According to Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust, Llanfair Talhaiarn 'lies inland from the coast, about five miles south of Abergele. The village occupies the bottom of the valley of the River Elwy, on the south side of the river, where a tributary of the Elwy runs northwards through a steep-sided valley to join it. The older part of the village nestles in this valley, with houses extending up the steep sides. The waters of the tributary stream are conduited below Water Street, the main street of the village. The church is prominently sited at the top of the western slope of the valley, where it also overlooks the Elwy. Modern housing estates have been added on higher ground to the east of this river valley.'
'Modern authorities translate' the name Llanfair Talhaiarn 'as "the church of Mary associated with Talhaiarn", explaining the latter as perhaps an early lay patron of the church. It is recorded as Llannber in 1254, as Lanveyr?dalhaearn and Lanveyr? Dalhaeyn in different copies of Pope
Nicholas? Taxation and as Llanvair Talhayarne in 1632. The first use of the modern name comes in 1839. Nothing is known of the origin and early history of the settlement [...] and the story of the settlement throughout the Middle Ages is obscure.'
'The 1842 Tithe map appears to show a fairly compact settlement entirely on the south side of the River Elwy, with all the buildings lying to the east of the church. Only one bridge over the Elwy is shown (NPRN 24049). Roads run out of the village centre to the east (now Denbigh Road) and west (now Church St) and also to the south (now Allt y Powls). But neither this map nor the smaller-scale maps of the Ordnance Survey (1819) or of John Evans (1795) offer a clear view of the form of Llanfair in the 19th century.'
The first edition of the 25inch OS maps, published in 1876, also show a fairly compact village with a number of amenities. These included a post office, a school and a smithy. There were also three public houses - the Black Lion Inn; the Swan Inn and the Crown Inn, as well as a Wesleyan Methodist chapel (NPRN 7708), Salem Baptist chapel (NPRN 7703) and a church dedicated to St. Mary (NPRN 309578). When the second edition of the 25inch map was published in 1900, the village had acquired another chapel - Soar Welsh Calvinistic Methodist chapel (NPRN 7706).
In the twenty-first century, Llanfair Talhaiarn has retained its post office and primary school, which educates approximately 44 pupils aged three to eleven. The Black Lion Inn and The Swan Inn also remain open. Soar Methodist chapel is now occupied by the Presbyterian Church in Wales.
Sources: Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust report entitles 'Historic settlements in Conwy' by R J Silvester, C H R Martin and S E Watson, published in March 2014 (p.30-32); modern and historic OS maps; google maps; Estyn report on Ysgol Llanfair Talhaiarn, published in January 2017; eglwysibroaled.com (PResbyterian church in Wales website)
M. Ryder, RCAHMW, 8th February 2019