Froncysyllte

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Froncysyllte, commonly called Fron, is a village in northern Wales. It is part of the larger community of Wrexham, which includes other towns such as Plas Madoc, Ruabon, and Cefn Mawr. It is known for the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, built in 1795.

[edit] Aqueduct

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct was built by Thomas Telford in 1795. It stretches over the River Dee.

[edit] Choir

Froncysyllte is famous for the Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir, which began in 1947, when plans were announced to hold the first Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. Local man, Gomer Powell called a meeting with the intention of forming a voice choir. The choir was formed at the meeting, with JR Jones being the first chairman. A local piano teacher by the name of Lloyd Edwards became conductor and one of his students, Menna Hughes, was the accompanist. Young men were persuaded to join, as 60 voices were needed to compete in the Eisteddfod. One of the first to join was Dennis Williams. He was 16 at the time and is now 75, making him the oldest member. They signed a record deal in 2006 with Universal Classics. Their first commercial recording, Voices of the Valley, made it to the charts November of that year. Despite the publicity, the men remain modest, never staying in posh hotels. The choir came to fame when they were heard by Daniel Glatman, manager of the band Blue.