69 Acton Gate

Cadw's description

Location

Pair of houses towards the junction of Chester Road and Acton Gate, set back from the road in small gardens.

History

Built as part of Wrexham Garden Village, an ambitious housing scheme initiated by Wrexham Tenants Limited in 1913 under the aegis of Co-Partnership Tenants, but adopted as one of its first five schemes by the Welsh Town Planning and Housing Trust. G. L. Sutcliffe was the architect to Co-Partnership Tenants, and was responsible for the layout of the estate, as well as for many of the building designs. This pair of houses, designed by Sutcliffe, were among the earlist houses to be built in the village.

Exterior

Roughcast render over brick, with grey slate roofs, and brick axial and end wall stacks. Neo-vernacular style. 2 storeys, a symmetrically planned 4-window range, with advanced outer gables. Entrances in short hipped roofed wings set back to either side. Doorways recessed in porches with round-arched entrances, the roof above swept down from the hipped gable.
Gabled ranges have canted bay windows with slate roofs to lower storey, and 3-light casement windows (renewed in original openings) above. Central range between the gables has roof swept down and carried on chamfered and braced timber posts over verandah, with French doors in return of gabled cross wing, and casement windows in main range. Long dormer windows of 4-lights in the roof above. Linked to the entrance blocks at either side, are hipped roofed garage extensions, which may be adapted from original outbuildings, and are similar in detail to the main building.

Reason for designation

A good example of one of the original designs for the Garden Village, forming a varied group of house designs, Nos 63 and 69-71 Acton Gate.