History of Wrexham in Timeline

Wrexham is a city located in northeast Wales, near the English border. Historically part of Denbighshire, it became the administrative center of Wrexham County Borough in 1996. The city's built-up area had a population of approximately 44,785 in 2021, while the broader county borough, including surrounding areas, had around 135,117 residents. Wrexham was officially granted city status in 2022.

1902: Poyser Street Drill Hall Completed

In 1902, the Poyser Street drill hall was completed.

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 of Wales

In 1912, T.H. Parry-Williams won both the Chair and the Crown at the National Eisteddfod of Wales held in Wrexham.

1912: Rebuilding 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 and employed over 10,000 people.

1931: Formation of the North Wales Rugby Union

In 1931, nine northern Welsh clubs, including Wrexham RFC, met in Wrexham to establish the North Wales Rugby Union.

1933: National Eisteddfod

Wrexham hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1933.

1934: Gresford Colliery Disaster

In 1934, one of the worst mining disasters in British history occurred at Gresford Colliery, resulting in the deaths of 266 men.

1935: Borough Enlargement

In 1935, the borough was enlarged to include parts of several neighboring parishes.

February 1940: Wrexham Town Hall Demolished

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

1946: Wrexham Collieries

In 1946, there were seven large-scale collieries operating in the Wrexham area.

1950: Yale College 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 St. Mark's Road, Wrexham, was demolished due to structural safety concerns; later, a multi-story car park named St. Mark's was built on the site.

1968: Colliery Decline

By 1968, only two functional collieries remained out of the seven that had been operating in 1946 in the Wrexham area.

March 1970: Twinning established with Kreis Iserlohn

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

1970: Canonization of Saint Richard Gwyn

In 1970, Pope Paul VI canonized Richard Gwyn, Wrexham's patron saint and a Roman Catholic martyr.

1970: St Richard Gwyn Canonised

In 1970, St Richard Gwyn was canonised by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

1971: Wrexham Methodist Church built

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

1973: Police Station

From 1973 the police were based at the Wrexham Police Station

1973: Yale College renamed and relocated

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

1974: Wrexham becomes part of Clwyd

In 1974, Wrexham became part of the new county of Clwyd, having historically been in Denbighshire.

1974: Borough Abolished

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 1977.

1982: Festival with Motörhead

Since the festival with Motörhead in 1982, Racecourse Ground re-introduced live music to its summer schedule in 2016, with Stereophonics as the first musicians to play a live show.

1985: Community Subdivided

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

1986: Bersham Colliery Closure

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

1987: Roman Catholic province of Wales reconstruction

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

1991: FAW Headquarters Relocation

In 1991, the Football Association of Wales relocated its headquarters from Wrexham, where it was since its formation in 1876, to Cardiff.

1996: Wrexham County Borough established

In 1996, Wrexham became the principal settlement and administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough.

1996: County Borough Creation

In 1996, local government was reorganised and the modern county borough of Wrexham was created.

1996: Twinning taken over by Wrexham County Borough Council

In 1996, the twinning arrangement was taken over by Wrexham County Borough Council.

1997: Rebuilding of Wrexham General station

Wrexham General station was rebuilt again in 1997.

1998: Construction of Island Green retail park and relocation of Wrexham Central station

In 1998, Wrexham Central station was relocated 50 metres along the track due to the construction of the Island Green retail park.

1998: Yale College takes up residence in two sites across Wrexham

In 1998, Yale College established its presence in Wrexham with two sites: the faculty of engineering and construction on Bersham Road, and a multi-purpose site at Grove Park campus.

1999: Central Station Opened

Central Station opened in 1999 with a capacity of approximately 650.

June 2000: Bellevue Park Reopened

In June 2000, Bellevue Park reopened after a major restoration project.

2000: Unsuccessful bid for city status

In 2000, Wrexham unsuccessfully bid for city status.

2001: Märkischer Kreis enters a twinning arrangement with Racibórz

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 to begin discussions about possible co-operation.

2002: Unsuccessful bid for city status

In 2002, Wrexham unsuccessfully bid for city status.

2003: Merger of secondary schools

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: Signing of Articles of Twinning with Racibórz

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

2004: Wrexham Symphony Orchestra in Residence

The Wrexham Symphony Orchestra has been the orchestra in residence at William Aston Hall since 2004.

2005: Welsh Children in Need concert held at Llwyn Isaf

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

2007: Ranked fifth in the UK for business start-up success

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

March 2008: Calon FM based at Glyndŵr University

In March 2008, Calon FM, a community radio station serving the county borough, began broadcasting from Glyndŵr University.

April 2008: Wrexham & Shropshire services start

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

2008: National Trust AGM

In 2008, a motion at the National Trust's AGM to block the development of over 250 homes on NT land at Erddig 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 Began

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 relocate to Wrexham

In 2010, Wrexham became the home of Celtic Crusaders rugby league club, who spent their final two of three seasons in the Super League.

January 2011: Wrexham & Shropshire services end

On January 28, 2011, Wrexham & Shropshire ended their passenger train services, citing a lack of profitability.

2011: Welsh Speakers

According to the 2011 census, the average percentage of Welsh speakers (aged 3+) in Wrexham County Borough was 12.9%, compared to the Wales average of 19.0%.

2011: Celtic Crusaders enter administration

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

2011: National Eisteddfod

The National Eisteddfod returned to the area in 2011, held on the land of Lower Berse Farm between 30 July and 6 August.

2011: National Eisteddfod of Wales held

Wrexham held the National Eisteddfod of Wales for the sixth time in 2011.

2012: Unsuccessful bid for city status

In 2012, Wrexham unsuccessfully bid for city status.

2012: Wrexham.com operates from Regent Street

In 2012, Wrexham.com, an online news website covering the Wrexham area, began operating from offices in Regent Street in the city centre.

August 2013: Merger to form Coleg Cambria

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

January 2015: Portuguese Migrants

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

2015: Belle Vue Park dedicated as a Fields in Trust Centenary Field

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 at St. Giles

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

February 2016: HM Prison Berwyn Named

In February 2016, the new prison being built on the former Firestone Site was named HM Prison Berwyn.

2016: Racecourse Ground re-introduced live music

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.

2016: North Wales Crusaders move to Queensway Stadium

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

March 2017: HM Prison Berwyn Opened

In March 2017, HM Prison Berwyn opened, a 2,100 capacity Category C male prison.

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 two new railway stations

In 2017, plans were made for two new railway stations to be located outside of Wrexham: Wrexham North and Wrexham South.

2017: Tŷ Pawb Name Selected

In 2017, the name Tŷ Pawb (Welsh for "Everybody's House") was selected by public vote for Wrexham's largest facility for visual arts and exhibitions, formerly Oriel Wrecsam and the People's Market.

June 2018: Stereophonics returned to the Racecourse Ground

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

2018: Chetwood Financial Acquired Banking Licence

In 2018, Chetwood Financial, a fintech lender, acquired a full banking licence.

February 2019: Central Station Closed

Central Station closed on 9 February 2019.

2019: Wrexham Police Station Closure

In 2019 the police were formerly based at the Wrexham Police Station

2019: Venice Biennale

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

November 2020: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney take over Wrexham A.F.C.

In November 2020, actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, through the RR McReynolds Company LLC, finalized the takeover of Wrexham A.F.C. after receiving the backing of the Wrexham Supporters Trust.

2020: Wrexham Police Station Demolished

In 2020 the Wrexham Police Station was demolished.

2020: Redevelopment of Coleg Cambria's Yale Grove Park Campus

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

January 2021: Calon FM moves to Wrexham Enterprise Hub

In January 2021, Calon FM, a community radio station, moved its broadcasting location from Glyndŵr University to the Wrexham Enterprise Hub.

2021: ONS Census

According to the Office for National Statistics the Wrexham built up area for the 2021 census had a population of 44,785.

2021: North Wales Crusaders move to Colwyn Bay

In 2021, North Wales Crusaders moved to Colwyn Bay from Queensway Stadium.

2021: UK City of Culture Bid

In 2021, Wrexham County Borough's bid made it to the final four bids of twenty for the title of UK City of Culture in 2025.

May 2022: Lost to Bradford

In May 2022, Wrexham County Borough's bid lost to Bradford for the title of UK City of Culture in 2025.

September 2022: City Status Confirmed

In September 2022, city status was confirmed by letters patent dated 1 September 2022.

2022: Wrexham awarded city status

In 2022, Wrexham was awarded city status.

2022: The Rockin' Chair Re-opened

In 2022, the venue re-opened as The Rockin' Chair with local band The Royston Club as the opening act.

May 2023: Kings of Leon headlined shows

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

October 2023: Announcement of Ryan Rodney Reynolds memorial park

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

2024: Expected completion of health and wellbeing complex at Coleg Cambria

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

2024: Construction of Wrexham University's Enterprise Engineering and Optics Centre

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

2025: Bid Lost

In 2021–22, Wrexham County Borough's bid made it to the final four bids of twenty for the title of UK City of Culture in 2025, but it later lost to Bradford in May 2022.