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 River Dee some four miles south east of the city.
Course of the river
The river Clywedog rises in the hills west of the village of Minera. After flowing through Minera it turns south-east, past Coedpoeth, Bersham and Rhostyllen and through the Erddig Country Park, then east, passing slightly to the south of Wrexham. There is a path along the entire river bank from Minera to Wrexham. After passing the Wrexham industrial estate, the river joins the River Dee near the English/Welsh border.
History
During the 18th and early 19th centuries there were 17 watermills along the river: fulling mills for preparing cloth, mills for grinding corn and malt, and paper mills. Large waterwheels powered the bellows blasting air into the iron furnaces at Bersham, and drove winding and pumping machinery in the lead mines.
The population grew dramatically as the Industrial Revolution drew workers to the Wrexham area, serving the rapidly developing coal mines, lead mines, limestone quarries, ironworks and lead smelting works. The fertile Clywedog flood plain had always provided rich pasture and corn; but, to meet the increased demand for food for the expanding work force, new corn mills were built and additional areas of woodland were cleared for growing crops. When steam power took over in the late 19th and 20th centuries, new industries no longer needed to be sited close to the river. New technology and cheap imports led to a gradual industrial decline in the area.
Today the Clywedog has returned to nature and is a place for wildlife, relaxation and walking. Several of the old buildings and surrounding land are now museums, visitor centres and riverside country parks: Minera Lead Mines, Nant Mill Visitor Centre and Picnic Area, Bersham Heritage Centre and Ironworks and Erddig.
There is now a 7-mile (11 km) trail along the river through a number of the old industrial sites. Known as the Clywedog Trail, its starts at the Minera Lead Mines and finishes at Kings Mills.
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- Abenbury
- Acton
- Bangor-on-Dee
- Bronington
- Broughton
- Brymbo
- Caia Park
- Cefn
- Ceiriog Ucha
- Chirk
- Coedpoeth
- Erbistock
- Esclusham
- Glyntraian
- Gresford
- Gwersyllt
- Hanmer
- Holt
- Isycoed
- Llangollen Rural
- Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog
- Llay
- Maelor South
- Marchwiel
- Minera
- Offa
- Overton
- Pen-y-cae
- Rhosddu
- Rhosllanerchrugog
- Rossett
- Ruabon
- Sesswick
- Willington Worthenbury
- Aberoer
- Acrefair
- Arowry
- Bersham
- Bettisfield
- Borras
- Borras Park
- Bowling Bank
- Bradley
- Bryn Offa
- Brynteg
- Burton
- Bwlchgwyn
- Caego
- Cefn Mawr
- Ceiriog Valley
- Chapel Street
- Charles Street
- Chester Street
- College Street
- Cross Lanes
- Fairy Road
- Froncysyllte
- Garden Village
- Grosvenor Road
- Grove Road
- Glyn Ceiriog
- Gwynfryn
- Halghton
- Hightown
- Horseman's Green
- Island Green
- Johnstown
- Knolton
- Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog
- Llan-y-pwll
- Llwyneinion
- Llwynmawr
- Maelor
- Maelor Saesneg
- Marford
- Moss
- Newbridge
- New Brighton
- New Broughton
- Pandy (Ceiriog)
- Pandy (Gwersyllt)
- Pant
- Penley
- Pentre Broughton
- Pentre Bychan
- Pentre Maelor
- Plas Coch
- Plas Madoc
- Ponciau
- Pontfadog
- Queen's Square
- Rhosnesni
- Rhosrobin
- Rhostyllen
- Rhosymedre
- Ridleywood
- Salisbury Park/Road
- Southsea
- Stansty
- Summerhill
- Sydallt
- Tanyfron
- Temple Row
- Tregeiriog
- Trevor
- Tybroughton
- Wrexham Industrial Estate
- Wrexham City Centre
- Whitewell
- 2 Grosvenor Road
- Abbotsfield
- All Saints' Church, Gresford
- Bangor-on-Dee Bridge
- Bangor-on-Dee racecourse
- Bersham Ironworks
- Bridge End Inn
- Brynkinalt Hall
- Butchers' Market
- Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows
- Cefn Viaduct
- Central Arcade
- Chirk Aqueduct
- Chirk Viaduct
- Chirk War Memorial
- County Buildings
- Croesnewydd Hall
- Eagles Meadow
- Elephant and Castle
- Erddig
- Feathers Hotel
- The Gelli
- Hightown Barracks
- HM Prison Berwyn
- Horse and Jockey
- Holt Bridge
- General Market
- Gresford Methodist Church
- Grosvenor Lodge
- Grove Park School
- Iscoyd Park
- Marchwiel Hall
- Nags Head (Wrexham)
- Offa's Dyke (part)
- Old Carnegie Library
- Old Wrexham Infirmary
- Overton Arcade
- Pant-yr-Ochain
- Pen-y-Lan Hall
- Pont Cysyllte
- Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
- Poyser Street drill hall
- Rossett Presbyterian Chapel
- Racecourse Ground
- Rossett Hall
- Saith Seren
- Soames Brewery Chimney
- St David's Welsh Church (Rhosllanerchrugog)
- St Giles' Church
- The Midland
- Talbot Hotel
- Trevalyn Hall
- Trinity Presbyterian Church
- Tudor Court
- Turf Hotel
- Tŷ Pawb
- Wat's Dyke (part)
- Waking the Dragon (proposed)
- War Memorial Hospital
- Waterworld
- Wrexham bus station
- Wrexham Cemetery
- Wrexham Lager Brewery
- Wrexham Library
- Wrexham Guildhall
- Wrexham Maelor Hospital
- Wrexham Police Station (1973–2020)
- Wynn Hall
- Wynnstay
- Wynnstay Arms (Ruabon)
- Wynnstay Arms (Wrexham)
- Xplore!
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- Wrexham bus station
- A5 road
- A483 road
- A525 road
- A528 road
- A541 road
- B5101 road
- Chester and Wrexham Turnpike (former)
- Llangollen Canal
- Trevor Basin
- Wrexham & Shropshire (former)
- North Wales Metro (part)
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Former lines |
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Railway stations |
- Calon FM
- Capital North West and North Wales
- Heart North Wales
- Capital Cymru (some broadcasts)
- Smooth Wales (some broadcasts)
- MuxCo (radio operator)
- Wrexham-Rhos transmitting station
- Marcher Radio Group (former)
- BBC Cymru Wales (local studios)
- The Leader newspaper
- Wales Comic Con (2008–2019; 2022)
- Focus Wales
- Parliamentary constituencies
- Schools
- City parks and open spaces
- Council elections
- SSSIs
- Country houses
- Listed buildings
- Scheduled monuments
- Listed parks and gardens
- History
- Former RAF Wrexham
- Lord Lieutenants
- High Sheriffs
- Mayor
- Museums
- Wrexham Library
- Wrexham Guildhall
- Public art
- Wrexham Art School
- Wrexham A.F.C.
- Wrexham RFC
- Preserved county of Clwyd
- Historic counties of Denbighshire and Flintshire