Wynn Hall is a 17th-century house in the oldhamlet of Bodylltyn inRuabon,Wrexham, Wales standing at the junction of the Penycae Road and Plas Bennion Road. It was built in about 1649 byWilliam Wynn and is aGrade II* listed building.[1]
During theEnglish Civil War William Wynn served on theParliamentarian side and was imprisoned atDenbigh Castle. Wynn was one of the commissioners named in the 1650 Act for Propagating the Gospel in Wales. During the 17th and 18th centuries the family was connected with the development of thenonconformist cause in theWrexham area. He died in 1692 and was buried in theDissenters' Graveyard in Rhosddu, Wrexham.[2]
William Wynn's granddaughter Sarah, the daughter of Archibald Hamilton and Sarah Wynn, married the Rev.John Kenrick (1683–1745), minister of Chester StreetPresbyterian Chapel, Wrexham which placed the house in the hands of the Kenrick family for over two centuries.
The Wynn HallColliery was opened byWilliam Kenrick (1798–1865), the grandson of John, and consisted of two pits, the 'Foundry Pit' and the 'Rock Pit'. Both pits were "drowned out" in 1846, severely affecting coal production. The Kenricks also owned aspelter (zinc) works at nearby Copperas.[3]
William's cousin, Archibald Kenrick, was grandfather of cousins Harriet and Florence Kenrick, the first and second wives of the politicianJoseph Chamberlain, mothers of SirAusten Chamberlain and theBritish prime ministerNeville Chamberlain respectively . Florence Kenrick's sister Louisa was the wife of Joseph Chamblerlain's brother Arthur; they were grandparents of the authorElizabeth Longford and great-grandparents of the Labour politicianHarriet Harman.
Llewelyn Kenrick (1847–1933), the son of William Kenrick, was born at Wynn Hall. After attendingRuabon Grammar School he trained as asolicitor but always remained a keen football player. Kenrick was instrumental in forming theFootball Association of Wales in 1876 at a meeting in theWynnstay Arms Hotel in Ruabon. Kenrick captained the Welsh national side for their first game in 1876 inGlasgow,Scotland. He was later appointedcoroner for EastDenbighshire.[4]
This connection between the Kenricks and Wynn Hall ended in 1970 when the remaining members of the family sold the estate and emigrated toAustralia.
For a short period of time Wynn Hall had its own halt on the Pontcysyllte Branch (formerly theRuabon Brook Tramway) which ran betweenRhosllannerchrugog and the canal wharf atPontcysyllte.[5] Although this was primarily an industrial line, arail motor service ran between Wrexham and Wynn Hall Halt (via Rhos) from 1905 to 1915; but following the closure of Wynn Hall Colliery the number of passengers fell, and from 1915 the passenger service was terminated at Rhos, though the line through Wynn Hall remained open for goods traffic until 1953. The track was lifted in the late 1950s and is now largely obliterated.
52°59′45″N3°03′32″W / 52.9959°N 3.0590°W /52.9959; -3.0590
