Download - Wrexham County Borough Council

countryside
Holt Bridge
Overton Bridge
Dispensary Row, Overton
hanmer
Owain Glyndŵ r, perhaps the greatest Welshman
of all time, got married in the church at
Hanmer in 1383. That one burnt down but
don’t be disappointed. Its replacement is the
most strikingly situated in the whole of
Wrexham. You approach from a mere, or glacial
lake, teeming with crested grebe, swans and
Canada geese. You enter a set of ornate iron
gates, pass through a large graveyard which
sweeps uphill to the church. And you prepare
to be amazed.
holt
Well, it’s not exactly Checkpoint Charlie. But
stroll from Holt across the Old Dee Bridge and
you’ll be in another country – England. Other
remarkable ancient structures include the
ruins of Holt castle and St Chad’s church, one
of the few surviving examples of medieval
design gone seriously wrong. Its sandstone is
dotted with impurities, its windows are too
big and one of its buttresses is misplaced. It
still looks lovely, though, and there’s a great
view of it from the beer garden of the Peal O’
Bells pub.
overton
Overton is so stuffed with historic buildings
that it’s been designated a conservation area.
Look out for Dispensary Row, a set of neo-Gothic
terraced cottages with arched doorways and
windows. And its extra-wide High Street,
redesigned in grand style after Edward I granted
the village borough status.
rossett
Art lovers may recognise Upper Mill on the
river Alyn at Rossett. It was sketched by JMW
Turner in 1795. He was a little too early to call
in for refreshment at the Victorian half-timbered
Cocoa Rooms, now a bank. They were built to
tempt young men away from the village pubs.
Which, you may be glad to know, are still
standing and still doing a roaring trade.
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