The Three Towns Blog

Llandudno Pier

2012-01-16T17:07:00.001Z

Llandudno Pier, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

As you know, you can never have too many photos of Llandudno Pier on this Blog. I'm quite pleased with this photo, like the angle and lighting.

New Year's Eve Pier

2012-01-02T14:40:00.001Z

Llandudno Pier, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

Looking up Llandudno Pier at about 5pm on New Years Eve.

Torchlight Parade in Conwy

2011-11-11T09:16:00.001Z

Torchlight, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

As part of the official Opening Ceremony for the Wales Rally GB on Conwy Quay, the town was full of entertainers dressed in medieval costumes. With the High Street being closed to traffic in the evening, the opportunity was taken to hold a Torchlight Parade. It weas very atmospheric and a great success, once again, well done to everyone involved.

Wales Rally GB in Llandudno

2011-11-11T08:16:00.001Z

Rally, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

It was great to see Llandudno and Conwy both so busy for the Rally yesterday. We seem to be getting more prestigious events like this coming to the area lately and the Rally has provided a real boost to the towns in what is usually a very quiet time of year. Judging by the array of foreign accents heard, it must have brought a fair bit of money into the area. Well done to everyone involved in organising this event - it was well planned and meant a minimum of disruption to local people.

Pictured is Ken Block's Ford Fiesta RS approaching the start of the Great Orme stage of the Wales Rally GB, which is the final round of the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship..

Gone For A Burton

2011-10-16T20:38:00.001+01:00

Gone For A Burton, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

Burton's Llandudno store enters its final few days before closure. There has been a Burtons on the site since 1935. The unit has been purchased by leading coffee shop chain Caffe Nero. No doubt other coffee shops in the area are very nervous of this new arrival.

Recommended in Rhyl

2011-09-25T07:50:00.001+01:00

Amber Coffee House, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

Whenever I've been in Rhyl lately, I make a point of popping in to the Amber Coffee House at 85 High Street. In the past, it's been difficult to find somewhere pleasant to enjoy a good coffee & snack but this busy little cafe (that only seems to have popped up in the last few months) delivers on all counts.

The food selection consists mainly of snacks, with nothing more substantial than an eclectic range of sandwiches and Paninis. However, for a lunchtime snack, it's more than enough and the food is always of great quality. Next time you're in Rhyl, do give it a try.

Travelodge Is Coming....

2011-09-14T13:36:00.001+01:00

ClarenceHotel, Llandudno, in 2008 (Photo Credit)

This is an updated version of a piece that appeared on the Blog in 2010.

The saga of the once proud Clarence Hotel has rumbled on in Llandudno for the last couple of years. It forms a substantial Victorian building, which contains 51 bedrooms and has five and a half storeys, including a basement. The building occupies the whole of Gloddaeth Street’s frontage, between Bodhyfryd Road and Arvon Avenue. The site is within the Llandudno Conservation Area and forms part of an almost continuous frontage of listed buildings along both sides of Gloddaeth Avenue, from Seilo Chapel to Mostyn Street. However, the Hotel itself is not listed.

For many years a successful hotel, it formed part of a hotel chain until 2001. The building was then sold to a Mr. Ragheb, but did not operate as a hotel to any significant extent and ceased operation entirely in about 2007. Its usage since then has attracted a great deal of both controversy and criticism in Llandudno.

In 2005, the owner applied to convert the Hotel into 19 apartments, with an arcade of 3 shops on the Ground Floor. It was at this time that the Owner claimed that the hotel had been operating at a Loss since 2002. This application was refused, as Conwy Council wished it to remain a hotel - it stands within the 'Primary Holiday Accommodation Zone' in Llandudno, which has a presumption against any hotel being granted permission for conversion for another use.

The ground floor (formerly the Hotel's Reception/Public areas) was converted into three separate businesses - the Sakura Japanese restaurant (notorious for the raid by the UK Borders Agency which saw them find an illegal immigrant chef living in a chest freezer in the basement!), a bar/cafe called Rumourz (which allegedly operated without Planning Permission) and the Beijing Chinese Restaurant (which also allegedly had an illegal immigrant workforce). In 2009, all three businesses closed due to various problems and the entire building stood empty. The upper floors of the building cannot be used as the Fire Service has issued a Prohibition order.

Vandalism and theft of pipes etc became an increasing problem in 2010, as attempts to secure the large building were not particularly successful. A fire was started by intruders on the 25th February in a first floor bedroom but was fortunately spotted and dealt with by the Fire Service quickly. Ownership by then had passed to Receivers following the bankruptcy of the owner, who put the Hotel up for sale with a guide price of £1,000,000.

Rumours of a a sale began circulating in mid 2011, with mention being made of Premier Travel Inn, Travelodge, J D Wetherspoon and Yates and being potential buyers. By this time, the building was in a very poor state both internally and externally. Metal sheeting was applied to the ground floor windows and doors to prevent further damage occurring. On August 4th, a friend spotted that workmen were busy emptying the hotel of anything combustible, so we asked one of them if we could take a look inside. To our surprise, he agreed!

We went in though the side door and straight into the old Beijing Chinese Restaurant (originally the Royal Oak Bar). No furniture remained, but the old range in the kitchen was intact and still smelt of Chinese food! We then walked through into what had latterly been the Rumourz bar before closure. There were pools of water on the floor here and you could see where a large section of ceiling had collapsed over the bar. There was also an old Punchball coin-operated machine, that had been destroyed by vandals. The smell of damp was very strong. On the ceiling here was a massive plasterwork rose, must have been 10 foot across, still in good condition. There was a very nice tiled floor in this area, must have been original, very intricate design.

Next up was the old main staircase area - another massive plasterwork ceiling rose and an ancient lift (the sort where you had to slide the metal folding door across) was slotted into the middle of the staircase. A quick peep through into the old Sakura Restaurant (still furnished), and we headed up the once very grand staircase to the First Floor. It was sad to see that some of the carved wooden tops of the staircase bannister had been smashed by vandals but the good news was that there were lovely stained glass windows on the staircase that were completely intact.

On the First Floor, we had a quick look in the Bedrooms, still furnished in some cases with wardrobes etc but everything combustible is currently being removed from the building. There were small items of debris strewn around the entire building and I noticed the electric sockets and switches had been ripped out by thieves. Up again to the second floor, lots more bedrooms with odd pieces of furniture in them and even the odd picture hanging on the wall. Floor was a bit ropey in places, perhaps as a result of thieves pinching copper pipes. Up once more to the top floor, lots of attic rooms that must once have accommodated the staff. Not tiny rooms but not much fun for a tall guy like myself, as headroom was very limited in the corners. The roof was leaking in quite a few places and the plaster had fallen away. A quick look into the room that held the winding gear for the Lift (all original) and we headed back down.

Clearance work on the hotel continued for a few more days, along with asbestos removal. It certainly seemed clear that the building had been sold but to who?

News eventually broke in September that the hotel had been sold to the Northold Group of Manchester, who planned to renovate the building and lease the upper floors to Travelodge, whilst intending to let the ground floor separately as two units, a bar and restaurant.

This is probably the best outcome for a building which, without major investment, would have just continued its gentle decline into dereliction. The new development will being 60 jobs to Llandudno.

Caffe Nero is coming....

2011-09-03T19:32:00.003+01:00

Caffe Nero, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

The news that Caffe Nero will be coming to Llandudno will be good for Mostyn Street, I think.

Caffe Nero have confirmed to me that they intend their Llandudno cafe to be open 'late November/early December', which doesn't give them a whole lot of time to refurbish existing premises/apply for change of use. Could it be that speculation about Burtons Corner is misleading and they actually intend to just buy and re-brand an existing cafe business on Mostyn Street? Or are they just very fast workers...?

As always...time will tell.

Fun In The Sun 2011

2011-08-31T11:50:00.003+01:00

Fun In The Sun 2011, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

Over to Rhyl Events Arena last weekend to do some event photography at the 'Fun In The Sun' series of open air concerts. Headlining the event was Gareth Gates (pictured), supported by a host of local talent getting their chance to shine. It's a shame we can't have events like this in Llandudno.

Full set of photos can be seen here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davellandudno/sets/72157627535684732/

Llandudno Lifeboat in action

2011-08-14T20:35:00.006+01:00

Llandudno Lifeboat In Action, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

The Llandudno Lifeboat was called out this afternoon to assist two injured kayakers off the Great Orme. I'm always impressed by the bravery and professionalism of the Lifeboat Crews, prepared to turn out in all weathers and risk their own lives to help others - a very worthwhile charity to support.

http://www.llandudnolifeboat.org.uk/

http://www.rnli.org.uk/
"The RNLI is an independent charity, funded by voluntary donations. "

Winch me up!

2011-08-07T21:35:00.002+01:00

Winch me up!, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

A demonstration of the RAF and RNLI's capabilities at the Emergency Services Day at Llandudno today.

Gwydir Castle, Llanrwst

2011-07-30T17:42:00.003+01:00

Gwydir Castle, Llanrwst, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

A trip up the Conwy Valley today and I stopped to grab this photo over the wall of the wonderful Gwydir Castle at Llanrwst. Built in c1490, it is really a fortified manor house but still very impressive, nonetheless.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwydir_Castle

http://www.gwydircastle.co.uk

Great British Summer

2011-07-17T23:29:00.002+01:00

Here comes the rain...again, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

Torrential rain all day long in Llandudno today. Not been the greatest of weekends for the town's traders but, being fair, we're had plenty of decent weather up until now.

Photo was taken Sunday lunchtime, barely a soul on the Pier or Promenade, in spite of the Triathlon taking place.

LLANDUDNO

2011-07-03T18:19:00.002+01:00

LLANDUDNO, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

Once the word LLANDUDNO was picked out in colourful flowers visible to everyone that walks along the pier, now they are just filled with concrete - what a shame.

Yachts in the Bay

2011-07-03T16:32:00.002+01:00

Yachts in the Bay, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

Summer has finally arrived....for a few days at least. The weather has been glorious in Llandudno this weekend and it's good to see the town and its businesses buzzing with people.

Curious case of the disappearing Poundstretcher

2011-06-18T17:35:00.004+01:00

Ever since the Woolworths store in Llandudno closed several years ago, there has been a great deal of speculation about who will be the new long term occupier of the premises. Both Publishers Book Clearance and Alworths have occupied the site but it has been empty for a few months after the demise of Alworths.

Last week, it was assumed Poundstretcher were taking over the premises as their signage was installed right along the shop canopy:

Now you see it....

However, in an interesting twist of events, it is widely rumoured that Tesco have gazumped them at the last moment so the shop can be used for a Tesco Express outlet. This would seem to be borne out by the fact that the Poundstretcher signage has been removed after less than a week in place:

Now you don't...

In my view, Tesco Express will revitalise that part of town and hopefully provide an impetus for other retailers to occupy the empty shops on that block. I understand that both the former Homestyle and Diskos shops are currently under offer.

Breakthrough

2011-06-08T18:30:00.002+01:00

Return, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

After several years of deadlock, Conwy Councilllors voted today to move forward with the acquisition of the semi-derelict Colwyn Bay Pier.

This has to be good news for this beleaguered structure. The Plan is for the Council to grant a Lease to a local Community Group, who can work to both obtain grant funding for renovation work, whilst also carrying out smaller jobs themselves and reopening some of the pier's facilities to the public. I wish them the best of luck.

Queen's Gardens Fountain

2011-06-05T19:57:00.003+01:00

Queen's Gardens Fountain, a photo by davidrobertsphotography on Flickr.

Very pleasing to see a powerful new fountain in Queen's Gardens, Colwyn Bay, a replacement for a rather feeble one that rarely worked due to vandalism. Well done to CCBC's Parks & Gardens Dept for getting this sorted out.

Next on their 'To Do' List - the Cascade water feature in Happy Valley, Llandudno....

No Flats

2011-05-23T20:16:00.003+01:00

No Flats, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

I saw this graffiti on a sign in the Pwllycrochan Conservation Area of Colwyn Bay. One wonders if the vandal may have a point, as several large Victorian houses in that area have disappeared over the past few years, to be replaced by Apartment Blocks.

Surely allowing Permission for such developments is against the whole ethos of a Conservation Area?

Dereliction

2011-05-23T18:16:00.002+01:00

Dereliction, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

I snapped this shot of the side entrance to Colwyn Bay Pier at the weekend. Sad to see how the process of decay is accelerating.

I only hope that the Friends of the Pier are ready to hit the ground running if they are able to assume ownership of the Pier - I understand that Conwy Council will be holding a Meeting in June to decide whether they will buy the Pier and then pass it on to the Friends Group to run.

Ruddigore

2011-05-05T14:41:00.006+01:00

Gilbert & Sullivan's Ruddigore

Rhos on Sea Savoyards are performing Ruddigore, an operetta by Gilbert & Sullivan, for 4 nights 18^th - 21^st May 2011. The Show starts at 7.30pm and it takes place at St. Paul’s Church Hall, which can be found in Rhiw Road Colwyn Bay (almost opposite the Town Hall). Tickets are only £5 for a musical show that pokes fun at both gothic horror and etiquette.

If you would like to reserve tickets, please contact Alison Smith on 07955 070885.

Rhos on Sea Savoyards is an amateur group that specialises in Gilbert and Sullivan; they’ve been around for nearly 30 years: more details on their website at www.savoyards.org.uk

Promenade Day 2011

2011-05-02T16:19:00.002+01:00

Promenade Day 2011, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

After a rather wet start (due to the high tide, not rain!), the Promenade Day at Colwyn Bay was another big success! As with the Extravaganza at Llandudno, it was good to see so many people enjoying themselves.

Extravaganza!

2011-05-01T21:33:00.002+01:00

Ta Daaaa!, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

The Victorian Extravaganza in Llandudno has had perfect weather this year and the crowds have been larger than ever as a result. Good to see so many people enjoying both the event and the town of Llandudno itself - it's what the resort was built for after all.

Credit must be given to the Organisers and Volunteers who put so much event into setting up the event every year. Photo shows the very talented Mr. David Alexander of Alexander's Travelling Show.

Sweep of Llandudno Bay

2011-04-25T09:32:00.003+01:00

Sweep of Llandudno Bay, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

Isthmus, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

Another beautiful day in Llandudno and I took the opportunity to take a few photos from the top of the Little Orme.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-04-22T20:40:00.003+01:00

Busy, Busy, Busy, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

What a day in Llandudno! Town was really busy and it was great to see so many visitors enjoying the town in the glorious sunny weather. Felt like it was the middle of August, not April!

Pig in a Poke

2011-04-17T17:52:00.002+01:00

Miniature Pig, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

An adorable little pig, to be found with his pal in the grounds of the Gwrych Caravan Park at Abergele. He enjoyed having his head scratched (by me obviously!).

West Shore Sunset

2011-04-11T20:45:00.002+01:00

West Shore Sunset, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

I was up on Anglesey Road on Sunday evening in the hope of taking some decent Sunset photos across West Shore and Conwy Bay. I didn't get anything really exciting but this one is not too bad, I think.

Colwyn Bay Pier once more....

2011-04-08T18:08:00.003+01:00

Return, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

News has surfaced in the local press that Conwy Council may be preparing to buy Colwyn Bay Pier from the Receivers for £35,000 and then hand it over to the Pier Pressure Group to run.

Regardless of the rights or wrongs of the various parties surrounding the ownership issue, I'm delighted by this news, because it means that the deadlock may finally be broken. The Pier has become little more than a ball to be kicked around by people with various agendas, whilst the Pier itself decays a little more every day.

Let the Pier Pressure Group have it...and let them try to harness the local community to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in with both physical work and fund-raising. It's sink or swim time for them...and I wish them the best of luck.

Descending the Great Orme

2011-04-03T09:10:00.002+01:00

Descending the Great Orme, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

The view looking across Llandudno Bay with the Great Orme Tram making the steady descent down to Llandudno from the Summit of the Great Orme.

Prints are available to buy here:
llandudno-emporium.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&p...

Blue Skies

2011-04-03T09:08:00.002+01:00

Blue Skies, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

Lovely day yesterday, a real feeling of Summer. I grabbed this shot of Colwyn Bay Pier with a fantastic sky above.

On The Waterfront

2011-03-24T20:59:00.002Z

Going, Going, Gone...Part Three, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

Very pleasing to see so much work going on at Colwyn Bay's Promenade. After a couple of decade's worth of council neglect, work has finally started to rebuild and revamp the Promenade. Even in its neglected state, the area was still busy on a Summer's day; think how busy it could be if it looked attractive and had some decent attractions...

We just need to hope that the Pier gets sorted out soon. Fingers crossed on that one!

Palace of Pleasure

2011-03-18T12:37:00.002Z

Palace of Pleasure, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

I found this old photo from about 2005 recently, it shows a vain attempt by an amusement arcade owner to conjour up the spirit of Las Vegas...in Rhyl. I've always seen it as symbolic of Rhyl's sad decline as a seaside resort. The sign, building and funfair behind have all been demolished in the last few years, as part of the Welsh Assembly Government's regeneration plans for Rhyl.

Tower Of Mystery

2011-03-03T08:10:00.002Z

Tower Of Mystery, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

This odd looking structure is on the beach at West Shore, Llandudno. I believe one of the local residents built it in the 1970s as a look out point for their house (which was on top of the cliff) but dont have any details. It's now abandoned and semi-derelict. Couldnt find a way up to the top of the tower, although we did look!

Vanished Pubs of Conwy

2011-02-19T10:36:00.004Z

The Black Lion, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

Following on from an old post about the vanished Pubs of Conwy, this is an updated list, with thanks to AngieP and Gwynedd Archives:

Conwy's pubs, past and present, vanished and in other uses (those marked * are still running as pubs today):

The Albion Vaults* (6 Uppergate Street)
The Anchor Uppergate Street (Could be same as Crown & Anchor or Hope & Anchor possibly?)
The Black Horse (West side of Castle Street - immediately to left of Aberconwy house) (In existence in 1795)
The Black Lion (Lyon) (now semi-derelict, Castle Street) (In existence in 1795) (Landlord 1895 - David Roberts)
The Blue Bell* (Castle Street) (Landlord in 1856 - Edward Jones)
The Boot Inn (now r/h side of Alfredos, Lancaster Square) (In existence in 1795) (William Lardner - Landlord in 1798)
The Bull (distinct from the Bull's Head, no idea as to location - any ideas?) (In existence in 1795)
The Bull's Head (High Street, by present Bull Cottages)
The Bridge* (Rosehill Street)
The Britannia Castle Street (Chinese Takeaway opposite NatWest Bank)
The Carpenters Arms (No 6 Berry Street)
The Castle Inn/Hotel* (High Street)(Landlady 1856 - Cordelia Owen)
The Castle View (Bangor Road, Old Co-op Building))
The Cockpit (in vicinity of the Cockpit)
The Commercial Inn Mrs Jane Fielding Llanrwst Rd Gyffin (1929)
The Conway Castle (No. 3 Berry Street) (Thomas Jones - Landlord in 1798)
The Conway [Conwy] Ferry (1798)(Landlady - Mary Davies)
The Conway [Conwy] Mariner (In existence in 1795)(Landlord - Thomas Jones)
The Crown and Anchor, Conwy (Landlord - John Jones)
The Crown Vaults Tavern (High Street, same side as Plas Mawr - Edwards Butchers Shop site?) (Miss Mary Annie Davies - Landlady 1910)
The Cross Keys, Conwy (In existence in 1903)
The Eagles Inn (Now Fisherman's Chip Shop, Castle Street) (In existence in 1795)
The Eccles Inn (Could this be a misspelling of Eagles Inn?)
The Feathers (7 Lancaster Square - currently the Post Office) (Richard Lewis - Landlord in 1798)
The Foresters Arms (Gyffin, now a private house)
The George & Dragon* (21 Castle Street)(Formerly the Tal Y Cafn)
The Hall, Conwy (Landlord - John Thomas)
The Harp Hotel (High Street, where Spar (former Woolworths) is now) (Roger Rous - Landlord in 1798)(formerly The Newborough)
The Hope and Anchor, Conwy (Landlord - Robert Jones)
The Joiners Arms (other side of Wing Gate Wall)(now house called Glanrafon)
The Kings Head (now l/h side of Castle Hotel)(Later known as Castle Vaults)
The Liverpool Arms* (on the Quay)
The Mail Coach/Coach & Horses* (High Street)
The Malt Loaf/Erskine Arms Hotel* (Rosehill Street) (Erskine Refreshment Room - on current car park)(Erskine Tap Room - Church Street)
The Mostyn Arms - Castle Street
The New Inn
The Newbridge Arms (Newborough Terrace)
The Old Bull's Head (High Street, in area where Bull Cottages are now)
The Pen y Grisia, Conway [Conwy] (1798)(Landlady - Catherine Jones)
The Plough Inn (site now occupied by Beresford Adams, Lancaster Square)
The Plough Bach (to left of Plough Inn (above))
The Railway Tavern, No.1 York Place, Conwy
The Red Lion (Lyon) (on High Street, opposite Conwy Pantry) (In existence in 1795)
The Rising Gull (Berry Street)
The Royal Oak Tavern (house to right of 'Smallest House' on Quay)
The Ship Tavern (now Pen Y Bryn Tearooms, High Street) (In existence in 1795)
The Ship (Castle Street)(next to the Eagles)
The Soldiers Rest (by Berry Street Arch) (May also have been called Soldiers Arms)
The Sun, Conway (In existence in 1795 - Mary Jones Landlady)
The Swan (Berry Street, 'up entry by old Co-op')
The Union Tavern (Chapel Street - now Hen Dafarn house?)
The White Horse (Uppergate Street - next to the Albion)
The White Lion, Conwy (Landlord - Nathaniel Atkinson)

Wetherspoon & the Palace Coup

2011-02-17T12:47:00.002Z

It's like a Palace!, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

The news that J D Wetherspoon has confirmed their interest in opening a Pub in Conwy must surely strike dread into every existing Conwy Pub Landlord's heart.

A vast Wetherspoons emporium of cheap food and drink can only prove to be the final straw for many of Conwy's already struggling pubs. With the Albion and Mailcoach already closed, how many of the others can survive? Conwy is only a small town and the trade is already spread pretty thinly, especially in the Winter months. What effect, too, will it have on Conwy's cafes and restaurants, as cheap food is a staple of every Wetherspoons?

The word is that Wetherspoon are interested in purchasing the Palace Bingo building and converting that into a pub. This would make perfect sense for them - all of Conwy's existing pubs are way too small for a Wetherspoon style operation - talk of them purchasing the Albion is just fanciful.

Major investment by a business is usually always very welcome but I fear in this case that the competition will be too much for Conwy's independent pubs.

And they're off!!!

2011-02-13T14:44:00.002Z

And they're off!!!, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

The Annual 'Nick Beer' 10k Road Race took place today here in Llandudno, with 750 runners taking part. It is now apparently in the Top 5 10km races in the UK. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves!

Frozen...

2011-01-31T09:35:00.002Z

Frozen Waterfall, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

Whilst out walking today round Llyn Elsi, I passed this frozen waterfall on the Afon Rhiwddolion, just by the Sarn Helen Roman Road at Betws Y Coed. An impressive sight! Llyn Elsi itself was completely frozen over, too.

Conwy Castle

2011-01-29T21:27:00.002Z

Conwy Castle, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

The weak January sunshine illuminates Conwy Castle and (on the right) one portal of Robert Stephenson's Tubular Bridge of 1848 carrying the Chester-Holyhead railway line..

The Eagle Has Landed

2011-01-15T19:52:00.003Z

Contemplation, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

After quite a few years of people telling me "you should sell your photos", I have set up a website to promote the photography side of things:

www.davidroberts-photography.co.uk

Investment

2011-01-10T11:20:00.007Z

Under Repair, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

Good to see some money being spent on repairing Llandudno's Pier - it has become noticeably shabbier in recent years. I've always thought that the owners, Six Piers Ltd, made a large mistake in treating it the same way as their Blackpool piers - Llandudno is a far classier resort and the attractions on the Pier should reflect that.

Try a visit to the Oceans Cafe at the end of the pier and you will find a tatty looking cafe that serves appalling sludge described as Nescafe coffee in paper cups. Who on earth would want to come back and have another one? The Pierhead bar has all the character of a Bus Shelter. Large sections of the pier railings and kiosks appear to be half decorated - why start the job of painting them and then leave it halfway through? Why have the Bar and Cafe open...but not have any Toilet facilities for their customers at the Pierhead? Management's sole focus is on cutting costs, there is no interest in investing for the future, in terms of new attractions etc.

Fact is...Six Piers are slowly killing the Goose that laid the Golden Egg...and Llandudno as a whole will lose out in the end. The Pier should be the town's premier attraction, instead of some third rate catering facilities and a collection of kiosks selling tat.

EDIT: I now see on Oscar's blog that Six Piers Ltd are proposing to increase the rents on the Pier kiosks by as much as 100%. At a time when economic problems are mounting, this surely must be the final straw for small businesses operating from the pier?

Isn't it time we brought Llandudno Pier back into local ownership, instead of the dead hand of Chorley based Six Piers Ltd? With some investment and imagination, it could become one of North Wales' top visitor attractions once again. Who's willing to step forward and put their money up?

Going, Going, Gone.

2011-01-08T17:10:00.005Z

Going, Going, Gone., originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

The area shown in the photo beyond the kiosk is shortly to be demolished and rebuilt, the first stage of the massive Colwyn Bay Waterfront scheme. The sea defences will be rebuilt first (and extended outwards to give more room for facilities), then a newly designed Promenade will be built. I thought it would be good to document this area before it all disappears forever.

Potential design submissions for this are can be seen here:
www.conwy.gov.uk/doc.asp?cat=8199&doc=27652

Here's an artist's impression of one of the design entries for this area:

This is a once in a hundred years opportunity to revitalise Colwyn Bay's Promenade and increase visitor numbers. Let's hope they don't mess it up!

Llandudno Snow

2010-12-18T19:07:00.002Z

Llandudno Snow, originally uploaded by davidrobertsphotography.

Heavy fall of snow in Llandudno today.

Snow In Rhos

2010-12-17T17:59:00.001Z

Snow In Rhos, originally uploaded by SnakeCorp.

Heavy snow arrived in Rhos On Sea late this afternoon. Buses ground to a halt, hence a lot of people waiting in the bus shelter on the left-hand side of the road. Hope they got home ok!

Santa is on his way...

2010-12-12T17:51:00.004Z

Santa is on his way., originally uploaded by SnakeCorp.

Start of the Santa Fun Run at Llandudno this morning, in aid of Ty Gobaith Childrens Hospice. 400 Santas & Snowmen (& Snow-women!) ran the one mile from the Cenotaph to Bodafon Fields. The weather was great and everyone enjoyed themselves!

http://www.hopehouse.org.uk/en/fundraising/santa-fun-runs/index.php

On the floor again...

2010-12-11T20:56:00.002Z

Subway from Floor Level, originally uploaded by SnakeCorp.

A shot of the Subway in Conwy, taken using the wide angle lens and laying the camera down on the floor. Nice effect, I think.

Conwy At Dusk

2010-12-11T19:43:00.002Z

Conwy At Dusk, originally uploaded by SnakeCorp.

A return to Conwy to try my hand at some night photography again. Looking across the Quay towards the Castle from the Town Walls.

Still no solution to a Sticky Problem...

2010-12-07T17:39:00.005Z

Can you see the pavement for all the Chewing Gum?

The sticky subject of the mess created by chewing gum on pavements in the local area has once again raised its head, following a post or two on Oscar's blog about the subject.

It's something I've mentioned myself in the past, almost one year ago, in fact. Unfortunately, nothing whatsoever has been done to tackle the problem, in spite of representations on the matter by several local people to Cllr Mike Priestley (Cabinet Member for the Environment at Conwy Council).

After several reminders, he has finally responded to Oscar's questions on the subject.

It would appear that the Council did own a Cleaning Machine but it was damaged by a flood at Dolgarrog and had to be written off.

One wonders if an insurance claim was submitted and what happened to the proceeds?

It would also appear that someone at CCBC has told Cllr Priestley that to buy a new machine to remove chewing gum would cost £120,000. No, that's not a typing error, I did say £120,000. Now, I'm not an expert on chewing gum removal, but, by using Google, I was able to find a machine specially designed for removing Chewing gum from Pavements that cost less than £5,000. Here's the link (with the price) so you can see for yourself:
http://www.getridofgum.com/remove_chewing_gum.html

So...what's going on? Is someone at Conwy Council trying to pull the wool over Cllr Priestley's eyes in order to save themselves some work?

Whatever the reason, it's disappointing to see that, one year later, nothing has been done...

High Street, Conwy

2010-12-04T13:32:00.002Z

High Street, Conwy, originally uploaded by SnakeCorp.

The High Street in Conwy, just after Dusk.

All around the World...

2010-12-02T21:22:00.004Z

One thing I find fascinating about this blog is the amazing diversity of the people that visit it. Looking at the visitors in the last few days, here are a few of the more unusual visitors :

Location/Organisation or ISP:

Netherlands (Ziggo Consumers)
Martinique (Mediaserv C)
London (Visit Britain)
Devon (South Devon College)
Caernarfon (Gwynedd County Council)
Aberystwyth (National Library Of Wales)
Czech Republic (Finnish State Computer Centre)
New York, United States (Schlumberger Limited)
Markham, Ontario, Canada (Bishop Graphics Newkirk)
Elk Grove Village, Illinois, United States (Comcast Business Communications)
Bangor (University Of Wales)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Switchworks Technologies)
Spain (Prioritytelecom Spain, S.a.)
Milan, Lombardia, Italy (Cohn & Wolfe Srl)
Grafton, Wisconsin, United States (Sbc Internet Services)
Guernsey (Cable & Wireless Guernsey)
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (Rogers Cable)
Llandudno (Conwy County Borough Council)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Telekom Malaysia Berhad)
London (British Broadcasting Corporation)
Dhahran, Ash Sharqiyah, Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabian Oil Company)
Anaheim, California, United States (Sbc Internet Services)
Colwyn Bay (Coleg Llandrillo)
San Francisco, California, United States (Comcast Cable)
Budapest, Hungary (Tvnetwork Inc.)
New York, United States (Google)
Salzgitter, Niedersachsen, Germany (Telefonica O2 Germany Gmbh)
Midlothian, Texas, United States (Aisl-11)
Poughkeepsie, New York, United States (Optimum Online)
Nixon, Texas, United States (Awesomenet)
Houston, Texas, United States (Earthlink)
Bentonville, Arkansas, United States (Cox Communications)
Manteca, California, United States (Comcast Cable)
Texarkana, Texas, United States (Windstream Communications)
Zonguldak, Bolu, Turkey (Turk Telekom)
Marshfield, Massachusetts, United States (Toyota Of Richmond)
Bangalore, Karnataka, India (Nib (national Internet Backbone))

As always, a warm 'thank you' to everyone who visits.

Icicles

2010-12-02T17:55:00.002Z

Icicles, originally uploaded by SnakeCorp.

Icicles on the rocks at the side of the Marine Drive, Great Orme, Llandudno.

Coffee Illy, Conwy

2010-11-30T22:16:00.006Z

Coffee Illy, Conwy (Photo Credit)

Probably my favourite place to call in for a coffee in Conwy is Coffee Illy. Tucked down the side street that links the High Street to the Quay (at the side of the Civic Hall), this small coffee ship is a treasure - friendly staff, pleasant surroundings, good service...and a great cup of coffee. Food selection is limited but they do Paninis, Cakes & Sandwiches, so fine if you're just looking for a snack.

When walking around Conwy, it's easy to overlook this place, but you'll be missing out on a treat if you do.

Once more into the night...

2010-11-24T21:20:00.005Z

Practising again with my Night Photography, so a brisk walk up to the top of Pen Y Dinas overlooking Llandudno and a bit of a wait for dusk to fall. It was very cold! Still, some nice pics resulted, here's one of the town just after dusk. It looks much more impressive at full size but it wouldn't fit on the blog, unfortunately, so a much smaller version is all I can show you. I was using the Nikon D700 with Sigma 15-30mm wide angle lens:

Looking down at Llandudno from Pen Y Dinas (Photo Credit)

Llandudno Bay from Pen Y Dinas (Photo Credit)

Conwy Castle & Quay (Photo Credit)

Save Conwy Civic Hall

2010-11-10T11:25:00.003Z

Conwy Civic Hall (Photo Credit)

I'm really pleased to see the local community organising itself to defend Conwy Civic Hall (currently threatened with closure by Conwy Council). As the cutbacks bite, we have to be ready to make a stand to protect these facilities and if that means the community taking over the running of a facility like the Civic Hall directly, then so be it.

They have a Blog up and running:

http://saveconwycivichall.blogspot.com/

..and a Facebook Group:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_115157115214249

Please give them your support.

Deserted

2010-11-04T20:36:00.001Z

Looking down a deserted Llandudno Pier on a wet & windy Autumn afternoon:

(Photo Credit)

Manor Fine Foods

2010-11-02T11:34:00.004Z

What a pleasure it was to see a new independent shop opening in Llandudno's Upper Mostyn Street. Manor Fine Foods & Wares has opened in the old Motorworld premises and have taken the time and trouble to fit out their shop in a very professional manner. It's also great to see someone aiming for the higher end of the market, rather than just the bargain basement 'pound market'. Llandudno's Mostyn Street used to be renowned for the high quality of its independent shops, let's hope that this is the first step towards re-establishing that reputation. I wish them the best of luck.

Autumn is here.....

2010-09-24T18:14:00.003+01:00

There's a chill in the air, the leaves are flying around, the first high tide of the Winter has arrived...Autumn is definitely here!

Launch of new Discussion Forum

2010-09-03T21:46:00.003+01:00

After much feverish activity from both Ian and myself this week, we are pleased to launch a new discussion forum for the three towns area of Llandudno, Colwyn Bay & Conwy. The Three Towns Forum is designed to be a fresh start for discussion forums locally, free of the nonsense and problems that have plagued previous attempts.

The Three Towns Forum

Why those three towns...? Because most of us in that local area have either lived, worked or socialised in all three of the towns during our lifetime and, so, have an interest in all of them.

The Forum was born out of the old Llandudno Local forum but offers an expanded geographic coverage, together with a fresh, new design and added functionality. Everyone; whether local, visitor or just someone with an interest in Llandudno, Colwyn Bay or Conwy is welcome to read the posts and join in with their own thoughts & comments.

Signing up as a Member is free and simple - just go to www.threetownsforum.co.uk click on 'Register' at the top of the screen, enter your desired Username, Password, Email Address and your account will be created for you to start posting immediately.

We look forward to having you on board!

Bank Holiday Monday

2010-08-30T19:12:00.007+01:00

The August Bank Holiday was probably the busiest day of the Season here in Llandudno, the town centre, promenade and pier were absolutely jam packed with people. Good to see everyone enjoying themselves and all the town's traders doing well.

Llandudno Bay Today (Photo Credit)

A very busy Pier (Photo Credit)

Llandudno Promenade (Photo Credit)

Llandudno Local Forum

2010-08-24T10:39:00.006+01:00

As many have noticed, the Llandudno Local forum has been offline for the last three days. According to Kindways, this is due to a fire at the U.S Hosting Company that hosts the forum. Kindways are working on the problem but, as yet, we have no information as to when the forum will be up and running again.

Update: The Forum is now up and running again but the posts appear to be several months out of date. Whether the more recent posts can be retrieved or not is in the hands of Kindways.

Pier Pavilion Saga Rumbles On...

2010-08-23T17:21:00.008+01:00

Another front page story in the North Wales Weekly News last week, about the continued failure of, well, anything to be done about the derelict site of the former Pier Pavilion Theatre on the front in Llandudno.

In case we need reminding, it is now sixteen years since the devastating fire that destroyed the iconic Grade II Listed Building. In that period, how many times have we heard of a breakthrough in progress with redeveloping the festering eyesore of a site - yet nothing has ever happened! At one point, the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) offered to use their Compulsory Purchase Powers but Conwy Council declined their offer!

Make no mistake, this is a landmark site in the resort of Llandudno and the only site of any size on the Promenade that would be suitable for the mixed use, all-weather leisure development that the town really needs (yes, it does rain in Wales occasionally!). The current owner, the ever elusive David Taylor of Worcester, seems to be dreaming of a 10 storey high apartment block on the site, netting him many millions of pounds profit. Sorry, Mr. Taylor, but it's never going to happen!

Unless Mr. Taylor accepts that residential development will never happen and sells the site to a Leisure Developer, then the only way forward is for CCBC/Welsh Assembly Government to carry out a Compulsory Purchase of the site and then pass it on to a Developer in order to recoup their money. As a Compulsory Purchase is carried out at a 'fair value', the price would reflect its current planning status as a leisure site and not some 'pie in the sky' residential site value. Thus, it would be a viable (not to say attractive) site for developers.

In conclusion, Llandudno would gain the all-weather attraction(s) that it desperately needs, jobs would be created for locals, taxes would be generated. for the Government...best of all, a sixteen year old embarrassment to the town removed once and for all!

The Glory Days... (Photo Credit)

Sixteen years of a derelict eyesore! (Photo Credit)

Foresters Arms, Gyffin

2010-08-12T21:32:00.008+01:00

Foresters Arms, Gyffin in 1901

A reader of the blog contacted me after seeing my post about the Pubs of Conwy and kindly supplied an old photo of the Foresters Arms on Llanrwst Road in Gyffin, Conwy which, back in 1901, was run by her Grandparents, William and Charlotte Olive (nee Davies) Roberts, they also had a daughter called Olive. If anyone has any more information about the Roberts family at the Foresters Arms, in the early 1900s, please do leave a comment or email me and I will pass it on.

Writing this post reminded me of a story in a local guidebook about the Foresters Arms, namely that it was permanently shut down as a result of being the only Pub in Britain to open on the day of Queen Victoria's funeral in 1901. However, this appears to be nothing more than an 'old wives tale', as it stayed open until 1903.

I also remembered that I had taken a photo of a gravestone in the Churchyard at Gyffin, so I dug that out and it read that Elizabeth Williams, of the Foresters Arms, Gyffin, had died in 1899 at the age of 73. Could the Roberts family have taken over the pub then?

Nowadays, the Foresters Arms is a private house. Have a StreetView look at it if you like by clicking here.

Update - November 2010: Here is the Foresters Arms in 2010. The lady in the 2010 photo is the Grand daughter of the Couple in the 1901 photo:

Foresters Arms in 2010

Pleased as Punch!

2010-08-09T18:48:00.012+01:00

I received a very unusual Wedding Invitation the other day:

"Britain's oldest Punch and Judy celebrate 150 years this year and despite their ups and downs and trials and tribulations, love has finally conquered all. Punch has finally declared his intent to marry his one true love, Judy on Thursday 5 August 2010 at 10am. To celebrate 150 years as Britain’s most loved and outrageous couple, Visit Llandudno is hosting the wedding of the century at the smallest church in the UK, St. Trillo’s Chapel in Rhos-On-Sea.

Professor Codman’s Punch and Judy show has been performed on Llandudno pier since 1860 by the Codman family and to this day, creator Richard Codman’s great great grandson, Jason performs the show daily from March to September. Four generations of Codmans have performed the show to Royalty including Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra, King Edward VII and the Prince of Wales, who would later become King George V as well as millions of visitors to North Wales."

Some photos (not taken by myself) of the happy event:

Of course, there is a also a video of their big day available:

Let's hope that the happy Couple have many more years of perfect bliss together....

The Wedding of Punch & Judy was arranged on behalf of Visit Llandudno by WeberShandwick .

Bodlondeb Castle

2010-08-03T17:57:00.009+01:00

Bodlondeb Castle in June 2006 (Photo Credit)

Bodlondeb Castle (situated next to the Tram Station on Church Walks) is one of Llandudno's more ornate buildings, being a castellated building built in the Scottish Baronial style. Its interior contains several fine stained glass windows, together with many examples of Italian craftsmanship reflecting the baroque period including a baronial hall, translucent marble pillars and a magnificent staircase together with gothic masonry.

Work started on its construction in 1898 (the site formerly housed the Victoria Gardens) but the story behind its construction is somewhat unusual....

In 1897 , a very wealthy guest at the St. George's Hotel (who wished to remain anonymous) was so taken with the delights of Llandudno that he instructed the Hotel's Manager, Mr. Thomas Davies, to build a residence for him in the town. The guest's only wish was that the finest materials be used in its construction. Mr. Davies was happy to comply with this and, besides engaging the local builders, Jones & Son, also arranged for Italian craftsmen to come over to work on the decorative elements such as the marble columns in the main hallway. The stained glass windows in the main rooms represented the coats of arms of the heads of the fifteen tribes of North Wales.

Main Hallway & Lounge after Restoration in 2006 (Photo Credit)

Mr. Davies was very pleased with the standard of the construction and felt that his client would be too. The day came when the wealthy client returned to Llandudno to view his new residence. The client viewed the exterior of the property, then looked around and asked 'where is the land?' Upon being told that there was no land associated with the property other than a very small garden, he declared that he was no longer interested, turned around and left, never to return!

Local rumour once had it that the wealthy guest was none other than Edward the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII).

The property then remained in the Davies family until 1931, when they sold it to the Methodist Holiday Homes Ltd, who opened it as a Methodist hotel and it remained as such for many years. The Chapel building (now cottages) at the rear of the Bodlondeb Castle, Caer Salem, closed in 1934 and was purchased by the Methodist Holiday Homes to form an annexe to the hotel. During World War II, around 30-40 Civil Servants were billeted in the hotel, although it also managed to remain open for guests. In 1954, a set of modern garages were built and a Games Room was added above the garages in 1967.

Sadly, business began to decline sharply during the early years of the 21st century, with the occupancy rate for the 20 bedrooms falling to 32%. It closed in 2005 after being on the market with a firm of specialist commercial agents for 18 months, but no firm offers approaching the £650,000 asking price were received. It was purchased by Norwest Developments/Beck Homes, who announced plans to restore the building and convert it into 8 luxury apartments. Work started in late 2005 and great care was taken to restore the original features of the building, whilst removing later additions, such as the garages and games room.

Renovation work begins - June 2005 (Photo Credit)

Work on the renovation/conversion was complete by Summer 2006 and the first residents began to move in. I imagine they were somewhat happier with their new residence than that original wealthy hotel guest who refused point blank to accept his new home...

August 2006 - Work is complete! (Photo Credit)

Looking up at Bodlondeb Castle - November 2006 (Photo Credit)

Flash Floods

2010-07-23T10:47:00.005+01:00

Flash Floods in Rhos On Sea in July 2009 (Photo Credit)

Almost exactly a year after the local area was hit by flash flooding, we received another torrential deluge yesterday, with several homes and businesses being inundated by the water. There's a Daily Post report about it here.

What I found interesting was this comment from Darren Jones at the North Wales Fire & Rescue Service:

"The incidents yesterday and today are prime examples of changes to the environment, heavy rainfall causes flash flooding, this is due to the large volume of surface water rendering the drains incapable of coping.”

...which is very true, of course. However, there's a little more to it than that, I feel. The fact is that we are actively working against nature with the use of so much concrete and tarmac surfacing in our towns & villages - this prevents large volumes of rainwater from soaking away naturally into the ground and means they are instead channelled into antiquated drainage systems that cannot cope with the large flows. The trend of concreting over front gardens to form parking areas has also not helped.

Perhaps we need to take a step back and start looking at how we could work with nature to control the effects of flash flooding by using soakaways and attenuation tanks, instead of assuming (falsely, it would seem) that we can control it? I believe Planning Policy has already made strides in this direction when dealing with new developments but perhaps a wider strategy in the community is needed if we are to prevent the flash flood becoming a yearly occurrence?

Not Alicia Keys...again

2010-07-22T20:06:00.005+01:00

Following on from the excellent 'North Wales' parody of the Alicia Keys/Jay Z track 'Empire State Of Mind', there comes another version - this one based on Newport in South Wales. Professionally done, with a nice little video:

A Hidden Gem

2010-07-19T20:37:00.005+01:00

I noticed in the Daily Post a week or two back that a new Cafe-Bistro had opened in Llanddulas, next to the Thornley Caravan park on the beach. It's called Tides and I thought I would pop in to see what it was like, primarily because I had heard it had been set up by Bryn from the very successful Planters Cafe at Tal Goed Nurseries in Glan Conwy.

Well, it certainly didn't disappoint. It was obvious that a lot of money had been spent in fitting out and furnishing the premises to a very high standard. Not the largest of cafes inside (probably less than 30 covers) but it also had a large outside dining area. Tides boasts an extensive Menu and lots of Specials on blackboards as well. As you'd expect from Bryn, food and drink was both excellent and the service was both pleasant and efficient. Recommended.

How do I get there? You just turn off the A55 at Llanddulas and take the old main road (A547) heading for Abergele. Once you've passed through the main part of Llanddulas village, you go over a series of traffic calming humps. Take a left turn at the crossroads after these humps and follow the road down under the A55 to arrive outside the front door of Tides. Plenty of free parking across the road from the cafe.

Out & About...again

2010-07-12T17:42:00.007+01:00

Another great day on Sunday, so no excuse for not venturing once more into the Conwy Valley for a walk.

We started out from the car park in the centre of Trefriw, then a very sharp pull up the steep minor road to Llanrhychwyn that tested our leg muscles to the full. Good excuse, therefore, to stop off to have look inside the ancient Church there, then we carried on over the hills heading for Geirionydd, stopping only at the highest point to admire the views over towards Mole Siabod and Snowdon.

Then turning down onto the road that runs along he side of Geirionydd but, just past the lake, turning off onto the footpath that runs down on the path of the old Tramway into the Crafnant Valley, so I could brave the famous plank across the stream and explore the old Klondyke lead mine and processing mill. After a look round and a few photos, it was time to head down the old mine road onto the minor Crafnant Road, which led back straight into Trefriw and a refreshing drink (not to mention a chance to rest weary legs) at Yr Hen Llong pub.

1km of steep road heading up to Llanrhychwyn

Llanrhychwyn Church, dates from 11th Century

Interior of Llanrhychwyn Church

Looking over Snowdonia, Moel Siabod to the right

Looking over Snowdonia, Snowdon at the back

Contaminated Land at one of the many Lead Mines in the area

Llyn Geirionydd

Klondyke Mine Processing Mill

Wonky Bridge in the Crafnant Valley

A well earned drink!

The Aquarium that never was...

2010-07-04T20:22:00.009+01:00

When looking back in history, it's always interesting to see the ambitious plans for new buildings that never became reality due to problems of one sort or another.

Back in March 1877, plans were announced in the Building News for a Llandudno Gardens & Aquarium, to be built roughly where the Arcadia Theatre used to be (left hand section of what is now VenueCymru on the Promenade).

Architect's impression of Llandudno Gardens & Aquarium

Costing £25,000 and designed by Driver & Rew, of London, the building contained a Winter garden constructed of iron and glass on its upper floor, with a large Aquarium constructed of brick and slate in the basement below. At the centre of the building was a 60ft high Dome, that would certainly soon have become a Llandudno landmark. Surrounding the building was to be a small park, surrounded by railings. It was also planned that thirty or forty mansions 'of a suitable character' were to be built to either side of the Winter Gardens and the land had already been reserved.

Plan of Basement Aquarium

So why was it never built? History doesn't record the reason, but a seaside resort can only support so many attractions and projects of this nature. Could it be that the Llandudno Pier Company's plans for the Pier Pavilion (eventually built 1884-1886) scuppered this project?

It's also interesting to speculate as to what would have happened to it if it had been built all those years ago. Possibly a devastating fire in the 1960s or 70s would have finished it off? Maybe it would have limped on into the 1980s with the aquarium being rebranded a SeaLife Centre and the Winter Gardens themselves being used for roller skating or similar, then it would have been demolished in the 1990s after the local Council deemed the structure unsafe...

Progress?

2010-07-03T19:22:00.007+01:00

Litten Tree, Station Road, Colwyn Bay (Photo Credit)

The closure of the Litten Tree bar in Colwyn Bay's Station Road may actually mark something of a revival in the town's retail fortunes.

Far from it being reopened as yet another cheap booze bar with a new name, the premises are actually earmarked for conversion back into retail premises, specifically The Original Factory Shop. Readers with long memories will recall it was once a Tomms store, then a Poundstretcher back in the 1980/90s before conversion into a bar.

Even further back, in Colwyn Bay's heyday, it was a high class store called Daniel Allen & Sons (the name is still visible in brick on the rear roofline of the building from Station Square). Allen & Sons was founded in 1869 but did not move into their new Station Road premises until 1883. They sold 'the finest furniture, china & carpets' and, amongst other things, were the sole North Wales agents for Liberty's of London. Allens stayed in business until 1971 when, somewhat curiously, the Directors of the company decided that they could not longer provide their customers with the standard of merchandise they were happy to sell and called it a day.

Out & About

2010-07-01T11:20:00.005+01:00

Blog postings have been a little light lately, I've been about and about enjoying the fabulous weather. Had a lovely walk on Sunday, covering the twin lakes of Crafnant & Geirionydd in the Conwy Valley. You can park at the Forestry Commission car park at either lake and use the connecting paths through the woods to make a complete circuit. Think it's about 5 miles in length and mostly on fairly easy paths/forest roads, with the exception of one section which is a rougher path (although still perfectly passable to the average person). There's also a cafe on the shores of Llyn Crafnant, which comes as a welcome sight.

Walk details:

http://www.walkingnorthwales.co.uk/home.php?/walk_details;id=1096

Couple of photos:

Llyn Geirionydd (Photo Credit)

Crimpiau, at the head of Llyn Crafnant (Photo Credit)

Abandoned Cottage at Llyn Crafnant (Photo Credit)

Lakeside Cafe at Llyn Crafnant (Photo Credit)

More information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llyn_Crafnant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llyn_Geirionydd

Summer

2010-06-20T17:29:00.001+01:00

Summer in Llandudno, the 'Naples of the North':

Looking down at Llandudno Bay from the Great Orme (Photo Credit)

Gwrych Castle - Then & Now

2010-06-13T21:12:00.009+01:00

Back in the 1950s, Gwrych Castle in Abergele was known as 'The Showplace of North Wales', a sort of early version of Alton Towers with a variety of small attractions within its grounds. It was a very successful attraction, in 1950 pulling in over 750,000 visitors to Abergele and attracting 10,000,000 in total during the years it was open. One of the best remembered attractions is the Miniature Railway - it ran from the Upper Courtyard to a Station situated deep in the Great Castle Wood.

I'd seen an old postcard showing the miniature steam engine 'Belle of New York' at the Upper Courtyard Station and thought I would try and recreate the shot from a modern day perspective. The concrete base of the stations remain but the rails themselves have long disappeared (the line of plants to the right in the modern day photo marks where the rails have been removed).

1950s Postcard:

(Photo Credit)

2010 Photo:

(Photo Credit)

Adventures in the Conwy Valley

2010-06-05T17:42:00.006+01:00

I'd been meaning for a while to make the effort to visit an old friend of mine, Alison, who has taken over Ye Olde Bull Inn at Llanbedr Yr Cennin in the Conwy Valley. In case you're wondering how to get there, its simple. On the B5106 road between Conwy & Llanrwst, just take the turnoff next to the Bedol pub at Tal Y Bont and it's just up that road.

Ye Olde Bull Inn, Llanbedr Yr Cennin (Photo Credit)

Whilst I was there, Alison showed me a page from an old guidebook that stated "the Inn is thought to be the oldest in Great Britain and dates back to the early 11th century". This was news to me (the Groes Inn at Tyn Y Groes likes to boast of being the oldest in Wales), but the Olde Bull is certainly situated on an ancient Drovers route to Caernarfon, so it could well be true. Anyway, the pub is well worth a visit if you're in the area. They have a food menu for both lunchtimes and evenings, there's a large car park and Alison tells me that plans are afoot to create a larger beer garden in the extensive gardens at the rear of the pub that run down to the stream.

View from the Bull Inn Beer Garden (Photo Credit)

After having a drink and a chat, it was time to head off towards Rowen. I was walking along country lanes, very little traffic, so peaceful and plenty of time to take in the scenery. Presently, I arrived in Rowen and was surprised to find it a touch noisier than usual. Rounding the corner onto the main road through the village, I found the reason - the Three Castles Classic Car Rally was passing through the village as part of one of its stages. Well, no further excuse needed - I ordered a cold Guinness at the Ty Gwyn Inn and sat outside to watch the cars go past.

Ty Gwyn Inn, Rowen (Photo Credit)

A welcome sight on such a warm day! (Photo Credit)

Classic Car...but what is it? (Photo Credit)

Classic Triumph in the Three Castles Rally (Photo Credit)

Finally, it was time to head off my for final port of call, the Groes Inn at Tyn Y Groes. It turned out that this was all the classic cars were coming from, the car park was jammed full of classic cars of all makes and models. I noticed a lot of Austin Healeys, Triumphs and Porsches, in particular.

Groes Inn, Tyn Y Groes (Photo Credit)

Colourful Porsches wait for the off at the Groes Inn (Photo Credit)

So, a very pleasant walk on a beautiful sunny day, a few visits to pleasant country pubs and the chance to ogle at some classic automobiles. What more could any man want? ;-)

Gwrych - The Castle of Adventure

2010-05-31T16:13:00.017+01:00

I didn't have anything planned for Sunday, so decided after a bit of thought to head over to Abergele for a look round the Grade I Listed Gwrych Castle. This isn't your typical 'pay £4 and look round the roped off rooms' sort of castle, as it is completely derelict! One of my favourite books as a child was The Castle of Adventure by Enid Blyton and Gwrych has always strongly reminded me of the long abandoned castle in that story.

Built in 1819 to a design by Thomas Rickman for the Bamford-Hesketh family, Gwrych was one of the largest private houses in Wales and, to this day, is a familiar landmark to anyone travelling along the A55 though Abergele, as you'll see the castle on the hillside at the rear of the town.

Truly vast...Gwrych Castle (Photo Credit)

Winifred, Countess of Dundonald, inherited Gwrych in 1894. She was forced into marriage with the Earl of Dundonald. After the Earl's many affairs and an affair with the Archbishop of Wales on her behalf, they parted company. Due to these disagreements, the Countess left Gwrych to the Prince of Wales. This offer was refused so Gwrych was left to the Church of Wales and St John of Jerusalem.

It was in 1925 when the Earl of Dundonald bought Gwrych back (for £78,000) to spite his wife. He sold the Castle's contents in 1928 to cover costs. In 1946, Gwrych left the family's hands for the last time when the 13th Earl of Dundonald sold Gwrych to a Mr Rennie. In 1948, Leslie Salts bought Gwrych and opened it up to the public for 20 years as an entertainment venue, with the tagline 'The Showplace of Wales'. It attracted over ten million visitors during that time.

The View from Gwrych (Photo Credit)

During the 1970s, Gwrych became a medieval themed attraction where markets were held and jousting took place on the site of the formal gardens and Conservatory to the West of the castle. Gwrych finally closed to the public in 1985, never to open again. The Castle passed into the hands of an American property developer called Nick Tavaliogne in 1989, who had the dream of restoring the Castle into a 5 star hotel and opera house. Legal problems persisted though; this dream never became a reality. Security guards left in 1995, leaving the Castle open to the elements and the vandals. Halifax based Clayton Hotels bought the Castle in 2007 for £850,000, with the aim of developing it as a 5 Star Hotel. They removed all of the debris from the building's interior and tidied up the grounds but all work stopped when they went bankrupt in August 2009. The castle was again sold in April 2010, with the purchaser, Edwards Property Management (UK) Ltd of Widnes, paying £300,000.

The castle once had a total of 128 rooms including the outbuildings, an Outer Hall, an Inner Hall, two Smoke Rooms, Dining Room, a Drawing Room, a Billiards Room, an Oak Study, a Breakfast Room, twenty-eight Bedrooms, eight Bathrooms, several domestic Offices, Servants Hall, Wine Cellar, Coal Cellar, Butlers Sitting Room, Strong Room, Electric service lift, private Electric Supply, Laundry room, Cesspit, Gas Plant, a Bothy, Saddle Room, four Garages, a Pet Cemetery, a Stable Block suitable for six horses, an Ice House, and a Washhouse. There are nineteen embattled towers and the whole façade is over 2000 yards.

Chapel & East Wing (Photo Credit)

It's a truly vast place, built to impress. A lot of the castellated walls and towers are fake, built purely for their aesthetic value. Although its called a castle and looks like a castle, its actually just a mansion, so the fortifications may look impressive but serve no defensive purpose. If they had of done, the castle might be in significantly better shape today, as the legions of vandals and thieves that have destroyed the interiors may not have been able to gain access!

All front..like a movie set (Photo Credit)

The actual mansion itself is situated in the middle of the run of battlements and is sadly now completely derelict, lacking floors, ceilings and a roof. As recently as the mid 1980s, I can remember visiting Gwrych when a Sunday market was held in its grounds and the castle building was completely intact, albeit slightly run down. Sadly, a succession of disinterested owners unwilling for pay for proper security have left the castle an ideal target for vandals and thieves who, between them, have stripped the entire building of anything of value and destroyed the remainder.

The main mansion at Gwrych (Photo Credit)

Inside the Mansion (Photo Credit)

Inside the mansion (Photo Credit)

Inside the Mansion (Photo Credit)

Inside the Mansion (Photo Credit)

One of the grandest features of Gwrych was its magnificent 52 step staircase (added in the 1870s), built out of white & green Italian marble at a cost of over £20,000 (a phenomenal amount in 1870!). Running down three floors of the building, the hallway it was situated in also had a number of high quality stained glass windows. This all survived into the 1990s, when the marble was all stolen and sold (allegedly by a party of new age travellers who had made the castle grounds their home). The stained glass windows were either smashed or stolen, even the ornate iron balustrades on the balcony section of the hallway were hacksawed through and stolen. There's not a lot left today, although you can still see the odd section of white marble that has escaped the attentions of thieves:

Not a lot left...the marble staircase at Gwrych (Photo Credit)

As it used to be...Marble Staircase in the 1960s

Surrounding the main mansion are many other buildings, including a Chapel, Stables Block, Conservatory (mainly demolished) and several other ancillary buildings. The formal gardens have now largely disappeared under undergrowth but there are still many pleasant paths winding through the gardens and woodlands. If you're feeling a touch more energetic, you can take the ten minute walk up to Lady Emily's Tower, which is situated on the hill behind the castle and has fantastic views over the coast:

Lady Emily's Tower (Photo Credit)

View from Lady Emily's Tower (Photo Credit)

You can view my full 100+ photo tour of Gwrych Castle & Grounds over on Flickr by clicking here.

Finally...a warning. Although the grounds at Gwrych are very pleasant to stroll around, the main mansion building is in a very dangerous state and I don't recommend anyone enters the building. Several areas of stonework have collapsed in recent years and it's only a matter of time before more comes down. I wouldn't like you to be standing underneath when that happens!

Llanrwst Almshouses Festival

2010-05-29T18:52:00.004+01:00

I popped over to the market town of Llanrwst today and was surprised to see that the whole of the town centre and surrounding streets had been taken over by what resembled a miniature version of the Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza.

This turned out to be the Llanrwst Almshouses Festival, a celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Almshouses (which are just off Ancaster Square). They were built by John Wynne, who lived at Gwydir Castle, and provided accommodation for 12 local poor older men. Residents had a wear a long cloak that carried their benefactor's crest.

The Festival was a very well organised event, with a wide selection of stalls, sideshows and childrens rides, all of which had a Victorian theme. It was also pleasing to see that practically every shop had gone to the trouble of mounting a Victorian themed display in their window. Many of the townspeople were dressed in the Victorian style and also of note were a group of what I believe were Performing Arts students (maybe from Llandrillo College?) dressed in costume, who stayed in character the whole day. Very good! The town was very crowded and I'm sure the event was a great success - let's hope something similar can be carried out annually.

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Oriel Mostyn Gallery

2010-05-22T18:30:00.008+01:00

Had a very enjoyable look around the Oriel Mostyn Gallery in Llandudno which reopened today after a £5.1m renovation and extension - very impressed. A far bigger series of exhibition spaces, a proper reception & shop area...and a Cafe! The new Cafe runs the entire length of the First Floor and has fantastic views over Vaughan Street.

Do pay a visit if you're in town, admission is FREE.

http://www.mostyn.org/

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Staircase to First Floor (Photo Credit)

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Not Alicia Keys...

2010-05-18T22:25:00.003+01:00

Lots of excitement among the North Wales blogs today following the appearance of what was supposedly a new version of the Alicia Keys song "Empire State Of Mind" to coincide with the Radio 1 Big Weekend being held at Bangor at which Ms Keys will be appearing. The rewritten version featured the attractions of North Wales, including Llandudno Junction, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Conwy & Abergele! In the end, it turned out that the song was actually performed by a session musician...but still, to be fair, a great song that was well performed.

The song itself can be heard below:

Park Revival

2010-05-16T14:57:00.004+01:00

Fountain is working again...

Queen's Gardens, the small park in the centre of Colwyn Bay, had begun to look rather tired and run-down in recent years. I was very pleased, therefore, to see the Parks Dept have been busy replanting several areas of shrubbery that line three sides of the park and, more importantly, have managed to clean out the circular pool and install a new fountain. As a result, the park is probably looking the best it has done for many years.

Well done to all concerned!

New planting in the shrub borders

Time & Tide

2010-05-16T07:45:00.003+01:00

Those of you of a sea faring nature may find these links to the local Tide Table useful. Land lubbers may find it of occasional use, as well. Information courtesy of the National Oceanography Centre.

Time of High & Low Tides:
http://www.pol.ac.uk/ntslf/tides/?port=0007

Highest Tides ( Previous & Predicted Future):
http://www.pol.ac.uk/ntslf/hilo.php?port=llandudno

What's wrong with this picture...?

2010-05-15T16:59:00.006+01:00

What's wrong with this picture? (Photo Credit)

Ah yes...the brooding majesty of the 700 year old Conwy Castle, a World Heritage Site situated high above the tidal Gyffin Estuary, teeming with wildlife. What could improve this view....certainly not the remains of the derelict Billingtons Garage, an eyesore for many years when it was open, let alone now it has been closed and boarded up for the last few years. I've said it before, I know, but...can not Conwy Council dig deep into their £50m+reserves, buy the site, flatten it and landscape the area. Please?

Let's go to work...

2010-05-14T18:17:00.001+01:00

Feztastic (Photo Credit)

Shades of Reservoir Dogs but with yellow rugby shirts and a Fez? Gents from Sedgemoor Rugby Club on a Stag Weekend in Llandudno.

The Candle Factory, Gyffin

2010-05-10T21:18:00.007+01:00

Candle Factory at Gyffin (Photo Credit)

Although it looks like a traditional mill, this building by the Gyffin stream on the Henryd Road in Conwy was actually a Candle Factory. It was established in the late 19th Century to make tallow candles (they apparently drip significantly less than wax candles), mainly to supply candles to the miners in the numerous local lead mines.

Animal fat was collected from several slaughterhouses in the area by the owner, Owen Owen (and later Llywelyn Evans), melted down and then poured into dipping troughs. The wicks were attached to a rod hanging above the trough and then dipped into the fat until the required thickness was reached. Unfortunately, the early years of the 20th century brought a decline in local mining, the introduction of oil lamps and the onset of electricity - all of which sent the candle business into steep decline. The mill eventually closed around the time of World War I and appears to have been abandoned ever since.

Some stabilisation of the building was carried out by its owner, Daffydd Roberts, a local farmer, in around 2004/5 but there appears to be no plans to bring the building back into use. Without a roof to protect the structure, its long term survival appears uncertain.

I think it would make a great artist's gallery or a set of small craft workshops, maybe even including a candle maker?

Closer look at the building (Photo Credit)

Thanks to Stan Whittaker and Christopher Draper for the information used in this post. Christopher Draper has a great book called 'Walks From Conwy', which combine a series of gentle walks with lots of historical information.

Shimdda Hir/Craigside Inn

2010-05-05T20:42:00.004+01:00

Looking down at Craigside Inn/Shimdda Hir in 2006 (Photo Credit)

Situated on the coast road into Llandudno, many people do not realise that the popular Craigside Inn was originally a house called Shimdda Hir (sometimes spelt Simdda Hir or Simdde Hir, which is Welsh for 'Long Chimneys'*), built by an interesting character called Hugh Mulleneux Walmsley, (1826 - 1879) who described himself as a Colonel in the Imperial Ottoman Army. In 1864 he wrote Llandudno As It Is (having earlier written books about soldiering in Algeria). He appears to have been quite a prolific author, with these being a few of the titles he has written:

Branksome Dene: A Sea Tale (1872)
The ruined cities of Zululand (1869)
Ruined cities of Zululand: Volume 2 (1869)
Zulu land;: Its wild sports and savage life (1879)
The Chasseur D'Afrique (1864)
Journal Of A Bashi Bazouk (1857)
The Life Guardsman (1871)
Life Of Sir Joshua Walmsley (1879)

His best known work is probably:
Sketches of Algeria during the Kabyle War (1858)
which, somewhat amazingly, is still in print today:
.../Sketches-Algeria-during-Kabyle-War/dp/1402187548/

There's also a suggestion that his work formed the inspiration for a more famous novel, namely King Solomon's Mines by Rider Haggard.

Before Mulleneux Walmsley bought the Estate, Shimdda Hir was originally a ten acre holding at the eastern farmlands of Bodafon township. It first appeared in written records in 1792 and was occupied by Owen Thomas. In the mid-ninteenth century the property was owned by Llanrwst solicitor William Griffiths and let to Ann Jones who farmed there with her two daughters. In 1843 the elder daughter, Mary, married Eglwysbach sawyer, John Jones and the couple took over the farm lease. Before the main house was built, there was a farmhouse on the site. It appears that the farmhouse was remodelled to give the appearance of a 'Gentleman's Residence'.

Over the years, the estate has varied in size from 10 to 30 acres but all of the land and buildings are now in separate ownership.The Shimdda Hir cottages were originally built in 1880 as staff accommodation, for the coachman and gardener respectively.

In 1907, a metal strapped wooden box was found 30 inches down in scree across the road from Shimdda Hir. In it were 500 Roman coins, dating from 287-293, a period when Mausaeus Carausius was Emperor of Britain.

After Hugh Mulleneux Walmsley died in 1879, I believe the estate passed into the hands of the Holden family, who owned it for several generations. Their ownership came to an end on the 19th March 1970, when the original Shimdda Hir estate is broken up, with the main house & stable block being sold by Enid Margaret Holden to 'The Congregation of the Sisters of St.Mary of Namur' but Miss Holden retains ownership of Nos 1 and 2 Shimdda Hir Cottages.

The nuns renamed the main house St. Mary's Convent and stayed there until 4th September 1984, when they sold the the main house & stable block to a Peter Raymond Smith, who opened the main house as a hotel/restaurant named 'Le Manoir'. This did not appear to have been a great success, as it was only two years later that Mr. Smith sold the property on and it then passed to the brewers/hoteliers Whitbread PLC, who converted it into the Craigside Inn we see today. The 12 acres of limestone grassland across the road from the Craigside Inn were also owned by the Holden family and were donated to the North Wales Wildlife Trust in 1994 upon the death of Miss Holden.

During 2009, the building underwent an extensive refurbishment and extension scheme, with a whole new accommodation wing being built to the right of the existing building.

Craigside Inn during refurbishment in 2009 (Photo Credit)

There's also a mention on the Coflein website of a Formal Garden:

"This garden is depicted on the Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25-inch map of Caernarvonshire II, sheet 14 (1900). The main element shown on that map is a formal garden there is also a possible second formal garden. C.H. Nicholas, RCAHMW, 10th August 2006."

Many people comment upon the massive old withered tree that grows by the side of the driveway, its very old, maybe even dates back to the building of the house. I'm pleased to say that I contributed in a small way to its survival - when work began on the renovation and extension in 2009, I was concerned it was going to be cut down, so I contacted the Tree Officer at Conwy Council and he agreed to serve a Tree Preservation Order upon it.

Shimdda Hir/Craigside Inn in 2010 (Photo Credit)

Looking down at Shimdda Hir/Craigside Inn in 2011 (Photo Credit)

* - In his comment on this post Huw Waters mentions that "the reason for difference in spellings regarding simdda/shimdda is that 's' and 'i' together in Welsh often tend towards an English 'sh' sound. The h was probably introduced into the word simdda to emphasize the sound 'sh' for non Welsh speakers."

Promenade Day

2010-05-03T17:08:00.004+01:00

Another day, another event! Bank Holiday Monday was Promenade Day in Colwyn Bay (as well as the last day of the Extravaganza in Llandudno) so after having lunch with Jane, I headed over to Colwyn Bay to see what was going on. Another day of sunny skies meant the crowds were much larger than last year's event and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

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Sioned Terry performing on the main stage (Photo Credit)

Extravaganza'd

2010-05-02T18:59:00.006+01:00

Visited Llandudno's Victorian Extravaganza today. After a dull start, the sun shone brightly and the crowds appeared in force. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and local traders reported brisk business. Thanks must go to the Committee and all the volunteers who made the event possible. A triumph for Llandudno!

Official website

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Pubs of Conwy

2010-05-01T18:25:00.005+01:00

Once the Ship Tavern...

I thought I would compile a list of Conwy's pubs, past and present, vanished and in other uses, (around 30 in total, I believe) as I can't find one on the Internet (those marked * are still running as pubs today):

Ye Olde Mail Coach/Coach & Horses* (High Street)
The Albion Vaults* (Uppergate Street)
The Blue Bell* (Castle Street)
The George & Dragon* (Castle Street)
The Bridge* (Rosehill Street)
The Castle Hotel* (High Street)
The Liverpool Arms* (on the Quay)
The Malt Loaf/Erskine Arms Hotel* (Rosehill Street)
The Cockpit (in vicinity of the Cockpit)
The Black Lion (now semi-derelict, Castle Street)
The Ship Tavern (now Pen Y Bryn Tearooms, High Street)
The Boot Inn (now r/h side of Alfredos, Lancaster Square)
The Royal Oak Tavern (house to right of 'Smallest House' on Quay)
The Joiners Arms (other side of Wing Gate Wall)
The Soldiers Rest (by Berry Street Arch)
The Plough Inn (site now occupied by Beresford Adams, Lancaster Square)
The Plough Bach (to left of Plough Inn (above))
The Red Lion (on High Street, opposite Conwy Pantry)
The Crown Tavern (High Street, same side as Plas Mawr)
The Old Bull's Head (High Street, in area where Bull Cottages are now)
The Swan (Berry Street, now Swan Cottage B&B)
The Eagles Inn (Now Fisherman's Chip Shop, Castle Street)
The Conwy Castle (Berry Street)
The Castle View (Berry Street, now Castle View B&B)
The White Horse (Uppergate Street)
The Kings Head (now l/h side of Castle Hotel)
The Harp Hotel (High Street, where Spar (former Woolworths) is now)
The Newbridge Arms (Newborough Terrace)

Additions to my original list:
The Foresters Arms (Gyffin, now a private house)
The Bull (distinct from the Bull's Head, no idea as to location - any ideas?)
The Feathers (no idea as to location - any ideas?)
The Union Tavern (no idea as to location - any ideas?)
The Black Horse (West side of Castle Street)

I've complied a list from various sources, but any mistakes are mine. If you spot any errors or have information/anecdotes/a photo to add, please leave a message.

Once the Boot Inn...

Record Breaker

2010-05-01T09:22:00.003+01:00

Just a quick thank you to everyone who visits this blog - I noticed from my Stats that last month (April 2010) was the busiest ever, over 3,100 visits. I hope you all enjoy visiting it and if theres anything you would like to see more of/less of, please feel free to say so.

Paving the way....

2010-04-25T21:19:00.004+01:00

Penrhyn Road, Colwyn Bay

I was pleased to see that the ongoing refurbishment of Penrhyn Road in Colwyn Bay appears to be a lot more successful than the previous attempts in both Sea View Road and Station Road. Although the same grey paving has been used, it has been limited just to the pavement areas (with the road area being resurfaced in tarmac) and the smaller area of usage looks far more acceptable. There also appears to be far more in the way of tree planting planned. Of course, the main advantage over the Station Road scheme is that traffic will continue to be able to use Penrhyn Road, creating a far busier environment - if only the planners had listened to local people/traders and reopened Station Road to limited traffic with parking down one side, it would have been far better.

Speaking of Station Road, the paving used there seems to getting very dirty already, any liquids spilt seems to stain large areas of the paving. After only a few months, it is starting to look rather tatty, sadly.

A Slight Change...

2010-04-24T18:49:00.003+01:00

Eagle eyed readers will have noticed that the name of the blog has changed to...

The Three Towns Blog

...in recognition of the fact that I now witter on about Conwy a lot, in addition to the usual mutterings about Llandudno & Colwyn Bay. All of the URLs remain the same however, to avoid any dead links etc. Bribes, Gifts & Death Threats to the usual email address though, please:

llandudnoandcolwynblog@gmx.com

I thank you!

Fabulous new Conwy attraction

2010-04-17T22:07:00.008+01:00

Yes, I know, another post about Conwy...what can I say, I like the place. Anyway....you might have seen this piece in the local paper......

Fabulous new Conwy attraction!

Tourists are flocking to the new Conwy Quay visitor attraction

Visitors to Conwy's Quay area were today stunned to see the new tourist attraction provided by Conwy County Borough Council. The former row of maritime themed buildings, shops & aquarium have been swept away, to be replaced by the very latest in visitor entertainment - some wooden posts surrounded by several tones of crushed slate. Regular visitor, Alf Trippleton from Yorkshire, commented "By Gum, your council have really rolled the boat out here, haven't they? Happen there's not many World Heritage Sites that could boast an attraction like that. Puts the Taj Mahal to shame, it does." The new look Quay is the result of 27 Consultants Reports, 5 Public Consultations and 15 applications for EU Grant Funding. A spokeswoman for Conwy Council commented "We are confident that the new look Conwy Quay will do nothing whatsoever to create any jobs or wealth for the town of Conwy".

The Black Lion, Conwy

2010-04-16T20:25:00.021+01:00

The Black Lion, Castle Street, Conwy (Photo Credit)

One of my favourite buildings in Conwy is the Black Lion (Y Llew Du), built in 1589 by John Brickdall, Vicar of Conwy (1569-1607); his initials and those of his wife appear over the door together with the date 1589 (they were married on the 10th May 1589). Brickdall's father was the Constable of Conwy Castle at the time of construction and later died of the plague.

The building was turned into the Black Lion Inn in the 1700s; a usage that continued for over 200 years (it was also the venue for the popular Monday morning Pig Market) until the 15th March 1935, when falling trade made it unviable. It then had a variety of uses, including tearooms and an antique bookshop, until it became empty in the 1990s when its condition deteriorated sharply due to dry rot. The exterior was renovated a few years back and it was then sold but no work appears to have been carried out since the sale - I believe the interior is just a shell. I just wish somebody would renovate it and bring it back into use- its a lovely old building, full of character, and in a prime spot on Castle Street.

A local artist, Jean Morgan Roberts, was born in the Black Lion and, in her book 'The Character of Conwy'*, she says "I grew up in the wonderful old atmosphere of the house with its secret passages, a cellar reputed to have an escape tunnel that led to the quay, a well, stables, stone steps to the town walls, a tower, Elizabethan fireplaces and a beautiful walled garden." You can visit her website here.

A local guidebook** states that the building has two ghosts; one being an elderly gentleman who often sits beside the large fireplace in what was once the pub's parlour (see interior photo below), smiling to himself and nodding benignly. A former proprietor stated that 'he's a nice old fellow and we've got used to him and take his appearances for granted'.

The other ghost is quite the opposite, described as being a 'tall person in a cloak', bringing with him a 'feeling of malevolence' as he haunts the upper floor of the building. A former employee stated that 'he's a real fierce character...he has rocked the bed, frightening many a sleeping person, striking terror in the dead of night". Fortunately, the second ghost is very rarely seen!

Black Lion Inn in 1935

Black Lion Antiques Shop & Tearooms in 1950s

Interior as Antique Shop & Tearooms in 1950s

Interior Plan (1939)

Rear of the Black Lion

The Black Lion or Y Llew Du is a later C16 house built by John Brickdall, Vicar of Conwy (1569-1607); his initials and those of his wife appear over the door together with the date 1589. Later in use as Black Lion Inn. Two storeys. Slate roof with massive square central chimney and second chimney to right. Walls of stone, with front wall of whitewashed pebbledash cladding with stuccoed plinth. Ledged central door in heavy frame. Two two-storey flanking rectangular gabled bays. Sash windows with horns (RAJ 10/7/03; based on CADW listing description).

Black Lion Inn - Landlords:
Edward Williams (1850s)

* - 'The Character of Conwy' by Jean Morgan Roberts. Available to purchase from her shop at 14b Castle Street, Conwy.

** - 'The Ghosts of Conwy' by Margaret Williams. Available to purchase from the 'Smallest House' on the Quay in Conwy.

See the Black Lion on Google Streetview

Finally!

2010-04-10T19:14:00.009+01:00

Spent a very pleasant few hours in Conwy this afternoon, lovely day and lots of visitors about. I was even more pleased to see that, finally, the old Fruit N Fibre shop by the Square is being renovated - it has been a derelict wreck for 20 years, if not longer? Now please get on with tackling the 'bombsite' that Stange & Co own on the Square, oh and the Cockpit that is now almost completely derelict and, here's an idea, how about putting something on the cleared area of the Quay that actually generates some jobs and money for the town, instead of leaving it bare?

Prom Day Not Cancelled Due To Storm Damage!!

2010-04-09T17:42:00.006+01:00

Great news in the North Wales Weekly News this week:

"Colwyn Bay's PROM day is still set to go-ahead despite hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage to the promenade sustained in storms which ravaged the coast.

Lashing winds caused 40ft waves to crash against Colwyn Bay and Rhos-on-Sea’s coastline ripping metal railings from the promenade and crushing the concrete road, cycle path and walkway.

But despite the damage caused by the weather raising fears the annual May Day celebrations were set to be cancelled, the fun-day is still penned in on Monday, May 3."

http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2010/04/08/colwyn-bay-prom-day-55243-26194082/

Yep, that's excellent news...except the section of the Promenade on which the Prom Day takes place (from the Cayley in Rhos along to Marine Road) suffered no damage to the railings or tarmac whatsoever, and so there was no possibility really that the Prom Day would have to be cancelled!

Still, good news is good news...I suppose?

Time To Tee Off!

2010-04-08T22:15:00.005+01:00

Great Orme Family Golf website

A friend of mine has taken over the 9 hole Pitch & Putt Golf Course at Llwynon Road, Great Orme, Llandudno and I thought I would give his opening a little boost by mentioning it on here. He's open daily (weather permitting) from 10am until dusk, April - September. Pop along and have a go, it's great fun!

All the details are on the website here:
http://ormegolf.blogspot.com/

Storm Damage at Colwyn Bay

2010-04-02T13:29:00.004+01:00

I thought I would have a stroll along the Prom at Colwyn Bay today to see the full extent of the storm damage. The power of nature is certainly impressive, with 30 foot sections of railings flattened, sturdy stone walls completely demolished and even a signpost pushed over down to the ground by the power of the waves. What was somewhat ironic was that the supposedly unsafe Colwyn Bay Pier survived the storm almost intact, whilst all around was a scene of devastation!

As you'd expect, I got you a few photos:

Mangled railings on Colwyn Bay promenade (Photo Credit)

Stone wall and footpath completely destroyed (Photo Credit)

30 foot section of railings completely flattened (Photo Credit)

Signpost pushed down to the ground (Photo Credit)

The Pier weathered the storm better than the Promenade (Photo Credit)

Two large sections were gouged out of the Promenade here (Photo Credit)

High Tide - Llandudno

2010-04-01T17:46:00.004+01:00

31st March saw one of the biggest high tides for a while at Llandudno as, backed by a strong Northerly wind, the Promenade and Pier were both pounded by massive waves for several hours. Fortunately, no properties were flooded or damaged but several hundred tons of shingle were deposited on the Promenade and the Pier suffered slight damage to a handrail.

I braved the extremely cold gale force conditions to grab a few pics:

Spray from the waves breaks over the Cable Car Station (Photo Credit)

Side entrance to Llandudno Pier gets a battering (Photo Credit)

Waves were hitting the underside of the Pier (Photo Credit)

Looking across to the Pier and Great Orme (Photo Credit)

Excavator heads for higher ground! (Photo Credit)

Pier Toll house gets overwhelmed by the waves (Photo Credit)

Aftermath - several hundred tons of pebbles on the Prom! (Photo Credit)

We Can Rebuild It

2010-03-27T15:18:00.004Z

I've just been to the Colwyn Bay Regeneration Consultation that has been carried out by Consultants DPP Shape over the last few days in Colwyn Bay. As they were keen to point out to me, the Plans they had pinned up on the wall were proposals and ideas designed to stimulate local discussion, rather than a firm intention. To be fair, they seemed to have the right idea - amongst other things, it was accepted that the vast expanses of grey paving (and indeed the continued closure of Station Road to traffic) were mistakes and they seemed keen on proposals to improve access from one part of the town to another (i.e. town centre to beach, town centre to eirias park etc). 'Softening' the appearance of the streets with more trees etc was also mentioned, and that was something that I certainly welcomed.

I was also pleased to see that they viewed Eirias Park as a 'hidden gem' of the town - this is something that I've been banging on about for some time - I mentioned to them that a Cafe at the side of the remodelled lake would be a winner - a great place to sit outside and sip a coffee in the Summer. They also stressed that they felt that Colwyn Bay had a built in 'head start' in the regeneration process, due to the wonderful nature of its Victorian architecture. Overall, I felt vaguely positive after viewing the proposals.

You can give them your own thoughts here:
www.colwynbaymasterplan.info

Bye-ron

2010-03-26T19:17:00.005Z

BBC News Article

The news today that Conwy Council Chief Executive Byron Davies had been relieved of his duties and was being questioned by Police came as quite a shock. A Council employee described him as being 'marched' out of the Council HQ Bodlondeb by Police officers.

Whilst details are still practically non-existent, it would be imprudent, not to mention unfair upon Mr. Davies, to speculate upon the nature of the alleged offence but it's fair to say that it must be pretty serious in order for him to be relieved of his duties. Rumour has it he parked his car two inches over the white line in a parking bay on Mostyn Street....

UPDATE: A Special Meeting of Councillors has been called for Weds 31st March at 4pm. The Agenda is secret (exempt item):
http://modgoveng.conwy.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=207&MId=2185&Ver=4
I suspect it will be one of the most interesting meetings ever held at Bodlondeb....

BBC Story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/8589649.stm

Don't Miss It!

2010-03-26T08:14:00.002Z

A reminder that the second Meeting to discuss the future of Colwyn Bay Pier is tonight (Friday 26th March) at 6pm in St. Paul's Church, Colwyn Bay. I will be there.

All The World's A Stage...

2010-03-22T16:57:00.012Z

A new blog post from Carneades has reminded me of one of my favourite bugbears in Llandudno - the fact that the Open Air Theatre in Happy Valley was not replaced as part of the Heritage Lottery funded renovations about 10 years ago. The Theatre had been entertaining the Summer visitors since the very inception of Llandudno as a seaside resort back in the 1860s, yet that proud tradition all came to an end in 1985, when Alex Munro became ill and the theatre was forced to close, eventually being damaged by fire in October 1987.

Open Air Theatre in its final years

Alex Munro entertains the Visitors at the Open Air Theatre

In the initial HLF Renovation plans, a new outdoor stage was clearly mentioned - to be sited where the old Open Air Theatre stood behind the Cafe:

(Click image to view Full Size version)

Yet, when the work was carried out, no stage materialised, just a rather odd looking semi-circular tarmaced area that has never been used for anything but the siting of a small childrens roundabout. Indeed, quite a bit of work went into removing every trace of the old Theatre, even to the extent of regrading the land levels completely to remove the terraced seating areas.

Similar view as the Postcard above today

Looking down at the site of the Open Air Theatre today

Of course, Happy Valley retains the natural beauty that has made it a favourite spot for visitors since those early days, but it has to be said that it feels a little lifeless now, even at the peak of the Summer season. Imagine how much better it would be with some live entertainment, be it the Llandudno Town Band, Local Amateur Musical Groups like the Trinity Players or Llandudno Musical Productions, maybe a Buskers' Stage...or even the revival of the Talent Competition. so beloved of Alex Munro. With the current enthusiasm for Talent Shows on tv, you'd have thought it would be a winner?

You'd have thought this sort of thing could be organised by Llandudno Town Council but, apparently, having endless meetings is all they are capable of doing. Maybe a new Friends of Happy Valley could get stuck into pressing for the construction of a new stage area and organising a few shows...?