Religious disapproval rarely dampened the locals' love of entertainment. The March Fair was a highlight in the year and on Dydd Llun Pawb (Everyone's Monday) the streets were packed and the Beast Market crowded with fairground shows. Cockfighting and bull baiting were still in fashion at the start of the 19th century, but Wrexham's tastes were changing.

In 1818 Thomas Penson built the town's first theatre near the Beast Market. George Stanton, the manager, attracted the finest travelling companies and unfortunately rowdy audiences too. Demand for entertainment grew and in 1873 the Public Hall opened on Henblas Street as the venue for variety shows. The Glynn off Lambpit Street opened in 1910 as the town's first cinema. The Hippodrome though showed the first 'talkie' in 1926.

Wrexham people also made their own entertainment. Ross and Constance Wallis and Walter Roberts organised shows and pantomimes that kept the town laughing during the first four decades of the 20th Century. They did not just raise a laugh but also thousands of pounds for local charities. Elsewhere local amateurs formed the Grove Park Little Theatre. The Joy Centre on Willow Road, and dances at the Bodhyfryd Hut, Church House and the Miners' Institute also provided many happy memories.

Part 6