| Gwersyllt | |
|---|---|
 Gwersyllt's parish church, Holy Trinity | |
  Gwersyllt Location withinWrexham | |
| Population | 10,677 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SJ316537 |
| Community |
|
| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WREXHAM |
| Postcode district | LL11 |
| Dialling code | 01978 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
53°04′34″N3°01′16″W / 53.076°N 3.021°W /53.076; -3.021  Map of the community | |
Gwersyllt (Welsh pronunciation:[ɡwɛrsɪɬt]) is an urban village andcommunity inWrexham County Borough,Wales.
The densely populated village is one ofWrexham's largest and is situated in the north western suburbs of the city, bordering the nearby villages ofLlay,Cefn-y-Bedd,Brynteg, andPentre Broughton. The community, also including the villages ofSummerhill,Sydallt,Rhosrobin andBradley, had a total population of 10,056 at the 2001 census,[2] rising to 10,677 at the 2011 Census.
Thename is usually stated to be derived from theWelsh word,gwersyll, meaning "campsite", with the finalt common in the area's dialect.[3] This is, however, a comparatively modern form, and during the mediaeval period the name was written as "Wershull" or "Wersull", with "Gwershull" and "Wersham" occurring in the 16th century. It is therefore possible that the present name, like others in the area, is a Welsh adaptation of an earlier English name ending in "-hull" (i.e. "hill").[3] A derivation from the genitive singular ofOld Englishwearga, with the meaning "[the] felon's hill", "gallowstree hill", has been suggested by placename scholar Melville Richards,[4] although an original form ofWersiges-hyll from an Old English personal name has also been suggested.[5]
Gwersyllt was originally atownship of the parish ofGresford, and by 1833 had 834 inhabitants.[6] The gradual increase of the area's population in the industrial era led to Gwersyllt being formed as a new parish in 1851, combining the old township of Gwersyllt and parts of the neighbouring township ofStansty.[6] The parish church, from plans byThomas Penson, was consecrated at the same time.[7]
The village grew rapidly with the localcoal mining industry and the area was home to several collieries, of which many features still remain. In 1896, the Gwersyllt coal mine owned by Edward Griffiths had 185 employees with 167 below ground. It was in operation by 1881.
The area was situated between the collieries of theMoss Valley and Bradley and benefitted from goodrail links on the formerWrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway toWrexham,Birkenhead,Ellesmere,Brymbo andNew Brighton. A canal also was planned to run through the community with the intention of forming part of theEllesmere Canal. Evidence of the canal cuttings can still be seen alongside the Sydallt junction between the Summerhill Bottom Road andA541 Mold Road, and a local street, namedHeol-y-Camlas, meaningCanal Road inWelsh, lies on the former canal alignment.
In the mid-20th century, largecouncil estates were built amongst the existing village, extending the size of the community and its services substantially.
Prior to 1974, thecivil parish of Gwersyllt fell into the County ofDenbighshire and theWrexham Rural District (however some areas in Gwersyllt were moved toWrexham Borough in the 20th Century). In 1974, the civil parish became acommunity of the Borough ofWrexham Maelor, in theCounty of Clwyd. Since further reorganisation in 1996, the community has been part of theCounty Borough of Wrexham and the widerpreserved county of Clwyd.
GwersylltCommunity Council covers a wider area, includingSummerhill, Bradley,Rhosrobin,Moss, Parkwall and Sydallt. For local government purposes, the Community is split into three subdivisions; Gwersyllt North, Gwersyllt West and Gwersyllt East & South.
A number of leisure and lifestyle facilities are available for local residents.Gwyn Evans Sports Centre, named after a local councillor and school teacher, is a council-operatedleisure centre, consisting of a 25-metreswimming pool and multi-usesports hall, within the grounds of local secondary school,Ysgol Bryn Alyn. The school additionally offers an outdoorastroturf multi-use games area, situated adjacent to the leisure centre. The newly builtGwersyllt Community Resource Centre provides a large bookable function hall and meeting rooms, along with Gwersyllt Library, which is open six days a week.
Gwersyllt is predominantly served by two churches, namelyGwersyllt Congregational Church of theevangelical faith, andHoly Trinity Church, which is part of theChurch in WalesAnglican denomination. Both date from the Victorian era, with the Congregational Church being the older of the two.
Gwersyllt has four schools within the community borders: Gwersyllt Community Primary School, Ysgol Heulfan, Ysgol Bro Alun, andYsgol Bryn Alyn.
Gwersyllt CP and Ysgol Heulfan are both English-medium primary schools. Gwersyllt CP was created in 2007 by the amalgamation of Ysgol y Gaer Infant School with Gwersyllt County Primary Junior School, and Ysgol Heulfan was created in 2005 by the merger of Ysgol Bryn Golau Infants, Ysgol Y Drindod Juniors and Ysgol Powys.
Ysgol Bro Alun is aWelsh-medium primary school which opened in 2013. As of 2022, 34.3% of statutory school age pupils spoke Welsh at home.[8]
Ysgol Bryn Alyn is an 11-16 English-medium secondary school. Post-16 education is provided byColeg Cambria, formerlyYale College, Wrexham. Welsh-medium pupils from Gwersyllt attend Wrexham's 11-18 secondary school,Ysgol Morgan Llwyd.
A centre for alternative curriculum programmes continues in the former building of Ysgol Powys.
Pen-y-Maes Health Centre is the local clinic, being staffed by doctors, nurses and regular health visitors, and also incorporates a pharmacy.
Women in the Gwersyllt West ward had the lowest life expectancy at birth, 72.6 years, of any ward in England and Wales in 2016.[9]
Gwersyllt's former heavy industries of coalmining and manufacturing have declined over the 20th Century. Much of the former land of these industries has been reclaimed, mostly as housing. However a number of industrial warehouses continue, namely of building supplies, car sales and double-glazing window manufacturing.The Studios is the headquarters of the formerMarcher Radio Group, which produces and broadcasts radio programmes to the localCapital FM stations, formallyMarcher Sound,Buzz 97.1,Coast 96.3,Champion FM 103, along withSmooth Wales (formerly Classic Gold).
TheA541 road, locally known as theMold Road is the main thoroughfare into Wrexham southbound, and northwards through southFlintshire ontoMold. The community is also nearby to theA483 road via the Gresford and Wrexham junctions.
Gwersyllt railway station provides hourly services by rail on theBorderlands Line, southbound toWrexham Central, and northbound ontoBidston, changing forMerseyrail services toLiverpool Central. All services are operated byTransport for Wales, predominantly usingClass 150 andClass 153diesel multiple units.
Public bus transport is provided byArriva Buses Wales on services from Wrexham to Summerhill, Mold,Flint andDeeside on Monday to Saturdays. A reduced service operates on Sundays and bank holidays, subsidised byWrexham Council and provided by Arriva.
