53 Facts About Wrexham

Wrexham is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales.

Wrexham has historically been one of the primary settlements of Wales.

Wrexham was likely founded prior to the 11th century and developed in the Middle Ages as a regional centre for trade and administration.

Today, Wrexham continues to serve north Wales and the Welsh borderlands as a centre for manufacturing, retail, education and administration.

At the time of the Roman conquest of Britain, the area which Wrexham formed part of was held by a tribe called the Cornovii.

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The name Wrexham probably comes from the old English for Wryhtel's river meadow.

Stability under the princes of Powys Fadog enabled Wrexham to develop as a trading town and administrative centre of one of the two commotes making up the Lordship.

Wrexham increased in importance throughout the Middle Ages as the lordship's administrative centre, and the then town's position made it a suitable centre for the exchange of the produce of the Dee valley and Denbighshire uplands, whilst iron and lead were mined locally.

In 1391 Wrexham was wealthy enough for a bard, jester, juggler, dancer and goldsmith to earn their living there.

Wrexham was canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

The 1620 Norden's jury of survey of Wrexham Regis stated that four-fifths of the land-holding classes of Wrexham bore Welsh names and every field except one within the manor bore a Welsh or semi-Welsh name.

Wrexham served as military headquarters for both forces and a quarter of houses were burned down in 1643 during the quartering of troops in the town.

Wrexham was known for its leather industry and by the 18th century there were a number of skinners and tanners in the town.

Wrexham benefited from good underground water supplies which were essential to the brewing of beer: by the mid-19th century, there were 19 breweries in and around the town.

Wrexham suffered from the same problems as much of industrialised Britain and saw little investment in the 1970s.

The UK Parliament constituency of Wrexham was considered a safe seat for the Labour Party until 2019.

At the 2019 general election, Wrexham elected Sarah Atherton MP to the House of Commons, the first Conservative Member of Parliament for the constituency.

Wrexham is served by North Wales Police; their Eastern Division HQ has a large HQ building in Llay and a police station in the city centre.

Wrexham has applied for city status three times since the turn of the 21st century, in competitions to mark the new Millennium, and for both the Queen's Golden and Diamond Jubilees.

In March 2012, it was announced that Wrexham had again missed out on city status as the community of St Asaph, which was previously a city, was granted city status.

In 2021, the Wrexham council announced their intention to apply for a fourth time for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee award.

Wrexham is not built on a major river, but on a relatively flat plateau between the lower Dee Valley and easternmost mountains of north-east Wales.

Wrexham is famed for the quality of its underground water reserves, which gave rise to its previous dominance as a major brewing centre.

Originally a market town with surrounding urban villages, Wrexham has now coalesced with a number of urban villages and forms North Wales' largest conurbation and city, including its western and south western suburban villages.

Wrexham is approximately 13 miles south of Chester, 30 miles north-west of Shrewsbury, 43 miles south-west of Manchester, and 140 miles north of Cardiff.

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Wrexham held the National Eisteddfod of Wales for the sixth time in 2011.

Wrexham has a number of historic city centre buildings, many of which are pubs but others have been converted into arts or community centres.

Wrexham's economy has moved away from heavy industry to high tech manufacturing, bio-technology, finance and professional services.

Wrexham is home to DTCC, which collates and analyses company information for investment banks and financial organisations.

Development Bank of Wales signed a lease for its new headquarters in Wrexham based on the Wrexham Technology Park, which is expected to accommodate 50 jobs.

Wrexham was once home to Marstons, Border Breweries and Wrexham Lager.

Central area of Wrexham has seen a number of purpose-built residential developments as well as conversions of older buildings to residential use.

Company of actors from Wrexham is recorded as appearing in Shrewsbury in Henry VIII's reign.

Wrexham has a number of theatres, including the Grove Park Theatre on Vicarage Hill and the Yale Studio theatre close to Llwyn Isaf, with others at Glyndwr University on Mold Road and at Coleg Cambria.

Shortly after its rebrand to Live Rooms Wrexham, it was found to be under financial pressures and closed on 9 February 2019, the year that marked its 20th anniversary.

Wrexham has three parks, Bellevue Park, Acton Park and the parkland at Erddig, as well as a green area within the city centre called Llwyn Isaf.

Llwyn Isaf, situated alongside Wrexham Guildhall, is a popular green area within the city centre.

Wrexham was the site of the headquarters of the Football Association of Wales from its formation in 1876 until relocation to Cardiff in 1991.

Wrexham is home to rugby union team Wrexham RFC, a team affiliated to the Welsh Rugby Union.

Rhos now have grown to match Wrexham's quality, making the rivalry even more intense than in previous years.

St Giles is the Parish Church of Wrexham and is considered to be the greatest medieval church in Wales.

Wrexham was a Roman Catholic martyr in the 16th century and was hanged, drawn and quartered at Wrexham's Beast Market.

Wrexham has a number of non-conformist chapels and churches around the city, including a corps of The Salvation Army.

Wrexham had a church with a spire dedicated to and named after St Mark in St Mark's Road but it was demolished in 1960 after being declared unsafe and in danger of collapse due to inadequate foundations.

Wrexham has become home to the first shared-faith school in Wales, St Joseph's.

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City of Wrexham is twinned with the German district of Markischer Kreis and the Polish town of Raciborz.

In September 2002, a delegation from Raciborz visited Wrexham and began initial discussions about possible co-operation which led, eventually, to the signing of Articles of Twinning between Wrexham and Raciborz in March 2004.

Wrexham General was opened in 1846, rebuilt in 1912 and again in 1997.

Wrexham General is on two different lines, the Shrewsbury to Chester Line and the Borderlands Line, both of which are run by Transport for Wales.

Wrexham-provided passenger train services from Wrexham via Shropshire to London Marylebone on an open-access basis.

Wrexham Central, which is located on the Island Green retail park, is a small terminus station which is the southern terminus of the Wrexham to Bidston in Birkenhead Borderlands Line.

The Wrexham Shuttle provides a link between Wrexham and the nearby industrial estate.

Wrexham is served by the National Express coach network, which picks up from the Wrexham bus station.