Focus on… Wrexham
Busy and welcoming, the capital of North Wales is ready to receive more newcomers, says Gary Parkinson
The largest town in North Wales, Wrexham - or Wrecsam in the x-less Welsh language - has been eyed up by outsiders for thousands of years.
The name probably comes from the Wrekin, a Shropshire hill from which a pre-Roman tribe visited and settled, and its position near the English/Welsh border has influenced its history. Far easier to reach from the east than much of Wales, it has been open to visitors both military and commercial.
As far back as the Middle Bronze Age, three millennia ago, it was known for its innovative metalworking industry; the locals subsequently got busy with trading, administration, agriculture, the industrial revolution, brewing and coal-mining. Such concerns made their mark, often now lovingly preserved, on the landscape – not least seven miles south with Thomas Telford’s awe-inspiring 18-arch Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a Grade I-listed World Heritage Site.
Unsurprisingly, since the decline of heavy industry, they’ve adapted once more: now it’s business park-based high-tech manufacturing, biotech, finance and professional services. Wrexham also now a university town, and Wales’ second-fastest growing place: the 135,000 population is expected to swell 10 percent by the end of the next decade.
Considering that a 2017 survey named it the UK’s second-happiest place to live, it’s curious – and potentially lucrative – that Wrexham’s property prices are reasonably low, particularly compared to near-neighbour Chester. Maybe Wrexham should prepare for more incomers.
Starting out You can’t get much more central than the popular recent Eagles Meadow redevelopment, and there’s a two-bed flat for £105,000 - tastefully turn-key, if you don’t mind the pink unicorn on the second bedroom’s wall.
Great for families.... Many families leapfrog the outer suburbs, heading either for newbuilds – in Marford, towards Chester, there’s a modernised four-bed for £289,000 – or an older style: ten minutes west in Coedpoeth village is a four-bed detached stone cottage for £229,950.
Just won the lottery? On the edge of Marford, Pippin House has six beds, three bathrooms, three receptions and a garage block with its own accommodation, plus equestrian facilities and formal gardens, totting up to 4.6 acres and £1.4m.
The cost of living
Average rent: One-beds average £425 pcm, three-beds around £650, but four-beds jump to £1,200 through rarity; shop around or bide your time and you might find a bargain like the four-bed Beechey Road redbrick available for £750.
Average house price: One-beds are rare: two-beds average less, at £120,000, and can be half that for auctioned project-properties like the £55,000 two-bed terrace in the village of Cefn Mawr, near the aqueduct.
As with rentals, four-beds average notably higher than three-beds (£325,000 to £188,000) but again the savvy shopper can slash prices: consider the four-bed bungalow in urban village Summerhill for £170,000.
Average rental yield: In December 2019, the LL11, LL12, LL13 and LL14 postcodes yielded a steady 3 percent, but two-beds in the latter two – respectively southwest and southeast of the centre - yielded 5.6 percent.
Average house price rise: Last year wasn’t Wrexham’s finest: the average dipped 1.87 percent to £187,661. But over the last five years, it’s gone up 14.66 percent...
Average salary: £26,664, below the UK average of £30,629 and comparable with Barking, Burnley and Peterborough. The 61.1 percent employment rate is also below the UK average of 76.3 percent.
Average price of a pint: £3.20.
Council tax: From £956.21 to £3587.99.
Wrexham at a glance
Connections: Liverpool is 60 minutes’ drive, Manchester and Birmingham 90; by train Liverpool is 70 minutes, Manchester 110, Birmingham 120 and London 150.
Amenities: 3/5 Shopping at Eagles Meadow, Island Green retail park and three traditional covered markets. Shows at Grove Park, Stiwt, Central, Ty Pawb and the university. Strong local music scene and pleasing old pubs aplenty.
Festivals and events: Street festivals (last Saturday of every month), Carnival of Words (Apr), Focus Wales (music, May), Prosecco, gin and rum (May), beer (Jun), Llangollen international music Eisteddfod (Jul), Llangollen Fringe (arts, Jul), Rock the Park (music, Aug), food and drink (Aug), North Wales Vegan (Oct).
Open space: 3/5 Bellevue Park, Acton Park, Erddig Park, Llwyn Isaf, Chirk Castle. The coast is an hour north; Snowdonia is an hour west.
Landmarks: The Brutalist multistorey former police HQ at Bodhyfryd is set to be demolished for a Lidl, but the 16th-century Perpendicular tower of St Giles church thankfully remains.
Schools: 3/5 Welsh schools don’t have Ofsted-style ratings, but data-crunchers recommend St Joseph’s, Castell Alun and the independent Moreton Hall.
Crime: 1/5 In the year to June 2019, there were 107.9 crimes per thousand people – notably above the 89.3 average for England and Wales, and comparable to Darlington and Dover.
Famous faces: Blue Peter’s Tim Vincent, footballer Mark Hughes and Olympic silver-winning rower Chris Bartley are all born Wrexhamites.
Head for rural bliss in…
Froncysyllte
Former quarry village ‘Fron’ sits on a limestone outcrop overlooking the canal aqueduct, the railway viaduct, the river Dee and the A5 in the Vale of Llangollen, 10 miles down the A483 from Wrexham. In keeping with the industrial theme, there’s a three-bed converted flour mill for £129,950.
Hawarden
Pronounced ‘Harden’, but your heart won’t: Hawarden is a fixture on Best Places To Live lists. Rural but convenient, 12 miles north of Wrexham, the former home of Lord Nelson’s squeeze Lady Hamilton, prime minister William Gladstone and footballer Michael Owen now hosts an annual festival curated by Cerys Matthews.
St George
Not the most obvious Welsh name but this hamlet near coastal Abergele, 45 minutes north up the A55 North Wales Expressway, epitomises quaint village life: among the rustic buildings is a highly-rated gastropub. There’s also high-end spa retreat and restaurant, plus an adventure trail and paintballing.
Originally published in the Metro newspaper, Tue 10 Mar 2020
