1876: The Art Treasures Exhibition

William Low (62), bearded Scotsman

For Years 5-6

My name is William Low. Engineer. I had a plan, to build a tunnel under the English Channel all the way to France. But it wasn’t to be – not then. Now, though, as well as owning one of Wrexham’s big coal mines, I have this love of art. So, me and a few others had this idea – to bring a big Art Treasures Exhibition to Wrexham. We built a huge pavilion of metal and glass, just behind my Westminster Building on Hope Street. And we filled it with a thousand famous painting, tens of thousands of priceless art treasures. The Exhibition ran every day for four months and 80,000 people came to see it.

For Years 7-8 (or older)

My name is William Low. Engineer. I had a plan, to build a tunnel under the English Channel all the way to France. But it wasn’t to be – not then. Now, though, as well as owning one of Wrexham’s big coal mines, I have this love of art. So, me and a few others had this idea – to bring a big Art Treasures Exhibition to Wrexham. We built a huge pavilion of metal and glass, just behind my Westminster Building on Hope Street. And we filled it with a thousand famous painting, tens of thousands of priceless art treasures. Jewellery once owned by kings and queens. Beautiful porcelain. Gold and silver ornaments. Precious objects from India, China and Japan. Antiquities – like the Caergwrle Bowl from the Bronze Age. Apart from the art treasures, all the Wrexham businesses displayed the goods they made. But that’s another story.

The Exhibition ran every day for four months and 80,000 people came to see it. They came from everywhere. And every day there were concerts, choirs, marching bands. It was one of the greatest events ever to take place in Wrexham.

Can you make a model of the Exhibition? Or draw a map? Might you write a newspaper article or a poem? What do we know about the Caergwrle Bowl? Can you name some famous painters whose pictures were on show at the Exhibition?