Bangor, Gwynedd

Bangor is a ceety in Gwynedd, north wast Wales, an ane o the smawest ceeties in Breetain. It is a varsity ceety wi a population o 13,725 at the 2001 census, no includin aroond 10,000 students at Bangor University. Includin naurbi Menai Brig on Anglesey, that disna housomeivver form pairt o the Ceety o Bangor itsel, the population is aboot 18,000. Awtho it is Wales's fowert lairgest ceety, this is somewha misleadin as it anerlie ranks as 36t lairgest urban aurie in Wales. Accordin tae the census, 46.6% o the population speak Welsh.(6,199 oot o 13,310 fowk aged 3 an aulder spak Welsh in the follaein wards: Deiniol, Marchog, Hirael, Garth, Menai, Glyder, Hendre, Dewi.)   Bangor haes been cried "The Athens o Wales".The Guardian (Alternative Athenses, 3 November 2005)

History
The oreegins o the ceety date back tae the foondin o a monastic establishment on the steid o Bangor Cathedral bi the Celtic saunt Deiniol in the early 6t century AD. The name 'Bangor' itsel is a auld Welsh wird for a type o fenced-in enclosure, sic as wis oreeginally on the steid o the cathedral. The praisent cathedral is a somewha mair recent biggin an haes been extensively modifee'd ootthrou the centuries.
Whiles the biggin itsel isna the auldest, an certainly no the biggest, the bishopric o Bangor is ane o the auldest in Breetain. Anither claim tae fame is that Bangor allegedly haes the langest High Street in Wales an the Unitit Kinrick. Friars School wis foondit as a free grammar schuil in 1557, an Bangor University wis foondit in 1884.

Geography
Bangor lies on the coast o north Wales naur the Menai Strait that separates the island o Anglesey frae Gwynedd. Bangor Muntain lies tae the east o the main pairt o the ceety, but the lairge hoosin estate o Maesgeirchen, oreeginally biggit as cooncil hoosin, is tae the east o the muntain near Port Penrhyn. Anither ridge rises tae the north o the High Street, dividin the ceety centre frae the sooth shore o the Menai Strait; this aurie is kent as Upper Bangor (Bangor Uchaf).
Bangor haes twa rivers athin its bundaries.  The River Adda is a lairgely culvertit wattercourse that anerlie appears abuin grund at its wastren extremities naur the Faenol estate, whiles the River Cegin enters Port Penrhyn at the eastren edge o the ceety. Port Penrhyn wis an important port in the 19t century, exportin the slates produced at the Penrhyn Quarry.

Bangor lies at the wastren end o the North Wales Path, a 60-mile (100 km) lang-distance coastal walkin route tae Prestatyn. It is an aa on routes 5, 8 an 85 o the National Cycle Network.

Bangor railwey station, whilk serves the ceety, is locatit on the North Wales Coast Line frae Crewe tae Holyhead.

Eddication
Bangor University an Coleg Menai are locatit in the ceety. Seicontary schuils include Ysgol Friars, Ysgol Tryfan, Hillgrove Schuil an St Gerard's Schuil. Thare are an aa a nummer o primary an infant schuils.

Cultur
Bangor is a important centre for clessical muisic, wi regular concerts gien in the Powis an Prichard-Jones Haws as pairt o the varsity's Muisic at Bangor concert series. The ceety is an aa hame tae the Gwynedd Museum an Airt Gallery. The University haes annoonced plans for a major new airts centre in the ceety.

Bangor hostit the Naitional Eisteddfod in 1890, 1902, 1915, 1931, 1940 (throu the medium o radio), 1943, 1971 an 2005, as well as a unoffeecial Naitional Eisteddfod event in 1874.

Media
Radio
Bangor is hame tae a smaw BBC braidcastin centre, producin a lairge amoont o ootput for BBC Radio Cymru. The studios are an aa the main North Wales newsroom for telly, radio an online. The BBC's Licht Entertainment Depairtment muived tae Bangor durin Warld War II an mony clessic programmes (like It's That Man Again) cam frae Bangor.

Bangor wis an aa previously hame tae twa commercial radio stations, Heart Cymru (servin Anglesey an Gwynedd) an the nou-defunct Heart North Wales Coast (servin the North Wales Coast), that shared studio facilities on the Parc Menai office complex - the studios wur closed in August 2010 efter the stations wur muived tae Wrexham.

Bangor University an aa haes its awn student radio station cried Storm FM, that braidcasts tae the Ffriddoedd Steid an frae thair wabsteid.

In 1967, the Beatles cam tae Bangor, stayin in Dyfrdwy, ane o the haws comprisin Adeilad Hugh Owen (Hugh Owen Biggin), nou pairt o the Management Centre, for thair first encoonter wi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, durin whilk veesit thay learnt o the daith o thair manager Brian Epstein.

On 24 Februar 2010, BBC Radio 1's The Chris Moyles Show annoonced Bangor as the location for Radio 1's Big Weekend concert festival. The forenuin shaw wis braidcast on location frae Bangor, wi the annooncement as well as a portion o the lineup bein revealed. Big internaitional acts sic as Rihanna, Kesha an Alicia Keys played as well as Breetish acts like Pixie Lott, Cheryl Cole, Joe McElderry an Dizzee Rascal.

Retail trade
Bangor haes a nummer o retail ootlets on Caernarfon Road, on the ootskirts o toun. Ane o thir is St David's Retail Park that wis constructit on the steid o the demolished St David's maternity infirmary.

Garth Pier
Bangor haes a pier, whilk is the seicont langest in Wales an forby the 9t langest in the Breetish Isles, bein 1,500 feet (or 472 metres). Its name is the Garth Pier, an wis amaist demolished in 1974 acause o the puir condition it wis in at the time. Housomeivver local support for the pier ensured that it survived an gained a Grade 2 leetit status, as it wis considert ane o the three finest survivin piers at the time. Restoration wirk began in 1982 an didna feenish till 1988. The pier wis re-appened on Seturday, 7 Mey 1988.

Sport
Bangor haes a lang-establisht fitbaa team, Bangor City F.C., that competes in the naitional Welsh Premier League (umwhile, League o Wales). Bangor City hae wan the League o Wales on twa occasions an been continuous members o the league syne its inception. Bangor City hae wan the Welsh Cup seiven times an aw, maist recently in 2009. Afore 1992 thay wur members o the Inglis fitbaa pyramid, peakin wi the Northren Premier League teetle in 1982 an bein FA Trophy runners-up in 1984. They hae competit in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup three times (includin its final saison an aw, 1998-99, afore bein mergit intae the UEFA Cup), UEFA Champions League twice, an UEFA Cup five times, awtho thay hae no progressed faur in ony o the European competitions.

Bangor is hame tae the rugby union team Bangor RFC an aw, whae play in the WRU Diveesion Twa North league.

Popular cultur
The ceety o Bangor is mentioned as the birthplace o the wife o Mr Tebbs, in the popular BBC series Are You Being Served? in the series 6 episode "Shedding the Load."

Infirmary
Ysbyty Gwynedd is based in Bangor athin the Penrhosgarnedd aurie. The infirmary is the lairgest o aw the North Wast Wales NHS Trust hospitals an the main admeenistrative centre is based in Bangor.

References

Freemit airtins

 Clwb Golff St-Deiniol Golf Club, Bangor 
 History o Bangor — BBC 
 Bangor museum 
 Bangor Civic Society 
 The People of Bangor Community Group 
 Bangor in auld photographs
 Diocese o Bangor
 www.geograph.co.uk : photos o Bangor an surroondin aurie


Category:Ceeties in Wales
Category:Touns in Gwynedd
Category:Tourism in Gwynedd
Category:Varsity touns in the Unitit Kinrick
Category:Piers in Wales
Category:Bangor University