Shotton, Flintshire
Encyclopedia
Shotton is a town in Flintshire
, north Wales
, lying on the River Dee
. The name derives from the Old Norse
words sjò (sea) and tùn (village). It is continuous with the towns of Connah's Quay
and Queensferry
in what is called Deeside
. At the 2001 Census
Shotton had a population of 6,265.
, the town grew from the eighteenth century around coal mining
and farming on reclaimed marshland. Steel
works later grew up, and Shotton also became a railway junction.
The steel works was originally owned by John Summers and Sons, a Stalybridge
ironworks company.
It was later bought by the government under British Steel
. It was privatised and acquired by Corus Group
, which still maintains operations.
The town lies under the Hawarden Bridge
, completed in 1889 and originally a swing-opening bridge.
, situated on the Borderlands Line
and the North Wales Coast Line
.
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
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...
, lying on the River Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
. The name derives from the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
words sjò (sea) and tùn (village). It is continuous with the towns of Connah's Quay
Connah's Quay
Connah's Quay is the largest town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying on the River Dee, near the border with England. It can be accessed by road from the A550, by rail from the nearby Shotton station and also lies on the National Cycle Network Route 5. It is situated near the region's industrial...
and Queensferry
Queensferry, Flintshire
Queensferry is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying on the River Dee near the border with England.Queensferry lies along the B5441 and B5129 roads, and is bypassed by the A494 dual carriageway. It is contiguous with Deeside...
in what is called Deeside
Deeside
For Strathdee in Scotland see River Dee, AberdeenshireDeeside is the name given to the predominantly industrial conurbation of towns and villages that lie on, or near the River Dee in Chester. These include, Connah's Quay, Mancot, Pentre, Shotton, Queensferry, Sealand, Broughton, Hawarden,...
. 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....
Shotton had a population of 6,265.
History
Originally founded by Anglo-SaxonsAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
, the town grew from the eighteenth century around coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
and farming on reclaimed marshland. Steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
works later grew up, and Shotton also became a railway junction.
The steel works was originally owned by John Summers and Sons, a Stalybridge
Stalybridge
Stalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 22,568. Historically a part of Cheshire, it is east of Manchester city centre and northwest of Glossop. With the construction of a cotton mill in 1776, Stalybridge became one of...
ironworks company.
It was later bought by the government under British Steel
British Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
. It was privatised and acquired by Corus Group
Corus Group
Tata Steel Europe is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest steel-maker in Europe and is a subsidiary of Tata Steel of India, one of the ten largest steel producers in the world.Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke...
, which still maintains operations.
The town lies under the Hawarden Bridge
Hawarden Bridge
Hawarden Bridge is a railway bridge over the River Dee, near to Shotton, Flintshire, Wales. It was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , as part of the Chester & Connah's Quay Railway...
, completed in 1889 and originally a swing-opening bridge.
Education
Shotton is served by the following schools:- John Summers High SchoolJohn Summers High SchoolJohn Summers High School is an English medium mixed comprehensive secondary school in the town of Queensferry, Wales, near the border with England. It teaches children aged 11-18...
(formerly Deeside High School). - Taliesin Junior School, built 1972, an English medium school in the town. In 2003 it had 182 pupils. It is named after the 6th century Welsh bard TaliesinTaliesinTaliesin was an early British poet of the post-Roman period whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the Book of Taliesin...
.
Transportation
Transport links include Shotton railway stationShotton railway station
Shotton railway station serves the town of Shotton, Flintshire, Wales. It is situated where the Borderlands Line crosses the North Wales Coast Line. All passenger services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales, which manages the station....
, situated on the Borderlands Line
Borderlands Line
The Borderlands Line is the railway line between Wrexham, Wales, and Bidston, Wirral, England.Passenger train services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales between Wrexham Central and Bidston. Trains run every hour Monday to Saturday daytime, every two hours after 18:45 and on Sundays...
and the North Wales Coast Line
North Wales Coast Line
The North Wales Coast Line is the railway line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin Trains consider their services along it to be a spur of the West Coast Main Line. The first section from Crewe to Chester was built by the Chester and Crewe Railway and absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway shortly...
.
External links
- History of Shotton
- BBC Wales: Connah's Quay, Shotton & Queensferry website
- Shotton Steel RFC
- Photos of Shotton and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
- Taliesin Junior School inspection, 2003 EstynEstynEstyn is the education and training inspectorate for Wales. Its name comes from the Welsh language verb meaning "to extend". Its mission is to achieve excellence for all in learning in Wales by providing an independent, high quality inspection and advice service to the Welsh Assembly Government and...
inspection report (PDF format).