Coordinates: 53°15′28″N 3°26′30″W / 53.2577°N 3.4416°W / 53.2577; -3.4416

St Asaph
Welsh: Llanelwy
St. Asaph Cathedral
St Asaph  St Asaph shown within Denbighshire
Population	3,491 (2001)
OS grid reference	SJ035743
Community	St Asaph
Principal area	Denbighshire
Ceremonial county	Clwyd
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ST. ASAPH
Postcode district	LL17
Dialling code	01745
Police	North Wales
Fire	North Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
EU Parliament	Wales
UK Parliament	Vale of Clwyd
Welsh Assembly	Vale of Clwyd
List of places: UK • Wales • Denbighshire

St Asaph (English pronunciation: /sənt ˈæsəf/;^[1] Welsh: Llanelwy pronounced [ɬanˈɛlʊɨ̯]) is a city^[2] and community on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 3,491.^[3]

The city of St Asaph is surrounded by countryside and views of the Vale of Clwyd. It is situated close to a number of busy coastal towns such as Rhyl, Prestatyn, Abergele, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno. The historic castles of Denbigh and Rhuddlan are also nearby.

History[link]

The earliest inhabitants of the vale of Elwy lived in the nearby Paleolithic 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 Neanderthals 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 city 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.^[4]

The Laws in Wales Act 1535 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 non-metropolitan Clwyd.

As the seat of an ancient cathedral and diocese, St Asaph was historically regarded as a city, and the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica refers to it as a city on that basis; by the end of the 20th century the relationship between possessing a cathedral and automatic entitlement to city status had been broken, and the town was no longer regarded as a city. The town applied for restoration of city status in competitions held by the government in 2000 (for the Millennium) and 2002 (Queen's Golden Jubilee) but was unsuccessful. In 2012 it again competed for the right to become a city as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. It was announced on 14 March 2012 that the application was successful and city status was to be bestowed upon St Asaph alongside Chelmsford and Perth.^[5][6]

Community[link]

Despite the previous lack of official city status, the council had referred 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's, and this has led to a number of local businesses using 'City' as part of their business name. The city 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 city, 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 city. This congestion is having a detrimental effect on the city, and residents have repeatedly called for a bypass to take this North/South road and its traffic away from the city, 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.

Twinning[link]

St Asaph is twinned with the town of Bégard in Brittany, France. Both organise annual trips to the other for their residents.

Festivities[link]

Every year the city hosts the North Wales International Music Festival, which takes place at several venues in the city 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 city include the Gala Day in August, the Beat the Bounds charity walk in July and the increasingly popular Woodfest Wales crafts festival in June.

Churches[link]

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 Wales [1]) 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 city, in Chester Street is St Winifrides [2] (Roman Catholic) and Bethlehem Chapel (Welsh Presbyterian) in Bronwylfa Square.

Notable people[link]

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 city. These include actor Richard Ian Cox, William Morgan who translated the Bible into Welsh in 1588, the first archbishop of Wales Alfred George Edwards, comedian Greg Davies, 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 current Swansea City left back and Welsh International Neil Taylor was also born in St. Asaph.

The hospital in the city (formerly the St Asaph Union Workhouse) was named in honour of H.M. Stanley. The city's hospice was named after Saint Kentigern. The original Welsh Bible is kept on public display in the city's cathedral.

References[link]

Notes[link]

Bibliography[link]

• T.W. Pritchard St Asaph Cathedral R J L Smith Much Wenlock (1997) ISBN 1-872665-91-8
• Dr Chis Stringer Homo Brittanicus 319 pages, publisher: Allen Lane (5 October 2006) ISBN 0-7139-9795-8, ISBN 978-0-7139-9795-8

External links[link]

• St Asaph Town Council
• St Asaph (City Times)
• BBC St Asaph page
• North Wales International Music Festival
• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of St Asaph and surrounding area

v t e Denbighshire Principal settlements Corwen Denbigh Llangollen Prestatyn Rhuddlan Rhyl Ruthin St Asaph Towns and villages Aberwheeler Berwyn Betws Gwerfil Goch Bodelwyddan Bodfari Bontuchel Bryneglwys Bylchau Carrog Castell Cefnmeriadog Cerrigydrudion Clocaenog Corwen Crogen Cwm Cyffylliog Cynwyd Derwen Druid Dyserth Efenechtyd Gellifor Gellioedd Glasfryn Glyndyfrdwy Gronant Gwaenysgor Gwyddelwern Henllan Hirwaen Llanarmon-yn-Iâl Llanbedr-Dyffryn-Clwyd Llandegla Llandrillo Llandyrnog Llanefydd Llanelidan Llanferres Llanfwrog Llangar Llangwyfan Llangyhafal Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch Llansanffraid Glyndyfrdwy Llantysilio Llanychan Llanynys Llwynmawr Maerdy Meliden Nantglyn Prion Pentrecelyn Rhewl Rhuallt Saron Tafarn Y Gelyn Trefnant Trelawnyd Tremeirchion Oldest inhabited location Bontnewydd Palaeolithic site Moors Berwyn range Mynydd Hiraethog