Wrexham Library | |
---|---|
Former names | Wrexham Library and Arts Centre |
General information | |
Type | Public library Arts centre (Oriel Wrecsam; 1973–2015) Police station (2019–) Council office (2023–) |
Address | Rhosddu Road, Wrexham, Wales LL11 1AU |
Coordinates | 53°02′53″N2°59′38″W / 53.048075°N 2.993892°W |
Construction started | June 1971 |
Opened | December 1972 |
Cost | £178,000 (1971) |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | James A Roberts |
Main contractor | RM Douglas Construction |
Wrexham Library (Welsh : Llyfrgell Wrecsam) is the main public library of Wrexham, Wales. Located in the city centre, adjacent to Llwyn Isaf, it opened in 1972, superseding the old carnegie library on Queens Square.
It is the most visited library in North Wales, receiving 100,000 in-person and digital visitors annually.
Construction of the purpose-built library building started in June 1971 and took one year and a half to construct. The construction cost £178,000 and was constructed by RM Douglas Construction. The architect of the building was James A Roberts. [1] The building, located on Rhosddu Road, [2] opened to the public in December 1972. It contained a music library, private study areas, and a children's library. [1] [3] [4] [5] This building near Llwyn Isaf replaced the previous carnegie library building on Queens Square. [6] The building is of the Brutalist style. [7]
Oriel Wrecsam, a contemporary arts centre was based in the building attached to the library on Rhosddu Road since 1973 [8] and until 2015, when it moved out of the adjacent building. [9] The extension was still being built when the library first opened. [1]
In 1983, the first public computers arrived in the library. [4]
In 2003, plans to construct a theatre on the site for Oriel Wrecsam and using £6 million of lottery funding was cancelled. [8]
In 2010, the library was renovated, using a grant of £310,000 awarded for the refurbishment from the Welsh Assembly Government. The renovation included a first floor extension, book and DVD stock enhancements, new computers and self-service check-out stations. The renovation also included a BFI Mediatheque being opened at the library, which contained a curated "Through the Dragon's Eye" collection, partly sourced from the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, which by 2013 was the only BFI Mediatheque in Wales. [10] [11] During the renovation the library temporarily moved to Chester Street, although the coffee shop and art gallery remained open during the renovation. [12] The renovated library was reopened by Ruth Jones on 22 March 2010. [4] [13] [14]
In 2011, the BBC, who had some operations in the building announced they were vacating their part of the building, moving to purpose-built studios at Glyndwr University. [8]
In March 2015, Oriel Wrecsam announced they were to leave their premises in the library building for a then unknown location, set to open in 2017. [8] Oriel Wrecsam later announced they would open a shop named "Siop//Shop" on Chester Street on 22 April 2015 and close their existing gallery on 28 March, ending the long association between the gallery and library, and while Oriel Wrecsam was present in the building, both were termed the "Wrexham Library and Art Centre". [9] [15] The gallery later became part of the Tŷ Pawb development. [16]
Plans were first made in 2014, [17] to relocate Wrexham town centre police station into the part of the building, that was formerly an Arts Centre (the former Oriel Wrecsam Gallery) following the demolition of the old Bodhyfryd police station and a new station in Llay. [18] In February 2016, the plans were approved. [19]
In July 2016, plans to transfer control of the library as well as Wrexham Museum to a culture trust or NPDO, were scrapped following a review that the transfer would cost the council more money. [20] The proposal was part of wider plans to outsource the council's Libraries, Heritage and Archives Services, in hope to generate more income. [21] The initial 2015 proposed transfer of responsibility involved a South Wales trust, but a local trust was later explored following opposition from councillors of transferring control to a trust in either Blaenau Gwent or Merthyr Tydfil. [21] [22] [23]
In May 2017, work commenced on the new police station in the connecting building where the Oriel Wrecsam gallery once stood. The gallery had moved to Tŷ Pawb. [24]
In April 2019, a minor refurbishment of the library's foyer was conducted. [25] [26] A coffee shop in the building, "The Secret Garden", also opened for the renovation. [27]
On 24 May 2019, the Wrexham town police station opened in a part of the library building. [28] [29]
In Winter 2022, during the United Kingdom cost-of-living crisis, the library would operate as a "warm space", for those unable to afford to heat their homes, and for financial advice and support. [30] [31]
In March 2023, Contact Wrexham, the council's support centre providing in-person services, moved into the building from Lord Street and a temporary location in Wrexham Guildhall, following the expiring of the Lord Street building lease. [32] [33] [34]
From September to December 2023, the building's roof is to be replaced. [35]
The library is said to be the most visited library in North Wales, with over 100,000 in-person and digital visitors visiting the library each year. In 2022, it hosted 479 events that had at least 8,000 visitors. [35]
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, 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.
Wrexham University is a public research university in the north-east of Wales, with campuses in Wrexham, Northop and St Asaph. It offers both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as professional courses. The university had 6,045 students in 2019/20.
Wrexham County Borough Council is the governing body for Wrexham County Borough, a principal area with city status in north Wales, covering Wrexham and the surrounding area.
Garden Village is a suburb of the city of Wrexham and an electoral division (ward) in the community of Rhosddu in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 2,035 It lies to the west of Chester Road and borders the wards of Stansty to the south and east, Gwersyllt East and South to the north west, Little Acton and Acton to the west, and a small section of Gresford to the north.
Plas Coch is an area of the community of Rhosddu, in the city of Wrexham, Wales. A major retail and educational area of Wrexham, it lies to the north-west of Wrexham city centre. Formerly known as Lower Stansty, the term has fallen out of use in preference for Plas Coch in recent years, likely due to the popular retail area which shares its name.
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.
Wrexham North is a proposed railway station on the Shrewsbury–Chester line, situated between Rossett and Wrexham, in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. As of January 2022, there is no definitive site for the proposed station, with proposals including: the former Rossett railway station or a station near Pandy, Wrexham and Gresford. Unless construction of the station south of Rossett coincides with the full or partial dualling of the currently single track railway line towards Stansty, Wrexham North may be a single platform station or if situated at Rossett Junction be linked by a single track southwards to Wrexham.
Wrexham South is a proposed railway station on the Shrewsbury–Chester line, situated between Chirk and Wrexham, in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. As of January 2022, there is no definitive site for the proposed station, with proposals for the station to be located either near Johnstown or at Rhosymedre on the former Rhosymedre Halt railway station. If the latter location is decided, Ruabon would be the station closest to the south of Wrexham.
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.
County Buildings is a Grade II listed building in Wrexham, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It houses the Wrexham County Borough Museum and Wrexham Archives. It is proposed that a Football Museum for Wales be housed in the building. The building is located between Saint Mark's Road and Regent Street in the city centre and Offa, bounded by Wrexham Cathedral to the west.
Wrexham County Borough Museum is a local history museum in Wrexham, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is located within County Buildings, alongside the Wrexham Archives and a proposed Football Museum for Wales. The building is located on Regent Street, in the city centre. The museum is managed by the Wrexham Heritage & Archives Service, which in turn, is operated by Wrexham County Borough Council as part of its Housing & Economy Department.
A national football museum dedicated to Welsh association football in Wrexham has been proposed by various politicians in both the Welsh Government and local councils, with Wrexham County Borough Council being the leading contender for a museum due to Wrexham's football heritage. The museum is currently in the planning stages and under current proposals, the museum is set to be within the pre-existing County Buildings on Regent Street, in Wrexham's city centre, alongside the Wrexham County Borough Museum and Archives.
Tŷ Pawb is a multi-purpose centre in Wrexham, Wales. It serves as a venue for arts, cultural and community events, as well as being a market and art gallery. A redevelopment of the former Wrexham People's Market between Chester Street and Market Street in Wrexham city centre, the community centre opened on 2 April 2018. It provides exhibitions, a gallery, a food court, small stage concerts and live events, as well as a market space for local traders and the relocation of Oriel Wrecsam. A multi-storey car park is located on top of Tŷ Pawb, on the building's upper floors.
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.
Abbotsfield is a Grade II listed building in Rhosddu, Wrexham, North Wales.
Queen's Square is a public square in Wrexham city centre, North Wales. It is located adjacent to the Wrexham Guildhall and Old Library. It is a main site for various events in the city, in particular outdoor markets.
The School of Creative Arts is the art school of Wrexham University on Regent Street, in Wrexham, North Wales.
Waterworld, formerly the Wrexham Swimming Baths, is a leisure centre in Wrexham, North Wales. Known for its hyperbolic paraboloid roof, the only roof of its type in Wales, the centre houses a set of swimming pools and a gym. The centre was opened in 1967, with a major refurbishment occurring in the 1990s, being re-opened by Elizabeth II in March 1998 under its current name.
The Wrexham Police Station was a police station housed in a tall brutalist building, located on Bodhyfryd in Wrexham, Wales. Constructed in 1973 and demolished in 2020, the tower was the tallest building in Wrexham, overtaking St Giles' Church. The building served as a North Wales Police divisional headquarters and Wrexham's police station.
The more Brutalist library next door