Prestigious award for Wrexham Cemetery refurbishment works

A recently refurbished Victorian cemetery just outside Wrexham town centre has been celebrated with a prestigious award.

Located on Ruabon Road, the Grade II listed Wrexham Cemetery received the award from the Wrexham Area Civic Society as part of its annual celebration of local architecture and monuments.

The cemetery, which is on the register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Wales, is one of the finest examples of a Victorian cemetery in Wales – with a well preserved “gardenesque” cemetery landscape typical of the time it was created.

In 2015 Wrexham Council secured a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant of £1.2 million to help support the £1.5 million worth of work required to restore the Victorian section of the historic cemetery.

Over the past 12 months restoration of the site has been ongoing, with the conservation works including refurbishment of the twin chapels and lodge, listed fencing, gates and entrance features and renewal of the footpath network. A small amount of memorial restoration was also undertaken for the significant memorials which form part of a new trail around the historical section of the cemetery.

Interpretation panels explaining about the history of the cemetery have been created and can be viewed in the West Chapel. The East Chapel now houses the Cemetery Office and can be used for
historical research into the cemetery.

To mark the works undertaken, the Wrexham Cemetery was presented with The Ruth Howard Award, the Society’s most prestigious award.It is given for outstanding contributions to Wrexham’s environment, encompassing architecture, conservation and landscape.

Lead Member, Environment and Transport, Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member, Environment and Transport, said: “I am very pleased to accept the award on behalf of Wrexham County Borough Council.

“It recognises the hard work council staff, Harrison Design Development, as lead consultants and Grosvenor Construction have put into the refurbishment work to restore the cemetery and provide a good facility for the future.

“I also would like to thank the Heritage Lottery Fund for making this work possible through their grant aid and support.”