Hightown, Wrexham

Hightown is a suburban area of Wrexham, in Wrexham County Borough, Wales.[1] Referencing the area's slightly higher elevation to Wrexham town centre, the term "Hightown" is generally applied to the elevated areas south of the town centre in the eastern parts of the community of Offa and south-western parts of Caia Park. The suburb is surrounded by lower lying areas of land on three sides. To the north and east, the River Gwenfro forms a little low-lying valley between Hightown, the town centre and the rest of Caia Park. To the south and south-west, the suburb is bordered by the low-lying marshes of the River Clywedog towards Erddig and King's Mill. The north-western parts of the suburb were once bordered by the Wrexham and Ellesmere Railway, with the railway having a station known as Hightown Halt.[2] The north-western parts of Hightown towards St Giles' Church near Salop Road were once a separate hamlet called Wrexham Fechan (transl. Little Wrexham) until it was eventually reabsorbed by the growing town.[3][4][5]

Hightown
Suburb
Hightown
Location within Wrexham
OS grid referenceSJ 3396449656
Principal area
Ceremonial county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWREXHAM
Postcode districtLL13
Dialling code01978
PoliceNorth Wales
FireNorth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament

There is a military barracks called Hightown Barracks in the suburb.[6][7]

Until 2011, the suburb was home to the "Hightown Flats", five blocks of five-storey flats built in 1970 of the Napier Square and Gatefield estates.[8][9] The complex contained 181 flats and maisonettes, as well as five bungalows and 26 four bedroom houses.[10] 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, arson, and theft. The complex was demolished by Wrexham County Borough Council in 2011 for re-generation,[11] with locals supporting demolition as the only option to regenerate the area.[12]

References
  1. "#GetOutside: do more in the British Outdoors". OS GetOutside. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  2. "Token of rail history goes under the hammer". The Leader. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  3. "Map of the town of Wrexham in the townships of Wrexham Regis and Wrexham Abbot in the parish of Wrexham, Denbighshire". Peoples Collection Wales. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  4. "SMALLPOXINWREXHAMFECHANI - Wrexham and Denbighshire Advertiser and Cheshire Shropshire and North Wales Register". George Bayley. 5 November 1864. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  5. Irish, Sandra (August 1987). Spatial patterns in the small_town in the nineteenth century - a case study of Wrexham (PDF). University College of Wales, Aberystwyth.
  6. Brennan, Shane (4 February 2017). "The army has 'clarified' its plans for one of its North Wales barracks". North Wales Live. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  7. Idris Jones, John (2018). Secret Wrexham. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445677019.
  8. "Demolition of Hightown flats in Wrexham going to plan". The Leader. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  9. WalesOnline (22 June 2011). "Wrexham's Hightown flats finally demolished". WalesOnline. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  10. WalesOnline (1 January 2011). "Wrexham's Hightown flats to be demolished". WalesOnline. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  11. "Wrexham's landmark Hightown flats to be demolished". BBC News. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  12. Moffitt, Dominic (16 October 2021). "Stunning images show lost Hightown flats in Wrexham through the ages". North Wales Live. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
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