Talacre

Coordinates: 53°21′04″N 3°19′09″W / 53.35117°N 3.31911°W / 53.35117; -3.31911
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Talacre
The beach at Talacre
Talacre is located in Flintshire
Talacre
Talacre
Location within Flintshire
Population347 
OS grid referenceSJ122846
Principal area
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHOLYWELL
Postcode districtCH8
Dialling code01745
PoliceNorth Wales
FireNorth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Flintshire
53°21′04″N 3°19′09″W / 53.35117°N 3.31911°W / 53.35117; -3.31911

Talacre is a village in

Ffynnongroyw, and is the northernmost mainland settlement in Wales. The village itself has a population of 347 as of the 2011 census.[1]

It is near

dunes and large holiday caravan parks adjacent. The hills of the Clwydian Range behind the village form the eastern boundary of the Vale of Clwyd. The name Talacre is a combination of the Welsh words tal [tal] "end" and acrau [ˈakraɨ̯] "acres", which in the dialect of north-east Wales is pronounced acre [ˈakrɛ]. This has led to the local English pronunciation /təˈlækrə/. Some sources claim the English version is properly pronounced /tæˈlækr, -ri/.[2][3]

A view of Talacre lighthouse

The village is probably most popular for the

Skins, in the episode "Skins Pure
".

Talacre was used by the armed forces during the

Second World War as an aircraft firing range. Fighters flew over the remote village every day, shooting at wooden targets in the dunes and at drogues towed by aircraft. It was also used for testing new devices such as 'window
,' the anti-radar foil that, on occasion, covered the whole village with silver.

Talacre Abbey (Westbury Castle)

Talacre Hall, 1820s; Gauci, P., lithographer[5]

The Talacre estate (Talacre Abbey) and Talacre Hall, built in 1829, were the home of the Mostyn baronets of Talacre. The Carmelite Margaret Mostyn grew up on the estate in the early 1600s. In 1919 the Mostyn family sold the estate by auction and in 1921 it was occupied by a community of Benedictine nuns, who moved out in 1988.[6] The main hall, a grade II* listed building, now functions as a private house again, but was renamed Westbury Castle.

Railways

The village was served by

North Wales Coast Line
until it was closed in 1966.

References

  1. Office for National Statistics
    . Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  2. .
  3. ^ "Historic Statement - Talacre Hall" (PDF). www.flintshire.gov.uk. Flintshire County Council. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Permanent 'ghost' for lighthouse". BBC News. 5 August 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  5. ^ "Mostyn of Talacre manuscripts". Flintshire Record Office. A noble castellated stone built mansion, containing 40 rooms, with a handsome private chapel
  6. ^ "English Benedictine Congregation". Archived from the original on 3 July 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2013.