'Connah's Quay' (
Welsh: ''Cei Conna'') is the second largest
town (Behind Buckley) in
Flintshire, North
Wales, lying on the
River Dee, near the border with England. It can be accessed by road from the A550, by rail from the nearby Shotton Station and also lies on the
National Cycle Network Route 5. It is situated near the region's industrial centre -
Deeside Industrial Park, home to three
power stations. The major part of Corus Steelworks lies on the town's border on the north bank of the River Dee. Wepre Woods, an ancient woodland in the town, is controlled by the County Council's Rangers and includes
Ewloe Castle which dates from the 13th century.
History
The town's name is believed to have to come from a former landlord of "The Old Quay House", a public house which still lies on the docks in what is now the west side of the town. The docks became known as "Connah's Quay" some time after the 1860s. The dock itself was connected by the
Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway to the nearby town of
Buckley, chiefly to transport fire-clay and pottery products. It grew from this small
port which included a shipyard and now encompasses the former hamlets of
Wepre,
Kelsterton and
Golftyn.
Local Government
Connah's Quay has a town council of twenty members.
Education
Schools in Connah's Quay include
Connah's Quay High School, Bryn Deva Primary, Wepre Primary, Dee road, Custom House Lane Primary and Golftyn Primary.
Higher education is provided by
Deeside College, formerly Kelsterton College.
Social and Culture
In the last decade several large housing developments have been built in Connah's Quay and the town has a booming property market, with houseprices steadily increasing the town appears to have finally shaken the effects of the mass redundancies from major employers in the 1970s and 1980's.
Public houses
★ Cross Keys
★ Gillespies
★ Halfway house
★ Hare and hounds
★ Hawarden castle/Hendys
★ Sir Gwain
★ The Custom house
★ The Boathouse
★ The Swan
★ The Old Quay house
★ Red hall
★ The Ship
★ Wepre Inn
Sport
The town is also home to
Connah's Quay Nomads F.C. and Connah's Quay Cricket Club. The swimming baths have recently been refurbished.
Trivia
Wepre Brook is heard at the beginning of the
Stone Roses album
Second Coming. The Roses were at the time recording in nearby
Ewloe.
[1]
Although never used historically, the Welsh translation for Connah's Quay is Cei Connah, which has recently been incorporated into signage of the area.
References
1. Robb, J: "The Stone Roses and the Resurrection of British Pop", page 198. Ebury Press, 1997
External links
★
Connah's Quay Town Council
★
BBC Wales - Connah's Quay, Shotton & Queensferry website
★
National Cycle Network Route 5
★
Wepre Country Park
★
Ewloe Castle
★
Deeside College
★
Historic Photos