Scheduled MonumentsWalesThe Holyhead Road: the Chirk Embankment and earlier trackways
Post Medieval/Modern · Road

The Holyhead Road: the Chirk Embankment and earlier trackways

Denbighshire, Wales
Cadw SAM DE288
Period
Post Medieval/Modern
Site type
Road
Broad class
Transport
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

The Holyhead Road: the Chirk Embankment and earlier trackways is a Post Medieval and Modern transport route in Denbighshire, Wales, featuring engineering works associated with the development of communication links to Holyhead. The embankment represents infrastructure improvements undertaken during the period of enhanced road development, particularly following Thomas Telford's major works on the Holyhead Road in the early nineteenth century. The site encompasses both the constructed embankment itself and evidence of earlier trackways that preceded the formal modern road, illustrating the evolution of transport infrastructure across the landscape. This monument is significant for demonstrating the physical legacy of road engineering and the successive phases of development that characterised post-medieval transport history in North Wales.

The Holyhead Road: the Chirk Embankment and earlier trackways is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference DE288. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is The Holyhead Road: the Chirk Embankment and earlier trackways?

The Holyhead Road: the Chirk Embankment and earlier trackways is a Post Medieval and Modern transport route in Denbighshire, Wales, featuring engineering works associated with the development of communication links to Holyhead. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference DE288.

What period does The Holyhead Road: the Chirk Embankment and earlier trackways date from?

The Holyhead Road: the Chirk Embankment and earlier trackways dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a road. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting The Holyhead Road: the Chirk Embankment and earlier trackways?

The Holyhead Road: the Chirk Embankment and earlier trackways is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is DE288.

What other scheduled monuments are near The Holyhead Road: the Chirk Embankment and earlier trackways?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Offa's Dyke: section 400yds (370m) long, E of Llawnt (7.4 km), Wat's Dyke:80m long section and adjacent cultivation terraces 540m east of Oswestry Castle (7.5 km), Oswestry Castle: motte and adjoining section of the town wall immediately north east of Christ Church (7.6 km).

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