Holywell

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For other uses, see Holywell (disambiguation).
Holywell
Welsh: Treffynnon
Population 5,974 (2001)[1] [2] [3]
OS grid reference SJ185755
Principal area Flintshire
Ceremonial county Clwyd
Constituent country Wales
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town HOLYWELL
Postcode district CH8
Dialling code 01352
Police North Wales
Fire North Wales
Ambulance Welsh
UK Parliament Delyn
European Parliament Wales
List of places: UK • Wales • Flintshire
Coordinates: 53°16′13″N 3°13′25″W / 53.2702, -3.22351

Holywell (Welsh: Treffynnon) is the fifth largest town in Flintshire, north Wales, lying to the west of the estuary of the River Dee.

Image:Hollywell.jpg
The Well Head


Contents

[edit] History

The town is known for St Winefride's Well, a holy well surrounded by a chapel. The well has been known since at least the Roman period, and has been a site of pilgrimage since about 660 when Saint Winefride is said to have been beheaded there. The well is one of the Seven Wonders of Wales and the town bills itself as The Lourdes of Wales.

From the 18th century, the town grew around the lead mining and cotton milling industries.

Holywell hosted an unofficial National Eisteddfod event in 1869.

[edit] Demographics

Administratively, Holywell consists of three wards of the Flintshire County Council local authority. At the 2001 census, the total population of the town was:

Ward Population
Holywell Central 1,835 [1]
Holywell East 1,828 [2]
Holywell West 2,311 [3]
Holywell Total 5,974

[edit] Description

Holywell is split into four distinct areas - Pen-y-Maes, The Strand, The Holway and the town centre. Pen-y-Maes is the richer of the areas in Holywell in the north east side of the town (based on land prices)[citation needed]. The old cottage hospital was located here until it closed. A new one will be built near the football pitch of the local team. The Holway, located on the west side of the town, is the largest of the residential areas of Holywell.[citation needed] The town centre contains a sports centre, many small businesses, a Somerfield and a Woolworths. A Lidl has just opened its doors and a Tesco will soon be built in Holywell.

Holywell also has a local football team, Holywell Town who play in the Welsh Alliance League.

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. [4]

[edit] Notable people

  • Actor Jonathan Pryce was born in Holywell in 1947.
  • Former Southampton and Wales footballer Ron Davies was born in Holywell in 1942.
  • Dixie Dean the Everton football legend once had a near fatal motorbike accident in Holywell in the late 1920s. This almost ended his professional career.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Ward Profile: Holywell Central. Flintshire County Council. Retrieved 13 November 2007
  2. ^ a b Ward Profile: Holywell East. Flintshire County Council. Retrieved 13 November 2007
  3. ^ a b Ward Profile: Holywell West. Flintshire County Council. Retrieved 13 November 2007
  4. ^ Proposed St Bueno's Circular Walk Retrieved 10 May 2007

[edit] External links

nl:Holywell

Retrieved from "http://india.smashits.com/wikipedia/Holywell"
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