View of Pencader

Pencader village from the north

Pencader is the primary settlement of the district.

Pencader takes its name from the iron age hill fort overlooking the village (Pen – head, Cadair – chair or alternatively Pen – end, Caer – fort). In the twelfth century a motte and bailey castle was built by the Normans.

Pencader became an important centre for nonconformity in the seventeenth century (see Places of Interest). The growth of the Woollen Industry in the nineteenth century and the arrival of the railway in 1864 improved communication and generated commerce. Within a hundred years the mills closed and the railway was removed and dismantled and Pencader became less important as a centre for employment compared with the adjacent towns. Most of the current village was developed in the last two hundred years. A large estate of Council Houses constructed in the 1970s has been subsequently added to with additional construction of two lesser groups of houses elsewhere.

The village itself has two convenience stores, a gardening shop, a café, one hair salon, a church, one chapel, a residential care home and a Chapel of Rest as well as other small businesses. Outside the village there is a pet food factory.  The community primary school is of modern construction and serves the area well. The Pavilion serves as a communal hall along with Yr Hen Gapel and the Church Hall. Recently a care home for young adults with learning difficulties has opened. Pencader has an annual carnival.

For information on businesses and local facilities, see PARISH DIRECTORY

 

Aerial view of south Pencader