Holywell
Encyclopedia
Holywell is the fifth largest town in Flintshire
, North
Wales
, lying to the west of the estuary
of the River Dee
.
of Holywell takes its name from the St Winefride's Well
, a holy well
surrounded by a chapel
. The well has been known since at least the Roman
period, and has been a site of pilgrimage
since about 660
when Saint Winefride was beheaded there by Caradog who attempted to attack her. The well is one of the Seven Wonders of Wales
and the town bills itself as The Lourdes
of Wales. Many pilgrims from all over the world continue to visit Holywell and the Well.
From the 18th century, the town grew around the lead
mining
and cotton mill
ing industries. The water supply from the mountains above the town, which flows continually and at a constant temperature, supplies the well and powered many factories in the Greenfield Valley. In addition to lead and cotton, copper production was of great importance. Thomas Williams, a lawyer from Anglesey built factories and smelteries for copper in Greenfield Valley, bringing the copper from Anglesey to St. Helens and then to Greenfield Valley where it was used to make many items for the slave trade. These items included manilas (copper bracelets), neptunes (large flat dishes to evaporate seawater to produce salt) and copper sheathing. The copper sheathing was used to cover the hulls of the wooden ships trading in the warmer Caribbean waters, giving rise to the expression 'copper bottomed investment', the sheathing was also applied to Royal Navy ships and was instrumental in Nelson's victories (two of these copper plates from HMS Victory are in Greenfield Valley Heritage Park museum).
The wealth generated from these industries led to the development of the town and the High Street still has many Georgian buildings.
The Greenfield Valley is well known for the abundance of birds and butterflies and many enthusiasts visits to see the array of species. The Valley also has a number of conserved mills and structures from bygone ages and is the only place in Wales to have seven scheduled ancient monuments.
Holywell hosted an unofficial National Eisteddfod event in 1869.
local authority. At the 2001 Census
, the total population of the town was:
With the adjoining villages the population is over 15,000
is located to the north east of the town on the B5121 road.
Villages within the Holywell catchment area include: Bagillt
, Brynford
, Carmel
, Gorsedd
, Halkyn
, Lixwm, Lloc, Mostyn
, Pantasaph
, Pentre Halkyn
, Rhes-y-Cae, Rhosesmor
, Trelawnyd
, Whitford
and Ysceifiog
. In addition there are other smaller scattered communities within this area. All of these are within a six mile radius of Holywell. These villages are all connected to Holywell by a frequent bus service.
.
The town contains a secondary school
with over 500 pupils and a leisure centre
, as well as four primary schools.
Holywell also has a local football
team, Holywell Town
who play in the Welsh Alliance League
.
The old cottage hospital
was located in Pen-y-Maes until it closed. A new hospital has been built near the football pitch of the local team.
Recently, larger stores, notably Tesco
and Lidl
have been built around the town centre.
Although Holywell does not have a cricket
team carrying the name of the town a number of junior and senior cricketers from the area play for nearby village team Carmel & District Cricket Club
whose ground is located a short distance from Holywell between the villages of Carmel
and Lloc located just off the A55
expressway.
In 2007, a group of locals proposed a circular walk way, the "St Beuno's Circular Walk", joining all of the historical and religious locations of the town.
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
, North
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
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...
, lying to the west of the estuary
Dee Estuary
The Dee Estuary is a large estuary by means of which the River Dee flows into Liverpool Bay. The estuary starts near Shotton after a five miles 'canalised' section and the river soon swells to be several miles wide forming the boundary between the Wirral Peninsula in north-west England and...
of the River Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
.
History
The market townMarket town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Holywell takes its name from the St Winefride's Well
St Winefride's Well
St Winefride's Well is a holy well located in Holywell, in Flintshire in North Wales. It is the oldest continually visited pilgrimage site in Great Britain....
, a holy well
Holy well
A holy well, or sacred spring, is a small body of water emerging from underground and revered either in a Pagan or Christian context, often both. Holy wells were frequently pagan sacred sites that later became Christianized. The term 'holy well' is commonly employed to refer to any water source of...
surrounded by a 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,...
. The well has been known since at least the Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
period, and has been a site of pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
since about 660
660
Year 660 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 660 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Slavic principality of Carantania is first...
when Saint Winefride was beheaded there by Caradog who attempted to attack her. The well is one of the Seven Wonders of Wales
Seven Wonders of Wales
The Seven Wonders of Wales is a traditional list of notable landmarks in North Wales, commemorated in an anonymously written rhyme:The seven wonders comprise:...
and the town bills itself as The Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
of Wales. Many pilgrims from all over the world continue to visit Holywell and the Well.
From the 18th century, the town grew around the lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
ing industries. The water supply from the mountains above the town, which flows continually and at a constant temperature, supplies the well and powered many factories in the Greenfield Valley. In addition to lead and cotton, copper production was of great importance. Thomas Williams, a lawyer from Anglesey built factories and smelteries for copper in Greenfield Valley, bringing the copper from Anglesey to St. Helens and then to Greenfield Valley where it was used to make many items for the slave trade. These items included manilas (copper bracelets), neptunes (large flat dishes to evaporate seawater to produce salt) and copper sheathing. The copper sheathing was used to cover the hulls of the wooden ships trading in the warmer Caribbean waters, giving rise to the expression 'copper bottomed investment', the sheathing was also applied to Royal Navy ships and was instrumental in Nelson's victories (two of these copper plates from HMS Victory are in Greenfield Valley Heritage Park museum).
The wealth generated from these industries led to the development of the town and the High Street still has many Georgian buildings.
The Greenfield Valley is well known for the abundance of birds and butterflies and many enthusiasts visits to see the array of species. The Valley also has a number of conserved mills and structures from bygone ages and is the only place in Wales to have seven scheduled ancient monuments.
Holywell hosted an unofficial National Eisteddfod event in 1869.
Demographics
Administratively, Holywell town consists of three wards of the Flintshire County CouncilFlintshire County Council
Flintshire County Council is the governing body of the principal area of Flintshire , one of the administrative subdivisions of Wales.-Political makeup:...
local authority. At 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 total population of the town was:
| Ward | Population |
|---|---|
| Holywell Central | 1,835 |
| Holywell East | 1,828 |
| Holywell West | 2,311 |
| Holywell Total | 5,974 |
With the adjoining villages the population is over 15,000
Geography
Holywell is split into four distinct areas: Pen-y-Maes, the Strand, the Holway and the town centre. The Holway, located on the west side of the town, is the largest of the residential areas of Holywell. The near-contiguous village of GreenfieldGreenfield, Flintshire
Greenfield is a village on the outskirts of Holywell, Flintshire, north-east Wales, located on the edge of the River Dee estuary. At the 2001 Census, it had a population of 2,741.-History:...
is located to the north east of the town on the B5121 road.
Villages within the Holywell catchment area include: Bagillt
Bagillt
Bagillt is a small town near Holywell in Flintshire, North Wales. At the 2001 Census the population was recorded as 3,918.-History:http://stmarysbagillt.co.uk/...
, Brynford
Brynford
Brynford is a village in Flintshire, Wales. It is located to the south west of the town of Holywell and near the A55 road . At the 2001 Census, Brynford had a population of 1,098....
, Carmel
Carmel, Flintshire
Carmel is a small village in Flintshire, Wales, just outside Holywell. Carmel has a primary school , a post office and a church and chapel. Carmel & District Cricket Club played their matches in the village until the 1990s when they moved to a new ground a short distance away....
, Gorsedd
Gorsedd
A gorsedd plural gorseddau, is a community or coming together of modern-day bards. The word is of Welsh origin, meaning "throne". It is occasionally spelled gorsedh , or goursez in Brittany....
, Halkyn
Halkyn
Halkyn is a village in Flintshire, north-east Wales and situated between Pentre Halkyn, Northop and Rhosesmor. At the 2001 Census the population of the community was 2,876.- History :...
, Lixwm, Lloc, Mostyn
Mostyn
Mostyn is a small village in Flintshire, North Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Dee, and located near the town of Holywell.Mostyn once served as a port from which ferries used to sail to Dublin on the Liverpool-Dublin route...
, Pantasaph
Pantasaph
Pantasaph is a small village in Flintshire, north-east Wales, two miles south of Holywell. It is notable for its large Franciscan Retreat Centre on the main street....
, Pentre Halkyn
Pentre Halkyn
Pentre Halkyn is a small village in Flintshire, North Wales. It is situated approximately three miles from Holywell, and is off Junction 32 of the A55 North Wales Expressway. It has a quarry, a small hotel, a local shop and not much else...
, Rhes-y-Cae, Rhosesmor
Rhosesmor
Rhosesmor is a small village near Mold, Flintshire, in north-east Wales. The village lies near the parishes of Halkyn and Rhes-y-cae. The hamlet of Wern-y-Gaer is encompassed by the boundaries of the village.- History :...
, Trelawnyd
Trelawnyd
- History :Trelawnyd is one of Flintshire's ancient parishes, originally part of Dyserth parish. It became a separate parish between 1254 and 1291, and included the townships of Gop, Graig, Pentreffyddion and Rhydlyfnwyd....
, Whitford
Whitford, Flintshire
Whitford is a village near Holywell in Flintshire, northeast Wales.It is best known as the former home of traveller and writer Thomas Pennant.- External links :*...
and Ysceifiog
Ysceifiog
Ysceifiog, also written Ysgeifiog, is a small village, community and parish in Flintshire. It lies on a back road just north of the A541 highway between Nannerch and Caerwys...
. In addition there are other smaller scattered communities within this area. All of these are within a six mile radius of Holywell. These villages are all connected to Holywell by a frequent bus service.
Community
The town centre contains many small businesses and national stores, serving not only the shopping needs of the people of the town itself, but also those of the surrounding villages within the town's natural catchment area. Part of the centre of the historic market town has been designated a conservation areaConservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
.
The town contains a secondary school
Secondary 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...
with over 500 pupils and a leisure centre
Leisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
, as well as four primary schools.
Holywell also has a local football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team, Holywell Town
Holywell Town F.C.
Holywell Town F.C. is a football club representing the Flintshire town of Holywell in Wales. They are nicknamed the The Wellmen, and play their home games at Halkyn Road, Holywell...
who play in the Welsh Alliance League
Welsh Alliance League
The Welsh Alliance Football League is a football league formed in 1984...
.
The old cottage hospital
Cottage Hospital
The original concept of a cottage hospital was a small rural hospital having up to 25 beds. One advantage of such a hospital in villages was the familiarity the local physician might have with their patient that may affect their treatment...
was located in Pen-y-Maes until it closed. A new hospital has been built near the football pitch of the local team.
Recently, larger stores, notably Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
and Lidl
Lidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
have been built around the town centre.
Although Holywell does not have a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
team carrying the name of the town a number of junior and senior cricketers from the area play for nearby village team Carmel & District Cricket Club
Carmel & District Cricket Club
Carmel & District Cricket Club is a team based in Flintshire North Wales who play competitive cricket in the North Wales Cricket League. They are also the only Welsh village team to defeat an international cricket team and have staged several matches between national teams at their Pen-y-Gelli...
whose ground is located a short distance from Holywell between the villages of Carmel
Carmel, Flintshire
Carmel is a small village in Flintshire, Wales, just outside Holywell. Carmel has a primary school , a post office and a church and chapel. Carmel & District Cricket Club played their matches in the village until the 1990s when they moved to a new ground a short distance away....
and Lloc located just off the A55
A55 road
The A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway, is a major road in Britain. Its entire length is a dual carriageway primary route, with the exception of the point where it crosses the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. All junctions are grade separated except for two roundabouts — one...
expressway.
In 2007, a group of locals proposed a circular walk way, the "St Beuno's Circular Walk", joining all of the historical and religious locations of the town.
Notable people
- Charles Sidney BeauclerkCharles Sidney BeauclerkFr Charles Sidney de Vere Beauclerk SJ was a Jesuit priest who attempted to turn the town of Holywell into the "Lourdes of Wales"...
, Catholic priest who led the revival of the town as a pilgrimage centre. - Ian BuckettIan BuckettIan Buckett is a former international rugby union front row forward who played for Swansea and London Welsh and played county rugby for North Wales rugby....
, rugby player, born near here and attended school in Holywell. - Former SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
and Wales footballer Ron DaviesRon Davies (footballer)Ronald Tudor "Ron" Davies was a Welsh footballer who played as a centre forward. He spent most of his career with Southampton in the Football League First Division, and also for the Welsh national team....
was born in Holywell in 1942. - Dixie DeanDixie DeanWilliam Ralph Dean , better known as Dixie Dean, was an English football player. Dean originally started his career with Birkenhead based Tranmere Rovers before moving on to Everton, the club he had supported as a child, where he became one of the most prolific goal-scorers in English football...
the EvertonEverton F.C.Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
football legend once had a near fatal motorbike accident in Holywell in the late 1920s which almost ended his career. - Television presenter Gareth JonesGareth Jones (presenter)Gareth Jones is a Welsh television presenter and celebrity. He began his broadcasting career under the name Gaz Top....
(Gaz Top) comes from Holywell. - Jonathan PryceJonathan PryceJonathan Pryce, CBE is a Welsh stage and film actor and singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and meeting his longtime partner English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s...
, actor, was born in Holywell in 1947. - Emlyn WilliamsEmlyn WilliamsGeorge Emlyn Williams, CBE , known as Emlyn Williams, was a Welsh dramatist and actor.-Biography:He was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family in Mostyn, Flintshire....
, dramatist and actor, attended Holywell Grammar School. - Sir Ronald WaterhouseRonald WaterhouseSir Ronald Waterhouse, GBE, QC was a retired High Court judge who led a three-year inquiry into the Wales child abuse scandal in the 1990s. Ronald Gough Waterhouse was born in Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, UK...
, High Court judge.