Rhuddlan
Encyclopedia
Rhuddlan (ˈr̥ɨðlan, approximately "RITH-lan") is a town and community
in the county of Denbighshire
(previously in Clwyd
and before 1974 in the former county of Flintshire
), in north Wales
. It is situated to the south of the coastal town of Rhyl
and overlooks the River Clwyd
. The town gave its name to the Welsh district of Rhuddlan
from 1974 to 1996. At the 2001 Census
, the population was 4,296.
's Conquest of Wales. Prior to Norman
occupation of lower Gwynedd, the Perfeddwlad
, Rhuddlan was the site of a Welsh cantref and served as the seat of government for the Welsh king Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
(1007 – August 5, 1063), whose family may have been the traditional Welsh lords of Rhuddlan for generations.
The town is known for the ruins of Rhuddlan Castle
, built by Edward I of England
from 1277 to 1282, and for the site of another castle at Twthill
, built by the Norman
Robert of Rhuddlan
about 1072.
The town was also the location where Edward I signed the Statute of Rhuddlan
, laying down the way by which the Principality of Wales
, created by the princes of Gwynedd
, was to be governed.
Rhuddlan railway station
was part of the Vale of Clwyd Railway
until it closed in the 1960s.
A fossil
of a pterosaur
was believed to have been discovered in Rhuddlan in the early 1990s.
In 2001, the A525
bypass road was completed, easing access to Rhyl, and since then the centre of Rhuddlan has been redeveloped.
Photographer Philip Jones Griffiths
, well known for his photographs during the Vietnam War
, was born in Rhuddlan. Wales
and Blackpool FC
footballer David Vaughan
was also born in the town.
Famous former residents include Lisa Scott-Lee
of the pop band Steps and her brother Andy Scott-Lee
.
The local council faced very strong, and very public, condemnation of their plans from Rhuddlan's residents, Professor David Bellamy
and CADW
. The council said that it would not be submitting any further planning applications for the site and that it would be restored to its former condition. Local residents have proposed that the site be turned into an environment and nature park.
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
in the county of Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
(previously in Clwyd
Clwyd
Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east, bordering England with Cheshire to its east, Shropshire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Gwynedd to its immediate west and Powys to the south. It additionally shares a maritime border with the metropolitan county of...
and before 1974 in the former county of Flintshire
Flintshire (historic)
Flintshire , also known as the County of Flint, is one of thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county, which mostly lies on the north east coast of Wales....
), in north Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is situated to the south of the coastal town of Rhyl
Rhyl
Rhyl is a seaside resort town and community situated on the north east coast of Wales, in the county of Denbighshire , at the mouth of the River Clwyd . To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay, with the resort of Towyn further west, Prestatyn to the east and Rhuddlan to the south...
and overlooks the River Clwyd
River Clwyd
The River Clwyd is a river in North Wales which rises in the Clocaenog Forest northwest of Corwen.It flows due south until at Melin-y-Wig it veers northeastwards, tracking the A494 to Ruthin. Here it leaves the relatively narrow valley and enters a broad agricultural vale, the Vale of Clwyd...
. The town gave its name to the Welsh district of Rhuddlan
Rhuddlan (district)
The Borough of Rhuddlan was one of six districts of the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales, from 1974 to 1996. It was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 from part of the administrative county of Flintshire, namely the urban districts of Prestatyn and Rhyl and St Asaph Rural District.The...
from 1974 to 1996. At the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the population was 4,296.
History
Rhuddlan has a longer history than the castle fortress built following Edward I of EnglandEdward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
's Conquest of Wales. Prior to Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
occupation of lower Gwynedd, the Perfeddwlad
Perfeddwlad
Perfeddwlad, , , was a name adopted during the twelfth century for the territories in north-east Wales lying between the rivers Conwy and Dee, and comprised the cantrefi of Rhos, Rhufoniog, Dyffryn Clwyd and Tegeingl...
, Rhuddlan was the site of a Welsh cantref and served as the seat of government for the Welsh king Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was the ruler of all Wales from 1055 until his death, the only Welsh monarch able to make this boast...
(1007 – August 5, 1063), whose family may have been the traditional Welsh lords of Rhuddlan for generations.
The town is known for the ruins of Rhuddlan Castle
Rhuddlan Castle
Rhuddlan Castle is a castle located in Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, Wales. It was erected by Edward I in 1277 following the First Welsh War.-Construction:Rhuddlan was planned as a concentric castle...
, built by Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
from 1277 to 1282, and for the site of another castle at Twthill
Twthill, Rhuddlan
Twthill is a Norman castle located near the town of Rhuddlan, Denbighshire in Wales; historic names for the site include Toothill and Tot Hill Castle.-History:...
, built by the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
Robert of Rhuddlan
Robert of Rhuddlan
Robert of Rhuddlan was a Norman adventurer who became lord of much of north-east Wales and for a period lord of all North Wales....
about 1072.
The town was also the location where Edward I signed the Statute of Rhuddlan
Statute of Rhuddlan
The Statute of Rhuddlan , also known as the Statutes of Wales or as the Statute of Wales provided the constitutional basis for the government of the Principality of North Wales from 1284 until 1536...
, laying down the way by which the Principality of Wales
Principality of Wales
The Principality of Wales existed between 1216 and 1542, encompassing two-thirds of modern Wales.It was formally founded in 1216 at the Council of Aberdyfi, and later recognised by the 1218 Treaty of Worcester between Llywelyn the Great of Wales and Henry III of England...
, created by the princes of Gwynedd
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
, was to be governed.
Rhuddlan railway station
Rhuddlan railway station
Rhuddlan railway station served the town of Rhuddlan in Wales. It closed to passengers in September 1955....
was part of the Vale of Clwyd Railway
Vale of Clwyd Railway
The Vale of Clwyd Railway was a line which connected the towns of Rhyl and Denbigh via St. Asaph.At Rhyl the line connected with the North Wales Coast Line....
until it closed in the 1960s.
A fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
of a pterosaur
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
was believed to have been discovered in Rhuddlan in the early 1990s.
In 2001, the A525
A525 road
The A525 is major route from Rhyl in North Wales to Newcastle-under-Lyme in England. On the way, it passes near to Denbigh, through Ruthin, through Wrexham and near Whitchurch.It is dual carriageway just south of Rhyl...
bypass road was completed, easing access to Rhyl, and since then the centre of Rhuddlan has been redeveloped.
Notable people
- See :Category:People from Rhuddlan
Photographer Philip Jones Griffiths
Philip Jones Griffiths
Philip Jones Griffiths was a Welsh photojournalist known for his coverage of the Vietnam war.- Biography :...
, well known for his photographs during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, was born in Rhuddlan. Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
and Blackpool FC
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
footballer David Vaughan
David Vaughan (footballer)
David Owen Vaughan is a Welsh footballer who plays for Sunderland. He plays as a midfielder.Vaughan previously played for Crewe Alexandra, where he spent seven years between 2000 and 2007...
was also born in the town.
Famous former residents include Lisa Scott-Lee
Lisa Scott-Lee
Lisa Scott-Lee is a Welsh singer. She has worked as a songwriter and is a graduate of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts stage school. Lisa is best known as one fifth of pop group Steps from 1997 until their split on Boxing Day 2001 and recently reformed in 2011. Scott Lee released her debut...
of the pop band Steps and her brother Andy Scott-Lee
Andy Scott-Lee
Andy Scott-Lee is a Welsh pop star, who is an ex-member of the group 3SL. After the group broke up, he appeared in the second series of Pop Idol, making it to the final seven. Scott-Lee is now a member of the group G*Mania. Scott-Lee's estranged wife is the former Liberty X member, Michelle Heaton...
.
Rhuddlan Community Recycling Centre
Denbighshire County Council's (DCC) recent controversial plans to build a recycling centre off the A525, to the south of Rhuddlan, have been scrapped.The local council faced very strong, and very public, condemnation of their plans from Rhuddlan's residents, Professor David Bellamy
David Bellamy
David James Bellamy OBE is a British author, broadcaster, environmental campaigner and botanist. He has lived in County Durham since 1960.-Career:...
and CADW
Cadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
. The council said that it would not be submitting any further planning applications for the site and that it would be restored to its former condition. Local residents have proposed that the site be turned into an environment and nature park.