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Woolly says – With Jo heading into our nearest town for an eye test I thought it was time to investigate a bit more than the shops. Wrexham is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley alongside the border with England. Like many Welsh towns it was at one time dependent on the coal mined from the area, with over three million tonnes being produced the local mine employed over ten thousand people and dominated the economic and cultural life of the area. The industry went into decline after the First World War and of the seven large-scale collieries operating in the Wrexham area in 1946, only two functional collieries remained by 1968. The last pit to close in the Borough was Bersham Colliery in 1986. With eye tests concluded and the nice eye man commenting on my ability to spot a pistachio at twenty paces we strolled past the chain retailers and into the small museum. I wondered how long it would take his pistachio spotting eyes to spy another of the colourful sheep that seem to appear at all corners in the area! Woolly says – Of course I’d seen it, how stupid does she think I am! After a quick snap, I padded into the museum itself. Although very small it had some rather lovely displays of modern technology through the ages and a fascinating exhibition of pharmacy wares from the Victorian era, we looked at each other and chuckled at the eye testing equipment that would have been used then compared to the machines that Jo had stared into for hours in the opticians today. Having pressed every button possible and read more about the Welsh Princes I was delighted to find some roman and iron age relics that had been discovered locally.
As he pondered the interesting finds and debated where he might be able to dig some up for himself, I found myself in a small gallery which was covered in the fine art work of local man Neil Edwards who is one of the graphic artists for Marvel comics and became famous for drawing Spiderman and a few of his super hero freinds. Woolly says – His artwork was incredible and certainly nearly as good as mine….hmmm I wonder if Marvel have thought of a mammoth super hero! Small but beautifully formed the museum hadn’t taken as much time as I had factored in, undeterred I trotted past the shops before stopping to admire the Horse and Jocky public house. With its thatched roof it is one of the oldest buildings in the town centre, possibly built in the 16th century as a hall house – a residence centred on a large room with no ceiling. In the 17th century the building was extended and divided into three cottages, which were combined into a single pub in 1868. There have been tales of a ghost called George inhabiting the building and rather than bump into him I suggested a quick snack at a local coffee shop.
He seemed viably spooked by the thought of George, so having provided him with his choice of cake we sat and people watched as our coffee cooled in our cups. Woolly says – One of the highlights of the town and one that had led me to think it might be a cathedral was St Giles Church which can be seen from every road you take into the town. St Giles is considered the greatest medieval parish church in Wales with its Great Tower being one of "the Seven Wonders of Wales". As we approached it was far smaller than I had expected but the tower looked incredible as it nestled in the grey clouds above my head. Perched at the entrance were two gargoyles which protect the building, although one appeared to look more like a donkey than a person and according to the information was actually Henry VII’s father which made me ponder British history as I hadn’t come across a donkey being part of the royals before!
The inside was gloomy and smelt of brasso and polish, it was far smaller than we had expected and before my small companion could complain I pointed out the colourful angels high above us. Woolly says – The wooden ceiling and the decorations where lovely although it was difficult to pinpoint which of the angles were playing instruments and which were singing…. Maybe I need glasses after all! The stained glass windows were wonderful, as we moved from one to another I decided that all were equally tremendous in design I did rather prefer the most colourful ones, which must look stunning when the sun shines through, just a shame the sun has vanished once more. The grounds around the impressive church took only moments to walk round even with my short legs and having found another Wrexham sheep to add to my collection we appeared to have completed our tour of the town.
As we wandered back to the car it was sad to see shop fronts full of the large retail names rather than small independent shops that many of the Welsh towns are known for. Woolly says – Given my hatred of shopping, well unless it’s for me, I didn’t see this as an issue, although an Ice Cream shop could have been a bonus! Wrexham might not be the biggest place in the world but for me it holds a special place in my heart as my bestest and most famous of friends, Sion comes from the area and will be down to visit me soon…..how many sleeps until he gets here????
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Stained Glass
Beautiful