Coedpoeth () is a village and
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
in
Wrexham County Borough
Wrexham County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Wrecsam) is a county borough, with city status, in the north-east of Wales. It borders England to the east and south-east, Powys to the south-west, Denbighshire to the west and Flintshire to the nort ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. The built-up area with
Minera
Minera ( cy, Mwynglawdd; ) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It adjoins the village of Coedpoeth.
The community, which in addition to Minera village includes a number of smaller hamlets such as Gwynfryn and New Brigh ...
had a population of 5,723 in the 2011 census.
Locality
Coedpoeth is on a hill between the
Clywedog and
Gwenfro valleys, surrounded by countryside with views of the
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
plain,
Tanyfron
Tanyfron, also occasionally spelt Tan-y-fron, is a village in Wrexham County Borough in Wales. At the time of the 2001 census, the population of area Wrexham 006A, which includes Tanyfron and a number of other small settlements, was 1,347. ,
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...
and the city of
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
.
The highest point of the village is Rock Place at 800 feet (245 m) above sea-level. The neighbouring village of
Bwlchgwyn
Bwlchgwyn is a village in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, on the A525 road, west of the city of Wrexham and south-east of the town of Ruthin. Bwlchgwyn is part of the community of Brymbo. In the 2011 Census the population of the village was 8 ...
is one of several claiming to be the highest village in Wales, at 1090 feet (333 m).
The area is prone to snowfall, and has suffered localised flooding in recent years due to heavy rain.
Welsh Water
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
significantly invested in new drainage for the village in 2012, alleviating this problem.
History
The
etymology
Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
of the
placename
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
is from
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
''coed'' "
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...
" with ''poeth'' meaning, in its original sense, "burnt",
[Palmer, A. N. ''A History of Ancient Tenures of Land in North Wales and The Marches'', 1910, p.88] although the modern Welsh word translates as "hot". The name therefore translates roughly as "burnt wood", perhaps referring to the charcoal burning heritage in the village and local woods.
In its early history the area known as Coedpoeth was not a settlement, but was described (in 1411) as a "waste" – an uncultivated area – and later as a "common", presumably a wood with
rights of common, in the upper part of the
township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
of
Bersham
Bersham ( cy, Y Bers) is a village in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, that lies next to the River Clywedog, and is in the community of Esclusham. Bersham was historically a major industrial centre of the area, but despite this the village sti ...
.
Even as recently as 1832, the village of Coedpoeth did not yet exist as it currently does, and was instead four small hamlets. The Nant (from the Welsh word ''nant'', a stream or brook) to the south possessed two mills on the
River Clywedog
The River Clywedog is a river in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. Its uses have been watering crops, powering industrial machinery but is now used as walking trails or geography trips. The river originates to the west of Wrexham, and joins the ...
: Adwy'r Clawdd (literally "the gap in the dyke") to the north-east was named after a gap in
Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke ( cy, Clawdd Offa) is a large linear earthwork that roughly follows the border between England and Wales. The structure is named after Offa, the Anglo-Saxon king of Mercia from AD 757 until 796, who is traditionally believed to h ...
. The Talwrn (from Welsh ''talwrn'', a cockpit, or more usually a field or open space) in the valley of the
River Gwenfro
The River Gwenfro ( cy, Afon Gwenfro) is a small river in Wrexham County Borough, north Wales. It is a tributary of the Clywedog.''Rand McNally encyclopedia of world rivers'', 1980, p.167 The name Gwenfro is possibly derived from the Welsh lang ...
to the north, was home to several small-scale coal mines, and the name of the Smelt, to the west, referred to
smelting
Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a ch ...
of
lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
in the area. These four hamlets became areas of Coedpoeth which grew, with increasing industrial development, around the inns and market hall on the ridge that became the high street of the village. The changes in population were reflected by a new church opening in 1875, with a replacement stone-built church, dedicated to St. Tudfil, being opened in 1895 as a
chapel of ease
A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently.
Often a chapel of ea ...
within the ecclesiastical parish of
Minera
Minera ( cy, Mwynglawdd; ) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It adjoins the village of Coedpoeth.
The community, which in addition to Minera village includes a number of smaller hamlets such as Gwynfryn and New Brigh ...
. By the 1860s, the village was named Coed Poeth, and this form of the name remained until the 1940s at the latest. The majority of 18th to early 20th century buildings in the village are constructed from local
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
quarried at Penygelli quarries, with later examples being built with
Ruabon red brick.
In civil administrative terms, Coedpoeth remained within the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
of Bersham. Later reorganisations, notably the 1974 changes subsequent to the
1972 Local Government Act, saw Coedpoeth included in its own local government
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
, with Bersham village placed in the community of
Esclusham. A traditionally Welsh-speaking village, the use of Welsh has declined rapidly in the last two decades.
Traditional methods of employment included the areas many
coal mines
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
, lead mining and smelting at
Minera Lead Mines
The Minera Lead Mines were a mining operation and are now a country park and tourist centre in the village of Minera near Wrexham, in Wrexham County Borough, Wales.
History
The first written record of lead mining at Minera dates back to 1296 ...
and the Smelt, and quarrying, in the nearby Penygelli, Berwig, and
Minera
Minera ( cy, Mwynglawdd; ) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It adjoins the village of Coedpoeth.
The community, which in addition to Minera village includes a number of smaller hamlets such as Gwynfryn and New Brigh ...
quarries, all served directly by local railways. The late 20th century saw a decline in the area's traditional industries, and all have now disappeared. Today Coedpoeth is a dormitory village for commuters to Wrexham, and a point of sale for goods used by local farms and hamlets. There are still many small businesses in the village centre along the high street; but these small shops face fierce competition from large
chain store
A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many pa ...
s in Wrexham.
Lead and coal mining
The village was surrounded by natural resources such as lime, iron ore, coal, and lead, and many ruins show the industrial past of the area. The earliest industry was lead smelting and an area of the village named "The Smelt" contains street names referencing the industry.
Coal mining in Coedpoeth is documented from the early 15th century. Limited and shallow extraction took place throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, especially for the local iron industry. However, significant extraction did not begin until the sinking of the first deep shafts in the early 20th century, and now little remains of the industry. A number of colliery waste tips survive, now grown over, and the remains of shallow workings and bell pits are relatively common in some areas, with scheduled examples near Nant Mill. The most significant remains of the industry exist at
Plas Power
Plas or Plass may refer to:
People
* Plas Johnson (born 1931), American saxophonist
* Adrian Plass (born 1948), British author who writes primarily Christian humor
* Gilbert Plass (1920–2004), Canadian-born physicist
* Maria Plass (born 1953), ...
, where many buildings survive after reclamation of the waste tips in the 1990s. The owners of this colliery were also the owners of
Plas Power Hall
Plas or Plass may refer to:
People
* Plas Johnson (born 1931), American saxophonist
* Adrian Plass (born 1948), British author who writes primarily Christian humor
* Gilbert Plass (1920–2004), Canadian-born physicist
* Maria Plass (born 1953 ...
, which was built in 1757 by the Myddleton family; the name was changed to match an early owner, Sir Henry Power. The hall was damaged in a fire and demolished in 1951; but the stables remain after a campaign to list them led by Councillor Gordon Roberts of Middle Road. The estates boundary wall remains, and fills the gap between Coedpoeth and Wrexham, and the northern boundary is followed by the
A525 A5 and variants may refer to:
Science and mathematics
* A5 regulatory sequence in biochemistry
* A5, the abbreviation for the androgen Androstenediol
* Annexin A5, a human cellular protein
* ATC code A05 ''Bile and liver therapy'', a subgroup of ...
, apart from modifications at the
A483
The A483, officially described as the Swansea to Manchester Trunk Road, although now ending in Chester, is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs from Swansea in Wales to Chester in England via Llandovery, Llandrindod Wells, Oswestry and W ...
junction.
Transport
![Coedpoethstation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Coedpoethstation.jpg)
The village once had its own railway station on the
Wrexham and Minera Railway of the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
— albeit in name only as it was sited in the parish of Minera. A campaign was launched in 1905 by the business people of Coedpoeth to have a branch line laid from the station to the village centre, one mile distant. Local businesses claimed the station's location was of little benefit to them. The Great Western Railway company did not agree, and the campaign was abandoned in 1906. In 1914, the original station buildings were destroyed in a fire set by militant
suffragettes
A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
.
Originally offering through services to two further halts on the line (Vicarage halt serving western Minera, and Berwig Halt), the station was a passenger terminus from 1926 and passenger services were withdrawn from 1930, although heavy goods use of the line by Berwig Quarry and Minera Limeworks continued until closure of the line in 1970, after the Limeworks was reduced to a base for road aggregates and was served by road.
Bus services first came to the village in the 1920s; they were first provided by the local government's Wrexham & District Transport Co. Ltd bus service from Wrexham, and followed by Great Western Railway's own bus services. Eventually
Crosville Motor Services
Crosville Motor Services was a bus operator based in the north-west of England and north and mid-Wales.
History
On 27 October 1906, Crosville Motor Company was formed in Chester by George Crosland Taylor and his French business associate Geo ...
expanded into the area, and remained until
Arriva North West & Wales
Arriva North West and Wales was a division of Arriva that operated bus services around North West England and Wales. It was made up from several previous bus operators including North Western (in Merseyside, Cheshire and Lancashire), most of ...
came to manage all of their services, vehicles and depot in the area.
Today, the village is linked to Wrexham by two bus services, one run by
Arriva Buses Wales
Arriva Buses Wales ( cy, Bysiau Arriva Cymru) is a bus operator providing services in northern Wales and Chester in northern England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.
History
Crosville Motor Services was formed in 1919 and operated serv ...
and another by D Jones and Son; also
GHA Coaches
GHA Coaches was a bus and coach operator serving North East Wales, Cheshire, and Shropshire. It also operated bus services extending into Telford & Wrekin, Staffordshire, Gwynedd, and Merseyside.
GHA Coaches ceased trading after entering ...
used to provide a night time service, as well as all routes through the village going on to
Ruthin
Ruthin ( ; cy, Rhuthun) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. It is Denbighshire's county town. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas and ...
and
Denbigh
Denbigh (; cy, Dinbych; ) is a market town and a community in Denbighshire, Wales. Formerly, the county town, the Welsh name translates to "Little Fortress"; a reference to its historic castle. Denbigh lies near the Clwydian Hills.
History
...
, which now also stop along the high street. George Edwards and Son used to provide a daytime service, but in late 2008 they sold their service routes to D Jones and Son.
Education
![Coedpoeth Library](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Coedpoeth_Library.jpg)
Coedpoeth has two schools: Ysgol Penygelli and Ysgol Bryn Tabor (a Welsh-medium school). Originally one school in a Victorian building located to the north of the A525, Ysgol Penygelli was split into an infants school incorporating a nursery year and years 1–2, and a junior school, for years 3–6. The junior school is a feeder for the
secondary school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
Ysgol Clywedog
Ysgol Clywedog (English: meaning ''Clywedog School''), is a comprehensive secondary school which serves parts of the city of Wrexham in north-east Wales, in the community of Offa.
Ysgol Clywedog is located in the south-west suburbs of Wrexham ...
, in nearby Wrexham. Ysgol Bryn Tabor shared the same complex as Penygelli Infants to the south of the A525, which was part early 20th-century, with a large 1980s extension. Originally the local
LEA
Lea or LEA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Lea River, Tasmania, Australia
* Lake Lea, Tasmania, from which the Lea River flows
* RAAF Base Learmonth, IATA airport code "LEA"
England
* Lea, Cheshire, a civil parish
* Lea, Derbyshire, a set ...
planned to refurbish the original building on the north side of the road, but after a fire which destroyed the wooden beams supporting the original
Welsh Slate
The existence of a slate industry in Wales is attested since the Roman period, when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then expanded rapidly until the l ...
roof, this building was demolished and materials reclaimed for an affordable housing scheme on the site. As a result, a new school complex was built and opened in July 2006, on the playing fields of the newer school, and Penygelli Infants and Penygelli Juniors are now one school again. Ysgol Bryn Tabor then expanded into the old Penygelli Infants site. The old junior school building was left vacant until demolition during March 2007. The site was then used for a new community centre and hall, named Plas Pentwyn. Pentwyn was the name of a farm that once stood nearby, belonging to the Powell family.
The original local library was a
Carnegie Library built in 1904 as Coedpoeth Free Library. It cost £1,500 at the time, all of which was donated by
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...
, the Scottish-American steel magnate. It was built in the same local sandstone as other buildings in the village, from quarries nearby, and stands opposite the villages memorial park and bowling greens. When opened, the ground floor featured a billiard table in a games room, as well as a refreshments room, with the rear of the building used for meetings of the local parish government. The reading room, which could also be used as a lecture room, was on the first floor. As the library was modernised, it was moved to the large games room on the ground floor, and the rest of the building became the community council headquarters.
As use of the old library increased, it became crowded, and the facilities were deemed inadequate. When Plas Pentwyn was constructed, room for a new library was provided, leaving the sole purpose for the old Carnegie Library as the headquarters for Coedpoeth Community Council, which has had a growing role in recent years.
Governance
![2022 Wales Wrexham Ward Coedpoeth map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/2022_Wales_Wrexham_Ward_Coedpoeth_map.svg)
Coedpoeth is also an
electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
to
Wrexham County Borough Council
Wrexham County Borough Council () is the governing body for Wrexham County Borough, a Principal area of Wales, principal area in North Wales, north Wales, covering Wrexham and the surrounding area.
History
Elections take place every five years ...
. Since 1995 it has elected two county councillors, a mixture of
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
and
Labour Party representatives.
Fourteen community councillors are elected or co-opted to serve on Coedpoeth Community Council, the lowest tier of local government.
Notable people
The missionary
Gwenfron Moss was born here in 1898.
Olympic champion rower
Tom James
Thomas James MBE (born 11 March 1984) is a British rower, twice Olympic champion and victorious Cambridge Blue. In a British coxless four in 2012 he set a world's best time which still stood as of 2021.
Background and early life
James was bor ...
grew up in the village.
Actor
Ricky Tomlinson
Eric "Ricky" Tomlinson (born 26 September 1939) is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Bobby Grant in ''Brookside'', DCI Charlie Wise in '' Cracker'' and Jim Royle in ''The Royle Family'', and playing the titular char ...
previously lived here.
Writer
Grahame Davies
Grahame Davies LVO (born 1964) is a poet, author, editor, librettist, literary critic and former journalist. He was brought up in the former coal mining village of Coedpoeth near Wrexham in north east Wales.
Education
After gaining a degree i ...
was born and brought up here.
Football
The first football club in Coedpoeth was Lloftwen who there are reports of in January 1878. The next club in the village was Equitable who formed around 1880, and folded around 1884. Equitable entered the
Welsh Cup in 1881. A club called Coedpoeth also existed at the same time who competed in the Welsh Cup from 1882 to 1884.
In 1884 there are reports of a team called White Stars (Coedpoeth), whilst in 1887 there is reports of a team called North End (Coedpoeth) who played at a ground called The Terrace.
The short lived Minera Rovers and Minera Victoria contested the Welsh Amateur Cup in
1890
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa.
** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River.
* January 2
** The steamship ...
and
1891. By 1892 Adwy United had emerged to represent the area. Adwy United reached the
Semi Final of Welsh Amateur Cup in 1895. By 1898 they were joined in the
Denbighshire League by another local team, Minera St Marys. Minera St Marys only lasted one season in this competition, taking on the fixtures of Cerney Swifts and finishing second from bottom.
Adwy United were more competitive in the Denbighshire League, finishing third in 1899.
They also won the St Martins Cup beating St Martins 5–0 at The Racecourse, Wrexham. Adwy United withdrew from the Denbighshire League in 1900 and merged with Coedpoeth Victoria to form Adwy Victoria. This team finished second in the Denbighshire League in 1901.
Coedpoeth United were first mentioned in 1907 when they joined the Wrexham & District League. They finished second in the Second Division and were promoted to the First Division for the 1908–09 season where they finished third. The 1908–09 season also saw the introduction of a Coedpoeth United Reserves team in the Second Division, who were joined in the league by another team from the village, Coedpoeth St Davids. In 1909 the team also reached the final of the Denbighshire & Flintshire Charity Cup, and St Martins Cup. Coedpoeth United withdrew from the Wrexham & District League in 1910.
Following the end of hostilities Coedpoeth United re-emerged in 1920 in the North Wales Alliance League Division 2, a competition in which they finished as Runners Up, only missing out on being Champions on goals scored.
From 1921 to 1924 Coedpoeth entered the newly formed Welsh National League (North). Between 1935 and 1938 the club competed in the Wrexham & District League.
Following the end of World War II, Coedpoeth re-emerged in the newly formed Welsh National League Wrexham Area East. They were Champions of the East Division in 1948 and 1949. The 1949 League winning team had a 100% record, and was promoted to Welsh National League Wrexham Area Division 1. The club stayed in Division 1 for two seasons, before being relegated in 1951. The club finished as Runners Up in Division 2 in 1953 achieving Promotion back to Division 1. The team was immediately relegated again, and played a final season in Division 2 before folding at the end of the 1955 season.
In 1964 almost a decade after the previous Coedpoeth team had folded, Coedpoeth Sports Club entered Welsh National League Wrexham Area Division 3. Coedpoeth SC were immediately successful and were Champions in their first season gaining Promotion to Division 2. Their stay in Division 2 lasted two seasons as in 1967 they were Champions and Promoted again. The club lasted 5 seasons in Division 1 before finishing 15th in 1972 and dropping two leagues back to Division 3. The club initially struggled back in Division 3, however in 1974 Coedpoeth SC were Champions and promoted. 1976 saw the club complete a League and Cup double as they won Division 2 alongside the Horace Wynne Cup. The club finished 10th back in Division 1, however folded in 1977 after being knocked out of the Welsh Cup in the Qualifying Round.
Coedpoeth once again reformed for the start of the 1980–81 season and finished Second in Welsh National League Wrexham Area Division 4 however were not Promoted. The following the season the club went one better and were Champions of the Division 4. This marked the beginning of an astonishing rise, as the club claimed the Division 3 title at its first attempt, and finished as Division 2 Runners Up straight away too. The club finished 13th in its first season in Division 1 and was subsequently relegated. The club remained in Division 2 before folding in 1989.
The current Adult section of the club reformed in 1999 and joined the Welsh National League.
References
External links
Coedpoeth Ancestryphotos of Coedpoeth and surrounding area on geograph
{{authority control
Villages in Wrexham County Borough
Wards of Wrexham County Borough