Prifysgol Wrecsam/Wrexham University Campus - North Wales
Croeso i Wrecsam! Welcome to Wrexham! 🏴
Here is my build of Prifysgol Wrecsam/Wrexham University in North Wales!
This project took just over 6 months to build from May to December 2025, and is among the few colleges/universities within the wider United Kingdom to have been fully reconstructed to scale in Minecraft and to a high degree of detail and accuracy.
History:
Wrexham University is a public university located in the city of Wrexham (Wrecsam) in northeast Wales. Situated on Mold Road, it sits next to the home stadium of Wrexham AFC, the "STōK Racecourse Ground" (STōK Cae Ras). It was built between 1950-53 and originally opened as the "Denbighshire Technical College", which was designed to provide and improve access to higher education within the North Wales region. In 1975 it was renamed to the "North East Wales Institute of Higher Education" or "NEWI". Later in 2008, NEWI gained full University status and was renamed to "Prifysgol Glyndŵr University" after the 14th century Welsh leader Owain Glyndŵr. Most recently in 2023, it rebranded to "Prifysgol Wrecsam/Wrexham University".
Facts about the main building (Plas Coch):
The main "Plas Coch" building opened in 1953 and features a façade made of locally-sourced Welsh sand-faced brick and windows featuring white frames. Utilising a post-war modernism design, it is characterised by long, continuous bands of fenestration which run across both floors, providing plenty of natural light as part of its main design goal. It received the RIBA bronze architectural medal in 1956 for its design and the planning that went into the design such as its acoustics and lighting. The building features a prominent clock tower on the southwest end featuring three clock faces. Most importantly however, the building was specifically designed with a secondary function in mind as it was designed in way that would allow for quick and easy conversion into a hospital in the event of a future conflict, emphasising the careful thought and planning that went into its design. "Cadw", the body responsible for the management and preservation of listed buildings in Wales, awarded the building Grade II listed status in 1994, serving as "an excellent, little-altered example of early 1950s post-war architecture" which was "considered outstanding at the time", as well as for its role in reshaping higher education in North Wales.
Please note: this project nor I are endorsed or funded by the university in any capacity; this is simply a fan made project I made to challenge myself and to showcase my creative skills on a large scale.
Diolch yn fawr!
Cian.