Until the 19th century the area was common land used for grazing with only a few houses. As with other villages in this area, such as Coedpoeth, Gwynfryn and Minera, the village prospered in the agricultural and industrial revolutions, benefiting from the rich deposit of silica underground. Local quarries and coal mines provided employment, and the village grew. The nearby Minera Limeworks was the largest employer in the area until it closed in the 1970s. In 1954 the Bwlchgwyn Silica Company even proposed to purchase the entire land of Bwlchgwyn for mining purposes and force residents to move. This plan was accepted, but after campaigns by local villagers and a councillor, Mr. Hooker, it was eventually denied and the company soon ceased to operate.