Hightown is a suburban area of

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

, in

Wrexham County Borough Wrexham County Borough () is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough, with city status in the United Kingdom, city status, in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It borders the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire and Shropshire to ...

, Wales.

History

The name ''Hightown'' was originally confined to the 19th-century development bounded by Rivulet Road to the north, Bryn y Cabanau to the west, and the

Hightown Barracks Hightown Barracks is a military installation in Wrexham, Wales. History The barracks were built in the Fortress Gothic Revival Style and completed in 1877. Their creation took place as part of the Cardwell Reforms which encouraged the localis ...

in the east and south. The houses along Albert Street, Bury Street, Derby Road and Stanley Street date to the early 1890s. Eventually, terraced houses were built across multiple streets south of Kings Mills Road and next to Bryn y Cabanau Lane (later Road). However, most of these houses were later demolished in the 1960s. Until 2011, the suburb was home to the "Hightown Flats", five blocks of five-storey

flats Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Apartment, known as a flat in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), a two-dimens ...

built in 1970 comprising the Napier Square and Gatefield estates. The complex contained 181 flats and maisonettes, as well as five bungalows and 26 four-bedroom houses. The flats were known for safety issues, such as poorly lit corridors, and vandalism such as graffiti and abandoned furniture. The area around the complex was associated with

antisocial behaviour Anti-social behaviours, sometimes called dissocial behaviours, are actions which are considered to violate the rights of or otherwise harm others by committing crime or nuisance, such as stealing and physical attack or noncriminal behaviours s ...

, arson, and theft. The complex was demolished by

Wrexham County Borough Council Wrexham County Borough Council () is the governing body for Wrexham County Borough, a principal area with city status in north Wales, covering Wrexham and the surrounding area. History Wrexham County Borough Council was created in 1996 under the ...

in 2011 for re-generation, with locals supporting demolition as the only option to regenerate the area. The north-western parts of Hightown towards St Giles' Church near Salop Road were once a separate hamlet called ''Wrexham '' ( meaning 'little' from Welsh) until it was eventually reabsorbed by the then growing town.

Hightown Halt

The

Wrexham and Ellesmere Railway The Wrexham and Ellesmere Railway was a railway line that ran from Wrexham in North Wales, to Ellesmere, Shropshire, Ellesmere in Shropshire, England. The line opened in 1895 and closed in 1962, except for a residual goods service which itself clos ...

ran along the northern edge of the area for a short distance, and a station known as Hightown Halt opened in 1923 in the northernmost part of the area. The former station was accessed through steps from Whitegate Road, alongside Connor Crescent. The station closed in 1962 when the line itself was closed to passenger traffic beyond Wrexham Central. The line continued to operate as a goods railway until 1981, when the line was closed and the tracks were lifted. The track bed of the line now forms a public footpath that runs to Kings Mills.

Hightown Barracks

There is a

military barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

called

in the suburb. They date to 1877 and were originally built for the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers. In 2023, a statue of a Regimental Goat and Goatmaster was unveiled outside the barracks, surrounded by a memorial garden to commemorate the lives of those who served with the regiment. The Regimental Goat has been a mascot of the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers () was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales's Division, that was founded in 1689, shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated a fusilier regiment and becam ...

since the American War of Independence.

References

{{Wrexham Areas of Wrexham