St Asaph
Encyclopedia
St Asaph is a town and community
on the River Elwy
in Denbighshire
, Wales
. In the 2001 Census
it had a population of 3,491.
The town of St Asaph is surrounded by countryside and views of the Vale of Clwyd
. It is situated close to a number of busy coast
al towns such as Rhyl
, Prestatyn
, Abergele
, Colwyn Bay
and Llandudno
. The historic castle
s of Denbigh
and Rhuddlan
are also nearby.
site of Pontnewydd (Bontnewydd), which was excavated from 1978 by a team from the University of Wales, led by Dr Stephen Aldhouse Green. Teeth and part of a jawbone excavated in 1981 were dated to 225,000 years ago. This site is the most north-western site in Eurasia for remains of early hominids and is considered of international importance. Based on the morphology and age of the teeth, particularly the evidence of tauradontism, the teeth are believed to belong to a group of Neanderthal
s who hunted game in the vale of Elwy in an interglacial period.
Later some historians postulate that the Roman fort of Varae sat on the site of the Cathedral. However, the town is believed to have developed around a sixth century Celtic
monastery
founded by Saint Kentigern, and is now home to the small fourteenth century St Asaph Cathedral
. This is dedicated to Saint Asaph
(also spelt in Welsh as Asaff), its second bishop
.
The Cathedral has had a chequered history. In the thirteenth century, the troops of Edward I of England
burnt the cathedral almost to the ground and, in 1402, Owain Glyndŵr
's troops went on the rampage causing severe damage to the furnishings and fittings. Two hundred and fifty years later, during the Commonwealth
the building was used to house farm animals – pigs, cattle and horses.
The first Act of Union in 1536 placed St Asaph in Denbighshire. However, in 1542, St Asaph was placed in Flintshire
for voting purposes. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996 it was part of Clwyd
.
As the seat of an ancient Cathedral and Diocese
, St Asaph historically had city status
. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica refers to it as a city, but it is no longer considered as such. The town applied for restoration of city status in the 2000 and 2002 competitions but was unsuccessful.
, and this has led to a number of local businesses using 'City' as part of their business name. The town is promoted locally as the 'City of Music'.
The past few decades have seen the local economy in St Asaph thrive, first with the opening of the A55 road
in 1970, which took East/West traffic away from the town, and, more recently, with a business park being built, attracting investment from at home and overseas.
The crowded roads in St Asaph have been a hot political issue for many years. In recent years, increasing volumes of traffic on A525, St Asaph High Street, which links A55 with the Clwyd Valley, Denbigh and Ruthin have led to severe congestion in the town. This congestion is having a detrimental effect on the town, and residents have repeatedly called for a bypass to take this North/South road and its traffic away from the town, but the National Assembly for Wales
rejected these calls in 2004, presenting a further setback for residents campaigning on the issue.
St Asaph is now home to Ysgol Glan Clwyd
, a Welsh language secondary school that opened in Rhyl
in 1956 and moved to St Asaph in 1969; and was the first Welsh medium secondary school in Wales.
in Brittany
, France
. Both towns organise annual trips to the other for their residents.
, which takes place at several venues in the town and attracts musicians and music lovers from all over Wales and beyond. In past years, the main event in September at the cathedral has been covered on television by the BBC.
Other events held annually in the town include the Gala Day in August, the Beat the Bounds charity walk in July and the increasingly popular Woodfest Wales
crafts festival in June.
http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/index_e.php) is placed prominently at the bottom of the High Street , across the river in Lower Denbigh Road is Penniel Chapel (Welsh Methodist)and halfway up the High Street there is Llanelwy Christian Fellowship (Baptist
). At the top of the town, in Chester Street is St Winifrides http://www.wrexhamdiocese.org.uk/diocesan_parish_display.asp?parishid=47 (Roman Catholic) and Bethlehem Chapel (Welsh Presbyterian) in Bronwylfa Square.
A number of famous people have strong links to St Asaph, having been born, raised, lived, worked or died in the town. These include Canadian actor Richard Ian Cox
, William Morgan
who translated the Bible into Welsh in 1588, the first archbishop of Wales Alfred George Edwards
, singer Lisa Scott-Lee
, composer William Mathias
, former Wales football captain Ian Rush
, the explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley
, Dic Aberdaron
, who taught himself Latin
at the age of 11, Felicia Hemans
(1793–1835), poet ("The boy stood on the burning deck"), and LET
golfer Becky Brewerton
. Another well-known individual, Geoffrey of Monmouth
, served as bishop of St Asaph
from 1152 to 1155. However, due to war and unrest in Wales at the time, he probably never set foot in his see.
The hospital in the town (formerly the St Asaph Union Workhouse) was named in honour of H.M. Stanley. The town's hospice was named after Saint Kentigern. The original Welsh Bible
is kept on public display in the town's cathedral.
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....
on the River Elwy
River Elwy
The River Elwy is a river in North Wales and is a tributary of the River Clwyd. The source of the river is sometimes said to be on the northern flank of Moel Seisiog, south-east of Llanrwst, at Ordnance Survey grid reference SH853593...
in 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...
, 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...
. In 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....
it had a population of 3,491.
The town of St Asaph is surrounded by countryside and views of the Vale of Clwyd
Vale of Clwyd
The Vale of Clwyd is a tract of low-lying ground in the county of Denbighshire in northeast Wales. The Vale extends south-southwestwards from the coast of the Irish Sea for some 20 miles forming a triangle of low ground bounded on its eastern side by the well-defined scarp of the Clwydian Range...
. It is situated close to a number of busy coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
al towns such as 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...
, Prestatyn
Prestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
, Abergele
Abergele
Abergele is a community and old Roman trading town, situated on the north coast of Wales between the holiday resorts of Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, in Conwy County Borough. Its northern suburb of Pensarn lies on the Irish Sea coast and is known for its beach, where it is claimed by some that a ghost ship...
, Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay
- Demography :Prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 Colwyn Bay was a municipal borough with a population of c.25,000, but in 1974 this designation disappeared leaving five separate parishes, known as communities in Wales, of which the one bearing the name Colwyn Bay encompassed...
and Llandudno
Llandudno
Llandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
. The historic castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
s of Denbigh
Denbigh
Denbigh is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Before 1888, it was the county town of Denbighshire. Denbigh lies 8 miles to the north west of Ruthin and to the south of St Asaph. It is about 13 miles from the seaside resort of Rhyl. The town grew around the glove-making industry...
and Rhuddlan
Rhuddlan
Rhuddlan is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire , 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...
are also nearby.
History
The earliest inhabitants of the vale of Elwy lived in the nearby PaleolithicPaleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
site of Pontnewydd (Bontnewydd), which was excavated from 1978 by a team from the University of Wales, led by Dr Stephen Aldhouse Green. Teeth and part of a jawbone excavated in 1981 were dated to 225,000 years ago. This site is the most north-western site in Eurasia for remains of early hominids and is considered of international importance. Based on the morphology and age of the teeth, particularly the evidence of tauradontism, the teeth are believed to belong to a group of Neanderthal
Neanderthal
The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia...
s who hunted game in the vale of Elwy in an interglacial period.
Later some historians postulate that the Roman fort of Varae sat on the site of the Cathedral. However, the town is believed to have developed around a sixth century Celtic
Celtic Christianity
Celtic Christianity or Insular Christianity refers broadly to certain features of Christianity that were common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
founded by Saint Kentigern, and is now home to the small fourteenth century St Asaph Cathedral
St Asaph Cathedral
St Asaph Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral in St Asaph, Denbighshire, north Wales. It is sometimes claimed to be the smallest Anglican cathedral in Britain.- History :...
. This is dedicated to Saint Asaph
Saint Asaph
Saint Asaph was, in the second half of the 6th century, the first or second Bishop of St Asaph, i.e. bishop of the diocese of Saint Asaph, the Welsh See now of that name.-Biography:...
(also spelt in Welsh as Asaff), its second bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
.
The Cathedral has had a chequered history. In the thirteenth century, the troops of 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...
burnt the cathedral almost to the ground and, in 1402, Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
's troops went on the rampage causing severe damage to the furnishings and fittings. Two hundred and fifty years later, during the Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
the building was used to house farm animals – pigs, cattle and horses.
The first Act of Union in 1536 placed St Asaph in Denbighshire. However, in 1542, St Asaph was placed 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...
for voting purposes. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996 it was part of 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...
.
As the seat of an ancient Cathedral and Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
, St Asaph historically had city status
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica refers to it as a city, but it is no longer considered as such. The town applied for restoration of city status in the 2000 and 2002 competitions but was unsuccessful.
Community
Despite the official lack of city status, the town council refers to itself as the City of St Asaph Town Council. The local community is passionate about St Asaph's historic claim to be known as a city like its Welsh cousin St David'sSt David's
St Davids , is a city and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Lying on the River Alun on St David's Peninsula, it is Britain's smallest city in terms of both size and population, the final resting place of Saint David, the country's patron saint, and the de facto ecclesiastical capital of...
, and this has led to a number of local businesses using 'City' as part of their business name. The town is promoted locally as the 'City of Music'.
The past few decades have seen the local economy in St Asaph thrive, first with the opening of the A55 road
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...
in 1970, which took East/West traffic away from the town, and, more recently, with a business park being built, attracting investment from at home and overseas.
The crowded roads in St Asaph have been a hot political issue for many years. In recent years, increasing volumes of traffic on A525, St Asaph High Street, which links A55 with the Clwyd Valley, Denbigh and Ruthin have led to severe congestion in the town. This congestion is having a detrimental effect on the town, and residents have repeatedly called for a bypass to take this North/South road and its traffic away from the town, but the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
rejected these calls in 2004, presenting a further setback for residents campaigning on the issue.
St Asaph is now home to Ysgol Glan Clwyd
Ysgol Glan Clwyd
Ysgol Glan Clwyd is a Welsh medium secondary school, and was the first of its kind. It opened in 1956, initially at Rhyl on the coast before moving inland to St Asaph in 1969 . It is overseen by Denbighshire Local Education Authority.In 2006 it had 833 students, of whom 108 were in the sixth form...
, a Welsh language secondary school that opened in 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...
in 1956 and moved to St Asaph in 1969; and was the first Welsh medium secondary school in Wales.
Twinning
St Asaph is twinned with the town of BégardBégard
Bégard is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Bégard are called Bégarrois.-Breton language:...
in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Both towns organise annual trips to the other for their residents.
Festivities
Every year the town hosts the North Wales International Music FestivalNorth Wales International Music Festival
The North Wales International Music Festival is a classical music festival founded by William Mathias in 1972 and held annually in the town of St Asaph, Wales.-External links:*...
, which takes place at several venues in the town and attracts musicians and music lovers from all over Wales and beyond. In past years, the main event in September at the cathedral has been covered on television by the BBC.
Other events held annually in the town include the Gala Day in August, the Beat the Bounds charity walk in July and the increasingly popular Woodfest Wales
Woodfest Wales
Woodfest Wales is an annual wood carving event that started in June 2002 in St Asaph, and attracted nearly 20,000 visitors in 2004. In 2005, due to its increasing popularity, a second event was held in May at Margam Country Park near Port Talbot in South Wales....
crafts festival in June.
Churches
In addition to the Cathedral, there are five other churches in St Asaph covering all the major denominations. The Parish Church of St Asaph and St Kentigern (Church in WalesChurch in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/index_e.php) is placed prominently at the bottom of the High Street , across the river in Lower Denbigh Road is Penniel Chapel (Welsh Methodist)and halfway up the High Street there is Llanelwy Christian Fellowship (Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
). At the top of the town, in Chester Street is St Winifrides http://www.wrexhamdiocese.org.uk/diocesan_parish_display.asp?parishid=47 (Roman Catholic) and Bethlehem Chapel (Welsh Presbyterian) in Bronwylfa Square.
Notable people
- See :Category:People from St Asaph
A number of famous people have strong links to St Asaph, having been born, raised, lived, worked or died in the town. These include Canadian actor Richard Ian Cox
Richard Ian Cox
Richard Ian Cox is a Welsh-Canadian voice actor and online radio host best known for his voice acting for English language dubs of anime. Cox gained prominence for playing the character of Henry Dailey's teenaged traveler and horse rider, Alec Ramsay, in The Family Channel's Adventures of the...
, William Morgan
William Morgan (Bible translator)
William Morgan was Bishop of Llandaff and of St Asaph, and the translator of the first version of the whole Bible into Welsh from Greek and Hebrew.-Life:...
who translated the Bible into Welsh in 1588, the first archbishop of Wales Alfred George Edwards
Alfred George Edwards
Alfred George Edwards was elected the first Archbishop of the disestablished Church in Wales.The son of a priest of the Church of England, Edwards was born in Llanymawddwy in Gwynedd. He studied at Jesus College, Oxford before being appointed Warden of Llandovery College in 1875...
, singer 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...
, composer William Mathias
William Mathias
William Mathias CBE was a Welsh composer.-Brief biography:Mathias was born in Whitland, Carmarthenshire. A child prodigy, he started playing the piano at the age of three and composing at the age of five. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music under Lennox Berkeley, where he was elected a fellow...
, former Wales football captain Ian Rush
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
, the explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley
Henry Morton Stanley
Sir Henry Morton Stanley, GCB, born John Rowlands , was a Welsh journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David Livingstone. Upon finding Livingstone, Stanley allegedly uttered the now-famous greeting, "Dr...
, Dic Aberdaron
Dic Aberdaron
Dic Aberdaron was a Welsh traveller and polyglot. He had little or no formal education, but was reputed to have taught himself 14 or 15 languages, both ancient and modern, including Latin at the age of 11....
, who taught himself Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
at the age of 11, Felicia Hemans
Felicia Hemans
-Ancestry:Felicia Heman's paternal grandfather was George Browne of Passage, co. Cork, Ireland; her maternal grandparents were Elizabeth Haydock Wagner of Lancashire and Benedict Paul Wagner , wine importer at 9 Wolstenholme Square, Liverpool. Family legend gave the Wagners a Venetian origin;...
(1793–1835), poet ("The boy stood on the burning deck"), and LET
Ladies European Tour
The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1979. It is based in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal structure which enables it to focus on maximising returns to its members through prize money,...
golfer Becky Brewerton
Becky Brewerton
Rebecca Dawn Brewerton is a Welsh professional golfer and a member of the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour.-Amateur career:...
. Another well-known individual, Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
, served as bishop of St Asaph
Bishop of St Asaph
The Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph.The diocese covers the counties of Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of St Asaph in the town of...
from 1152 to 1155. However, due to war and unrest in Wales at the time, he probably never set foot in his see.
The hospital in the town (formerly the St Asaph Union Workhouse) was named in honour of H.M. Stanley. The town's hospice was named after Saint Kentigern. The original Welsh Bible
Welsh Bible
Bible translations into Welsh have existed since at least the 15th century, but the most widely used translation of the Bible into Welsh for several centuries was the 1588 translation by William Morgan, as revised in 1620...
is kept on public display in the town's cathedral.