - AGM, with guest speaker Diane Williams, architect
May - Rowen Memorial Hall - Maria Hayden-Hughes, Bangor University - "The world is your oyster - restoring a forgotten ecosystem in the Conwy estuary" -
April - Llanbedr and Tal-y-bont Memorial Hall - Dr. Debbie Jones, M-Sparc - "North Wales: The Home of Low Carbon Energy"
March - Llanbedr and Tal-y-bont Memorial Hall - Nigel Beidas - "Sheepfolds in the Carneddau - and Beyond"
February - meeting postponed, lecture rescheduled for May 2023
2022
December - no meeting
November - Rowen Memorial Hall - Mike Potts - "A Bird Photographer's Travels in the Antarctic"
October - Church House, Glan Conwy - Prof. Chris Baines - "From Greenland to Glan Conwy – a personal view of climate change" (Joint meeting with CPRW, Conwy Branch)
September - St Mary's Church Hall, Conwy - Alastair Dick-Cleland - "Rescuing ruins - the work of the Landmark Trust" (Joint meeting with the Aberconwy Historical Society)
August - Excursion to Bodrhyddan Hall (with Rowen Gardening Club)
July - No meeting
June - No meeting
May - Llanbedr and Tal-y-bont Memorial Hall - Teresa Bodner - Trees, farms, and the uplands – when is a landscape sustainable, and what does that look like in the Conwy Valley?
April - Rowen Memorial Hall - Dr Shaun Evans, Bangor University - Landed estates in North Wales: their effects on culture, society and landscape
March - Betws-y-coed Memorial Hall - Dr Martin Cherry -Houses in North Wales 1400-1600: some new discoveries
February - Rowen Memorial Hall - Professor John Reynolds - When mountains and lakes move: causes and consequences
January - no meeting
2021
December – no meeting
November - Rowen Memorial Hall - Gerallt Llewelyn Jones, Menter Môn - The Morlais Tidal Energy Project, Anglesey
October - Tal-y-bont Memorial Hall - Dr David Gwyn - The North Wales slate industry and the bid for UNESCO World Heritage status
September - Rowen Memorial Hall - Beca Roberts, SNPA - The Carneddau Landscape Partnership
2020
(The pandemic prevented further meetings until September 2021)
February - (Afternoon meeting) - Rowen Memorial Hall - Morgan Burgess (History dept., Rydal Penrhos) "The Normans in North Wales"
January - The Princes Arms, Trefriw - CVCS Awards lunch and presentation by Mrs Janet Evans, former High Sheriff of Clwyd
2019
December - no meeting
November - Tal-y-bont Memorial Hall - Dr. Malcolm Smith (Biologist and author, former chief scientist at The Countryside Council for Wales)"Farming post Brexit: a once in a lifetime local opportunity"
October - Seion Chapel, Llanrwst - Prof. Chris Baines (Naturalist, horticulturalist and broadcaster) - "Working with nature – from water management to wildlife
gardening" (joint meeting with CPRW (Conwy Branch)
September - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Matt Osmont RIBA (Architect, Donald Insall Associates) "Building conservation in practice"
August - no meeting
July - Excursion - guided tour of Gwrych Castle
June - Dolgarrog Community Centre - A.G.M., with guest speaker, Dr. John Willis (Dolgarrog Railway Society) “The Dolgarrog Railway”.
May - Members’ social evening - at Gilfach, hosted by Isoline and James Greenhalgh
April - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Professor Roy Alexander (University of Chester) - "Ashton Hayes Going Carbon Neutral Project: 14 years on"
March - Betws-y-coed Memorial Hall - Jenny Emmett (Gwynedd Archaeological Planning Service) - “Archaeology and Development in North-West Wales”
February - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - David Hopewell (Gwynedd Archaeological Trust) - "Recent Discoveries in Roman North-West Wales"
January - winter pub lunch at The Bee, Eglwysbach, with guest speaker - Judy Corbett, Gwydir Castle
2018
December - no meeting
November - Trefriw Village Hall - Dr Andre Mazzetto, Bangor University - "Shrinking the footprint of food produced in the Conwy Valley"
October - 7:30pm - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Anne Pedley, Archivist, Royal Welch Fusiliers - “The Poets of the Royal Welsh in WW1”
September - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Dewi Davies (The National Trust) - "The Upper Conwy Catchment Project"
August - no meeting
July - Dolgarrog Community Centre - AGM.
June - Betws-y-coed Memorial Hall - Bob Booth - North Wales Wildlife Trust - "Swifts"
May - Trefriw Village Hall - John Lawson Reay - "The Dolgarrog Flood Disaster"
April - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Gareth Evens - Team leader Flood Risk Management NRW - "Flood prevention in The Valley"
March - Trefriw Village Hall - Gavin Gatehouse - Founding chair Ynni Anafon Energy Cyf. - "How to build your own hydro"
February - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Aneurin Phillips - "Llefydd Gwyllt/ Wild Places"
January - Eglwysbach, Aberconwy Hall - Dyfrig Roberts - Consultant Engineer and Herald Bard - "Lighthearted professional anecdotes"
2017
December - no meeting
November - Trefriw Village Hall - Susan Jones, Education Officer at the Welsh Mountain Zoo - "The history of the Welsh Mountain Zoo"
October - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Mark Baker, Architectural Historian -"Gwrych Castle"
September - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Joyce Hughes, Chairman CPRW North Wales - "CPRW – protecting rural Wales for future generations"
August - no meeting
July - AGM Ro-wen, Memorial Hall
June - CVCS Awards - Princes Arms, Trefriw.
May - Eglwysbach, Aberconwy Hall - John Harold - "The Snowdonia Society at 50"
April - Natural Building Centre, Llanrwst - Ned Schärer - "From Westminster Abbey to Plas Tirion". Talk, tour and refreshments.
March - Trefriw Village Hall - Jane Kenney - "The Home Front"
February - The Bee Inn, Eglwysbach (afternoon meeting), lunch followed by talk - Eric Maddern - "Mythic Snowdonia"
January - Tal-y-bont Memorial Hall - Afternoon meeting - Anne Pedley - "The Royal Welsh Fusiliers in The Great War"
2016
December - no meeting
November - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Ken Davies - "40 years of working with lead"
October - St. John's Methodist Church, Rose Hill St. Conwy - Mike Brotherton - "Steam to Patagonia" (Joint meeting, courtesy of Aberconwy Historical Society).
September - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Glynis Shaw - “The Historic Gardens of North Wales”
August - no meeting
July - A.G.M. - Dolgarrog Community Hall
June - Betws-y-coed Memorial Hall - Margaret Thomas - "The history of Ty Hyll and its gardens"
May - Tal-y-bont Memorial Hall - Dr. Andy Evans "Organ donation update and the introduction of deemed consent in Wales"
April - Trefriw Village Hall - Alan Pritchard - "A day in the life of a Snowdonia National Park Warden"
March - Eglwysbach, Aberconwy Hall - Helen Bradley - "The Chardon Family, indigo planters in Calcutta, and the founders of Llandudno Museum"
February - Tal-y-bont Memorial Hall - Gethin Davies - "The Dark Skies campaign"
January - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Fiona Braithwaite - "Bodnant, the Winter Gardens, the Far End, and future plans"
2015
December - no meeting
November - Old Board School, Lloyd St., Llandudno - Susan Ellis, Archive Service" All you ever wanted to know about the Conwy Archive Service - hands on at the current Archive Office" and Quiz
October - Peniel Chapel Schoolroom, Deganwy - Richard Clammer - "Trefriw Steamers" - joint meeting with the History of Deganwy Group
September - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Gwyn Lloyd-Jones - "Catherine of Berain"
August - no meeting
July - Excursion to Hendre Hall (courtesy of Mr. Michael Tree)
June - Tal-y-bont Memorial Hall - AGM
May - Plas Maenan - Awards Ceremony
April - Betws-y-coed Memorial Hall - Colin Goodey - Via Ferate: Walking in the Clouds
March - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Aneurin Phillips - Hot and Cold, Part 2: Contrasting Wildlife and Landscape
February - Plas y Brenin - Netti Collister - Search and Rescue Dogs
January - Trefriw Memorial Hall - Vicky MacDonald -The Men who crossed The River Conwy
2014
December - no meeting
November - Eglwys-bach Village Hall - Chris Wynne - North Wales Wildlife Trust - From Gardens to Landscape
October - Eagles Hotel, Llanrwst - Mrs. S. Goodey - WWI, Battlefields of France
September - Tal-y-bont Memorial Hall –Paul Kay - Underwater Wales and the work of the Marine Conservation Society
August - no meeting
July - Llangollen Railway outing.
June - Tal Goed Nursery - AGM
May - Betws-y-coed Memorial Hall - Mel Morris – Stickmaking
April - Eagles Hotel, Llanrwst - Peter Collins – Welsh Furniture
March - Maenan Abbey Hotel - Rev Eirlys Griffith – Holy Wells of Wales
February - Tal-y-bont Memorial Hall - Chris Martindale – Tea Tasting
January - Fairy Falls Hotel -Vicky MacDonald – Artists of the Conwy Valley
2013
December - no meeting
November - Glasdir, Llanrwst - Keith Jones – Hidden Hydros of North Wales
October - Ro-wen Memorial Hall - Helen Bradley – Princes of Wales
September - St Tudclud’s Church, Penmachno - Open doors exhibition, talk and tea
August - no meeting
July - Bodnant Food Centre - Tasting Session - Taste the best of Wales -
June - Rowen Memorial Hall - AGM
May - Plas Maenan - Justin Albert - CVCS Awards Dinner
April - Plas Maenan - Michael Tree - Welsh landed estates - evolution or devolution?
March - Llanbedr and Tal-y-bont Memorial Hall - Aneurin Phillips - Hot and Cold
February - Maenan Abbey - Peter Barrar - Beekeeping in the Conwy Valley
January - Trefriw Village Hall - Marie Lidgett - The work of St David's Hospice
2012
December - no meeting
November - Plas y Brenin - Martin Doyle - In Victoria's footsteps
October - Rowen Memorial Hall - J and B Osborne - 17th century costumes
September - Betws-y-coed Memorial Hall - Pierino Algieri - The Splendours of North Wales
July - No meeting
June - Eglwysbach Village Hall - AGM
May - Summer lunch
April - Rowen Memorial Hall - Members' evening
March - Rowen Memorial Hall - Mike Gaches - Via Toscana: a walk across Souther France and Northern Spain
February - Plas Maenan - Adrian Lloyd Jones - The return of beavers to Wales (joint meeting with NWWT)
January - Trefriw Village Hall - Idris Hughes - A climate of change in our climate perspectives