The Westminster Buildings, Wrexham.

I first visited the centre of Wrexham, in the northeast of Wales, on a cold November day in 1980. I remember standing under the archway in Hope Street, opposite the Horse and Jockey pub and wondering for what purpose the grand building had been erected. It didn’t seem to lead anywhere, and what were those mysterious bricked up entrances on each side? 
Some years later I learnt that the building had been erected by William Low as a dowry for his daughter and then repurposed as the entrance to the Wrexham Agricultural and Scientific Society Exhibition of 1876.


That rather dry title does little justice to what was one of the most significant art and industrial exhibitions to be held outside of London in the nineteenth century.
Back then, those concealed entrances would have led to a pair of museums. Beyond them a covered entrance, lined with statuary and tropical plants had a dining room (1st class), refreshment room (2nd class), buffet (no class stipulated) and reading room. It led to a great hall with ornate Grecian columns supporting a glass roof.
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A cornucopia of art treasures.
Within the great hall was a gallery which housed a vast display of art treasures. There were priceless paintings by, amongst many others, Rembrandt, Van Dyke, Rubens, and Raphael. Numerous loaned items included the rosary carried by Mary Queen of Scots to her execution, and a watch which had once belonged to Charles the First.
My favourite item has to be the precious pebble of Owain Gwynedd. A visitor described it as a beautiful thing - a smooth, white, translucent ball. An accompanying card gave details of how it was said to prophesise the death of the head of the family when a crack in it widened imperceptibly.

Labor Omnia Vincit
The Latin phrase beneath the coat of arms on the street sign in the arch, translates as work conquers all, and it gives an indication of Wrexham’s industrial vigour. Around the periphery of the gallery was the industrial area, with steam engines and samples of steel, bricks, leather goods, ales, and beers.
Amongst the textiles on display was the wonderful Wrexham Tailor’s Quilt or Coverlet. It had taken James Williams, a military master tailor, over ten years to painstakingly stitch it together from over 4,500 separate pieces of cloth. It shows images from across North Wales as well as scenes from the bible.
The wide-ranging display lavishly showcased Wrexham’s considerable industrial portfolio and the skills of its workers.
The exhibition was open for twelve hours a day, seven days a week for four months, during which time, the resident orchestra would have entertained as many as 80,000 people.

Who was William Low?
Many people know the building as the Argyle Arch. The road which leads through it is signposted as Argyle Street. This name reflects the birthplace of William Low, a talented civil engineer who came to the area to work on the Chester to Holyhead Railway. He engaged in the construction of the Ceiriog and Dee Valley viaducts and became a joint owner of the Vron colliery. 
​His monogram above the centre of the arch is shown below.

Channel Tunnel Innovator.
Low’s experience in digging tunnels to mine coal, and in establishing railways, led him to form the Channel Tunnel Company. His ambition was huge. He commenced tunnelling from Dover towards Calais where he had also bought land. Sadly, his plans were scuppered by the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.
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A wonderful ceramic panel on the wall of the arch (see below) shows Low’s plans for two parallel tunnels, connected by service passageways - not dissimilar to the tunnel, which was finally opened in 1994, one and a quarter centuries later.

The grand exhibition wasn’t the only significant event to take place in Wrexham in 1876. Many events are being planned for next year to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its ‘Year of Wonder.’

The arch is just one of the numerous must-see places on a tour of Wrexham. I am a fully qualified Green Badge Tourist guide, join me on a walking tour to see and experience much more.

Tours are bookable through Wrexham VIC and Eventbrite. Enquiries to [email protected], or see my Wales Best Guides (WOTGA) webpage: -
https://www.walesbestguides.com/guides/peter-evans/

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