Summerhill ( cy, Brynhyfryd, ) is a semi-urban village in the suburbs 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 ...
, Wales and forms part of the
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, t ...
of
Gwersyllt
Gwersyllt () is an urban village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales.
The densely populated village is one of Wrexham's largest and is situated in the north western suburbs of the city, bordering the nearby villages of Llay, Cefn-y- ...
.
Industry and History
In the 19th and early 20th century, Summerhill was predominantly focused around local
farming
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...
or
coalmining
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 fro ...
industries, however there was also nearby
Brymbo Steelworks and
Bersham Ironworks for those who could travel. The nearest
colliery
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 ...
was
Westminster Colliery, located within the
Moss Valley. Most of the area's coalmining industry was closed by the mid 20th century. Remnants of the area's former industrial history include disused features such as railway trackbeds, bridges and tunnels, particularly surrounding the Moss Valley areas.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, a number of housing developments increased the local population and the overall size and shape of the village. Developments in the village include White Lion Estate, built in the 1990s, and more recent developments including Summerhill Park and Westminster Rise, built in the 21st Century.
Local services
There are few local services in the village, as most needs are provided by nearby Gwersyllt village. Summerhill's post office was closed in 2008 by Royal Mail's
restructuring of the rural Post Office network. Summerhill is linked to Wrexham by the historic ''Summerhill Road'', which at the southern boundary of the village, splits into "Top Road" and "Bottom Road". Summerhill is administered as part of Gwersyllt Community Council within the
County Borough of Wrexham
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 ...
.
See also
*
Gwersyllt
Gwersyllt () is an urban village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales.
The densely populated village is one of Wrexham's largest and is situated in the north western suburbs of the city, bordering the nearby villages of Llay, Cefn-y- ...
External links
Gwersyllt Community Councilwww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Summerhill and surrounding area
{{authority control
Villages in Wrexham County Borough