Bodelwyddan () is a village,

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

and

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthi ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, approximately 5 miles (8 km) south of

Rhyl Rhyl (; , ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire in Wales. The town lies on the coast of North Wales, at the mouth of the River Clwyd. To the west is Kinmel Bay and Towyn, to the east Prestatyn, and to the south-east Rhuddlan ...

. The parish includes several smaller hamlets such as Marli and Little Pengwern. Bodelwyddan is home to over sixty

listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

including notable locations such as the Marble Church and

Bodelwyddan Castle Bodelwyddan Castle (), close to the village of Bodelwyddan, near Rhyl, Denbighshire in Wales, was built around 1460 by the Humphreys family of Anglesey as a manor house. It was associated with the Williams-Wynn family for around 200 years from ...

. The population of only 2,106, increasing to 2,147 at the 2011 census, is served by a single

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

, a small number of shops, two takeaways (a Chinese takeaway called The Lucky Garden and the fish and chips shop ‘Church View Chippy’), a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

and a

driving range A driving range is a facility or area where golfers can practice their golf swing. It can also be a recreational activity itself for amateur golfers or when enough time for a full game is not available. Many golf courses have a driving range ...

; as well as having its own

community centre A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

. It is now bypassed by the

A55 road The A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway (), is a major road in Wales and England, connecting Cheshire and North Wales. The vast majority of its length from Chester to Holyhead is a dual carriageway primary route, with the exception o ...

, but continues to be a hub of activity due to the presence of

Glan Clwyd Hospital Glan Clwyd Hospital () is a hospital in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, Wales. It is managed by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. History The hospital, which was built with six operating theatres at a cost of £16 million, opened in 1980. ...

. It has a town council with a mayor.

History

The name "Bodelwyddan" translates as Abode (Bod) of Elwyddan, he being a fifth-century Romano-British Chieftain of the area. While Bodelwyddan may not have a long and notable history, it does contain many historic buildings, and has been the site of several important military training exercises during the two

World Wars A world war is an international conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I (19 ...

. Until 1860, Bodelwyddan was a part of the parish of

St Asaph St Asaph (; "church on the Elwy") is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and community (Wales), community on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had a population ...

, before being

gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

as a new and separate parish on 3 August, following the construction of the Marble Church. During the two

, the nearby

Kinmel Camp Kinmel Park Training Area is an army training ground in what was once the grounds of Kinmel Hall, near Abergele, in Conwy county borough, Wales. The camp was built in 1915 to train troops during the First World War and was later used to house t ...

was used to house soldiers, and was the location of the

Kinmel Park Riots On 4 and 5 March 1919, Kinmel Park Training Area, Kinmel Park in Bodelwyddan, near Abergele, North Wales, experienced two days of riots in the Canadian sector of the local military complex, Kinmel Camp. The riots are believed to have been cause ...

in 1919,Great War Fiction - Kinmel Camp Riots
- Retrieved 7 April 2013 which led to several Canadian deaths. Historically, Bodelwyddan was home to a

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun M ...

, but plans to abandon the mine were submitted in 1857 and the mine closed shortly thereafter. The nearby "Engine Hill" was named after the mine engines designed to keep the mine's water problems under control. Engine Hill has four "main" engine shafts with multiple smaller shafts; however, the majority of knowledge on earlier working has been lost.Clwyd Metal Mines Survey
- Retrieved 7 April 2013 The

Bodelwyddan bypass was completed in 1986, and has been fundamental in shaping the changing Bodelwyddan, being at least partially responsible for the

Local Development Plan Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

and the continued existence of Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.

Local Development Plan

In 2010, it was made public that

Denbighshire County Council Denbighshire County Council is the unitary authority, unitary local authority for the county of Denbighshire, one of the principal areas of Wales, principal areas of Wales. The council is based at County Hall, Ruthin, County Hall in Ruthin. Ther ...

's Local Development Plan (LDP) had allocated over 1,700 new houses to be built in Bodelwyddan.Denbighshire Visitor - More Opposition to Bodelwyddan Housing Proposals
- Retrieved on 6 April 2013 Following the announcement, the proposal has been heavily opposed by localsBBC - Hearings examine council's Bodelwyddan homes plan
- Retrieved on 6 April 2013 including

Conwy County Borough Council Conwy County Borough Council () is the local authority for Conwy County Borough, one of the principal areas of Wales. History Conwy County Borough was created in 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, which replaced the previous two ...

, who said “No evidence has been presented by Denbighshire County Council providing details of the likely impact on services generally in Conwy County (especially Health and Education)" According to forecasts, the population of Bodelwyddan would be expected to rise significantly until 2021, potentially tripling the population. In 2011 a referendum was held by the Town Council on the topic, with a resounding 94% against result. Despite the clear and near-unanimous opposition, the decision was made to go ahead with the plan, following a split vote by Denbighshire County Council.

Geography

Despite Bodelwyddan's small size, it is a town and not a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

, as evidenced by its

Town Council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...

. To its South lies Bodelwyddan Castle, which sits on Engine Hill - so named for the Steam Engines that drove the mining operations that took place there in the past. In the area surrounding Bodelwyddan lie small farms, including two

farm shop A farm shop, or "farm stand" in the United States, is a type of retail outlet which usually sells produce directly from a farm. Some farm shops also resell related goods such as locally produced groceries, foods, drinks and delicatessen A de ...

s. Also nearby are several hamlets - including: Cefn Meiriadog, Marli, Llannefydd and Pengwern.

Demographics

At the time of the 2001 census, the Usual Resident Population numbered 1,802, of which 915 (50.8%) were male and 887 (49.2%) were female.Usual Resident Population
Spreadsheet retrieved from th

on 6 April 2013 With a density of just 20.95 people per hectare, Bodelwyddan is one of the most sparsely populated towns or villages in North Wales that is not classified as a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

Notable landmarks

Bodelwyddan has over sixty listed buildings within its boundary. Bodelwyddan Castle and the Faenol Fawr are two of the oldest buildings. Notable buildings include the Marble Church, built by John Gibson in the 1850s;

, now used as a branch of the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

; and Glan Clwyd Hospital, the major hospital for central North Wales.

Bodelwyddan Castle

Bodelwyddan Castle, built around 1460 as a manor house is one of the most obvious buildings on the Bodelwyddan skyline, both at day and at night. Being of a more recent vintage than most other nearby castles, Bodelwyddan Castle is well preserved. Today, Bodelwyddan castle is used primarily as a hotel and art gallery, but in the past has served other functions, such as being a private school for girls between 1920 and 1982.

Faenol Fawr

Faenol Fawr was built in 1597 as a country house for John Lloyd, registrar for the St Asaph diocese. Dormer windows with stepped gables were installed as part of an 18th-century renovation. It is now a country house hotel. It is a grade II* listed building.

Glan Clwyd Hospital

Glan Clwyd Hospital () is one of the largest hospitals in North Wales, and is the major hospital for Central North Wales. Until 2007, it served as the headquarters of the

Conwy & Denbighshire NHS Trust Conwy & Denbighshire NHS Trust was an NHS Trust in Wales. The headquarters of the Trust were in Glan Clwyd Hospital, in Bodelwyddan, near Rhyl, Denbighshire. The Trust was named in the 'Top 40 Hospitals' in the UK for the fifth year running in ...

, prior to the mergers that took place to form the

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) () is the local health board of NHS Wales for the north of Wales. It is the largest health organisation in Wales, providing a full range of primary, community, mental health, and acute hospital se ...

. Serving a population of approximately 195,000, with over 675 beds, it brings much traffic through Bodelwyddan and benefits from Bodelwyddan's good traffic links and proximity to the A55 Road.

Kinmel Camp

Kinmel Camp is an army training base, that dates from 1915, during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The Kinmel Camp Railway served the camp up until 1964, and the camp is home to several First World War practice trenches, dug by recruits; now legally protected poignant examples of pristine trenches from that era. In the 1919

, five Canadian soldiers perished; There have been other tragic events in Kinmel Park history, including the death of many soldiers in the

1918 flu pandemic The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, H1N1 subtype of the influenz ...

Marble Church

St Margaret's Church, better known as 'The Marble Church', is clearly visible from a great distance up and down the

and was erected between 1856 and 1860, and was built with local

Limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, sourced from nearby

Llanddulas Llanddulas is a village in Conwy county borough, Wales, midway between Old Colwyn and Abergele and next to the North Wales Expressway in the community of Llanddulas and Rhyd-y-Foel. The village lies beneath the limestone hill of Cefn-yr-Og ...

, whose appearance closely resembles

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

.History Points - The Marble Church
- Retrieved April 7, 2013 The Church is dedicated to two Saints,

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

and

Kentigern Kentigern (; ), known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Celtic Britons, Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow. Name In Wales and England, this saint is known by his b ...

, and contains several notable graves - including the grave of Elizabeth James, mother of

Sir Henry Morton Stanley Sir Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands; 28 January 1841 – 10 May 1904) was a Welsh-American explorer, journalist, soldier, colonial administrator, author, and politician famous for his exploration of Central Africa and search for mis ...

, a renowned Victorian Explorer. It is also home to the graves of over eighty Canadian soldiers, dating to 1918 and 1919.

Education

The local

is Ysgol y Faenol, which primarily feeds into Ysgol Glan Clwyd in

and Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan in

Abergele Abergele (; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community, situated on the north coast of Wales between the holiday resorts of Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, in Conwy County Borough. It lies within the historic counties of Wales, historic county b ...

Notable residents

* Jade Jones - 2012 and 2016 Olympic taekwondo gold medalist was born in the town. *

Phil Salt Philip Dean Salt (born 28 August 1996) is a Welsh professional cricketer who plays internationally for England and domestically for Lancashire County Cricket Club, and previously for Sussex. Primarily an aggressive right-handed opening batter ...

- cricket player for The England and Wales Cricket Board. * Matt Sargent - footballer

References

External links

Images of Bodelwyddan on GeographBodelwyddan Town Council Official Website
{{authority control Villages in Denbighshire Communities in Denbighshire Wards of Denbighshire