Hightown, Wrexham
Hightown is a suburban area of Wrexham, in Wrexham County Borough, Wales.
History
The name Hightown was originally confined to the 19th-century development bounded by Rivulet Road to the north, Bryn y Cabanau to the west, and the Hightown Barracks in the east and south.The houses along Albert Street, Bury Street, Derby Road and Stanley Street date to the early 1890s. Eventually, terraced houses were built across multiple streets south of Kings Mills Road and next to Bryn y Cabanau Lane. However, most of these houses were later demolished in the 1960s.
Until 2011, the suburb was home to the "Hightown Flats", five blocks of five-storey flats built in 1970 comprising the Napier Square and Gatefield estates. The complex contained 181 flats and maisonettes, as well as five bungalows and 26 four-bedroom houses. The flats were known for safety issues, such as poorly lit corridors, and vandalism such as graffiti and abandoned furniture. The area around the complex was associated with antisocial behaviour, arson, and theft. The complex was demolished by Wrexham County Borough Council in 2011 for re-generation, with locals supporting demolition as the only option to regenerate the area.
The north-western parts of Hightown towards St Giles' Church near Salop Road were once a separate hamlet called Wrexham Fechan until it was eventually reabsorbed by the then growing town.