Бакли: город и община во Флинтшире, Уэльс.

Town and community in Flintshire, Wales

Buckley (Bwcle ) is a town and community in Flintshire, north east Wales, 2 mile (3 km) from the county town of Mold and contiguous with the villages of Ewloe, Alltami and Mynydd Isa. It is on the A549 road, with the larger A55 road passing nearby. Buckley is the second largest town in Flintshire in terms of population. At the 2011 Census, its community had a population of 15,665. When the contiguous Argoed community is included, Buckley has a population of 21,502. A prominent nearby landmark is the Hanson Cement kiln just south of the town.

Buckley's name appears as Bocleghe in 1198 and Bokkeley in 1294. It may mean "clearing of the bucks", from Old English bucc lēah; however, the preponderance of an O vowel in historical forms suggests that the first element could instead be a personal name, Bocca. Another contender is bōca, meaning "beeches", but the fact that beech trees weren't introduced into North Wales until the 18th century argues against this.

In medieval times the area was part of three manors and lordships: Mold, Hawarden, and Ewloe. In 1420, Henry V presented Ewloe and the pasturage of Buckley to his wife, Catherine of Valois, as a wedding present. It was worth £26 per annum. The town became an industrial heartland for pottery and coal mining between the 17th and 19th centuries. The first was opened in 1737. However, it only grew into any kind of prominence during the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, when coal and clay were extensively mined there, and the name Buckley became synonymous with the production of various fire clay and pottery products. By the early 19th century, there were 14 potteries in the town. Before then, it was divided between the parishes of Mold and Hawarden. Today, Buckley Town Council consists of 20 councillors, elected from four wards. These are called Buckley Mountain, Pentrobin, Bistre East and Bistre West. The same wards elect councillors to Flintshire County Councillors, one from Buckley Mountain, and two from each of the others. Buckley is part of the Alyn and Deeside UK parliamentary constituency and the Alyn and Deeside Senedd constituency and North Wales region.

Buckley is situated in north east Wales approximately 6 mile (10 km) from the border with England to the East. Buckley is in the lee of the Snowdonian mountain range to the west and is therefore in a rain shadow area. Average annual rainfall in Buckley is approximately which is significantly lower than areas to the West of the Snowdonian mountain range. However, in comparison to areas in the East and South East of the United Kingdom, Buckley still receives a fair amount of rainfall. Since Buckley is located approximately above sea level, snowfall is more frequent in winter months in comparison to the lower lying ground in neighbouring areas. Areas in the parish of Buckley outside the town centre include Bistre, Lane End, Padeswood, Buckley Mountain, Drury, Pentrobin, Bannel, and Alltami.

Today, Buckley has a population of around 20,000, and has numerous light industries. Those who cannot find work locally commute to Deeside, Cheshire, Wrexham and Merseyside. The Hanson Cement works at Padeswood is the only large scale industry remaining in the town. Its kiln is now the major landmark on the skyline, visible from many miles away. Despite many locals considering it an eyesore, according to its website, the company has reduced pollution produced by the cement works by up to 90%.

Buckley has a large area of common land, known simply as 'The Common'. It has a large playground for children, as well as a duck pond. A funfair visits during the Buckley Jubilee in the summer, usually on the second Tuesday of July, which is the town jubilee. There is also a small lake, known as 'The Trap', which is stocked with coarse fish. A German Messerschmitt bomber crashed into the Trap during World War II, shot down by anti aircraft fire after going off course following a bombing run over Liverpool. The land is primarily heavy clay soil. Etna Park, which is just a short walk from the town centre, is part of the Heritage Trail walk in the area. Buckley has a shopping precinct, as well as three supermarkets, Aldi, Iceland and Home Bargains. There is a town centre car park which is charged at 30p per hour. The town contains a wide variety of public houses, which includes the local working men's club. The local branch of The Royal British Legion closed in 2010 and has since been demolished.

Buckley has four primary schools: Westwood County Primary (Formerly known as West Lea infants and Buckley CP – juniors) which is on Tabernacle Street, Southdown Primary School on Linderick Avenue, Mountain Lane Primary School on Knowle Lane, and Drury County Primary on Beech Road, Drury. Buckley has one secondary school, the Elfed High School, located near the Common on Mill Lane. The school includes a sports centre and a swimming pool, for use of both the students and the public. Many students from Buckley also attend Argoed High School, located in nearby Bryn y Baal, or the Alun School, in Mold. All schools in Buckley are run by the Flintshire Local Education Authority.

Buckley is unusual in having two ecclesiastical parishes. The Church of St Matthew is the oldest parish church in the town, and was consecrated in 1822. Bistre Emmanuel Parish Church was built in 1842, despite appearing much older due to its early Gothic style architecture. As the Church forbade chapels from having bells, he built a bell tower in the grounds of his home. The site of this unique non conformist bell tower is marked by a mound and plaque near the skate park at the Elfed Sports Complex.

Buckley observes an annual regional celebration and march that is over 200 years old called the Buckley Jubilee, which is celebrated on the second Tuesday of July. Officially, however, the Jubilee was begun in 1856. The difference in dates stems from the 'official' date being set when the Buckley Temperance Society first sanctioned the march. The Jubilee is a ceremonial march that begins on "The Common", a large area of common ground owned by the people of the town used for leisure and recreational purposes. The term 'jubilee' was first used in 1871. A non denominational Service led by the minister of the church or chapel leading the Jubilee that year is held on the Common, starting at around 3pm. The Sunday before the Jubilee, the leading church is presented with the Centenary Shield, which they hold for the year. A fifteen minute service takes place, with two hymns accompanied by the Royal Buckley Town Band. The march then leaves the common, and marches through the town, with representatives from the local Sunday Schools, Scout and Guide troops, and many of the local schools. Banners from each of the local churches are carried. Between summer 1992 and spring 1993, Radiohead played there twice. Bands such as Cast, Ash, Stiff Little Fingers, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Skindred, Hed PE and OPM have all played there. Since a renovation and rebranding in 2000, few bands played live at the venue, with the club music policy having more emphasis on commercial dance and pop music, with a rock night on Fridays. The venue attracts crowds from Chester, Wrexham, Manchester and Liverpool.

The town was also home to a community radio project which used to broadcast 'trial' or 'temporary radio' licences to Buckley, Broughton, Mold, Deeside and the surrounding areas. The station was known as South Flintshire Radio and its offices were found above the swimming baths on Mold Road. The station was heard on eight separate occasions between November 1996 and July 2000 as part of a campaign to bring a local radio station to Flintshire, following the demise of Mold based BBC Radio Clwyd. The project helped pave the way for a permanent local radio licence which was awarded to Chester FM (known as Dee 106.3) which broadcasts to Chester, Ellesmere Port, Deeside and Buckley.

Buckley has a sizable two storey library, with the second level being dedicated solely to history and reference pieces, mainly on the local area. The second floor also doubles as the local museum.

Buckley has a football club in the Cymru North league, Buckley Town F. C. In addition to the men's team Buckley also has a women's team, Buckley Town Ladies FC, who play in the North Wales Coast Women's Football League. The Elfed Sports Complex was built in 2005, near the Elfed High School, and includes a swimming pool, which replaced the outdated, Victorian style baths on the Mold Road high street.

Buckley is located on the A549 road, and is near the A55 expressway, which passes to the south of Ewloe. Buckley is part of a trial run to bring 20 MPH to towns all over Wales. This means most roads in Buckley are 20 MPH.

There are a number of bus routes that pass through Buckley, mostly operated by Arriva Buses Wales, which now means on most weekdays a bus to Chester or Mold is available every 10 minutes.

Buckley has previously been served by up to three different stations on lines operated by the Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway and the Mold Railway. Services to Mold and Connah's Quay have been discontinued and the old train lines removed. Many features remain visible particularly within Knowle Hill Nature Reserve to the east of the town. Today, Buckley railway station is a minor stop on the Borderlands Line, which runs from Wrexham to Bidston on the Wirral. It is operated by Transport for Wales. Trains run every 60 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytimes, and less frequently on evenings and Sundays. Connections can be made at Shotton, Wrexham General, and at Bidston for Liverpool. There are two platforms, one for each direction the line runs in.

The nearest major airports are Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport, both around 45 minutes' drive away, although Hawarden Airport is a minor airfield nearby at Broughton.