Erddig Country Park

There is an opportunity here to visit the industrial village of Bersham, if you follow the trail from the car park starting point along the Clywedog Valley Trail westwards. If you do so, visit the Heritage Centre in Bersham. It displays the history of the valleys industry. There was an iron furnace here as early as 1670. In 1753, the lease of the works was taken over by Isaac Wilkinson. In 1763, his sons, John and William took over, and founded the New Bersham Company, based in Bersham Ironworks. All three men had a terrific flare for invention.

In the mid 18th century, there was a big demand for cannons. The Wilkinson's developed a boring machine which enabled cannon barrels to be cast solid, then hollowed out. In 1775 the process was adapted to a much more significant invention, the Boulton and Watt Steam Engine.

Cylinder bores had to be accurate, to avoid leakage between them and the pistons. In 1776, James Watt wrote "Mr Wilkinson has improved the art of boring cylinders so that I promise upon a 72 inch cylinder being not further from absolute truth than the thickness of a thin sixpence in the worst part". During the next 20 years, Bersham bought most of the cylinders for Watts engines, which powered the Industrial Revolution.

Bersham Ironworks expanded and by the 1790's employed hundreds of workers, and extended for almost half a mile along the valley. Then John and William quarrelled, and the business drifted into a steady decline. The works were finally closed in 1812.

Remants include the weir the Wilkinson's built to provide water to power the machinery, and three cottages opposite the Heritage Centre. These were originally a row of 13 built by the Wilkinson's in 1785 to house their workers. The whole site is now an industrial museum.

Back in Erddig Country Park, there are many paths that criss-cross the way. So you may feel the need to wander. But you will not want to miss out the formal garden. The garden, like the Erddig Hall, is a fantastic attraction. John Meller laid out the garden in its present form between 1718 and 1732, in the style that was then most fashionable. And today, little has changed. proving his vision has stood the test of time. Meller then bequeathed the estate to his nephew Simon, which was the begininng of the Yorke family tenure. Simon developed the garden further but did little to the house.

One highlight of the grounds of Erddig Country Park is a short section of the forty mile long Wat's Dyke. Less well known than Offa's Dyke, it was built for a similar purpose but historians argue to this day on who actually commissioned it.

One remarkable site in the park is the Cup and Saucer. The Cup and Saucer is a waterfall feature that uses a small drop in the River Clywedog to raise a small proportion of it to a greater height.

As for Erddig Hall itself, the original house was built on a dramatic escarpment above the winding Clywedog river between 1684–1689 to the designs of Thomas Webb for Joshua Edisbury of Pentre Clawdd, High Sheriff of Denbighshire. Since then, there have been many alterations and additions. The hall and grounds are now in the care of the National Trust.

Other sights to look out for on the walk around the estate are the joiners' shop and smithy, the Midden Yard (with its saw mill and cart sheds), and the Stable Yard (with its stables and tack room, carriages and vintage bicycles and vintage cars). In the house are the laundry, bakehouse, kitchen and scullery.