|
Unusually for a large town, Wrexham is not built up alongside a major river. Instead it is situated on a relatively flat plateau between the lower Dee Valley and easternmost mountains of Wales. This situation enabled it to grow as a market town as a cross roads between England and Wales and later as an industrial hub – due to its rich natural reserves of iron ore and coal. It does however have three relatively minor rivers running through parts of the town. These are the rivers Clywedog, Gwenfro and Alyn. Wrexham is also 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 small villages, Wrexham is now coalesced with a number of urban villages and forms North Wales' largest conurbation exceeding 60,000 residents including its north, western and south western suburban villages. The Office for National Statistics defines a Wrexham Urban Area which consists of Wrexham Town and some coalesced suburbs (Pop. 63,084 in 2001) making it the 134th largest urban area in the UK, and the 7th largest in Wales.
A number of visitor attractions can be found in the town or within a short drive from the centre.
- Wales Comic Con - The largest fan-convention in Wales that brings actors, artists, writers and sports personalities to the town each year to meet thousands of fans who attend from around the globe.
- St. Giles Church - One of the Seven Wonders of Wales and burial place of Elihu Yale
- Racecourse Ground - home of Wrexham F.C. and North Wales Crusaders is the world's oldest international stadium that still continues to host international games.
- Erddig Hall - National Trust property and park (voted the UK's best historical house and 8th most popular historic site - 2007).
- Clywedog Valley - The power behind the industrial revolution in Wrexham, a number of good heritage attractions: (Minera Leadmines, Nant Mill and Bersham Ironworks) in a peaceful valley with good walks (BBC's 20 hidden gems in 2007
- Chirk Castle - (National Trust property) The castle was built in 1295 and is located in the Wrexham county.
- Pontcysyllte Aqueduct - is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal over the valley of the River Dee in Wrexham in north east Wales. Completed in 1805, it is the longest and highest aqueduct in Britain, a Grade I Listed Building and a World Heritage Site.
- Historic town centre buildings (Horse & Jockey pub - Hope Street, The Golden Lion - High Street, The Wynstay Arms Hotel - High Street & The Old Swan - Abbott Street).
- Techniquest Glyndwr - Science discovery centre.
- Wrexham County Museum - Museum showcasing the local history.
- Saith Seren - The Welsh centre provides a bilingual environment with locally sourced food, a bar, live entertainment, meeting rooms and community facilities.
- Indoor Markets - Wrexham has always been known as a market town, and continues this tradition with 2 architecturally significant Victorian indoor markets (Butchers and General), a newer indoor market (Peoples).
|
