Rhydymwyn
Encyclopedia
Rhydymwyn is a village
in Flintshire
, North Wales
, located in the upper Alyn valley. Once a district of Mold
, it was recognised as a separate parish
from 1865.
of the area consists of a layer of extremely pure, and hence structurally sound, 200 feet (61 m) thick layer of limestone
at depths ranging from surface to 900 feet (274.3 m). The limestone holds other minerals, including lead
, nickel
and copper
deposits, making it an ideal site for mining
.
of Northwest England, and its needs for mineral supplies, the mineral deposits in the Alyn valley created a population explosion in various villages, including Rhydymwyn. From the mid-18th century, Rhydymwyn was the site for a range of industries, which included foundries
, waterwheels as well as mine workings.
The new parish of Rhydymwyn was created on 31 March 1865, comprising: parts of the townships of Gwysaney and Gwernaffield, formerly in the parish of Mold; parts of the townships of Cefn and Glust (or Llysdianhunedd), and the whole of the township of Mechlas, formerly in the parish of Cilcain; and part of the township of Caerfallwch, formerly in the parish of Northop. The foundation stone of the new parish church, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, was laid on 1 August 1861, and the church was consecrated on 17 September 1864.
The Denbigh and Mold Junction Railway had a Rhydymwyn station on the south side of A541
, which opened on 6 September 1869. With the closure of the line under the Beeching Axe
, the station closed to passengers on 30 April 1962 and completely from 4 May 1964. The former station building is now a private house.
word "llanw" meaning tide as it is reported that the water in the well rose and ebbed with the tides of the Dee Estuary
). The well has been listed as one of the holy wells of Wales on a par with the more famous St Winefride's Well
in Holywell. The well in Hendre is mentioned by Thomas Pennant
in his 'A Tour in Wales' - written between 1778–1783 and also by Giraldus Cambrensis
or Gerald of Wales in his 'Journey through Wales' written in 1188 - an itinerary of his journeys as he accompanied Archbishop
Baldwin of Exeter
to enlist support for the Third Crusade
.
, (himself a famous mining engineer and entrepreneur) and his family in 1824 who rented Coed Du. This work was inspired by the beauty of the countryside. During the same visit, Mendelssohn composed his operetta Son and Stranger
.
Charles Kingsley
, author of The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby
also came and walked the Leete and both his and Mendelssohn's visits are commemorated by a plaque in Nant Alyn Road, Rhydymwyn.
. In 2002 and 2003, DEFRA's internal team in two phases created a flood alarm and protection scheme to protect the whole village and Valley Works, with a level of protection in excess of a flood with a 1% chance of occurring in any one year. The total cost for the scheme was £88,000.
. Lead mining, iron working and agriculture have all added to the varied history of the area. The Rhydymwyn Valley Site was renamed in 1939 and became M.S.Factory Valley and was involved in the manufacture, assembly and storage of chemical weapons from 1940–1959 and later became a bulk storage depot for emergency supplies. The site of the Valley Works has now been returned to nature, attracts a wide variety of wildlife and is now designated as a nature reserve
as outlined on a plaque http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/99055 at the entrance gates.
and a Visitor Centre was built on the site of the old gatehouse.
The site covers 86 acres (348,030 m²) to the south of the village in a U shaped valley. The site was once the home to ancient lead mines and a 19th century metal foundry. The western side of the site is semi-ancient deciduous woodland
with an understorey of wild garlic
, snowdrops, bluebells
and orchids. The River Alyn flows in from the north west corner of the site and follows the western side of the valley. The river originally meandered through the centre of the valley but it was diverted as part of the early construction works. The river was canalised and given steep concrete sides and a concrete base. The middle section of the river is culverted underground for two sections. The site is now home to 7 herptile species, 8 species of fish
, 17 species of butterfly
/moth and 8 species of bat
. 67 bird
species have nested or been observed on the site.
The site is guarded by Carillion Facilities Management (CFM) who have provided these services to the Rhydymwym site since 1992. http://www.carillionplc.com/sustainability/case_studies/case_studies_biodiversity_defra.asp but managed access is encouraged and it is now extensively used by visiting parties. North East Wales Wildlife are contracted to manage the nature reserve and welcome visitors from school age upwards. Friends of Rhydymwyn Valley is a community group with an interest in the protection and encouragement of the flora
and fauna
within the Rhydymwyn Nature reserve and in the history of the Rhydymwyn Valley, and its members have access to the Reserve and welcome visitors. The Valley History Society also regularly arrange guided tours including access to the tunnel complex. Visits to the site can be arranged through the Visitor Centre http://www.rvsweb.org.uk/contact.htm
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Flintshire
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...
, located in the upper Alyn valley. Once a district of Mold
Mold, Flintshire
Mold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...
, it was recognised as a separate parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
from 1865.
Geography
The geologyGeology of Wales
Wales is a peninsula in the south-west of the island of Great Britain. The entire area of Wales is about . It is about north-south and east-west. Wales is bordered by England to the east and by sea in the other three directions: the Bristol Channel to the south, St George's Channel to the west,...
of the area consists of a layer of extremely pure, and hence structurally sound, 200 feet (61 m) thick layer of 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....
at depths ranging from surface to 900 feet (274.3 m). The limestone holds other minerals, including lead
Lead
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...
, nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
deposits, making it an ideal site for mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
.
History
Due to the industrialisationIndustrialisation
Industrialization is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one...
of Northwest England, and its needs for mineral supplies, the mineral deposits in the Alyn valley created a population explosion in various villages, including Rhydymwyn. From the mid-18th century, Rhydymwyn was the site for a range of industries, which included foundries
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
, waterwheels as well as mine workings.
The Denbigh and Mold Junction Railway had a Rhydymwyn station on the south side of A541
A541 road
The A541 is an A road in North Wales. The road starts on the A525 in Trefnant, between St Asaph and Denbigh, and ends in Wrexham. On the way it passes the town of Mold. It also passes through many villages. In northern-central Wrexham it joins the B5101 road....
, which opened on 6 September 1869. With the closure of the line under the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
, the station closed to passengers on 30 April 1962 and completely from 4 May 1964. The former station building is now a private house.
Ffynnon leinw
Approximately 1 miles (1.6 km) from Rhydymwyn is the small hamlet of Hendre. Along the main road from the old Sardis Chapel, and only a few feet from the edge of the A541 there is an ancient well - Ffynnon leinw - (leinw comes from the WelshWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
word "llanw" meaning tide as it is reported that the water in the well rose and ebbed with the tides of the Dee Estuary
Dee Estuary
The Dee Estuary is a large estuary by means of which the River Dee flows into Liverpool Bay. The estuary starts near Shotton after a five miles 'canalised' section and the river soon swells to be several miles wide forming the boundary between the Wirral Peninsula in north-west England and...
). The well has been listed as one of the holy wells of Wales on a par with the more famous St Winefride's Well
St Winefride's Well
St Winefride's Well is a holy well located in Holywell, in Flintshire in North Wales. It is the oldest continually visited pilgrimage site in Great Britain....
in Holywell. The well in Hendre is mentioned by Thomas Pennant
Thomas Pennant
Thomas Pennant was a Welsh naturalist and antiquary.The Pennants were a Welsh gentry family from the parish of Whitford, Flintshire, who had built up a modest estate at Bychton by the seventeenth century...
in his 'A Tour in Wales' - written between 1778–1783 and also by Giraldus Cambrensis
Giraldus Cambrensis
Gerald of Wales , also known as Gerallt Gymro in Welsh or Giraldus Cambrensis in Latin, archdeacon of Brecon, was a medieval clergyman and chronicler of his times...
or Gerald of Wales in his 'Journey through Wales' written in 1188 - an itinerary of his journeys as he accompanied Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Baldwin of Exeter
Baldwin of Exeter
Baldwin of Forde was Archbishop of Canterbury between 1185 and 1190. Son of a clergyman, he studied both canon law and theology at Bologna and was tutor to Pope Eugene III's nephew before returning to England to serve successive bishops of Exeter...
to enlist support for the Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
.
Mendelssohn and Charles Kingsley
The famous German composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy composed The Rivulet in 1829 while visiting his father's friend, John TaylorJohn Taylor (Civil Engineer)
John Taylor was an English land surveyor and civil engineer. He was born in Norwich, England and showed an interest in mining at a young age; in 1796 he improvised a mechanised copper ore crusher at Wheal Friendship, a mine just outside of Tavistock, Devon. This machine was improved over time and...
, (himself a famous mining engineer and entrepreneur) and his family in 1824 who rented Coed Du. This work was inspired by the beauty of the countryside. During the same visit, Mendelssohn composed his operetta Son and Stranger
Son and Stranger
Die Heimkehr aus der Fremde is a one-act Singspiel written by Felix Mendelssohn in 1829 to a German libretto by the composer's friend Karl Klingemann, a poet who would later provide the same service for the oratorio Elijah...
.
Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley was an English priest of the Church of England, university professor, historian and novelist, particularly associated with the West Country and northeast Hampshire.-Life and character:...
, author of The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby
The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby
The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby is a children's novel by the Reverend Charles Kingsley. Written in 1862–1863 as a serial for Macmillan's Magazine, it was first published in its entirety in 1863...
also came and walked the Leete and both his and Mendelssohn's visits are commemorated by a plaque in Nant Alyn Road, Rhydymwyn.
Recent times
In the autumn of 2000, local rainfall was exceptional in terms of intensity and duration. Between 28 October and 6 November, 68 homes and 8 businesses flooded in Rhydymwyn because of overflow from the River AlynRiver Alyn
The River Alyn is a tributary of the River Dee. The River Alyn rises at the southern end of the Clwydian hills and the Alyn Valley forms part of the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
. In 2002 and 2003, DEFRA's internal team in two phases created a flood alarm and protection scheme to protect the whole village and Valley Works, with a level of protection in excess of a flood with a 1% chance of occurring in any one year. The total cost for the scheme was £88,000.
Valley Works
The Rhydymwyn Valley Site has an important history. During the early 19th century the site included an important iron foundryFoundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
. Lead mining, iron working and agriculture have all added to the varied history of the area. The Rhydymwyn Valley Site was renamed in 1939 and became M.S.Factory Valley and was involved in the manufacture, assembly and storage of chemical weapons from 1940–1959 and later became a bulk storage depot for emergency supplies. The site of the Valley Works has now been returned to nature, attracts a wide variety of wildlife and is now designated as a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
as outlined on a plaque http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/99055 at the entrance gates.
The Rhydymwyn Valley Nature Reserve
Valley has not been used since the mid-1990s. In the preceding postwar period many of the buildings were still in use, mainly as a buffer storage depot, but some were demolished because they were considered dangerous. The site has become a Nature ReserveNature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
and a Visitor Centre was built on the site of the old gatehouse.
The site covers 86 acres (348,030 m²) to the south of the village in a U shaped valley. The site was once the home to ancient lead mines and a 19th century metal foundry. The western side of the site is semi-ancient deciduous woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
with an understorey of wild garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
, snowdrops, bluebells
Common Bluebell
Hyacinthoides non-scripta, commonly known as the common bluebell, is a spring-flowering bulbous perennial plant. -Taxonomy:...
and orchids. The River Alyn flows in from the north west corner of the site and follows the western side of the valley. The river originally meandered through the centre of the valley but it was diverted as part of the early construction works. The river was canalised and given steep concrete sides and a concrete base. The middle section of the river is culverted underground for two sections. The site is now home to 7 herptile species, 8 species of fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, 17 species of butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
/moth and 8 species of bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
. 67 bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species have nested or been observed on the site.
The site is guarded by Carillion Facilities Management (CFM) who have provided these services to the Rhydymwym site since 1992. http://www.carillionplc.com/sustainability/case_studies/case_studies_biodiversity_defra.asp but managed access is encouraged and it is now extensively used by visiting parties. North East Wales Wildlife are contracted to manage the nature reserve and welcome visitors from school age upwards. Friends of Rhydymwyn Valley is a community group with an interest in the protection and encouragement of the flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
within the Rhydymwyn Nature reserve and in the history of the Rhydymwyn Valley, and its members have access to the Reserve and welcome visitors. The Valley History Society also regularly arrange guided tours including access to the tunnel complex. Visits to the site can be arranged through the Visitor Centre http://www.rvsweb.org.uk/contact.htm