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heritage
bersham ironworks
When Bersham Ironworks was at its peak in
the 18th century, its owner was known as
John “Iron Mad” Wilkinson. But it wasn’t just
hot metal that got his gander up.
Wilkinson’s short fuse saw him fall out with
his own brother William. And then with James
Watt, whose steam engines were powering
the Industrial Revolution – with the help of
cylinders from Bersham.
He may have been mad but he was a genius,
too. He developed a revolutionary process
which allowed him to bore cannon with great
accuracy out of solid cast metal.
Typically, he supplied weapons to both sides
Bersham Ironworks
in the American War of Independence. And
Bersham cannons were fired in many of
Britain’s campaigns in the Napoleonic and
Peninsular Wars.
Excavations in the 1990s brought many
remains to light. In the visitor centre in the old
mill you can experience a “son et lumière”
show about the life of a foundryman.
bersham heritage centre
The heritage centre is in a converted Victorian
school in the former East Works – another
part of John Wilkinson’s sprawling empire.
But it doesn’t just tell the story of Bersham
Ironworks. It holds all Wrexham’s collections
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