We do like a party in Wrexham. Maybe it's because we've had so
much to celebrate in the last few years.
Acquiring our very own university, for example. The newest in
Wales. Or increasing the retail space in Wrexham town centre by 25%
with the award-winning Eagles Meadow shopping centre. All 306,000
square feet of it.
But perhaps the biggest news was when UNESCO made Pontcysyllte
Aqueduct a World Heritage Site. Which puts our very own Thomas
Telford masterpiece on a par with world icons such as the Pyramids,
Machu Picchu or the Acropolis.
Of that's not worth a celebration, we don't know what is. So it's
perfect timing for Wrexham to host one of the world's greatest
cultural festivals - the 2011 National Eisteddfod of Wales.
Wrexham
Do a little shopping in Wrexham and you'll notice something pretty
quickly. We like to chat. It comes with being a market town.
And we don't just do markets, there's big names brands down at
eagles meadow, and quirky independents scattered around the place.
Why not come and explore and seek them out?
Wrexham's museum has reopened following a facelift, and there's
the art gallery, Odeon cinema, TenPin bowling, not to mention the
great selection of bars and restaurants.
Bangor-on-Dee
Stunningly set on the River Dee, Bangor is reached by a
hump-backed medieval stone bridge. There's fishing on the river,
golf nearby, and horse racing just a few hundred yards from the
village centre.
Chirk
Thanks to its strategic location on the border between England and
Wales, Chirk has an embarrassment of riches for a small town. An
aqueduct by Thomas Telford. A viaduct by Henry Robinson. A great
castle built by Edward I. Oh and a championship golf course. Its
not merely a gateway to England. It offers easy access to Offa's
Dyke National Trail and to one of the most beautiful valley sin
Wales - the Ceiriog Valley.
Erbistock
The narrow, wooded lane that winds from Overton Bridge past the
Garden House leads nowhere - except to one of the loveliest
villages in Wrexham. Erbistock's setting on the banks of the Dee
has inspired painters and photographers for centuries. Take in the
unexpectedly grand neo-Gothic church. The old pulling mechanism
which is all that remains of the hand-operated ferry. Then, since
this is where the road ends, turn around and come back again. It
will be worth it.
Gresford
In 15th century All Saints, Gresford has one of the loveliest
churches in Wales. It has 18th century almshouses and a redbrick
heart beside a pond so large locals call it The Lake. And it has a
memorial to perhaps the saddest day in Wrexham's history. September
22nd 1934, when 226 men lost their lives in a colliery disaster.
Appropriately enough, you'll find the memorial with its huge
pithead wheel in the grounds of the Working Men's Club.
Hanmer
Owain Glyndwr, perhaps the greatest Welshman of all time, got
married in the church at Hanmer in 1383. That one burnt down but
don't be disappointed. Its replacement is the most strikingly
situated in the whole of Wrexham. You approach from a mere, or
glacial lake, teeming with crested grebe, swans and Canada geese.
You enter a set of ornate iron gates, pass through a large
graveyard which sweeps uphill to the church. And you prepare to be
amazed.
Holt
Well, it's not exactly Checkpoint Charlie. But stroll from Holt
across the Old Dee Bridge and you'll be in another country -
England. Other remarkable ancient structures include the ruins of
Holt castle and St Chad's church, one of the few surviving examples
of medieval design gone seriously wrong. Its sandstone is dotted
with impurities, its windows are too big and one of its buttresses
is misplaced. It still looks lovely, though, and there's a great
view of it from the beer garden of the Peal O' Bells pub.
Overton
Overton is so stuffed with historic buildings that it's been
designated a conservation area. Look out for Dispensary Row, a set
of neo-Gothic terraced cottages with arched doorways and windows.
And its extra-wide High Street, redesigned in grand style after
Edward I granted the village borough status.
Rossett
Art lovers may recognise Upper Mill on the river Alyn at Rossett.
It was sketched by JMW Turner in 1795. He was a little too early to
call in for refreshment at the Victorian half-timbered Cocoa Rooms,
now a bank. They were built to tempt young men away from the
village pubs. Which, you may be glad to know, are still standing
and still doing a roaring trade.