Holywell ( '','' cy, Treffynnon) 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

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 ...

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

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 ...

. It lies to the west of the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

of the River Dee. The community includes

Greenfield Greenfield or Greenfields may refer to: Engineering and Business * Greenfield agreement, an employment agreement for a new organisation * Greenfield investment, the investment in a structure in an area where no previous facilities exist * Greenf ...

Etymology

The name Holywell is literally ' + ' in reference to St Winefride's Well, which is situated in the town. Similarly, its Welsh name, ', is a compound of ' "town" + ' "well", meaning "town of hewell".

History

Hen Neuadd y Dref, Treffynnon - Former Town Hall, Holywell

The church of St James, Holywell (geograph 2262988)

The

of Holywell is known for St Winefride's Well, a holy well surrounded by a

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common typ ...

, itself known since at least the Roman period. It has been a site of Christian

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

since about 660, dedicated to

Saint Winefride Saint Winifred (or Winefride; cy, Gwenffrewi; la, Wenefreda, Winifreda) was a Welsh virgin martyr of the 7th century. Her story was celebrated as early as the 8th century, but became popular in England in the 12th, when her hagiography was fi ...

who, according to legend, 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 Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Châte ...

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 is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metals, heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale of mineral hardness#Intermediate ...

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

and

cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning (textiles), spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Althou ...

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 items including manilas (copper bracelets), neptunes (large flat dishes to evaporate seawater to produce salt) and

copper sheathing Copper sheathing is the practice of protecting the under-water hull of a ship or boat from the corrosive effects of salt water and biofouling through the use of copper plates affixed to the outside of the hull. It was pioneered and developed by ...

. 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 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. Holywell Town Hall was completed in 1896. St James' Parish Church is a grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

and Holy Trinity Church in Greenfield is grade II listed. The town is also served by the modern St Peter's Church on Rose Hill,

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

in 2008.

Railways

Holywell Junction railway station in Greenfield was on the North Wales Coast Line. The station was closed in 1966, and trains now run fast through what remains of the station. The station building, by Francis Thompson for the Chester and Holyhead Railway (1848), is listed Grade II*. There is a campaign to reopen the station.

Holywell Town Holywell Town Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Treffynnon) is a Welsh football club from Holywell, Flintshire. They are nicknamed 'The Wellmen', and play their home games at the Achieve More Training Stadium (commonly known as 'Halkyn Road ...

station, at the head of the steeply-climbing

LNWR 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 ...

branch from Holywell Junction, opened in 1912 and finally closed in 1957.

Demography

In the 2011 census the population of the

, which includes the village of

, was recorded as 8,886. The census figure for the larger Holywell built-up area was 9,808. The community consists of four

electoral wards The wards and electoral divisions in the United Kingdom are electoral districts at sub-national level, represented by one or more councillors. The ward is the primary unit of English electoral geography for civil parishes and borough and distr ...

of the Flintshire County Council local authority:

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

is located to the north east of the town on the B5121 road. Villages within the Holywell catchment area include: Bagillt,

Brynford Brynford ( cy, Brynffordd) is a village and community in Flintshire, Wales. It is located to the south west of the town of Holywell and near the A55 road (North Wales Expressway). Brynford had a population of 1,059 at the 2011 census. St Mic ...

, Carmel,

Gorsedd A gorsedd (, plural ''gorseddau'') is a community or meeting of modern-day bards. The word is of Welsh origin, meaning "throne". It is spelled gorsedh in Cornish and goursez in Breton. When the term is used without qualification, it usually r ...

, Halkyn, Holway,

Licswm Licswm is a small village in Flintshire, Wales. It is part of the community of Ysceifiog. Licswm was formerly a mining village, and one explanation of its unusual name was that it was given to it by miners who moved to the area from Derbyshi ...

, Lloc,

Mostyn Mostyn is a village and Community (Wales), community in Flintshire, Wales, and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward lying on the estuary of the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, located near the town of Holywell, Flin ...

, Pantasaph, Pentre Halkyn,

Rhes-y-Cae Rhes-y-cae is a small parish and village in Flintshire, Wales. Literally translated from Welsh, Rhes-y-cae is 'Row of fields'. It is situated between Pentre Halkyn and Rhosesmor and is part of the local government community of Halkyn Halkyn ...

, Trelawnyd, Whitford and

Ysceifiog Ysceifiog, also written Ysgeifiog, is a small village, community and parish in Flintshire, Wales. It lies on a back road just north of the A541 highway between Nannerch and Caerwys. The name translates roughly as "a place where elder trees grow". ...

. 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 area. The town contains a secondary school with over 500 pupils and a leisure centre, as well as four

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

s. Holywell has a local football team,

who play in the Cymru North league. The old cottage hospital was located in Pen-y-Maes until it closed. A new facility, known as the Holywell Community Hospital, opened in March 2008. Although Holywell does not have a

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 ...

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. 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

* Saint Winifred, a 7th century Welsh virgin martyr, inspired St Winefride's Well *

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 ...

(1726–1798) naturalist, traveller, writer and antiquarian; lived at

Downing Hall Downing Hall was built in 1627 by the Pennant family near Whitford, Flintshire. It was later the home of Thomas Pennant, the naturalist, traveller and writer. It was partially destroyed in a fire in the early 20th century and afterwards left derel ...

near Whitford. * Rear Admiral Thomas Totty (1746–1802) naval officer of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. *

Sarah Edith Wynne Sarah Edith Wynne (Eos Cymru) (11 March 1842 – 24 January 1897) was a Welsh operatic soprano and concert singer. Early life Wynne was born in Holywell, Flintshire, the third daughter of Robert Wynne and Harriet Davies Wynne. Her father wa ...

(1842–1897) operatic soprano and concert singer. *

Teresa Helena Higginson Teresa Helena Higginson (27 May 1844 – 15 February 1905) was a British Roman Catholic mystic. Life Higginson was born in Holywell, Flintshire, United Kingdom in 1844 where her parents were staying whilst on pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Wi ...

(1844–1905) Roman Catholic mystic. *

Charles Sidney Beauclerk Fr Charles Sidney de Vere Beauclerk SJ (1 January 1855 – 22 November 1934) was a Jesuit priest who attempted to turn the town of Holywell into the "Lourdes of Wales".Eric Rowan & Carolyn Stewart, ''An Elusive Tradition: Art and Society in ...

(1855–1934), Catholic priest, revived the town as a pilgrimage centre. *

Emlyn Williams George Emlyn Williams, CBE (26 November 1905 – 25 September 1987) was a Welsh writer, dramatist and actor. Early life Williams was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family at 1 Jones Terrace, Pen-y-ffordd, Ffynnongroyw, Fl ...

(1905–1987) writer, dramatist and actor, attended

Holywell Grammar School Holywell may refer to: * Holywell, Flintshire, Wales * Holywell, Swords, Ireland * Holywell, Bedfordshire, England * Holywell, Cambridgeshire, England * Holywell, Cornwall, England * Holywell, Dorset, England * Holywell, Eastbourne, East Sussex, E ...

* Sir Ronald Waterhouse (1926–2011), High Court judge. * Dorothy Miles (1931–1993) poet and activist in the deaf community. *

Jennifer Toye Jennifer Gay Bishop (16 December 1933 – 17 January 2022), known by her stage name Jennifer Toye, was a British operatic soprano best known for performances with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in the 1950s and 1960s, including as Josephine in '' ...

(1933–2022), operatic soprano with the

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. T ...

Ann Clwyd Ann Clwyd Roberts (; born 21 March 1937) is a Welsh Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Cynon Valley for 35 years, from 1984 until 2019. Although she had intended to stand down in 2015, she was re-elected in tha ...

(born 1937 in Pentre Halkyn) politician, MP for

Cynon Valley Cynon Valley () is a former coal mining valley in Wales. Cynon Valley lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash is in the south o ...

for 35 years; went to

Ysgol Treffynnon Ysgol Treffynnon (formerly Holywell High School) is an 11–16 mixed, English-medium, community secondary school in Holywell, Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

* Jonathan Pryce (born 1947), actor on film and TV, educated at

* Gareth Jones (born 1961), TV presenter, ''(Gaz Top)'' brought up in Holywell. * Richard and Adam (Johnson) (born ca.1980), classical singers.

Sport

Gerry Hitchens Gerald Archibald Hitchens (8 October 1934 – 13 April 1983) was an English footballer who played as a centre forward. Early career Hitchens was born in the village of Rawnsley, Staffordshire, near Cannock, and began his career as a coal mine ...

(1934–1983), footballer with over 500 club caps, retired to Holywell from 1977 where he is buried. * Alan Fox (1936–2021) footballer with 441 club caps mainly for Wrexham A.F.C. * Mike England (born 1941), footballer and manager, with 622 club caps and 44 for

* Ron Davies (1942–2013), footballer with 644 club caps and 29 for

* Barry Horne (born 1962), footballer with 570 club caps and 59 for

Ian Buckett Ian Martin Buckett (born 23 December 1967 near Holywell in Flintshire) is a former international rugby union front row forward who played for Swansea and London Welsh and played county rugby for North Wales. He was a championship winning player, ...

(born 1967), rugby player, born near here and attended school in Holywell. *

Gareth Jelleyman Gareth Jelleyman (born 14 November 1980) is a Welsh footballer who plays as a defender. He has previously played for Peterborough United, Boston United, Mansfield Town, Rushden & Diamonds and Barrow. Jelleyman is a left-sided player who usuall ...

(born 1980) footballer with over 360 club caps

References

External links

Holywell websiteBBC Wales: HolywellPhotos of Holywell and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
{{authority control Towns in Flintshire Christian pilgrimages Water wells in Wales