The seven wonders of Wales

Sep 28 2009 By Chester Chronicle

Five of the seven wonders of Wales mentioned in the famous poem are within easy reach of Wrexham.

Pistyll Rhaeadr and Wrexham steeple,

Snowdon's mountain without its people,

Overton yew trees, St Winefride wells,

Llangollen bridge, and Gresford bells.

Pistyll Rhaeadr Head through Wrexham’s beautiful Ceiriog Valley and into the Tanat Valley in Wrexham’s borderlands. The road will take you through the charming village of Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, and along narrow lanes with beautiful scenery. When you reach Llanrhaeadr turn right down Waterfall Road clearly signposted ‘Waterfall 4 miles’. This road will bring you to the foot of the beautiful Pistyll Rhaeadr – the highest waterfall in England and Wales (240ft). It is formed by the Afon Disgynfa river passing over a 240-foot (73 m[1]) Silurian cliff-face, after which the river is known as the Afon Rhaeadr. The waterfall descends in three stages, totalling 240 foot. Pistyll Rhaeadr, whose name means the "spring of the waterfall", is counted as one of the Seven Wonders of Wales and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The 19th century author George Borrow in his book Wild Wales remarked of the waterfall, "What shall I liken it to? I scarcely know, unless it is to an immense skein of silk agitated and disturbed by tempestuous blasts, or to the long tail of a grey courser at furious speed. I never saw water falling so gracefully, so much like thin, beautiful threads as here".

Wrexham steeple: All Saints' Church stand proudly in the former coal mining village of Gresford near the Welsh market town of Wrexham. The bells of the Parish Church of All Saints is one of the Seven Wonders of Wales. Not only are the peal of bells of note, listed it is said for the purity of their tone, but the Church itself is remarkable for its size, beauty, interior monuments, and its yew-filled churchyard. The bells are traditionally one of the Seven Wonders of Wales and commemorated in an anonymously written rhyme:

The churchyard of St Mary the Virgin dominates the high street and is famous for twenty-one very ancient yew trees. At 1,500 to 2,000 years old, the oldest tree predates the church, whose earliest stonework is probably Norman. In 1992 the village celebrated the 700th anniversary of the granting of a Royal Charter to Overton by Edward I in 1292 with a royal visit from the present Queen who planted a new yew tree.

Gresford Bells: These can be found in the 15th century All Saints Church in Gresford, Wrexham, one of the finest church buildings in Wales. Perched on a pillar of coal above the Vale of the Alyn, its tower has dominated the skyline for centuries. Its peal of bells can be heard on Tuesday evenings and Sundays.

Overton Yews: In Overton village, Wrexham, the 21 yew trees in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin Church are magnificent. The most venerable has been estimated to be between 1,500 and 2,000 years old. The youngest was planted in 1992 by HM Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate the granting of the borough charter. The pretty village of Overton itself is mentioned in the doomsday book.

Llangollen Bridge straddles the River Dee in this small but popular town in the Borderlands. The bridge at Llangollen was built in about 1345 by John Trevor, of nearby Trevor Hall, who later became Bishop of St Asaph. It was extended to cross the railway when this was built in the 1860s and was widened in the early 1960s. The upstream side has new masonry which blends in with the older structure. Today it is a scheduled ancient monument.