Llansannan is a small village situated on the banks of the river Aled, with most of the amenities and dwellings located on the western side of the river.
The first edition of the 25inch OS maps, published in 1875, depicts a village that had an extraordinary number of places of worship considering its size. In 1875 Llansannan measured approximately 500m from west to east and 250m north to south. Despite this, the village had four places of worship - St. Sannan's church (NPRN 400546); Bethania Welsh Baptist chapel (NPRN 7802); Capel Coffa Henry Rees Welsh Calvinistic Methodist chapel (NPRN 7803) and Aled Independent chapel (NPRN 7800). Other amenities in the village included two public houses - the Saracen's Head and the Red Lion and a school. By the time the third edition of the 25inch maps was published in 1913, Llansannan had acquired a post office and another chapel - the Independent Capel Hiraethog (NPRN 7801).
Modern editions of the OS maps show that the village has expanded and there are significantly more dwellings in Llansannan in the twenty-first century than there were in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Saracen's Head seems to have closed although the Red Lion remains open, as does the post office. The primary school has moved from the eastern edge of the village to the western edge, and educates approximately 60 pupils through the medium of Welsh. Bethania Chapel, Capel Coffa Henry Rees and St Sannan Church remain open as places of worship.
Sources: modern and historic OS maps; Estyn report on Ysgol Bro Aled Llansannan published in October 2015; www.llansannan.org
M. Ryder, RCAHMW, 11th February 2019