Gwersyllt
Encyclopedia
Gwersyllt is an urban village and a local government community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
The densely populated village is one of Wrexham's largest and is situated in the north western suburbs of the town, bordering the nearby villages of Llay
Llay
Llay is a village and local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales....
, Cefn-y-Bedd, and Sydallt. The community, also including the villages of Summerhill
Summerhill, Wrexham
Summerhill is a semi-urban village in the suburbs of Wrexham, Wales and forms part of the community of Gwersyllt.-Industry and History:In the 19th and early 20th century, Summerhill was predominately focused around local farming or coalmining industries, however there was also nearby Brymbo...
and Bradley
Bradley, Wrexham
Bradley is an area in the county borough of Wrexham, in Wales.This page is still under construction.-Local facilities:Alyn Waters ParkAlyn Waters Park is situated between Bradley, Gwersyllt and Llay...
, had a total population of 10,056 at the 2001 census.
The name
Welsh placenames
The placenames of Wales derive in most cases from the Welsh language, but have also been influenced by linguistic contact with the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Anglo-Normans and modern English...
is usually stated to be derived from the Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
word, gwersyll, meaning "campsite", with the final t common in the area's dialect. This is, however, a comparatively modern form, and during the mediaeval period the name was written as "Wershull" or "Wersull", with "Gwershull" and "Wersham" occurring in the 16th century. It is therefore possible that the present name, like others in the area, is a Welsh adaptation of an earlier English name ending in "-hull" (i.e. "hill").
History
Gwersyllt was originally a townshipTownship (England)
In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...
of the parish of Gresford
Gresford
Gresford is a village and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales.According to the 2001 Census, the population of the community, which also includes the village of Marford, was 5,334....
, and by 1833 had 834 inhabitants. The gradual increase of the area's population in the industrial era led to Gwersyllt being formed as a new parish in 1851, combining the old township of Gwersyllt and parts of the neighbouring township of Stansty
Stansty
Stansty is a ward in Wrexham County Borough in Wales, lying to the immediate north-west of the town of Wrexham.-Geography, name:Stansty consists of Higher Stansty and Lower Stansty; Higher Stansty lies near to Summerhill and Moss Valley within the community of Gwersyllt and is north of the A483 road...
. The parish church, from plans by Thomas Penson
Thomas Penson
Thomas Penson was the County Surveyor of Montgomeryshire from 1817, and designer of a number of masonry arch bridges over the River Severn and elsewhere....
, was consecrated at the same time.
The village grew rapidly with the local coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
industry and the area was home to several 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 situated between the collieries of the Moss Valley
Moss Valley, Wrexham
The Moss Valley is an area and country park in Britain. It is in the county borough of Wrexham, in north Wales. The area is also informally known as "The Moss" and The Aggey amongst locals. It is most well known for its extensive coal mining history...
and Bradley, and it also had good infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
links, which included local railway (which is still in use), and prior to that, a section of canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
, originally intended to form part of the Ellesmere Canal
Ellesmere Canal
The Ellesmere Canal was a canal in England and Wales, originally planned to link the Rivers Mersey, Dee, and Severn, by running from Netherpool to Shrewsbury. The canal that was eventually constructed was very different from what was originally envisioned...
. 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).
In the mid-20th century, large council estates were built amongst the existing Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
buildings. The area quickly gained popularity, and local services, including the local Holy Trinity School (which later became Ysgol Bryn Golau and Ysgol y Drindod, and which merged in 2005 to become Ysgol Heulfan), and Ysgol Bryn Alyn
Ysgol Bryn Alyn
Ysgol Bryn Alyn is a secondary school in the county borough of Wrexham, Wales. Its catchment area includes its local primary schools within Gwersyllt, but also other villages nearby.Mr Brian Whiteley took up the position of headteacher in July 2011....
were built. Other local schools included Gwersyllt County Primary School and Ysgol-y-Gaer, who also merged in 2007.
Governance
Prior to 1974, the civil parishCivil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Gwersyllt fell into the County of Denbighshire
Denbighshire (historic)
Historic Denbighshire is one of thirteen traditional counties in Wales, a vice-county and a former administrative county, which covers an area in north east Wales...
and the Wrexham Rural District
Wrexham Rural District
Wrexham was a rural district in the administrative county of Denbighshire from 1894 and 1974.The rural district took over the of the existing Wrexham Rural Sanitary District...
(however some areas in Gwersyllt were moved to Wrexham Borough in the 20th Century). In 1974, the civil parish became a community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
of the Borough of Wrexham Maelor
Wrexham Maelor
Wrexham Maelor was one of six local government districts of the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales, from 1974 to 1996.It was formed from parts of the administrative counties of Denbighshire and Flintshire....
, in the County of Clwyd
Clwyd
Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east, bordering England with Cheshire to its east, Shropshire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Gwynedd to its immediate west and Powys to the south. It additionally shares a maritime border with the metropolitan county of...
. Since further reorganisation in 1996, the community has been part of the County Borough of Wrexham and the wider preserved county of Clwyd.
Gwersyllt Community Council
Community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies...
covers a wider area, including Summerhill
Summerhill, Wrexham
Summerhill is a semi-urban village in the suburbs of Wrexham, Wales and forms part of the community of Gwersyllt.-Industry and History:In the 19th and early 20th century, Summerhill was predominately focused around local farming or coalmining industries, however there was also nearby Brymbo...
, Bradley, Rhosrobin
Rhosrobin
Rhosrobin is a small village situated in Wrexham county borough in Wales, about 2 miles north west of Wrexham town centre, close to the A483 road....
, Moss
Moss Valley, Wrexham
The Moss Valley is an area and country park in Britain. It is in the county borough of Wrexham, in north Wales. The area is also informally known as "The Moss" and The Aggey amongst locals. It is most well known for its extensive coal mining history...
, Parkwall and Sydallt. For local government purposes, the Community is split into three subdivisions; Gwersyllt North, Gwersyllt West and Gwersyllt East & South.
Leisure and lifestyle
A number of leisure and lifestyle facilities are available for local residents. Gwyn Evans Sports Centre, named after a local councillor and school teacher, is a council-operated leisure centreLeisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
, consisting of a 25-metre swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and multi-use sports hall, within the grounds of local secondary school, Ysgol Bryn Alyn
Ysgol Bryn Alyn
Ysgol Bryn Alyn is a secondary school in the county borough of Wrexham, Wales. Its catchment area includes its local primary schools within Gwersyllt, but also other villages nearby.Mr Brian Whiteley took up the position of headteacher in July 2011....
. The school additionally offers an outdoor astroturf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
multi-use games area, situated adjacent to the leisure centre. The newly-built Gwersyllt Community Resource Centre provides a large bookable function hall and meeting rooms, along with Gwersyllt Library, which is open six days a week.
A number of public houses have been central to the area, including The Wheatsheaf and Gwersyllt Working Men's Club, along with those in the wider Gwersyllt Community in Summerhill, Bradley and Gresford.
Religion
Gwersyllt is predominately served by two churches, namely Gwersyllt Congregational Church of the evangelicalEvangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
faith, and Holy Trinity Church, which is part of the Church in Wales
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
Anglican denomination. Both date from the Victorian era, with the Congregational Church being the older of the two.
Supplies
Gwersyllt's largest shopping centre is known locally as the Kwik Save Centre, an outdoor precinct formally headed by the Kwik SaveKwik Save
Kwik Save was a discount supermarket chain in the United Kingdom until 2007. Its stores were small to medium sized high street supermarkets, mainly located in areas with below average incomes...
supermarket chain. Today it consists of Somerfield
Somerfield
Somerfield was a chain of small to medium sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth largest food retailer. The name is currently being phased out and replaced by the...
, Iceland
Iceland (supermarket)
Iceland is a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Iceland's primary product lines include frozen foods, such as frozen prepared meals and frozen vegetables - hence the name of the company...
and a number of local retailers. German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
discount supermarket Lidl
Lidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
also operates a store adjacent to Gwersyllt railway station
Gwersyllt railway station
Gwersyllt railway station serves the area of Gwersyllt in the town of Wrexham in North Wales. It is one of five stations in in the Wrexham County Borough.The station is 3.5 km north of Wrexham Central on the Borderlands Line.-Services:...
, along with a number of locally owned shops, food outlets and hairdressers around the community.
Education and health
Gwersyllt has three school within the community borders; namely Gwersyllt County Primary, Ysgol Heulfan Primary and Ysgol Bryn Alyn Secondary. Gwersyllt CP was created in 2007 by the amalgamation of the former Ysgol Y Gaer Infant School with Gwersyllt County Primary Junior School, and Ysgol Heulfan in 2005 respectively with the merger of Ysgol Bryn Golau Infants, Ysgol Y Drindod Juniors and Ysgol Powys. A centre for alternative curriculum programmes continues in the former building of Ysgol Powys. Following secondary education at Ysgol Bryn Alyn, Yale College of Wrexham in Wrexham provides further educationFurther education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
courses.
Pen-y-Maes Health Centre is the local clinic, being staffed by doctors, nurses and regular health visitors, and also encorporates a pharmacy.
Industry
Gwersyllt's former heavy industries of coalmining and manufacturing have declined over the 20th Century. Much of the former land of these industries has been reclaimed, mostly as housing. However a number of industrial warehouses continue, namely of building supplies, car sales and double-glazing window manufacturing. The Studios is the headquarters of the former Marcher Radio GroupMarcher Radio Group
Marcher Radio Group Ltd, previously Marcher Sound Ltd, was a former British media organisation which operated several radio stations in north Wales and north west England...
, which produces and broadcasts radio programmes to the local Heart stations, formally Marcher Sound, Buzz 97.1
Buzz 97.1
Heart Wirral was an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the Wirral Peninsula, sharing its facilities with Heart Wrexham and Gold, in Gwersyllt, Wrexham.-History:...
, Coast 96.3
Coast 96.3
Heart North Wales Coast was an independent local radio station broadcast along the North Wales coast, and owned & operated by Global Radio....
, Champion FM 103
Champion FM 103
Heart Cymru is an independent local radio station broadcasting to Gwynedd and Anglesey from the Arfon transmitting station...
, along with Wrexham and Chester Gold
Wrexham and Chester Gold
Gold North Wales and Cheshire is a British independent local radio station broadcasting to Wrexham, Chester, Flintshire and some of the Wirral, and is part of the Gold radio network. It is the "sister" station to local FM station, Marcher Sound, launched by Marcher Radio Group in 1989...
(formerly Classic Gold
Classic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...
).
Transport
A541 road
The A541 is an A road in North Wales. The road starts on the A525 in Trefnant, between St Asaph and Denbigh, and ends in Wrexham. On the way it passes the town of Mold. It also passes through many villages. In northern-central Wrexham it joins the B5101 road....
, locally known as the Mold Road is the main thoroughfare into Wrexham southbound, and northwards through south Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
onto Mold
Mold
Molds are fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae. Molds are not considered to be microbes but microscopic fungi that grow as single cells called yeasts...
. The community is also nearby to the A483 road
A483 road
The A483 is a major road in the United Kingdom, running from Swansea in Wales to Chester in England, although the official title is the Swansea to Manchester Trunk Road.-Swansea:...
via the Gresford and Wrexham junctions.
Gwersyllt railway station
Gwersyllt railway station
Gwersyllt railway station serves the area of Gwersyllt in the town of Wrexham in North Wales. It is one of five stations in in the Wrexham County Borough.The station is 3.5 km north of Wrexham Central on the Borderlands Line.-Services:...
provides hourly services by rail on the Borderlands Line
Borderlands Line
The Borderlands Line is the railway line between Wrexham, Wales, and Bidston, Wirral, England.Passenger train services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales between Wrexham Central and Bidston. Trains run every hour Monday to Saturday daytime, every two hours after 18:45 and on Sundays...
, southbound to Wrexham Central
Wrexham Central railway station
Wrexham Central railway station is the smaller of two main railway stations serving the central area of Wrexham in Wales. The platform can accommodate a three car diesel train, but has room for platform extension...
, and northbound onto Bidston
Bidston railway station
Bidston railway station is a railway station in Bidston, Birkenhead, on the Wirral, England. It is situated at the junction of the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line with the Borderlands Line from Wrexham Central .-History:The station was originally built by the Hoylake Railway in 1866 as an...
, changing for Merseyrail
Merseyrail
Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...
services to Liverpool Central. All services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
, predominately using Class 150
British Rail Class 150
The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :...
and Class 153
British Rail Class 153
The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter is a single car diesel multiple unit converted from British Rail Class 155s.-Description:These units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by British Leyland from 1987–88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92...
diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s.
Public bus transport is provided by Arriva Buses Wales
Arriva Buses Wales
Arriva Buses Wales is a division of Arriva that operates bus services in north Wales. It has its origins in the former Crosville Motor Services. Arriva Buses Wales has approximately 700 employees. The company's official name is Arriva Cymru Ltd.-History:...
and GHA Coaches
GHA Coaches
GHA Coaches is a bus and coach operator serving North East Wales and surrounding areas in the United Kingdom. Their current total of bus operations has increased dramatically in recent years after purchases of other local bus operators such as Bryn Melyn, Chaloner's, Hanmers Coaches and Vale of...
on services from Wrexham to Summerhill and Mold on Monday to Saturdays. A reduced service operates on Sundays and bank holidays, subsidised by Wrexham Council
Wrexham County Borough Council
Wrexham County Borough Council is the governing body for Wrexham , one of the administrative subdivisions of Wales.- Governance and political composition :...
and provided by Arriva.