Summerhill, Wrexham
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Summerhill (Welsh "Bryn Hyfryd") is one of the rural villages in Wrexham. It borders with Gwersyllt, The Moss, Little Mountain, Highfield and Sydallt. Traditionally, the area was devoted to farming, however a lot of that industry has been lost in recent years due to housing developments such as Pendine Park, but nevertheless, the area remains open and rural. The traditional area of Summerhill resides at the top of the Summerhill Road, near Sydallt and Little Mountain. However, its boundaries now include parts of Pendine and Glascoed Park, which is not in the "traditional" Summerhill. The area is signified by its "hundreds of years old" Summerhill Road, which is a major B-road route into the village. The road, just over two miles long, cuts through farmland and wooded area of the village, before passing Pendine Park and up through Little Mountain, Summerhill. On 20 October 2006, a fifteen year old girl was abducted from the road in broad daylight, and suffered a "fifteen hour ordeal", before turning up in Bangor at 7AM the following morning, unharmed but traumatised[1]. A police enquiry to prosecute the criminal was carried out afterwards.
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[edit] Industry and History
In the 19th and early 20th century, the residents of Summerhill would have mainly worked in either the farming or coalmining industries, however there was also nearby Brymbo Steelworks and Bersham Ironworks for those who could travel to these places. The nearest colliery was Westminister Colliery, located within the Moss Valley. Most of the area's coalmining industry was defunct by the mid 20th century.
Reminiants of the area's former history includes railway features (including trackbeds, bridges and tunnels), slagheaps, and large, open flat spaces such as the Moss Valley.
[edit] Housing Estates
Since the 1970's, the following major housing estates have been built in Summerhill:
[edit] Pendine Park
Pendine Park consists of nine post code areas, and was the earliest build, which started in the mid 1970's. It was built as a joint-venture between two local builders, one of which was Borvis, a company which also build Stansty Park. Pendine gets its name from the now demolished Pendine House, a large home situated where the present-day Pendine Nursing Home stands, near Highfield. It currently consists of primarily private housing, but also council housing, bungalows, flats and sheltered accommodation for pensioners and those with disabilities. There is a lot of open-space area around the development, one of which is informally known to residents as "The Pendine Field", although it is merely common ground. Major bus routes running to Summerhill, Mold, and less frequently, Llay, run through the estate. Informally, both Glascoed Park and Stansty Park are incorrectly described as "Pendine Park", as it is the oldest and largest of the three that are together.
[edit] Stansty Park
Stansty Park was the second of the three estates to be developed, and was constructed by local builder, Borvis, which also was involved in a joint-venture to build neighbouring Pendine Park. It was constructed in the mid-1980's, and complete by 1985. Both local shop, Pendine Stores and hairdresser are within Stansty Park, despite the use of "Pendine" in the name. Officially the estate is within Gwersyllt, however the area is more or less considered to be within Summerhill or Stansty itself. Bus routes that run through Pendine also run through Stansty Park.
[edit] Glascoed Park
Glascoed Park consists of six post-code areas, and was the last build of the "Pendine" trio. Construction began in 1986, and was completed by 1992 in two phases, by Parry's Homes (which have since merged to form Castlemead Homes) Unlike Pendine and Stansty, the houses are a composite of red and yellow brick, and all must be fitted with brown windows only. It is arguable that Glascoed could be considered within the village of Highfield, although postal codes describe it as Summerhill. One bus route to Summerhill runs through the area.
[edit] White Lion Estate
Comprising of a single streetname, "White Lion Close", this small housing development is situated in the "traditional" Summerhill, and it particularly noted for the tall height above the Summerhill Road that the houses are built.
[edit] Summerhill Park
The most expensive build to date, with houses reaching over the £300,000 mark[2]. Build began late 2003, completed by 2005, some properties still unsold.
[edit] Westminster Rise
Build began 2004 and was completed by Winter 2005, by Gower Homes. Comprises of a couple of cul-de-sacs and overlooks a spectacular view from its location on former Westminster Coliery. Some properties still unsold[3]
[edit] Services
There are few service in Summerhill, most needs are catered by nearby Gwersyllt. Those services in Summerhill include local post office, newsagents and pubs.
