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Parks and open spaces in Wrexham

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For listed parks, see Registered historic parks and gardens in Wrexham County Borough.

The city of Wrexham has two main city parks, these being Bellevue Park and Acton Park. On the outskirts of the city there is also open parkland on and surrounding the Erddig estate. There is also a city centre green and various smaller parks and open spaces.

A total of 13 parks and green spaces in Wrexham city have been, or are in the process of being, legally protected with green space charity Fields in Trust ensuring they can never be built on, nor lost to development. A further 24 parks and open spaces have also been awarded the protection in the wider Wrexham County Borough.[1]

Parks

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Bellevue Park

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Bellevue Park (Parciau; 53°02′36″N 2°59′59″W / 53.0434°N 2.9997°W / 53.0434; -2.9997 (Bellevue Park, Wrexham)) – opened in 1910. It is located to the south-east of Wrexham city centre in Offa. It hosts a Queen Victoria statue originally from Gulidhall Square on Chester Street,[2] and a bandstand pavilion opened in 1915.[3] The park has hosted the National Eisteddfod of Wales twice in 1912 and 1933.[2] The park was neglected during the 1970s, and many of the amenities were in a poor state of repair.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] The park reopened in its restored original Edwardian condition in June 2000.[2] It now boasts children's play areas, a bowling green constructed in 1914[2] which is home to the Parciau Bowling Club, tennis, and basketball courts and an original Edwardian bandstand set in an amphitheatre. In the summer months social events take place in the park, such as music concerts, and children's outdoor activity events.

Acton Park

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The lake at Acton Park

Acton Park (53°03′42″N 2°58′46″W / 53.0616°N 2.9795°W / 53.0616; -2.9795 (Acton Park, Wrexham)) is 0.5 miles (0.8 km) north of Wrexham city centre, between the communities of Acton and Borras Park and the suburb of Garden Village.[4] The site of the park was originally the landscaped grounds of Acton Hall, created in the 1790s.[5][4] The grounds and hall were transferred to Wrexham Municipal Borough Council in 1947, with the hall demolished in 1954.[4] The park covers approximately 64 acres (26 ha).[5]

Acton Park features a bowling green, tennis courts, a children's play area, a Japanese-style garden and a large lake which has attracted diverse wildlife.[5] The general layout of the park has remained unchanged since it was laid out in the 18th century and now boasts many mature trees. The park also is home to Gorsedd stones, originally constructed for the National Eisteddfod in Bellevue Park, until they were moved to Acton Park.[2][4]

Open spaces and smaller parks

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Llwyn Isaf

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Llwyn Isaf (53°02′52″N 2°59′36″W / 53.0477°N 2.9932°W / 53.0477; -2.9932 (Llwyn Isaf, Wrexham)), – which is situated alongside Wrexham Guildhall, is a popular green area within the city centre. The green was originally the landscaped grounds of a mansion house of the same name. It now lies at the centre of Wrexham's civic centre just off Queens Square and near Wrexham Library, with it sometimes known as "Library Field". The Welsh Children in Need concert was held at this location in 2005. Council-sponsored events such as Christmas fairs[6] and the Wrexham Food and Drink Festival (Wrexham Feast) are held on the site.[7][8] The green hosts a bandstand.[9]

Dean Road Field

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Dean Road Field is a playing field in Rhosnesni, located off Dean Road and Holt Road. The council considered changing the status of the field into a "town or village green".[10] Proposals to construct housing on the site have faced local opposition.[11]

Nine Acre Field

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Nine Acre Field (sometimes partly Welsh: Cae Nine Acre) is an open space in Wrexham. In September 2022, the council proposed it become the Queen Elizabeth II Park, following her death a few weeks prior, in which the council would also protect the site as a permanent green space.[12] In June 2023, it was announced the site would be re-opening for public use.[13]

Morgan Llwyd Memorial Park

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The Morgan Llwyd Memorial Park, also formerly known as the Dissenters' Burial Ground, (or the Dissenters' Graveyard[14] or The Bun Hill Fields of North Eastern Wales),[15] is a former nonconformist graveyard in Rhosddu, Wrexham.

The site was originally a quillet ("small tract of land"), possibly the field called Talar-y-geifr,[15] that was part of the Wrexham Regis "common fields"[16] (an open-field system on common land)[15] and was used as a burial ground for two centuries by Wrexham Dissenters,[16] also termed nonconformists.[14]

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and Monmouthshire used the term "Dissenter's Graveyard" and compared it as the Bunhill Fields of Wrexham.[14] In 1655, the site appeared in the will of Daniel Lloyd, the possible original donor of the land, which Lloyd allocated for a "new churchyard", and the site covered 21⁄2 roods (0.625 acres (2,530 m2)).[14] The site was acquired around 1655, during the Commonwealth of England[15] and Interregnum,[17] by a congregation under Morgan Llwyd O Wynedd, who was later buried on the site in June 1659.[16][14]

After Llwyd's death, the congregation's successors from Chester Street Baptist Church later managed the burial ground.[16] The last record of the site belonging to the Dissenters was in 1697.[15] Although by 1779, the successors could not locate the papers proving the transfer, nevertheless it was not doubted that they had full ownership rights by the start of the 18th century.[15] Other dissenter groups were also allowed to be buried on the site.[16] In 1820, it was claimed there was a gravestone on the grounds engraved with "1656" as the date; although later surveys could not locate the stone to verify it, there was no suspicion that the original claim was a mistake.[15]

On one night in 1848, the brasses on almost all the ground's tombstones (except one) were vandalised and destroyed, as their brasses were removed, which was possibly linked to Wrexham races that night. There are no full burial records of the site.[15]

In 1857, the perimeter hedge around the graveyard was replaced with a wall, while in 1883 part of it was given up to allow the widening of Rhosddu Road.[15][14]

The ground was officially closed in 1888 by an order of the council,[15] although some later burials were permitted, with the last occurring in 1901.[16] In April 1912, a memorial to Morgan Llwyd was unveiled at the graveyard's entrance by Margaret Lloyd George.[17] In 1960, the ground was acquired by Wrexham Borough Council,[17] and laid out to be a park for the wider use of the borough.[16] The grounds reopened on 1 May 1963 as the "Morgan Llwyd Memorial Park".[17][18] It is now regarded as a public park.[19]

Rhosddu Park

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Not to be confused with Rhosddu Recreation Ground.

Located opposite the memorial park, on the other side of Rhosddu Road, is Rhosddu Park. It was noted to potentially be the first park in the UK, alongside the opposite former cemetery, to put up signs discouraging human defecation, alongside other notices to discourage anti-social behaviour.[20][21][22] In Summer 2019, a community event fair "fun day" was held in the park.[23] It is also known as the “Rhosddu Recreation Ground”. It was created through the generosity of owners of the Island Green Brewery, William and John Jones. Some consider it as Wrexham’s first public park.[19]

Other protected fields

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There are other protected open spaces across Wrexham, including open spaces at Anthony Eden Drive,[24] Rosewood Avenue,[25] Wyndham Gardens,[26] and Tanycoed.[27] Recreation grounds at Queen's Park (Caia Park),[28] playing fields and play areas at Brickfield (Court Road, Erddig Road),[29] Ashfield (next to Wrexham Tennis Centre),[30] and Coed Aben.[31] As well as Owain Glyndwr Fields at Maesgwyn,[32] Rhosnesni (the Rhosnesni playing fields, coloquially Spider Park)[33][34][35] and Tanydre.[36] All protected by Fields in Trust and managed by Wrexham council.

Other minor open spaces

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There is also a green in Garden Village.[37]

Open parkland

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The 'Cup and Saucer' at Erddig Park

Erddig Park (53°01′50″N 3°00′10″W / 53.0306°N 3.0027°W / 53.0306; -3.0027 (Erddig Park, Wrexham)) is two miles (3 km) south of the city centre, where the city meets the Clywedog Valley. The park is owned and managed by the National Trust, and is home to Erddig Hall and its formal gardens.[38] The park is also home to a number of notable historic features. These include a hydraulic ram known as the "Cup and Saucer",[39] which is used to pump water from the park to Erddig Hall, and the remains of Wristleham motte and bailey[39] which is thought to be the beginnings of Wrexham as a city in the 12th century.

Allotments

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There are three allotments in the city of Wrexham, and an additional one in Tanyfron, in the wider county borough. The three within Wrexham city are located on Erddig Road, Victoria Road, and Prices Lane.[40]

Nearby country parks

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There are seven parks and country parks on the outskirts of Wrexham, in the wider Wrexham County Borough, at Tŷ Mawr (Cefn Mawr), Alyn Waters (Gwersyllt), Minera Leadmines (Minera), Bonc-yr-Hafod (Hafod), Moss Valley (Moss), Nant Mill (River Clywedog trail) and Stryt Las (Johnstown); as well as two other country houses at Brynkinalt and Iscoyd Park.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Protecting Wrexham's Green Spaces for Good". Fields in Trust. Fields in Trust. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Wrexham park celebrates 100 years". 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  3. ^ "Bellvue Park (y Parciau), Wrexham". Coflein. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  4. ^ a b c d "Acton Park". 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  5. ^ a b c "Acton Park | Wrexham County Borough Council". www.wrexham.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  6. ^ "Final Christmas event to come to Wrexham this weekend". The Leader. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  7. ^ "FAQ – Wrexham Feast". Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  8. ^ "More than 60 producers confirmed for Wrexham Food Festival next weekend". Deeside.com. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  9. ^ "Bandstand Marathon on Llwyn Isaf". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  10. ^ "Wrexham councillors to consider granting Dean Road field 'town or village green status'". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  11. ^ "Developer advertising homes to be built on controversial Dean Road field site". The Leader. 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  12. ^ "Nine Acre field to be 'protected' as green space and renamed as "Queen Elizabeth II Park"". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  13. ^ "Nine-Acre Field reopening to public for community use, Wrexham Council confirms". The Leader. 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  14. ^ a b c d e f An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire: IV - County of Denbigh. Vol. 4. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire. 1 Jan 1914. pp. 186, 187.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Dissenters Burial Ground 1655". wrexham-history.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. ^ a b c d e f g "Dissenters Burial Ground, Rhosddu, Wrexham". wrexham-history.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. ^ a b c d Davies, Christopher (15 October 2023). A-Z of Wrexham: Places-People-History. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445699066.
  18. ^ "Morgan Llwyd – Hero or Heretic? — by Gwyn Davies". Evangelical Magazine. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  19. ^ a b Ebsworth, David (2023). Wrexham Revealed: A Walking Tour with Tales of the City’s History. Compact Cymru. Wrexham Carnival of Words. Carreg Gwalch. ISBN 9781845245245.
  20. ^ Bagnall, Steve (2016-04-20). "You wouldn't believe what Wrexham cemetery and park users are being banned from doing". North Wales Live. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  21. ^ "Talks ongoing over dog attack concerns in Wrexham park". The Leader. 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  22. ^ "Wrexham council set to renew anti-social crackdown". BBC News. 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  23. ^ "Summer fun day in Rhosddu Park shows Wrexham at its best". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  24. ^ "Anthony Eden Drive Open Space". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  25. ^ "Rosewood Avenue Open Space". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  26. ^ "Wyndham Gardens Open Space". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  27. ^ "Tanycoed Open Space". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  28. ^ "Queen's Park Recreation Ground". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  29. ^ "Brickfield Sports Field". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  30. ^ "Ashfield Playing Field". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  31. ^ "Coed Aben Play Area". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  32. ^ "Owain Glyndwr Field (Maesgwyn)". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  33. ^ "Owain Glyndwr Field (Rhosnesni)". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  34. ^ "Teams in fitting tribute to football referee from Acton". The Leader. 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  35. ^ Live, North Wales (2011-11-22). "Three more Wrexham fields could be protected from development". North Wales Live. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  36. ^ "Owain Glyndwr Field (Tan-y-dre)". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  37. ^ "Praise After Travellers Forced To Vacate Garden Village Green". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  38. ^ "Erddig". National Trust. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  39. ^ a b "Discover the parkland at Erddig". National Trust. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  40. ^ "Allotments | Wrexham County Borough Council". www.wrexham.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
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