Its biggest attraction is a volunteer-run forest at a disused quarry and it has just one Co-op shop to its name.
But soon the quaint village of Marford in Clwyd on the Wales-England border will be rolling out the red carpet to welcome Hollywood royalty when an A-list couple moves in.
Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds has snapped up a £1.5million, four-bedroom home in the sleepy village, with his wife Blake Lively, 35.
The home – reportedly the ‘poshest in the street’ – is just just five miles north-east of Wrexham where he and fellow movie giant Rob McElhenney run the town’s football club.
It is a far cry from the £4.3million luxury New York home Reynolds and his wife share with their four children – and it appears Lively is in no rush to move from the Big Apple anytime soon, as she was pictured strolling around the city yesterday.
Ryan Reynolds on Monday during the Vanarama National League match between Wrexham and Notts County at The Racecourse Ground
Blake Lively was pictured on a stroll in New York on Monday after the news broke
Marford has been part of both England and Wales over the years – being just a few miles from the border.
The village has a population of roughly 2,500 people. There are two pubs, one at the bottom of the Marford hill – The Trevor Arms – and the other at the top, The Red Lion.
There is one shop, the Co-op which opened in June 2016, adjacent to The Red Lion.
The village also has a disused quarry, which opened in 1927 to originally supply materials for the creation of the Mersey Tunnel before being shut down in 1971.
It has since become become an important nature reserve, having been colonised by a variety of plant species and insect life like moths and butterflies.
Marford’s previous claim to fame was being the hometown of former Blue Peter presenter, Tim Vincent, so a wave of excitement is washing over the village.
Maguz Malik, 57, who owns The Red Lion pub, told MailOnline today: ‘It’s wonderful news. Ryan Reynolds has done so much for Wrexham and the local area.
The sleepy village of Marford in Clwyd on the Wales-England border will soon be rolling out the red carpet to welcome Hollywood royalty
Marford has been part of England and Wales over the years as it is just miles from the border
But the little community is a far cry from the hustle and bustle of New York city. It has one Co-op (pictured) and two pubs
One of the pubs is The Red Lion. Maguz Malik, 57, who owns the boozer, said: ‘It’s wonderful news. Ryan Reynolds has done so much for Wrexham and the local area’
Maguz Malik, who owns The Red Lion pub in Marford, told MailOnline today: ‘It’s wonderful news. Ryan Reynolds has done so much for Wrexham and the local area’
‘It’s caused a real buzz in the village, many of the locals are excited that such a huge star is going to be living here.
‘I’ve seen a lot of his movies and I’ve obviously watched the Netflix documentary about him and Rob McElhenney taking over at Wrexham football club.
‘Ryan seems like a real down to earth guy and I think he’ll fit in around here. It’s a friendly and welcoming place to live. I’m sure he’ll love it as much as us.
‘And he’s more than welcome in the pub, we’ll have a pint waiting for him.’
Wrexham fan Rob Davies, 58, was also thrilled at having such a famous neighbour.
He said: ‘It’s fantastic news that he’s chosen Marford as a place to live. What he and Rob have put into Wrexham, both the football club and the local community, has been incredible. They’ve been a force for good over these last two years.
‘I think they both have a genuine fondness for the club and the area and it’s certainly reciprocated.
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‘Ryan is a bit like his character in Deadpool, very deadpan. I like that. He doesn’t take himself very seriously and he’s been criticised for taking on Wrexham by other rival supporters but he never snaps or gets heated. He deals with it all with humour – and that’s the best way.’
The tiny village, home to about 2,500 people, doesn’t have its own church or place of worship. But dotted around it are buildings like this, with Gothic-style architecture
Before the arrival of Reynolds, the biggest celebrity to have lived in the village was Tim Vincent from Blue Peter (pictured in 1995)
Family: The Deadpool star is believed to have splashed out on a four-bedroom home where he will be joined by wife Blake Lively, 35 and their children James, eight, Inez, six, and Betty, three, as well as their fourth baby born earlier this year (pictured last month)
Wrexham fan Rob Davies (left), 58, was also thrilled at having such a famous neighbour moving in. Alex Roberts (right), 35, said a friend of his had actually met Reynolds at a recent Wrexham game
Lucia Cunningham, 23, said she hoped she would bump into Reynolds at the local Co-Op, where she had just bought some shopping.
Smiling broadly, she said: ‘He’s a genuinely nice person who doesn’t just care about the football club but about the whole town.
It’s the little things he does, like making Welsh cakes and learning Welsh. It endears him to us locals.
‘I’m so pleased that Marford is going to get a bit of Hollywood glitz and glamour. It would’ve been so easy for someone like Ryan to set up home in Cheshire, Manchester or Liverpool, where a lot of the big football stars live, but he’s chosen to live here in North Wales with us.
‘To think that I could bump into him at the shops getting a paper and some milk is so funny. I hope he brings all his celebrity friends!’
Meanwhile, Alex Roberts, 35, said a friend of his had actually met Reynolds at a recent Wrexham game.
He added: ‘My mate and his son spoke to him at the Racecourse Ground and he was brilliant with them. He has a way with people, he can talk to and get on with anyone.
‘Ryan’s going to put Marford on the map.
‘We haven’t seen too many celebrities over the years. Tim Vincent, the former Blue Peter presenter came from here, but Ryan is another league – he’s Hollywood A-list!’
Reynolds , along with co-chairman Rob McElhenney, have helped transform Welsh team Wrexham FC, and have had huge success documenting their progress in season one of their documentary series, ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
Checking out the sights: When Ryan moves into the area he’ll be able to check out the local pub, The Red Lion (pictured)
Lucia Cunningham, 23, said she hoped she would bump into Reynolds at the local Co-Op
Game: The actor bought Wrexham football club in 2020 alongside It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor Rob McElhenney (pictured with wife Blake at a game last year)
In August last year Reynolds revealed his wife was not particularly happy when he told her the he had bought the Welsh team with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor McElhenney.
In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he said: ‘I remember seeing Blake, saying, “I have bad news and I have really bad news. I slipped into someone’s DMs again. The really bad news is that I might have bought half of a fifth-tier national football league in Wales.”‘
However, Ms Lively has been snapped cheering on Reynold’s club. In May last year the couple watched Wrexham take on Bromley during the Buildbase FA Trophy Final at Wembley Stadium in London.
The pair bought the club back in 2020. Since then they have put Wrexham and its once struggling club firmly back in the spotlight.
They reached the Wembley final in 2022 and narrowly missed out promotion after finishing second in the National League.
The club’s duo are also striving to give women’s football a boost and recently announced they will attend Wrexham ladies team’s match against local rivals Connah’s Quay Nomads tomorrow.
Reynolds and Lively have four children James, eight, Inez, six, and Betty, three, and their fourth baby born earlier this year.
