Hope, Flintshire

Hope (Welsh: Yr Hôb) is a small village and community in Flintshire, north-east Wales. The village is located approximately 3 miles / 4.5 km from the Wales-England border, on the course of the River Alyn, and less than 5 miles from Wrexham.

Hope

The Red Lion and White Lion on the road into Hope
Hope
Location within Flintshire
Population4,224 (2011 Census)
OS grid referenceSJ30705723
Principal area
Ceremonial county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWREXHAM
Postcode districtLL12
Dialling code01978
PoliceNorth Wales
FireNorth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament

Hope is one of several villages including Caergwrle, Abermorddu and Cefn-y-bedd which together form the community. At the 2001 Census, community the population was 2,522,[1] increasing to 4,224 at the 2011 Census partly due to boundary changes.[2] One of the major features in the area is Hope Mountain (Mynydd yr Hob), to the west of the village.

History

Yr Hob was originally the name of a commote within the cantref of Maelor in the medieval Kingdom of Powys.[3] Both the Welsh and English language names are derived from an Old English word hop meaning "enclosed land in a marsh", a relic of Mercian settlement in the area.[4]

The old parish of Hope was once divided into two parts by the River Alyn. One part, called Hope Medachied, was made up of the townships of Uwchmynydd, Cymau, Caergwrle and Rhanberfedd: the other was made of Hope Owen, Estyn and Shordley.[5] In 1843 a large area of Hope Medachied was transferred to the new parish of Llanfynydd.[5]

The village's long association with neighbouring Caergwrle has given rise to the local expression "Live in Hope, die in Caergwrle".[6]

Facilities

In 2007, the secondary school Castell Alun High, which is located in the village, became the only school in North Wales to be awarded 7 Grade 1s by Estyn, the school inspection service for Wales. The judgement makes Castell Alun one of the top schools in Wales.

Hope has good transport links with local towns and cities, notably Wrexham, Chester and Mold, with the Borderlands Line running directly through Hope railway station giving access to Liverpool via the Wirral Peninsula.

Hope has a library, a sports centre and football, cricket and rugby union clubs. The Castell Alun Colts Football Club play in the Welsh Football League system and are affiliated to the Football Association of Wales and the North East Wales Football Association.[7] At present (2018/19 season) they play in the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) Division One, the fourth level on the Welsh Football League pyramid[8] .

In 2017, work began on a community project to build a replica of a Roman Fort in a disused quarry in the village. The project known as "Park in the Past" is set to become a centre for education and leisure activities [9]

Governance

An electoral ward in the same name exists, which covers the village of Hope and elects one county councillor to Flintshire County Council.[10] This ward had a population of 2,605 at the 2011 census.[11]

See also

References
  1. 2001 Census: Hope (Ward), Office for National Statistics, retrieved 2 July 2008
  2. "Community population 2011". Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  3. Rees, William (1951). An Historical Atlas of Wales from Early to Modern Times. Faber & Faber.
  4. Owen, H. W. (2015) The Place-names of Wales, UWP, p.53
  5. Hope, Flintshire, GENUKI, accessed 03-10-18
  6. The AA touring guide to Wales, Automobile Association, 1975, p.205
  7. https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/castellac?
  8. http://www.wnl.org.uk/tables.htm/
  9. http://www.parkinthepast.org.uk/
  10. The County of Flintshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998. legislation.gov.uk. Statutory Instruments. 1998. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  11. "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 26 May 2015.
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