Cefn Mawr Tour

William Mostyn-Owen died heavily in debt in 1795. His son of the same name continued his father’s active involvement with the canal and tried to pay off the debts. By then industry was developing in the area. Coal mines were dug and William Hazledine leased land for his foundry which supplied the ironwork for Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. The entire Plas Kynaston estate was sold between 1813 and 1819.

Plas Kynaston branch canal allowed easy access for goods to and from town past the foundry to Trevor Basin and by the 1870s the estate also had a colliery, chemical factory and a pottery.

After World War 2 Plas Kynaston was used as a school and a public library until a new library was built next to it in the 1970s. The empty hall was boarded up and after a few years it was placed on the Buildings at Risk Register. Fortunately it has been restored and turned into flats.

Ruabon Brook Railway opened in 1805 and was cleverly engineered as it descended consistently with a slope of about 1 in 100, just right for the horses to be able to pull the same number of laden wagons down to Trevor Basin as empty wagons back up from the wharf.

Crane Street and Well Street were the main shopping areas of town, packed with grocers, hardware and other shops supplying all the needs of the town and surrounding villages.

One of the most elaborate and richly detailed buildings is Maypole at No 5. Maypole was a national chain of butter and margarine shops that started in Birmingham in the late 1800s and grew to 889 branches by 1918. Local specialists restored the cast-iron fascia, signage and the beautiful mosaic entrance in 2010.

Opposite is Craig Roberts, a traditional butcher’s shop, which has changed little since the late 1880s. There are four mosaics dating back to the late 1880s made from tiles manufactured at the former J. C. Edwards tile works in Ruabon; one of a ram, one of a pig and two depicting bulls.

By 1944 it had been re-named the People’s Cinema but closed in the 1950s and was once again used for concerts and other performances. The Hall is now run by the Cefn Community Council.

At the rear of George Edwards Hall is Cefn Mawr Museum, run by enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers. Opened in 2014 it celebrates the history and people in Cefn Mawr and the surrounding communities of Trevor, Acrefair, Pen y Bryn, Froncysyllte, Rhosymedre and Newbridge.

The Museum is packed with objects, photographs and documents that have been loaned or donated by local people and is divided into various themes including the canal and River Dee, village life, industry, transport, sport, churches and chapels, schools, art and music.

Two popular objects are a coracle that was used for fishing for salmon on the river and an original nut and bolt from Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

The Museum is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

They needed a larger building and the architect and builder Robert Jones of Belle Vue, Newbridge was appointed. He designed the massive sandstone Ebenezer English Baptist Chapel in the Gothic style, with a towering double gable frontage.

The chapel opened in 1873 and a new pastor was appointed. Prior to that they shared the pastor of the Welsh Baptist Tabernacl which was also on Well Street.

High moral standards were expected of the congregation and in 1888 additional rules were issued. Members caught frequenting public houses would be disciplined together with anyone caught going to the theatre or watching football contrary to the development of spiritual life.

The chapel was extended in 1899 reflecting the growth in the number of the Baptists who worshipped in the area. One of the stones to commemorate the occasion was laid by Mrs Jones, the widow of the original architect. In 1903 32 members withdrew from the church as they disagreed with the ‘instrumental arrangements’ and formed the new Bethel Baptist chapel. However, with the declining numbers attending the chapel it had closed by the late 1900s.

Major refurbishment of the building took place in 2008 when it was converted into a business centre with a café, gallery, studio and offices. One of the most striking features of this modernisation was the extension of the chapel at the front with a glass extension facing onto Cefn Square. As well as the original stained glass windows, inside the refurbished building it featured some new stained glass windows.

Sadly the building closed in 2013 but the local community hope to see the Ebenezer Chapel open its doors again.

Many houses in Cefn Mawr take advantage of the steep slope and have more storeys at the rear. 110 High Street appears to be single storey but is actually two storeys.

Many of the ‘one up one down’ cottages were built by employers for their skilled workers. 118 and 120 High Street have date stones bearing initials. 88 High Street was built for a quarry owner but later became the Grosvenor Arms, one of many inns in the village.

By 1911 most people in Cefn Mawr were working as coal miners or work associated with the clay works rather than in the stone quarrying. One person who was working in the stone quarry was Edward Wright who was described as a delver, the old word for a worker in a stone a quarry. He and his wife Elizabeth were both born in Cefn Mawr. In 1901 he was living with two daughters and two sons at 120 High Street. By 1911 he had moved with his family to the red brick Lloyd Terrace further up the High Street. His two daughters were working by then, Barbara as a teacher and Edith Maud as a servant. His elder son, Dan, age 15, was working as a labourer in brick making and his other son, Lawrence, was still at school. In a family photograph taken at the beginning of World War 1 Dan is shown sitting proudly in his army uniform but sadly he was killed in France in 1918.