Holt, Wrexham

Holt is a medieval village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is situated on the border with England and within the historic county boundaries of Denbighshire. Holt Castle was begun by Edward I shortly after the English conquest of Wales in 1277. Farndon lies just over the River Dee.

The Old English word holt meant a "wood" or "thicket" and is a common element in place names over the border in England. Welsh uses the same name for the village but in the past, it included the definite article, appearing as Yr Holt.

The district has been occupied since at least the Roman period. A brickworks (possibly called Bovium) supplied clay tiles and pottery to the Roman fort of Deva Victrix, eight miles away (modern Chester). The works was located just downstream from the modern village. In the early 20th century, six kilns, a bath house, sheds and barracks were found there on the banks of the River Dee.

Three Bronze Age burial urns have also been found in Holt.

Excavations to the north-west of Holt have revealed a major Roman site for making tiles and pottery. It is thought that the tiles were supplied to the Roman fort at Deva Victrix (modern Chester). In 2024, remains of a medieval longhouse were also discovered. The long and narrow building was thought to have been used as a communal dwelling.

There is a medieval market cross in the centre of Holt. The church of St Chad has parts dating to the 15th century and 17th century.

The population was 1,058 inhabitants in the 1841 census.

A Grade I listed 14th-century sandstone bridge links Holt with the English village of Farndon across the River Dee. Records from the county court of Chester in 1368, state that: