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Discover DenbighshireDarganfod Sir Ddinbych
Published by Denbighshire Destination Marketing and Communications.
Text researched and written by Dr Charles Kightly. Designed and produced by white fox01352 840898. Photography by Kevin Osborne, Gareth Parry, Visit Wales (© Crown
Copyright), CADW, Mike Hammet/English Nature, Darin Smith, Kate Burgess.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, the publisherscan accept no liability whatsoever for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions, or any
matter in any way connected with or arising from this publication.
2
C Y M R UW A L E S
L L O E G RE N G L A N D
A55A55
A5
A487
A55
A5
A470
A494
A494
A5
A55
A483
A41
M6
M5
M53
M56
M54
Aberystwyth
Pwllheli
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Caernarfon
CaergybiHolyhead
Bangor
Llandudno
CroesoswalltOswestry
ShrewsburyTelford
Wolverhampton
Stafford
WrecsamWrexham
Northwich
Warrington
Whitchurch
Stoke on Trent
Birmingham
LerpwlLiverpool Manchester
RhuthunRuthin
DinbychDenbigh
Yr WyddgrugMold
Y RhylRhyl
Prestatyn
Conwy
CaerChester
LlanelwySt. Asaph
Rhuddlan
CorwenLlangollen
SIR DDINBYCHDENBIGHSHIRE
Welcome to Denbighshire
Partneriaeth Cynllun Datblygiad Gwledig Sir Ddinbych Denbighshire Rural Development Plan Partnership
Cov
er s
hot:
Sta
tue
of O
wai
n G
lynd
wr,
Cor
wen
Cyhoeddwyd gan Uned Cyrchfan, Marchnata a Chyfathrebu Sir Ddinbych.
Gwaith ymchwil ac ysgrifennuʼr testun wediʼi gyflawni gan Dr Charles Kightly. Dyluniwyd achynhyrchwydgan white fox 01352 840898. Ffotograffau gan Kevin Osborne, Gareth
Parry, Croeso Cymru (© Hawlfraint y Goron), CADW, Mike Hammet/English Nature, Darin Smith, Kate Burgess.
Gwnaed pob ymdrech i sicrhau cywirdeb y cyhoeddiad hwn, ond ni all y cyhoeddwyr dderbyn unrhyw gyfrifoldeb o gwbl am unrhyw wallau, camgymeriadau neu hepgoriadau,nac unrhyw fater yn gysylltiedig ag neuʼn deillio mewn unrhyw fodd oʼr cyhoeddiad hwn.
2
CYMRUWALES
LLOEGRENGLAND
A55A55
A5
A487
A55
A5
A470
A494
A494
A5
A55
A483
A41
M6
M5
M53
M56
M54
Aberystwyth
Pwllheli
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Caernarfon
CaergybiHolyhead
Bangor
Llandudno
CroesoswalltOswestry
ShrewsburyTelford
Wolverhampton
Stafford
WrecsamWrexham
Northwich
Warrington
Whitchurch
Stoke on Trent
Birmingham
LerpwlLiverpoolManchester
RhuthunRuthin
DinbychDenbigh
Yr WyddgrugMold
Y RhylRhyl
Prestatyn
Conwy
CaerChester
LlanelwySt. Asaph
Rhuddlan
CorwenLlangollen
SIR DDINBYCHDENBIGHSHIRE
Croeso i Sir Ddinbych
Partneriaeth Cynllun Datblygiad Gwledig Sir Ddinbych Denbighshire Rural Development Plan Partnership
Llun ar y Claw
r:C
erflun o Ow
ain Glyndw
r, Corw
en
Denbighshire in North
East Wales delivers an amazing
number of experiences for such
a compact and easily accessible
area. Stunning countryside,
bustling market towns, two
of Britain’s best-known seaside
resorts and many centuries
of rich heritage combine
to make Denbighshire
a destination with
a difference.
3
www.northeastwales.co.uk
medieval-wales.com
www.clwydianrangeanddeevalleyaonb.org.uk
Discover Denbighshire
Denbighshire at your fingertips
This booklet should tell you most of what you
need to know about Denbighshire. For the latest
information, or something a little more specific,
look out for the following free publications. And
remember – there’s always a digital adventure
right at your fingertips.
Enjoy Medieval Denbighshire
Denbighshire People & Placesc.230,000 BC - AD 1700
Town Trails Stroll the bustlingstreets and explorethe hidden delights of Denbighshire’s seaside resorts andmarket towns.
What’s On From Nordic walking to real ale trains oropen-air Shakespeare.Everything our diverseand vibrant countyhas to offer.
Enjoy Medieval DenbighshireDiscover the churches,castles and holy wellsof Denbighshire – the undisputed“Powerhouse ofRenaissance Wales”.
Denbighshire Peopleand Places Norman adventurers,turbulent princes andperhaps the greatesthero in Welsh history:how Denbighshire’smen and women havehelped to shape thenation.4
Rhuth
un
Ruthin
North East Wales Altogether brilliant.Denbighshire,Flintshire andWrexham combine tomake North EastWales an outstandingall-year-round holidaydestination.
Out and About Things to see and do for all the family in the Clwydian Rangeand Dee Valley Area of OutstandingNatural Beauty andDenbighshire’scountryside.
Exploring ClwydianRange and Dee ValleyA free detailed mapshowcasing the heritage, culture and wildlife of one of Britain’s loveliest protected landscapes.
DenbighshireDigital Adventures Use your phone toexplore this beautifuland inspiring county,trying out differentactivities and skillsas you go.
Visit www.digitaldenbighshire.co.uk
What else do you want to know?Our Tourist Information Centres have all the inside information. They’ll also help you book accommodation, sell you tickets to localevents and provide maps, guides and souvenirs.
Llangollen: 01978 860828 [email protected]
Rhyl: 01745 355068/344515 [email protected]
out & about 2014in the Clwydian Range & Dee Valley AONB and
Denbighshire’s Countryside
EE
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family fun, walking, cycling and much more Q
have an exciting new adventure for you.
Whether you are on a visit or live here we
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Are you interested in Nature? Walking?
gems in our beautiful county.
or just to get you to discover some hidden
ideas on our website to develop your skills
Photography? Sketching? we have some
Are you interested in Nature? Walking?
or just to get you to discover some hidden
ideas on our website to develop your skills
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5
6
Distinctive Denbighshire 8
The coast 10
The uplands 12
The valleys 14
Prehistoric Denbighshire 16
Holy wells 17
Denbighshireʼs towns:
Corwen 18
Denbigh 19
Llangollen 20
Prestatyn 21
Rhuddlan 22
Rhyl 23
Ruthin 24
St. Asaph 25
Castles 26
Power-house of Renaissance Wales 30
Churches of Denbighshire 31
Denbighshire villages 32
Historic sites 38
Legends and ghosts 39
Denbighshire curiosities 40
Denbighshire people 41
The great outdoors 42
Landscapes and wildlife 44
Country parks, industrial heritage 46
Historic houses 48
Flavours and festivals 50
Fascinating facts 52
Map of Denbighshire 54
Contents
7
Top: Prestatyn,Denbigh Castle
Middle: ‘Seven Eyes of Ruthin’, LlangollenInternational MusicalEisteddfod, RugChapel
Bottom: Plas Newydd –Llangollen, St AsaphCathedral
Distinctive Denbighshire
Nature, history and people have
made Denbighshire distinctive.
Three characteristic landscapes
created by nature - the Coast [p10],
the Uplands [p12], and the contrasting
river valleys [p14] - await exploration
here, along with the changes made
to them by countless generations
of inhabitants and invaders. Here,
nearly 250,000 years ago, l ived
the first known people of Wales.
The later hillforts and mysterious
sacred landscapes of Prehistoric
Denbighshire [p16] are still spectacularly
visible.
People as well as nature, indeed,
created the distinctiveness of
Denbighshire, and maintain it still.
Romans and Britons, Welsh and
English and Normans, Cavaliers and
Roundheads all in turn disputed
what became known as the
‘Perfeddwlad’ - ‘the Middle Country’
or ‘Lands Between’ - the borderlands
between the Welsh principalities of
Gwynedd and Powys, and more
crucially between England and the
Snowdonian heartlands of North
Wales. A wealth of castles [p26] -
English and Welsh, famous and lesser-
known - chart the ebb and flow of8
Rhuddlan Cas tle
these long wars. The story of historic
Denbighshire is likewise chronicled
in its heritage of legend-haunted
holy wells [p17] and characteristic
churches [p31], many of them rebuilt
in the Tudor period, when
Denbighshire became the prosperous
and cultured Power-house of
Renaissance Wales [p30].
Historic towns [p18], picturesque
villages [p32] and varied historic
houses [p48] all help to tell
Denbighshire’s story: and though
the Industrial Revolution sits lightly
on the modern county, its industrial
heritage can still be traced, often
amid the now peaceful setting of its
country parks [p46] and outstanding
landscapes. Legends, curiosities, and
links with famous people [pp39-41]
all add to Denbighshire’s character.
So too does the fact that visitors will
hear both Welsh and English spoken
in its towns and villages, for both
nature and history have ensured that
Denbighshire remains the most
distinctively Welsh of the eastern
‘border’ counties.
Words in italics refer to more detailed
features in this guide. 9
Moel Famau Country Park
Ruthin
The coast
Miles of clean sandy beaches, long
hours of sunshine and easy access
from many major towns make the
Denbighshire Coast one of Wales’s
holiday playgrounds. The exciting
modern attractions of bubbling Rhyl -
‘the children’s paradise’ - and the
quieter delights of neighbouring
Prestatyn make them firm favourites
for traditional seaside holidays.
But there is also a lot more to see
and do on the holiday coast.
Unspoilt Gronant Dunes are a local
Nature Reserve and a Site of Special
Scientific Interest, exceptionally rich
in wildlife: the Clwyd estuary west of
Rhyl is a haven for birds.
The beautiful Clwydian Range of hills
rise just inland of Prestatyn, making it
10
Rhyl beach
the perfect base for walkers and
cyclists: Offa’s Dyke National Trail
(177 miles to Chepstow) begins
here, and there is also a huge choice
of well-signposted shorter rambles
to suit most tastes and abilities.
Alternatively, a short drive into the
hill-country leads to the attractive
towns and villages of the inland area.
North Denbighshire is also an area
rich in history. The A55 Expressway,
which today provides such easy and
rapid access for visitors, follows in
part the ancient invasion route into
Wales, traversed and disputed over
the centuries by Romans, Saxons, and
Normans and their Welsh opponents.
Thus only a few short miles from
the beaches stands historic Rhuddlan
on its river crossing, flashpoint of
border warfare, with its Norman
castle mound and famous mediaeval
stone fortress. And a mile or two
further on are Bodelwyddan with its
Victorian castle and astounding
‘Marble church’: and St.Asaph with
its ancient cathedral, long a centre of
Welsh culture and now renowned for
its music festival.
The Coast is only one of
Denbighshire’s three dist inctive
landscapes: easily reached from
here too are the wide open spaces of
the uplands and the pretty villages and
historic towns of the river valleys. 11
Pavillion Theatre, Rhyl Kitesurfing
The uplands
There is no shortage of wide open
spaces to enjoy in Denbighshire.
Hills encircle the county on every
landward side, and some two thirds
of its area is ‘hill country’, ranging
from gently rolling sheep-grazed
foothills, through heather moorland
and craggy cliffs, to high uplands
where you may walk all day without
meeting another soul. Nowhere in
the county, indeed, will visitors be
out of sight of the hills.
Denb ighsh i re ’s up l ands va r y
considerably in character and
appeal. To the east runs the
Clwydian Range, a designated Area
of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Historically a barrier against invaders
and influences from the English-
dominated lowlands, it is thus crucial
to the county’s distinctiveness.
Traversed from end to end by Offa’s
Dyke National Trail, many of their bare
rounded summits - ‘moelydd’ in Welsh -
are crowned by great prehistoric
hillforts. The famous ‘Clwydian chain’ of
forts stretches from Moel Fenlli in the
south, via Moel-y-Gaer, Moel Arthur,
Moel-y-Gaer Bodfari and Penycloddiau
to Moel Hiraddug near Dyserth in the
north. Much of the finest countryside
in the Clwydians - and their highest
point, Moel Famau, 1818 feet (554
metres) above sea level - is within
Moel Famau Country Park.
12
Clwydian Range
Boncyn Arian at Llyn Brenig
Towards their southern end, the
Clwydian Range merges with the
heather moorlands of Ial or Yale - ‘the
hill-country’ which gave its name to
the American university. Then, after
dipping sharply into the Morwynion
valley, the uplands rise again as
Llantysilio Mountain, cut through by
the precipitous Horseshoe Pass:
beyond to the south-east are the
picturesque hills around Llangollen,
including the spectacular limestone
cliffs of Eglwyseg Rocks.
South of the Dee rise the loneliest
and wildest of Denbighshire’s
uplands, reaching 2712 feet (827
metres) in height. These are the
remote Berwyns with their wildlife-
rich blanket bogs, a National Nature
Reserve and Special Area of
Conservation for rare birds. Serious
walking country, not to be trifled
with in uncertain weather, the
Berwyns can be traversed via the
ancient ‘Ffordd Saeson’ (‘Saxons’
Road’) trackway linking the Upper
Dee and Ceiriog valleys. The way-
marked Berwyn Way links to the Dee
Valley Way for long distance and,
alternatively, short circular walks.
Along the western fr inge of the
county, across the Vale of Clwyd
from the Clwydian Range, rise the
hills of Mynydd Hiraethog. Apart from
small villages set in its intricately
fo lded va l leys , th is is l i kewise
sparsely populated country, part now
covered by the trees of Clocaenog
Forest. Here too are high Llyn Brenig
and Llyn Alwen, reservoirs filling a
drowned valley. On Llyn Brenig’s
banks, accessible via a marked
archaeological trail, is a Bronze Age
sacred l andscape , one o f the
loneliest and most atmospheric
places in this county of memorable
uplands. 13
Near Penycloddiau hill fort
The valleys
Until the Victorian growth of the
coastal resorts, the majority of
Denbighshire’s population lived in its
many river valleys. These remain the
historic heartland of the county, and
the sites of many attractive villages
and market towns. The rivers Elwy
and Chwiler, Alun and Morwynion,
Ystrad and Alwen, Ceirw and
Ceidiog and many more, cut their
own dist inct ive paths through
meadows or hills.
Very different, too, are the valleys of
Denbighshire’s two greatest rivers,
the Clwyd and the Dee. The Clwyd
and its tributaries flow northwards to
the sea through almost the whole
length of the county, through Ruthin
and past Denbigh and St. Asaph and
Rhuddlan to Rhyl. Here is the wide,
lush and prosperous Vale of Clwyd,
focus of Denbighshire’s fame as the
Power-house of Renaissance Wales:
a country of farmland, mansions, and
well-established villages, often with
f ine mediaeval churches in the
14
Dee Valley
The little-explored upper Dee Valley
characteristic ‘double-naved’ Vale of
Clwyd style, found almost nowhere
else in Britain. To the east and west of
the Vale, attractive villages like
Tremeirchion and scattered settlements
like Llangynhafal climb the flanking
hills, or sit like Llanrhaeadr near the
river banks. Then the River Clwyd
cuts into the hills south of Ruthin,
overlooked by Derwen and other hilltop
villages as it nears its source in
Clocaenog Forest.
The Dee Valley has a quite different
and much more dramatic appeal.
Entering Denbighshire at its south-
western corner, on its way from Llyn
Tegid (Lake Bala) just outside the
county boundary, the river flows
beneath the flanks of the high and
lonely Berwyns and past Llangar
church. Comparatively little explored,
this uppermost Dee Valley gives
access - for the intrepid - to challenging
walking country. At Corwen the Dee
turns east, making great sweeping
bends as it continues past
Glyndyfwrdwy, the ancestral estate
which gave the hero Owain Glyndwr
his name. Then the valley narrows,
and the river tumbles and rushes
through ravines between steep-sided
hills, or past small riverside meadows.
Flowing round the crag of Dinas Brân
Castle and under Llangollen’s
ancient bridge, the Dee has created
here some of the most spectacularly
picturesque landscapes in all Britain,
a magnet for visitors for centuries. 15
Prehistoric Denbighshire
The first human inhabitants of Waleslived in Denbighshire: remains of IceAge Neanderthal hunters, datingfrom nearly 250,000 years ago, werediscovered in a cave near Henllan.Later preh istor ic peoples leftmore visible (and visitable) markson the landscape - like theremote, spectacularly-sited stonecircle of Moel Ty Uchaf in the Berwyns,accessible by the adventurous via astiff climb. Dating from around 2,200BC, it is said to be aligned on theMidsummer rising of the star Deneb.The Llyn Brenig Archaeological Trail,easily accessible by car, traces amysterious Bronze Age ‘sacredlandscape’ of burial mounds and
vividly recreated ritual sites, amid thewild romantic moorland above thelake.
But perhaps most impressive of allare the famous Iron Age (c.2,500years ago) earthwork hillforts crowningthe Clwydian Range, and dominatingthe landscape for miles around. Nofewer than six forts - from MoelHiraddug near Dyserth to Moel Fenllinear Ruthin - occur within 15 miles,mostly accessible via Offa’s DykePath or other marked footpaths.Another easily reachable hill fort is Caer Drewyn above Corwen,believed to date from the lastmillennium BC.
16
Caer Drewyn
Moel Ty Uchaf
Denbighshire is particularly rich inholy wells - natural springs creditedwith miraculous healing powers.Probably first venerated in prehistorictimes, but rededicated to localChristian saints, they long continuedthe only available source of ‘medicine’for poorer people: even today, someare still visited for cures.
Many have atmospheric settings. StDyfnog’s Well gushes from a woodeddingle a few hundred yards fromLlanrhaeadr church: once throngedwith mediaeval pilgrims, it was still
popular in Georgian times, when thesurviving ‘bathing tank’ was added.
More remote Ffynnon Sarah, by anold pilgrim route near Derwen, alsohas a bathing tank, used by cancerand rheumatism sufferers who left‘offerings’ of pins and coins there.Epilepsy victims favoured St. Tegla’sWell (accessible by footpath on privateland at Llandegla) - walking round itnine times carrying a chicken, andthen sleeping under the church altarwith the Bible as a pillow.
Such quasi-magical practicesemphasise that holy wells can becapricious, and need to be treatedwith respect. Ffynnon Beuno, whichflows from the mouth of a crudelycarved stone head at Tremeirchion,can dry up without apparent reason:while Ffynnon Trillo at Llandrillo sulkilymigrated after an insult.
Holy wells
17
St Dyfnog’s Well
Ffynnon Beuno, Tremeirchion (foreground)
Many British towns are becoming
chronically alike: carbon-copy high
streets lined with cloned chain
stores. Not so in Denbighshire,
whose varied towns remain not
only distinctive in themselves, but
also very unlike each other
Corwen
The little market town of Corwen is
set between a wide sweep of the
River Dee and the foot of the
Berwyns, with the steep wooded
slope of Pen-y-Pigyn as a backdrop.
The focus of ancient routes from
London to Holyhead and Chester to
Bala, this ‘Crossroads of North
Wales’ was a centre for cattle-drovers
and a favourite with Victorian travellers,
as several notable town-centre
buildings still testify. But Corwen’s
Denbighshire’s towns
18
Poster for Llangollen Heritage Railway
origins are far older. Its name means
‘the White Choir’ or the ‘White
Church’, referring to the church
founded here by the 6th century
saints Mael and Sulien, perhaps on a
prehistoric pagan site: the Iron Age
hillfort of Caer Drewyn crowns the hill
across the river.
The present mediaeval and later
church has many fascinating features,
including a lintel stone marked with a
‘dagger cross’ - traditionally cut by
the thrown knife of Corwen’s most
renowned son, the great mediaeval
Welsh hero Owain Glyndwr. Glyndwr’s
Mount, where he proclaimed himself
Prince of Wales in 1400, stands
three miles east beside the A5 road.
Rug Chapel and Llangar Church are
also nearby, and Corwen is an ideal
base for exploring the Upper Dee
Valley and the Berwyns.
Corwen has been a “Walkers Are
Welcome” town since 2012, which
means there are great walking
routes all around the area. The
Berwyn Mountains are just on the
doorstep if you’re feeling energetic.
Otherwise a two-and-a-half mile
extension to the Llangollen Heritage
Railway means that from the end of
2014 you’ll be able to hop on at
Corwen and travel in style down the
scenic Dee Valley.
DenbighThe historic town of Denbigh beganas ‘Din bych’ or ‘little fortress’ of theWelsh princes but after the EnglishConquest of 1282 it was transformedby the building of mighty DenbighCastle, still dominating the town on itsrocky crag and now with an impressiveeco-friendly visitor centre run by Cadw. To support and service thisstronghold, the English commandersimultaneously founded a walled town.Parts of the impressive mediaevaltown walls, with their twin-toweredBurgess Gate, can still be explored.Within them stand the tower ofSt.Hilary’s Chapel and ‘Leicester’sChurch’ (built by Queen Elizabeth’sfavourite Robert Dudley).
Frequent attacks on the castle, however, made the cramped hilltop
wal led town dangerous for i ts inhabitants. So by Tudor times theyhad moved downhill to establish thepresent larger settlement, a markettown whose historic focus is thecolonnaded Elizabethan andGeorgian county hall, now theLibrary. The remains of mediaevalDenbigh Friary survive on the north-eastern side of the town, while a milefrom the centre, east of the A525main road, is the magnificent parishchurch of St. Marcella’s, Whitchurch,the ‘Westminster Abbey’ o fDenbighshire. 19
Denbigh Castle
Brookhouse Pottery
focus of the annual InternationalMusical Eisteddfod in July, whereWales welcomes the world in acolourful festival of song and dance,with competitors and participantsfrom all corners of the globe.
Four great highways meet atLlangollen: Telford’s stagecoachroad from London to Holyhead enroute to Dublin, the River Dee, the(preserved) steam railway and thecanal. It’s all part of a 13-mile longcorridor that comprises thePontcysyllte Aqueduct and CanalWorld Heritage Site. Llangollen alsoboasts a year-round programme ofevents including concerts, sportingfixtures and large-scale exhibitions,as well as choir rehearsals in localpubs. The Horseshoe Pass, ValleCrucis Abbey and King El iseg’s Pillar are all nearby and linked by waymarked walking routes.
Llangollen
Llangollen’s outstandingly picturesquesetting by the rushing River Dee,encircled by hills and watched overby the crag of Castell Dinas Bran,has made it one of Wales’s mostpopular inland holiday resorts sincelate Georgian times. Its name andorigins go back to the 6th century,when the Welsh-Irish Saint Collen,hero of many myths and legends,founded his church (‘Llan Collen’)here. Today the church is chieflyrenowned for its fabulously carvedearly Tudor ‘angel roofs’, and itsmonument to the ‘Ladies of Llangollen’.
The romantic lifestyle of this aristocraticGeorgian pair, whose house ‘PlasNewydd’ is now a visitor attraction,helped to found Llangollen’s prosperityas a magnet for travellers. NowLlangollen is also famous as the20
Riverside pub, Llangollen
River Dee
PrestatynSet between miles of clean sandybeaches and the spectacular woodedslopes of the Clwydian Range,Prestatyn was welcoming visitors aslong ago as AD 120-160, whenRomans and Britons used the littlebath-house discovered here in 1934.Its career as one of the earliestcoastal resorts in North Wales beganwith the coming of the railway in1848, continued with its selection forone of the first British purpose-builtholiday camps in the 1930s, andcontinues today as a base for holidayactivities of all kinds.
For traditional seaside holidays,Prestatyn’s three beautiful sandybeaches and four mile long promenadeare great fun: while nature-lovers canexplore Gronant Local Nature Reserve,
with the region’s last surviving naturalsand-dune system and a populationof rare plants and birds.
For walkers, the town is the start orfinish of 177-mile-long Offa’s DykePath National Trail, as well as shortertrails including the Prestatyn-DyserthWay and signposted walks onPrestatyn Hillside. No wonder it’sbeen designated a “Walkers AreWelcome” town. National Cycle Route5 also passes through. If you prefer togive your credit card a gentle workoutinstead, Prestatyn Shopping Park hasall the big brands and is just round thecorner from the quirky independentstores on the High Street.
There are golf courses within reach,and family entertainment facilties. Thevillages of Meliden and Dyserth - oncea centre for lead mining - are nearby,with walks and a waterfall. 21
Central Beach
Prestatyn Shopping Park
RhuddlanRhuddlan - meaning ‘the red bank’ -
owes its great historical importance
to its position on a crucial crossing
of the river Clwyd, astride the invasion
route to the heartlands of North
Wales. Here King Offa of Mercia
defeated a Welsh army in c.AD 795,
and here stood in turn an Anglo-
Saxon fortified ‘borough’ and a
Welsh princely palace, succeeded
by the still-impressive Norman
‘Twthill’ castle mound. But the present
town owes its origin - and the enduring
grid-pattern of streets at its heart - to
Edward I, who founded it in 1278 to
support Rhuddlan Castle.
The castle remains Rhuddlan’s
focus, but another prominent survivor
of Rhuddlan’s mediaeval heyday is
the fine parish church of St. Mary,
also founded by Edward I. Much
enlarged into a typical Denbighshire
‘double-naved’ church, it displays
wall-paintings of Welsh texts and
some intriguing monuments, including
one to the titular Archbishop of
Edessa in Turkey.
Other old buildings include the so-called ‘Parliament House’, the‘Banquet House’, and the remains of a Friary. Later renowned for itsagricultural ‘harvest hirings’ and raffishSunday fairs - eventually suppressedafter a single hell-fire sermon -Rhuddlan is now a quiet small townoverlooking the lush Clwyd-sidemeadows.22
Bodrhyddan Hall
Rhuddlan Church
RhylAlready famed in 1848 as ‘the best
bathing place in the Principality’,
Rhyl’s healthy air, above-average
hours of sunshine and safe, clean
beaches have made it a favourite
with holidaymakers ever since.
Once the preserve of the fashionable,
by the early 20th century it was ‘the
children’s paradise’, beloved by
families who came here generation
after generation. Today it combines
the facilities for a traditional beach
holiday with lively and exciting modern
seaside attractions.
The iconic new pedestrian and cycle
bridge, Pont y Ddraig, links to a new
harbourside hub with a café and
bike hire facilities. You can stroll
through the award-winning Drift Park
just along the prom or hire a 23
Pont y Ddraig
The Drift Park at Rhyl
deckchair and take it easy on the
beach.
Come face to face with sharks in the
first walk-through underwater tunnel
in Wales at Seaquarium. Ride
Britain’s oldest miniature railway all
the way around the Marine Lake or
tackle the road cycling track, national
standard BMX course or mountain
bike trail at nearby Marsh Tracks.
You’ll find all the ingredients of a large
resort here, including leisure and fitness
facilities, amusement arcades, sea
fishing, gardens and play areas,
along with good town centre shopping,
theatre events and cinema. Rhyl is
an excellent base to explore the
rest of Denbighshire, including
Prestatyn, Rhuddlan, Bodelwyddan
and St Asaph. For more information:
www.loverhyl.co.uk
Ruthin is ‘the most picturesque historictown in North Wales’ (Walter SavageLandor, 1832). Set on a hilltop, itsfocus is St. Peter’s Square, lined withimpressive buildings including the OldCourthouse, the gable-windowed‘Seven Eyes of Ruthin’ and St.Peter’s Church. Probably the earliestof the dist inct ive Vale of Clwyd ‘double-naved’ churches, this hasmagnificent carved timber roofs andsplendid monuments to Ruthinworthies - including Queen ElizabethI’s chaplain Gabriel Goodman, whofounded the adjacent almshouses inthe charming ‘church close’.
The town’s main streets are lined withattractive old houses and inns, manytimber-framed and some featuringthe trademark Ruthin ‘porches on
stilts’. They drop away steeply fromthe square, revealing suddenpanoramas of the surrounding hills.Castle Street - leading to RuthinCastle, now an hotel - is perhaps thegrandest of all these thoroughfares:here stands beautifully restoredNantclwyd y Dre, the earliest timber-framed town house in Wales.
Clwyd Street meanwhile leads downto the imposing Ruthin Gaol, now afascinating visitor attraction andRecord Office: in Well Street theWelsh National Anthem was firstprinted in 1860. On the outskirts ofthe town is the outstanding RuthinCraft Centre, recognised as Wales’premier centre for the applied arts.It’s also the starting point for RuthinArt Trail with its sculpted figures andmysterious spy hole boxes scatteredthrough the streets. Just outside thetown are the villages of Llanfwrogand Llanrhydd, both with notablechurches.
Ruthin
24
St Peter’s Square
Ruthin Gaol
St. Asaph
This ancient ‘cathedral city’ grew up
round the monastery founded here
on the River Elwy - ‘Llanelwy’
remains its Welsh name - by the 6th
century St. Kentigern (also patron
saint of Glasgow), and entrusted to
his favourite pupil St. Asaph. Still the
mother church of North-East Wales,
St. Asaph is the smallest ancient
cathedral in Britain. Yet the present
largely 14th century and Victorian
bui lding is both impressive and
distinctive, with a sturdy central
tower and a spacious interior notable
for its unusual pillars and arches,
attributed to masons from Caernarfon
Castle. It also houses the only
mediaeval canopied choir stalls in North
Wales, and many intriguing monuments.
St. Asaph Cathedral is likewise
renowned as the power-house of the
Elizabethan translation of the Bible
into Welsh, an enterprise crucial to
the survival of the Welsh language.
Bishop William Morgan and the other
translators are commemorated by an
imposing memorial in the cathedral
grounds.
The cathedral welcomes visitors all year
round and also hosts the famous North
Wales International Music Festival and
other musical events. Inside you’ll find a
digital hub with all sorts of information
about the cathedral and things to
see and do in the “Inspirational
Landscapes” surrounding the town,
including walking the North Wales
Pilgrim’s Way between Holywell and
Bardsey Island. From the cathedral St
Asaph’s busy main street leads down to
the mediaeval parish church of St
Kentigern and on to the more tranquil
woodland walks beside the river Elwy.
25Cathedral interior
St Asaph Cathedral
Reflecting its history as a landfought over for many centuries,Denbighshire possesses a fineheritage of mediaeval castles,inc lud ing some of Wa les ’ s most famous and spectacularfortresses.
Castell Dinas BrânCrowning a craggy hilltop highabove Llangollen, Dinas Brân - ‘theCrow’s Fortress’ - is one of the mostdramatically-sited and legend-haunted strongholds in all Britain.Set within the corner of an Iron agehillfort, it is one of the few survivingWelsh-built stone castles, constructedin the thirteenth century by Gruffuddap Madoc ruler of northern Powys.
The castle’s air of mystery isenhanced by the fact that it can only be reached on foot, after a comparatively stiff climb. Therewards are not only fabulouspanoramic views over the Dee
Valley, the Berwyns, and Eglwysegrocks, but also the chance toexplore the castle ruins. Surroundedby a rock-cut d i tch and steep drops, these include remains of agatehouse, keep, and characteristicD-shaped ‘Welsh tower’. A closerlook reveals traces of features likewall-plaster, fireplaces and even ‘en-suite’ toilets, demonstrating that thiswas once a splendid and well-appointed as well as an immenselywell-defended fortress.
Dinas Brân’s active life, however,lasted scarcely twenty years. Begunin the 1260s and abandoned andburnt by its Welsh defenders in 1277,it was then only briefly garrisoned bythe English - whose commanderremarked ‘there is no stronger castlein all Wales, nor has England agreater’. But its inaccessibilityensured that it was soon abandonedagain to the crows which gave it itsname, and the legends which havesurrounded it ever since.
Castles
26
Castell Dinas Brân
Rhuddlan CastleImpressive Rhuddlan Castle is the lastand strongest of many successivefortresses guarding the strategiccrossing of the river Clwyd. Justup-river indeed stood the very firstcastle in Denbighshire, the stil l-massive earthwork ‘Twthill’ moundraised in 1073 by the NormanRobert of Rhuddlan.
The great stone castle, however,was begun by King Edward I ofEngland in 1277, near the beginningof his long campaigns to subjugateWales. Along with Flint, Conwy,Caernarfon and others, it wouldform a link in the ‘chain of castles’surrounding the Welsh heartlands. Itwas here, too, that King Edwardpresented his baby son - ‘born inWales, and speaking not a word ofEnglish’ - to the Welsh nobility as thefirst English ‘Prince of Wales’.
Built to a revolutionary new designby Edward’s architect James of St.George, the castle’s well-preservedcore is a perfect ly symmetr ical diamond of three metre (nine foot),thick walls, with single round towersat two corners and double-toweredgatehouses at the others. Outsidethis core is a lower multi-turretedwall, and outside this again - makingthree complete ‘concentric’ rings ofdefences - a wide moat.
Another remarkable feature ofRhuddlan Castle is now less obvious.The small square tower by the riveronce guarded a dock for ships,which could supply the castle via athree mile long deep-water channelleading from the sea near Rhyl.Cana l ised f rom the prev ious ly meandering river using only hand-tools,this mighty engineering work tookover seventy labourers three years toaccomplish.
27Rhuddlan Castle
Denbigh CastleMuch the strongest and most imposingof Denbighshire’s fortresses, Denbighis among the pre-eminent castles ofWales, a rival for better-knownCaernarfon or Conwy. Like Rhuddlan,it belongs to the period of Edward I’sconquest of Wales, being founded in1282 by the king’s commander Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, possiblyon the site of a Welsh princelyfortress. Welsh insurgents capturedthe unfinished works in 1294, only tohave them retaken and completed instrengthened form.
The castle’s high walls and seventowers encircle the summit of dominantCaledfryn Hill. Strongest of all is the
great triple-towered ‘keep-gate-
house’ - the most elaborate in
Wales, defended by a drawbridge,
‘murder holes’, three successive
portcullises and two gates.
Fascinating to explore, the castle is
however only the core of a still larger
fortress: beyond it, acting as an
outer defence, is the fortified town,
with (still largely surviving) walls over
a kilometre long.
The stronghold had an eventful
career, being attacked by Owain
Glyndwr and several times during the
Wars of the Roses (1455-85). Its last
and most famous siege occurred
during the Civil War (1642-46), when28
Reconstruction of 14th century Denbigh St Hilary’s Tower, Denbigh Castle
Ruthin CastlePerhaps Wales’s least-known mediaeval
fortress is Ruthin Castle. Begun in
1282 by Edward I’s commander
Reginald de Grey, it was finally taken
by Parliament in 1646. The ‘castle-style’
buildings which dominate its site
today belong to a vast 19th century
mansion, now a hotel and restaurant:
yet almost half the original mediaeval
defences survive romantically
overgrown in the grounds, including
four big round towers and two
gatehouses.
Note: Ruthin Castle can be visited by pr ior arrangement wi th thehote l management. Contact mainreception on 01824 702664 or [email protected]
a Royalist garrison (‘with hearts ashard as the very foundation of thecastle, being an unpierceable rock’)held i t against Par l iamentar ian cannon-bombardments, assaultsand stratagems for six months. Onlyafter a direct royal command didColonel William Salesbury - ‘OldBlue Stockings’ - finally lead hisdefenders from one of the very lastfortresses in Britain to hold out forthe king.
The timber-clad visitor centre run by custodians Cadw contains aninterpretation space, refreshmentsand souvenirs and is open from Aprilto October. Ask inside, or at thelibrary in Hall Square, for the loan ofa key if you’d like to explore the townwalls in splendid isolation.
29Ruthin Castle
Power-house of Renaissance Wales
The long period of Tudor and Early
Stuart peace and prosperity was a
golden age for Denbighshire. Instead of
warlike castles, fine churches were
rebuilt or handsomely embellished
between 1485 and 1540. The Tudor
Acts of Union (1536/43) - which created
the county of Denbighshire - also gave
new opportunities for local gentry,
merchants, clergy and poets. Growing
rich at court, in London, or even further
afield, they returned to proclaim their
success with fine houses and splendid
monuments at home. Thus the county
became the prosperous and cultured
‘Power-house of Renaissance Wales’,
producing more outstanding personalities
than any other part of the nation.
Among these were Richard Clough,
the humble Denbigh glover’s son
who became as proverbially ‘rich as
a Clough’ in Antwerp and returned
to bu i ld the ‘wonder-mans ion’
of Bach y Graig, Tremeirchion. The
entrepreneur Sir Hugh Myddelton,
also of Denbigh, channelled the first
fresh drinking water to London.
Humphrey Llwyd, ‘Father of Modern
Geography’, produced the f irst
published map of Wales. He also
helped promote Renaissance
Denbighshire’s most enduring legacy
to the Welsh nation and language, the
translation of the Bible into Welsh,
largely the work of William Salesbury of
Llansannan and Bishop William
Morgan of St. Asaph. ‘That which was
dark to us’, declared the bard Owain
Gwynedd on its publication in 1588
‘you have filled with light’.
30 The Welsh Bible
Denbighshire’s fine historic parish
churches are among its greatest glories:
all have something interesting to
display, and many are outstandingly
distinctive.
In the county’s more remote upland
regions, some churches are small and
simple buildings, like Llangar, lovingly
restored by Cadw and brightly lime-
washed outside, as most local churches
were until Victorian times. Around the
richer river valleys, however, stand
much larger churches, of a type
distinctive to the Denbighshire region
but almost unknown elsewhere in
Britain. These are the famous
‘doub le-naved’ churches - like
Llangynhafal, Llanrhaeadr, Whitchurch,
and many more - spacious buildings
which are effectively two churches side
Churches of Denbighshire
by side, under a pair of roofs. These
were created by adding a second
parallel nave beside an earlier building,
mainly during the prosperous period
c.1485-1540. There are many imaginative
‘explanations’ for this unusual design -
for example that one nave was intended
to house pilgrims or cattle-drovers. But
the real reason seems to have been
that this ‘sideways enlargement’ was
the local method of extending churches
at minimum expense, while also
providing extra space for elaborate
timber roofs - like Llangollen’s - and
richly carved woodwork, another
speciality of Denbighshire’s fascinating
churches.
The Open Church Network, launched
in 2014, has made a cluster of churches
in Llandegla, Corwen, Llanelidan and
Llandrillo more accessible to visitors.
These buildings with their wonderful
architecture, arts and craftsmanship
are also tangible expressions of how
Welsh history and culture have evolved
across generations.
31
Llangar Church
Llanrhaeadr Church
AONB, with access nearby to Offa’sDyke National Trail and the ClwydianRange.
BryneglwysA small village at the foot of LlantysilioMountain. Its pretty church has anElizabethan chapel added by ThomasYale, whose relative endowed thefamous American Yale University.
CarrogThe old township of Carrog has givenits name to the picturesque communitywhich has grown up round the centreof Owain Glyndwr’s manor: down bythe River Dee is the possible site of hisprison house - Carchardy. The prettychurch of the old LlansantffraidGlyndyfrdwy parish and the notablestone bridge of 1661 make the villagea haven for tourists, walkers, paintersand fishermen. The restored Victoriantrain station was, until 2014, the terminusof the Llangollen Heritage Railway thatnow runs all the way to Corwen.
Denbighshire villages
Still a predominantly rural area,Denbighshire has over sixty villages and many more smallersettlements. Each has its own stories to tell and things to see,often in the community’schurch. Only a few of these canbe mentioned in the followingpages - there is much more forvisitors to discover for themselves.
Betws Gwerfil GochA remote upland community in asteep-sided valley, clustered round the ‘prayer house of Gwerfil theRed-haired’ - the 12th centuryprincess who founded its littlechurch. It houses unique 15th centurycarved panels of the Crucifixion andother fine woodwork but is closed atthe moment due to bats.
BodelwyddanEasily accessible from the A55expressway, Bodelwyddan boaststwo great attractions: BodelwyddanCastle and the amazing ‘MarbleChurch’. Among the most strikingand extravagantly furnishedVictorian Gothic Revival churches inBritain, this much-visited showpiecewas built regardless of expense byLady Willoughby de Broke ofBodelwyddan Castle.
BodfariOnce renowned for its holy well,Bodfari winds up the hill from the valleyof the River Chwiler. In the heart of the 32
‘Marble Church’, Bodelwyddan
GwyddelwernGwyddelwern (‘the Irishman’s marsh’)is a wayside village with a spiredVictorian church and timber-framed inn.
HenllanA pleasant village, distinctive for thedetached, fortress-like tower of itschurch, on a rocky outcrop above thechurchyard. Here too is the thatched
Llindir Inn, allegedly haunted by theghost of a murdered landlady.
Llanarmon-yn-IâlThe ‘capital’ of the district of Iâl or Yale(‘the hill country’) Llanarmon takes itsname from St. Garmon or Germanus, a5th century warrior-bishop once activehereabouts. Its big ‘double-naved’church is among Denbighshire’s most 33
ClocaenogOn the fringe of the tree-covered hills ofClocaenog Forest, the church here displays fine wood-carving, stainedglass, and other treasures.
CyffylliogA remote and attractive community in a‘hidden’ beauty spot in the woodedClywedog valley.
DerwenA hillside village high above the Vale of Clwyd, whose church has two outstanding features. Its interior is
dominated by the intricately carved latemediaeval rood screen and loft, oneof only a few complete Welsh survivors.Outside is the finely sculpted 15th centurystone preaching cross (Cadw), likewiseamong the best-preserved in Wales.
DyserthChiefly renowned for its scenic waterfall,Dyserth also boasts a church with an
ancient ‘Celtic’ cross, and a big andspectacular mediaeval stained glasswindow. A series of walks links the village to the Clwydian Range.
Dyserth waterfall Llanarmon-yn-Iâl
intriguing, displaying many treasures
including the fine Stuart monument of
Captain Efan Llwyd. Nearby (but on
private land), is the mediaeval castle
mound of Tomen-y-Faerdre.
Llanbedr Climbing a steep rise up to the
Clwydian Range, Llanbedr has a
charming Victorian church with a
striped roof, walls and spirelet.
LlandeglaOn Offa’s Dyke National Trail and
offering mountain biking opportunities,
Llandegla was long renowned for its
holy well of St. Tegla, believed to cure
epilepsy if users performed elaborate
rituals involving chickens. By the road
nearby is the fine Welsh earthwork
castle, Tomen-y-Rhodwydd.34
LlandrilloThe principal village of the Upper Dee
Valley, at the foot of the wild Berwyn
hills, with holy wells and prehistoric sites
nearby. Intrepid ramblers can ascend
from here to Moel Ty Uchaf stone circle.
LlandyrnogSited near the hillforts of Moel Arthur
and Penycloddiau, with plenty of walks
in nearby Llangwyfan forest. In the
village the ‘double-naved’ church
displays the only surviving mediaeval
‘Seven Sacraments’ window in Wales,
also thronged with figures of local
Welsh saints. Distinctively restored by
the quirky Victorian architect Nesfield,
the church is bedecked with his
trademark f lowered roundels or
‘sunflower pies’.
Leyland Arms, Llanelidan
LlanelidanA pretty hamlet in the lush valley of theAfon y Maes, centred on its pub anddouble-naved, yew-encircled church.This displays exceptionally fine carvedwoodwork and barrel roofs, with monuments to the squires of nearbyNantclwyd Hall [private].
Llanfair Dyffryn ClwydThis wayside village has a fine big double-naved church, with interestingmonuments and a ‘mosaic’ mediaevalglass window, allegedly saved fromCivil War destruction by burial in thegreat chest now below i t . The churchyard gate bears the motto ‘HebDduw, Heb Ddim’ - ‘without God, without anything’.
LlanferresA smal l community by the road across the Clwydian Range, clustered around the pub and the church withits charming ‘lantern’ bellcote and
35
wrought-iron gates, made by the
Davies Brothers (master craftsmen of
Bersham) in the early eighteenth
century. There are lovely walks in
nearby Big Covert and Bryn Alyn.
Cynwyd (Llangar)Standing alone above the Dee in a
steeply sloping churchyard, the
picturesque little whitewashed ‘church
of the white deer’ has been restored by
Cadw. Within are delightful Georgian
pews and layers of wall-paintings,
including a grim 18th century figure of
Death with his grave-digger’s tools.
LlangwyfanA tiny, box-pewed Georgian church by
a lane climbing the Clwydian Range.
Outside are the village stocks, and the
tombstone of a parishioner whose life
spanned three centuries. There are
walks in nearby Llangwyfan Forest,
linking to Offa’s Dyke National Trail.
Llanferres Church
LlangynhafalA scattered hi l ls ide community memorably set against the backdropof Moel Famau. St. Cynhafal’s isamong Denbighshire’s mostatmospheric churches, ‘double-naved’with a pair of fine ‘angel roofs’. Itabounds in curious and delightful furnishings, including a carved andgilded 17th century pelican. The parishalso contains newly restored timber-framedTy Coch barn, and St. Cynhafal’s holywell (on private land).
Llanrhaeadr (yng Nghinmeirch)An example of one of Denbighshire’sattractive small villages, just off theDenbigh-Ruthin road. There is a pottery,some fine almshouses, and theoutstanding ‘church of the waterfall’,
from which a streamside path leads toSt. Dyfnog’s holy well. Particularly welcoming visitors, the double-navedchurch displays elaborately carvedroofs, the monument of bewiggedMaurice Jones, a gilded pelican, andabove all the huge, glowing stainedglass ‘Jesse window’ of 1533. Hailedas the finest in Wales, according to tradition it was financed by pilgrims tothe holy well.
LlantysilioPicnic and parking spaces make it easyto enjoy the setting of this little church,just above the Horseshoe Falls nearLlangollen – the western end of thePontcysyllte Aqueduct and CanalWorld Heritage Site. Delightful walkslead up Velvet Hill or along the canalfrom the car park.
36
Anvil Pottery, Llanrhaeadr
‘Jesse window’, Llanrhaeadr
LlanynysIn a quiet hamlet amid river meadows,St. Saeran’s at Llanynys was once the ‘mother church’ of the whole surrounding region. The big double-naved church contains numeroustreasures including an ancient sculptedcross-head; Elizabethan panelscharmingly carved with fantastic beasts;and especially a huge mediaevalwall-painting of St. Christopher.
TremeirchionAn attractive hillside village, whosechurch displays 17th century paintedglass portraits, the imposing monumentof the 14th century priest-bard DafyddDdu, and a renowned wonder-workingcross head. Ffynnon Beuno holy wellflows at the southern edge of the village,near limestone cliff-caves which oncesheltered prehistoric people. Theparish also boasts several f ine mansions, including Brynbella (private)built for Dr. ‘Dictionary’ Johnson’s friend
Mrs. Thrale, and across the fields theremains of Bach y Graig. Reputedlythe first brick building in Wales, this‘wonder-house’ was raised by theElizabethan plutocrat Richard Clough:only the imposing gatehouse-cum-warehouse and farm buildings nowsurvive.
Whitchurch, St. Marcella’sTrue to its name - ‘the white church’ -this grandest of all Denbighshirechurches is now brightly limewashedoutside as well as within. Though in arural setting over a mile from the oldtown, St. Marcella’s is the parish churchof Denbigh. Its imposing double-navedinterior, with paired angel roofs andhuge windows, houses many fine monuments from Denbighshire’sElizabethan golden age, includingknightly Salesburies and Myddeltonsand the pioneer geographer HumphreyLlwyd, while in the churchyard lies Twmo’r Nant, ‘the Cambrian Shakespeare’. 37
Wall-painting, Llanynys Church Portrait of Charles I, Tremeirchion Church
Grave of Twm o’r Nant
Welsh prince, i ts monks werewhite-robed Cistercians. Amongmany memorable features are the still-towering west front of the church, withits ‘rose window’ above triple pointedlancets, and the beautifully vaulted‘chapter house’. Also well worth viewingare the monks’ dormitory, and thepicturesque monast ic f ishpond beyond the extensive ruins.
Rug ChapelOne of Denbighshire’s lesser-knownhistoric treasures, little Rug Chapel displays amazing riches within. Almostevery available timber surface - angel-decked roof, screen, gallery andpews - is exuberantly carved or painted, and frequently both. All thiswas commissioned in 1637 by theequally colourful Colonel WilliamSalesbury, later renowned as the CivilWar defender of Denbigh Castle.
All these sites are in the care of Cadw.www.cadw.wales.gov.uk
The Pillar of ElisegSet in a field by the scenic ‘HorseshoePass’ road is a rare link with a shadowyperiod of Welsh history. Erected inmemory of the 8th century warrior-kingEliseg, and originally surmounted by across, it gave its name - ‘Valle Crucis’,‘the vale of the cross’ - to this beautifulvalley and the great abbey nearby.
Valle Crucis AbbeyHill-encircled Valle Crucis Abbey isamong Denbighshire’s loveliest historicplaces, and is much the bestpreserved mediaeval monastery inNorth Wales. Founded ‘far from thehaunts of men’ in 1201 by a local
Historic sites
38
Pillar of Eliseg
Valle Crucis Abbey
Rug Chapel
In c.795, King Offa of Mercia bloodily
defeated a Welsh army on Morfa
Rhuddlan, ʻthe sea-marsh of
Rhuddlanʼ. The carnage is still
remembered in the lament
ʻMorfa Rhuddlanʼ - also one of
the oldest surviving Welsh tunes -
and it is said that the spectral
g roans o f the dy ing a re s t i l l
sometimes heard there.
According to legend, King Arthur
beheaded his love-rival Huail on the
ancient stone called Maen Huail, which
now stands in St. Peter’s Square,
Ruthin. The dark stains on it are said to
have been made by Huail’s trickling
blood. But whether Huail was a giant,
a bandit, the brother of the chronicler
Gildas, or all three, nobody knows.
Many legends surround dramatically
sited Dinas Brân Castle. Some say it
was the abode of giant demons,
whose treasure of golden idols still lies
concealed somewhere beneath it.
Others firmly believe it was the
miraculous castle where King Arthurʼs
knights found the Holy Grail.
Legends and ghosts
39
Morfa Rhuddlan Maen Huail
Castell Dinas Brân
Denbighshire curiosities
The church at Efenechtyd houses astone called ʻY Maen Campʼ - ʻTheFeat Stoneʼ. At village sports,youths competed to lift this 100pound [45 kilogram] stone abovetheir heads and cast it backwardsover their shoulders, the furthestthrower being the winner. Pleasedo not try this...
The churchyard of Nantglyn, Nr
Denbigh contains an open-air pulpit
built into a yew tree.
A document recording a pilgrimageto Rome in 1475 by John andGwerful Holland of NantclwydHouse, Ruthin, was discoveredconcealed in the house during the
1940s, and is now in theDenbighshire Record Office.
Denbighshire farmers often broughttheir dogs to church, sometimesresulting in dog-fights in the aisles.Offenders would be removed with‘dog tongs’, like those still inLlanynys church.
The first-ever game of ʻlawn tennisʼwas played in 1873 during a gardenparty at Nantclwyd Hall, Llanelidan.Invented by a house-guest, MajorWalter Wingfield, it was at firstcalled ʻSphairistikeʼ - Greek for ʻballplayingʼ - a name which nevercaught on.
The fast paddle-steamer ‘Denbigh’,Birkenhead-built in 1860 to carryholiday passengers from Liverpool toRhyl, became the most successfulConfederate blockade-runner of theAmerican Civil War. Skilfully evading Unionwarships, she ran many ‘contraband’cargoes to Havana, Cuba from Southernports, until finally run aground and burntoff Galveston, Texas, in May 1865.Located in 1997, her wreck is now thesubject of a major archaeological project. 40
Dog tongs, Llanynys Church
Pulpit, Nantglyn
The most renowned of allDenbighshire people is OwainGlyndwr (c.1359-c.1416), who tookhis name from his ancestral homenear Corwen, Glyndyfrdwy. There,on ‘Owain Glyndwr’s Mount’, hedeclared himself Prince of Wales in 1400,and for the next dozen years battledto maintain Welsh independencefrom England. After his mysteriousdisappearance in 1415, ‘many saythat he died; but seers maintain thathe lives on’.
Many tales surround ElizabethanKatherine (Catrin) of Berain, nearHenllan (1535-91) Marrying threesuccessive wealthy husbands -including Richard Clough of Bach-y-Graig, Tremeirchion - she had somany descendants that she becameknown as ‘Mam Cymru’, ‘the Motherof Wales’.
Nicknamed ‘Old Blue Stockings’ for
his plain countrified clothes, Colonel
Denbighshire people
William Salesbury (1580-1660) served
aboard a West Indies privateer in his
youth, and later built Rug Chapel.
But he became most famous during
the Civil War, when in his sixties he
steadfastly defended Denbigh Castle
for King Charles I.
Thomas Edwards (1739-1810),
known as Twm oʼr Nant and ‘the
Cambrian Shakespeare’, was a
self-taught poet and bankrupt haulier
who became famous for his ‘interludes’
satirising greedy landowners, parsons
and lawyers. His grave is in St
Marcella’s churchyard.
The famous though controversial
African explorer and tracker-down of
Dr. Livingstone, Sir Henry Morton
Stanley (real name John Rowlands,
1841-1904), was born at Denbigh
and brought up in St. Asaph work-
house, later living at Tremeirchion.
During what is regarded as the
golden age of Welsh publishing,
Thomas Gee (1815-98) developed
his father’s printing works, Gwasg
Gee in Denbigh, into an institution of
national importance. As a staunchly
Noncomformist and radical Liberal
publisher and newspaper editor, his
influence could be felt in every
sphere of Welsh public life in the 19th
century. 41
Colonel William Salesbury H M Stanley
The great outdoors
Denbighshire’s wide open spacesare best experienced up closeand personal - on foot, or from abike or a horse. Abseiling, flyingand climbing are also offered.Grass-roots exploration, ‘green’in both senses, will not only helpyou see more scenery, and withluck more wildlife, but also tofeel better (at least afterwards).So get out there!
Walking
Denbighshire’s immensely varied
countryside makes it literally a
‘Walker’s Paradise’. Denbighshire
hosts many established ‘Trails’,
including Offa’s Dyke National Trail.
Over 40 miles of this scenic path
traverse the county, following a
spectacular route along the summits
of the Clwydian Range before
dropping down to its finish - or start -
on the coast at Prestatyn. Other
waymarked trails and circular walks
explore the Dee Valley, or guide an
hour or two’s gentle stroll through
woodlands and country paths.
To really get away from it all – including
other walkers – the venturesome can
explore vast tracts of lonely hill country,
for instance via the waymarked
Berwyn Way and Mynydd Hiraethog
walks. If you want to plan your own
itineraries or one-way walks, our
local bus services can get you back
to car or base. Call 0871 200 22 33
or visit www.traveline.cymru.info for
the latest timetables.
On your bike
For those who prefer two wheels to
two feet, National Cycle Route 5
extends the whole length of the
coast. There are also plenty of
opportunities for off-road mountain
biking around the Dee Valley,
Llandegla and in the Clwydian Range
and Hiraethog Moors. ‘Bus bikes’ -
regular services fitted with cycle42
Llangollen Clwydian Range
racks - are already in operation in
some areas. ‘Fly throughs’ and
route guides to off-road cycling in
Denbighshire can be explored at:
www.ridenorthwales.co.uk
Horse riding
Denbighshire has many facilities for
riders, from ‘have-a-go’ rides for
absolute beginners, via trail and
group rides, to long-distance bridle
paths for the experienced.
FishingAnglers will scarcely need reminding
of the famous fishing on the Dee: but
there is also fine game fishing on the
Clwyd, Elwy and Aled. There are
scores of well-stocked lakes and 43
Mountain biking
Whitewater canoeing
Golf lessons are a speciality
pools across the county, including
one o f t he p rem ie r f l y - f i sh ing
stillwaters in Wales at Llyn Brenig,
and sea fishing trips from the coast.
Watery adventuresThose who like their sport wet and
exciting can find whitewater canoeing
and rafting on the Dee near Llangollen,
windsurfing and sailing on Llyn Brenig
or kitesurfing in Rhyl. There are other
opportunities for watersports: for
up to date information enquire at a
Tourist Information Centre.
Golf
Denbighshire boasts five golf-courses
and driving ranges, and is particularly
suitable for those wanting to learn or
improve their golf.
Landscapes and wildlife
Denbighshire is proud to share one
of only eight off icial ly protected
landscapes in Wales - the Clwydian
Range Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty (AONB). Covering 62 square
miles of heather moorland ridge,
limestone crags, woodland and
farmland, 60% of it is in Denbighshire,
with the remainder in Flintshire:
some 2,300 acres are included in
Moel Famau and Loggerheads
Country Parks.
This is only one of Denbighshire’s
varied landscape types. There are
also coastal habitats - including
Gronant Dunes, home of Wales’s
only breeding colony of Little Terns,
the reintroduced Natterjack Toad
and the Sand Lizard. Then there are
upland and lowland heaths; limestone
crags and grasslands; woodlands,
wetlands, and the remote blanket
bogs of the high Berwyns.
Each has its own distinctive plants
and wildlife - though whether visitors
will encounter them depends of
course on patience, the season,
good information, and above all a
good deal of luck! Most distinctive of
all is Limestone Woundwort, the
rarest member of a nettle-like plant
family once used for staunching cuts
and wounds. Found only on one
other site outside our region, this has
been voted Denbighshire’s hallmark
‘county flower’. The attractive but
now scarce wild Juniper - among the
first plants to colonise Britain after
the Ice Age, whose berries were
used to flavour gin - still grows on44
Brown HareWild juniper
Prestatyn Hillside and elsewhere: while
the peaty uplands host uncommon
Cloudberry and ‘insect-eating’
Butterworts and Sundews.
Upland birds like Buzzards, Ravens,
Wheatears and the bobbing Dippers
of fast-f lowing streams are seen
relatively often. Very lucky visitors
may also encounter Ring Ouzels - the
rare upland blackbird; the elusive
Grey Plovers and Hen Harriers of the
Berwyns; the spectacular Peregrine
Falcons of Eglwyseg; or the endangered
Black Grouse of the heather moors,
sometimes seen ‘lekking’ to attract a
mate on early Spring mornings.
Deer, Badgers and the delightful,
magical Brown Hare are still common;
while Otters - though rarely seen - are
making a comeback. The nationally
rare Lesser Horseshoe Bat still
haunts old mine shafts and even
town houses; while the beleaguered
Red Squirrel and Dormouse still hold
out in a handful of western woodland
sites. The Bison sometimes startlingly
seen in a field near the A5 at Rhug,
however, are not ‘natives’: they
provide meat for a nearby organic
farm shop!
If you want to learn more about
wildlife or events, or even give
nature a helping hand, visit
the Countryside Centre at
Loggerheads Country Park ,
Tel 01352 810614/810586.
Denbighshire’s Countryside Service
organises activities ranging from
guided walks to moth trapping;
have-a-go drystone walling,
hedging or charcoal making; and
practical tasks like clearing ponds
or sites for nesting nightjars.
45
Otter
Black Grouse
Country parks, industrial heritage
Moel Famau Country Park contains
some 2,200 acres of the most
spectacular landscape in the Clwydian
Range, taking in four summits and
three impressive prehistoric hillforts.
Easily accessible by car, bus, or
footpath, it includes waymarked
walks ranging from the short and
easy to the challenging ‘did we really
do that?’. All provide superb views,
especially the ascent to the Jubilee
Tower on Moel Famau, 554m (1817
feet) above sea level, erected in
1810 to commemorate the Golden
Jubilee of George III. A circular walk
also connects the tower with nearby
Loggerheads Country Park, via the
‘Leete Path’. Once enjoyed by
Charles Kingsley - author of ‘The
Water Babies’ - and the composer
Mendelssohn, this path follows the
three mile long ‘Leete’ or artificial
watercourse which provided water
power to the lead mines of the
Alyn valley.
Loggerheads Country Park, though
now an attractive wooded gorge,
displays striking evidence of the once
important lead mining industry. Disputes
over valuable mineral rights here long
smouldered between rival Denbighshire
and Flintshire claimants - who were
frequently (hence the name) ‘at
loggerheads’. A mile-long Industrial
Trail, winding along the river bank,
takes in the monument marking the
ownership boundary finally agreed in46
Loggerheads Country Park
Moel Famau Country Park
1763. It stands above Carreg Carn
March Arthur, an ancient stone said to
bear the hoof print of King Arthur’s
horse, which leapt here from Moel
Famau!
Beginning and ending at the car park
with its welcoming café, the trails also
pass restored Pentre Mill, and the
remains of the ‘wheel pit’ which
pumped out the deep Glan Alyn Mine.
Along the way you may also
encounter some of Loggerheads’
distinctive wildlife, even perhaps
the rare Herb Paris which is this
park’s logo.
Quarrying was also an important
element of Denbighshire’s industrial
heritage, and continues still.
Mediaeval quarriers cut stone for
Valle Crucis Abbey and Dinas Brân
Castle from the hi l ls north of
Llangollen, later a source of flagstones,
tombstones and billiard tables. The
scenic Horseshoe Pass road nearby
was originally built to serve quarries,
whose spoil heaps can still be seen
beside it.
In the early 19th century, the famous
engineer Thomas Telford greatly
improved communications through the
county with his roads and canals.
Some of his distinctive milestones still
survive beside the A5 Holyhead-London
road around Corwen. After crossing
his spectacular Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
just outside the county boundary,
Telford’s Llangollen Canal links to the
Dee at Horseshoe Falls. 47
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct - a World Heritage SiteValle Crucis Abbey
Bodrhyddan Hall near RhuddlanThis dignified mansion, remodelled in
‘Queen Anne’ style during the 1870s,
is the home of Lord Langford, whose
family have owned it for over five
centuries. Its fine and annually
replanted ‘parterred’ gardens include
St. Mary’s holy well with its charming
well-house, traditionally a favourite site
for clandestine weddings.
Nantclwyd y Dre Ruthin
Nantclwyd y Dre is the oldest timber-
framed town house in Wales.
Extended many t imes at many
periods, it assumed its present
appearance in the late 17th century. It
has been beautifully restored to
demonstrate changing fashions and
the lives of its residents. Visitors can
also observe a colony of lesser
horseshoe bats in the attic via the
Historic houses
Like so much else in Denbighshire,
the county’s historic buildings are
distinctive and diverse.
Bodelwyddan Castle near St. AsaphAn early Victorian ‘castle-style’
Gothic mansion, designed for the
wealthy Sir John Hay Williams by
Joseph Hansom - who also invented
the ‘Hansom cab’. Its beautifully
restored and furnished interiors now
display splendid Victorian paintings
from the National Portrait Gallery’s
collection. Surrounded by large
grounds with formal gardens, maze,
adventure p layground, natura l
woodlands - and World War I practice
trenches. Nearby is the Marble
Church, built at extravagant cost by
Sir John Williams’ widow, Margaret.48
Bodelwyddan Castle
Nantclwyd y Dre
‘bat cam’ and enjoy the beautiful 13th
century garden.
Ruthin Gaol In use until 1916, Ruthin’s vast and
imposing old gaol is one of the most
fascinating and unusual historic buildings
in Wales: it includes the only Victorian
‘Pentonville’ cell block open to the
public in Britain. Visitors can explore
the cells, while imaginative hands-on
displays show how the unfortunate
inmates lived, worked, ate and were
punished, and tell the stories of ‘the
Welsh Houdini’ and the gaol’s last
execution. The gaol building also
houses Denbighshire’s fascinating
archives, and is thus an ideal place to
research family history.
Plas Newydd Llangollen
The home of the renowned ‘Ladies of
Llangollen’, where the runaway Irish
aristocrats Lady Eleanor Butler and
Miss Sarah Ponsonby lived together
in well-publicised ‘romantic retirement’
for 50 years. Beginning in 1780 as a
modest cottage, it was expanded by
the Ladies and their successors into
an elaborately Gothic mansion, with
‘timber-framed’ frontage, stained
glass windows and inter iors
bedecked with imported curios. The
ladies captured the imagination of
Regency society and their story is
brought vividly to life by an audio tour
and exhibition of their possession.
You can stroll through the gardens
and along their riverside walk – and
take tea, as Wordsworth, Sir Walter
Scott and the Duke of Wellington
have all done before you.
49
Ruthin Gaol
Plas Newydd
Flavours and festivals
Shops and marketsDenbighshire has plenty of supermarkets
and chain stores, and large out-of-town
retail outlets off the main A55. But
visitors may well be more interested
in the small, independent shops
which thankfully still abound in
Denbighshire towns. There are
tempting antique shops; well-stocked
‘outdoor shops’; individual fashion
boutiques and traditional menswear
shops; a varied array of really good
independent butchers and bakers;
and outstanding delicatessens selling
local products.
Local and often organic foods are
v e r y m u c h t h e f l a v o u r i n
Denbighshire: several large farming
estates have courageously gone ‘fully
certified organic’, with more likely to
follow. Local produce can also be
sampled in many Denbighshire
restaurants and eating places, and of
course in the increasingly popular
Farmers’ and Women’s Institute
markets, and the regular indoor and
outdoor markets held in many
Denbighshire towns.
Follow the Clwydian Range Food Trail
to discover the gastronomic delights
of an Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty. The trail takes you through
spectacular views to meet a range of
award-winning food producers. Find
out more at www.foodtrail.co.uk
Arts and craftsDenbighshire’s many artists and craft
studios offer uniquely ‘local flavours’.
The big, brightly coloured butterflies
which enliven the exteriors of many
loca l houses, for instance, are
produced locally. There are several
traditional and contemporary potteries
clustered in the Vale of Clwyd. Some
produce not only their individual50
Delicatessen, Ruthin
styles, but also the characteristic
brown, cream or yellow ‘Buckley
Ware ’ pot te ry favoured in
Denbighshire for centuries. But the
widest range of contemporary arts
and crafts can be seen at Ruthin
Craft Centre, housing a complex of
workshops, individual studios and
display spaces with regularly changing
exhibitions. Local artists also regularly
display at Rhyl Arts Centre, Denbigh
Gallery, Y Capel in Llangollen and in
many town libraries.
FestivalsDenbighshire has a well established
mix of town and village festivals as
well as international events: it would
be impossible to list them all. From
sheep shearing to classic cars, choir
practices and poets in the pub to
international music festivals and barrel
rolling, all corners of the county have
their special events.
Perhaps the most colourful, and
certainly unique in the world, is the
Llangollen International Musical
Eisteddfod. For one week in July each
year, the small town of Llangollen
welcomes the world. During the day,
international musicians and dancers
compete in over 20 competitions.
Each evening the best and most
colourful competitors share the stage
with professional artists, many of
whom started their careers in
Llangollen. The festival was founded
in 1947 and today it is still going
strong, attracting thousand of people
in celebration and friendship. People
to watch include more than the
performers. Paul McCartney came
here as a child visitor, as did writer
Phillip Pullman - so you never know
who you may be rubbing shoulders
with at this magical event.
For all the latest information about
what’s on, all year round, visit
www.denbighshire.gov.uk/events 51
Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod
F ascinating facts
Beatrix Potter stayed at
Gwaenynog near Denbigh, her
uncleʼs house. Her sketches of the
kitchen garden there were the basis
for ʻThe Tale of Flopsy Bunniesʼ.
David Samwell (Dafydd Ddu Feddyg)
of Nantglyn, physician and bard, was
the surgeon of Captain Cook’s
‘Discovery’. His journal, recording
the murder of Cook in Hawaii in
1779, also contains the first written
record of the Maori language.
Did Jack the Ripper once stay at
the Hand Hotel, Llangollen? James
Maybrick, one of many Ripper
suspects, certainly signed the
visitors ʼ book there. But the
ʻMaybrick Diaryʼ, which emerged in
the 1990s and supposedly proves
his guilt, may well be a forgery.
David Edward Hughes, born in
Corwen, was the first person in the
world to send and receive electro-
magnetic radio waves - 16 years
before Marconi!
The world ʼs f i rst commercial
hovercraft flight was made from
Rhyl to Wallasey in 1962.
The innovative but tortured Victorian
poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins,
composed many of his most famous
poems (including ‘the Windhover’
and ‘The Wreck of the Deutschland’)
while studying theology at St.
Beuno’s College, near Tremeirchion.
Moel Famau and Loggerheads
featured in early episodes of the
1960s cult TV series, Z Cars.
After being repaired at Rhyl, the
world’s oldest powered submarine,
‘Resurgam’, sank five miles off the
coast on 24th February 1880, while
being towed unmanned. Rediscovered
when she snagged a trawler’s nets in
1995, she remains a designated
Historic Wreck on the seabed.52
The world’s first commercial hovercraft flight
Felicia Dorothea Hemans, most
famous for her poem ʻthe Boy Stood
on the Burning Deckʼ, lived at St.
Asaph and is commemorated in its
cathedral.
Richard Llewellyn wrote most of ‘How
Green Was My Valley’ at Plas
Newydd, Llangollen: the location for
the Hollywood film version much more
closely resembled Llangollen than the
book’s fictional ‘Nant-y-Glo’ in South
Wales.
The founders of the largest retail
business in the 19th century Middle
East came from Llanarmon-yn-Ial.
In about 1805 the Ordnance Survey
measured with great accuracy a line
several miles long on Rhuddlan
Marsh. This formed the basis of the
‘triangulation’ of the later published
Ordnance Survey maps.
The Elizabethan bard, pirate and
soldier Captain Thomas Prys, Rhys
Fawr’s great-grandson, was allegedly
the first man to smoke ‘the new
tobacco weed’ in the streets of
London.
Vivien Hewitt, born in Bodfari, was in
1912 the first person to fly across the
Irish Sea. He set off from Rhyl and
flew to Holyhead before re-fuelling
and flying to Dublin.
The heart and right hand of Richard
Clough, the Elizabethan Denbighshire
entrepreneur who built Bach y Graig,
Tremeirchion, were brought home
from his death-place at Hamburg and
buried in a silver casket in St.
Marcella’s church near Denbigh. 53
Plas Newydd, Llangollen
Mrs Hemans memorial window
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