Hen Felin
Ychydig o'r hanes:
Defnydd gwreiddiol y bandrwm oedd fel melin lechi i weithio'r cerrig geid o'r chwarel gyfagos,ac fe'i hagorwyd tua 1820. Gweithwyd y felin fel rhan o gyfres o felinnau oedd yn perthyn i Samuel Jones ac fe sefydlwyd y " Glandinorwig Slate Works" yn 1853.
Roedd Samuel Jones wedi ei gontractio i Lywodraeth Ei Mawrhydi fel gwneuthurwr llechi ysgol .Ef oedd unig wneuthurwr yr enwog "Crown School Slates" a ddefnyddid gan blant y cyfnod i ymarfer eu darllen a'u hysgrifennu. Roedd y safle yn un o bump rhan oedd yn perthyn i waith Glandinorwig. Fel coffadwriaeth am ein hetifeddiaeth, penderfynodd Pwyllgor y Band i alw'r hyn a fu ar lafar gwlad yn Cwt-y Band yn swyddogol fel Hen Felin.
Yn ystod y gwaith adeiladu, daeth echel yr hen olwyn fawr i'r amlwg wedi ei gladdu dan bridd a bellach fe saif , wedi ei adfer a'i beintio, ym maes parcio'r adeilad. Dros gyfnod o amser fe syrthiodd perchnogaeth y felin i ddwylo stâd y Faenol a daeth y band yn denantiaid ym 1929. Ym 1968 daeth diwedd i gyfnod euraid y Faenol hefyd, a gwerthwyd cannoedd o dai'r ystad mewn ocsiwn fawr ond fe roddwyd yr hen felin i'r band fel rhodd oherwydd iddynt fod yn denantiaid cyhyd.
Wedi difodiant y chwarel yn Ninorwig, parhawyd i ddefnyddio llawr uchaf yr adeilad fel ystafell ymarfer y band ond defnyddwyd llawr isaf yr adeilad gan nifer o grefftwyr lleol,cwmni adeiladu ac fel iard lo.
Yr olaf o'r crefftwyr i ddefnyddio'r adeilad oedd Gwilym Williams ac wedi blynyddoedd o'i ddefnyddio fel gweithdy i greu arteffactau ac addurniadau llechi fe adawodd yr adeilad yn ystod haf 1998. Mr Gwilym Williams a greodd y plac lechen sy'n dynodi enw'r HEN FELIN a welir bellach ar yr adeilad newydd ac rydym yn ddiolchgar iddo am ei haelioni.
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A little bit of history:
The Bandroom was originally an old slate mill, dating back to around 1820, to complement the nearby quarries. The mill formed part of Samuel Jones’ slate treatment company known as the "Glandinorwig Slate Works" established in 1853.
Samuel Jones was a contractor to Her Majesty’s Government and an unparalleled manufacturer of framed, unframed and log Slates. He was the sole maker of the celebrated "Crown" School slates, which the children of that era used whilst learning to read and write. The old mill was believed to have been one of about five in the chain of slate treating mills owned by the "Glandinorwig Slate Works". In memory and recognition of its previous heritage, the Band Committee has decided to re-name Cwt-y-Band to "HEN FELIN" (The Old Mill).
During the construction phase, the axle of the old mill wheel was uncovered in the car park area and this can now be seen, restored and sitting proudly by the main entrance to the refurbished building.
Eventually, the old mill fell into the ownership of the Vaynol Estate and the Band became tenants in the building in 1929. When the Vaynol Estate was disbanded in 1968, the Bandroom was donated as a gift to the Band, in recognition of the fact that it had been a long-standing tenant since 1929.
Since the demise of the slate quarry at Dinorwic, the ground floor of the Mill (yr "HEN FELIN") had (in addition to the Band using the upper floor as a practice room), been used by various local craftsmen, a building company and a coal merchant.
The last local craftsman, Gwilym Williams, vacated the building in the summer of 1998 after using the ground floor for several years as a workshop to create slate artifacts and ornaments.
Mr Gwilym Williams has carved and donated the new "HEN FELIN" slate name-plates which can now be seen on the refurbished building. We are grateful to him for his kind donation.