Why visit Rhuddlan
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 5 parks and trails, 21 places to eat, 8 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Dyserth Waterfall, Ocean Beach, Rhuddlan Castle and Rhyl Miniature Railway.
Weather in Rhuddlan
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Rhuddlan
Rhuddlan (Welsh: [ˈr̥ɨðlan] ) is a town, community, and electoral ward in Denbighshire, Wales. Its associated urban zone is mainly on the right bank of the Clwyd; it is directly south of seafront town Rhyl. It gave its name to the Welsh district of Rhuddlan from 1974 to 1996. As of the 2001 census, the population was 4,296 decreasing to 3,709 in the 2011 census.
From the Wikipedia article Rhuddlan (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Rhuddlan on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Rhuddlan
Things to do4
Dyserth Waterfall
Waterfall · 2.3 mi
Waterfall in Denbighshire, Wales
Ocean Beach
Monument and historic site · 2.1 mi
Amusement park in Rhyl
Museums and landmarks5
Rhuddlan Castle
Monument and historic site
Castle in Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, Wales
Rhyl Miniature Railway
Museum · 2.0 mi
Miniature railway museum in Wales, United Kingdom
Parks, trails and playgrounds5
Restaurants and cafes21
9 more on the map.
History
In AD 921, the Anglo-Saxon king, Edward the Elder, founded a burh named Cledematha (mouth of the Clwydd) at Rhuddlan. In the following century, before the Norman Conquest and subsequent Norman occupation of lower Gwynedd, the Perfeddwlad, Rhuddlan was the site of a Welsh cantref and served as the seat of government and capital of Gwynedd for the Welsh king Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (ruled 1055–1063). Following the Conquest, in 1086, Rhuddlan was recorded in the Domesday Book as a small settlement within the hundred of Ati's Cross and in the county of Cheshire.
A mint established at Rhuddlan in the 1180s by Dafydd ab Owain, and later maintained by Llywelyn the Great, was responsible for minting the first native Welsh coinage since the reign of Hywel Dda.
The town is known for the ruins of Rhuddlan Castle, built by order of King Edward I from 1277 to 1282, and for the site of another castle at Twthill, built by the Norman Robert of Rhuddlan about 1072. Well-preserved Rhuddlan castle has a great round tower and many surviving walls. It was built soon after the conquest of Wales.
The town was thus where Edward I signed the Statute of Rhuddlan, laying down the way by which the Principality of Wales, created by the princes of Gwynedd, was to be governed.
The town's first Welsh chapel, now 17 Cross Street, was built in 1771.
Read more of the history
The hymn tune "Rhuddlan" was brought to wider prominence by Ralph Vaughan Williams as music editor of the first edition of The English Hymnal in 1906, and it has since been adopted by numerous other hymnals. It is usually sung to the words of the hymns "Judge eternal, throned in splendour" and, more recently, "For the healing of the nations".
Rhuddlan railway station was part of the Vale of Clwyd Railway. The station closed in 1955 but the line remained open until 1968. The station was demolished around 1977 and a Premier Inn hotel now occupies the site.
In 2001, the A525 bypass was completed, easing access to Rhyl. Since 2001 the centre of Rhuddlan has been largely redeveloped.
In 2021 February, archaeologists from Aeon Archaeology announced the discovery of more than 300 stone age tools and artefacts in Rhuddlan. They revealed scrapers, microliths, flakes of chert (hard, sedimentary rock), flints and even rudimentary tools. Expert Richard Cooke believes that the remains were belong to people who was passing through and made camp by the river more than 9,000 years ago.
From the History section of Rhuddlan on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Rhuddlan
Kelly Lee OwensWelsh electronic musician and music producerPhoto: Henry W. Laurisch, CC BY-SA 4.0- Philip Jones GriffithsWelsh photojournalist (1936–2008)
- Beata BrookesBritish politician (1930-2015)
- Jack SargeantWelsh politician and AM
- Jack L. JonesWelsh footballer (1869-1931)
- Peter SmithWelsh footballer (born 1978)
- Michael BaerWelsh cricketer
- Peter MorrisAmerican baseball player (1854–1884)
- Harold CharlesBritish bishop (1914–1987)
Born in Rhuddlan, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay8
Churches and places of worship6
Shopping5
Snowdonia Cheese Company Ltd (Trade Stalls)
Shop · 1.3 mi
14 Cefndy Road Employment Park, Rhyl
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries9
Healthcare2
Map of Rhuddlan
67 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Hawarden Airport (CEG) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 22 miles away.
- Rhyl 2 mi northwest, about 3 min by car
- Saint Asaph 3 mi southeast, about 4 min by car
- Prestatyn 4 mi northeast, about 7 min by car
- Abergele 5 mi west, about 8 min by car
- Colwyn Bay 11 mi west, about 17 min by car
- West Kirby 13 mi northeast, about 21 min by car
- Flint 14 mi east, about 23 min by car
- Hoylake 14 mi northeast, about 22 min by car
- Ruthin 14 mi southeast, about 22 min by car
- Heswall 16 mi east, about 25 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Rhuddlan
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Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 30, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 27, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 23, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 22, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 34, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 28, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 12, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 06, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 01, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 18, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 25, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 20, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 14, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 15, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 03, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 21, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 07, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 32, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 09, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 13, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 29, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 35, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 31, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 04, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 11, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 19, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 16, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 05, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 36, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 33, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys y Santes Fair, Rhuddlan 02, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rhuddlan Castle, May 2012, Julie Anne Workman, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rhaeadr Dyserth Waterfall, Sir Ddinbych, Wales - Bryniau Clwyd AONB 13, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ocean beach fun fair site rhyl dec 2007, Wonderwiki, CC BY 3.0
- Rhyl MR Joan 05-08-13 05, No machine-readable author provided. AHEMSLTD~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY 2.5
- Eglwys Farmor Bodelwyddan, Sir Ddinbych - The Marble Church of bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, Wales 08, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0
- St Marys Catholic Church Rhyl by lakewalker, Lakewalker, Public domain
- Twthill, Rhuddlan - castell mwnt a beili; Sir Ddinbych - Rhuddlan Nature Reserve. Wales 37, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0
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