Bwlchgwyn
Encyclopedia
Bwlchgwyn is a village in Wrexham
county borough, Wales
, on the A525 road
, 5 miles (8 km) west of the town of Wrexham
and 10 miles (16.1 km) south-east of the town of Ruthin
. Bwlchgwyn is part of the community
of Brymbo
. In the 2001 Census
the population of the village was 1,148 including the nearby smaller villages of Gwynfryn
and Four Crosses.
Bwlchgwyn translates into English as "White Pass" which refers to the white limestone
cliff
s in the area. It has also been suggested that the original name was Bwlchgwynt meaning "Windy Pass".
The name Bwlchgwyn is also said to mean that the pass is white because it is the first and last place in the district where snow settles. Similarly, nearby Gwynfryn means "white hill".
, it is one of several places claiming to be the highest village in Wales
(although Garn-yr-erw
in Torfaen
is cited as being the highest by the Ordnance Survey
). As the village is so high, there is a good view of the Cheshire
Plain, with Jodrell Bank
being seen on clear days.
Two rivers have their sources near the village: the River Gwenfro
rises on the south side of the village and the Nant-y-Ffrith
flows through a wooded valley to the north.
The village is built on Cefn-y-fedw sandstone
, a type of Millstone Grit
from the Carboniferous
period. It contains veins of lead ore and various other minerals.
when a hill fort
was built there (now destroyed by quarrying). Until the 19th century the area was common land
used for grazing with only a few houses. As with other villages in this area, such as Coedpoeth
, Gwynfryn
and Minera
, the village prospered in the agricultural and industrial revolution
s, benefiting from the rich deposit of silica underground. Local quarries and coal mines provided employment, and the village grew. The nearby Minera Limeworks
was the largest employer in the area until it closed in the 1970s. Several public houses opened in the area, one of which still remains - The King's Head Inn, seen in the photograph above. Two chapel
s were built in the village: the Nebo Chapel was first built in 1852 and had a peak congregation of 150. Bwlchgwyn School opened in 1875; the building stood for over 100 years before being replaced by a new school. The Welsh-language author Edward Tegla Davies
was a pupil and later a teacher there.
ing in Wrexham. The village has its own bus service operated by George Edwards and Son
, which is also based in Bwlchgwyn. The main road through the village is the A525 between Newcastle-under-Lyme
and Rhyl
. This creates a high volume of traffic through the village, although this was calmed by road improvements to a parallel route going around the village.
There is a well-used community centre which is also home to the village post office, the local toddler group and karate
club.
Wrexham (county borough)
Wrexham is a county borough centred on the town of Wrexham in north-east Wales. The county borough has a population of 130,200 inhabitants. Just under half of the population live either within the town of Wrexham or its surrounding conurbation of urban villages. The remainder living to the south...
county borough, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, on the A525 road
A525 road
The A525 is major route from Rhyl in North Wales to Newcastle-under-Lyme in England. On the way, it passes near to Denbigh, through Ruthin, through Wrexham and near Whitchurch.It is dual carriageway just south of Rhyl...
, 5 miles (8 km) west of the town of Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
and 10 miles (16.1 km) south-east of the town of Ruthin
Ruthin
Ruthin is a community and the county town of Denbighshire in north Wales. Located around a hill in the southern part of the Vale of Clwyd - the older part of the town, the castle and Saint Peter's Square are located on top of the hill, while many newer parts of the town are on the floodplain of...
. Bwlchgwyn is part of the community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
of Brymbo
Brymbo
Brymbo is a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is a village situated in the hilly country to the west of Wrexham town, largely surrounded by farmland....
. In the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
the population of the village was 1,148 including the nearby smaller villages of Gwynfryn
Gwynfryn, Wrexham
Gwynfryn is a small mountain village in the community of Minera in Wrexham county borough, Wales. Its name, originally that of the village chapel, is formed from the Welsh words bryn, "hill", and gwyn, "white": "white hill"...
and Four Crosses.
Etymology
The placenameWelsh placenames
The placenames of Wales derive in most cases from the Welsh language, but have also been influenced by linguistic contact with the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Anglo-Normans and modern English...
Bwlchgwyn translates into English as "White Pass" which refers to the white limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
s in the area. It has also been suggested that the original name was Bwlchgwynt meaning "Windy Pass".
The name Bwlchgwyn is also said to mean that the pass is white because it is the first and last place in the district where snow settles. Similarly, nearby Gwynfryn means "white hill".
Geography
At a height of 1090 feet (333 m) above sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, it is one of several places claiming to be the highest village in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
(although Garn-yr-erw
Garn-yr-erw
Garn-yr-erw is a village in south eastern Wales, lying at the source of the Afon Llwyd north of Blaenavon and Pontypool, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. The village lies at an altitude of approx 400 metres on the side of Gilwern Hill, Monmouthshire and is cited by the Ordnance...
in Torfaen
Torfaen
Torfaen is a county borough in Wales within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It was originally formed in 1974 as a district of the county of Gwent and in 1996 it was reconstituted as a unitary authority.-Education:...
is cited as being the highest by the Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
). As the village is so high, there is a good view of the Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
Plain, with Jodrell Bank
Jodrell Bank
The Jodrell Bank Observatory is a British observatory that hosts a number of radio telescopes, and is part of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester...
being seen on clear days.
Two rivers have their sources near the village: the River Gwenfro
River Gwenfro
The River Gwenfro is a small river in Wrexham County Borough, north Wales. It is a tributary of the Clywedog. The name Gwenfro is possibly derived from the Welsh language words gwen , "white", and bro, "border", "boundary"....
rises on the south side of the village and the Nant-y-Ffrith
Nant-y-Ffrith
Nant-y-Ffrith refers to a stream and the wooded valley through which it flows on the border between Flintshire and Wrexham County Borough in Wales. The stream begins in moorland to the east of Llandegla. It passes Bwlchgwyn village before entering a rather steep-sided, rocky valley...
flows through a wooded valley to the north.
The village is built on Cefn-y-fedw sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, a type of Millstone Grit
Millstone Grit
Millstone Grit is the name given to any of a number of coarse-grained sandstones of Carboniferous age which occur in the Northern England. The name derives from its use in earlier times as a source of millstones for use principally in watermills...
from the Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
period. It contains veins of lead ore and various other minerals.
History
Bwlchgwyn has been inhabited since at least the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
when a hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
was built there (now destroyed by quarrying). Until the 19th century the area was common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
used for grazing with only a few houses. As with other villages in this area, such as Coedpoeth
Coedpoeth
Coedpoeth is a village and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales.-History:...
, Gwynfryn
Gwynfryn
Gwynfryn can represent more than one place, including:*Gwynfryn, Gwynedd, Wales*Gwynfryn, Wrexham, Wales*Gwynfryn, London, London...
and Minera
Minera
Minera is a small village, and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales.The community, which in addition to Minera village includes a number of smaller hamlets such as Gwynfryn and New Brighton and large areas of farmland, had a...
, the village prospered in the agricultural and industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
s, benefiting from the rich deposit of silica underground. Local quarries and coal mines provided employment, and the village grew. The nearby Minera Limeworks
Minera Limeworks
The Minera Limeworks were extensive lime quarries and kilns at Minera in Wrexham, Wales. It was located at , near the villages of Gwynfryn, Minera, and Coedpoeth and was locally referred to as The Calch.-History:...
was the largest employer in the area until it closed in the 1970s. Several public houses opened in the area, one of which still remains - The King's Head Inn, seen in the photograph above. Two chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
s were built in the village: the Nebo Chapel was first built in 1852 and had a peak congregation of 150. Bwlchgwyn School opened in 1875; the building stood for over 100 years before being replaced by a new school. The Welsh-language author Edward Tegla Davies
Edward Tegla Davies
Edward Tegla Davies was a Methodist minister and a popular Welsh language writer, born at Llandegla-yn-Iâl, Denbighshire, north Wales....
was a pupil and later a teacher there.
Bwlchgwyn today
Today the village has its own primary school, with secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
ing in Wrexham. The village has its own bus service operated by George Edwards and Son
George Edwards and Son
George Edwards and Son is a small bus company that operates from Bwlchgwyn, Wrexham in Wales. It was inaugurated in 1923, and the company has run coaches since that date.Originally, the only competition was Wrexham & District Transport Co...
, which is also based in Bwlchgwyn. The main road through the village is the A525 between Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area and North Staffordshire. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944...
and Rhyl
Rhyl
Rhyl is a seaside resort town and community situated on the north east coast of Wales, in the county of Denbighshire , at the mouth of the River Clwyd . To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay, with the resort of Towyn further west, Prestatyn to the east and Rhuddlan to the south...
. This creates a high volume of traffic through the village, although this was calmed by road improvements to a parallel route going around the village.
There is a well-used community centre which is also home to the village post office, the local toddler group and karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
club.