Moss Valley, Wrexham
Encyclopedia
The Moss Valley is an area and country park in Britain. It is in the county borough of Wrexham
Wrexham (county borough)
Wrexham is a county borough centred on the town of Wrexham in north-east Wales. The county borough has a population of 130,200 inhabitants. Just under half of the population live either within the town of Wrexham or its surrounding conurbation of urban villages. The remainder living to the south...
, in north 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 area is also informally known as "The Moss" and The Aggey amongst locals. It is most well known for its extensive 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,...
history.
Thomas Telford
In 1796, a feeder reservoir lake was constructed in the Valley for an extension of the Ellesmere CanalEllesmere 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...
under Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
. The canal would have eventually served as an extension from Trevor Basin
Trevor Basin
Trevor Basin is a Canal basin on the Llangollen Canal, situated near Trevor, in Clwyd, between Llangollen and Ruabon.The basin was originally built at the northern end of the central section of the Ellesmere Canal, just 150yds north of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.With the abandonment of the planned...
. This plan was abandoned in 1798. Remnants of the canal are still visible in nearby Gwersyllt, and a street in the village is named Heol Camlas (Welsh: Canal Way). Telford's lake is not the lake that is currently present in the valley.
Collieries
Throughout the 19th Century and early 20th Century, the Moss Valley was the home to the Westminster Colliery in its northern end, and Gatewen Colliery at the southern end. The coal was distributed both locally and nationally through major railway links, much of which was built specifically for the distribution of goods. The colliery's railways were linked to neighbouring Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
lines. This originally was the Wheatsheaf Branch which ran from the Wheatsheaf Junction of the Chester line, then up a worked incline up Gwersyllt Hill, and then through the 220ft Summerhill Tunnel to Westminster Colliery. The line then continued through the other side of the valley through the 400ft Brymbo Tunnel, up a second worked incline to Brymbo Steelworks. The western portal of the Summerhill Tunnel is still visible as of 2008, although its eastern portal and both portals of the Brymbo tunnel have been buried. In 1862 the GWR Ffrwd Branch from the Croesnewydd Junction was opened to transport railway traffic over a much more 'normal' terrain between the Chester line and Brymbo, replacing the Brymbo half of the Wheatsheaf Branch. A Moss Branch was later created from the Ffrwd Branch, making the Wheatsheaf Branch, its brake inclines and two tunnels defunct by 1908. The Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
Brymbo Branch also ran through the valley, and the Moss Valley station is still visible.
Much of the local working force relied on these collieries for both income and fuel. Westminster Colliery closed in February 1925, but the remnants of the industry were not removed until the early 1970s. It closed mainly due to water leakage, but this was the beginning of a declining industry.
Recent history
In the early 1970s, the area was reclaimed as a country parkCountry park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
. The finished area was to include two lakes (one "north" boating lake complete with boat storage, and one "south" smaller lake which includes an island at the centre), a children's playground, public toilets, a golf club
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
, facilities for fishing and various benches and picnic tables. Through the 80's and 90's the area was heavily vandalised, leading to the loss of boating and public toilet facilities.
However, in the early 21st Century, the area was donated grants for restoration. Both lakes were cleaned, and fishing was restricted to private permit holders only. Paths were given new surfaces, information signs and benches were erected, and bridges were repaired. The north former-boating lake was re-targeted towards conservation, and water plants were added to the water. Many species of coarse fish, and Ancona duck
Ancona duck
The Ancona Duck is a breed of domestic duck. These rare ducks are considered to be a descendant of the Indian Runner Duck and the Belgian Huttegem Duck breeds. Anconas were developed in England during the early 20th century, but were not available in the United States until 1984...
s can now be found in the lakes, a sure sign of an improvement. Many of the former railway trackbeds were transformed into nature walks, and steps were installed on banks. Gates and fences were erected to prevent the use of motor vehicles in the lake areas. However, both the toilets and former boat-house remain empty. Throughout 2005 and 2006, the original playground was dismantled and eventually replaced in 2007 (pictured below).
The area is now an official country park
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
, and attracts many visitors including those interested in its industrial history and its wildlife amongst its waters and woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s. It highly successful golf club still provides to its newer course, just over the road from the original one (now a free "pitch and putt" 9-hole course).