The Infirmary
Look diagonally across the road and you'll see the College of Art & Design with its Neo-Classical front and portico. The College was originally the Infirmary for the town. Wrexham held a bazaar to raise money for a new infirmary in 1837. They raised the tidy sum of £1053 and the Infirmary opened a year later.
Health care was run very differently back then. Wealthy people gave money and in return could recommend people for treatment. If you gave a guinea a year, you could help 12 people including one in-patient as long as you paid a 10 shillings 6 pence fee for board (bring your own bed linen.) By 1860 the Infirmary was treating 2000 people a year. Not bad for then, but probably a week's work for a modern GP surgery.
The Infirmary served as Wrexham's hospital until 1926, when it became part of the Denbighshire Technical College. Since 1953 it has been a successful Art College.
