Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Wrexham shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Wrexham offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Wrexham at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Wrexham? Wrong! If the Wrexham is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Wrexham then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Wrexham? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Wrexham and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Wrexham wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Wrexham then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Wrexham site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Wrexham, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Wrexham, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{infobox UK place|country = Wales|welsh_name=Wrecsam|constituency_welsh_assembly=Wrexham (National Assembly for Wales constituency), Clwyd South (National Assembly for Wales constituency)|latitude=53.03|longitude=-2.98|official_name= Wrexham|unitary_wales= Wrexham (county borough)|population= 42,576 (2001)|lieutenancy_wales= Clwyd, [Clwyd South (UK Parliament constituency)|post_town= WREXHAM|postcode_district = LL11-14|postcode_area= LL|dial_code= 01978|os_grid_reference= SJ335505|static_image=|static_image_caption=St. Giles Church, Wrexham-->Wrexham (Welsh language: Wrecsam) is a large (former industrial) town, conurbation and principal area of Wales lying in north-eastern part of the country. It is situated between the first mountains of Wales and the lower Dee valley, close to the English border with Cheshire. It is the main commercial, retail, educational and cultural centre in North Wales, and often termed 'The capital of North Wales'. In the 2001 census Wrexham had a population of 42,576, whereas the Wrexham urban area had a population of 63,084http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/census2001/ks_ua_ew_part1.pdf#1/ ONS Statistics for Urban Areas 2001]. It forms the centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, which covers 50,500 hectares and has a population of over 130,000. These figures make Wrexham by far the largest urban area in Wales away from the south coast.

History Evidence of human activity in the Wrexham area have been found as far back as 8000 years ago. However the first known settlement was known as Wristleham Castle, which was a motte and bailey located in what is now known as Erddig Park, in 1161. The town became part of the county of Denbighshire when it was created in 1536. Wrexham was divided into two distinct townships, Wrexham Regis (which was under the control of the King) and Wrexham Abbot (generally the older parts of the town, which originally belonged to Valle Crucis Abbey at nearby Llangollen).



In the 18th century Wrexham was known for its leather industry. There were skinners and tanners in the town. The horns from cattle were used to make things like combs and buttons. There was also a nail making industry in Wrexham.

In the mid-18th century Wrexham was no more than a small market town with a population of perhaps 2,000. However in the late 18th century Wrexham grew rapidly as it became one of the pioneers of the industrial revolution.



In the late 18th century Wrexham was transformed by the coming of the industrial revolution. It began when the famous entrepreneur John Wilkinson (1728-1808) known as 'Iron Mad Wilkinson' opened Bersham Ironworks in 1762. In 1793 he opened a smelting plant at Brymbo.

Wrexham gained its first newspaper in 1848. The Market Hall was built in 1848, and in 1863 a volunteer fire brigade was founded.

It was home to a large number of breweries and tanning became one of Wrexham's main industries, due to its history as a market town. In the mid 19th century Wrexham was granted borough status.

Recent History

In the latter half of the twentieth century, Wrexham began a period of economic depression: the many coal mines closed first, followed by the brickworks and other industries, and finally the steelworks (which had its own railway branch up until closure) in the 1980s. Wrexham faced an economic crisis. Many residents were anxious to sell their homes and move to areas with better employment prospects, however buyers were uninterested in an area where there was little prospect of employment. Many people were caught in a negative equity trap. Wrexham was suffering from the same problems as much of industrialised Britain and saw little investment in the 1970s.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) intervened to improve Wrexham's situation: it funded a major dual carriageway, the A483, bypassing Wrexham town centre and connecting it with Chester and Shrewsbury, which in turn had connections with other big cities such as Manchester and Liverpool. It also funded shops and reclaimed areas environmentally damaged by the coal industry. The town centre was regenerated and attracted a growing number of high street chains. However, the biggest breakthrough was the Wrexham Industrial Estate, previously used in the Second World War became home to many manufacturing and technology businesses. There are currently over 250 businesses on the Wrexham Industrial Estate and in the surrounding area. A dual carriageway from the main A483 was extended halfway to the Estate in 2003, and is expected to reach it by 2011.

In June 2003, the Caia Park housing estate in Wrexham was hit by riots. Tension between Iraqi Kurds and locals centred on one of the estates' pubs escalated and resulted in petrol bombs and other missiles being hurled at police trying to restore order. 51 local residents received prison sentences. Wrexham as a whole has since seen a vast influx (10-15,000) of Polish and Portuguese migrant workers but there has been no repeat of the events of 2003.

Current developments and regeneration Recent years have seen a large amount of redevelopment in Wrexham's town centre. The creation and re-development of civic and public areas such as Queens Square, Belle Vue Park and Llwyn Isaf have improved the area dramatically. New shopping areas have been created at Henblas Square and Island Green and major development is currently taking place at Eagles Meadow — a fairly large area of land between St. Giles and the inner ring road. The development when completed will increase Wrexham's retail area by over and house a large range of high quality retail outlets, bars, restaurants, cinema, bowling alley and new apartments. It will include public areas and an iconic bridge to connect the development with the old High Street. The housing boom is also being felt in Wrexham.

The central area has seen a number conversions and new build apartment complexes. Apartments have been built on a large area off Mold Road (close to the football ground) and are planned for Salop Road (close to Eagles Meadow), and close to the Island Green shopping complex. Outside of the town centre new build estates are being developed in Brymbo (former steelworks site).

Wrexham Western Gateway site (Ruthin Road) and Mold Road. Plans are due to be unveiled (Summer 2007) of the next stage in the development of Wrexham Technology Park as one of the country's first sustainable business centres - the development is expected to increase the size of the Park by more than a third before 2012.

Plans have been unveiled for a £17m waste processing centre for Wrexham which will help reduce the amount of waste going to landfill sites.It is believed the centre will be built on Wrexham's industrial estate and run by the Spanish-owned Waste Recycling Group. Plans for a recycling centre in Wrexham have been approved, but the permission granted to Waste Recycling Group is subject to several conditions including measures to off-set the effects on wildlife.

The bid for city status Wrexham is the largest settlement in North Wales, and has applied for city status several times, most recently in 2002 as part of the celebrations for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II. Other Welsh applicants were Aberystwyth, Machynlleth, Newtown, Wales, Newport and St Asaph. The local authority cited the following claims as to why Wrexham should be granted city status:



In the end, the Welsh award was given to Newport in South Wales, however the borough still holds out hope of gaining the status in the near future.

Economy Wrexham's economy has been transformed in the past twenty years, from one dominated by heavy and traditional industry into a major manufacturing, technology and services hub. Wrexham Industrial Estate to the east of the town is the UK's second largest (and among the largest in Europe) industrial parks. The remainder of the industrial parks are located around the A483 corridor to the west of the town. Companies such as Sharp Electronics, Brother Industries, Tetra-Pak, JCB, Cadbury and Kelloggs have major manufacturing, research or office bases in and around the town. International pharmaceutical and chemical companies are also well represented including Flexsys and Wockhardt. Service and smaller high technology set-ups are generally found closer to the centre at Wrexham Technology Park and within the town centre itself.

Wrexham has done well to hold on to a substantial manufacturing base, after facing stiff competition from growing eastern European and Asian economies. Around 25% of jobs in Wrexham are in the manufacturing sector, with a growing number in service, financial and technology industries.

In 2007 the town was ranked 5th in the UK for business start up success, higher than most larger UK cities. Wrexham's borough has an economic activity rate of 79.5%, which is above both the Welsh and Great Britain (GB) average.

In November 2006 unemployment in Wrexham stood at 1.9%. This is below the averages for Wales at 2.3% and the UK at 2.5%.

Wrexham's dominant manufacturing sector and low rate of unemployment has attracted many migrant workers from eastern Europe, mainly Poland. It is estimated around 10-15,000 Poles have migrated to the town over the past five years.

In the last five years high land prices have led to large apartment blocks being built in and around the town. Scarcity of town centre land has led to numerous housing estates being built in the surrounding villages on the outskirts, notably in Brymbo, Gwersyllt and Rhostyllen.

Public Services Health Wrexham Maelor Hospital (Ysbyty Maelor Wrecsam in Welsh language) is the areas' major acute district hospital with 700 beds, and one of the three core hospitals in North Wales. It is situated in the south of the town, on Croesnewydd Road. In 1985 major expansion took place on the site modernising many of the existing departments. It is also the headquarters of the North East Wales NHS Trust, for which it is the principal health service provider. Other NHS hospitals within the borough are Chirk Community and Penley Polish Hospital.

Yale Hospital (Ysbyty Ial in Welsh language) situated close to the Maelor Hospital on Wrexham Technology Park is Wrexham's largest private hospital with over 25 beds. Formerly BUPA Yale Hospital, it is now owned and operated by Classic Hospitals.



Law and order Wrexham is served by North Wales Police; their Eastern Division H.Q in the centre of the town.

The Fire Station is situated on Bradley Road close to the Island Green and central retail parks.

Crime Crime rates "Theft of a motor vehicle" offences in Wrexham is 3.4 (per 1000) compared to the Welsh average of 4.1, sexual offences are 0.8 compared to the Welsh average of 0.9, burglary offences are 2.2 compared to the Welsh average of 3.1, theft from a vehicle offences are 5.9 compared to the Welsh average of 7.6. rate of violence against the person is 19.2 compared to the Welsh average of 17.6.

CCTV The Town Centre CCTV scheme was first established in November 1996 with twelve strategically placed cameras located within Wrexham town centre.Information from North Wales Police indicates that the introduction of CCTV together with the development of the Town Centre Police Team led to a 52% reduction in crime within the town centre in the first year of operation.CCTV now also covers residential areas, Wrexham Industrial Estate and the Maelor Hospital.

Culture Arts Wrexham hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1888, 1912, 1933 and 1977, as well as an unofficial National Eisteddfod event in 1876. Wrexham has a number of theatres, including the Grove Park Theatre on Vicarage Hill, the Riverside Studio Theatre at Wrexham Musical Theatre Society on Salop Road and the Yale Studio theatre close to Llwyn Isaf. The main Arts centre is at Wrexham County Library, with others at NEWI in Plas Coch and Yale College. There is a multi-screen Odeon cinema in the Plas Coch retail park just outside the town centre, with another planned at the new Eagles Meadow development — due to open 2008. The nearby town of Llangollen holds the International Musical Eisteddfod every July.

Science Every March the town hosts the Wrexham Science Festival. Over 9000 visitors attended events in 2007, making the event one of the biggest of its kind.

Wrexham is also home to a branch of Techniquest, known as Techniquest@newi. The science discovery centre is situated within NEWI's Plas Coch campus. Music Wrexham has built a vibrant music scene over the last few years. In 2007 it featured on BBC Radio One's Steve Lamacq show, and regularly features on the Welsh music portion of the station. The main live music venue in Wrexham is Central Station, a club with a capacity of approximately 650, attracting touring bands from across the country. Since its opening in 2000 the venue has played host to hundreds of acts, including The Charlatans, the Scratch Perverts, Ash (band), The View, The Wildhearts, Mansun, Shed Seven, The Wonder Stuff, The Damned, Skindred, Supersuckers, Moscow, Bloc Party, Hundred Reasons, Grandmaster Flash, Electric Six, Trashlight Vision, The Fall, Budgie (band), The Blackout (band), Kids in Glass Houses, Rooster (band), Blaze Bayley and Robert Plant. Central Station website

Another live music venue in Wrexham is the William Aston Hall at NEWI. It hosts concerts and live entertainment. This 900-seat venue has recently undergone extensive refurbishment, and is now designed to accommodate a range of events from conferences and exhibitions to theatrical performances and pop/rock concerts. Acts who have performed there in the past include Super Furry Animals, Love (band), Ray Davies, Funeral for a Friend, Freddie Starr and Sweet (band). NEWI Student's Union website. Other music venues in the town include the Old Swan on Abbot Street, and the Goulbourne in Borras.

Media Wrexham's newspapers include the daily Wrexham Evening Leader, the weekly free Wrexham Mail, and the weekly broadsheet Wrexham Leader, often known as the "Big Leader". Two radio stations serve the town; the FM licence is Marcher Sound and the local medium wave station is Classic Gold Marcher, both based in shared studios on Mold Road. These studios are also home to a number of other regional radio stations broadcasting to the North Wales coast and the Wirral. A 'Media' quarter has developed within the towns' Civic Centre where television stations BBC Wales, HTV and S4C have studios or bureaux for their regional news services.

In addition, Wrexham also has a community radio station called "Calon FM" based at "The Wall" recording studio in the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education.

Shopping The main shopping areas in Wrexham are; Abbot Street, Bank Street, Henblas Street, King Street, Regent Street, Overton Arcade, Hope Street and Queen Street. A cluster of retail parks are situated around the inner ring road at the Central and Border retail parks. Plas Coch and Berse retail parks are situated on the outskirts close to the A483.

Development taken from Temple Row

In 1999, almost at a stroke, Wrexham town centre added over of retail shopping space when the Henblas Square and Island Green developments were completed. In 2008 a development will be completed at Eagles Meadow. This will increase Wrexham's shopping catchment to half a million shoppers. Committed stores to the development include Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, H&M, Next, River Island, TenPin and Odeon. The new development will be connected to Yorke Street / High Street by an iconic bridge.

Traditional markets - There are three covered markets (Beast, Butchers and Peoples Market's) plus North Wales' largest open air market based in the town centre each Monday (including Bank Holidays).

Wrexham boasts the most used Shopmobility Service in North Wales, which is free. Much of the Wrexham Town Centre is pedestrianised.

There are short stay car parks adjacent to the town centre. Long-stay parking is available at St. Marks (NCP) at the northern end of Regent Street or the larger surface park (WCBC)

Food & Drink There is a variety of restaurants within the town centre, including Anise, The Beeches, Dao Siam, Domellis Italian restaurant, Hong Kong House, Jamuna Tandoori, The Lemon Tree, Perelli's, and The Sleepy Panda.

It is said Wrexham has more pubs in proportion to its population then anywhere else in United Kingdom.

Nightlife Wrexham has a vibrant nightlife mainly centred around the older original parts of the town close to the St. Giles Church along High Street, Town Hill and Brook Street. Some of the more popular bars include Lloyds, Bar Cuprum, Golden Lion, Yates, Milliners, Harveys, Fat Cat Cafe Bar, Chequers, Bar 1-5, Barracuda, Yales Cafe/Bar, Honky Tonks, the Commercial, The Cambrian Vaults, South Central, Chicago Rock Cafe and Club K1. Nightclubs include Liquid, Envy, Scotts, Central Station (including live music venue), the great Chicago Rock Cafe and the Centenary Club (at Wrexham FC)

Green space Wales in Bloom 2007 - City Merit Award

Wrexham has two main town parks, these being Bellevue Park and Acton Park, and open parkland at Erddig. With the rapid development of the town in the 19th century, the need for a formal park for the growing population was identified. However it was not until 1906 that the location for the new park was agreed upon. The 'Parciau' or Bellevue Park as it became known, was build alongside the old cemetery on Ruabon Road. The park was designed to commemorate the Jubilee year of the Incorporation of Wrexham.

Parks Bellevue Park - Green Flag Award

Belle Vue Park, Wrexham - During the 1970s Bellevue Park was neglected and many of the amenities were in a poor state of repair. A major project was undertaken to refurbish the Park back to its original splendour. This was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Urban Parks Project, Welsh Development Agency, and the European Regional Development Fund. The park reopened in June 2000. It now boasts children's play areas, a bowling green which is home to the Parciau Bowling Club, tennis and basketball courts, an original Edwardian bandstand set in an amphitheatre, and a jogging route for walkers and joggers. The park itself has many walkways through mature tree-lined avenues as well as affording some magnificent views of the Parish Church. The park is well lit and has a number of CCTV cameras installed to deter antisocial behaviour.

Bellevue Park has once again regained its popularity with the people of Wrexham. Throughout the summer months a broad spectrum of social events take place, such as music concerts for all tastes and 'Fun days' for children.



Acton Park was originally the landscaped grounds of Acton Hall. It was originally laid out in 1785 by James Wyatt on the instructions of the owner Sir Foster Cunliffe. Over the years the Estate passed through several owners. In 1947 Wrexham Council was given the Hall and Park by the then owner Alderman William Aston. A section of Acton Park was sold for Housing development in the 1970s. The surviving area now covers approximately 55 acres.

Acton Park features a bowling green, tennis courts, a children's play area, Japanese-style garden and a large lake which has attracted diverse wildlife. The general layout of the park has remained unchanged since it was laid out in the 18th century and now boasts many mature trees.

Llwyn Isaf, which is situated alongside Wrexham Guildhall is a popular green area within the town centre. The green was originally the landscaped grounds of a mansion house known as Llwyn Isaf. It now lies at the centre of Wrexham's civic centre just off Queens Square. The Welsh Children in Need concert was held at this location in 2005.

Open Parkland Park

Erddig Park is situated two miles (3 km) south of the town centre where the town meets the Clywedog Valley. The Park is owned and managed by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, and is home to Erddig and its formal gardens. The Park is also home to a number of notable historic features. These include a hydraulic ram known as the 'Cup and Saucer' which is used to pump water from the park to Erddig Hall, and the remains of Wristleham motte and bailey which is thought to be the beginnings of Wrexham as a town in the 12th century.

Heritage Wrexham's former police station on Regent Street, originally the barracks for the Royal Denbighshire Militia, is now home to Wrexham County Borough Museum. The Museum has two galleries devoted to the history of the town and its surrounding communities. There is also a programme of temporary exhibitions, including an exhibition featuring the Mold Cape, the first time the Bronze Age treasure had returned to North Wales from the British Museum since its discovery in 1833. Just to the west of the town, Bersham Ironworks tell the story of John Wilkinson (industrialist), the 'Iron Mad' pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. At the top end of the Clywedog Valley, about ten minutes' drive from Wrexham, Minera Leadmines are the remains of the profitable lead industry that dates back to prehistoric times.

To the east of Wrexham, there are the remains of Holt, Wales. The castle and the nearby late medieval bridge were the scene of constant skirmishes during the English Civil War in the 17th century. The River Dee in this area is deep and wide. The bridge at Holt was the first crossing point south of the city of Chester and hence was of major strategic importance.

Just south of Wrexham town centre, Erddig, the National Trust property, was home to the Yorke family until 1973. Its last resident, Philip Yorke, handed over a house in need of restoration as years of subsidence caused by the workings of Bersham Colliery had caused a lot of damage. The house was voted one of the two most popular stately homes in the UK by a National Trust/Channel 5 publication. However, the house was not popular with Bersham coal mining as it stood on a pillar of coal and they had to work round it.

One thing Wrexham has always been famous for is beer. In the mid to late 19th century Wrexham had over 35 breweries, and grew a proud tradition of brewing both ale and lager. In 1882 German immigrants set up Britain's first Lager brewery under the name of Wrexham Lager. In 2000 the Wrexham Lager Brewery was the last one to close. A number of the original brewery buildings remain. Most notably Wrexham Lager on Central Road (offices), Soames Brewery on Yorke Street (Nags Head) and Border Brewery on Tuttle Street (converted apartments).

Wrexham's mining heritage is nearly all gone. Most former mines have been converted into industrial and business parks - one such development at Bersham Colliery has the last surviving headgear in the North Wales coalfield. Just off the A483, on the edge of Wrexham, the Gresford Disaster Memorial stands witness to the 261 miners, two rescuemen and one surface worker killed by a series of explosions in the Gresford Colliery in 1934.

Religion The Church of St. Giles , considered the greatest example of Gothic architecture in WalesSt Giles' Church, Wrexham is the Parish Church of Wrexham and considered the greatest medieval church in WalesWrexham is home to the newest University of Wales college, the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education (NEWI). This incorporates the North Wales School of Art and Design. NEWI is currently seeking full University status as the future University of Wales, Wrexham.http://www.eveningleader.co.uk/titlesites2/detail.asp?storyid=875&officeid=1

Wrexham has a number of primary and secondary schools. It has just one Welsh-speaking secondary school, that being Ysgol Morgan Llwyd. Recently, three of the largest secondary schools, St David's School, Ysgol Bryn Offa and The Groves High School were merged to create two larger "super Schools", Ysgol Clywedog and Rhosnesni High School. Wrexham has also become home to the first shared-faith school in Wales in the form of St Joseph's. Yale College Wrexham is the main post-16 education facility.

Primary

Secondary

Politics Wrexham County Borough Council elects a Mayors in the United Kingdom who serves for one year. The current mayor of Wrexham is Councillor Joan Lowe. She is the ninth female mayor of Wrexham. Wrexham Council's website, is one of the leading council websites in the country. People who live under the jurisdiction of Wrexham County Borough City council are able to pay taxes, debts and other fees through the website. They can also access many other services, such as reporting crimes, submitting planning applications and applying for permits.

The Wrexham United Kingdom constituencies elects members to the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the National Assembly for Wales. The constituency includes both the town and some of its outlying villages such as Gwersyllt, Llay, Marford and Rossett.

The Wrexham (UK Parliament constituency) has long been a safe seat for the Labour Party (UK). The current Member of Parliament#United Kingdom is Ian Lucas, and the Members of the National Assembly for Wales for the Wrexham (National Assembly for Wales constituency) is Lesley Griffiths.

Twinning

The town of Wrexham is twinned with the German district of Märkischer Kreis and the Polish town of Racibórz.

The first Twinning was established on 17 March 1970 between the former Kreis Iserlohn and Wrexham Rural District. Its early success ensured that, after local government reorganisation in both countries in the mid-seventies, the Twinning was taken over by the new Councils of Märkischer Kreis and Wrexham Maelor Borough Council and, in 1996, by Wrexham County Borough Council.

In 2001 Märkischer Kreis entered a Twinning arrangement with Racibórz (Ratibor), a county in Poland, which was formerly part of Silesia, Germany. In September 2002, a delegation from Racibórz visited Wrexham and began initial discussions about possible co-operation which led, eventually, to the signing of Articles of Twinning between Wrexham and Racibórz in March 2004. The Wrexham area has strong historical links with Poland. Following World War II, many service personnel from the Free Polish armed forces who had been injured received treatment at Penley Polish Hospital. Many of their descendants remain in the area to this day.

Transport Rail

Wrexham has two railway stations. Wrexham General & Wrexham Central. Until the early 1980s what is now platform 4 of Wrexham General, serving the Wrexham Central - Bidston service, was a separate station, Wrexham Exchange.

Wrexham General

Wrexham General railway station was opened in 1846 (rebuilt in 1912) it has 6 platforms (4 through, 2 terminal) and provides direct rail services to Bangor, Gwynedd, Birmingham, Cardiff, Chester, Holyhead, Liverpool, Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton. From Spring 2008 a new (5 times daily) direct service to London will begin, this will include stops at Tame Bridge Parkway (Walsall) and Banbury. The new service will be based in Wrexham and operated by Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway. All local services that operate from Wrexham Central also run through General.

Wrexham Central

Wrexham Central railway station which is located on the Island Green retail park has 1 platform, but splits into 2 tracks on the outskirts of the town. It provides direct rail services Gwersyllt, Cefn-y-Bedd, Caergwrle, Hope,Penyffordd, Buckley, Hawarden, Shotton, Hawarden Bridge, Neston, Heswall, Upton, Merseyside (Wirral), Bidston (where there are connections to Liverpool and West Kirby). Until the 1998 construction of the Island Green retail park, Wrexham Central station was located 50 metres further along the track.

Plans are afoot to electrify the Borderlands line with runs through General and Central to Deeside and the Wirral. This would increase capacity and accelerate speeds on the line.

Local Stations

There are further three local stations in the Borough at Chirk, Ruabon and Gwersyllt, with plans to re-open at least another two over the next few years at Rossett and Johnstown. Plans also include a 'Park and Rail' service from one of these locations into Wrexham Central, to ease current traffic congestion and pressure on town centre car parks.

Bus & Coach Cymru operate the majority of bus servicesA recent focus on road transport by the council has improved bus travel in the Wrexham area, with most buses being low-floor and slightly elevated bus stops to allow people easier access to buses. A new bus terminal, the largest in north Wales, has been built in Wrexham, featuring indoor shops and ambient music, along with a staffed information booth. The bus station serves local, regional and long-distance bus services. It is served by various bus companies, including Arriva Wales/Cymru, GHA, and Bryn Melyn. Long distance coaches are available to Edinburgh and London.

The "Wrexham shuttle" provides a link between Wrexham and the nearby industrial estate, there is a similar one in operation in the Deeside area.

Wrexham is served by the National Express coach network, it picks up from the King street bus station.

Wrexham is one of the first areas in the United Kingdom to adopt the use of the distinctive yellow American Blue Bird Corp. school buses. 10 currently operate in the Wrexham area, transporting pupils to and from the schools and colleges.

Roads The town centre is orbited by a ring road. The northern and eastern parts of the road are dualled between Rhosddu Road roundabout and Eagles Meadow. The ring road and Mold Road/Regent Street are the main sources of congestion in the town. Park and Ride facilities have been introduced on a weekend basis, however future plans to extend the service are to be discussed.

The A483 is Wrexham's principal route. It skirts the western edge of the town, dividing it from the urban villages to the west. The road has connections with major roads (A55, M53, A5(M54)).

The A5156 leads to the A534 and on to the Wrexham Industrial Estate.

The A541 is the main route into Wrexham from Mold and the town's western urban area.

Future Development Wrexham has many major plans for the future. The WDA (Welsh Development Agency) (now disbanded), had earmarked Wrexham as a potential transport hub. The UK capital of culture for 2008, Liverpool, has also donated £100,000 to a study of electrification of the Wrexham to Bidston railway line, and a possible rail link to the North Wales coast line. This will open new rail links to the east, and the urban area of Liverpool.

With house prices rising rapidly in this area, the council has made many plans for massive suburban housing estates to be built. One, near Ysgol Clywedog, will include a small shopping centre and another primary school.

On 30 January 2006, it was announced that a new railway company, named the Wrexham Shropshire and Marylebone Railway (WSMR), had been formed. It plans to run a fast or high speed rail service from Wrexham, through Shrewsbury to London's Marylebone station. The announcement made it unclear as to whether it will use locomotive hauled trains or high speed DMU trains, but it was mentioned that the line to Shrewsbury may need infrastructural upgrades to handle high speed trains. Plans for a direct rail service between Wrexham and London have been approved by the rail regulator. The service, which could begin running from spring 2008, will create 50 jobs at an operating depot in Wrexham.

Districts The County Borough Council divides the area into 'Wrexham Town', adjacent 'Urban Villages' and other 'Rural Villages' Wrexham County Borough UDP. The Office for National Statistics additionally defines a Wrexham Urban Area which consists of Wrexham Town and surrounding Urban Villages (Pop. 63,084 in 2001).

Wrexham Urban Area

Nearby villages

Notable residents A number of famous people have been born or lived in Wrexham over the years. Among them are:



Current residents include:



References

External links
 

Wrexham



 
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