Holywell Heritage Trail Llwybr Treftadaeth Treffynnon Holywell Heritage Trail Llwybr Treftadaeth Treffynnon Useful Contacts Holywell Town Council 01352 711757 www.holywell-town.gov.uk Transition Holywell & District 01352 710714 St Winefride’s Well 01352 713054 www.saintwinefrideswell.com Greenfield Valley Heritage Park 01352 714172 www.greenfieldvalley.com The Holywell & District Society www.holywellsociety.org.uk North Wales Pilgrim’s Way www.pilgrims-way-north-wales.org Flintshire County Council 01352 703223 www.discoverflintshire.com www.northeastwales.co.uk TravelineCymru 0871 2002233 www.traveline-cymru.info Acknowledgements Many thanks to everyone who contributed to Holywell Heritage Trail including Brian Taylor and other members of The Holywell & District Society and John & Angela Ward. Old photos: Flintshire Record Office & The Holywell & District Society. Modern photos: Jo Danson. Design: www.illustrativemapping.co.uk Holywell Town Council Cyngor Tref Treffynnon Cysylltiadau defnyddiol Cyngor Tref Treffynnon 01352 711757 www.holywell-town.gov.uk/cym Trawsnewid Treffynnon a’r Cylch 01352 710714 Ffynnon Gwenffrewi 01352 713054 www.saintwinefrideswell.com Parc Treftadaeth Maes Glas 01352 714172 www.greenfieldvalley.com Cymdeithas Treffynnon a’r Cylch www.holywellsociety.org.uk Llwybr Pererinion Gogledd Cymru www.pilgrims-way-north-wales.org/page33 Cyngor Sir y Fflint 01352 703223 www.discoverflintshire.com www.northeastwales.co.uk TravelineCymru 0871 2002233 www.cymraeg.traveline-cymru.info Cydnabyddiaeth Diolch i bawb a gyfrannodd at Llwybr Treftadaeth Treffynnon gan gynnwys Brian Taylor ac aelodau eraill Cymdeithas Treffynnon a’r Cylch a John ac Angela Ward. Hen ffotograffau: Swyddfa Archifau Sir y Fflint a Chymdeithas Treffynnon a’r Cylch. Ffotograffau cyfoes: Jo Danson. Dylunio: www.illustrativemapping.co.uk Flint Y Fflint Bagillt Brynford Greenfield Maes-Glas Carmel Mostyn Dee Estuary Aber y Ddyfrdwy A5026 A5026 A55 Gorsedd A548 Holywell Treffynnon Whitford Chwitffordd Caerwys Greenfield Valley Heritage Park
Acknowledgements Many thanks to everyone who contributed to Holywell Heritage Trail including Brian Taylor and other members of The Holywell & District Society and John & Angela Ward.
Old photos: Flintshire Record Office & The Holywell & District Society. Modern photos: Jo Danson. Design: www.illustrativemapping.co.uk
Cydnabyddiaeth Diolch i bawb a gyfrannodd at Llwybr Treftadaeth Treffynnon gan gynnwys Brian Taylor ac aelodau eraill Cymdeithas Treffynnon a’r Cylch a John ac Angela Ward.
Hen ffotograffau: Swyddfa Archifau Sir y Fflint a Chymdeithas Treffynnon a’r Cylch. Ffotograffau cyfoes: Jo Danson. Dylunio: www.illustrativemapping.co.uk
FlintY Fflint
Bagillt
Brynford
GreenfieldMaes-Glas
Carmel
Mostyn De e E s t u a r y
A b e r y Dd y f r d w
yA5026
A5026
A55
Gorsedd
A548
HolywellTreffynnon
WhitfordChwitffordd
Caerwys
Greenfield Valley Heritage Park
Croeso i Dreffynnon, y dref sydd â’r hanes hiraf o bererindota
cyhoeddus ym Mhrydain, ac y gellir olrhain ei hanes dros dair canrif
ar ddeg. Mae Llwybr Treftadaeth Treffynnon yn adrodd hanes y Santes
Gwenffrewi, ei ‘Ffynnon Sanctaidd’ ac fel y bu i Dreffynnon dyfu a ffynnu.
Man cychwyn Llwybr Treftadaeth Treffynnon yw’r Stryd Fawr ble gwelir
nifer o adeiladau gwych sy’n arwydd o’r cyfoeth a gynhyrchodd y diwydiant cotwm a
chopr yn Nyffryn Maes Glas yn y Ddeunawfed Ganrif.
Taith fer yw hi wedyn o’r Stryd Fawr i Ddyffryn
Maes Glas i ymuno â’r hen lein rheilffordd sy’n lle
tawel, cysgodol yn llawn canu adar erbyn hyn. O
Arosfa’r Santes Gwenffrewi, â’r Llwybr yn ôl traed y
pererinion wrth iddyn nhw gerdded i fyny’r Dyffryn
o Ddoc Maes Glas neu Abaty Dinas Basing i Ffynnon
y Santes Gwenffrewi. Bu dŵr y ffynnon yn gyrru’r
melinau a’r ffowndri yn y Dyffryn yn ogystal â
darparu dŵr yfed a chyfleusterau ymolchi i’r dref.
Â’r Llwybr yn ei flaen heibio’r mynediad i Lefel
Holway ble gallwch glywed sŵn y dŵr yn rhuthro
heibio. Mae’r rhan uchaf yn llawn o fywyd gwyllt a
cheir golygfeydd hardd dros Aber y Ddyfrdwy. Mae’n werth mynd i weld Stryd y Ffynnon,
Stryd Newydd a Parc y Fron yn hamddenol a darganfod treftadaeth Treffynnon.
Croeso i Lwybr Treftadaeth Treffynnon
Welcome to Holywell, the town with the longest continual
history of public pilgrimage in Britain, stretching back over 13
centuries. Holywell Heritage Trail tells the story of St Winefride, her
‘Holy Well’ and how the town of Holywell grew and prospered.
Holywell Heritage Trail starts in the High Street where there are many
fine buildings, a legacy of the wealth generated by the cotton and copper industries of
Greenfield Valley in the 18th century.
From the High Street it is a short walk into Greenfield Valley to join the old railway
track that is now a shady retreat full of birdsong. From St Winefride’s Halt the Trail
then follows in the pilgrims’ footsteps as they would have walked up the Valley from
Greenfield Dock or Basingwerk Abbey to St Winefride’s Well. Water from the
Well powered the mills and foundries in the Valley as well as providing
drinking water and bathing facilities for the town.
The Trail continues past the entrance to the Holway Level
where you can hear the water
rushing by. The area at the top
is rich in wildlife and has lovely
views over the Dee Estuary.
Well Street, New Road and
Fron Park are all worth
exploring at leisure to discover
the rich heritage of Holywell.
Welcome to Holywell Heritage Trail
The story of Holywell starts around 600AD with Winefride, the daughter of a Welsh nobleman, and her uncle Beuno who established the first church in Holywell.
Legend tells that Caradog, a royal prince, approached Winefride and wanted to marry her but Winefride insisted she was already betrothed to the church. Caradog cut off her head in anger but Beuno put back her head and 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 for Winefride’s help at that spot would receive it.
Afterwards Winefride went to live at the monastery at Gwytherin where she became the abbess until her death around 660AD. Her remains were taken from here to Shrewsbury in 1138 and so the cult of St Winefride spread into England. The reputation of the Well drew many people including Richard I who came to Holywell in 1189 to pray for the success of his crusade.
St Winefride’s Well and Church was under the care of the monks of Basingwerk from 1240 to 1537 and so royal visitors would have stayed at the Abbey. Henry V travelled on foot from St Winefride’s tomb in Shrewsbury to Holywell in 1415 in thanksgiving for his victory at Agincourt.
The monks of Basingwerk Abbey started the market in Holywell in 1292. They sold their own produce including fine ale and collected taxes from the farmers and merchants who came into town to sell their goods. The monks were also
the first to harness the power of the water from the well, using it to grind corn and process the wool from their sheep.
In the late 1700s water was still the cheapest and most reliable source of power and so industry grew, employing large numbers of people.
Copper and brass goods from the mills and foundries of Greenfield were taken via Liverpool to the west coast of Africa where they were traded for slaves, destined for the Americas. Here they were exchanged for raw cotton, some of which ended up back at Greenfield to be spun in the three cotton mills built in the 1780s.
By 1800 Holywell was the largest town in Flintshire with 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 & Co who employed over 1,200 people in their cotton mills in the Valley. The town’s first post office opened in Panton Place in 1822.
Catholics no longer faced imprisonment for their religion and pilgrimage increased as well-documented cures endorsed the healing powers of the well. Improvements were made to the well area and a hospice for poorer pilgrims opened in 1870. Father Charles Beauclerk S.J. came to Holywell in 1890 and set out to turn Holywell into the Lourdes of Wales, reviving street processions and drawing large numbers of pilgrims.
The people of Holywell still relied on springs for their water supply including water from St Winefride’s Well. Joe Barker, a blind man, was a familiar figure in Holywell around 1900 selling water from a barrel.
Holywell Town Station opened in 1912 with a stop at St. Winefride’s Halt for visitors to the well and workers in the nearby mills.
Disaster struck in January 1917 when water stopped flowing at the Well. Miners were extending the Milwr Tunnel and had obviously tapped into the underground source of the well. The supply was restored in September 1917 but the outflow of the Milwr Tunnel into the Dee
Estuary at Bagillt is still called ‘The Holy’.
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 while events organised throughout the year attract locals and visitors alike.
‘The Miracle’ sculpture by Michael Johnson was installed in 2014.
Mae hanes Treffynnon yn dechrau tua 600AD gyda Gwenffrewi, merch uchelwr o Gymru, a’i hewythr Beuno a sefydlodd yr eglwys gyntaf yn Nhreffynnon.
Yn ôl y chwedl, daeth y Tywysog Caradog at Gwenffrewi ac roedd am ei phriodi, ond mynnodd hi ei bod eisoes wedi’i dyweddïo a’r Eglwys. Torrodd Caradog ei phen i ffwrdd mewn dicter ond, drwy wyrth, 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 sawl oedd yn gofyn am gymorth Gwenffrewi yn y lle hwn yn derbyn y cymorth hwnnw.
Aeth Gwenffrewi i fyw yn y lleiandy yng Ngwytherin ble bu’n abades hyd ei marwolaeth tua 660 OC. Aed â’i gweddillion o’r fan hyn i’r Amwythig yn 1138 ac wedyn dechreuodd cwlt Y Santes Gwenffrewi ledaenu i Loegr. Oherwydd yr hanesion am rinweddau’r Ffynnon, denwyd nifer o bobl yma ac yn eu plith roedd Richard I a ddaeth i Dreffynnon yn 1189 i weddïo am lwyddiant ei grwsâd.
Mynachod Dinas Basing oedd yn gofalu am Ffynnon Gwenffrewi a’r Eglwys o 1240 tan 1537 ac felly byddai ymwelwyr brenhinol yn aros yn yr Abaty. Cerddodd Harri’r V o fedd y Santes Gwenffrewi yn yr Amwythig i Dreffynnon yn 1415 i ddiolch am ei fuddugoliaeth ym Mrwydr Agincourt. Mynachod Abaty Dinas Basing a ddechreuodd y farchnad yn Nhreffynnon yn 1292.
Roeddent yn gwerthu eu cynnyrch eu hunain, fel cwrw da, ac yn casglu trethi oddi wrth y ffermwyr a’r masnachwyr a ddeuai i’r dref i werthu eu cynnyrch hwythau. Y mynachod oedd y bobl gyntaf i sianelu pŵer dŵr y ffynnon i falu yd a thrin gwlân eu defaid.
Ar ddiwedd y 1700au, dwr oedd y ffynhonnell fwyaf dibynadwy a rhataf o bwer, a dyna sut y tyfodd diwydiant oedd yn cyflogi nifer fawr o bobl. Aed â nwyddau copr a phres o felinau a ffowndrioedd Maes Glas drwy Lerpwl i arfordir gorllewin Affrica i’w cyfnewid am gaethweision oedd i’w hanfon i gyfandiroedd America. Yn yr America cyfnewidiwyd y caethweision am gotwm crai, a byddai peth o hwnnw yn dod i Faes Glas i’w nyddu yn y
melinau cotwm a adeiladwyd yn y 1780au.
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 adeiladau Banc Treffynnon, a sefydlwyd tua 1820 gan Douglas, Smalley & Co a gyflogodd dros 1,200 o bobl yn eu melinau cotwm yn y Dyffryn. Agorodd Swyddfa Post gyntaf y dref yn Panton Place yn 1822.
Am nad oedd bygythiad bellach o garcharu Catholigion am eu crefydd, cynyddodd yr arfer o bererindota oherwydd yr hanesion bod y ffynnon yn gallu iachau afiechydon. Gwnaed gwelliannau i ardal y ffynnon ac agorodd llety i’r pererinion mwyaf anghenus yn 1870. Daeth y Tad Charles Beauclerk S.J. i Dreffynnon yn 1890 gyda’r bwriad o droi Treffynnon yn
debyg i Lourdes yng Nghymru. Adferodd yr traddodiad o gynnal gorymdeithiau ar y strydoedd a denodd hynny nifer fawr o bererinion.
Roedd pobl Treffynnon yn dal i ddibynnu ar ddwr ffynhonnau am eu cyflenwad dwr, gan gynnwys dwr o Ffynnnon Gwenffrewi. Roedd Joe Barker, y dyn dall, yn gymeriad adnabyddus yn Nhreffynnon tua 1900. Arferai werthu dwr o gasgen.
Agorodd Gorsaf Treffynnon yn 1912. Roedd y trenau yn sefyll yn Arosfa Santes Gwenffrewi ar gyfer ymwelwyr â’r ffynnon a
gweithwyr y melinau cyfagos.
Bu anffawd ym mis Ionawr 1917 pan fu atal ar lif y dŵr i Ffynnon y Santes Gwenffrewi am fod y mwynwyr yn ymestyn Twnnel y Milwr. Yn amlwg,
roeddent wedi darganfod tarddiad tanddaearol y ffynnon. Adferwyd llif y dŵr ym mis Medi 1917 ac mae’r dŵr i Dwnnel y Milwr yn Aber y Ddyfrdwy ym mhentref Bagillt yn dal i gael ei alw yn ‘Y Sanctaidd’.
Mae Treffynnon yn parhau i gynnal marchnad bob wythnos ar ddydd Iau ac mae yma nifer o fusnesau annibynnol da a rhai busnesau rhyngwladol hefyd yn ogystal â digwyddiadau a drefnir drwy’r flwyddyn i ddenu pobl leol ac ymwelwyr fel ei gilydd.
Gosodwyd ‘ Y Wyrth’ - cerflun gan Michael Johnson yn 2014.
Erbyn hyn Parc Treftadaeth yw Dyffryn Maes Glas mae yma deithiau cerdded deniadol ac amgueddfa a fferm sydd ar agor ym misoedd yr haf. www.greenfieldvalley.com
Llwybr Pererion Gogledd CymruDechreua Llwybr Pererinion Gogledd Cymru yn Abaty Dinas Basing sydd yn Nyffryn Maes Glas gan ddilyn taith pererinion o Ffynnon Gwenfrewi yn Nhreffynnon i Ynys Enlli oddi ar arfordir Penrhyn Llyn, sy’n daith o tua 130 milltir.
Dewch i ddarganfod mynyddoedd mawreddog, coedlannau tawel ac arfordir syfrdanol ar y ffordd.
www.pilgrims-way-north-wales.org
North Wales Pilgrim’s WayNorth Wales Pilgrim’s Way starts at Basingwerk Abbey in Greenfield Valley and follows the pilgrims’ journey from St Winefride’s Well in Holywell to Bardsey Island just off the Llyn Peninsular, a distance of around 130 miles.
Discover majestic mountains, tranquil woodland and stunning coastline along the way.
www.pilgrims-way-north-wales.org
Greenfield Valley was packed with factories trading in goods across the world, originally powered by water from St Winefride’s Well.
Roedd Dyffryn Maes Glas yn llawn o ffatrïoedd oedd yn masnachu nwyddau ar hyd a lled y byd. Yn wreiddiol, daeth y pŵer o Ffynnon Gwenffrewi.
Panton Place was built in 1816 by Paul Panton to provide living and working accommodation for local professional and trades people. Look for the date in the brickwork.
Adeiladwyd Panton Place yn 1816 gan Paul Panton i ddarparu llety a lle gweithio i bobl broffesiynol a masnachwyr lleol. Edrychwch am y dyddiad ar y brics.
Today Greenfield Valley is a Heritage Park with attractive walks and a museum and farm that are open during the summer months. www.greenfieldvalley.com
The magnificent well chamber and chapel were built in the late 15th century, probably for Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII. The Well House was added in 1869.
Adeiladwyd y siambr y ffynnon gwych a’r capel ar ddiwedd y bymthegfed ganrif, yn ôl bob tebyg i Margaret Beaufort oedd yn fam i Harri’r VIIfed. Ychwanegwyd y Tŷ Ffynnon yn 1869.
The tower of St James’ Church dates from the fourteenth century while the rest of the church was rebuilt in 1769.
Adeiladwyd Tŵr Eglwys Sant Iago yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar ddeg ac adeiladwyd gweddill yr eglwys yn 1769.
Siop yr Holywell Textile Mills Ltd oedd Melin Gelf a Chrefft Treffynnon. Dyma’r cwmni brethyn olaf yn Nyffryn Maes Glas. Caeodd yn 1991. Erbyn hyn, mae’n gaffi cyfeillgar sy’n boblogaidd gyda’r bobl leol a’r ymwelwyr.
Holywell Art and Craft Mill was the shop of Holywell Textile Mills Ltd, the last textile business in Greenfield Valley that closed in 1991. Today it has a friendly café, popular with locals and visitors alike.
Walking Holywell Heritage Trail
The longer route is 2½ miles or 4km so allow 1 – 2 hours. It is a steep optional climb up to the natural hollow of St Beuno’s Well.
For details of accessibility contact 01352 710714Holywell was granted national Walkers are Welcome status in 2012
Brass rubbings
Look out for the brass insets in each of the panel frames. They all have something to do with the Trail but can you tell what they are? Why not take a crayon and a piece of paper so you can make a rubbing of each one and have your own personal souvenir of the Trail?
Cerdded Llwybr Treftadaeth Treffynnon
Y llwybr hiraf 2½ filltir /4km, gan ganiatau 1 – 2 awr. Mae’r allt i bant naturiol Ffynnon Beuno yn serth – ac yn ddewisol!
Am wybodaeth ynglyn a mynediad i bawb, cysylltwch a 01352 710714Enillodd Treffynnon statws ‘Croeso i Gerddwyr’ yn 2012
Rhwbiadau Pres
Edrychwch am y mewnosodiadau pres yn fframiau’r paneli. Mae pob un yn ymwneud â’r llwybr mewn rhyw ffordd. Allwch chi ddyfalu sut? Beth am wneud rhwbiadau pres drwy ddefnyddio creon a phapur ac yna gallwch gael swfenîr personol o’r Llwybr?
