Exhibition marks Wrexham's 150th

The town was given county borough status in 1857

Wrexham's 150th anniversary will be celebrated in an exhibition at the town's museum which opens later.

The artefacts and images on display will chronicle changes in the north Wales town since it was first granted borough status in 1857.

Visitors can explore what life was like in Wrexham in 1857, 1907 and 1957.

Museum staff searched the archives beneath the Guildhall to unearth treasures, including letters from Winston Churchill and Edward VIII.

Wrexham first appeared in the Dark Ages but campaigned for borough status (self governance) during the reign of Queen Victoria.

Borough status was seen as the best way to solve the many health and social problems in the town and that was granted in May 1857.

Unsung hero

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to see how Wrexham has changed through a display of archive photographs.

The council mace, the freedom roll, the official visitors book and even menus from the great 19th Century banquets held to mark St David's day, will also be on show.

People can nominate an unsung hero to received the Freedom of the Borough and the museum's education officer is running a series of workshops for primary school children called The Seven Wonders of Wrexham alongside the exhibition.

The displays open on 23 April and run until 7 July. Admission to the museum is free.