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, designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The embankment represents a significant phase in the development of communications infrastructure connecting Wales to England, particularly in the context of improved turnpike roads of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The site encompasses both the engineered embankment structure itself and evidence of earlier trackway systems that preceded the formal road development, demonstrating successive phases of transport use across the landscape. The physical remains include the substantial earthwork of the embankment, which reflects the considerable investment in road improvement and engineering required to facilitate more efficient travel and commerce across the challenging terrain of the Welsh borderland.

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, designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. 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 Britain.

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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