St Asaph

St Asaph Denbighshire

St Asaph (Welsh: Llanelwy) is a town in Denbighshire, north Wales, on the River Elwy. It has a population of 3,491 (Census 2001). The town 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, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno. The historic castles of Denbigh and Rhuddlan are also nearby.

History

The town is believed to have developed around a 6th-century Celtic monastery founded by Saint Kentigern, and is now home to the small 14th-century St Asaph Cathedral. This is dedicated to Saint Asaph, its second bishop. In the 13th century, the church which stood on the site of the current cathedral was completely destroyed by Edward I of England and his troops as they conquered Wales. As the seat of an ancient cathedral and diocese, St Asaph historically had city status. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica refers to it as a city, but it is no longer considered as such. The town applied for restoration of city status in the 2000 and 2002 competitions but was unsuccessful.

Festivities

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

Local issues / successes

Despite the official lack of city status, the town is promoted locally as the 'City of Music'. 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 past few decades has seen the local economy in St Asaph thrive, first with the opening of the A55 road which cuts through the town 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, with residents of the town repeatedly calling for a bypass road to ease the congestion. The National Assembly for Wales government 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 opened in Rhyl in 1956 and which was the first of its kind.

Twinning

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

Famous people

A number of famous people have strong links to St Asaph, having been born, raised, lived, worked or died in the town. These include Canadian actor Richard Ian Cox, William Morgan who translated the Bible into Welsh in 1588, the first archbishop of Wales Alfred George Edwards, singer Lisa Scott-Lee, composer William Mathias, former Wales football captain Ian Rush, the 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 hospital in the town (formerly the St Asaph Union Workhouse) was named in honour of H.M. Stanley. The town's hospice was named after Saint Kentigern. The original Welsh Bible is kept on public display in the town's cathedral.

External links

• [1] (St Asaph Town Council)
• St Asaph (city times)
• St Asaph Cathedral (official site)
• BBC St Asaph page
• St Asaph Business Association
• Movie about St Asaph
• North Wales International Music Festival