TRYWERYN | CAPEL CELYN

Capel Celyn was a small rural community where Welsh was the dominant language. It lies to the northwest of Bala in Gwynedd, Wales, in the Afon Tryweryn valley. The village and other parts of the valley were flooded in 1965 to create a reservoir, Llyn Celyn, in order to supply Liverpool and Wirral with water for industry.

Capel is Welsh for chapel, while celyn is Welsh for holly.

When the valley was flooded in 1965, the village and its buildings, including the post office, the school, and a chapel with cemetery, were all lost. Twelve houses and farms were submerged, and 48 people of the 67 who lived in the valley lost their homes.

The plans were deeply controversial, and 35 out of 36 Welsh Members of Parliament opposed the proposals for the flooding, with one abstaining. But, in 1962, it was passed nonetheless.

In 2005, Liverpool City Council issued a formal apology for the flooding. While some people welcomed the move, others said the apology was a "useless political gesture" and 40 years too late.

The forced eviction of 67 inhabitants and subsequent flooding of their homes and village will never be forgiven by many and remains a source of anger and ill-feeling across the nation.

Cofiwch Dryweryn