Book Wrexham Holiday Deals & Short Break Offers

Wrexham – The largest town in North Wales

Wrexham is the largest town in North Wales and located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley.

The first signs of human activity in the region have been dated back to 1600 BC, but the earliest settlement appeared much later, in 1161. In 1536 Wrexham became part of the county of Denbighshire and was split into two townships, Wrexham Regis, which was controlled by the King, and Wrexham Abbot, which belonged to the nearby Valle Crucis Abbey.

Wrexham saw action during the Civil War in the 17th century, which involved Holt Castle (the remains of which can be found to the east of the town) and a nearby medieval bridge.

In the late 18th century Wrexham changed from being a small market town, known for its leather industry, to one of the leaders in the Industrial Revolution. This began with John Wilkinson in 1762 (also known as ‘Iron Mad Wilkinson’), who opened Bersham Heritage Centre and Ironworks and a smelting plant at Brymbo in 1793.

Reasons to visit Wrexham

Although much of Wrexham’s mining heritage has vanished, there are reminders of the past, such as the Gresford Disaster Memorial which remembers the 266 miners who lost their lives at the Gresford colliery there in 1934, a tragedy seen in many other mining towns in Wales.

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is the longest and highest aqueduct in Britain, which carries the Llangollen Canal over the valley of the River Dee.

There are a number of interesting attractions in Clywedog Valley, an important location for the industrial revolution in Wrexham, such as the Minera Leadmines, Nant Mill and Bersham Ironworks. Erddig Hall was voted the UK’s best historical house in 2007.

Other places worth a visit include the Horse and Jockey (thatched roof) pub in Regent Street, St. Giles Church (the resting place of Elihu Yale and called one of the seven wonders of Wales) and the Wrexham County Museum.

Entertainment and Dining in Wrexham

Wrexham has an interesting music scene with plenty of places offering live music, there are also many pubs and restaurants which cater for a wide variety of tastes.