Waking the Dragon (Welsh : Deffro'r Ddraig) is a proposed bronze sculpture which is intended to be built near Wrexham, North Wales.
The original idea, made in 2010, was for a sculpture which would stand 210 feet (64 m) tall, symbolising the heritage and culture of the Welsh people. The project was to be funded through a combination of charitable donations, the purchase of steps within the tower and investor finance.
The project was to consist of a 75-foot bronze dragon with a wingspan of approximately 150 feet, standing upon a 135-foot glass and steel tower, which would allow for panoramic views of Wrexham, its surrounding countryside and across the border into England. [1] The project intended to include a 100-seat café/bar, a 125-seat restaurant, an art centre and a gallery next to the tower. The space immediately around the tower was to be used to depict the Four Branches of the Mabinogion, the collection of mythological tales of early Wales. [2]
It was originally intended to sit adjacent to the A5 and was hoped to be completed by August 2011. It was subsequently hoped to be completed by the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London.
In 2013 local businessman Simon Wingett, the originator of the scheme, launched a crowd funding initiative to raise money for the project. The dragon was to be sited on a roundabout at Chirk near Wrexham. [2] Planning permission for the dragon was reinstated in 2016 for a further five years, after the original permission had lapsed. [3] In September 2022, Wingett was ordered by the High Court to pay at least £117,000 to charitable cancer causes due to investing his cancer charity donations for the dragon project rather than to charitable causes since 2011. [4]
If completed, it would be the world's second largest statue of a European dragon, after the dragon from Pegasus and Dragon in Hallandale Beach, Florida.
Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire to the east and Shropshire to the south-east. Powys and Gwynedd lie to the south and west respectively. Clwyd also shares a maritime boundary with Merseyside along the River Dee. Between 1974 and 1996, a slightly different area had a county council, with local government functions shared with six district councils. In 1996, Clwyd was abolished, and the new principal areas of Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham County Borough were created; under this reorganisation, "Clwyd" became a preserved county, with the name being retained for certain ceremonial functions.
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.
North Wales is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia National Park and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley, known for its mountains, waterfalls and trails, wholly within the region. Its population is concentrated in the north-east and northern coastal areas, with significant Welsh-speaking populations in its western and rural areas. North Wales is imprecisely defined, lacking any exact definition or administrative structure. It is commonly defined administratively as its six most northern principal areas, but other definitions exist, with Montgomeryshire historically considered to be part of the region.
The North Wales Wildlife Trust (NWWT) is the Wildlife Trust for North Wales. Established in 1962, it covers the vice counties of Anglesey, Caernarfonshire, Merionethshire, Denbighshire and Flintshire with over 9300 members. It is a registered charity and a member of the Wildlife Trusts Partnership with the head office being located in Bangor and its eastern office located at Aberduna nature reserve in Flintshire.
Flintshire County Council is the unitary local authority for the county of Flintshire, one of the principal areas of Wales. It is based at County Hall in Mold.
St Giles' Parish Church is the parish church of Wrexham, Wales. The church is recognised as one of the finest examples of ecclesiastical architecture in Wales and is a Grade I listed building, described by Sir Simon Jenkins as 'the glory of the Marches' and by W. D. Caröe as a “glorious masterpiece.”
The Shrewsbury–Chester line is a railway line between Chester and Shrewsbury in England, with the line passing through Wrexham in Wales. Passenger train services are operated by Transport for Wales Rail between Chester, in the north, and Shrewsbury, in the south, as part of the Wales & Borders franchise. Some additional services, starting part way along the line to London Euston via Chester are operated by Avanti West Coast. The line was built in 1846 by the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway, with the engineer for the line being Henry Robertson, a partner in locomotive builders Beyer Peacock, while the contractor was Thomas Brassey in partnership with William Mackenzie and Robert Stephenson. The line is part of Transport for Wales' North Wales Metro improvement programme.
Deeside College is located in Connah's Quay, Flintshire, North Wales. In 2013, Deeside College merged with Yale College and Wrexham to form Coleg Cambria.
Farndon Bridge, also known as Holt Bridge, crosses the River Dee and the England-Wales border between the villages of Farndon, Cheshire, England and Holt, Wrexham, Wales. The bridge, which was built in the mid-14th century, is recorded in the National Heritage List for England and by Cadw as a designated Grade I listed building and scheduled monument. It is built from locally quarried red sandstone and had eight arches, of which five are over the river. On the Farndon side there is one flood arch and two flood arches are on the Holt side.
Penycae Football Club is a Welsh football club based in Pen-y-cae, Wrexham whose first team currently plays in the Ardal NE League. Following on from the growth of the club over recent years, Penycae Football Club is now a registered business and will now operate as Penycae Football Club C.I.C. The club also has a team which acts as a pathway to the first team known as the Reserve team. The club run a number of youth teams for 10- to 15-year-olds, and mini teams for children under 10 years of age.
Coedpoeth United Football Club is a football club based in Coedpoeth, Wrexham County Borough. They play in the North East Wales Premier Division.
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.
North East Wales is an area or region of Wales, commonly defined as a grouping of the principal areas of Denbighshire, Flintshire, and Wrexham County Borough in the north-east of the country. These principal areas comprise most of the former administrative county of Clwyd. It is bordered by Conwy, and Gwynedd, in North West Wales to the west, Powys, in Mid Wales to the south, the English counties of Cheshire, and Shropshire to the east, and the Irish Sea, and Dee estuary to the north. It is the more urban, densely populated, and industrial part of the north Wales geographic region, centred on the city of Wrexham and the towns of Rhyl and Prestatyn, and the conurbation of Deeside. The region's close links with North West England in general and Merseyside in particular are crucial to the region's economy. The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is located in the region. Other attractions include historical buildings such as Chirk Castle, and Erddig in Wrexham, valley towns such as Corwen and Llangollen, and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site.
The North Wales Metro is a rail and bus transport improvement programme in north Wales. Styled as a "Metro", it is conceptually a multi-modal system with a combination of bus, heavy rail, and light rail services. It was initially focused on linking major settlements and employment areas of the north-east of Wales with the North West of England, with its hubs located in Wrexham, Chester and Deeside, although the programme has since expanded, with proposals extending to Anglesey in the north-west of Wales. The existing Borderlands line forms a core rail component of the network, where projects to increase connections, integrated access, and service frequency between Wrexham, Deeside and Liverpool are centred upon. The proposals were put forward in 2016 as is part of Welsh Labour's plan for north Wales. Labour has pledged to open the system by 2035. The proposals were included in the 2018 Wales & Borders franchise contest. It is the second of the three regional metros proposed by the Welsh Government to go ahead, after the South Wales Metro, and before the Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro. The project is described to be in its initial phases.
The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty located in north-east Wales, covering the Clwydian Range, and the valley of the River Dee.
Ambition North Wales is a joint committee and decision-making body overseeing the North Wales Growth Deal, a regional economic growth deal covering the North Wales region. It is a partnership between the six local authorities of Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, and Wrexham County Borough, and other local partners in the region, including Bangor University, Wrexham University, Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, Coleg Cambria, and various private sector representatives.
Brynkinalt Hall is a Grade-II* listed private property, built in 1612, near Chirk, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The hall is surrounded by an estate including 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of agricultural land and 400 acres (1.6 km2) of woodland. Part of the estate extends into Shropshire, England. Brynkinalt Park is a park located to the hall's north-west.
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.
Xplore! Science Discovery Centre, branded simply as Xplore!, is a science centre in Wrexham, Wales. It is currently based between Henblas Street and Chester Street in Wrexham city centre. Formerly known as Techniquest@NEWI and Techniquest Glyndŵr, as a sister venue to Cardiff's Techniquest, it was housed on Wrexham University's Plas Coch campus from 2003 until its relocation in 2020. The centre is operated by North Wales Science, a charity wholly owned by Wrexham University.
Saith Seren is a Welsh-language community centre and pub in Wrexham, North Wales.