To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire to the east and Shropshire to the south-east.

This area of north-eastern Wales has been settled since prehistoric times; the Romans built a fort beside a ford on the River Conwy, and the Normans and Welsh disputed the territory.

They built their castles at strategic locations as they advanced and retreated, but in the end England prevailed, and Edward I conquered the country in 1282.

They lived in a chain of hill forts running through the Clwydian Range and their tribal capital was Canovium, at an important crossing of the River Conwy.

From about 800 onwards, a series of dynastic marriages led to Rhodri Mawr inheriting the kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys.

The coastal plain of Clwyd was the main invasion route, and a number of castles were built there to assist these advances.

The castles at Flint and Rhuddlan date from this period, and were the first to be built by Edward I of England in North Wales during his successful conquest in 1282.

[6] The Williams-Wynn family of Wynnstay had become rich after the dissolution of the monasteries and owned vast estates in Clwyd with resources including lead, tin and copper as well as corn and timber.

In the northeast lies Deeside, the coastal plain beside the Dee estuary, and this part of Clwyd is heavily developed for industry.

[12] Coal mining in the North Wales Coalfield ceased in the second half of the twentieth century but used to be a large source of employment in the area.

The arrival of the railway on the coast in the mid-nineteenth century opened up travel from Merseyside and caused a boom in tourism, with guesthouses in seaside towns offering board and lodging for the urban visitors.

[18] The Local Government Commission for Wales set up in 1958 was the first to recommend wholesale amalgamation of the administrative counties outside Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, with extensive boundary changes; however the then Minister of Housing and Local Government Sir Keith Joseph decided not to accept the report, noting that county amalgamations in England had been highly unpopular when proposed.

The white paper stated that "the need for early action is particularly urgent in Wales", and so the issue was not referred to a Royal Commission as in England.

[27] Clwyd County Council and its six districts ceased operations at midnight on 1 April 1996, and local government was immediately transferred to the new principal areas of Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham.

[10] Some local organisations still make use of the word "Clwyd" in their name, often because their membership covers a wider area than their present unitary authority.

These organisations include the Theatr Clwyd, which is based in Mold and is the largest producing arts centre in Wales.

[34] The position of Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd also continues as the Monarch's personal representative, as with the other seven preserved counties of Wales.

Caer Drewyn is one of many Iron Age hill forts in Clwyd that attest to human occupation of this area for millennia.

[38] The castles of Rhuddlan and Flint were built by the Normans during their invasion of North Wales and Castell Dinas Brân was a Welsh fortress of the same period.

St Asaph Cathedral also dates from the thirteenth century as does the medieval Cistercian abbey of Valle Crucis.

Trains leaving Crewe pass through Chester, cross the River Dee into Wales, and continue through stations such as: Shotton, Flint, Prestatyn, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction, Conwy and Bangor, to Holyhead, from where there is a ferry service to Ireland.

[43] The Shrewsbury–Chester line connects Wrexham General, northwards to Chester and southwards to other stations in the present-day county borough and to Shrewsbury.

The A55 dual carriageway road passes from Chester through St Asaph to the North Wales coast at Abergele, after which it runs parallel to the railway line through Conwy and Bangor to terminate at Holyhead.

The main road from London is the A5 which enters Clwyd at Chirk and passes northwestwards through Llangollen, Corwen and Betws-y-Coed to join the A55 and terminate at Bangor.

Several services by Arriva Buses Wales run along the main coast road between Chester and Holyhead, linking the coastal resorts.