The Not So Good Old Days

It is easy to be nostalgic about the good old days. The life of Wrexham people in the past was tough. In response they came together to create the community spirit that we often envy today.

However, we should not forget the downsides to the lives of the people we can only see in sepia:

• In 1907, 15% of children born in Wrexham died before their first birthday, compared to less than 0.5% today. The figure for 1906 was even worse: nearly 20%.

• In 1931, 36% of working class men in Wrexham did not have a job.

If you were unemployed, too sick or too old to work, unmarried and pregnant, or an orphan, you could be sent to the workhouse. You would be reliant on the charity of others and condemned by society for needing help.  In 1907 the local newspaper complained that the poor in the workhouse cost too much to feed - 3s 6d each a week. At the time, a loaf of bread cost 2d, while the average wage was less than 10 shillings a week.

Leading Actresses, Walter Roberts Pantomine Company, 1933
© Wrexham Archives

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