History of Wrexham in Timeline

Wrexham is a city located in North East Wales, near the English border. Historically part of Denbighshire, it's now the administrative center of Wrexham County Borough. As of 2021, the built-up area had a population of roughly 44,785, making it the largest settlement in North Wales and the seventh largest in the country. The wider county borough encompassing surrounding areas holds a population of about 135,117. Wrexham officially gained city status in 2022.

1902: Completion of Poyser Street drill hall

The Poyser Street drill hall was completed in 1902.

1904: Talbot Hotel Building

The half-timbered Talbot Hotel building, built in 1904, stands in a prominent position at the junction of Hope Street and Queen Street.

1912: National Eisteddfod of Wales

When the National Eisteddfod of Wales was held at Wrexham in 1912, T. H. Parry-Williams achieved for the first time the feat of winning both the Chair and the Crown.

1912: Rebuilding of Wrexham General

Wrexham General railway 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 and employed over 10,000 people.

1931: North Wales Rugby Union Formation

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

Wrexham hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1888, 1912, 1933, 1977, 2011 and 2025, as well as an unofficial National Eisteddfod event in 1876.

1934: Gresford Colliery disaster

One of the worst mining disasters in British history occurred at Gresford Colliery in 1934, when underground explosions and a subsequent fire cost the lives of 266 men.

1935: Enlargement of the borough

The borough was enlarged in 1935 to take in parts of several neighbouring parishes.

February 1940: Demolition of Wrexham Town Hall

Wrexham Town Hall was demolished in February 1940 to improve traffic flows.

1946: Collieries operating

Of the seven large-scale collieries operating in the Wrexham area in 1946, only two functional collieries remained by 1968.

1950: Yale School Founded

In 1950, Yale College was founded as a state school on a site at Crispin Lane.

1958: Construction of Darland High School and Ysgol Bryn Alyn

In 1958, Darland High School and Ysgol Bryn Alyn were both built.

1960: Demolition of St. Mark's Church

In 1960, St. Mark's Church in Wrexham was demolished after being declared unsafe due to inadequate foundations, and a multi-storey car park named St. Mark's was erected on the site.

1968: Collieries operating

Of the seven large-scale collieries operating in the Wrexham area in 1946, only two functional collieries remained by 1968.

March 1970: First Twinning Established

On 17 March 1970, the first twinning was established between the former Kreis Iserlohn and Wrexham Rural District.

1970: Canonisation of Saint Richard Gwyn

In 1970, Pope Paul VI canonised Saint Richard Gwyn, Wrexham's patron saint, who was a Roman Catholic martyr in the 16th century.

1971: Wrexham Methodist Church Built

In 1971, Wrexham Methodist church was built on the site of the former Brynyfynnon Chapel on Regent Street.

1973: Yale Sixth Form College Renamed

In 1973, Yale School was renamed as Yale Sixth Form College as part of the conversion of local schools to the comprehensive system, with pupils relocated to other schools.

1973: Opening of Wrexham Police Station

The local police was housed in the high-rise Wrexham Police Station from 1973 to 2019.

1974: Part of Clwyd

In 1974, Wrexham became part of the new county of Clwyd, historically it was in the county of Denbighshire.

1974: Part of Wrexham Maelor district

In 1974, the borough of Wrexham was abolished, becoming part of the larger Wrexham Maelor district of the new county of Clwyd.

1977: National Eisteddfod

Wrexham hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1888, 1912, 1933, 1977, 2011 and 2025, as well as an unofficial National Eisteddfod event in 1876.

1982: Motörhead festival

In 2016 the Racecourse Ground re-introduced live music to its summer schedule, the Welsh band Stereophonics were the first musicians to play a live show since the festival with Motörhead in 1982.

1985: Subdivision into smaller communities

In 1985, the area of the pre-1974 borough became a community, but was subdivided into smaller communities.

1986: Closure of Bersham Colliery

The last pit to close in the Borough was Bersham Colliery in 1986.

1987: Cathedral Changes

In 1987, the Roman Catholic province of Wales was reconstructed, and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows became home to the Bishop of Wrexham.

1991: FAW Relocation

In 1991, the Football Association of Wales headquarters relocated from Wrexham to Cardiff after being based in Wrexham since its formation in 1876.

1996: Local Government Reorganisation

In 1996, the twinning was taken over by Wrexham County Borough Council after local government reorganisation.

1996: Creation of county borough of Wrexham

Local government was reorganised again in 1996 when the modern county borough of Wrexham was created.

1996: Administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough

Since 1996, Wrexham has been the principal settlement and administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough.

1997: Rebuilding of Wrexham General

Wrexham General was rebuilt again in 1997.

1998: Yale College Relocation

In 1998, Yale College took up residence in two sites across Wrexham: the faculty of engineering and construction at Bersham Road, and a multi-purpose site in a redeveloped Grove Park campus.

1998: Wrexham Central Relocation

Until the 1998 construction of the Island Green retail park, Wrexham Central station was located 50 metres further along the track.

1999: Central Station opened

Central Station opened in 1999.

June 2000: Bellevue Park Reopening

In June 2000, Bellevue Park reopened after a major restoration project to return it to its original state.

2000: Bid for city status

Wrexham had bid for city status unsuccessfully on three previous occasions in 2000, 2002 and 2012.

2001: Märkischer Kreis and Racibórz Twinning

In 2001 Märkischer Kreis entered a twinning arrangement with Racibórz (Ratibor), a county in Poland.

September 2002: Delegation from Racibórz Visits Wrexham

In September 2002, a delegation from Racibórz visited Wrexham and began initial discussions about possible co-operation.

2002: Bid for city status

Wrexham had bid for city status unsuccessfully on three previous occasions in 2000, 2002 and 2012.

2003: Merger of Secondary Schools

In 2003, three of the largest secondary schools in Wrexham, 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 Signed

In March 2004, Articles of Twinning were signed between Wrexham and Racibórz.

2005: Welsh Children in Need Concert

In 2005, Llwyn Isaf hosted the Welsh Children in Need concert, featuring Bryan Adams and Katherine Jenkins.

2007: Ranked fifth in the UK

In 2007, Wrexham was ranked fifth in the UK for business start-up success.

March 2008: Calon FM Base

In March 2008, Glyndŵr University became the base for Calon FM, a community radio station serving Wrexham.

April 2008: Wrexham & Shropshire Services Started

Wrexham & Shropshire began running passenger train services on 28 April 2008, from Wrexham via Shropshire to London Marylebone.

2008: National Trust AGM

A motion at the NT's 2008 AGM to block the development gained much support but was overturned by proxy votes cast by the chairman.

2008: NEWI Granted University Status

In 2008, the North East Wales Institute (NEWI) was granted full university status, becoming Wrexham University.

2010: FOCUS Wales festival

FOCUS Wales is a festival that began in 2010 to showcase musicians from Wales and around the world using venues across the city.

2010: Celtic Crusaders Move to Wrexham

In 2010, the Celtic Crusaders rugby league club moved to Wrexham, spending their final two seasons in the Super League.

January 2011: Wrexham & Shropshire Services Ended

Having decided they could not make the business profitable, the company Wrexham & Shropshire ended their train services on 28 January 2011.

2011: Welsh speakers

According to the 2011 census, the average percentage of Welsh speakers (aged 3+) in Wrexham County Borough was 12.9%.

2011: Celtic Crusaders Enter Administration

Following the end of the 2011 season, the Celtic Crusaders rugby league club entered administration.

2011: National Eisteddfod

Wrexham hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1888, 1912, 1933, 1977, 2011 and 2025, as well as an unofficial National Eisteddfod event in 1876.

2012: Wrexham.com Operations

In 2012, the online news website Wrexham.com began operating from offices on Yorke Street in the city centre.

2012: Bid for city status

Wrexham had bid for city status unsuccessfully on three previous occasions in 2000, 2002 and 2012.

August 2013: Coleg Cambria Formation

On 1 August 2013, Yale College merged with Deeside College, Northop College, and Llysfasi College to form a new college called Coleg Cambria.

January 2015: Portuguese migrants

In January 2015, it was estimated more than 2,000 Portuguese migrants live and work in the city, mainly centred in the district of Hightown.

2015: Belle Vue Park Dedication

In 2015, Belle Vue Park was dedicated as a Fields in Trust Centenary Field due to its links with veterans of two world wars.

2015: Discovery of King James Bible

In 2015, the Vicar of St. Giles parish discovered a first edition (1611) of the King James Bible (also known as the Authorized Version) in a cabinet.

February 2016: HM Prison Berwyn

The prison opened in March 2017, and was named in February 2016 as HM Prison Berwyn.

2016: Stereophonics performance

In 2016 the Racecourse Ground re-introduced live music to its summer schedule, the Welsh band Stereophonics were the first musicians to play a live show since the festival with Motörhead in 1982 with special guests Catfish and the Bottlemen.

2016: Club Move to Queensway Stadium

In 2016, the North Wales Crusaders moved to the Queensway Stadium in Caia Park due to lower matchday attendance.

March 2017: Opening of HM Prison Berwyn

The prison opened in March 2017.

2017: Live music from UB 40 and Olly Murs

After the success of Stereophonics with special guests Catfish and the Bottlemen came 2017 with live music from UB 40 and Olly Murs.

2017: Plans for New Railway Stations

In 2017, there were plans for two new railway stations named after Wrexham: Wrexham North and Wrexham South. The stations were planned to be located outside the then town.

2017: Name of Tŷ Pawb

Tŷ Pawb's name, which is Welsh for "Everybody's House", was selected by public vote in 2017.

June 2018: Stereophonics performance

In June 2018 the Stereophonics returned to the Racecourse Ground alongside special guest Jake Bugg.

2018: Chetwood Financial Banking Licence

Chetwood Financial, a fintech lender, acquired a full banking licence in 2018, the only new retail bank to secure a licence in that year.

2018: Closure of Wrexham office

Newsquest's The Leader closed their Wrexham office in 2018.

February 2019: Closure of Central Station

Central Station closed on 9 February 2019, the year that marked its 20th anniversary.

2019: Closure of Wrexham Police Station

The local police was housed in the high-rise Wrexham Police Station from 1973 to 2019, with the building demolished the following year. The police moved to a smaller facility next to Wrexham Library.

2019: Venice Biennale

Tŷ Pawb was the lead organisation for Wales in the Venice Biennale 2019.

November 2020: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney Takeover

On 16 November 2020, actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, through the RR McReynolds Company LLC, were confirmed to be taking over the Wrexham Football Club after receiving the backing of the Wrexham Supporters Trust.

2020: Redevelopment of Yale Grove Park Campus

In 2020, the Yale Grove Park Campus of Coleg Cambria in Wrexham city centre underwent a £20 million redevelopment to create the new Hafod building, described as a "commercial village".

2020: Demolishing Wrexham Police Station

The police were formerly based at the Wrexham Police Station from 1973 to 2019, with the building being demolished in 2020.

January 2021: Calon FM Base

In January 2021, Calon FM was based at Glyndŵr University.

2021: Population of Wrexham

At the 2021 census, the built up area had a population of 44,785, the seventh largest in Wales and the largest in North Wales. The wider county borough, which also includes surrounding villages and rural areas, had a population of 135,117 in 2021.

2021: Move to Colwyn Bay

In 2021, the North Wales Crusaders moved to Colwyn Bay.

2021: Census results

The Wrexham subdivision based on the 2011 census was larger than the Wrexham built up area based on the 2021 census.

September 2022: City status confirmed

Wrexham's city status was confirmed by letters patent dated 1 September 2022.

2022: Re-opening as The Rockin' Chair

Central Station re-opened in 2022 as The Rockin' Chair with local band The Royston Club as the opening act.

2022: Awarded city status

Wrexham was awarded city status in 2022.

May 2023: Kings of Leon performance

In May 2023, Kings of Leon headlined shows at the Racecourse Ground.

October 2023: Announcement of Ryan Rodney Reynolds Memorial Park

On 23 October 2023, the creation of a Ryan Rodney Reynolds memorial park was officially announced. It is expected to consist of play facilities, tables and chairs, artworks, street food and a community cinema.

2024: Health and Wellbeing Complex

A health and wellbeing complex at Coleg Cambria is expected to be built by summer 2024 at a cost of £14 million.

2024: Wrexham University EEOC Construction

Construction of Wrexham University's Enterprise Engineering and Optics Centre (EEOC) is expected to start on the Plas Coch campus in 2024.

January 2025: Closure of Commercial Radio Studios

In January 2025, the commercial radio stations Heart North and Mid Wales and Capital North West and Wales closed their studios in Gwersyllt, leaving the premises vacant.

April 2025: Calon FM Licence Transferred

In April 2025, the licence for Calon FM transferred from Wrexham Community Broadcasting CIC to Premier Radio CIC.

2025: Bid for UK City of Culture

The Wrexham Community & Culture Trust is leading a bid to make Wrexham the UK City of Culture for 2029, building on the city reaching the final four bids of twenty for the 2025 title.

2025: National Eisteddfod

Wrexham hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1888, 1912, 1933, 1977, 2011 and 2025, as well as an unofficial National Eisteddfod event in 1876. The 2025 festival is thought to have attracted over 150,000 visitors and 6,000 competitors.