:''For the former town of the same name in Virginia, see
Denbigh, Virginia. For the American Civil War blockage runner, see
Denbigh (ship).''
'Denbigh' (
Welsh: ''Dinbych'') was
county town of the
traditional county of
Denbighshire,
Wales before 1888. The town grew around the
glove-making industry. Its population at the
2001 UK Census was 8,783.
At one time the majority of the population sought employment at the
North Wales Hospital, which cared for people with psychiatric illnesses. The hospital closed in the late 1990s.
Notable buildings in Denbigh include
Denbigh Castle, the
town walls begun in
1282 including the
Burgess Gate, and
Leicester's Church, an unfinished church begun in
1579, which was going to be a cathedral with the title of city to be transferred from neighbouring
St Asaph. The project ran out of money and the grounds now lie derelict. Other attractions in the town include a library / museum.
Denbigh was once served by a
railway station on the former
London and North Western Railway, later part of the
LMS. The "Vale of Clwyd" line leading north to St. Asaph and
Rhyl closed in
1955, leaving Denbigh on a lengthy branch running from
Chester via
Mold and Denbigh to
Ruthin, which closed in
1962. A southern continuation beyond Ruthin linking up with the
Great Western Railway at
Corwen had closed in
1952. The platform of Denbigh station can still be seen beside the road leading to the
Kwik Save store.
Famous people associated with Denbigh include:
★
Rhoda Broughton,
poet
★
Humphrey Lloyd,
cartographer - see external links
★ Sir
Hugh Myddleton, Royal Jeweller,
goldsmith and
entrepreneur
★
Twm o'r Nant,
playwright
★
Kate Roberts, writer - see external links
★
Henry Morton Stanley, journalist and explorer - see external links
★ Several members of the
Salusbury Family, who represented Denbigh in its various forms for multiple years
★
Bryn Williams, TV chef who won the
Great British Menu TV programme.
Denbigh hosted the
National Eisteddfod in
1882,
1939 and
2001.
External links
★
BBC Wales's Denbigh website
★
Humphrey Lloyd profile
★
Kate Roberts profile
★
HM Stanley profile