Holywell Heritage Trail Holywell Heritage Trail Llwybr Treftadaeth Treffynnon Llwybr Treftadaeth Treffynnon Useful Contacts Cysylltiadau defnyddiol Holywell Town Council 01352 711757 Cyngor Tref Treffynnon 01352 711757 www.holywell-town.gov.uk www.holywell-town.gov.uk/cym Transition Holywell & District 01352 710714 Trawsnewid Treffynnon a’r Cylch 01352 710714 St Winefride’s Well 01352 713054 Ffynnon Gwenffrewi 01352 713054 www.saintwinefrideswell.com www.saintwinefrideswell.com Greenfield Valley Heritage Park 01352 714172 Parc Treftadaeth Maes Glas 01352 714172 www.greenfieldvalley.com www.greenfieldvalley.com The Holywell & District Society Cymdeithas Treffynnon a’r Cylch www.holywellsociety.org.uk www.holywellsociety.org.uk North Wales Pilgrim’s Way Llwybr Pererinion Gogledd Cymru www.pilgrims-way-north-wales.org www.pilgrims-way-north-wales.org/page33 Flintshire County Council 01352 703223 Cyngor Sir y Fflint 01352 703223 www.discoverflintshire.com www.discoverflintshire.com www.northeastwales.co.uk www.northeastwales.co.uk TravelineCymru 0871 2002233 TravelineCymru 0871 2002233 www.traveline-cymru.info www.cymraeg.traveline-cymru.info Acknowledgements Cydnabyddiaeth Many thanks to everyone who contributed to Diolch i bawb a gyfrannodd at Llwybr Treftadaeth Holywell Heritage Trail including Brian Taylor and other Treffynnon gan gynnwys Brian Taylor ac aelodau eraill members of The Holywell & District Society and John Cymdeithas Treffynnon a’r Cylch a John ac Angela Ward. & Angela Ward. Hen ffotograffau: Swyddfa Archifau Sir y Fflint Old photos: Flintshire Record Office & The Holywell a Chymdeithas Treffynnon a’r Cylch. Ffotograffau & District Society. Modern photos: Jo Danson. cyfoes: Jo Danson. Design: www.illustrativemapping.co.uk Dylunio: www.illustrativemapping.co.uk Mostyn AberDee y Ddyfrdwy Estuary Whitford A548 Greenfield Chwitffordd Maes-Glas Carmel A5026 Greenfield Valley Gorsedd Heritage Park Holywell Holywell Town Council Cyngor Tref Treffynnon Treffynnon Bagillt Brynford A55 A5026 Caerwys Flint Y Fflint Welcome to Holywell Heritage Trail Croeso i Lwybr Treftadaeth Treffynnon elcome to Holywell, the town with the longest continual roeso i Dreffynnon, y dref sydd â’r hanes hiraf o bererindota Whistory of public pilgrimage in Britain, stretching back over 13 Ccyhoeddus ym Mhrydain, ac y gellir olrhain ei hanes dros dair canrif centuries. Holywell Heritage Trail tells the story of St Winefride, her ar ddeg. Mae Llwybr Treftadaeth Treffynnon yn adrodd hanes y Santes ‘Holy Well’ and how the town of Holywell grew and prospered. Gwenffrewi, ei ‘Ffynnon Sanctaidd’ ac fel y bu i Dreffynnon dyfu a ffynnu. Holywell Heritage Trail starts in the High Street where there are many Man cychwyn Llwybr Treftadaeth Treffynnon yw’r Stryd Fawr ble gwelir fine buildings, a legacy of the wealth generated by the cotton and copper industries of nifer o adeiladau gwych sy’n arwydd o’r cyfoeth a gynhyrchodd y diwydiant cotwm a Greenfield Valley in the 18th century. chopr yn Nyffryn Maes Glas yn y Ddeunawfed Ganrif. From the High Street it is a short walk into Greenfield Valley to join the old railway Taith fer yw hi wedyn o’r Stryd Fawr i Ddyffryn track that is now a shady retreat full of birdsong. From St Winefride’s Halt the Trail Maes Glas i ymuno â’r hen lein rheilffordd sy’n lle then follows in the pilgrims’ footsteps as they would have walked up the Valley from tawel, cysgodol yn llawn canu adar erbyn hyn. O Greenfield Dock or Basingwerk Abbey to St Winefride’s Well. Water from the Arosfa’r Santes Gwenffrewi, â’r Llwybr yn ôl traed y Well powered the mills and foundries in the Valley as well as providing pererinion wrth iddyn nhw gerdded i fyny’r Dyffryn drinking water and bathing facilities for the town. o Ddoc Maes Glas neu Abaty Dinas Basing i Ffynnon y Santes Gwenffrewi. Bu dŵr y ffynnon yn gyrru’r The Trail continues past the entrance to the Holway Level melinau a’r ffowndri yn y Dyffryn yn ogystal â where you can hear the water darparu dŵr yfed a chyfleusterau ymolchi i’r dref. rushing by. The area at the top is rich in wildlife and has lovely Â’r Llwybr yn ei flaen heibio’r mynediad i Lefel views over the Dee Estuary. Holway ble gallwch glywed sŵn y dŵr yn rhuthro Well Street, New Road and heibio. Mae’r rhan uchaf yn llawn o fywyd gwyllt a Fron Park are all worth cheir golygfeydd hardd dros Aber y Ddyfrdwy. Mae’n werth mynd i weld Stryd y Ffynnon, exploring at leisure to discover Stryd Newydd a Parc y Fron yn hamddenol a darganfod treftadaeth Treffynnon. the rich heritage of Holywell. The Story of Holywell The story of Holywell starts around 600AD with Winefride, the daughter of a Welsh ©Flintshire Record Office Copper and brass goods from the mills and foundries of nobleman, and her uncle Beuno who established the first church in Holywell. Greenfield were taken via Liverpool to the west coast of Africa where they were traded for slaves, destined for the Americas. Legend tells that Caradog, a royal prince, approached Winefride and wanted to Here they were exchanged for raw cotton, some of which marry her but Winefride insisted she was already betrothed to the church. ended up back at Greenfield to be spun in the three cotton Caradog cut off her head in anger but Beuno put back her head and mills built in the 1780s. miraculously she was restored to life. A great spring burst forth from the ground where Winefride’s head fell and Beuno said that anyone who asked By 1800 Holywell was the largest town in Flintshire with for Winefride’s help at that spot would receive it. 60 shops and 20 inns and beer houses. No 20 in the High Street was the premises of Holywell Bank, established around 1820 by Douglas, Smalley & Afterwards Winefride went to live at the monastery at Gwytherin where Co who employed over 1,200 people in their cotton mills in the Valley. The she became the abbess until her death around 660AD. Her remains town’s first post office opened in Panton Place in 1822. were taken from here to Shrewsbury in 1138 and so the cult of St Catholics no longer faced imprisonment for their religion and pilgrimage Winefride spread into England. The reputation of the Well drew many ©Flintshire Record Office increased as well-documented cures endorsed the healing powers of the people including Richard I who came to Holywell in 1189 to pray for well. Improvements were made to the well area and a hospice for poorer the success of his crusade. pilgrims opened in 1870. Father Charles Beauclerk S.J. came to Holywell in St Winefride’s Well and Church was under the care of the monks 1890 and set out to turn Holywell into the Lourdes of Wales, reviving street of Basingwerk from 1240 to 1537 and so royal visitors would have processions and drawing large numbers of pilgrims. stayed at the Abbey. Henry V travelled on foot from St Winefride’s The people of Holywell still relied on springs for their water supply tomb in Shrewsbury to Holywell in 1415 in thanksgiving for his including water from St Winefride’s Well. Joe Barker, a blind man, was a ©Flintshire Record Office Record ©Flintshire victory at Agincourt. familiar figure in Holywell around 1900 selling water from a barrel. The monks of Basingwerk Abbey started the market in Holywell in 1292. They Holywell Town Station opened in 1912 with a stop at St. Winefride’s Halt sold their own produce including fine ale and collected taxes from the farmers for visitors to the well and workers in the nearby mills. and merchants who came into town to sell their goods. The monks were also the first to harness the power of the Disaster struck in January 1917 when water stopped flowing at the water from the well, using it Well. Miners were extending the Milwr Tunnel and had obviously tapped ©Flintshire Record Office Record ©Flintshire to grind corn and process into the underground source of the well. The supply was restored in the wool from their sheep. September 1917 but the outflow of the Milwr Tunnel into the Dee Estuary at Bagillt is still called ‘The Holy’. In the late 1700s water was still the cheapest and most Holywell still holds a weekly market on a Thursday and is home to a number of quality independent businesses as well as some national names reliable source of power and while events organised throughout the year attract locals and visitors alike. so industry grew, employing large numbers of people. ‘The Miracle’ sculpture by Michael Johnson was installed in 2014. ©Flintshire Record Office Record ©Flintshire ©Flintshire Record Office Hanes Treffynnon Mae hanes Treffynnon yn dechrau tua 600AD gyda Gwenffrewi, merch melinau cotwm a adeiladwyd yn y 1780au. uchelwr o Gymru, a’i hewythr Beuno a sefydlodd yr eglwys gyntaf yn Nhreffynnon. Erbyn 1800 Treffynnon oedd y dref fwyaf yn Sir y Fflint. Roedd yma 60 o siopau a 20 o dafarndai a thai cwrw. Rhif 20 yn y Stryd Fawr oedd Yn ôl y chwedl, daeth y Tywysog Caradog at Gwenffrewi ac roedd am adeiladau Banc Treffynnon, a sefydlwyd tua 1820 gan Douglas, Smalley & ei phriodi, ond mynnodd hi ei bod eisoes wedi’i dyweddïo a’r Eglwys. ©Flintshire Record Office Co a gyflogodd dros 1,200 o bobl yn eu melinau cotwm yn y Dyffryn. Torrodd Caradog ei phen i ffwrdd mewn dicter ond, drwy wyrth, Agorodd Swyddfa Post gyntaf y dref yn Panton Place yn 1822. gosododd Beuno ei phen yn ôl ac fe atgyfododd Gwenffrewi. Llifodd ffynnon o’r ddaear lle syrthiodd ei phen a dywedodd Beuno y byddai’r Am nad oedd bygythiad bellach o garcharu Catholigion am eu crefydd, cynyddodd yr arfer o bererindota oherwydd yr hanesion bod y ffynnon sawl oedd yn gofyn am gymorth Gwenffrewi yn y lle hwn yn derbyn y ©Flintshire Record Office cymorth hwnnw.