It came as a surprise this spring when it was revealed that the part of the UK that most strongly identified with being 'English only' on the census was actually in Wales. According to census data, 38.9% of people in Broughton and Saltney identify solely as "English" as opposed to Welsh, British or other nationalities.
This made the two villages “more English” than parts of England forever associated with the flag of St George – places like Canvey Island, Newlands & Holland-on-Sea in Essex. In the rankings, Broughton and Saltney also sat above another bastion of Englishness, Sutton-on-Sea, Lincolnshire. But on the flipside North Wales Live has found a part of England where more people identify as 'Welsh only' than 'English only' - with almost one is five putting that down.
READ MORE: Every Michelin star restaurant in Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland for 2024 READ MORE: Dangerous spikes left in sand at one of North Wales's most beautiful sandy beaches As you may expect, as we found with the Broughton and Saltney, it is an area on the border - just over in rural Shropshire. The small English village of Chirk Bank sits just on the English/Welsh border - close to the village of Chirk which lies in Wales. It is a place of picture perfect canal view cottages that line the tow path, and were originally built for the staff of the Glyn Valley Tramway.
That proximity to Wales will explain why more people there put down 'Welsh only' rather than 'English only' in the 2021 censu.
