("town"), and the Welsh name Colwyn or Collwyn, which also has a literal meaning of "cub, whelp, puppy". Demographics Colwinston's population was 447, according to the 2011 census; a 10.1% increase since the 406 people noted in 2001. This has recently been increased through the addition of 64 family homes. The 2011 census showed 13.1% of the population could speak Welsh, a rise from 7.8% in 2001. Church of St Michael & All Angels The original Norman St Michael's Church in Colwinston is reputed to have been built in 1111. The church was restored in 1879 and again in the 1970s and 2000s. The medieval parish church is a Grade 1 listed building. The church underwent a substantial restoration in 1879, and again in 1971 following a fire which badly damaged the chancel, destroying the brass tablets either side of the altar displaying the Ten Commandments. It was at this time that the words “Holy, Holy, Holy” painted in scroll work above the chancel arch were painted over. Further restoration work at the church was carried out at the millennium with the benefit of a major grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund together with grants from other bodies and funds raised by the villagers. A vestry, kitchen and toilet were built on the north side of the church, the interior and exterior walls were lime washed and the roof repaired at a cost of £350,000. Other landmarks Of the ten Grade II listed buildings in the village, all date from the medieval or immediate post-medieval period. These include a thatched house, "The Old Parsonage", the former manor house of Pwllywrach, and several former farmhouses. The Old Parsonage, a thatched house dating to the 16th century at the crossroads and opposite the southeast corner of churchyard, has a Gothic or Tudor arch and the building is "one of only two in Glamorgan with a latrine in the form of a small closet at the side of the fireplace." In 1835, the Seion Presbyterian Chapel was built but it closed in 1996; it later became a residential building. In 1843, the Ebenezer Baptist Chapel was established and the building was completed in 1852. The last minister was the Rev A.E. Powell of Balarat, who served at the church between 1905 and 1944 before the church became part of a house. The Sycamore Tree Inn, a public house run by Brains Brewery, can