Caergwrle

Caergwrle
The River Alyn in Caergwrle
Caergwrle  Caergwrle shown within Flintshire
Population	1,619 (Ward, 2011)
OS grid reference	SJ303575
Principal area	Flintshire
Ceremonial county	Clwyd
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WREXHAM
Postcode district	LL12
Dialling code	01978
Police	North Wales
Fire	North Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
EU Parliament	Wales
UK Parliament	Alyn and Deeside
	Delyn
Welsh Assembly	Alyn and Deeside
	Delyn
List of places UK Wales Flintshire

Caergwrle is a village in the county of Flintshire, in north east Wales. Approximately 5–6 miles from Wrexham and situated on the A541 road, it is contiguous with the villages of Abermorddu and Hope, though, in parts, the Caergwrle and Hope are separated by a river border. The village lies on the River Alyn and sits at the base of Hope Mountain. At the 2001 Census, the population was 1,650. The population was subsequently absorbed in the Community of Hope and only the electoral ward remained. The population of this ward as taken at the 2011 census was 1,619.

History

The 13th century ruined Caergwrle Castle was first built by prince Dafydd ap Gruffudd, in lands given to him by Edward I of England after the first Welsh campaign of 1277. The village originally had the English placename of Corley, but with the addition of the Welsh placename epithet "Caer", meaning "fortress", the name gradually took on Welsh characteristics. To explain the name, a myth developed of a giant named Gwrle, who was supposed to have lived in the castle and been buried in the nearby Neolithic burial mound at Cefn-y-bedd.

Caergwrle Castle.

The 17th-century Packhorse Bridge, which is reputed to be haunted, was nearly destroyed by flooding in 2000, though it has since been restored. There have been many other developments and restorations in Caergwrle.

Caergwrle is also home to a Welsh International football player George Alfred Godding who played from 17/03/1923 to 14/04/1923 with 2 caps for Wales

Caergwrle's long association with the adjacent village of Hope has given rise to a well-known local joke: "Live in Hope, die in Caergwrle". This was already described as an "old saying" in the 19th century, when it was recorded by the antiquarian John Askew Roberts.

Transport

Rail

The service from Wrexham Central to Bidston passes through Caergwrle railway station. Bidston provides a connection to Liverpool via the Wirral Line. Caergwrle railway station is managed by Arriva Trains Wales.

Bus

Caergwrle has bus links giving access to Mold, Broughton, Wrexham and Chester.

Pubs in Caergwrle

There are several pubs in Caergwrle, including The Crown Inn, The Halfway Inn, The Bridge Inn (which is also a Chinese restaurant) and Ye Old Castle Inn. Many of these pubs have their own Pool and Darts teams.

The Caergwrle Bowl

The Caergwrle bowl is a unique object dating to the Middle Bronze Age, originally manufactured from shale, tin and gold. It is thought to represent a boat, with its applied gold decoration signifying shields, oars and waves. The incomplete bowl was found in 1823 by a workman digging a drain in a field below Caergwrle Castle. It was donated to the National Museum Wales in 1912, and sent to the British Museum for restoration where it was originally reconstructed from wax with the decoration attached by an adhesive. Since then the bowl has been rebuilt again as the first conservation failed to be stable.

References

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External links

• Caergwrle Castle
• Packhorse Bridge ghost
• Castell Alun High School
• Photos of Caergwrle and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk