Town Hill (Welsh: Allt y Dref) is a street in Wrexham city centre, North Wales.

5 is a Grade II listed building located on the south side of Town Hill, adjacent to the Church Street junction.

[1][2] Its exterior is render over a timber frame, while its rear wing is made of brick, and both have slate roofs.

It is of the late medieval era, with its rear wing forming the oldest part as it was a cruck-framed open hall.

[3] In the 1990s the building underwent a restoration which revealed some of its internal panelling was marked with the date 1681, and remains of a possible priest hole.

It was common for properties to consist of a shopfront, while the upper floors of a building served as accommodation for the shopkeeper.

[9] The Town Hall was demolished early 1940, to help alleviate traffic issues and congestion,[10] particularly with High Street, which served as a bus terminal at the time.

[12][13] Now located at the bottom of Town Hill is a welfare centre, formerly a toilet block, called Hafan y Dref.

Opened in December 2015, it provides assistance to individuals attending local nightlife venues in the area.

[14] In February 2020, the Daily Post reported that it was the tenth highest street in North Wales for attacks and assaults, likely due to it being part of Wrexham's hub of bars, clubs and pubs.

In 1713, the building was rebuilt, while it stopped providing court functions later in the 18th century, increasingly being utilised by tenants and for public events.

It was demolished in 1940 as part of the widening of Town Hill to alleviate traffic congestion in the area, especially as neighbouring High Street served as a bus terminal.

It was used as a Magistrates' court and a meeting place,[10][11] while a 1705 statement records the Shirehall was built on lands belonging to the Crown.

This was mentioned in a 1663 quarter session held at the hall stating "some of this said court house or building [stands] on the church land".

[9] In 1583, Richard Gwyn, a Catholic priest (now a martyr) was held in the black chamber of the previous hall until his execution.

[10] By 1658, the medieval building was possibly in a "runious condition" as the grand jury then raised calls for a "proper Shirehall" for the town of Wrexham.

While an additional two-storey building was constructed to its south-west, containing a few rooms for occupation by the then county treasurer Philip Cross.

As a result of these public lets, the premises hosted a "Yorkshire Cloth Market" as part of a March fair.

[9] In the early 19th century, the great room of the hall had been additionally used for a while as a depot for the East Denbighshire Militia, with their muskets and uniforms being ranged around the building's walls.

[9] In c. 1834, the ground floor was enclosed between its pillars,[11] with the lower part of the premises converted into "spirit vaults" shortly after.

[9] In April 1852, a clock was presented to the town by local subscriptions to commemorate the marriage of Watkin Williams-Wynn, and was placed on the eastern front elevation of the building.

[11] It was demolished between February and March 1940, to help alleviate traffic issues and congestion,[10] particularly with High Street, as at the time, it served as Wrexham's bus terminal to Chester, Llangollen and nearby villages.

[11] Edward Hubbard, in his Clwyd volume in the Buildings of Wales series, wrote of the "grievous" damage done to Wrexham's architectural heritage by 19th and 20th century developments - he considered the destruction of the Town Hall, "the demolition most to be deplored".

Carved beams had been found at the site, bearing symbols of both the Crown and the Church, suggesting the likely ownership of the land the building lay upon.

[21] Near the bottom also lies College Street, with the Cambrian Vaults Public House (The Parish) on the junction.