What if?

What if....the A55 motorway had not been built along the seafront but the alternative route over the hills above Colwyn Bay had been used? Could Colwyn Bay have survived as a seaside resort or, at least, coped better with the downturn in its fortunes?

Or is Colwyn Bay's decline due more to the gradual loss of control over its fortunes and subsequent decline in civic pride since the scrapping of Colwyn Bay Borough Council back in 1974?

Take a look at the 'Then & Now' shot of the Pier below. How things have changed!!!!


Nearly 40 years separate these two photos of Colwyn Bay Pier.

The top one, taken in the early 1970s, shows a bustling pier with Golden Goose Entertainments (Admission Free!), Dixieland Palace Showbar with Cabaret & Dancing, The Lincoln Suite (whatever that is?) and Golden Fry Restaurant.

Today's pic shows a closed and shuttered pier. A cheap looking extension was built onto the front of the Golden Goose sometime in the 1980s, with the Golden Goose itself becoming a combined amusements/cafe/bar area. The Dixieland Showbar (later CJs) and Golden Fry Restaurant both closed in the late 1980s and the pavilion building (to the right) they were housed in is falling further into decay. Even the ornamental turrets have gone from the roof towers!