Varied history of Acton Hall and Gardens in Wrexham

Acton Hall.

The land in the area of Acton Park was originally granted to Valle Crucis Abbey at Llangollen by one of the lords of Powys.

But on the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536 by the King of England Henry VIII, the land of Acton Park was taken over by the crown itself.

Inside Acton Hall.

By 1620 the land of Acton came into the possession of Jeffrey ap Hugh, who later on passed it on to his son, John Jeffreys, a judge on the North Wales circuit.

It was John Jeffreys that commissioned the build of the original house at Acton Park, with a massive area of 300 acres surrounding the hall.

George Jeffreys.

In 1645, Acton Hall saw the birth of John's son, George, who would later become the notorious Judge George Jeffreys 'Hanging Judge Jeffreys'.

The last member of the Jeffreys family to live at Acton hall was Sir Griffith Jeffreys and he rebuilt the family home between 1687-1695.

His wife, Dame Dorothy, set up a charity in her will, which helped found many of the first schools in Wrexham.

Inside Acton Hall.

After the Jeffreys, the house belonged to Philip Egerton and then Ellis Yonge, before being purchased by Sir Foster Cunliffe for £27,000 in 1785.

Sir Foster repaired the property and added a new wing. The house at this time was redbrick with stone quoins. In the 1790s, Sir Foster created a landscaped park with garden and lake, all enclosed inside a boundary wall.

In 1820 he created a new entrance for the house on Chester Road with a neo-classical gateway, known as the four dogs gateway, designed by Thomas Harrison.

The 'Four Dogs' of Acton Hall.

Later generations did little to improve the property. Sir Robert Henry Cunliffe, 4th Baronet (1785-1859), stuccoed the walls of the house, while Sir Robert Alfred Cunliffe (1839-1905), faced it with stone in such a way the house seemed to be of three different styles - none matching the other.

After the death of Sir Foster Cunliffe, 6th Baronet (1875-1916), the estate was bought in 1917 by Sir Bernard Oppenheimer.

The Denbighshire Hussars were billeted in the house and grounds at that time, Oppenheimer opened a diamond cutting training school and workshop in the grounds of Acton Park.

Acton Hall.

The scheme was designed to ensure jobs for ex-servicemen. It was the 'Homes Fit For Heroes' ethos in action but Sir Bernard's death in 1921 led to the workshop closing.

Shortly after the passing of Bernard Oppenheimer, Nine Acre Field and 60 acres by Rhosnesni Lane were bought by the Borough Council.

Gardens at Acton Park.

Patrick Abercrombie was commissioned to design a quality housing scheme for the 60 acres. Building started in 1921. The design of Abercrombie survives to this day.

The rest of the estate was turned into small holdings for ex-soldiers. In 1939 the War Office requisitioned Acton Park. Nissen huts were built in the ground for the soldiers. The officers were billeted in the house.

The Lancashire Fusiliers, the Royal Welch Fusiliers, the South Wales Borderers and the Gurkhas were just a few of the regiments who stayed at Acton during the Second World War.

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In 1943 the 33rd Signals Construction Battalion and 400th Armoured Field Artillery Battalion were billeted at Acton Park. Wrexham was host to men from Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Indiana.

Eagles Meadow became their vehicle store, the Butter Market their canteen, Acton School Hall the venue for their dances and chewing gum was sold at the US Army store in Garden Village.

The US Army was still segregated, Black soldiers were billeted at 'The Studio' by the junction of Chester Road and Grove Road.

The house just survived the US Army but in a very poor state. The north wing was demolished just after the war.

Inside Acton Hall.

People plundered the park for firewood in the tough years of rationing in 1945-1947. By 1954 the house was an eyesore, and a gentleman named Alderman Hampson campaigned for the house to be saved as the town's museum but he failed

The demolition team set to work in August 1954. Nothing now remains of the house.

A new housing development along Herbert Jennings Avenue was built over much of the park, while the remainder was saved as a green space for the people of Wrexham to go for walks.