Summerhill, Wrexham
Encyclopedia
Summerhill is a semi-urban village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the suburbs of 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...
, 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...
and forms part of the 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 Gwersyllt
Gwersyllt
Gwersyllt is an urban village and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales....
.
Industry and History
In the 19th and early 20th century, Summerhill was predominately focused around local farming or coalmining industries, however there was also nearby Brymbo Steelworks and Bersham IronworksBersham Ironworks
Bersham Ironworks were large ironworks at Bersham, near Wrexham, North Wales. They are most famous for being the original working site of John Wilkinson...
for those who could travel. The nearest colliery was Westminster Colliery, located within the Moss Valley
Moss Valley, Wrexham
The Moss Valley is an area and country park in Britain. It is in the county borough of Wrexham, in north Wales. The area is also informally known as "The Moss" and The Aggey amongst locals. It is most well known for its extensive coal mining history...
. Most of the area's coalmining industry was closed by the mid 20th century. Remnants of the area's former industrial history include disused features such as railway trackbeds, bridges and tunnels, particularly surrounding the Moss Valley areas.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, a number of housing developments increased the local population and the overall size and shape of the village. Developments in the village include White Lion Estate, built in the 1990s, and more recent developments including Summerhill Park and Westminster Rise, built in the 21st Century.