Bersham
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Bersham's picturesque cottages, formerly offices of the ironworks | |
Location within Wrexham | |
OS grid reference | SJ306491 |
Community | |
Principal area | |
Preserved county | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | WREXHAM |
Postcode district | LL14 |
Dialling code | 01978 |
Police | North Wales |
Fire | North Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
UK Parliament | |
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
Bersham (Welsh : Y Bers; standardised: Bers [1] ) is a village in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, that lies next to the River Clywedog, and is in the community of Esclusham. Bersham was historically a major industrial centre of the area, but despite this the village still retains a rural feeling.
The village holds special importance for economic historians, for not only did it house the workshops of the skilled Davies brothers, it was one of the cradles of the Industrial Revolution. This is the place where British iron making began in 1670, where smelting iron ore with coke began in 1721, and where John Wilkinson, the 'Iron Mad' pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, set up shop in 1761. For many years the area was one of the most important iron manufacturing centres in the world. The Bersham Ironworks Museum tells the story of the man who bored cannon for the American War of Independence and cylinders for James Watt's revolutionary steam engine that changed the face of the world.
Bersham Colliery, the last working coal mine in the former Denbighshire Coalfield, was not actually in the village of Bersham but situated nearby in the village of Rhostyllen, it closed in 1986. Mining and consequent subsidence impacted the nearby Erddig House, and in the 1970s, the National Trust, which managed the house, made a successful claim for compensation against the National Coal Board. [2]
Plas Power Woods comprise 33.7ha of woodland running along the River Clywedog between Coedpoeth and Bersham, and stretches to the Nant Mill Wood situated upstream to the east on the Clywedog Trail. The vast majority of the woodland is ancient woodland although some parts were replanted with conifers and, locally, with beech and/or sycamore as late as the 1960s. The Woodland Trust is gradually restoring the native broadleaf woodland character of the plantation areas.
Several features of historical importance are present; a section of Offa's Dyke runs across the Clywedog Valley through Plas Power Woods. Several Listed structures are also present including Plas Power Park wall, an ornate cast iron Victorian era bridge and railings and the Western Weir, Nant Bridge, Bersham Lodge and Caeau Wier.
St Mary's in Plas Power is a 19th-century parish church in the heart of the village. The architect was John Gibson, the builder was Mr George Clark of Pen-y-gelli Hall, Coedpoeth, and the church was entirely funded by Thomas Lloyd FitzHugh, with first services held there in January 1876. [3] His wife Emily Mary from Charlecote in Warwickshire took a great interest in the building and is the reason the architect and organ builder were both from that county. It was originally built without a bell tower; however, one was added some years later. When Captain Godfrey FitzHugh was killed on active service in Palestine in 1917 his widow Ethel had the bells installed in his memory. They consist of a carillon of eight bells operated by hand and are still in use today.
Wrexham is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the county of Denbighshire, and later the county of Clwyd in 1974, it has been the principal settlement of Wrexham County Borough since 1996.
Wrexham County Borough is a county borough, with city status, in the north-east of Wales. It borders the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire and Shropshire to the east and south-east respectively along the England–Wales border, Powys to the south-west, Denbighshire to the west and Flintshire to the north-west. The city of Wrexham is the administrative centre. The county borough is part of the preserved county of Clwyd.
Ruabon is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The name comes from Rhiw Fabon, rhiw being the Welsh word for "slope" or "hillside" and Fabon being a mutation from St Mabon, the original church name, of earlier, Celtic origin. An older English spelling, Rhuabon, can sometimes be seen.
Coedpoeth is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The built-up area with Minera had a population of 5,723 in the 2011 census.
The River Clywedog is a river in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. Its uses have been watering crops, powering industrial machinery but is now used as walking trails or geography trips. The river originates to the west of Wrexham, and joins the River Dee some four miles south east of the city.
Bwlchgwyn is a village in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, on the A525 road, 5 miles (8 km) west of the city of Wrexham and 10 miles (16 km) south-east of the town of Ruthin. Bwlchgwyn is part of the community of Brymbo. In the 2011 Census the population of the village was 855.
Brymbo is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It lies in the hilly country to the west of Wrexham city, largely surrounded by farmland.
Pen-y-cae is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2011 census was 3,389. It adjoins the larger village of Rhosllanerchrugog.
Ysgol Morgan Llwyd is a Welsh-medium comprehensive school in Wrexham, in north-east Wales, UK. It is the first, and is the only Welsh-medium secondary school in Wrexham County Borough. It is named after the seventeenth-century preacher and author Morgan Llwyd. The school has been open at its present location in Cefn Road since 2000. Previously it was located on Stockwell Grove. The Headteacher is Ms. Catrin Prichard.
The Clywedog Trail is a 9-mile (14 km) footpath close to Wrexham in Wales. Starting at the Minera Lead Mines (53.0512°N 3.0811°W) and running to King's Mills (53.0358°N 2.9750°W), it follows the course of the River Clywedog. It is a haven for walking, relaxation and enjoying the peace of the wildlife. The Clywedog region played a role in the Industrial Revolution; ironmaking began in 1670, smelting iron ore with coke began in 1721 and John Wilkinson set up shop in 1761. For many years the area was one of the most important iron manufacturing centres in the world.
Marchwiel is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales.
Tanyfron is a village in Wrexham County Borough in Wales. At the time of the 2001 census, the population of area Wrexham 006A, which includes Tanyfron and a number of other small settlements, was 1,347. The village is part of the local government Community of Brymbo and is in the Vron electoral ward. The built-up area had a population of well over 2,000 as of the 2011 census.
Esclusham is a community and electoral ward in Wrexham County Borough, Wales.
Offa is a community and electoral ward in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, covering most of the south-western portion of the city of Wrexham. It is bordered by the communities of; Rhosddu, and Caia Park to the north, Abenbury to the east, Esclusham, and Marchwiel to the south, and Broughton, Coedpoeth, and Gwersyllt to the west.
The Davies brothers of Bersham, near Wrexham in north Wales, were a family of smiths active in the 18th century. They were particularly known for their high-quality work in wrought iron, of which several examples still survive in country homes and churchyards around the England-Wales border.
Bersham Colliery was a large coal mine located near Rhostyllen in Wrexham, Wales. The mine accessed seams found in the Denbighshire Coalfield.
Llwyneinion is a village in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is part of the community of Esclusham. Its name can be translated from the Welsh language as "Einion's Grove", although until at least the 19th century the name was more commonly written as Llwynenion, "Enion's Grove".
Plas Madoc is a housing estate and former electoral ward near Acrefair, in the Cefn community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is located seven miles to the south-west of Wrexham, and contains The Land adventure playground, and a community-run leisure centre with a swimming pool. The area is one of the most deprived areas in Wales, and the fourth most deprived LSOA in Wrexham County Borough.