This, the first in a short series on Rhuthun/Ruthin's history, is inspired by the editors of Hanes Rhuthun/The History of Ruthin
In the distance is Ffordd Cae Glas/Greenfield Road. Here, we see the 1930s-style developments at the Werns: Uchaf, Ganol and Isaf. They stand out. Why? The interesting thing is that Ffordd Cae Glas and its Werns are all detached from town. There are fields between town and estate and Ffordd Cae Glas is like an island.
It reminded me of the Walled City of Glasdir. Here, fields also separate houses from town. There is, however, a contrast between the two settlements. Glasdir is a mixed development, with a quarter to a fifth devoted to social housing. This was never the case on Greenfield Road. Quite the opposite, in fact. Ffordd Cae Glas was deliberately *not* associated with the social housing of its day, the borough council-commissioned estates of the town.
Greenfield Road was one of Rhuthun's first speculative housing estate areas. It was built not of necessity but purely speculatively. There were few speculative builds in Rhuthun before Ffordd Cae Glas: Market Street's Victorian or pre-1914 houses were examples.
At this time, the 1930s, some in Rhuthun were becoming wealthy enough to consider trading up. Not everyone needed to live in the terraces that lined the town's main roads, the hemmed in town centre homes associated with the Yards, or the council-commissioned estates of the time: Maes y Dre, Canol y Dre and Porth y Dre.
Housing such as along Greenfield Road was therefore pioneering. As either two-bed detached bungalows or spacious three-bed semis to a 1930s "domestic revivalism" design, the type included an obligatory bay window that set the houses apart as owner occupied. The hipped roof spoke of extravagance, as did the inclusion of a parlour *and* dining room. Council-commissioned housing stock often had one living room only.
When compared to the town itself, Ffordd Cae Glas must have offered something of a rural idyll but with the convenience of proximity to facilities. Plots were small but generous when compared to terraces. They often came with views. Because they were semis, the houses were lighter inside. The area was far enough away from town to be quiet but close enough to be convenient. Even the name "Cae Glas" must've seemed evocative. Derived from the farm, it was in contrast to the everyday yet plain-speaking names of the council-commissioned housing stock. In short, Cae Glas was a pretty name. Did that also help to set it apart from the town itself?
And Greenfield living later benefitted from the post war boom in that other visible increase in affluence of the time: the enduring appeal of the motor car. It was within the years 1952 to 1956 that, suddenly, parked cars appeared on streets (where once they were almost totally absent). The age of the mass-market car had begun. Greenfield Road had been within walking distance of the town but the motor car began to make these properties even more attractive. There was ample space to park your motor car off-road.
These days, the choice in the private housing market means that Ffordd Cae Glas has lost some of its appeal but it nevertheless remains a popular residential area. Subsequent infill, much of it light industrial and retail, has resulted in the area being firmly cemented to Rhuthun itself. No longer are there 1950s fields between the two. The area is surprisingly as high as St Peter's and retains its views over Dyffryn Clwyd, albeit now marred by Lôn Parcwr and Cae Bricks. And Wern Uchaf's views over Bryniau Clwyd are now barred by 1990s housing opposite.
And speculative building has continued ever since, of course. Glasdir is one such development. There are parallels between Glasdir and early Greenfield Road in terms of the semi-rural location but Glasdir never had the cachet of Ffordd Cae Glas.
Other speculative 1930s developments not visible on Kenyon-Thompson's photograph include Maes y Llan, Denbigh Road and Wrexham Road.
"To cope with this increase in population, the twentieth century saw significant house building within the town. Private villas were built on the Wrexham and Denbigh roads in the 1920s and 1930s and similar development also occurred along Greenfield Road and St Meugan's between the two world wars"—The History of Ruthin, p.140/Hanes Rhuthun t.148If you look through the pictures that accompany the late Keith Kenyon-Thompson's 1986 book "Welcome to Ruthin", one of the plates is of an aerial town shot dated circa 1950. The road pattern's largely remained as it has for centuries but the railway, its station and the gasometer are all history.
It reminded me of the Walled City of Glasdir. Here, fields also separate houses from town. There is, however, a contrast between the two settlements. Glasdir is a mixed development, with a quarter to a fifth devoted to social housing. This was never the case on Greenfield Road. Quite the opposite, in fact. Ffordd Cae Glas was deliberately *not* associated with the social housing of its day, the borough council-commissioned estates of the town.
The one inch to a mile 1959 OS map shows the Greenfield Road housing area, Maes y Llan Road St Meugans and Wrexham Road (including Millionaires' Row) as divorced from the town. Note also Park Road is the B5105, while the trunk A494 passes through town itself
Greenfield Road was one of Rhuthun's first speculative housing estate areas. It was built not of necessity but purely speculatively. There were few speculative builds in Rhuthun before Ffordd Cae Glas: Market Street's Victorian or pre-1914 houses were examples.
At this time, the 1930s, some in Rhuthun were becoming wealthy enough to consider trading up. Not everyone needed to live in the terraces that lined the town's main roads, the hemmed in town centre homes associated with the Yards, or the council-commissioned estates of the time: Maes y Dre, Canol y Dre and Porth y Dre.
Housing such as along Greenfield Road was therefore pioneering. As either two-bed detached bungalows or spacious three-bed semis to a 1930s "domestic revivalism" design, the type included an obligatory bay window that set the houses apart as owner occupied. The hipped roof spoke of extravagance, as did the inclusion of a parlour *and* dining room. Council-commissioned housing stock often had one living room only.
When compared to the town itself, Ffordd Cae Glas must have offered something of a rural idyll but with the convenience of proximity to facilities. Plots were small but generous when compared to terraces. They often came with views. Because they were semis, the houses were lighter inside. The area was far enough away from town to be quiet but close enough to be convenient. Even the name "Cae Glas" must've seemed evocative. Derived from the farm, it was in contrast to the everyday yet plain-speaking names of the council-commissioned housing stock. In short, Cae Glas was a pretty name. Did that also help to set it apart from the town itself?
And Greenfield living later benefitted from the post war boom in that other visible increase in affluence of the time: the enduring appeal of the motor car. It was within the years 1952 to 1956 that, suddenly, parked cars appeared on streets (where once they were almost totally absent). The age of the mass-market car had begun. Greenfield Road had been within walking distance of the town but the motor car began to make these properties even more attractive. There was ample space to park your motor car off-road.
These days, the choice in the private housing market means that Ffordd Cae Glas has lost some of its appeal but it nevertheless remains a popular residential area. Subsequent infill, much of it light industrial and retail, has resulted in the area being firmly cemented to Rhuthun itself. No longer are there 1950s fields between the two. The area is surprisingly as high as St Peter's and retains its views over Dyffryn Clwyd, albeit now marred by Lôn Parcwr and Cae Bricks. And Wern Uchaf's views over Bryniau Clwyd are now barred by 1990s housing opposite.
And speculative building has continued ever since, of course. Glasdir is one such development. There are parallels between Glasdir and early Greenfield Road in terms of the semi-rural location but Glasdir never had the cachet of Ffordd Cae Glas.
Other speculative 1930s developments not visible on Kenyon-Thompson's photograph include Maes y Llan, Denbigh Road and Wrexham Road.