History of Wrexham in Timeline
Wrexham is a city and administrative center located in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. Situated between the Welsh mountains and the Dee Valley, it lies near the border with Cheshire, England. Historically part of Denbighshire, and later Clwyd, Wrexham has been the primary settlement of Wrexham County Borough since 1996.
1902: Completion of Poyser Street Drill Hall
In 1902, the Poyser Street drill hall was completed in Wrexham.
1904: Talbot Hotel Building
In 1904, the half-timbered Talbot Hotel building was built at the junction of Hope Street and Queen Street.
1912: National Eisteddfod
In 1912, Wrexham hosted the National Eisteddfod.
1912: Rebuild of Wrexham General Station
Wrexham General Station was rebuilt in 1912.
1913: Coal Field Production
By 1913, the North East Wales coal field was producing up to 3 million tonnes a year.
1931: Formation of the North Wales Rugby Union
In 1931, nine northern Welsh clubs met at Wrexham to form the North Wales Rugby Union, with Wrexham RFC as one of the founding members.
1933: National Eisteddfod
In 1933, Wrexham hosted the National Eisteddfod.
1934: Gresford Colliery Disaster
In 1934, the Gresford Colliery disaster occurred, resulting in the deaths of 266 men.
February 1940: Demolition of Wrexham Town Hall
In February 1940, Wrexham Town Hall was demolished to improve traffic flow.
1946: Collieries operating
In 1946, there were seven large-scale collieries operating in the Wrexham area.
1950: Yale School Founded
In 1950, Yale school was founded as a state school on Crispin Lane.
1958: Construction of Darland and Bryn Alyn
In 1958, Darland High School and Ysgol Bryn Alyn were built.
1960: Demolition of St. Mark's Church
In 1960, St. Mark's Church was demolished due to unsafe conditions and the site was later used for a multi-storey car park.
1968: Colliery decline
By 1968, only two functional collieries remained in the Wrexham area.
March 1970: Twinning of Kreis Iserlohn and Wrexham Rural District
On 17 March 1970, the first twinning was established between Kreis Iserlohn and Wrexham Rural District.
1970: Canonisation of Saint Richard Gwyn
In 1970, Richard Gwyn, Wrexham's patron saint, was canonised by Pope Paul VI.
1971: Wrexham Methodist Church Built
In 1971, Wrexham Methodist Church was built on the site of the former Brynyfynnon Chapel on Regent Street.
1973: Wrexham Police Station Occupancy
From 1973, the local police was housed in the high-rise Wrexham Police Station.
1973: Yale Sixth Form College
In 1973, Yale was renamed Yale Sixth Form College.
1977: National Eisteddfod
In 1977, Wrexham hosted the National Eisteddfod.
1986: Bersham Colliery Closure
In 1986, Bersham Colliery, the last pit in the Borough, closed.
1987: Diocese of Wrexham
In 1987 the Roman Catholic province of Wales was reconstructed, since which time the Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows has been home to the Bishop of Wrexham.
1991: FAW Relocation
In 1991, the Football Association of Wales relocated its headquarters from Wrexham to Cardiff after being formed in Wrexham in 1876.
1996: Wrexham County Borough
In 1996, Wrexham became the principal settlement of Wrexham County Borough.
1996: Twinning by Wrexham County Borough Council
In 1996, the twinning was taken over by Wrexham County Borough Council.
1997: Wrexham General Rebuilt Again
Wrexham General Station was rebuilt again in 1997.
1998: Yale College Residence
In 1998 Yale College took up residence in two sites across Wrexham.
1998: Island Green Retail Park Construction
Until the 1998 construction of the Island Green retail park, Wrexham Central station was located 50 metres further along the track.
June 2000: Bellevue Park Reopened
Bellevue Park reopened in June 2000 after a major restoration project.
2001: Märkischer Kreis entered a twinning arrangement with Racibórz
In 2001 Märkischer Kreis entered a twinning arrangement with Racibórz (Ratibor), a county in Poland.
September 2002: Racibórz Delegation Visit
In September 2002, a delegation from Racibórz visited Wrexham to discuss possible co-operation.
2003: Secondary School Mergers
In 2003, St David's School, Ysgol Bryn Offa and The Groves High School were merged to create Rhosnesni High School, and Ysgol Clywedog.
March 2004: Twinning with Racibórz
In March 2004, Articles of Twinning were signed between Wrexham and Racibórz.
2004: Wrexham Symphony Orchestra in Residence
Since 2004, the Wrexham Symphony Orchestra has been the orchestra in residence at William Aston Hall.
2005: Welsh Children in Need Concert
In 2005, the Welsh Children in Need concert was held at Llwyn Isaf, featuring Bryan Adams and Katherine Jenkins.
2007: County Borough Population
In 2007, Wrexham was home to approximately 40% of the total population of the county borough.
2007: Business Start-Up Ranking
In 2007, Wrexham was ranked fifth in the UK for business start-up success.
2007: Lesley Griffiths MS
Since 2007, Lesley Griffiths MS, Welsh Labour, has represented the Wrexham constituency in the Senedd.
March 2008: BBC Cymru Wales at Glyndŵr University
From March 2008, BBC Cymru Wales based its studio and newsroom at Glyndŵr University on Mold Road.
April 2008: Wrexham & Shropshire Services Started
Wrexham & Shropshire began running passenger train services on 28 April 2008.
2008: National Trust Land Proposal
In 2008, a proposal to develop National Trust land at Erddig for over 250 homes generated protests.
2008: NEWI Granted University Status
In 2008, the North East Wales Institute (NEWI) was granted full university status, forming Wrexham University.
2010: FOCUS Wales Festival Began
In 2010, the FOCUS Wales festival began, showcasing musicians from Wales and around the world.
January 2011: Wrexham & Shropshire Services Ended
Having decided they could not make the business profitable, Wrexham & Shropshire ended services on 28 January 2011.
2011: Welsh Speakers Census
According to the 2011 census, the average percentage of Welsh speakers (aged 3+) in the electoral divisions that make up the city of Wrexham was 11.01%.
2011: Creation of North Wales Crusaders
In 2011 North Wales Crusaders were created following the folding of the Super League club Crusaders RL.
2011: National Eisteddfod of Wales
In 2011, Wrexham held the National Eisteddfod of Wales for the sixth time.
2011: Census Population
In 2011, Wrexham's built-up area had a population of between 61,603 and 65,692.
2011: 2011 Census
In 2011, the Census determined Wrexham's built-up area extended into nearby villages, with a population of 61,603, and with nearby Bradley and Rhostyllen the population was 65,692.
March 2012: City Status Application Failed
In March 2012, Wrexham missed out on city status, which was granted to St Asaph.
2012: Wrexham.com Founded
In 2012, the online news website Wrexham.com began operating from offices in Regent Street.
August 2013: Coleg Cambria Merger
On 1 August 2013, Yale College merged with Deeside College, Northop College, and Llysfasi College to form Coleg Cambria.
January 2015: Portuguese Migrant Estimate
In January 2015, it was estimated more than 2,000 Portuguese migrants lived and worked in Wrexham.
2015: Belle Vue Park Centenary Field Dedication
In 2015, Belle Vue Park was dedicated as a Fields in Trust Centenary Field.
2015: Discovery of King James Bible
In 2015, a first edition (1611) of the King James Bible was discovered at St. Giles church.
February 2016: HM Prison Berwyn Named
In February 2016, the 2,100 capacity Category C male prison was named HM Prison Berwyn.
2016: North Wales Crusaders at the Racecourse Stadium
Until the end of 2016 the Racecourse stadium was home to the North Wales Crusaders.
March 2017: HM Prison Berwyn Opened
In March 2017, HM Prison Berwyn, a 2,100 capacity Category C male prison, opened.
2017: Plans for New Railway Stations
In 2017, plans were announced for two new railway stations located outside Wrexham: Wrexham North and Wrexham South.
2017: Tŷ Pawb Name Selected
In 2017, the name Tŷ Pawb was selected by public vote for Wrexham's largest facility for visual arts and exhibitions.
June 2018: Stereophonics Concert
In June 2018, the Stereophonics returned to the Racecourse Ground, accompanied by special guest Jake Bugg.
2018: Chetwood Financial Banking Licence
In 2018, Chetwood Financial acquired a full banking licence.
February 2019: Central Station Closure
On 9 February 2019, Central Station closed due to financial pressures.
July 2019: Alyn Family Doctors Objection
In July 2019, Alyn Family Doctors objected to proposals to build 300 homes in Llay and Rossett.
2019: General Election
At the 2019 general election, Wrexham elected Sarah Atherton MP, the first Conservative Member of Parliament for the constituency.
2019: Wrexham Police Station Vacancy
In 2019, the local police vacated Wrexham Police Station, moving to a smaller facility next to Wrexham Library.
November 2020: Reynolds and McElhenney Takeover
On 16 November 2020, it was confirmed that actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney would take over Wrexham Football Club.
2020: Coleg Cambria Redevelopment
For the 2020–21 academic year, the Yale Grove Park Campus of Coleg Cambria began redevelopment with a cost of £20 million.
2020: Police Station Demolition
In 2020, the Wrexham Police Station was demolished.
January 2021: Calon FM Relocation
In January 2021, Calon FM community radio station relocated from Glyndŵr University to the Wrexham Enterprise Hub, after broadcasting from the university since March 2008.
2021: North Wales Crusaders Move to Colwyn Bay
In 2021 the North Wales Crusaders moved to Colwyn Bay.
2021: UK City of Culture bid
In 2021, Wrexham County Borough's bid made it to the final four bids for the title of UK City of Culture in 2025.
2021: 2021 Census
In 2021, the Census recorded Wrexham's urban population as 44,785.
2021: City Status Application
In 2021, the Wrexham council announced their intention to apply for city status for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee award.
2021: Urban Population
In 2021, the urban population of Wrexham was 44,785.
May 2022: Council Election
In May 2022, Wrexham County Borough Council had an election which resulted in a Independent Group–Conservative coalition.
May 2022: UK City of Culture bid lost
In May 2022, Wrexham lost its bid to Bradford for the title of UK City of Culture in 2025.
May 2022: Wrexham Awarded City Status
On 20 May 2022, Wrexham was announced to receive city status as part of the Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours.
September 2022: City Status Confirmed
In September 2022, Wrexham's city status was confirmed by Letters Patent, becoming Wales' seventh city.
2022: Venue Re-opening
In 2022, the venue re-opened as The Rockin' Chair.
May 2023: Kings of Leon Concert
In May 2023, Kings of Leon headlined shows at the Racecourse Ground.
October 2023: Ryan Rodney Reynolds Memorial Park Announced
The creation of a Ryan Rodney Reynolds memorial park was officially announced on 23 October 2023.
2024: Health and Wellbeing Complex Completion
A health and wellbeing complex at Coleg Cambria is expected to be built by summer 2024 at a cost of £14 million.
2024: General Election
At the 2024 election, Andrew Ranger won Wrexham back for Labour, defeating Sarah Atherton.
2024: Enterprise Engineering and Optics Centre Start
Wrexham University's Enterprise Engineering and Optics Centre (EEOC) funding is now in place with Wynne Construction expected to start on the Plas Coch campus in 2024.
2025: UK City of Culture
In 2025, Wrexham County Borough's bid was not chosen for the title of UK City of Culture.
