Moss

Grid reference: SJ305535
Co-ordinates: 330558, 353515
Bearing: S

Castletown in the neighbouring village of Moss. My mother came from the Moss (although not this bit).

Grid reference: SJ305535
Co-ordinates: 330548, 353598
Bearing: WNW

The Wesleyan Chapel (known colloquially as the Brake Chapel) in the Moss was opened in 1886, having been built with local stone and the sweat of the workers of the nearby Westminster Colliery.

It got its name from the fact that it was situated on the site of the Old Brake House. This housed a steam engine which was used as a brake on an endless-rope railway which transported coal up the incline. The section between Brymbo and Moss was rendered obsolete by the construction of the Great Western Railway's Ffrwd Branch in 1862, and the section between the Moss and Gwersyllt was superseded by a branch off that, rendering the entire section of tunnels and inclines obsolete by 1908.

Brake Chapel closed some years ago, and was demolished in the early part of 2010.

The dark blue building in centre left is the former Eagles pub.

Grid reference: SJ305535
Co-ordinates: 330548, 353598
Bearing: WNW

And this is what is on the site now (2012).

Grid reference: SJ304536
Co-ordinates: 330455, 353633
Bearing: E

All that remains of the old chapel on the site is the name-stone, which is mortared into the boundary wall on the far side from the first shot above.

Grid reference: SJ303536
Co-ordinates: 330375, 353655
Bearing: E

This is a view of another part of Moss, taken from the footpath which leads from Woodlands Road over Brynmalley fields to Pentre Broughton.

The long, low building in the centre is the former Grapes pub, and above and beyond that is the Old Manse.

This is perhaps the place to recount one of my favourite newspaper corrections:

"Due to a mishearing on the telephone, our report in last week's edition stated that Mr & Mrs ---- would be living with the bride's father. They will in fact be living at The Old Manse."

© Nigel Stapley