Greenfield Valley Heritage Park (Welsh

Welsh language

Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...

: Dyffryn Maes Glas) is a 70 acres (28.3 ha) country park in Britain. It is located near the town of Holywell

Holywell

Holywell is the fifth largest town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying to the west of the estuary of the River Dee.-History:The market town of Holywell takes its name from the St Winefride's Well, a holy well surrounded by a chapel...

, in north 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...

. It is well known for its woodland, reservoirs, ancient monuments (including the ruins of Basingwerk Abbey

Basingwerk Abbey

Basingwerk Abbey is the ruin of an abbey near Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, in the care of Cadw .The abbey was founded in 1132 by Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester, who brought Benedictine monks from Savigny Abbey in southern Normandy. In 1147, the abbey became part of the Cistercian Order and...

), rich industrial past and its factories which played a big part in the 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...

.

Factories

A majority of the factories were built in the late 18th century. They were powered by Water Power which came from the Holywell Stream. Most factories had eventually closed down by the 1960s. Some factory buildings can still be seen today.

Battery Factory

The Battery Works employed local people to shape pots and pans from brass

Brass

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...

 sheets, the energy needed to do this was made by using a Water Wheel, the water came from the Battery Pond.

Next to the Battery Factory is the ruins of Battery Row, were many of the employees would have lived.

The Battery Factory now lies next to the Battery Pond in ruin, the site is now supported by the 'National Welsh Heritage Lottery Fund'.

Meadow Mill

The Meadow Mill built in 1787 produced rolled copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

sheets for Thomas Williams's companies.

Lower Cotton Mill

One of many cotton mills that flourished throughout the valley. The factory still stands to this day, tourists are not allowed to enter the building.

Today remains of machinery that was used can be viewed as it lies outside of the factory.

Abbey Wire Mill

Copper and brass wire was made. Most of the factory has been destroyed and only a few features from the ruins are visible.

Old school

Near the Visitor centre there is an old village school which was originally built near the town of Holywell, but was reconstructed in to the valley. Today, the school is used by visitors, in sessions developed by the museum volunteers, that can show visitors what school life was like in the Victorian times.

Visitor centre

The visitor centre is the entrance to a farm and museum. The center also provides information on woodland walks, educational activities, bird watching and fishing in the area.

Near the ruins of Basingwerk Abbey is a farm and museum which visitors can enter for a small fee. The farm consists of reconstructed local buildings, animals and activities for the children.

External links

• Greenfield Valley Heritage Park - official site