Exploring
m a h x e Wr
Steve Goodier visits the market town of Wrexham and uncovers some interesting changes… When I think of Wrexham I always recall Rupert. He was
Wrexham still continues to serve North Wales and the Welsh
the senior buyer for a large builder’s merchants based next
border lands and is an important hub for manufacturing,
to the Wrexham football stadium and he was a tough and
retail, education and administration and is a busy and vibrant
uncompromising negotiator who was well in his sixties. I
large market town. Geographically it is located between the
found him grumpy and awkward to deal with and as it was
Welsh hill country and the lower Dee valley and it is next
my job to sell him construction timber I came to dread my
to the English counties of Cheshire and Shropshire. It is
fortnightly visits to him. All this changed when his secretary
approximately 13 miles/21 km south of Chester, 30 miles/50 km
told me one Christmas that Rupert opened his home to all the
north west of Shrewsbury, 140 miles/230 km north of Cardiff
local pensioners every Christmas Day and gave them lunch.
and 50 miles/80 km south west of Manchester.
Taking into account the man’s own advanced age, my heart went out to him and with only being in my twenties myself
The town has a population of about 66,000 which makes it
at the time it just went to show me you should never be too
the largest in North Wales – and the fourth largest in Wales
quick to judge people.
overall.
That was almost forty years ago and even then Wrexham was
I mentioned Wrexham football stadium in the introduction
a commercial centre for the surrounding areas. Modern day
and Wrexham A.F.C. is famous for being one of the oldest professional football teams in the world. The club plays in the fifth tier of English football and is currently owned by big screen superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The team plays its football at the Racecourse Ground which is the world’s oldest international stadium that continues to host international games. Unlike a lot of towns Wrexham is not built on a major river but three small rivers flow through various parts of the town and these are the Clywedog, The Gwenfro and the Alyn – and the town is famed for its underground water reserves which helped it achieve a one-time dominance as a major brewing centre. Wrexham is not particularly hilly and developed on a relatively flat plateau. Many people think of Wrexham as a city and indeed, the town
NWM 2021 Page 39
