Wrexham

For other uses, see Wrexham (disambiguation).

Wrexham Welsh: Wrecsam
Population	63,000
OS grid reference	SJ335505
Principal area	Wrexham
Preserved county	Clwyd
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WREXHAM
Postcode district	LL11-14
Dialling code	01978
Police	North Wales
Fire	North Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
UK Parliament	Wrexham
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament	Wrexham

Wrexham (Welsh: Wrecsam) is an industrial town, conurbation and county borough in north-east Wales, nestled in the lower Dee Valley, close to the English border with Cheshire. It is the main commercial, retail, educational and cultural centre in North Wales, and often termed 'The capital of North Wales'. It is the administrative centre of the county borough of Wrexham.A total of 47 wards form Wrexham County Borough which covers 50,500 hectares of North East Wales. In the 2001 census the urban area of Wrexham had a population of 63,000 (old town proper: 42,576) , with the entire borough of Wrexham greater than 130,000. These figures make Wrexham by far the largest town and conurbation north of the South Wales coast.

History

Prehistoric and Roman times

There is evidence of prehistoric activity in the Wrexham area. Evidence of occupation during Roman times was found during the construction of the Plas Coch Retail Park outside the town centre.

Middle Ages

The King's Mill

Wrexham is not mentioned in the Domesday Book; the first mention of it comes in 1161 by which time there was a Norman motte and bailey castle at 'Wristlesham', however, being well to the east of Offa's Dyke, there has probably been a settlement there since Saxon times.

The town became part of the county of Denbighshire when it was created in 1536. Wrexham was divided into two distinct townships, Wrexham Regis (which was under the control of the King) and Wrexham Abbot (generally the older parts of the town, which originally belonged to Valle Crucis Abbey at nearby Llangollen).

During the English Civil War, Wrexham was on the side of the Royalists as most Welsh gentry supported the king, even though local landowner Sir Thomas Myddelton, owner of Chirk castle gave his support to Parliament. Wrexham became the main town in the area and grew wealthy with its markets.

Nineteenth and twentieth centuries

Wrexham town centre

File:Http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/images/422x135/wxm-aerial1.jpg

Wrexham town centre

[[1]]

Wrexham was formerly one of the most industrialised areas in Wales. One of its main industries was brewing and there were several large breweries in the town, together with many smaller breweries situated at the back of local inns. Some of the more famous old breweries were the Albion, Cambrian, Eagle, Island Green, Soames and Willow. However, the most famous was the Wrexham Lager brewery which was built between 1881 and 1882 in Central Road. This was the first brewery to be built in the United Kingdom to produce lager beer. Another major producer, Border Breweries, was formed in 1931 by a merger of several of the existing smaller breweries. All commercial brewing in Wrexham has now ceased.

Bricks were produced in Abenbury, on the outskirts of Wrexham. The brickworks was sited on both sides of the Abenbury Road.

Coal mining was an important industry in the area, and provided employment for large numbers of Wrexham people, however most of the mines were situated well outside of the town centre. Wrexham's coal field was part of the larger North East Wales field. A number of deep mines were constructed throughout the area including Llay, Gresford, Bersham and Johnstown. A number of new settlements were built on the edge of the town to accommodate miners at a number of the sites including Llay and Pandy (for Gresford).

Other forms of mining and quarrying have taken place around Wrexham throughout its history, these include Lead extracted from Minera. All mining and most quarrying has now ceased in the area.

One legacy of Wrexham's industrial past was the Wrexham area's large and complex network of railways, the main branch being the Wrexham and Minera Branch, which supported the steelworks at nearby Brymbo Steel Mill and the Minera Limeworks. The rail network was torn up in the 1960s (see Beeching Axe) and the Minera Branch in the early 1970s. Wrexham began a period of depression: the many coal mines closed first, followed by the brickworks and other industries, and finally the steelworks (which had its own railway branch up until closure) in the 1980s. Wrexham faced an economic crisis: with residents anxious to sell their homes and move to areas with better employment prospects, but buyers were uninterested in an area where there was little employment. Many people were caught in a negative equity trap. Wrexham was suffering from the same problems as much of Industrialised Britain and saw little investment in the 1970s.

The 90s to present day

Wrexham Wrexham County Borough

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) intervened to improve Wrexham's situation: it funded a major dual carriageway called the A483 bypassing Wrexham town centre and connecting it with Chester and Shrewsbury, which in turn had connections with other big cities such as Manchester and Liverpool. It also funded shops and reclaimed areas environmentally damaged by the coal industry. The town centre was regenerated and attracted a growing number of high street chains. However, the biggest breakthrough was the Wrexham Industrial Estate, previously used in the second world war became home to many manufacturing businesses including Demon Tweeks,Kellogg's, JCB, Duracell and Pirelli. It is now the fifth largest industrial estates in Europe (second in UK) by area.There are currently over 250 businesses on Wrexham Industrial Estate and in the surrounding area. There are also a number of other large industrial estates in the wrexham area, with companies such as Sharp, Brother, Cadbury, and Flexsys. The dual carriageway was extended halfway to the Estate in 2003, and is expected to reach it by 2011.

The County has an economic activity rate of 79.5%, which is above both the Welsh and Great Britain (GB) average.

In November 2006 unemployment in Wrexham stood at 1.9%. This is below the averages for Wales at 2.3%, and England and the UK at 2.5%.

High land prices have led to large apartment blocks being built in and around the town. Scarcity of town center land has led to numerous housing estates being built in the surrounding villages on the outkirts, notably in Brymbo and Rhostyllen.

In June 2003, the Caia Park estate in Wrexham was hit by riots, when a large group of Iraqi Kurds living in the area attacked a pub where many women and small children were celebrating a christening. Around 200 locals and 40 Iraqis were involved. Riot Police from Cheshire, Merseyside and West Mercia, were brought into the estate after locals reacted angrily to the attack on the pub. The situation escalated and resulted in petrol bombs and other missiles being hurled at Police trying to restore order. 51 local residents received Prison sentences. Wrexham as a whole has since seen a vast influx of Polish and Portuguese migrant workers but there has been no repeat of the events of 2003.

Current developments and regeneration

Recent years have seen a large amount of redevelopment in Wrexham's town centre. The creation and re-development of civic and public areas such as Queens Square, Belle Vue Park and Llwyn Isaf have improved the area dramtically. New shopping areas have been created at Henblas Square and Island Green and major development is currently taking place at Eagles Meadow — a fairly large area of land between St. Giles and the inner ring road. The development when completed will increase Wrexham's retail area by over 400,000 sq feet and house a large range of high quality retail outlets, bars, restaurants, cinema, bowling alley and new apartments. It will include public areas and an iconic bridge to connect the development with the old High Street. The housing boom is also being felt in Wrexham. The central area has seen a number conversions and new build apartment complexes. Currently apartments are planned for a large area off Mold Road (close to the Football ground) and on Salop road (close to Eagles Meadow), and near the Island Green shopping complex. Outside of the town centre new build estates are being developed in Brymbo (former steelworks site), Wrexham Western Gateway site (Ruthin Road) and Mold Road. Plans are due to be unveiled (Summer 2007) of the next stage in the development of Wrexham Technology Park as one of the country's first sustainable business centres - the development is expected to increase the size of the Park by more than a third before 2012. Plans have been unveiled for a £17m waste processing centre for Wrexham which will help reduce the amount of waste going to landfill sites. It is believed the centre will be built on Wrexham's industrial estate and run by the Spanish-owned Waste Recycling Group.

City status

Wrexham is by far the largest settlement in North Wales, and has applied for city status several times, most recently in 2002 as part of the celebrations for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, along with Aberystwyth, Machynlleth, Newtown, Newport and St Asaph. Its claims are backed up by the following information:

• Being the largest urban area north of the Brecon Beacons
• Despite not having a Protestant Catherderal (part of the historic criteria for City status), it is home to one of only three Catholic Catherderals in Wales
• The centre for education, culture, retail, industry and business in North Wales
• The largest catchment (in terms of area) of any other major Welsh settlement
• A long and proud history of industry, including coal mining, steelmaking, brewing and tanning.
• Its recent transformation from an historic market town and industrial hub into a forward thinking business and manufacturing centre (including one of the largest industrial estates in Europe)
• A conurbation surrounding the town of around 100,000 people

In the end, the Welsh award was given to Newport in south Wales, however the borough still holds out hope of gaining the status in the near future. Wrexham county borough is among the smallest local authorities in north Wales by area. Although several attempts have been made to enlarge the local authority, other towns, such as Llangollen have rejected it, as there is a lot of "town rivalry" with neighbouring towns and cities, particularly Chester.

Culture

Arts

Wrexham hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1888, 1912, 1933 and 1977, as well as an unofficial National Eisteddfod event in 1876. Wrexham has a number of theatres, including the Grove Park Theatre on Vicarage Hill, the Riverside Studio Theatre at Wrexham Musical Theatre Society on Salop Road and the Yale Studio theatre close to Llwyn Isaf. The main Arts centre is at Wrexham County Library, with others at NEWI in Plas Coch and Yale College. There is a multi-screen Odeon cinema in the Plas Coch retail park just outside the town centre, with another planned at the new Eagles Meadow development — due to open 2008. The nearby town of Llangollen holds the International Musical Eisteddfod every July.

Music

Wrexham has built a vibrant music scence over the last few years. In 2007 it featured on BBC Radio One's Steve Lamac show, and regularly features on the Welsh music portion of the station. The main live music venue in Wrexham is Central Station, a club with a capacity of approximately 650, attracting touring bands from across the country. Since its opening in 2000 the venue has played host to hundreds of acts, including The Charlatans, the Scratch Perverts, Ash, The View, The Wildhearts, Mansun, Shed Seven, The Wonder Stuff, Skindred, Supersuckers, Moscow, Bloc Party, Hundred Reasons, Grandmaster Flash, Electric Six, Trashlight Vision, The Fall, Budgie, Crosbi, The Blackout, Kids in Glass Houses, Rooster and Robert Plant.

Another live music venue in Wrexham is the William Aston Hall at NEWI. It hosts concerts and live entertainment. This 900-seat venue has recently undergone extensive refurbishment, and is now designed to accommodate a range of events from conferences and exhibitions to theatrical performances and pop/rock concerts. Acts who have performed there in the past include Super Furry Animals, Love, Ray Davies, Funeral for a Friend, Freddie Starr and Sweet.. Other music venues in the town include the Old Swan on Abbot Street, and the Goulbourne in Borras.

Media

Wrexham's newspapers include the daily Wrexham Evening Leader, the weekly free Wrexham Mail, and the weekly broadsheet Wrexham Leader, often known as the "Big Leader". Two radio stations, Marcher Sound and Classic Gold Marcher - 103.4, serve the town from their studios on Mold Road. The studios are also home to a number of other regional radio stations broadcasting to the North Wales coast and the Wirral. A 'Media' quarter has developed within the towns Civic Centre where television stations BBC Wales, ITV Wales and S4C have studios or bureaux for their regional news services.

Shopping

The main shopping areas in Wrexham are; Abbot street, Bank street, Henblas street, King street, Regent street, Overton Arcade, Hope Street and Queen Street. A cluster of retail parks are situated around the inner ring road at Central and Border retail parks. Plas Coch and Berse retail parks are situated on the outskirts close to the A483.

File:Eagles meadow.jpg

Eagles Meadow Development

In 1999, almost at a stroke, Wrexham town centre added over 250,000 square feet of retail shopping space when the Henblas Square and Island Green developments were completed. In 2008 a 400,000 sqaure feet development will be completed at Eagles Meadow. This will increase Wrexham's shopping catchment to half a million shoppers. Commited stores to the development include Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, H&M, Next, River Island, TenPin and Odeon. The new development will be connected to Yorke Street / High Street by an iconic bridge.

Traditional markets - There are three covered markets (Beast, Butchers and Peoples Market's) plus the North Wales largest open air Market based on the Waterworld car park each Monday (including Bank Holidays).

Wrexham boasts the most used Shopmobility Service in North Wales. Its free. Much of the Wrexham Town Centre is pedestrianised.

Short Stay Car Parks adjacent to the town centre. Long-stay parking is available at St. marks (NCP) at the northern end of Regent Street or the larger surface park (WCBC)

Nightlife

Wrexham has a vibrant nightlife mainly centered around the older original parts of the town close to the St. Giles Church along High Street, Town Hill and Brook Street. Some of the more popular bars include Lloyds, Bar Cuprum, Golden Lion, Yates, Milliners, Harveys, Fat Cat Cafe Bar, Chequers, Bar 1-5, Barracuda, Yales Cafe/Bar, Honky Tonks, the Commercial, The Cambrian Vaults, South Central, Chicago Rock Cafe and Club K1. Nightclubs include Liquid, Envy, Scotts, Central Station (including live music venue) and the Centenary Club (at Wrexham FC)

Heritage

Wrexham's former Police station on Regent Street, originally the barracks for the Royal Denbigshire Militia, is now home to Wrexham County Borough Museum. The Museum has two galleries devoted to the history of the town and its surrounding communities. There is also a programme of temporary exhibitions, including last year an exhibition featuring the Mold Cape, the first time the Bronze Age treasure had returned to North Wales since its discovery in 1833. Just to the west of the town, Bersham Heritage Centre and Ironworks tell the story of John Wilkinson, the 'Iron Mad' pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. At the top end of the Clywedog Valley, about ten minutes' drive from Wrexham, Minera Lead Mines are the remains of the profitable lead industry that dates back to prehistoric times.

Just to the east of Wrexham, there are the few remains of Holt Castle. The castle and the nearby late medieval bridge were the scene of constant skirmishes during the Civil War in the 17th century. The bridge was the entrance to North Wales and of vital strategic importance.

Just 2 miles south of Wrexham town centre, Erddig, the National Trust property, was home to the Yorke family until 1973. Its last resident, Philip Yorke, handed over a house in need of restoration as years of subsidence caused by the workings of Bersham Colliery had caused a lot of damage. The house was voted one of the two most popular stately homes in the UK by a National Trust/Channel 5 publication. However, the house was not popular with Bersham miners as it stood on a pillar of coal and they had to work round it.

Wrexham's mining heritage is nearly all gone. Most former mines have been converted into industrial and business parks - one such development at Bersham Colliery has the last surviving headgear in the North Wales coalfield. Just off the A483, on the edge of Wrexham, the Gresford Disaster Memorial stands witness to the 261 miners, two rescuemen and one surface worker killed by a series of explosions in the Gresford Colliery in 1934.

Religion

St Giles Church, the largest church in Wrexham

St Giles' Church, Wrexham is the parish church of Wrexham and includes a colourful ceiling of flying musical angels, two early eagle lecterns, a window by the artist Edward Burne-Jones and the Royal Welch Fusiliers chapel. In the graveyard is the tomb of Elihu Yale who was the benefactor of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States and after whom Yale College Wrexham is named. The tower of St. Giles is claimed as one of the 'Seven Wonders of Wales' and the tower of Yale University reflects its design. The Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows, in Regent Street, is the main church of the Diocese of Wrexham, which extends over all of the north of Wales. Wrexham also has a number of non-denominational chapels and Churches scattered about the town. The main Methodist church is in Brynyffynon, off Regent Street. Up until the 1970s the town was full of Welsh non-denominational Chapels and the attendance of these was far in excess of that of the Anglican Church in the town.

In the past, Wrexham had a church with a spire much taller than the St Giles steeple dedicated and named after St Mark, but this was demolished as the building's foundations were in danger of collapse. A multi-storey car park named "St Marks" was erected on the site.

Sport

Football and rugby

The town has a professional football team, Wrexham A.F.C., which competes in the Football League. Currently managed by Brian Carey and his assistant Steve Weaver, the club has a rich 130 year history and is perhaps most notable for an FA Cup upset over Arsenal F.C. in 1992, together with a number of European Cup Winners Cup runs in the 1970s-80's and early 90's, playing teams such as FC Porto (whom they beat), Anderlecht, Manchester United and AS Roma. They featured well in the 90's in F.A. cup runs knocking teams such as Arsenal, Birmingham City, Ipswich Town, Middlesborough and West Ham out.They won promotion from League 2 in 2003, and were relegated 2 seasons later due to being docked 10 points for entering administration, however in 2005 they lifted the Football league trophy at the millenium stadium in cardiff in front of 40,000 fans. Despite the attempt to knock down the club's historic Racecourse Ground and replace it with a shopping development in 2005/06, the club's future is now assured, thanks to a consortium of local businessmen led by a local car dealer Neville Dickens and partner Geoff Moss. The town end of the ground is due for redevelopment in the 2007/8 season, which will see a new stand and a number of high quality apartments built.

The ground has in the past also served as the secondary home of the Llanelli Scarlets, one of the four Welsh professional rugby sides that compete in the Magners sponsored Celtic League. They would play, on average, two games per season there, though since the problems experienced by Wrexham FC during its period in administration, and uncertainty over the future of the ground, there were no Llanelli Scarlets games played there in season 2005–6 nor are any games scheduled for the 2006–7 Magners League season. Liverpool F.C. Reserves also play their home fixtures here, as do the Welsh international rugby team on occasion.

Other Sports

• Tennis: Wrexham is home to the North Wales Regional Tennis Centre, which plays host to a number of international competitions each year including the 'Challenger' Series. The centre is also home to the Wrexham Lawn Tennis Association.
• Athletics: Queensway International Athletics stadium in Caia Park is Wrexham's second stadium after the Racecourse and has hosted the Welsh Open Athletics event in recent years. The stadium is also home to North Wales' largest athletics club, Wrexham Amateur Athletics Club.
• Hockey: Plas Coch is home to the North Wales Regional Hockey Stadium, a water-based international FIH accredited facility with seating for 200 spectators and floodlighting. The stadium is due to host the 2007 Celtic Cup in July this year.
• Basketball: The recently formed NEWI Nets are North Wales' highest-ranked basketball team and currently compete in English Division 2. They play at NEWI's Plas Coch sports arena.

Tourism

Wrexham's most popular attractions include:

• Bangor-on-Dee racecourse
• Erddig Hall - National Trust property and park land (UK's second most popular stately home)
• Pontcysyllte Aqueduct - Longest and Highest aqueduct in Britain (World Hertitage Site Nomination 2007)
• Chirk Castle - National Trust property, 11th-century Marcher Fortress
• Coed Llandegla Forest Mountain Bike Centre (Denbighshire, but just eight miles from Wrexham town centre
• Historic town centre buildings (i.e Horse & Jockey pub, thatched roof pub, Regent Street)
• Valle Crucis Abbey
• Wrexham County Museum
• Techniquest@NEWI - Science discovery centre
• St. Giles Church - (One of the Seven Wonders of Wales and burial place of Elihu Yale)
• Clywedog Valley - The power behind the industrial revolution in Wrexham, a number of good heritage attractions (Minera Leadmines, Nant Mill and Bersham Ironworks) in a peaceful valley with good walks(BBC's 20 hidden gems in 2007)

Education

Wrexham is home to the newest University of Wales college, the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education (NEWI). This incorporates the North Wales School of Art and Design. NEWI is currently seeking full University status as the future University of Wales, Wrexham.

Wrexham has a number of primary and secondary schools. It has just one Welsh speaking secondary school, that being Ysgol Morgan Llwyd. Recently, three of the largest secondary schools, St David's School, Ysgol Bryn Offa and The Groves High School were merged to create two larger "super schools", Ysgol Clywedog and Rhosnesni High. Wrexham has also become home to the first shared faith school in Wales in the form of St Joseph's. Yale College is the main post-16 education facility.

In the whole of Wrexham county borough there are 72 primary, 10 secondary and 3 special sector schools.

Politics

Wrexham County Borough Council elects a mayor who serves for one year. The current mayor of Wrexham is Councillor Joan Lowe. She is the ninth female mayor of Wrexham. Wrexham Council's website, is one of the leading council websites in the country. People who live under the jurisdiction of Wrexham County Borough Council are able to pay taxes, debts and other fees through the website. They can also access many other services, such as reporting crimes, submitting planning applications and applying for permits.

The Wrexham constituency elects members to the UK Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales. The constituency includes both the town and some of its outlying villages such as Gwersyllt, Llay, Marford and Rossett.

The UK Parliament constituency of Wrexham has long been a safe seat for the Labour Party. The current Member of Parliament is Ian Lucas, and the Assembly Member for the National Assembly for Wales constituency of Wrexham is Lesley Griffiths.

Twinning

The town of Wrexham is twinned with the German district of Märkischer Kreis and the Polish town of Racibórz.

The first Twinning was established on 17th March 1970 between the former Kreis Iserlohn and Wrexham Rural District. Its early success ensured that, after local government reorganisation in both countries in the mid-seventies, the Twinning was taken over by the new Councils of Märkischer Kreis and Wrexham Maelor Borough Council and, in 1996, by Wrexham County Borough Council.

In 2001 Märkischer Kreis entered a Twinning arrangement with Racibórz (Ratibor), a county in Poland, which was formerly part of Silesia, Germany. In September 2002, a delegation from Racibórz visited Wrexham and began initial discussions about possible co-operation which led, eventually, to the signing of Articles of Twinning between Wrexham and Racibórz in March 2004. The Wrexham area has strong historical links with Poland. Following World War II, many service personnel from the Free Polish armed forces who had been injured received treatement at Penley Polish Hospital. Many of their decendants remain in the area to this day.

Transport

Rail

Wrexham has two railway stations. Wrexham General which has 4 platforms provides direct rail services to Chester, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bangor, Liverpool and Holyhead. All local services that operate from Wrexham Central also run through General. A 5 times daily direct service to London is due to start in late 2007.

Wrexham Central which is located on the Island Green retail park has 1 platform, but splits into 2 tracks on the outskirts of the town.It provides direct rail services Gwersyllt, Cefn-y-Bedd, Caergwrle, Hope, Penyffordd, Buckley, Hawarden, Shotton, Hawarden Bridge, Neston, Heswall, Upton, Bidston (Where there is connections to Liverpool and West Kirby)

Bus & Coach

A recent focus on road transport by the council has improved the bus travel in the Wrexham area, with most buses being low-floor and slightly elevated bus stops to allow people easier access to buses. A new bus terminal in Wrexham has been built. It is the largest in north Wales, featuring indoor shops and ambient music, along with a staffed information booth. The bus station serves local, regional and long-distance bus services. Long distance coaches are available to Edinburgh and London.

There is the "wrexham shuttle" which provides a link between wrexham and the industrial estate, there is a similar one in the Deeside area.

Wrexham is one of the first areas in the United Kingdom to adopt the use of American Bluebird school buses. 10 currently operate in the Wrexham area, transporting pupils to and from the schools and colleges.

Roads

The A483 is Wrexham's principal route. It skirts the western edge of the town, dividing it from the Urban villages to the west. The road has connections with major roads (A55, M53, A5(M54)).

The A5156 leads to the A534 and on to the Wrexham industrial estate.

The A541 is the main route into Wrexham from Mold and the town's western urban area.

Plans

Wrexham has many major plans for the future. The WDA (Welsh Development Agency) (now disbanded), had earmarked Wrexham as a potential transport hub. The UK capital of culture for 2008, Liverpool, has also donated £100,000 to a study of electrification of the Wrexham to Bidston line, and a possible rail link to the North Wales coast line. This will open new rail links to the east, and the urban area of Liverpool.

With house prices rising rapidly in this area, the council has made many plans for massive suburban housing estates to be built. One, near Ysgol Clywedog, will include a small shopping centre and another primary school.

On 30 January 2006, it was announced that a new railway company, named the Wrexham Shropshire and Marylebone Railway (WSMR), had been formed. It plans to run a fast or high speed rail service from Wrexham, through Shrewsbury to London's Marylebone station. The announcement made it unclear as to whether it will use locomotive hauled trains or high speed DMU trains, but it was mentioned that the line to Shrewsbury may need infrastructural upgrades to handle high speed trains.

Districts

Wrexham, comprises a number of areas which make up the urban area itself (Pop 63,000 in 2001). The Wrexham UA was first defined in 2001 by the ONS. This area does not include many of the villages surrounding Wrexham that make up the conurbation.

Wrexham's Urban Area (pink) and surrounding villages (circles)

Wrexham Urban Area

• Acton - Incorporating Acton Park
• Borras
• Bryn Offa
• Brynteg, Caego, New Broughton, Southsea - The Broughton Community
• Caia Park
• Erddig
• Garden Village
• Gwersyllt
• Hightown
• Industrial Estate (Bowling Bank)
• Kings Mill
• Pandy
• Plas Coch - or (Lower Stansty
• Rhosddu
• Rhosnesni
• Rhosrobin
• Rhostyllen
• Summerhill
• Spring Lodge
• Town Centre
• Upper Stansty

Nearby villages

• Acrefair
• Bangor-on-Dee
• Bersham
• Brymbo
• Cefn-Mawr
• Coedpoeth
• Cross Lanes
• Gresford
• Holt
• Johnstown
• Llangollen
• Llay
• Marchwiel
• Marford
• Minera
• Newbridge
• Plas Madoc
• Pulford
• Rhos
• Rossett

Notable residents

Acton Park, Once the seat of George Jeffreys

Former residents include:

• George Jeffreys - (1645-1689) 'The Hanging Judge' of Acton Hall in Acton.
• Elihu Yale - (1649-1721), businessman and benefactor of Yale University.
• John 'Iron-Mad' Wilkinson - (1728-1808) Son of Issac, known for Bersham Ironworks in the town and producing canons for the American civil war
• Edwin Hughes - ("Balaclava Ned") (1830-1927), the last survivor of the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava in the Crimea.
• John Godfrey Parry-Thomas - (1884-1927), engineer and racing driver.
• Ricky Tomlinson - (born 1939), actor mainly known for his role in The Royle Family.
• Bruce Grobelaar - (born 1957), football player who lived in the area during his time as a goalkeeper at Liverpool FC.
• Jack Mary Ann - a local folk hero who lived in the Top Boat House area of Broughton.
• Tim Vincent - former Blue Peter presenter, now Access Hollywood reporter.
• Robbie Savage current Blackburn Rovers footballer and Wales international.
• Mark Hughes - former Man Utd and Wales player and Wales manager. Currently Blackburn F.C. manager who now lives in Mottram, Cheshire.
• K-Klass - dance music group.
• Annie Lennox - (musician) lived in Coedpoeth, two miles west of Wrexham.
• Andrew Scott (guitarist) - guitarist with 70's glam rock band The Sweet

Current residents include:

• Joey Jones A football player who played for Liverpool, Chelsea and Wrexham. In 2002 he scaled down his commitments to Wrexham, working as an Under 18's Reserve team coach.
• Dennis Taylor 1985 World Snooker Championship Winner and BBC commentator, currently resides in Llay.

External links

• Wrexham County Borough Council
• Local History — Wrexham (BBC)
• Wrexham Music — A guide to the music scene in Wrexham
• 360 Degree Panoramic View of Queens Square (BBC) (Java required)
• Yellow buses fleet in Wrexham
• Evening Leader
• Virtual Wrexham
• wrecsam.com
• 12th Man - Wrexham FC Supporters site
• Francis Frith Historic Photos of Wrexham (mainly from 1895)
• Wrexham Today - Wrexham portal
• The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust
• Wrexham Musical Theatre Trust