Denbigh / Introduction

An introduction to Denbigh by Greg Stevenson

Nestled snugly in the Vale of Clwyd with the mountains of Snowdonia protecting its western flanks and the Clwydian Range to its east, Denbigh is one of the most historic towns in North Wales.

The name Dinbych means a ‘small, fortified, place', and despite expansion over the centuries it still isn’t a large town today. Small it may be, but this medieval market town is perfectly formed, and home to one of the highest concentrations of listed buildings in Wales. Denbigh is perfect for understanding history through its buildings.

The Castle

In 1283, when Edward I overcame Dafydd ap Gruffydd, he granted the town and the surrounding area to Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, who then became the first lord of Denbigh. It was he who began the building of the present castle on its splendid site above today's town.

The town used to be based within the old town walls where the Welsh would go to trade with the resident Anglo-Normans.

During the Wars of the Roses the town was burned and it was subsequently moved from the hilltop to around the present market place, later to be extended in a grid pattern down Vale Street.

The development of the town.

Throughout its history Denbigh has been important as an agricultural market town, being ideally situated between the Hiraethog moors and the fertile Vale.

During Tudor and Stuart times Denbigh prospered as a market and business centre. Elizabeth I's favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was Lord of Denbigh until his death in 1588, and we have to thank him for the wonderful Market Hall.

After 1600 the town developed as a centre for various crafts: glovers, weavers, smiths, shoemakers, saddlers, curriers and tanners. These survived grouped into guilds, until the industrialisation of the 19th century.

The High Street is unusually varied in its architecture. We’ve got good quality buildings from lots of periods – its like a town that never really boomed, but also never really declined.

The arcading along High Street is known locally as the ‘bylciau’ - which seems to be an ancient term as Shakespeare used it. The columns were a form of encroachment onto the marketplace, and were here by 1610 as they are illustrated on the John Speed map of the town.

By the 1800s Denbigh had become the main centre of the Vale of Clwyd and was on the railway network.

Even the 20th century architecture is great. The new market hall of 1916 is a fantastic piece of late Arts and Crafts designed by Elcock, with some Germanic Art Nouveau influence.

The beauty of this town is you’ve only got to pop in a few doorways to see some architectural gems.