Denbigh (; cy, Dinbych; ) is a

market town A market town is a Human settlement, settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular marketplace, market; this distinguished it from a village or ...

and a

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, villag ...

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnew ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. Formerly, the county town, the Welsh name translates to "Little Fortress"; a reference to its historic castle. Denbigh lies near the Clwydian Hills.

History

(General view, Denbigh, Wales) (LOC) (3752434034)

Denbigh Castle, together with its town walls, was built in 1282 by order of King Edward I. The Burgess Gate, whose twin towers adorn the symbol on Denbigh's civic seal, was once the main entrance into the town. The first borough charter was granted to Denbigh in 1290, when the town was still contained within the old town walls. It was the centre of the Marcher Lordship of Denbigh. The town was involved in the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294–1295; the castle was captured in the autumn, and on 11 November 1294 a relieving force was defeated by the Welsh rebels. The town was recaptured by Edward I in December. Denbigh was also burnt in 1400 during the revolt of

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in W ...

. During the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought be ...

(1455-1487), the town was largely destroyed, subsequently moving from the hilltop to the area of the present town market. Leicester's Church is an unfinished church. In 1579, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, who was also Baron of Denbigh, planned for there to be a cathedral. His intention was to move the status of ''city'' from neighbouring

St Asaph St Asaph (; cy, Llanelwy "church on the Elwy") is a city and community on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 3,355, making it the second-smallest city in Britain in terms of population and urba ...

. The project ran out of money, and when Robert Dudley died, it was left as

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

; now in the care of

Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage ...

. In 1643, during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of Kingdom of England, England's governanc ...

, Denbigh became a refuge for a

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

garrison. Surrendering in 1646, the castle and town walls eventually fell into ruin. The town grew around the textile industry in the 1600s, hosting specialist glovers, weavers, smiths, shoemakers, saddlers, furriers and tanners. Denbigh has been an important location for the agricultural industry throughout.

Railway

Denbigh was served by a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

on the former

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the ...

, later part of the

LMS LMS may refer to: Science and technology * Labeled magnitude scale, a scaling technique * Learning management system, education software * Least mean squares filter, producing least mean square error * Leiomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer * Lenz ...

. The "Vale of Clwyd" line leading north to St. Asaph and Rhyl closed in 1955, leaving Denbigh on a lengthy branch running from

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

via Mold and Denbigh to Ruthin, which closed in 1962. A southern continuation beyond Ruthin linking up with the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 mill ...

Corwen Corwen is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire in Wales. Historically, Corwen is part of the county of Merionethshire. Corwen stands on the banks of the River Dee beneath the Berwyn mountains. The town is situated west of Llan ...

had closed in 1952. The platform of Denbigh station can still be seen beside the road leading to the Home Bargains store.

North Wales Hospital

At one time the majority of the population sought employment at the North Wales Hospital, which, dating back to the 1840s, cared for people with

psychiatric Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psyc ...

illnesses. The hospital closed in 1995 and has since fallen into disrepair. In October 2008, a special series of episodes of Most Haunted, titled 'Village of the Damned', was broadcast from the North Wales Hospital over 7 days. As of October 2018, the derelict building has passed into the ownership of Denbighshire County Council. Gothic Hospital again

Futura Cinema

Denbigh had a town cinema on Love Lane. It opened as the Scala in 1928 before being re-branded as the Wedgwood Cinema in the late 1970s. It closed in October 1980 and was re-opened by Lewis Colwell in 1982 and renamed the Futura Cinema. The cinema closed in the 1990s, but the building remained open as a video rental store. In 1995,

Peter Moore Peter or Pete Moore may refer to: Politicians *Peter Moore (British politician) (1753–1828), English civil servant of the East India Company and politician *Peter Moore (Queensland politician) (born 1938), member of the Queensland Legislative As ...

re-opened the cinema for a short period before being arrested and convicted of the murder of four men. The video rental store closed and the building is now in ruin awaiting redevelopment. Denbigh has no permanent cinema, though Denbigh Film Club regularly operates in Theatr Twm o'r Nant.

Population

The population at the 2001 Census was 8,783, increasing to 8,986 in the 2011 census.

Amenities

Attractions in the town include Denbigh Library, Denbigh Castle and the castle walls, Cae Dai 1950s museum, Theatr Twm o'r Nant, medieval parish church St Marcella's, and a small shopping complex. Denbigh Boxing Club is located on Middle Lane. Denbigh Community Hospital was established in 1807.

Denbigh Town Hall Denbigh Town Hall ( cy, Neuadd y Dref Denbigh), is a municipal building in Crown Lane, Denbigh, Denbighshire, Wales. The structure, which is the meeting place of Denbigh Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building. History The first municip ...

is a Grade II* listed building. Denbigh Cricket Club is one of the oldest

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

clubs in Wales having been established in 1844. The club plays at the Ystrad Road ground and plays in the North Wales Cricket League. The 1st XI play in the Premier Division having won the Division 1 championship in 2010 with the 2nd XI in Division 3. For over 50 years, a barrel rolling competition has been held on Boxing Day in the town square.

Secondary schools

There are three secondary schools located in Denbigh. Denbigh High School is the larger of the two, consisting of nearly 600 pupils and approximately 60 staff. The current headmaster is Dr. Paul Evans. St Bridget's is a Catholic voluntary aided school on Mold Road on the outskirts of the town which caters for pupils between the ages of 3 – 19. There is a strict admissions policy and until recently the school only accepted girls. The schools current headteacher is Mrs Rona Jones. Myddleton College is the former Howell's Preparatory School and is an independent co-educational day and boarding school. All 3 of these High Schools in Denbigh, along with Ysgol Brynhyfryd (

Ruthin Ruthin ( ; cy, Rhuthun) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. It is Denbighshire's county town. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas an ...

), Ysgol Glan Clwyd (

), Denbigh College, and Llysfasi College (

Deeside Deeside ( cy, Glannau Dyfrdwy) is the name given to a predominantly industrial conurbation of towns and villages in Flintshire and Cheshire on the Wales–England border lying near the canalised stretch of the River Dee that flows from neigh ...

) have joined to offer a combined 6th form under the title ‘The Dyffryn Clwyd Consortium’.

Site of Special Scientific Interest

Crest Mawr Wood Crest Mawr Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the preserved county of Clwyd, north Wales. See also

*List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Clwyd Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Clwyd {{UK-SSSI-stub ...

(''alt. - Crêst'') is a Site of Special Scientific Interest to the north west, adjoining Denbigh Golf Club and the Tarmac Quarry, an historic and ancient

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, a ...

woodland. This woodland is endangered due to environmental pressure and competing land use in the area.

National Eisteddfodau

Denbigh hosted the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitors ...

in 1882, 1939, 2001 and 2013.

Notable people

* Rhoda Broughton (1840–1920),

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while othe ...

Elizabeth Casson Elizabeth Casson OBE (14 April 1881 – 17 December 1954) was a British medical doctor and an occupational therapy pioneer. Initially training as a secretary, Casson began studying medicine at the University of Bristol when she was 32. She recei ...

(1881–1954) doctor and occupational therapy pioneer. *

Shefali Chowdhury Shefali Chowdhury (born 22 June 1988) is a British actress best known for playing the role of Parvati Patil in the ''Harry Potter'' film series, except for ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' (2004), in which the character is played ...

(born 1988), actor, notably in the Harry Potter films * Connor Marc Colquhoun (born 1996), known online as ''CDawgVA'', Anime Youtuber and podcaster, presenter of Trash Taste * Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (1532–1588), also known as ''Baron of Denbigh'' * Thomas Gee (1815–1898), a Welsh Nonconformist preacher, journalist and publisher. * David Griffith (1800–1894), known as ''"Clwydfardd"'' a Welsh poet and Archdruid of the

. *

Dr Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford D ...

(1709–1784), visited friends and relation in Denbigh many times and has an urn memorial in his honour in the woods nearby. *Professor

Edward Taylor Jones Edward Taylor Jones F.R.S.E. LL.D. (1872–1961) was a British physicist. He was Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow University from 1925 to 1943. Life He was born in Denbigh in north Wales on 24 December 1872. He studied Science at th ...

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This so ...

(1872–1961), physicist * Eirian Llwyd (1951–2014), printmaker and wife of former Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones * Humphrey Llwyd (1527–1568), a Welsh

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an i ...

, author, antiquary and MP. *Sir Hugh Myddleton (1560–1631), royal jeweller,

goldsmith A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and servicea ...

and

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

. * Thomas Myddelton (1550–1631) a Welsh merchant, Lord Mayor of London & MP *

Twm o'r Nant Twm o'r Nant was the pseudonym of a Welsh language dramatist and poet, Thomas Edwards (January 1739 – 3 April 1810), also known as ''Tom of the Dingle''. He was famous for ''anterliwtau'' (interludes or short plays), which he performed mainl ...

(1739–1810),

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, real name ''Thomas Edwards'' *

Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Potter (, 28 July 186622 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as '' The Tale of Peter Rabbit'', which was ...

(1866–1943), spent summers with her aunt and uncle at Gwaenynog Hall between 1895 and 1913 and used their large garden as inspiration for '' The Tale of Peter Rabbit'' *

Susan Reynolds Susan Reynolds FBA (27 January 1929 – 29 July 2021) was a British medieval historian whose book ''Fiefs and Vassals: the Medieval Evidence Reinterpreted'' (1994) was part of the academic critique on the concept of feudalism as classically por ...

(1929–2021) a medieval historian * Kate Roberts (1891–1985), Welsh language writer. *Several members of the Salusbury Family, who represented Denbigh over the years. * Sir Henry Morton Stanley (1841–1904), a journalist and explorer * Mark Webster (born 1983) Welsh darts international, winner of the BDO World Darts Championship 2008 * Bryn Williams (born 1977), TV chef who won the '' Great British Menu''

BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 19 ...

programme.

Gallery

File:A North View of Denbigh Castle, in north Wales.jpeg, 1750 hunting scene by John Boydell File:Denbigh town 02220.jpg, Denbigh c.1778 from

Thomas Pennant Thomas Pennant (14 June OS 172616 December 1798) was a Welsh naturalist, traveller, writer and antiquarian. He was born and lived his whole life at his family estate, Downing Hall near Whitford, Flintshire, in Wales. As a naturalist he had ...

's ''A Tour in Wales'' File:Denbigh castle, Denbighshire.jpg, Town and castle in 1786 File:Denbigh castle, Denbighshire.jpeg, 1808 engraving by James Storer File:DV405 no.131 Denbigh Castle.png, Denbigh painted by a travelling French artist c.1830 File:This north-east view of the hospital at Denbigh, for the treatment of the insane.jpeg, North-east view of the hospital, 1850s File:Fairytale River.jpg, Fairytale River

References

External links

*
BBC Wales's Denbigh website
*http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/docs/cadw/publications/Urban_Character_Denbigh_EN.pdf {{Authority control Denbigh Former county towns in Wales Towns in Denbighshire