| Offa | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Offa Location withinWrexham | |
| Population | 10,501 |
| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WREXHAM |
| Postcode district | LL11, LL13, LL14 |
| Dialling code | 01978 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
| Website | https://www.offacommunitycouncil.gov.uk/ |
53°02′24″N3°00′18″W / 53.04°N 3.005°W /53.04; -3.005  Show map of the community Show map of the electoral ward | |
Offa is acommunity andelectoral ward inWrexham County Borough,Wales, covering most of the south-western portion of the city ofWrexham. It is bordered by the communities of;Rhosddu, andCaia Park to the north,Abenbury to the east,Esclusham, andMarchwiel to the south, andBroughton,Coedpoeth, andGwersyllt to the west.
According toHoward Williams and Liam Delaney, a Professor of Archaeology and Doctoral Researcher respectively, at theUniversity of Chester, the area is named afterBryn Offa (Welsh for Offa's Hill), a housing estate and former hall located currently within the community. Bryn Offa itself is actually named afterWat's Dyke which historically passes through the community, as historically there was no distinction between Wat's andOffa's Dyke, leading to local confusion. Williams and Delaney state that such distinction between the two dykes was only made by the nineteenth century at earliest.[1]
Unlike many such community areas in Wales, Offa was not based on the boundaries of an earliercivil parish ortownship, although it corresponds roughly to some of the areas included in the old township of Wrexham Abbott. It was first established only in April 1985, after a boundary review bought four new 'urban' communities into being within the then town ofWrexham.[2] The community has four wards, Erddig, Brynyffynnon, Hermitage, and Offa. The Community Council states that it was noted in aWelsh Assembly report as one of the most "active and innovative" in Wales.[2]
At the 2001 census, the community had a total population of 9,852 in 4,294 households,[3] the population increasing to 10,501 at the 2011 census.[4] Following the Hermitage ward's inclusion in the top 10% of the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation, Offa Community has been involved in theWelsh Assembly'sCommunities First regeneration programme.[5]
Offa is bounded by theA483 dual carriageway to most of its west, stopping beforeBersham, where it arbitrarily curves around until reaching theRiver Clywedog near Bersham Road. The river forms the community's southern boundary until itsconfluence with theRiver Dee which continues the border to the King's Mill. It then follows theA525 until reachingEagles Meadow which via Mount Street it curves around reaching Wrexham'sHigh Street, Regent Street, and theA541 until closing with the A483.
The community of Offa covers much of the south-western part of the city of Wrexham, includingSt. Giles' Church,Wrexham Central station,Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham Technology Park, andBellevue Park. It covers large residential areas, including the areas known as Hightown, Brynyffynnon and Felin Puleston, as well as the part of the grounds ofErddig not within the neighbouring communities of Esclusham, and Marchwiel. Its easternmost sections are regarded to be part ofHightown.
