Gwersyllt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gwersyllt (derived from the Welsh word, "Gwersyll" meaning "campsite") is a densely populated urban village in the suburbs of Wrexham, it forms part of the Wrexham Urban Area (pop 63,000) and is one of Wrexham's largest villages. It is situated in the north western suburbs bordering the nearby villages of Bradley, Llay, Cefn-y-Bedd, Summerhill and Sydallt, within Wrexham County Borough. It is unknown the era in which the village started life, however it grew rapidly with the local coalmining industry.
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[edit] History
The area was home to several coalmining collieries of which many features still remain. In 1896, the Gwersyllt coal mine owned by Edward Griffiths had 185 employees with 167 below ground. It was in operation by 1881.
The area was well situated between the collieries of the Moss Valley and Bradley, and it also had good infrastructure links, which included local railway (of which is still in use), and prior to that, a section of canal, originally intended to form part of the Ellesmere Canal. A local street is named, Heol-y-Camlas, meaning Canal Road. Evidence of the canal cuttings can still be seen along the lane that links Bottom Road with Mold Road (at the Sydallt exit).
The village's church, Holy Trinity, is suspected to date back to the 1800s, however there is no official documentation.
In the mid-20th century, the area became subject to the build of council housing amongst existing Georgian builds. The area quickly gained popularity, and local services, including the local Holy Trinity School (moved to become Ysgol Bryn Golau and Ysgol-y-Drindod between 1975 and 1977, the two have more recently merged in 2005 to become Ysgol Heulfan), and Ysgol Bryn Alyn started to emerge.
[edit] Services & Facilities
Residents of Gwersyllt benefit from many local facilities.
- Gwyn Evans Sports Centre, named after local councillor and school teacher, this facility consists of a 25 metre swimming pool and multi-use sports hall. The venue is presently is home to the Gwersyllt Library, while its permanent building is being re-built. The facility is on the grounds of Ysgol Bryn Alyn, who use it regularly for physical education lessons.
- Gwersyllt Partnership Centre is a multi-use centre, formally the local health clinic, which offers citizens advice, nursery and products for mothers and babies.
- Gwersyllt Community Centre was the name of the building which housed Gwersyllt Library and leased out its rooms, and has recently been demolished to be re-built, expected to be complete by 2007.
- Gwersyllt railway station is the local railway station which links to many national lines, the nearest being Wrexham General railway station
- Supermarkets, including Somerfield and Lidl. The ground where the Lidl is at present was formally used by Co-op UK, however it was destroyed by fire in the early 1990s.
- Kwik Save Centre is a shopping precinct, formally headed by the supermarket chain Kwik Save. Its various shops include Iceland, Toymaster and a variety of independent retailers. In this state of time Kwik Save is known as Somerfield since early 2006.
- Schools, including Ysgol Bryn Alyn secondary school, Gwersyllt County Primary school and Ysgol Heulfan Primary School.
- Holy Trinity Church is of the Church in Wales Christian denominiation.
- The Studios is the headquarters of the former Marcher Radio Group, which produces and broadcasts radio programmes to Marcher Sound, Buzz 97.1, Coast 96.3, Champion FM 103 and the recently launched Wrexham and Chester Gold (formerly Classic Gold).
Other local services include local health clinic, hairdressing salon, café, public houses convenience stores and open ground.
[edit] Housing
The majority of the area is council housing, which the major area is considered to be First Avenue, which links to all the other major roads in the area. The nearest dual carriageway is named the Mold Road, which runs from Wrexham to Mold, which can be found at the bottom of the village.
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