Rhosllanerchrugog
Encyclopedia
Rhosllannerchrugog is a large village and local government community
, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales
.
Literally translated the name comes from the Welsh
: rhos "moor"; llannerch "glade"; grugog "heathery" hence "Moor of the Heathery Glade." It is often known simply as Rhos. With a population of approximately 10,000 the modern community
of Rhosllannerchrugog is one of the largest in Wales.(citation?as what a village)
The village was originally within the ancient parish of Ruabon
and the district was referred to as Morton Above (i.e. Morton, or moor town, above Offa's Dyke
) or Morton Wallichorum (the Welsh Morton). In 1844 Morton Above became part of the newly created parish of Rhosllannerchrugog.
The development of the village can be attributed largely to the coal
seams of north-east Wales that pass beneath it, leading to the establishment of a large coal mining
community during the 18th century. A symbol of Rhos' coal-mining and labour movement
heritage is seen in the "Stiwt", the miners' institute
on Broad Street. This was erected and paid for by the miners, during the general strike of 1926
, as a social and cultural centre for the community.
The Welsh Religious Revival of 1904 had a major impact on Rhosllannerchrugog. The famous bardic line Beibl a Rhaw i Bobl y Rhos ("a Bible and a Spade for the People of Rhos) reflect the importance of both coal-mining and the chapels on the village's culture and heritage.
The - predominantly Welsh language
- churches and chapels impacted greatly on the linguistic and cultural profile of the area, and until the early 1980s chapel-going was significantly higher in Rhos than in most other parts of Wales or the UK. One result of this is that although only nine miles from the English border and surrounded by English-speaking villages, Welsh is still spoken as a community language in Rhosllannerchrugog.
A weekly newspaper, the Rhos Herald, was founded by Richard Mills in 1894. Originally from Llanidloes
, he set up his printing business in Hall Street. 3,737 issues were published from 18 August 1894 to 31 December 1966. Since the mid-1970s, a Welsh-language community newspaper featuring local news and other features, Nene, has been produced in the village.
The 2001 Census
showed that approximately 40% of the village is Welsh speaking.
Rhosllannerchrugog hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1945 and 1961, and the Celtic League
was founded there in 1961 during the Eisteddfod. This event was immortalised in the poem and song "The Cross Foxes" by Harri Webb
, remembering the night when In Rhosllannerchrugog we drank the pub dry.
The Stiwt Theatre. Formerly the "Miner's Institute" (Plas Mwynwyr), which was built in 1926 and dominated the social and cultural life of the village (citation) until 1977 when it closed. The local council, which had purchased the building in 1978, decided to demolish the building in 1985, but it was saved as a result of local campaigning. Following fundraising efforts, it was renovated and reopened as a community theatre. The Stiwt Theatre holds the Wrexham young people's music festival since 2006. The Stiwt now do various shows and the building is open to the public to see.
Church of St John Evangelist. A grade II listed building, built in 1852 and consecrated on 4 October 1853. A good example of a Romanesque Revival
church, it is Norman
style, with coursed and squared sandstone and slate roofs. It has a cruciform plan with nave
, transept
and chancel
and bell tower in angle of the south transept and chancel. The church closed in 2004.
Penuel Chapel (Capel Penuel). Two-storey Welsh chapel built in 1856-59, with a brick facade installed during renovations performed from 1856 to 1891. The chapel was the starting point site of R.B. Jones's campaign in the village during the religious revival in 1904-1905. One of the chapel's ministers was Lewis Valentine
.
Composers from the village include Dr Caradog Roberts, best known for the hymn tune
"Rachie"; and Arwel Hughes
, conductor and composer of the hymn tune "Tydi a Roddaist". Notable performers from Rhos include the baritones James Sauvage
, Andrew Griffiths and pianist Llŷr Williams
.
Rhos is also home of several choir
s, including the Rhos Male Voice Choir (Côr Meibion Rhosllannerchrugog); the Rhos Orpheus Male Voice Choir (Côr Orffiws Y Rhos); a Pensioners' Choir (Côr Pensiynwyr Rhosllannerchrugog); a Girls' Choir (Côr Merched Rhosllannerchrugog); and the Rhos Singers (Cantorion Rhos), a mixed voice choir. The male voice choirs have performed in many countries, and consistently enjoy success at national and international level. They have benefited from world-class conductors, the most notable of recent years being John Glyn Williams, John Daniel and Emyr James.
The Rhos Prize Silver Band was formed in 1884, but later became known as the Hafod Colliery Band. After the closure of Hafod colliery in 1968 the band was renamed Rhos and District Silver Band. In 2001 that the band changed its name to Wrexham Brass and is now based at the Glyndŵr University campus in Wrexham.
. The main example is a word that has become synonymous with the village: nene, meaning "that". The word's association with the village is reflected in the title of the community's monthly newspaper, Nene. It is pronounced as "nair-nair", and is sometimes used in association with another unique word, Ene (air-nair), meaning "there". An example is the question "Be 'di nene ene?" - "What's that there?".
Rosemarie Frankland
is buried, asking them to limit the number of floral tributes left at grave sites. The council reportedly planned to cover the cemetery with a lawn and feared that such tributes would breach health and safety rules. Feeling that the council had handled the issue insensitively, relatives collected an 850-signature petition and 60 families made a public protest.
by a branch line which ran to the village from nearby Wrexham
via Rhostyllen
and Legacy. The passenger service continued for a short period to halts at Brook Street, Pant and Wynn Hall
, although goods trains ran through to Pontcysyllte wharf on the Shropshire Union Canal
via Plas Bennion and Acrefair
. A second line also passed through nearby Ponciau
, branching off from Legacy, with halts at Fennant Road, Aberderfyn and Ponkey Crossing, and joining the main line again at Wynnville, Ruabon
. Since the closure of regular passenger service on all of these lines by the 1930s, the village has relied on road transport.
Rhosllannerchrugog was also the end of the line of the Wrexham and District Electric Tramway Company. The tram service began operating in 1903 and originally ran from Penybryn in Wrexham to the New Inn in Johnstown
but this was soon extended up Gutter Hill to Duke Street in Rhos. The company had its depot and staging area in nearby Johnstown. The trams were eventually and gradually replaced by buses owned by the same company, which was renamed the Wrexham & District Transport Company.
Several local companies operated bus services in the village. The red and cream buses of Phillips & Son of Rhostyllen ran from Wrexham to Rhos via Johnstown, and at one time on to Tainant, from 1927 until it was taken over by Crosville
in 1979. T. Williams & Sons ran a service from Rhos to Wrexham from the 1920s until 1986. The last surviving independent local company, Wright & Son, ran a service from Penycae to Wrexham via Rhos, and later via Ponciau also. When the bus industry was deregulated
in 1986 there was fierce competition between Wright's and the much larger Crosville. Wright's ceased operations in 1993, leaving Crosville as the sole service provider in the area. Crosville itself became part of the Arriva
group, which still operates a frequent bus service between Rhos and Wrexham town centre.
The nearby A483 road
provides links to Liverpool
and Manchester
to the north and Birmingham
, Swansea
and Cardiff
to the south.
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
History
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
: rhos "moor"; llannerch "glade"; grugog "heathery" hence "Moor of the Heathery Glade." It is often known simply as Rhos. With a population of approximately 10,000 the modern community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
of Rhosllannerchrugog is one of the largest in Wales.(citation?as what a village)
The village was originally within the ancient parish of Ruabon
Ruabon
Ruabon is a village and community in the county borough of Wrexham in Wales.More than 80% of the population of 2,400 were born in Wales with 13.6% speaking Welsh....
and the district was referred to as Morton Above (i.e. Morton, or moor town, above Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke is a massive linear earthwork, roughly followed by some of the current border between England and Wales. In places, it is up to wide and high. In the 8th century it formed some kind of delineation between the Anglian kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys...
) or Morton Wallichorum (the Welsh Morton). In 1844 Morton Above became part of the newly created parish of Rhosllannerchrugog.
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
seams of north-east Wales that pass beneath it, leading to the establishment of a large coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain 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 iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
community during the 18th century. A symbol of Rhos' coal-mining and labour movement
Labour movement
The term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour...
heritage is seen in the "Stiwt", the miners' institute
Miners' institute
Miners' institutes, sometimes known as Workingmen's institute, Mine Workers' institute, or Miners' Welfare Hall are large institutional buildings that were typically built during the height of the industrial period as a meeting and educational venue...
on Broad Street. This was erected and paid for by the miners, during the general strike of 1926
UK General Strike of 1926
The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 May 1926 to 13 May 1926. It was called by the general council of the Trades Union Congress in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British government to act to prevent wage reduction and worsening...
, as a social and cultural centre for the community.
The Welsh Religious Revival of 1904 had a major impact on Rhosllannerchrugog. The famous bardic line Beibl a Rhaw i Bobl y Rhos ("a Bible and a Spade for the People of Rhos) reflect the importance of both coal-mining and the chapels on the village's culture and heritage.
The - predominantly Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
- churches and chapels impacted greatly on the linguistic and cultural profile of the area, and until the early 1980s chapel-going was significantly higher in Rhos than in most other parts of Wales or the UK. One result of this is that although only nine miles from the English border and surrounded by English-speaking villages, Welsh is still spoken as a community language in Rhosllannerchrugog.
A weekly newspaper, the Rhos Herald, was founded by Richard Mills in 1894. Originally from Llanidloes
Llanidloes
Llanidloes is a town along the A470 road and B4518 road in Powys, within the historic county boundaries of Montgomeryshire , Mid Wales.It is the first town on the River Severn...
, he set up his printing business in Hall Street. 3,737 issues were published from 18 August 1894 to 31 December 1966. Since the mid-1970s, a Welsh-language community newspaper featuring local news and other features, Nene, has been produced in the village.
The 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
showed that approximately 40% of the village is Welsh speaking.
Rhosllannerchrugog hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1945 and 1961, and the Celtic League
Celtic League (political organisation)
The Celtic League is a non-governmental organisation that promotes self-determination and Celtic identity and culture in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man, known as the Celtic nations. It places particular emphasis on the indigenous Celtic languages...
was founded there in 1961 during the Eisteddfod. This event was immortalised in the poem and song "The Cross Foxes" by Harri Webb
Harri Webb
Harri Webb was an Anglo-Welsh poet, journalist and Welsh nationalist.Harri Webb was born on 7 September 1920 at 45 Ty Coch Road on the outskirts of Swansea, but before he was two the family moved to Catherine Street, much nearer the city centre...
, remembering the night when In Rhosllannerchrugog we drank the pub dry.
Architecture
Notable buildings include:Church of St John Evangelist. A grade II listed building, built in 1852 and consecrated on 4 October 1853. A good example of a Romanesque Revival
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
church, it is Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
style, with coursed and squared sandstone and slate roofs. It has a cruciform plan with nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and bell tower in angle of the south transept and chancel. The church closed in 2004.
Penuel Chapel (Capel Penuel). Two-storey Welsh chapel built in 1856-59, with a brick facade installed during renovations performed from 1856 to 1891. The chapel was the starting point site of R.B. Jones's campaign in the village during the religious revival in 1904-1905. One of the chapel's ministers was Lewis Valentine
Lewis Valentine
Lewis Edward Valentine was a Welsh politician, Baptist pastor, author, editor, and Welsh-language activist.-Early life:Valentine was born in Llanddulas, Conwy, the son of Samuel Valentine, a limestone quarryman, and his wife Mary...
.
Religious Revival 1904-1905
Rhos was one of the centres of the Welsh Religious Revival of 1904-1905. R. B. Jones, a visiting Baptist preacher, held a campaign in Penuel Baptist Chapel, Rhosllannerchrugog in November 1904.Musical heritage
Rhos is also renowned for its rich musical heritage, and has its own concert hall at the Stiwt Theatre.Composers from the village include Dr Caradog Roberts, best known for the hymn tune
Hymn tune
A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm , and no refrain or chorus....
"Rachie"; and Arwel Hughes
Arwel Hughes
Arwel Hughes OBE , was a Welsh orchestral conductor and composer.Hughes was born in Rhosllannerchrugog near Wrexham and was educated at Ruabon Grammar School and at the Royal College of Music, where he studied with Ralph Vaughan Williams and C. H. Kitson...
, conductor and composer of the hymn tune "Tydi a Roddaist". Notable performers from Rhos include the baritones James Sauvage
James Sauvage
James Sauvage , was a Welsh baritone singer.-Early life:Sauvage grew up in the mining community of Penrhos, Rhosllannerchrugog, Wales, the son of Thomas and Mary Savage of The Square. Before he was nine years old, he began working in one of the local collieries, the Brandie Pit No. 6 at Ruabon,...
, Andrew Griffiths and pianist Llŷr Williams
Llyr Williams
Llŷr Williams is a Welsh pianist.-Childhood:Llŷr Williams was born in 1976 in the village of Pentre Bychan in Wrexham, Wales....
.
Rhos is also home of several choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
s, including the Rhos Male Voice Choir (Côr Meibion Rhosllannerchrugog); the Rhos Orpheus Male Voice Choir (Côr Orffiws Y Rhos); a Pensioners' Choir (Côr Pensiynwyr Rhosllannerchrugog); a Girls' Choir (Côr Merched Rhosllannerchrugog); and the Rhos Singers (Cantorion Rhos), a mixed voice choir. The male voice choirs have performed in many countries, and consistently enjoy success at national and international level. They have benefited from world-class conductors, the most notable of recent years being John Glyn Williams, John Daniel and Emyr James.
The Rhos Prize Silver Band was formed in 1884, but later became known as the Hafod Colliery Band. After the closure of Hafod colliery in 1968 the band was renamed Rhos and District Silver Band. In 2001 that the band changed its name to Wrexham Brass and is now based at the Glyndŵr University campus in Wrexham.
Unique vocabulary
The village has a reputation, especially amongst other Welsh speaking communities, for its use of unique words of the Welsh languageWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
. The main example is a word that has become synonymous with the village: nene, meaning "that". The word's association with the village is reflected in the title of the community's monthly newspaper, Nene. It is pronounced as "nair-nair", and is sometimes used in association with another unique word, Ene (air-nair), meaning "there". An example is the question "Be 'di nene ene?" - "What's that there?".
Cemetery controversy
In September 2006, letters were sent by Rhos Community Council to relatives of people buried in the town's cemetery, where former Miss WorldMiss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...
Rosemarie Frankland
Rosemarie Frankland
Rosemarie Frankland was a Welsh beauty pageant contestant who won the 1961 Miss United Kingdom and Miss World titles before becoming an actress.-Biography:...
is buried, asking them to limit the number of floral tributes left at grave sites. The council reportedly planned to cover the cemetery with a lawn and feared that such tributes would breach health and safety rules. Feeling that the council had handled the issue insensitively, relatives collected an 850-signature petition and 60 families made a public protest.
Notable people
- See :Category:People from Rhosllannerchrugog
- John Tudor Davies OBE - conductor organist
- William Davies - composer
- Meredith EdwardsMeredith Edwards (actor)Gwilym Meredith Edwards was a Welsh character actor and writer.He was born in Rhosllannerchrugog, Denbighshire, Wales, the son of a collier. He became an actor in 1938, first with the Welsh National Theatre Company, then the Liverpool Playhouse...
- actor - Robert Thomas EllisTom Ellis (politician)Robert Thomas Ellis, , commonly known as Tom Ellis, was a British politician who was elected several times as a Labour Member of Parliament, and later defected to the Social Democratic Party ....
- politician - Rosemarie FranklandRosemarie FranklandRosemarie Frankland was a Welsh beauty pageant contestant who won the 1961 Miss United Kingdom and Miss World titles before becoming an actress.-Biography:...
- Miss World, 1961 http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/guides/halloffame/showbiz/rosemarie_frankland.shtml - Isaac Daniel HoosonIsaac Daniel HoosonIsaac Daniel Hooson , or I. D. Hooson as he was commonly known, solicitor and poet was born in Victoria House, Market St. in the village of Rhosllannerchrugog, Denbighshire, Wales....
- poet - Arwel HughesArwel HughesArwel Hughes OBE , was a Welsh orchestral conductor and composer.Hughes was born in Rhosllannerchrugog near Wrexham and was educated at Ruabon Grammar School and at the Royal College of Music, where he studied with Ralph Vaughan Williams and C. H. Kitson...
- composer - Thomas William Jones - politician
- James Idwal JonesJames Idwal JonesJames Idwal Jones was a British Labour Party politician.He was born in Rhosllannerchrugog, Wrexham, and educated at Ruabon Grammar School and Normal College, Bangor. He became a teacher in 1922 in Holt, but then moved to positions in Glyn Ceiriog and Penycae...
- politician - Stifyn Parri - actor, presenter, producer
- Aled Roberts - Welsh Liberal DemocratWelsh Liberal DemocratsThe Welsh Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties of the federal Liberal Democrats and operate within Wales, the others being the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England....
member of the National Assembly for WalesNational Assembly for WalesThe National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs... - Robert RobertsRobert Roberts (footballer born 1865)Robert Roberts was a Welsh footballer who played at outside-left for several clubs, spending most of his career with Crewe Alexandra in the English Football League...
(died 1945), Rhosllannerchrugog F.C., Crewe Alexandra F.C. and Wales international footballer - Caradog Roberts - composer
- Llŷr WilliamsLlyr WilliamsLlŷr Williams is a Welsh pianist.-Childhood:Llŷr Williams was born in 1976 in the village of Pentre Bychan in Wrexham, Wales....
- pianist - John Glyn Williams OBE - conductor, organist
- Colin Jones - conductor, pianist
- Mark Lewis JonesMark Lewis JonesMark Lewis Jones is a Welsh actor, whose roles include that of a police inspector in BBC drama series, 55 Degrees North, a whaler in the movie, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and Tecton, a soldier in Troy....
- actor - Daniel LloydDaniel Lloyd (actor and musician)Daniel Owain Lloyd is a bilingual Welsh actor and singer-songwriter.He was the frontman for the Welsh language band, Daniel Lloyd a Mr Pinc, as well as a solo artist and established actor.-Biography:...
- actor, musician - Susan Elan Jones - politician
- Fiona RobertsFiona RobertsFiona Roberts is a former association football player who represented New Zealand at international level.Roberts made her Football Ferns début in a 0-3 loss to Ghana on 26 August 1994, and made just one further appearance, in a 0-1 loss to Russia 2 days later.-External links:...
- cook and wine expert - Leon Breeze - drunken old man of the year
Transport
The village was once linked to the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
by a branch line which ran to the village from nearby Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
via Rhostyllen
Rhostyllen
Rhostyllen is a village in Wrexham county borough in Wales, south-west of the town of Wrexham. At the time of the 2001 census, area Wrexham 014A, which includes Rhostyllen itself, had a population of 1,383 in 599 households...
and Legacy. The passenger service continued for a short period to halts at Brook Street, Pant and Wynn Hall
Wynn Hall
Wynn Hall is a 17th century house in the old hamlet of Bodylltyn in Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales standing at the junction of the Penycae Road and Plas Bennion Road. It was built in about 1649 by William Wynn. During the English Civil War he served on the Parliamentarian side and was imprisoned at Denbigh...
, although goods trains ran through to Pontcysyllte wharf on the Shropshire Union Canal
Shropshire Union Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal is a navigable canal in England; the Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union system and lie partially in Wales....
via Plas Bennion and Acrefair
Acrefair
Acrefair is a village in the county borough of Wrexham, Wales. It was formerly part of the ancient parish of Ruabon, and is located between the towns of Wrexham and Llangollen. It is close to the villages of Trefor, Cefn Mawr, Ruabon and Plas Madoc...
. A second line also passed through nearby Ponciau
Ponciau
Ponciau is a village within the community of Rhosllannerchrugog in the county borough of Wrexham, Wales.Ponciau is located close to the villages of Legacy, Pentre Bychan and Johnstown and is overlooked by Ruabon Mountain.-History:...
, branching off from Legacy, with halts at Fennant Road, Aberderfyn and Ponkey Crossing, and joining the main line again at Wynnville, Ruabon
Ruabon
Ruabon is a village and community in the county borough of Wrexham in Wales.More than 80% of the population of 2,400 were born in Wales with 13.6% speaking Welsh....
. Since the closure of regular passenger service on all of these lines by the 1930s, the village has relied on road transport.
Rhosllannerchrugog was also the end of the line of the Wrexham and District Electric Tramway Company. The tram service began operating in 1903 and originally ran from Penybryn in Wrexham to the New Inn in Johnstown
Johnstown, Wrexham
Johnstown is a village in the county borough of Wrexham, Wales, and forms part of the old coal mining community of Rhosllannerchrugog.The disused coal mine at Hafod is situated to the east of the village and the mine's former coal tip has now been converted to a country park, Bonc yr Hafod...
but this was soon extended up Gutter Hill to Duke Street in Rhos. The company had its depot and staging area in nearby Johnstown. The trams were eventually and gradually replaced by buses owned by the same company, which was renamed the Wrexham & District Transport Company.
Several local companies operated bus services in the village. The red and cream buses of Phillips & Son of Rhostyllen ran from Wrexham to Rhos via Johnstown, and at one time on to Tainant, from 1927 until it was taken over by Crosville
Crosville Motor Services
Crosville Motor Services was a bus operator running within the north west of England and north and mid Wales.-History:The company was formed as Crosville Motor Company Limited on 27 October 1906 in Chester, by George Crosland Taylor and his French business associate Georges de Ville, with the...
in 1979. T. Williams & Sons ran a service from Rhos to Wrexham from the 1920s until 1986. The last surviving independent local company, Wright & Son, ran a service from Penycae to Wrexham via Rhos, and later via Ponciau also. When the bus industry was deregulated
Deregulation
Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
in 1986 there was fierce competition between Wright's and the much larger Crosville. Wright's ceased operations in 1993, leaving Crosville as the sole service provider in the area. Crosville itself became part of the Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
group, which still operates a frequent bus service between Rhos and Wrexham town centre.
The nearby A483 road
A483 road
The A483 is a major road in the United Kingdom, running from Swansea in Wales to Chester in England, although the official title is the Swansea to Manchester Trunk Road.-Swansea:...
provides links to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
to the north and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
and Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
to the south.
External links
- Gwefan Rhosllannerchrugog (BBC)
- Rhos/Wrexham History (BBC)
- Nene (BBC Cymru)
- Rhos Male Voice Choir
- Rhos Orpheus Male Voice Choir
- Y Stiwt
- 'Twm Sbaen' (LLGC)
- GenUKI page for Rhos
- Rhos Herald index at Bangor
- Leaflet describing chapels of Rhosllannerchrugog
- Photos of the Rhosllannerchrugog area on Geograph