Chirk is situated on the border between Wales and England approximately 9 miles south west of Wrexham town centre and 5 miles north of Oswestry. The village sits within a shallow valley sandwiched between the historic estates of Chirk Castle, which overlooks the village to the west, and Brynkinallt hidden to the east by a sloping ridge and dissected from the village by the modern A483 bypass.

The conservation area focuses on the historic core of the village which is set on a small outcrop above the Ceiriog River and overlooking the picturesque Ceiriog Valley. The conservation area boundary encompasses the original medieval settlement around the Church of St Mary and Church Street and extends westwards along Station Avenue and Castle Road to include the Chirk Aqueduct and Viaduct, now part of the inscribed Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site.

The boundary of the conservation area also extends northwards to take in part of Holyhead Road which was altered as part of Thomas Telford’s historic A5 London to Holyhead trunk road.

Chirk Conservation Area was first designated in August 1975 and its boundary reviewed and extended in October 1997 and 2013/2014. The Chirk Conservation Area article 4(2) direction came into effect in July 2002. The Chirk Conservation Area Character Assessment and Management Plan was adopted in 2013/2014.