Pentre Halkyn
Encyclopedia
Pentre Halkyn is a small village in Flintshire
, North Wales
. It is situated approximately three miles from Holywell
, and is off Junction 32 of the A55 North Wales Expressway
. It has a quarry
, a small hotel, a local shop and not much else. The village borders on the Halkyn Mountain Site of Special Scientific Interest
and Special Area of Conservation .
. Pentre Halkyn also has a hotel down by the A55 called the Springfield Hotel. One of the many sights is quarry trucks going to the quarries situated on Halkyn Mountain.
It is a very picturesque village that sits on the side of a very steep incline. Views of North East Wales and Merseyside are clearly visible from the village, and on a clear day even Blackpool Tower can be seen. Local folk-lore
speaks of a monster that haunts this village called "Sassy" by the villagers. It is described as a long haired woolly beast, that steals sheep from the mountainside and feasts on them within its cave.
Its is a beautiful village and worth a visit.
ore
was first mined in Roman
times and was then smelted
at Flint
. The lead that was produced there was stamped with the inscription Deceangli
(Welsh: Tegeingl), which was the name of the Celtic British Iron Age
tribe occupying the area.
In the 17th century an intensive period of lead mining
begun, drawing the interest and the investment of the London Lead Company and various Derbyshire mining entrepreneurs. Shortly after, new rich vein
s were discovered and these were quickly exploited, bringing a large number of skilled miners especially from Derbyshire
to live in Halkyn. A road, Buxton
Lane, is named after one of the main towns of Derbyshire. The lane leads to the Billins mine, which is immediately to the south of the Pentre Halkyn to Babell Road.
The existing villages of Pentre Halkyn, Halkyn
and Rhosesmor
grew rapidly in these times as more miners came to the area. New communities were developed as the villages grew, to house the newcomers. This resulted in the development of the villages and hamlets of Rhes-y-Cae, Moel-y-Crio, Wern-y-Gaer, Berthddu, Pant-y-go and Windmill. By the 19th century the lead mines were well developed and concerns arose necessitating mining techniques. This raised the problem of flooding due to the digging of deep drainage tunnels, with the most important being the Milwr tunnel
down to Bagillt
.
Mining ended in the 1970s but quarrying is still an important local industry with two new large limestone
quarries dominating the surrounding area. As a result of these quarries opening, new institutions were needed to support the community with new churches, chapels, a school and village halls being opened in the 19th century.
in Lancashire
, about 50 miles away.
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. It is situated approximately three miles from Holywell
Holywell
Holywell is the fifth largest town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying to the west of the estuary of the River Dee.-History:The market town of Holywell takes its name from the St Winefride's Well, a holy well surrounded by a chapel...
, and is off Junction 32 of the A55 North Wales Expressway
A55 road
The A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway, is a major road in Britain. Its entire length is a dual carriageway primary route, with the exception of the point where it crosses the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. All junctions are grade separated except for two roundabouts — one...
. It has a quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
, a small hotel, a local shop and not much else. The village borders on the Halkyn Mountain Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
and Special Area of Conservation .
Village
The village of Pentre Halkyn is fairly small featuring a shop, a post office, football and cricket grounds and a play area. It has one main road running through the middle that comes off the A55 and leads down to the town of HolywellHolywell
Holywell is the fifth largest town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying to the west of the estuary of the River Dee.-History:The market town of Holywell takes its name from the St Winefride's Well, a holy well surrounded by a chapel...
. Pentre Halkyn also has a hotel down by the A55 called the Springfield Hotel. One of the many sights is quarry trucks going to the quarries situated on Halkyn Mountain.
It is a very picturesque village that sits on the side of a very steep incline. Views of North East Wales and Merseyside are clearly visible from the village, and on a clear day even Blackpool Tower can be seen. Local folk-lore
Folk-Lore
Folk-Lore was released in 2002 by Celtic metal band Cruachan.-Track listing:#"Bloody Sunday" – 4:15#"The Victory Reel" – 1:21#"Death of a Gael" – 5:38#"The Rocky Road to Dublin" – 3:07#"Ossian's Return" – 4:44...
speaks of a monster that haunts this village called "Sassy" by the villagers. It is described as a long haired woolly beast, that steals sheep from the mountainside and feasts on them within its cave.
Its is a beautiful village and worth a visit.
Mining and quarrying
LeadLead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
was first mined in Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
times and was then smelted
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
at Flint
Flint, Flintshire
Flint is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Dee. It was the county town of the historic county of Flintshire and today is the third largest town in Flintshire. According to the 2001 Census the population of the community of Flint was 12,804...
. The lead that was produced there was stamped with the inscription Deceangli
Deceangli
The Deceangli or Deceangi were one of the Celtic tribes living in Britain, prior to the Roman invasion of the island. The tribe lived mainly in what is now north-east Wales, though it is uncertain whether their territory covered only the modern counties of Flintshire, Denbighshire and part of...
(Welsh: Tegeingl), which was the name of the Celtic British Iron Age
British Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
tribe occupying the area.
In the 17th century an intensive period of lead mining
Metal mining in Wales
Metal mining in Wales affected large areas of what are now very rural parts of Wales and left behind a legacy of contaminated waste heaps and a very few ruined buildings.There are a number of areas that have been mined for a variety of metals....
begun, drawing the interest and the investment of the London Lead Company and various Derbyshire mining entrepreneurs. Shortly after, new rich vein
Vein (geology)
In geology, a vein is a distinct sheetlike body of crystallized minerals within a rock. Veins form when mineral constituents carried by an aqueous solution within the rock mass are deposited through precipitation...
s were discovered and these were quickly exploited, bringing a large number of skilled miners especially from Derbyshire
Derbyshire lead mining history
This article details some of the history of lead mining in Derbyshire, England.- Background :On one of the walls in Wirksworth church is a crude stone carving, found nearby at Bonsall and placed in the church in the 1870s. Probably executed in Anglo-Saxon times, it shows a man carrying a kibble or...
to live in Halkyn. A road, Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
Lane, is named after one of the main towns of Derbyshire. The lane leads to the Billins mine, which is immediately to the south of the Pentre Halkyn to Babell Road.
The existing villages of Pentre Halkyn, Halkyn
Halkyn
Halkyn is a village in Flintshire, north-east Wales and situated between Pentre Halkyn, Northop and Rhosesmor. At the 2001 Census the population of the community was 2,876.- History :...
and Rhosesmor
Rhosesmor
Rhosesmor is a small village near Mold, Flintshire, in north-east Wales. The village lies near the parishes of Halkyn and Rhes-y-cae. The hamlet of Wern-y-Gaer is encompassed by the boundaries of the village.- History :...
grew rapidly in these times as more miners came to the area. New communities were developed as the villages grew, to house the newcomers. This resulted in the development of the villages and hamlets of Rhes-y-Cae, Moel-y-Crio, Wern-y-Gaer, Berthddu, Pant-y-go and Windmill. By the 19th century the lead mines were well developed and concerns arose necessitating mining techniques. This raised the problem of flooding due to the digging of deep drainage tunnels, with the most important being the Milwr tunnel
Milwr tunnel
The Milwr Tunnel is a mine drainage adit running some 10 miles from the hamlet of Cadole near Loggerheads, Denbighshire to Bagillt on the Dee Estuary in North Wales...
down to Bagillt
Bagillt
Bagillt is a small town near Holywell in Flintshire, North Wales. At the 2001 Census the population was recorded as 3,918.-History:http://stmarysbagillt.co.uk/...
.
Mining ended in the 1970s but quarrying is still an important local industry with two new large limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarries dominating the surrounding area. As a result of these quarries opening, new institutions were needed to support the community with new churches, chapels, a school and village halls being opened in the 19th century.
Trig point
The trig point at the pinnacle of Halkyn Mountain is 290 metres above see level. On a clear day it is possible to see Blackpool TowerBlackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower Eye is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire in England which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. . Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it rises to 518 feet & 9 inches . The tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, about 50 miles away.