The name Holywell is literally holy + well in reference to St Winefride's Well, which is situated in the town. Similarly, its Welsh name, Treffynnon, is a compound of tre "town" + ffynnon "well", meaning "town of [the] well".
The market town of Holywell is known for St Winefride's Well, a holy well surrounded by a chapel.[1] It has been a site of Christian pilgrimage since about 660, dedicated to Saint Winefride who, according to legend, was beheaded there by Caradog who attempted to attack her.[2][3] The well is one of the Seven Wonders of Wales and the town bills itself as The Lourdes of Wales. Many pilgrims from all over the world continue to visit Holywell and the well.[4]
From the 18th century, the town grew around the leadmining and cotton milling industries. The water supply from the mountains above the town, which flows continually and at a constant temperature, supplies the well and powered many factories in the Greenfield Valley. In addition to lead and cotton, copper production was of great importance. Thomas Williams, a lawyer from Anglesey, built factories and smelteries for copper in Greenfield Valley, bringing the copper from Anglesey to St. Helens and then to Greenfield Valley where it was used to make items including manilas (copper bracelets), neptunes (large flat dishes to evaporate seawater to produce salt) and copper sheathing. The copper sheathing was used to cover the hulls of the wooden ships trading in the warmer Caribbean waters, giving rise to the expression 'copper bottomed investment'. The sheathing was also applied to Royal Navy ships and was instrumental in Nelson's victories - two copper plates from HMS Victory are in Greenfield Valley Heritage Park museum. The wealth generated from these industries led to the development of the town. Holywell Town Hall was completed in 1896.[5]
St James' Parish Church is a grade II* listed building[6] and Holy Trinity Church in Greenfield is grade II listed.[7] The town is also served by the modern St Peter's Church on Rose Hill, consecrated in 2008.[8][9]
In the 2011 census the population of the community, which includes the village of Greenfield, was recorded as 8,886.[12]
The census figure for the larger Holywell built-up area was 9,808.[13]
Holywell is split into four distinct areas: Pen-y-Maes, the Strand, the Holway and the town centre. The Holway, located on the west side of the town, is the largest of the residential areas of Holywell. The near-contiguous village of Greenfield is located to the north east of the town on the B5121 road.
The town centre contains many small businesses and national stores, serving not only the shopping needs of the people of the town itself, but also those of the surrounding villages within the town's natural catchment area. Part of the centre of the historic market town has been designated a conservation area.[23]
In 2007, a group of locals proposed a circular walk way, the St Beuno's Circular Walk, joining all of the historical and religious locations of the town.[25]
Sport
Holywell has a local football team, Holywell Town who play in the Cymru North league, the second tier of Welsh football.
Although Holywell does not have a cricket team carrying the name of the town, a number of junior and senior cricketers from the area play for nearby village team Carmel & District Cricket Club; their ground is located a short distance from Holywell between the villages of Carmel and Lloc.
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