Fron Heulog Hall
Bwlchgwyn's lost mountain retreat
Embedded Files
A House on an Ancient Hill
A House on an Ancient Hill
Fronheulog Hall when it was known as Rosenheath Girl's school
High above Bwlchgwyn once stood Fron Heulog Hall, an imposing Victorian house built in a remarkable location, within the ramparts of the village's ancient hillfort.
Built as a hunting lodge for Thomas Edgeworth, who would become Wrexham's first Mayor in 1857, the house was designed by architect J. R. Gummow and constructed from warm buff-coloured sandstone quarried nearby at Berwig. Fron Heulog cost approximately £9,000 to build, an enormous sum at the time!
It was an elaborate building. A steep and complex slate roof was punctuated by tall ornamental stone chimney stacks, while decorative timber bargeboards embellished its gables. Standing high above the surrounding countryside, it must have been a striking landmark on the Bwlchgwyn skyline.
From Hunting Lodge to Health Retreat
From Hunting Lodge to Health Retreat
Fron Heulog's role changed considerably during its lifetime. After its years as a private residence, the property was adapted for use as a girls' school and became known as Rosenheath School.
By the 1920s another transformation had taken place. Fron Heulog was being advertised as a guest house and convalescent home, making full use of something Bwlchgwyn could offer in abundance: altitude, countryside and exceptionally fresh air.
Surviving tariff for Fron Heulog during its years as a boarding establishment. Sourced from Ruthin Archives. DD/GL/212
What would it have cost to escape to the mountain air of Bwlchgwyn?
What would it have cost to escape to the mountain air of Bwlchgwyn?
A surviving tariff gives us a wonderful glimpse into life at Fron Heulog during its years as a guest house and convalescent home. Visitors could stay for a weekend, take full board by the week, or pay extra for the privacy of their own sitting room and bedroom.
From the original tariff:
Full Board
5/6 per day · 30/- per week
Weekend Stay
12/6 per person
Private Sitting Room & Bedroom
from 21/- per week
Additional Bedroom
from 7/6 per week
Lunches and teas available at moderate charges
Stabling and motor garage available
The mention of both stabling and a motor garage captures Fron Heulog at an interesting moment; when visitors might arrive in Bwlchgwyn either by horse or by motor car.
Bwlchgwyn – A Health Resort?
Bwlchgwyn – A Health Resort?
During the early decades of the twentieth century, Bwlchgwyn's height and exposed mountain setting were not regarded merely as geographical curiosities. They were actively promoted as reasons to visit.
A contemporary brochure described Bwlchgwyn as “one of the healthiest spots in Denbighshire”, noting its position six miles from Wrexham, close to the Llandegla moors, Nant-y-Garth and the picturesque Nant-y-Ffrith valley. It claimed that increasing numbers of visitors were coming to the “White Pass” to enjoy the scenery and breathe its mountain air.
There were even hopes that Bwlchgwyn might develop into a popular health resort.
Fron Heulog was particularly well placed to capitalise on this reputation. An advertisement from the 1920s gave the house's elevation as an impressive 1,240 feet above sea level.
Jack Buchanan has been described as Britain's biggest forgotten star
“Like Champagne” – Jack Buchanan at Bwlchgwyn
“Like Champagne” – Jack Buchanan at Bwlchgwyn
Fron Heulog's reputation for restorative mountain air apparently spread considerably further than Wrexham. Among those said to have stayed at the house was the celebrated Scottish actor and entertainer Jack Buchanan, one of the great stars of the British stage and screen during the inter-war years.
Buchanan suffered from a chest complaint and is recorded as visiting Fron Heulog between theatrical engagements. He reportedly had particularly high praise for Bwlchgwyn's atmosphere, describing its ozone as being “like champagne.”
His visits offer a remarkable glimpse of the reputation Bwlchgwyn briefly enjoyed: a small Welsh mountain village to which visitors came specifically for its clean air, altitude and supposedly restorative qualities.
The End of Fron Heulog
The End of Fron Heulog
Fron Heulog's final chapter was shaped by the very industry that had transformed so much of the landscape around Bwlchgwyn.
After the closure of the convalescent home, the property was acquired by the Bwlchgwyn Silica Company. By then the company's workings had encroached upon the house and its surroundings.
In 1930, Fron Heulog was demolished.
The Victorian hunting lodge, girls' school and mountain retreat disappeared, while quarrying also destroyed the remains of the much older hillfort within whose ramparts the house had been built.
Today Fron Heulog survives principally through photographs, documents and memories, but its story preserves a fascinating period when Bwlchgwyn was promoted not simply as an industrial or agricultural village, but as a place to which people might travel for the good of their health.
A Piece of Fron Heulog Survives
A Piece of Fron Heulog Survives
Although Fron Heulog Hall itself disappeared in 1930, at least one intriguing feature associated with the old estate survived.
At nearby Fron Heulog Farm — formerly the servants' quarters for the Hall — is a partly underground structure which was originally believed by later owners to have been a loading bay or perhaps connected with sewage. Closer examination, however, identified it as the Hall's ice-house.
Before electric refrigeration, ice-houses provided large houses with a means of keeping food and drink cool. Fron Heulog's was built partly underground, with a pond immediately below it which would have provided a ready supply of ice during Bwlchgwyn's cold winters.
The building subsequently found a rather less glamorous use as a storage shed. In a wonderfully appropriate twist, when it was recorded there was a modern refrigerator standing inside the old ice-house.
Inside the Ice House
Fron Heulog farm
Google Sites
Report abuse