History of Wrexham

The history of Wrexham from the prehistoric to current day. Wrexham is a large town in the north-east of Wales with a long history of both heavy industry and as a market town (see Wrexham).

Prehistoric to Roman times

Approximately 8,000 years ago Mesolithic man ventured to what is now the Wrexham area. These people were hunter-gatherers and led a nomadic existence. They left little tangible evidence of their existence, however a number of small flint tools called Microliths have been found in the Borras area.

A number of Neolithic (4300 - 2300 BC) stone axe heads have been found in Borras, Darland and Johnstown.

Two Bronze age mounds, are situated at Fairy Mount, Fairy Road and Hillbury on Hillbury Road. Both of these mounds lie within the grounds of Victorian era properties in the south west of the town. It is likely that construction work within this area during the early 20th century may have eradicated other related features.

The area surrounding Wrexham is well served by several rivers, including the Clywedog, Alyn and Gwenfro, all of which are tributaries of the Dee. These rivers would have served as highways for early man. Finds within the Alyn area reveal that trade was taking place along this river with places as far away as Ireland during the Bronze Age.

A number of Iron Age hillforts also exist within the surrounding area, including Bryn Alyn (near Bradley), Y Gaer (near Broughton, Flintshire) and Y Gardden (near Ruabon).

At the time of the Roman conquest of Roman Britain, the area which Wrexham formed part of was held by a tribe called the Cornovii. The Cornovii held the lowland forests of Cheshire and Shropshire. Their tribal capital was at Wroxeter, near Shrewsbury. In 48 A.D the Roman Legions reached Wroxeter and then proceeded to attack a tribe called the Deceangli who were based in what is now Flintshire. Around 70 - 75 A.D the Legionary fortress of Deva was constructed (Modern day Chester) and for the next 300 years was the home of the Twentieth Legion.

Evidence of Roman occupation can be found at nearby Holt, where a tile and pottery works were constructed on the banks of the River Dee and at Ffrith where the remains of buildings have been located. In recent years evidence of Roman occupation nearer the town centre, was found during the construction of the Plas Coch retail park. It is alleged that during the construction of the retail development in 1991, a hoard of Roman currency coins were discovered by workmen, however all of the coins disappeared. In 1995 further construction work on the site revealed traces of Roman field boundaries, hearths and a corn drying kiln. It is thought that these are the remains of a farmstead.

Middle Ages

In the early 8th century, Æthelbald King of Mercia, who reigned from 716 to 757, constructed Wat's Dyke, this convert|40|mi|km|sing=on long earthwork passes through the area and close to the western edge of the town.

Wrexham is not mentioned in the Domesday Book. It is first mentioned in 1161 when reference is made to a Norman motte and bailey castle at 'Wristlesham'

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.

In the 17th century wool was woven and fulled in Wrexham. After wool was woven it was cleaned and thickened by pounding it in a mixture of clay and water. This was called fulling. After it dried the wool was dyed.

Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

In the 18th century Wrexham was known for its leather industry with skinners and tanners in the town. The horns from cattle were used to make things like combs and buttons. There was also a nail making industry in Wrexham but in the mid-18th century Wrexham was no more than a small market town with a population of perhaps 2,000.

In the late 18th century Wrexham was transformed by the coming of the industrial revolution. It began when the famous entrepreneur John Wilkinson(1728-1808) known as 'Iron Mad Wilkinson' opened Bersham Ironworks in 1762. In 1793 he opened a smelting plant at Brymbo.

Wrexham gained its first newspaper in 1848. Market Hall was built in 1848. In 1863 a volunteer fire brigade was founded.

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.

Twentieth Century

Wrexham "Wrexham County Borough"

In the latter half of the 20th century, 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. Many residents were anxious to sell their homes and move to areas with better employment prospects, however buyers were uninterested in an area where there was little prospect of employment. Many homeowners 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.

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 chain stores. 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.

Economy

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.

Caia Park riot

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 dramatically. 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 convert|400000|sqft|m2|abbr=on 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.

The bid for City status

Wrexham is by far is one the largest settlements 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. Other Welsh applicants were Aberystwyth, Machynlleth, Newtown, Newport and St Asaph. The local Authority cited the following claims as to why Wrexham should be granted City status:

* The town is the largest urban area north of the Brecon Beacons
* Despite not having a Protestant cathedral (one of the historical criteria for city status), it is home to one of only three Roman Catholic cathedrals in Wales
* It is the centre for education, culture, retail, industry and business in North Wales
* It has the largest catchment (in terms of area) of any other major Welsh settlement
* The town has a long and proud history of industry, including coal mining, steelmaking, brewing and tanning.
* It has recently transformed 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)
* The population of the conurbation surrounding the town is over 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.

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/wrexham/pages/wrexham.shtml BBC Wales History of Wrexham] and [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/wrexham/]
* [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/GBH_match_page.jsp?ons=Wrexham Wrexham on Vision of Britain]
* [http://www.wrexham.gov.uk/english/welcome/history.htm Wrexham Council history of Wrexham]
* [http://www.iknow-wales.co.uk/tourist_information/snowdonia_north_wales/wrexham/wrexham_mining_history.htm I Know Wales - Wrexham's history]
* [http://www.tlysau.org.uk/search/simpleSearch.php?srch=Wrexham&lang=en Wrexham on Gathering the Jewels the website for Welsh cultural history]
* [http://www.welshcoalmines.co.uk/index.html Welsh Coal Mines - ALL the Welsh pits including all the local ones]