Wrexham County Borough

Wrexham County Borough
Bwrdeistref Sirol Wrecsam (Welsh)
County Borough of Wrexham[i]
Coat of arms of Wrexham Borough Council
Wrexham County Borough shown within Wales
Wrexham County Borough shown within Wales
Coordinates: 53°03′N 3°00′W / 53.05°N 3.00°W / 53.05; -3.00
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country Wales
Preserved countyClwyd
Established1 April 1996
Administrative HQWrexham
Government
 • TypePrincipal council
 • BodyWrexham County Borough Council
 • ExecutiveIndependent GroupConservative coalition (council NOC)
 • LeaderMark Pritchard (Independent Group)
 • MayorBeryl Blackmore (Liberal Democrats)
 • MSsLesley Griffiths (L)
Ken Skates (L)
+ 4 regional members
 • MPsSarah Atherton (C)
Simon Baynes (C)
Area
 • Total193 sq mi (499 km2)
 • Rank10th
Population
 (2022)
 • Total135,394
 • Rank10th
 • Density700/sq mi (269/km2)
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
GSS codeW06000006
ISO 3166-2GB-WRX
ITL 3 codeTLL23[ii]
ONS code00NL
Websitewww.wrexham.gov.uk

Wrexham County Borough (Welsh: Bwrdeistref Sirol Wrecsam) is a county borough, with city status,[1] in the north-east of Wales. It borders the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire and Shropshire to the east and south-east respectively, Powys to the south-west, Denbighshire to the west and Flintshire to the north-west. The city of Wrexham is the administrative centre. The county borough is part of the preserved county of Clwyd.

The county borough has an area of 193 square miles (500 km2) and a population of 136,055. The north of the county borough is relatively urbanised and centred on Wrexham, with a population of 44,785, its industrial estate and several outlying villages, such as Brynteg and Gwersyllt. To the north east is the border village of Holt, while to the south of Wrexham, Rhosllanerchrugog, Ruabon, Acrefair and Cefn Mawr are the main urban villages. Further south again is the town of Chirk, near the border with Shropshire, while the Ceiriog Valley to the south-east and English Maelor to the south-west of the county borough are rural. The county borough was historically split between Denbighshire and Flintshire, with it all later being part of the county of Clwyd.

The county borough is flat in the east and hilly in the west. The long salient to the south-west incorporates most of the Ceiriog Valley and includes part of the Berwyn range. The River Ceiriog forms part of the Shropshire border in its lower stages before meeting the Dee east of Chirk. The Dee itself enters the county borough near Cefn Mawr and flows east and then north-east toward Cheshire, creating a wide plain. It forms part of the border before fully entering England at the county borough's north-east corner. The north-west of the county borough, down to Chirk, is part of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB, and includes the Ruabon Moors uplands.

Wrexham includes the remains of two significant medieval castles: Chirk, which is now a country house, and Holt, of which only fragments remain. The county borough has a strong industrial history; a notable early business is Bersham Ironworks, in the Clywedog Valley, which operated between 1715 and 1812 and pioneered cannon manufacture. The area is part of the North Wales Coalfield and significant mining took place in the nineteenth century. Tanning and brewing were also significant industries. The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct near Cefn Mawr is an important surviving piece of early industrial infrastructure and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The contemporary economy of the county borough has diversified into industries such as engineering, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and food processing, with agriculture dominant in the south-east and south-west. The county borough also contains Wrexham University, one of Wales' three Roman Catholic cathedrals, Wrexham Industrial Estate and the UK's largest prison, HMP Berwyn.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-roman> tags or {{efn-lr}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-roman}} template or {{notelist-lr}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Crown Office | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-09-05. THE QUEEN has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 1 September 2022 to ordain that the County Borough of Wrexham shall have the status of a City.

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search