Wrexham County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Wrecsam) is a

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent te ...

, with city status, in the

north-east The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. It borders

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

to the east and south-east, Powys to the south-west,

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

to the west and Flintshire to the north-west. The county borough has a population of 136,055. The city of

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

is its largest settlement, which together with villages such as Gwersyllt, New Broughton, Bradley and Rhostyllen form a built-up area with 65,692 residents. Villages in the county borough also include

Ruabon Ruabon ( cy, Rhiwabon ) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The name comes from ''Rhiw Fabon'', ''rhiw'' being the Welsh word for "slope" or "hillside" and ''Fabon'' being a mutation from St Mabon, the original church ...

, Rhosllanerchrugog, Johnstown,

Acrefair () is a village in the county borough of Wrexham, North East Wales, in the community of Cefn. It was formerly part of the ancient parish of Ruabon, and is located between Wrexham and Llangollen. It is close to the villages of Trevor, Cefn Maw ...

, Bangor-on-Dee, and Coedpoeth amongst others. The county borough has two outlying towns,

Chirk Chirk ( cy, Y Waun) is a town and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, south of Wrexham, between it and Oswestry. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 4,468. Historically in the traditional county of Denbighshire, and later Clw ...

and

Holt Holt or holte may refer to: Natural world *Holt (den), an otter den * Holt, an area of woodland Places Australia * Holt, Australian Capital Territory * Division of Holt, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives in Vic ...

, and various rural settlements in the county borough's large salient in the

Ceiriog Valley The Ceiriog Valley ( cy, Dyffryn Ceiriog) is the valley of the River Ceiriog in north-east Wales. Its Welsh name, "Dyffryn Ceiriog", is the name of an electoral ward of Wrexham County Borough. The ward is the largest ward of the county borough b ...

, and the English Maelor. The area has strong links with traditional industries such as coal-mining and

brewing Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer ...

, although modern manufacturing has since succeeded those former industries. The county borough was formed on 1 April 1996 following the enactment of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994.

Borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

status was inherited from the then town of Wrexham granted in 1857. Most of the area was previously part of the

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

Wrexham Maelor Wrexham Maelor ( cy, Wrecsam Maelor) was a local government district with borough status, being one of six districts in the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales, from 1974 to 1996. History The borough was created on 1 April 1974, under the Local Go ...

– with several communities coming from Glyndŵr – within the former county of Clwyd. Most of the county borough is part of the historic county of

, with two

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

s of historic Flintshire: English Maelor and the parish of

Marford and Hoseley Marford is a village in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, near the Wales-England border. Marford covers some , where the hills of north-east Wales meet the Cheshire Plain. Distant landmarks that can be seen clearly from Marford include Eaton Hal ...

. One of Wales'

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

s; the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal, three of the

Seven Wonders of Wales The Seven Wonders of Wales ( cy, Saith Rhyfeddod Cymru) is a traditional list of notable landmarks in north Wales, commemorated in an anonymously written rhyme: The rhyme is usually supposed to have been written sometime in the late 18th or ear ...

; St Giles' Parish Church, Overton Yew Trees and Gresford's All Saints' Church; two

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

properties at Erddig and

, part of the

Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB , iucn_category =V , iucn_ref = , photo =Sunny Hillside, Frosty Valley Dee Valley Wales (11014647076).jpg , photo_width = , photo_alt =Image of the view of the Dee Valley from Moel Y Gamelin , photo_caption = ...

, the UK's largest prison, and one of the largest industrial estates in Europe are located in the county borough.

History

Borough status

In 1848, concerns over the sanitary conditions, in particular the threat of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium '' Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting an ...

, in the growing town of Wrexham, led to locals launching a petition in February 1857 for the town to be incorporated. In September 1857, the town was granted a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the re ...

, spanning the two

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, ...

s of the town, Wrexham Abbot and Wrexham Regis, as well as part of Esclusham Below, and forming the borough of Wrexham, with a borough council (a

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and ...

) and

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

under the terms of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. During incorporation the town was also given a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

. Between 1894 and 1974, as part of

; the remaining

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

es surrounding but excluding the town were part of the

Wrexham Rural District Wrexham was a rural district in the administrative county of Denbighshire from 1894 and 1974. The rural district took over the existing Wrexham Sanitary district, Rural Sanitary District. It consisted of the following civil parishes: *Abenbury * ...

, civil parishes in the Maelor region were part of the Overton Rural District, renamed

Maelor Rural District Maelor was a rural district in the administrative county of Flintshire, Wales, from 1894 to 1974. The area approximated to the hundred of Maelor or English Maelor ( cy, Maelor Saesneg), and was notable for forming a detached part of the coun ...

in 1953. Whereas civil parishes in Chirk and the Ceiriog Valley were from 1894 part of either the Chirk Rural District or Llansillin Rural District, until they were merged into the Ceiriog Rural District in 1935, and abolished in 1974 to become part of Clwyd's Glyndŵr district. The Local Government Act 1958 formed the

Local Government Commission for Wales The Local Government Commission for Wales was established by the Local Government Act 1958 to review the organisation of local government in Wales and to make recommendations for its reform. It delivered its report in 1963 and was dissolved in 1967. ...

tasked to review the potential reform of local government in Wales. In their 1963 report, the commission rejected proposals for the establishment of Wrexham as a

Status within Clwyd, then as County Borough

The borough of Wrexham,

(except

Llangollen Rural Llangollen Rural ( cy, Llangollen Wledig) is a community and electoral ward in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It contains the villages of Froncysyllte, Garth, and Trevor, and had a population of 1,999 at the 2001 census,

and

Llantysilio Llantysilio ( cy, Llandysilio-yn-Iâl) is a community in Denbighshire, Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Se ...

(from Hawarden Rural District, Flintshire) and the neighbouring Flintshire exclave of the

, were abolished in 1974, all being absorbed into the

of the then administrative county of Clwyd. Chirk and the Ceiriog Valley were part of the Glyndŵr district. Clwyd itself was abolished in 1996 as an administrative county, becoming a

preserved county The preserved counties of Wales are the eight current areas used in Wales for the ceremonial purposes of Lord-lieutenant, lieutenancy and High Sheriff#England, Wales and Northern Ireland, shrievalty. They are based on the subdivisions of Wales, ...

for ceremonial

lieutenancy A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ...

purposes. Wrexham was established as a

(a principal area; same powers as counties in Wales) in 1996, containing all of the former Clwyd district of Wrexham Maelor, and the communities of

Glyntraian Glyntraian ( cy, Glyntraean) is a community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The parish of Glyntraian, lying at the mouth of the Ceiriog Valley, was formed when the ancient parish of Llangollen was divided into three ''traeanau'' ("traean/t ...

, Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog and

Ceiriog Ucha Ceiriog Ucha, also spelled as Ceiriog Uchaf (meaning "Upper Ceiriog"), is a community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The community lies in the Ceiriog Valley and comprises the villages of Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog and Tregeiriog as well as ...

from the Glyndŵr district. Following formation in 1996, there were discussions over the boundary between the newly created principal areas of Denbighshire and Wrexham County Borough, in particular over the lower Dee Valley and Llangollen area. Llangollen,

and Llantysillio were all considered to potentially all or partly become part of Wrexham County Borough. Referendums were held in the communities, with the community of

, originally in Denbighshire in 1996, transferred to Wrexham County Borough in 1997 through the enacting of "The Denbighshire and Wrexham (Areas) Order 1996" on 1 April 1997. Referendums by Llangollen Town Council were held in 1993 and 2000, with the latter resulting in a narrow majority of nineteen votes for staying in Denbighshire, and the Welsh Assembly accepting the result by confirming the boundaries in 2002. On 1 September 2022, the county borough was awarded city status on behalf of Wrexham's application.

Geography

Wrexham County Borough is a landlocked principal area in Wales. It is a "border county" in the Welsh Marches border region. It is bordered by the

English counties The counties of England are areas used for different purposes, which include administrative, geographical, cultural and political demarcation. The term "county" is defined in several ways and can apply to similar or the same areas used by each ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county tow ...

to the east and

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

to the south and south-east, and the Welsh counties of Flintshire to the north,

to the west, and Powys to the south-west. Parts of the Berwyn range and Maesyrchen Mountains, some part of the

Clwydian Range and Dee Valley , iucn_category =V , iucn_ref = , photo =Sunny Hillside, Frosty Valley Dee Valley Wales (11014647076).jpg , photo_width = , photo_alt =Image of the view of the Dee Valley from Moel Y Gamelin , photo_caption = ...

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty since

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

, border the county borough to its west. To the east across the River Dee, the county borough meets the Cheshire Plain. English Maelor region map

The county borough's boundaries can be characterised by two protrusions from the largely contiguous borders surrounding the city of Wrexham, sometimes defined as

Maelor Gymraeg The Maelor is an area of north-east Wales along the border with England. It is now entirely part of Wrexham County Borough. The name ''Maelor'' is an old Welsh word: it can be translated as "land of the prince", from ''mael'' ("prince") and ''l ...

(meaning "Welsh Maelor"). To the south-east of the city, across the River Dee, the English Maelor ( cy, Maelor Saesneg; a former part of Historic Flintshire) extends to almost meet the English village of Whitchurch, Shropshire and Fenn's Moss. To the south-west, a large salient of the county borough to the west of Chirk, along the River Ceiriog and the surrounding

meets the Berwyn range and the Powys border. The highest point in the county borough is Craig Berwyn, rising 790 metres on the Wrexham-Powys border in the Berwyn range. Other highland geographic features include:

Esclusham Mountain Esclusham Mountain ( Welsh: ''Mynydd Esclus'' or ''Mynydd Esclys'') is an area in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, United Kingdom, and is part of the Ruabon Moors. It rises to a height of 460 m (1509 feet), with the nearby spur of Cyrn-y-Brain, to ...

, Minera Mountain, the peaks of Moel Fferna, Pen Bwlch Llandrillo, Eglwyseg Mountain and Cadair Bronwen (all on the Denbighshire border), the

Ruabon Moors The Ruabon Moors are an area of upland moorland in Wales to the west of Ruabon and Wrexham. They lie partly within Wrexham County Borough and partly within Denbighshire. In the northern part of the moors are the areas known as Minera Mountain a ...

and Ruabon Mountain. The county borough is within the

of Clwyd, and between 1974 and 1996 as part of the then administrative county of Clwyd, the present-day county borough was divided into the districts of

and Glyndŵr. Before Clwyd's establishment in 1974, the modern-day county borough was part of the historic counties of

(spanning most of the modern-day county borough; including Wrexham), and Flintshire (the English Maelor exclave). Offa's and Wat's Dyke, and their respective pathways ( Offa's Dyke Path, and Wat's Dyke Way) pass through the county borough. Other pathways include the Dee Way Walk, and

Maelor Way Maelor Way is a key long distance footpath, running 38 kilometres / 24 miles from the Offa's Dyke Path National Trail at Bronygarth to the Shropshire Way, Sandstone Trail, Llangollen Canal, South Cheshire Way, and the Marches Way all at Gr ...

. The Fenn's, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserve is located in the south-east of the county along the Wrexham-Shropshire border. The county borough is largely urban and industrial surrounding Wrexham, but largely rural for the rest of the county borough, with areas of farmland and rural estates. Woodlands cover 9.4% of the county borough, lower than the national average of 14%. WrexhamBuiltUpArea

The main settlement of the county borough is the city of

. The Wrexham built-up area, includes the neighbouring villages of Gwersyllt, Rhostyllen,

Brymbo Brymbo is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It lies in the hilly country to the west of Wrexham city, largely surrounded by farmland. At the 2001 Census, the population of the community area (including Brymbo village, ...

, Bradley and New Broughton, forming Wales' fourth largest urban area with 65,692 inhabitants. The two other towns in the county borough are

and

. The main villages of the county borough are Rhosllanerchrugog,

Cefn Mawr Cefn Mawr () is a village in the community of Cefn within Wrexham County Borough, Wales. Its name translates as "big ridge".Mills, D. ''A Dictionary of British Place Names'', OUP, p.104 The population in 2001 was 6,669, increasing to 7,051 i ...

, Coedpoeth, Gresford, Llay, Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog,

Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog (; often referred to as Llanarmon DC or locally simply as Llanarmon) is a village in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It lies on the River Ceiriog and is at the end of the B4500 road, five miles (8 km) south-west of ...

, Bangor-on-Dee and Marchwiel. Rhosllanerchrugog's built-up area extends to Ruabon, Cefn Mawr and Acrefair, with a total population of 25,362 in 2011. Rivers in the county borough include the rivers: Alyn, Cegidog, Ceiriog, Clywedog, Dee, Eitha, Gwenfro,

Nant-y-Ffrith Nant-y-Ffrith refers to a stream and the wooded valley through which it flows on the border between Flintshire and Wrexham County Borough in Wales. The stream begins in moorland to the east of Llandegla. It passes Bwlchgwyn village before ente ...

and the Wych Brook. Some of these rivers form the edges of the county borough, such as the Dee, Nant-y-Ffrith and Wych. The River Dee is the main river in the county borough, flowing from Denbighshire in the west into the county borough passing

Froncysyllte Froncysyllte (; ), colloquially known as Fron, is a village in Wrexham County Borough, Wales and stands on the banks of the River Dee and the Llangollen Canal. It is situated on the main A5 road which runs from London to Holyhead. It is in the ...

, under Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, and passing Chirk, until it flows north-east towards England, cutting off the county borough's south-east salient of Maelor Saesneg (meaning "English Maelor") and later forming part of the border between Wales and England. River Alyn, a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the Dee, flows in the north of the county borough. Acton Park lake, Wrexham

Lakes in the county borough include: Acton Park Lake, Cae Llwyd Reservoir, Chirk Castle Lake, Fenn's Bank Mere, Gresford Flash (The Flash),

Hanmer Mere Hanmer Mere ( cy, Llyn Hanmer) is a natural lake and Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wrexham County Borough, Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Iris ...

Llyn Bedydd Llyn Bedydd is a small lake in Wrexham County Borough, in northeastern Wales, near the border with England. It is south west of Whitchurch. The lake and the surrounding woodland are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Descrip ...

, Monk's Pool, Pant-yr-ochain Lake, Penycae Top Reservoir, Ty Mawr Reservoir, and Wynnstay Park Lake. There is a veteran tree, said to be over 1,000 years old, near Chirk, known as the Oak at the Gate of the Dead. There are also some caves under

to the west of the county borough, with caves such as: Ogof Dydd Byraf and Ogof Llyn Parc.

Country parks

There are eleven urban and country parks in the county borough operated by Wrexham council, these include all the country parks, three urban parks in Wrexham and Ponciau, as well as the Nant Mill Visitor Centre and Brynkinalt Park. The seven

country park A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment. United Kingdom History In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a special meaning. There are around 250 recognised cou ...

s in the county borough are:

Alyn Waters Alyn Waters ( cy, Dyfroedd Alun) is a country park situated between Gwersyllt and Llay in Wrexham County Borough, in the north-east of Wales, and is managed by Wrexham County Borough Council. Alyn Waters takes its name from the River Alyn which ...

, Bonc-yr-Hafod, Erddig Park,

Minera Leadmines The Minera Lead Mines were a mining operation and are now a country park and tourist centre in the village of Minera near Wrexham, in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. History The first written record of lead mining at Minera dates back to 1296, ...

, Moss Valley, Stryt Las Park, and Tŷ Mawr. There are two

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peop ...

estates with significant areas of parkland and woodland, those being at

Brynkinalt Brynkinalt Hall ( cy, Neuadd Bryncunallt; or simply Brynkinalt (); also spelled as Brynkinallt or Bryn-kinallt) is a Grade-II* listed private property, built in 1612, near Chirk, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The hall is surrounded by an est ...

(near Chirk; with the Brynkinalt Park; also known as Chirk Green being council-operated), and at Erddig (

-operated; south of Wrexham). Iscoyd Park in Maelor Saesneg also boasts some parkland. Nant Mill hosts a Visitor Centre on the Clywedog Trail and is surrounded by woodland, whereas Stryt Las Park between Rhos and Johnstown hosts grassland, woodland and ponds. Both are operated by the council. Wrexham city has two main city parks, Bellevue Park, and Acton Park, there is also a city centre green in-front of the council's Guildhall. Rhosllanerchrugog and

Ponciau Ponciau is a village within the community of Rhosllanerchrugog, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is close to the villages of Legacy, Pentre Bychan and Johnstown and is overlooked by Ruabon Mountain. The village name is also applied to a lar ...

have Ponciau Banks Park as their urban park. 87% of the population in the county borough is within two miles of the main parks in the county borough. The remaining areas are already largely rural, in particular the Ceiriog valley and English Maelor. Minera Lead Mine - geograph

Clywedog Trail spans for along the River Clywedog, from the Minera Lead Mines to King's Mills. Offa's Dyke Path passes through the county borough. Bonc-yr-Hafod and Stryt Las are both part of the

Stryt Las a'r Hafod Stryt Las a'r Hafod (sometimes spelled Stryd Las a'r Hafod) is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the preserved county of Clwyd, north Wales, and specifically in Wrexham County Borough. It includes the parks of Bonc yr Hafod and Stryt La ...

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSI).

Politics and local government

The principal area (styled as a "county borough") is governed by

Wrexham County Borough Council Wrexham County Borough Council () is the governing body for Wrexham County Borough, a principal area in north Wales, covering Wrexham and the surrounding area. History Elections take place every five years. The Labour Party held power on the ...

, a Welsh local authority

principal council A Principal council is a local government authority carrying out statutory duties in a principal area in England and Wales. The term “principal council” was first defined in the Local Government Act 1972, Section 270. This act created great ...

. Most offices of the council are situated within

Wrexham city centre Wrexham city centre is the administrative, cultural and historic city centre of Wrexham, in North Wales and is the area enclosed by the inner ring road of the city. It is the largest shopping area in north and mid Wales, and the administrative c ...

, around

Llwyn Isaf Llwyn Isaf ("lower grove") is a green space in the centre of Wrexham. It is surrounded on two sides by the city's guildhall and on another by the library. The space is most popular with students from the nearby Yale College Yale College is ...

, Lord Street and Chester Street. Its customer contact centre, "Contact Wrexham" is located at 16 Lord Street. The headquarters of the council's Chief Executive is at the Guildhall ( cy, Neuadd y Dref; ) in Wrexham. From May 2022, there are forty-nine electoral wards for the council, with seven having two councillors. 2022 Wales Wrexham Ward election results map

2022 Wales Wrexham Ward election results map

The most recent Wrexham County Borough election on 5 May 2022, resulted in independent politicians maintaining their position as the largest group with 23 members but falling short of a majority, leaving the council in no overall control. Since 2017, the principal council has been operated by a coalition of local independents, the "Wrexham Independents" group and the Conservatives. Following the 2022 election, on 11 May 2022, local independents and the separately organised "Wrexham Independents" merged into a 21-member "Independent Group", and formed a coalition with the Conservatives again for another five-year term. The next election for the council is due for 6 May 2027, as part of the next Welsh local elections. Wrexham guildhall from Llwyn Isaf

The county borough was formed on 1 April 1996 following the enactment of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, containing the district of

and some communities of Glyndŵr, namely

, Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog, and

, and later

in 1997.

status was inherited from the town of Wrexham, which was granted to the then town in September 1857. The area includes a portion of the eastern half of the historic county of Denbighshire and two

s of historic Flintshire: English Maelor and the parish of

. The county borough is in the

East Wales East Wales ( cy, Dwyrain Cymru) refers to either a ITL 3 statistical region of Wales or generally a region encompassing the easternmost parts of the country. Usage The UK Office for National Statistics has as its highest level sub-division, E ...

ITL 2 (formerly

NUTS 2 Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics or NUTS (french: Nomenclature des unités territoriales statistiques) is a geocode standard for referencing the subdivisions of countries for statistical purposes. The standard, adopted in 2003, ...

) and "Flintshire and Wrexham" ITL 3 (formerly

NUTS 3 Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics or NUTS (french: Nomenclature des unités territoriales statistiques) is a geocode standard for referencing the subdivisions of countries for statistical purposes. The standard, adopted in 2003, ...

) statistical regions by the UK's

Office for National Statistics The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the UK Parliament. Overview The ONS is responsible for ...

(and until 2020

Eurostat Eurostat ('European Statistical Office'; DG ESTAT) is a Directorate-General of the European Commission located in the Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Eurostat's main responsibilities are to provide stati ...

). It is regarded to be in the North East Wales and

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, ...

non-administrative regions (and the associated regional bodies, such as

North Wales Economic Ambition Board The North Wales Economic Ambition Board (NWEAB; cy, Bwrdd Uchelgais Economaidd Gogledd Cymru), branded as Ambition North Wales ( cy, Uchelgais Gogledd Cymru), is a joint committee and decision-making body overseeing the North Wales Growth Deal ...

North Wales Police North Wales Police ( cy, Heddlu Gogledd Cymru) is the territorial police force responsible for policing North Wales. Its headquarters are in Colwyn Bay. , the force has 1,510 police officers, 170 special constables, 182 police community suppor ...

, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Tourism Partnership North Wales, and

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) ( cy, Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr) is the local health board of NHS Wales for the north of Wales. It is the largest health organisation in Wales, providing a full range of primary, commun ...

). In general elections, the county borough spans two constituencies, currently () the same for both

UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...

ary

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

, and devolved Welsh Parliamentary (Senedd)

; the constituencies of Clwyd South and

. From the next United Kingdom general election, where Wales' constituencies are reduced from 40 to 32 following the

2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies is the current cycle of the process to redraw the constituency map for the House of Commons. The process for periodic reviews of parliamentary constituencies in the United Kingdom is gover ...

; under September 2021 draft proposals by the

Boundary Commission for Wales The boundary commissions in the United Kingdom are non-departmental public bodies responsible for determining the boundaries of constituencies for elections to the House of Commons. There are four boundary commissions: * Boundary Commission for E ...

; the county borough would be served by an expanded "Wrexham" constituency, the north-western parts to be within an expanded Alyn and Deeside (currently wholly in Flintshire), and the Wrexham sections of the Clwyd South constituency transferred to a new "Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr" constituency shared with parts of Powys. Polling done by UnHerd, showed that of those polled 54% of the county borough supported the continued reign of the

British Monarch The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...

, compared to 23% and 21% opposed, and 23% and 25% don't know, in the Wrexham and Clwyd South constituencies respectively. In the 2016 National Survey for Wales, only 45.9% of the population agreed or strongly agreed that Wrexham County Borough Council provides quality services, below the Welsh average of 59.3%.

Local recent political history

On 23 June 2016 in the

2016 EU referendum The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...

, the county borough voted in favour of Leave. In the

2019 United Kingdom general election The 2019 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 12 December 2019. It resulted in the Conservative Party receiving a landslide majority of 80 seats. The Conservatives made a net gain of 48 seats and won 43.6% of the popular vote ...

, Conservative candidates won the constituencies of

and Clwyd South for the first time in their existence. The constituencies were generally considered to be Labour heartlands part of its " red wall", and were won by Labour in the June 2017 election, as well as previous elections. In the

2021 Senedd election 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length&nb ...

, Welsh Labour incumbents for the Senedd constituencies of

and Clwyd South covering the county borough were re-elected. In 2021, the council submitted bids for

UK City of Culture 2025 Bradford UK City of Culture 2025 is a designation given to Bradford, England, between 2025 and 2029 by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The designation means that Bradford gains access to funding to improve its infra ...

on behalf of the county borough although later lost to

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, and a separate bid, submitted in December 2021, to award the then town of Wrexham the status of a city for the civic honours awarded for the 2022 Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, which it later won. It was the only city bid from Wales, and Wrexham has applied for city status three other times, in 2000,

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

and 2012, with the 2012 bid lost to St Asaph,

. City status was awarded to the "County Borough of Wrexham" on behalf of Wrexham on 1 September 2022.

Westminster members

Senedd members

Communities

Electoral wards

Economy and industry

The economy of the county borough has changed over the past few decades, from a largely coal-mining focused heavy industrial area, into a high-tech manufacturing, technological and service industry hub. The main industry is manufacturing with around 20% (18.3% in 2011 census) of employment in the county borough being in the manufacturing sector. The other largest sectors from the 2011 census include: 15.2% in the Wholesale and retail sector (including vehicle repair), 14.6% health sector, 8.9% education, 6.9% construction, 6.0% government and military, 4.9% accommodation and food service, 4.4% administration and support services, 4.3% transport, 3.9% professional, scientific and technical, 2.8% finance and industry, 1.8% IT and 8% other. When classed together the public sector counts for more than a third of jobs in the county borough. 75% of the total land in the county borough is managed by farmers.

Brewing

History

The original Wrexham Lager Brewery - geograph

In the 19th century, a brewing industry developed in Wrexham town, alongside the then town's existing leather and coal industry. The town became a brewing centre due to the town's good underground water supplies near but not of the River Gwenfro. The sands and

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

s in the surrounding

river plain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

filters

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

which builds up on the impervious rocks beneath. Wrexham also sits above a

faultline In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectoni ...

, dividing the area into a mineral-rich hard water east suitable for brewing beer, and a soft water west for lager. Many breweries were also set up in the medieval times in the

of Wrexham Abbot which would have had lower taxes than Wrexham Regis, the areas controlled by

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...

. By the 1860s, there were 19 breweries in the town. Many brewers became leading politicians in the town, with two brewers, Thomas Rowland and Peter Walker disagreeing who should be

mayor of Wrexham The mayor of Wrexham is the civic figurehead and first citizen of the city of Wrexham, and Wrexham County Borough in the north of Wales. The position is elected by members of Wrexham County Borough Council at their annual meeting, and today, hold ...

Wrexham Lager Wrexham Lager is a brewery in Wrexham, north-east Wales, that has produced alcoholic drink for more than 120 years. A new brewery opened in 2011 in the heart of Wrexham, after the original closed in 2000. The original brewery was demolishe ...

has been brewed in Wrexham since 1882. The brewery produced the first

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

-brewed lager in the United Kingdom, and was located in Wrexham for the brewing quality of its underground spring water. The lager was reputedly served on board the

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...

, other

White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between ...

ships and by soldiers during the Siege of Khartoum. It is also claimed to be the first lager to been exported to countries such as

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

and various countries in

the Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

. The brand started to decline during the World Wars, following changing consumer tastes, rationalisation, and the

internationalisation In economics, internationalization or internationalisation is the process of increasing involvement of enterprises in international markets, although there is no agreed definition of internationalization. Internationalization is a crucial strateg ...

of the industry. The brewery was bought by Ind Coope & Allsopp, eventually merged into Allied Breweries and later

Carlsberg-Tetley Tetley's Brewery (Joshua Tetley & Son Ltd) was an English regional brewery founded in 1822 by Joshua Tetley in Hunslet, now a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire. The beer was originally produced at the Leeds Brewery, which was later renamed the ...

. The original brewery located on top of the Gwenfro was closed by Carlsberg in 2000, with all UK-wide production by Carlsberg of the brand ceasing in 2002. The modern brewery, constructed in the late-20th century, was demolished between 2002 and 2003, and was replaced with Wrexham Central Retail Park. The original brewhouse building on Central Road within the now retail park remains as a Grade II listed building. Another known brewery formerly operating in Wrexham was Soames's Brewery, and what later became Border Breweries. The brewery can be traced back to a minor brewing business operating out of the Nag's Head

Public House A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

on Tuttle Street. It wasn't until 1874 following an acquisition, that "Wrexham Brewery" started to become a major producer. In his 1892 tour, Alfred Barnard described Soames's to have the best beer in Wrexham. The Border Breweries company was formed from the merger of Soames Wrexham Brewery, Island Green Brewery and Dorsett Owen in 1931. It was purchased by

Marston's Brewery Marston's plc is a British pub and hotel operator. Founded by John Marston in 1834, it is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Marston's disposed of its brewing operations in 2020, selling the assets to a newly formed joint venture with the Ca ...

in 1984 and closed by Marston's six months later despite stating otherwise. Other former breweries include Albion, Cambrian, Eagle, Island Green, and Willow.

=Present day

= In 2011, the Wrexham Lager brand was revived, launched in the Buck House Hotel in Bangor-on-Dee, it later moved to a newly built high-tech

microbrewery Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

on St. George's Crescent to the east of Wrexham city centre from the original brewery. In recent years, the lager has experienced success, with the lager in 2022 announced it will be sold in

Aldi Aldi (stylised as ALDI) is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when ...

stores across Wales and England. , the other microbreweries currently set up in the county borough include: Big Hand Microbrewery (Wrexham Ind. Est.), Magic Dragon Brewery (Plassey), McGivern Ales (Ruabon), and Sandstone Brewery.

Red brick

Ruabon to the west of the county borough has a deep history in

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

and tile-making. This is owed to its vast amounts of high quality Etruria Marl clay. In the 19th century this clay was the centrepiece for Ruabon's tile and

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terra ...

production on a vast scale, leading the village to be nicknamed "Terracottapolis". Its former manufacturing speciality the "Ruabon Red Brick" were used in various buildings of the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...

, such as the Pierhead Building in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...

, Victoria Building of Liverpool University and in the restoration of the Taj Mahal. Hafod Brickworks were established near Hafod Colliery in 1878, and a "Red Works" in 1893. The bricks contributed to the term "redbrick" in the term "

Redbrick university A red brick university (or redbrick university) was originally one of the nine civic universities founded in the major industrial cities of England in the 19th century. However, with the 1960s proliferation of plate glass universities and t ...

". Brick production largely ceased in the 1970s, with production mainly focused on quarry tiles.

Former mining

In 1854, there were 26

coal mines Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron fro ...

operating in the western uplands of Wrexham. The main mines were located at

, Rhos,

and Broughton (particularly around the Moss Valley). Mining operations were later concentrated, with larger colleries such as

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

Hafod Hafod is a district of the city of Swansea, in South Wales, U.K., and lies just north of the city centre, within the Landore ward. Hafod is the home to the Hafod Copperworks, founded in 1810 and closed in 1980 which is now being developed i ...

(now Bonc-yr-Hafod park), Bersham, Wynnstay, Wrexham and Acton, Llay Hall and Gatewen commencing operations. By the 20th century, two deep coal pits were dug, one at Gresford opening in 1911, and another at Llay Main. In 1934, a colliery disaster in Gresford killed 261 miners, with 3 rescuers also killed in the rescue operations. In the late 20th century, the traditional industries of Wrexham, in particular coal-mining, went into decline. Llay Main closed in 1966, Hafod closed in 1968, Gresford Colliery closed in 1973, and Bersham Colliery closed in 1986.

Industrial estate

There are 25 different industrial and business parks in the county borough, with

Wrexham Industrial Estate Wrexham Industrial Estate (Welsh: ) is a well defined industrial area in Wrexham. It is sited on the eastern outskirts of the city and 2.5 miles from the centre of Wrexham. Originally the site of a World War II munitions factory, the estate ...

being the largest, located 2.5 miles east from Wrexham and on the site of a former

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

munitions factory. Kronospan Factory - geograph

Wrexham Industrial Estate is the largest industrial area in Wales, among the top ten in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. There are around 360 businesses in the estate, providing 10,000 jobs. The main industries operating in the industrial estate include:

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

and

finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of f ...

, automotive,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and ...

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and ast ...

, and food and beverage. The Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was manufactured at the Wockhardt UK facility in the industrial estate.

HM Prison Berwyn HM Prison Berwyn ( cy, Carchar Berwyn EF; ) is a £250 million Category C adult male prison in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is the largest prison in the UK, opened in 2017, and is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Name The gaol' ...

, a Category C adult-male

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

is located in the industrial estate, and opened in 2017. It is the largest prison in the United Kingdom. In Chirk, there is a

Kronospan Kronospan is an Austrian-founded, Cyprus-based, international company that manufactures and distributes wood-based panels which are used in applications including flooring, furniture and timber-framed houses. The company manufactures particleboar ...

wood product production factory and a

Mondelez International Mondelez International, Inc. ( ), often styled Mondelēz, is an American multinational confectionery, food, holding and beverage and snack food company based in Chicago. Mondelez has an annual revenue of about $26 billion and operates in ...

(for

Cadbury Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company fully owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mar ...

) factory. Whereas at Llay, there is Magellan Aerospace and a regional divisional HQ for

Retail

Wrexham serves as the main retail centre for the county borough. Its city centre, hosts

Eagles Meadow Eagles Meadow () is a medium-sized shopping centre in Wrexham city centre. Previously this area has had a variety of uses over hundreds of years, originally used as stables for local gentry, and later a car park hosting a market. It was develope ...

shopping centre A shopping center ( American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known colle ...

, two markets (General and Butcher's), Tŷ Pawb (former People's Market), Island Green retail park, and a High Street. A Monday market is held in the city on Queen's Square. Notable retail areas outside the city centre are: Plas Coch retail park and Gwersyllt retail park. The county borough is also connected to shopping destinations in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, Broughton and

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

Sports

Wrexham is regarded as the "spiritual home of Welsh football", with a Football Museum for Wales proposed to be set up in the city. The county borough is home to the oldest club in Wales and third oldest

association football club A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all-s ...

in the World, Wrexham A.F.C., which play in the oldest stadium in Wales. The

Football Association of Wales The Football Association of Wales (FAW; cy, Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru) is the governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Welsh national football team, its corresponding women's team, as well as the Welsh ...

was founded on 2 February 1876 at the Wynnstay Arms Hotel in Wrexham. The first

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

match in Wales is said to be in or near Wrexham. Notable stadia in the county borough include the

Racecourse Ground The Racecourse Ground ( cy, Y Cae Ras) is a football stadium in Wrexham, Wales. It is the home of Wrexham A.F.C. It is the world's oldest international football stadium that still hosts international matches, having hosted Wales' first home i ...

(oldest in Wales), The Rock, and an athletics stadium at Queensway.

Football

The county borough is home to Wrexham A.F.C., formed in 1864, they are the oldest club in Wales and the third oldest professional association football team in the world. The team competes in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

, the fifth tier of the

English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...

. Wrexham A.F.C's home stadium, the

, is the world's oldest international stadium that still continues to host international games, and its neighbouring

Turf Hotel The Turf Hotel is a public house in Wrexham, Wales, located on the corner of Wrexham A.F.C.'s Racecourse Ground. Introduction For over 150 years, the Turf Hotel has been the meeting place on match days for some of Wrexham's fans (the footbal ...

pub is the oldest pub to any sporting stadium in the world. The team train at Colliers Park, Gresford, and have an equivalent Women's team. The team's rivalry with Chester City F.C. (now Chester F.C.) is described as the "

Cross-border derby The cross-border derby is a football match played between Wrexham and Chester. The clubs are 12 miles apart but are Welsh and English respectively (though Chester's Deva Stadium straddles the England–Wales border, and its pitch lies entirely ...

". In 1869, another football team composed of footballers from Ruabon, was formed in

Plas Madoc Plas Madoc ( cy, Plas Madog) is a housing estate and former electoral ward near Acrefair, in the Cefn community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is located seven miles to the south-west of Wrexham, and contains The Land adventure playgro ...

, later becoming the Cefn Druids following a merger. Eric Roberts Stand

, aside Wrexham A.F.C., all other teams in the county borough play in the Welsh football league system. In the Cymru Premier, the highest tier (Tier 1), only Cefn Druids A.F.C. based at The Rock, Rhosymedre play. In the tier 2 Cymru North league,

Gresford Athletic F.C. Gresford Athletic Football Club is a football team based in Gresford, near Wrexham, Wales. They are members of the Cymru North, which is in the second tier of the Welsh football league system and play at The Rock in Rhosymedre, as from March 202 ...

play. In the tier 3 Ardal Leagues; Brickfield Rangers F.C., Brymbo F.C., Cefn Albion F.C., Chirk AAA F.C., Llay Welfare F.C., Penycae F.C., Rhos Aelwyd F.C. and Rhostyllen F.C. In the tier 4 North East Wales Football League; Cefn Mawr Rangers F.C., Chirk Town F.C., Coedpoeth United F.C., FC Queens Park, Lex Glyndwr XI F.C., and Overton Recreation F.C. This tier 4 league also have a tier 5 championship, containing the Wrexham County Borough teams of Bellevue, Borras Park Albion, Brymbo Lodge, FC United of Wrexham, Johnstown Youth, and Ruabon Rovers. A Wrexham Town Police Station F.C. was also set up in 2022.

Rugby

Wrexham RFC is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

team based in Wrexham, and is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and was a founding club of the North Wales Rugby Union, itself founded in Wrexham in 1931. The club is located to the east of

Rhosnesni Rhosnesni () is an area and electoral ward in the community of Acton in Wrexham, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 3,683. The settlement developed around the toll gate on Holt Road (the cottage of ...

, Wrexham. Between 2010 and 2021, the

North Wales Crusaders The North Wales Crusaders ( cy, Croesgadwyr Gogledd Cymru Rygbi'r Gynghrair) is a professional rugby league club based in Colwyn Bay, Wales. They are the successors to the former Super League club Crusaders Rugby League. Crusaders compete in B ...

were based in Wrexham, first at the Racecourse Ground, then at the

Queensway Stadium Queensway Stadium is an athletics stadium in Wrexham, Wales, which is home to the Wrexham Athletics Club and until 2021 North Wales Crusaders rugby league club. North Wales Crusaders moved to the stadium from the Racecourse Ground for the 2017 ...

in Caia Park, Wrexham. Bangor Racecourse and the Dee-geograph-1982860

Horse racing

Bangor-on-Dee racecourse Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Bangor-on-Dee near Wrexham, Wales, United Kingdom.'' British Racing and Racecourses'' () by Marion Rose Halpenny - Page 75 It is a left-handed National Hunt racecourse, an ...

is located in Bangor-on-Dee, and has held

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

events since February 1859. It is the only racecourse in North and Mid Wales. Prior to being a football stadium and home to Wrexham A.F.C., the Racecourse Ground once held horse racing events as part of the Wrexham Gold Cup and the Silver Cavalry Cup, with the first held on 29 September 1807. Horse racing ended at the Racecourse Ground in 1857.

Transport

Wrexham County Borough's transportation system is part of

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) cons ...

North Wales Metro The North Wales Metro (; originally the North East Wales Metro; ) is a rail and bus transport improvement programme in north Wales. Styled as a "Metro", it is conceptually a multi-modal system with a combination of bus, heavy rail, and light rail ...

bus and rail improvement programme. There are no airports or motorways in the county borough. The nearest airports providing passenger air travel are: Birmingham Airport,

Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport in Liverpool, England, on the estuary of the River Mersey south-east of Liverpool city centre. Scheduled domestic, European, North African and Middle Eastern services are operat ...

, and

Manchester Airport Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those ...

, all in England, with direct service available to the airports in Birmingham and Manchester, and a direct service to

Liverpool South Parkway Liverpool South Parkway station (Formerly Allerton railway station), is a railway station and bus interchange in the Garston district of Liverpool, England. It serves, via a bus link, Liverpool John Lennon Airport in the neighbouring suburb of ...

the nearest station to Liverpool's airport. In 1950, Wrexham (specifically Plas Coch) was a stop in the world's first scheduled helicopter passenger service between Liverpool and Cardiff by British European Airways. The service ceased in March 1951 due to low demand.

Railways

The county borough contains two railway lines, the Borderlands line between Wrexham Central and Bidston (Birkenhead), and the Shrewsbury–Chester line. There are five stations in the county borough;

, Gwersyllt,

, Wrexham Central and Wrexham General. Gwersyllt, Wrexham General and Wrexham Central (terminus) are on the Borderlands line, whereas Ruabon, Wrexham General, and Chirk are on the Shrewsbury–Chester line, with the two railway lines interchanging at Wrexham General, the main and busiest station in the county borough. There are two proposed railway stations in the county borough, Wrexham North and Wrexham South, and plans to reopen parts of the Glyn Valley Tramway as a

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

. Two former major branches of railway were the Wrexham and Minera Branch, which supported the steelworks at nearby Brymbo Steel Mill and

Minera Limeworks The Minera Limeworks were extensive lime quarries and kilns at Minera in Wrexham, Wales. It was located at , near the villages of Gwynfryn, Minera, and Coedpoeth and was locally referred to as ''The Calch''. History The Minera Limeworks we ...

, with the last of the lines closed in 1982, and the Wrexham and Ellesmere Railway, opened in 1895, which passed through Wrexham city centre, St. Giles' Church and Maelor Saesneg towards Ellesmere, which closed in 1962 for passengers and 1981 for freight.

Roads

The main road in the county borough is the A483, a dual carriageway, entering the county borough from

in the north and passing the outskirts of Wrexham, Rhostyllen,

and meeting the A5, at Halton, near Chirk. The A5 ("London-Holyhead Trunk Road") connects Oswestry (continuing southwards to London) and Llangollen (towards Holyhead) via Chirk and

. The A534 connects Wrexham to Nantwich via Holt, with the A5156 near Borras, linking the A534 to the A483 near Pandy. The A541 connects Wrexham to Trefnant, Mold, Nannerch and the outskirts of

Denbigh Denbigh (; cy, Dinbych; ) is a market town and a community in Denbighshire, Wales. Formerly, the county town, the Welsh name translates to "Little Fortress"; a reference to its historic castle. Denbigh lies near the Clwydian Hills. History ...

. Trunk roads are managed by the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent on behalf of the Welsh Government. There are no motorways in the county borough. Arriva Buses Wales Cymru 4408 J800ABW (8699827244)

Arriva Buses Wales Cymru 4408 J800ABW (8699827244)

Bus

Wrexham bus station Wrexham bus station ( cy, Gorsaf fysiau Wrecsam) is an eight-stand indoor bus station in Wrexham city centre on King Street. Services provide transit within the city, elsewhere in north Wales, and to Cheshire and Shropshire in England. The st ...

serves as the main bus terminus of the county borough. Bus services are operated by various bus operators such as Arriva Buses Wales, Arriva Midlands, TrawsCymru,

Stagecoach North West Stagecoach North West was a major operator of bus services in North West England. It was a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, and had its origins in the purchase of Cumberland in 1987 and Ribble Motor Services in 1988 from the National Bus C ...

, Llew Jones Coaches, Lloyds Coaches, M&H Coaches, Pat's Coaches,

Tanat Valley Coaches Tanat Valley Coaches operates bus and coach services in Montgomeryshire and Shropshire, in the United Kingdom. The family-run firm is based in Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant.Arriva Sapphire 1 between Wrexham bus station and Chester railway station, and the TrawsCymru T3 Wrexham to

Barmouth Barmouth ( cy, Abermaw (formal); ''Y Bermo'' (colloquial)) is a seaside town and community in the county of Gwynedd, northwestern Wales, lying on the estuary of the Afon Mawddach and Cardigan Bay. Located in the historic county of Merioneth ...

service.

Former tramways

There was an electric tramway between 1903 and 1927, connecting Wrexham to Rhosllanerchrugog, operated by

Wrexham and District Electric Tramways Wrexham and District Electric Tramways was a company that operated an electric tramway service in Wrexham, Wales between 1903 and 1914 when it was renamed Wrexham and District Transport Company Limited. Trams continued to operate until 1927. Hi ...

. The route was long, connecting the mining villages with Wrexham city centre, and General railway station. It was later replaced with motor buses in 1937.

Demography

At the 2021 census, the county borough recorded a population of 135,100, and is the tenth most populous principal area in Wales, the same rank as 2011. This population is a small increase of 0.2% from the 2011 census and lower than the national average of a 1.4% increase in population in 2021. The county borough is ranked thirteenth in population growth among principal areas, with both Denbighshire (2.2%) and Flintshire (1.6%) growing faster, although Powys also increased by 0.2%, and Conwy (also in ceremonial Clwyd) shrunk by 0.4%. The four communities at the centre of Wrexham city have a population of 43,422 (2011 census), accounting for of the population of the county borough. Although the city of Wrexham may be considered to extend further out from these four communities of Acton, Caia Park, Offa and Rhosddu. The wider Wrexham built-up area, including Wrexham, urban villages such as Gwersyllt, Brymbo and New Broughton, as well as Bradley and Rhostyllen, have a population of 65,692 (2011 census), of the county borough. The other largest settlement is Rhosllanerchrugog with a population of 9,694 (2011 census, community) and its built-up area including Penycae, Cefn Mawr and Ruabon had a population of 25,362 (2011 census). The county borough has 1,300 more females than males, with 68,200 females () to 66,900 males (). The county borough is twelfth in population density of the principal areas of Wales, with 268 people per square kilometre, more than the national average of 150. The most populous five-year age group are those aged 50–54 with 10,100 people (). With a 19.5% growth in those aged 65 years and over, a decrease of 3.9% aged 15–64, and a decrease of 3.6% of children under 15 years old. In a 2020 population projection, Wrexham County Borough's population is expected to shrink slightly by 2028. The average age in the county borough is 42 years, with more than 25% of the population being in the 45 to 64 age cohort in 2011. At the 2011 census, 96.9% of the population was recorded to be White, made of 93.1% English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/ British, 0.4% Irish and 3.4% other White. The next largest eithnic group in 2011 was Asian/Asian British at 1.7%, with 0.6% identifying as Indian. 0.5% of the 2011 population were Black, and 0.2% other ethnic. In 2011, 93.7% of the population was born in the United Kingdom, 69.2% from Wales, 23.4% from England, 0.8% from Scotland, and 0.3% from Northern Ireland. 0.3% from the Republic of Ireland, 3.4 from the European Union (excluding Ireland), and 2.6% from other countries. 71.2% held a British passport, 24.3% no passport, 3.3% an EU member passport, and 1.2% other. From the 2011 census, 95.8% of the population over 16 had

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

at their main household language. 65.1% of the population classed themselves as part of a religion, of which: 63.5% were Christian, 0.6%

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, 0.4%

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

and 0.6% other. 27.4% had no religion, and 7.5% religion not stated. 66% of waste is either recycled, reused or composted in the county borough between 2018 and 2019, 3% higher than the Welsh average. In 2011, 94.7% of the population identified with a UK nation identity consisting of either a Welsh/English/Scottish/Northern Irish or British identity, with 60.3% having part or full Welsh identity. 0.4% had a mixed identity between Welsh/English/Scottish/Northern Irish/British and another identity. 3.4% of the population had other non-UK identities. Some of the top 10% deprived areas in Wales are located in the county borough, these five Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) are; Queensway 1, Wynnstay, Plas Madoc, Queensway 2 and Cartrefle 2.

Welsh-language

Only 12.9% of Wrexham County Borough's population at the 2011 census could speak

, lower than the national average of 19%, making the county borough largely anglophone. The highest proportion of Welsh-language speakers in the county borough is in the rural Ceiriog Valley ward, where 31.2% can speak the Celtic language. The ward of Wynnstay in Wrexham has the lowest proportion of Welsh-language speakers with 7.7%. Therefore, Welsh is more likely to be spoken in more rural areas of the county borough.

Health

Health in the county borough has been managed since 2009 by the NHS Wales local health board,

which covers all of

. Prior to Betsi Cadwaladr LHB, there was a separate Wrexham LHB and the

North East Wales NHS Trust North East Wales NHS Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth GIG Gogledd Ddwyrain Cymru) was an NHS Trust in Wales. The headquarters of the Trust were in the Maelor Hospital, in Wrexham. It was founded on 1 April 1999, when the NHS Trusts in Wales were rec ...

based at Wrexham Maelor Hospital. , the life expectancy in the county borough is 65 years for both Males and Females. Ysbyty Maelor Wrecsam

Hospitals

The main general hospital in the county borough is Wrexham Maelor Hospital in Wrexham, opened in 1985, and has an Accident and Emergency department. A

Private hospital A private hospital is a hospital not owned by the government, including for-profits and non-profits. Funding is by patients themselves ("self-pay"), by insurers, or by foreign embassies. Private hospitals are commonly part, albeit in varying de ...

known as Spire Yale, operated by Spire Healthcare is located next to Wrexham Maelor Hospital. There is a smaller community hospital in Chirk, and a former Polish community hospital in Penley, the latter opened in 1946 for treating Polish people following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, and was closed in 2002. There is also an Adult Male-only Independent Mental health hospital known as the New Hall Hospital near Ruabon. The Wrexham & East Denbighshire War Memorial Hospital, located in Wrexham city centre, was built in the aftermath of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and fundraised by the local population from 1918 to 1927, to commemorate those killed in the war. The hospital closed in 1986, and now serves as part of

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

(now part of Coleg Cambria).

Education

Higher and further education

Wrexham Glyndwr University (51406097698)

The county borough houses one university, located in the city of Wrexham,

Wrexham Glyndŵr University , mottoeng = Confidence through Education , logo = Wrexham Glyndŵr University Logo.svg , image = Coat of arms of Wrexham Glyndŵr.svg , image_size = 180px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , established = 1887, as Wrexham School of Scien ...

, awarded university status in 2008. Bangor University has a healthcare school near Wrexham Maelor Hospital. The main

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is education in addition to that received at secondary school, that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...

provider in the county borough is

Coleg Cambria Coleg Cambria in North East Wales is one of the UK's largest colleges, with over 7000 full-time and 20,000 part-time students, and has international links covering four continents. Coleg Cambria was created following the merger of Deeside College ...

, formed in 2013 from the merger of

Yale College, Wrexham Yale College, Wrexham (''Coleg Iâl'') is now part of Coleg Cambria. Formerly a further education college situated in Wrexham, North Wales, Yale College, Wrexham merged with Deeside College in August 2013 to create Coleg Cambria, the college for ...

and

Deeside College Deeside College ( Welsh: ''Coleg Glannau Dyfrdwy'') (now part of Coleg Cambria) is located in Connah's Quay, Flintshire, North Wales. It was formerly a further education colle.g in August 2013 to create the college for North East Wales, one of ...

in Flintshire. Coleg Cambria also provides some

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...

, and has two main sites in Wrexham, at Yale Grove Road in the city centre, and Bersham Road to the south-west of the city centre in

Offa Offa (died 29 July 796 AD) was King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æth ...

Schools

There are a total of 68 schools in the county borough. Of those, nine are

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

s, including one Welsh-medium secondary school of

Ysgol Morgan Llwyd Ysgol Morgan Llwyd is a Welsh-medium comprehensive school in Wrexham, in north-east Wales, UK. It is the first, and is the only Welsh-medium secondary school in Wrexham County Borough. It is named after the seventeenth century preacher and aut ...

, and the only shared-faith secondary school in Wales of St Joseph's Catholic and Anglican High School. Three secondary schools have Sixth forms; those being

The Maelor School The Maelor School, Penley (Welsh: Ysgol Maelor) is a mixed comprehensive school situated in the village of Penley, Wrexham County Borough, in north-east Wales. As of February 2008, the school had a total of 794 pupils aged 11–18 of whom 138 s ...

, Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, and Ysgol Rhiwabon. The other five secondary schools are

Ysgol Bryn Alyn Ysgol Bryn Alyn is a secondary school in the county borough of Wrexham, Wales. Its catchment area includes its local primary schools within Gwersyllt and other nearby villages. Curriculum At Key Stage 3 (KS3), students at Ysgol Bryn Alyn are t ...

, Ysgol y Grango,

Darland High School Darland High School is a mixed, non-denominational high school in Rossett, Wales, established in 1958. Its current head teacher is Joanne Lee. History 1958 – 1971 Darland High School opened in September 1958 for 234 pupils, 10 members of s ...

Rhosnesni High School Rhosnesni High School, also known as Ysgol Rhosnesni High School or simply Ysgol Rhosnesni, is an English-medium mixed comprehensive secondary school in Rhosnesni, Wrexham, Wales. It was created in 2003 and maintained by Wrexham County Borou ...

, and

Ysgol Clywedog Ysgol Clywedog (English: meaning ''Clywedog School''), is a comprehensive secondary school which serves parts of the city of Wrexham in north-east Wales, in the community of Offa. Ysgol Clywedog is located in the south-west suburbs of Wrexham. ...

. There is a special school of St Christophers in Wrexham. For the 2015/2016 school year eight of the fifty-nine primary schools at the time were Welsh-medium or bilingual. In 2019, secondary schools in Wrexham were criticised by Estyn, the Welsh education and training inspectorate, for having the poorest attendance of the principal areas in Wales.

Twinning

* Märkischer Kreis,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

* Racibórz,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

Wrexham County Borough is twinned with the German district of Märkischer Kreis and the Polish town of Racibórz. The first twinning was established on 17 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, a county in Poland, which was formerly part of

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. S ...

, Germany. In September 2002, a delegation from Racibórz visited Wrexham and began discussions about cooperation which led to the signing of the Articles of Twinning between Wrexham and Racibórz in March 2004. The Wrexham area has strong historical links with Poland. Following

, many service personnel from the Free Polish armed forces who had been injured received treatment at Penley Polish Hospital. Many of their descendants remain in the area.

Culture and tourism

In 2015, it is estimated the county borough attracted 1.86 million visitors, and brought in more than £100 million for the tourism industry. Three of the

are located in the county borough, those wonders being: St Giles' Parish Church, All Saints' Church in Gresford, and the

Yew trees Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew (''Taxus br ...

at St Mary's Church in Overton. Elihu Yale, after which

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

is named after, is buried in Wrexham, with his tomb located at St Giles' Parish Church. Local archives relating to the city and county borough are held at the A. N. Palmer Centre for Local Studies and Archives, in

Wrexham County Borough Museum Wrexham County Borough Museum (or simply Wrexham Museum) is a local history museum in Wrexham, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is located within County Buildings, alongside the A. N. Palmer Centre for Local Studies and Archives and a propose ...

, Wrexham. Maes yr Eisteddfod, Wrecsam - geograph

Since 1876, the county borough has hosted the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitor ...

eight times, six hosted in or near Wrexham in , , , , and ; with Rhosllanerchrugog hosting in and . Also held in 1876, was the Wrexham Art & Industry Exhibition. The first Wrexham Science Festival was held in 1998.

Focus Wales Focus Wales (stylised as FOCUS Wales) is an international multi-venue showcase music and arts festival held annually in Wrexham, Wales. It is Wales' biggest music industry event and was first held in 2010. The event showcases emerging Welsh mus ...

, an international new music festival is hosted in the city of Wrexham. Tŷ Pawb, an art and cultural centre in the city plays host to many cultural events and exhibitions.

Wales Comic Con Wales Comic Con (WCC; dually-branded as Wales Comic Con: Telford Takeover since 2019 and as Wales Comic Con: Homecoming since 2022) is a tri-annual fan convention in the United Kingdom, first held in Wrexham, North Wales in 2008, until the m ...

was founded in 2007 and its first event held in Wrexham in 2008, prior to the moving of its events to Telford in 2019 (as Wales Comic Con: Telford Takeover) due to the small venue at Glyndŵr University. There are two public market halls in Wrexham city centre, the Butcher's Market and General Market. A third, People's Market, was converted to the Tŷ Pawb cultural centre in 2018. A weekly Monday market is held in Queen's Square in Wrexham. Tourism accounts for £116 million and 1,600 jobs for the county borough, increasing 38% between 2012 and 2017. In 2020, a science discovery centre known as "

Xplore! Xplore! Science Discovery Centre, branded simply as Xplore!, is a science centre in Wrexham, Wales. It is currently based between Henblas Street and Chester Street in Wrexham city centre. Formerly known as Techniquest@NEWI and Techniquest Gl ...

" opened in Wrexham city centre, succeeding the

Techniquest Techniquest is a science discovery centre located in Cardiff Bay. It gives visitors a hands-on approach to science and includes a science theatre, a planetarium, and an exhibition space with over 100 interactive exhibits aimed at visitors of all ...

centre at Glyndŵr University. There are adventure playgrounds at The Venture in Caia Park and The Land in

. The oldest surviving engine house in Wales is present at Penrhos near

. In October 2021, the council's bid for

UK City of Culture UK City of Culture is a designation given to a city (or a local area from 2025) in the United Kingdom for a period of one calendar year, during which the successful bidder hosts cultural festivities through culture-led regeneration for the ye ...

in 2025 made it onto the competition's shortlist of only 8 shortlisted places in the UK, outbidding 12 other places (20 applied in total) and being the only one of the five bids from Wales making it onto the shortlist. In March 2022, Wrexham County Borough's bid for City of Culture made onto the competition's shortlist of only four places, the only non-English bid. On 31 May 2022, Wrexham lost to

's bid.

Public art and symbols

Notable buildings and structures such as St Giles' Church, Chirk Castle and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct also act as symbols for the county borough. The "Acton Dog" has become a symbol of Wrexham city, inspired by the four greyhound fibre glass statues on top of Acton Gate at the entrance of the former Acton Estate, they were the symbol of the Cunliffe family. Some settlements in the county borough host a colliery wheel as a welcome sign, highlighting the areas coal-mining industry heritage. "

Babs Babs or BABS may refer to: People * Nickname of Barbara Windsor (1937-2020), British actress * Babs McMillan, Australian actress * Babs Olusanmokun, American actor * Babs Reingold, American artist * Babs Fafunwa (1923-2010), Nigerian educationis ...

" was a modified

Higham Special Chitty Bang Bang was the informal name of a number of celebrated British racing cars, built and raced by Count Louis Zborowski and his engineer Clive Gallop in the 1920s, which inspired the book, film and stage musical ''Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang' ...

sport racing car designed in the county borough. Designed, built and driven by John Godfrey "J.G." Parry-Thomas from Wrexham, it set the land speed record of in Pendine Sands, Carmarthenshire in April 1926. Parry-Thomas was killed in the car on the beach, aged 42, during his attempt on 3 March 1927 to regain his speed record from

Malcolm Campbell Major Sir Malcolm Campbell (11 March 1885 – 31 December 1948) was a British racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times, using vehicles called ''Blue Bird'', including a 1 ...

. The car was buried beneath the sand dunes on the beach until 1969, when it was later recovered, restored and remained on display at the Pendine Museum of Speed until 2018, when it was temporarily relocated to Beaulieu Motor Museum, until the completion of the Pendine Sands of Speed Museum. Waking the Dragon was a proposed bronze sculpture to be built near Chirk, it was first proposed in 2010, and granted permission in 2011, with progress stalling by 2016 due to a lack of funding.

Castles

Chirk Castle Chirk Castle ( cy, Castell y Waun) is a Grade I listed castle located in Chirk, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. History The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March as part of King Ed ...

is located to the south of the county borough, and there are notable remains of a medieval castle in Holt in the county borough's north-east. There was historically a motte and bailey castle at

The Rofft The Rofft was a historic site at Marford in the Wrexham County Borough. It was initially a pre-historic camp, and later a motte and bailey castle. There are no visible remains of the site today. Pre-Norman Conquest (1066) The Rofft was initial ...

site in

Marford Marford is a village in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, near the Wales-England border. Marford covers some , where the hills of north-east Wales meet the Cheshire Plain. Distant landmarks that can be seen clearly from Marford include Eaton Hall ...

, and another former motte and bailey castle known as "Wristlesham" in Erddig. Chirk Castle, a

property, is located on the outskirts of Chirk. It is also within the

AONB An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of rural area, countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for protected area, conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are desig ...

, which extends to the Chirk Castle Estate. Holt Castle is located in the town of Holt, along the banks of the River Dee next to the English border. It was built between 1283 and 1311 by Earls of Surrey, John de Warenne and his grandson, following Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

' defeat.

Churches

The three of the

present in the county borough are all or part of churches. St Giles' Parish Church is a 16th-century gothic church located in the historic centre of Wrexham. All Saints' Church, sometimes described as the "perfect Cheshire church in Wales", is a late-15th century church in Gresford, and in Overton-on-Dee, there is St Mary the Virgin Church, with its ring of Yew Trees being one of the seven wonders of Wales. Eglwys San Silyn Wrecsam St Giles Church Wrexham 35

Eglwys San Silyn Wrecsam St Giles Church Wrexham 35

Wrexham is also home to Wrexham Cathedral (''Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Sorrows'' or ''St Mary's Cathedral''), a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

which is the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair, a chair ...

of the

Bishop of Wrexham The Bishop of Wrexham is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wrexham in the Province of Cardiff in Wales. The diocese covers an area of and consists of the Welsh historic counties of Anglesey, Caernarfonshire, Denbighshire, Flintshi ...

, and mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wrexham since 1987. The cathedral also hosts a chapel dedicated to

Richard Gwyn Richard Gwyn (ca. 1537 – 15 October 1584), also known by his anglicised name, Richard White, was a Welsh teacher at illegal and underground schools and a Bard who wrote both Christian and satirical poetry in the Welsh language. A Rom ...

, a martyr who died in Wrexham. Remaining Catholic churches are part of the Wrexham Deanery. Other major churches include St Mary's Church in Ruabon, and St Chad's Church in Holt, the latter having

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

bullet holes present in the building. Tower of St Mary's Church, Overton-on-Dee

Country estates and halls

The most notable country estate is at Erddig Hall, a Grade-I listed

property, located to the south of Wrexham. Situated on an

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''esca ...

above the River Clywedog, the 18th century

is surrounded by a estate, including parkland and woodlands. Another historic estate is the Wynnstay estate near Ruabon. Notably the home of the Williams-Wynn family, the Wynnstay Hall stands above the River Dee overlooking the Vale of Llangollen and Y Berwyn. The family vacated the building in 1948, with it first turned into a school, and now houses and apartments. Trevalyn Hall, a Grade II listed manor house in Rossett, has also been converted to separate homes in the 1984. Marchwiel Hall, a 19th-century private

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

hall is situated near Marchwiel. The estate is home to a

cricket ground Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by stri ...

and pavilion, which serves as the home for the Marchwiel and Wrexham Cricket Club, on the only open part of the estate to the public. The hall has been on sale for £2.5 million. Brynkinalt Hall is a Grade-II* listed private property, built in 1612, near

. Iscoyd Park located near the border with Shropshire to the east in English Maelor, serves as a wedding venue. Pen-y-Lan Hall, another Grade II listed building, located near Ruabon, has become known for

Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to re ...

sightings, with Ghost hunting events held at the hall. Other halls include: Nant-y-Ffrith Hall, Tudor Court,

The Gelli The Gelli is a small country house situated between Tallarn Green and Tybroughton in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is a Grade II* listed building standing in a prominent position on the edge of a hill. History The Gelli was designed b ...

, Wynn Hall and the former

Brymbo Hall Brymbo Hall, one of Britain's lost houses, was a manor house located near Brymbo outside the town of Wrexham, North Wales. The house, reputed to have been partly built to the designs of Inigo Jones,''Encyclopædia Britannica'', vol 24, 1911, p.8 ...

, a lost British country house.

Scheduled monuments

Notable people

Tourist attractions

Industrial heritage

= Bersham

Bersham Colliery Bersham Colliery was a large coal mine located near Rhostyllen in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The mine accessed seams found in the Denbighshire Coalfield. History The Wrexham area in the 19th Century was highly industrialised. At the peak t ...

was opened in 1864, as the Glan-yr-afon Colliery, located near Rhostyllen. It was operated by the Bersham Coal Company, and it wasn't until 10 years later in 1874 that coal was produced at the site. The colliery was closed and partially demolished in December 1986. Its No.2 shaft headgear with its colliery wheel and an engine house with an electric winding gear, as well as other buildings remain standing as part of a small industrial estate. The buildings for the No.2 shaft have been proposed to form a small mining museum for the former colliery. Bersham Ironworks were opened in 1715 by Charles Lloyd, and are situated in the

Clywedog Valley The River Clywedog is a river in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. Its uses have been watering crops, powering industrial machinery but is now used as walking trails or geography trips. The river originates to the west of Wrexham, and joins the ...

. By the 1750s it was producing iron

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s. Isaac Wilkinson took over in 1753, and produced cannons for the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...

. In 1763 it was passed to John "Iron Mad" Wilkinson, who developed a new method of gun manufacture with Francis Bacon, where the cannons were first cast solid then bored out afterwards. Bersham reached its peak in 1795 and closed in 1812. A

Smelting works Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a ...

was opened in Brymbo in 1793. Bersham Heritage Centre, in the Bersham Ironworks, operated from 1983 until 2014, and was the home for the Wrexham County Borough Museum's Industrial History collection, and performed as the centre of Wrexham's Industrial Heritage.

= Brymbo

Steel was a former industry for the county borough, with the Brymbo Steelworks reaching its peak in steel production in the 1960s and early 1970s. Over 2,000 workers were employed at the steelworks until its closure in 1990. There's a sculpted archway, "the arc", in Lord Street, Wrexham to commemorate the industry. In 2020, the site of the former steelworks were proposed to be re-developed into a visitor attraction and community hub with funding from the National Lottery.

= Minera

= Lead Mines in Minera, opened in 1845, mining

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, ...

until its closure in 1914. The site has since been converted into a country park, covering of grassland, woodland and the former lead mines, it also hosts a tourist centre.

Notable sites and bridges

There are various aqueducts and viaducts in the south of the county borough, crossing the River Ceiriog and River Dee. These include: Chirk Aqueduct,

Chirk Viaduct , image = Chirk Viaduct.jpg , size = , caption = Chirk Viaduct from Chirk Aqueduct , coordinates = , mapwidth = , location = Chirk, Wrexham, Wales and Chirk Bank, Shropshire, England , nearest_city = Wrexham , current_use = Railway vi ...

, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, and Cefn Mawr Viaduct. There is also a canal tunnel at Chirk. The main canal is the Llangollen Canal from Llangollen which travels to Chirk before entering England. Sections of the historically proposed and never completed Ellesmere Canal were proposed to pass right through the centre of the county borough, from Chester in the north to meet the River Ceiriog at Chirk until reaching Ellesmere. Notable bridges include: Pont Cysyllte, Bangor-on-Dee Bridge and Holt Bridge.

World Heritage Site

There is a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

in the county borough, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal, containing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, constructed in 1805 and the tallest navigable canal boat crossing in the world, and of the Llangollen Canal. It was designated in June 2009, following the 33rd meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Seville. The Trevor Basin is located northwards of the aqueduct, and in 2021 was awarded funding from the UK Government's Levelling up fund.

Brymbo Fossil Forest

The Brymbo Fossil Forest, a palaeobotanitcal site, is located on the former iron and steelworks site closed in 1990, it is roughly the size of half an association football pitch, and is home to a wide variety of fossilised plants and trees such as arborescent club mosses and

horsetails ''Equisetum'' (; horsetail, snake grass, puzzlegrass) is the only living genus in Equisetaceae, a family of ferns, which reproduce by spores rather than seeds. ''Equisetum'' is a "living fossil", the only living genus of the entire subclass ...

, dating over 300 million years ago, from the

Early Carboniferous Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Ear ...

period. Some fossils were transferred and conserved at National Museum Wales, with them set to return should a suitable venue be ready. Discovered during coal-mining in 2003, with many fossils discovered the following year, it was designated as a

by Natural Resources Wales in 2015. Local councillors describe the site to be a potential World Heritage Site, with hopes to become the county borough's second site of such designation. A tourist attraction including a museum and visitor centre, to provide a safe home for the fossils, is proposed on the site, using the old former steelwork buildings.

Media

Calon FM is the community radio station for the city of Wrexham. Global Media & Entertainment, which owns Capital FM and operates Heart FM (on behalf of Communicorp UK), broadcasts Capital North West and North Wales, Heart North and Mid Wales and some broadcasts of Capital Cymru from their studios in Gwersyllt, Wrexham, the former studios of the Marcher Radio Group. BBC Cymru Wales has a local radio station in Wrexham for some local broadcasts. The Leader is the local newspaper in Wrexham. There is also a local media website known as ''Wrexham.com''.

Music

Theatr Stiwt (Stiwt Theatre) in Rhosllanerchrugog, with 450 seats, opened in 1926, and hosts various drama and musical performances. The Grove Park Theatre, described as Wrexham's "oldest amateur theatre", is located on Hill Street in Wrexham since 1954. The 890-seat William Aston Hall in Wrexham Glyndŵr University, and the 150-seat Studio Theatre in

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

also acts as a venue for events. The Wrexham Musical Theatre Society is based at the 120-seat Riverside Studio Theatre. The county borough is home to numerous choirs such as Brymbo, Y Rhos, Rhos Orpheus, Dyffryn Ceiriog and

Fron Male Voice Choir The Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir ( cy, Côr Meibion Froncysyllte), also known as the Fron Choir ( cy, Côr Fron), is an amateur male voice choir based in the village of Froncysyllte (pronounced roughly ''vron-cuss-ulth/ tay''), Wrexham County Borou ...

. The latter is regarded as the oldest boy-band in the world.

Museums

County Borough Museum

is the main museum in the county borough. Located in Wrexham city centre on Regent Street, neighbouring Wrexham Cathedral (St Mary's Cathedral), St Mark's Car Park, and city centre shops. The museum building (" County Buildings") was built in 1857 as a military barracks. In 1877, the militia moved to

Hightown Barracks Hightown Barracks is a military installation in Wrexham, Wales. History The barracks were built in the Fortress Gothic Revival Style and completed in 1877. Their creation took place as part of the Cardwell Reforms which encouraged the localisa ...

, with the County Buildings converted to a police station and

Magistrates' court A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) * Magistrate's Cou ...

in 1879. The police vacated the building to Bodhyfryd in 1976–77, with the building opened as a museum in 1996 and refurbished in 2010–11. The museum hosts the A. N. Palmer Centre for Local Studies and Archives, the local archives for the city of Wrexham, and the building is proposed to also host a football museum.

Proposed National Football Museum

A Football Museum for Wales is proposed to be set up in Wrexham, within the Wrexham Museum building on Regent Street. Unlike

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and

, Wales lacks a museum commemorating national football. The museum would occupy the currently unoccupied upper floors of the building, and exist alongside the Wrexham Museum. The museum is funded and developed by the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...

and

, and is projected to open by 2024. Wrexham was chosen due being the location where the FAW was founded in 1876 and having the oldest club and oldest football ground in Wales.

Gallery

File:St Giles' Church, Wrexham (geograph 4885639 cropped).jpg, St Giles' Parish Church, Wrexham File:Under Pontcysyllte.jpg, Pontycysyllte Aqueduct, within a UNESCO

File:Erddig Hall (14513467238).jpg, Erddig Hall, Wrexham File:Glynceiriogvillageview.jpg, Glyn Ceiriog File:Pont Rhedynfre - Holt or Farndon Bridge, Holt, Wrexham, Wales 16.jpg, Farndon-Holt Bridge,

File:StiwtTheatreRhosllannerchrugog.jpg, Stiwt Theatre,

Rhosllannerchrugog RhosllanerchrugogDavies, Jenkins and Baines (eds) ''The Welsh Academy Encyclopedia of Wales'', 2008, p.752 (also spelled Rhosllannerchrugog, or simply Rhos) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It lies within the histo ...

File:Chirk Castle - Adam Tower.jpg,

Notes

References

External links

Council website
*
Wrexham.com WebsiteNHS Review of substance misuse including Ward Deprivation Map and detailed population/age group figures
( PDF Viewer Required) {{Authority control Principal areas of Wales County boroughs of Wales

History

Borough status

Status within Clwyd, then as County Borough

Geography

Country parks

Politics and local government

Local recent political history

Westminster members

Senedd members

Communities

Electoral wards

Economy and industry

Brewing

History

=Present day

Red brick

Former mining

Industrial estate

Retail

Sports

Football

Rugby

Horse racing

Transport

Railways

Roads

Bus

Former tramways

Demography

Welsh-language

Health

Hospitals

Education

Higher and further education

Schools

Twinning

Culture and tourism

Public art and symbols

Castles

Churches

Country estates and halls

Scheduled monuments

Notable people

Tourist attractions

Industrial heritage

= Bersham

= Brymbo

= Minera

Notable sites and bridges

World Heritage Site

Brymbo Fossil Forest

Media

Music

Museums

County Borough Museum

Proposed National Football Museum

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

External links