Dereliction

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.

Gwrych - The Castle of Adventure

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!

Crunch Time for Colwyn Bay Pier

Crumbling Handrails on Victoria Pier, Colwyn Bay (Photo Credit)

I'm back in the online world (for a while, at least) and have been catching up with the goings on in the local area. I was interested to see that a Public Meeting to discuss the future of the Pier has been called for Friday the 22nd January 2010 at 6pm in the Town Hall, Colwyn Bay. I understand from Cllr. Oddy's blog that the meeting will be chaired by David Jones MP and will be a 'full and open debate about the Pier’s future'.

As it stands, the future for the pier is not looking terribly bright. It is in a very poor state of repair and I'm struggling to see where the money could come from to undertake a comprehensive renovation.

Let's look at it more closely ....

Pier Structure - Most, if not all, of the piles are perfectly sound. Many of the tie-bars and struts that 'lock' the piles together are damaged or missing. The iron girders that rest on the piles and support the decking and buildings are in varying states of repair - whilst the ones underneath the shoreward building are fairly sound, the outer ones underneath the main Pavilion building are in a very poor state, the inner ones not so bad. The girders on the newer section of pier neck (from the buildings to the pier head) are in fairly good condition.

Deck Level & Handrails - The decking around the shoreward building is in a fair state of repair. The decking around the Pavilion building requires some repair/replacement of planking. The decking on the section of pier from the buildings to the pier head is all in need of replacement. The cast iron decorative handrails are, themselves, in fairly good condition but the wooden supports they are attached are badly rotted in places (see above photo) and will require extensive replacement.

Shoreward Building - This building was renovated internally by the current owner and comprises a former Fishing Tackle Shop, Amusements, Cafe & Bar. The main current concerns with this building are roof leaks and the exterior appearance - it requires a complete repaint and tidying up/removal of the various additions/alterations over the years to give a more pleasing appearance.

Shoreward Building (Photo Credit)

Main Pavilion Building - a good friend of mine is fond of describing this building as looking like a 'shanty town at sea'. It's not hard to see why; it is in an appalling state of repair externally and would require extensive work to make it look acceptable again. Internally, it is far better looking but, again, requires extensive work.

Main Pavilion Building (Photo Credit)

My Conclusion - Hmmm...it's a tough one. Who in the private sector would want to throw millions at renovating the entire pier when it is extremely unlikely that the profits earned would repay their investment? A parallel can be drawn with Hastings Pier - the brother/sister that own the Grand Pier, Weston Super Mare were recently asked to look at Hastings Pier with a view to buying it and restoring it. Their view was that it was not economically feasible to do so, given its state of repair (which is similar to Colwyn Bay Pier).

Therefore, I feel the only realistic option may be to concentrate scarce resources on reopening the section of pier that houses the two buildings (the original 1900 structure) and effectively abandoning the rest of it unless the funding can be found at some point in the future. Given that a commercial partner with money to invest has not materialised in the last few years, it seems unlikely that one will appear now.

It may therefore be that the only choice is for the Owner to either hand the pier over to a charitable trust or let it fall into the sea.

The original Victoria Pier in 1900

Pier Pressure...or lack of it!

Stormy times for Colwyn Bay Pier (Photo Credit)

The revelation on Councillor John Oddy's blog that a certain County/Town Councillor seems to be doing his utmost to prevent any movement forward with the renovation/reopening of Colwyn Bay Pier seems, on the face of it, bizarre.

Councillor Chris Hughes, who represents the Glyn Ward in Colwyn Bay (one of the most deprived in Wales, as a matter of interest) is Chairman of the Friends of Colwyn Bay Pier Group. Given this fact, you'd have thought he would be constantly working to break the current impasse with the Pier, maybe even using his influence at County Council level to negotiate a way of resolving the problems? By way of comparison, see how much work the Friends of Hastings Pier down in the South of England are doing to try and save their pier. Their website is here.

But, in Colwyn Bay...nope, sorry, you're out of luck. No meetings of the Friends Group have been held for three years and when the Secretary/Treasurer, a Mrs Pat Jackson, organised a meeting herself, who turned up to close the meeting down but Councillor Hughes, who said that the meeting was 'unconstitutional'. He also allegedly said that only he had the power to call meetings and, to put the icing on the cake, refused to resign as Chairman of the Group!

This leads me to ask the question....what are his motives? Why is he apparently trying so hard to prevent the Friends of Colwyn Bay Pier Group actually mobilising public support to do something about the current state of the Pier?

Wherever his interests lie, it would appear that they are sadly not with the people of Colwyn Bay...

Clarence Hotel, Llandudno

Clarence Hotel in 2008 (Photo Credit)

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 the present owner, but has not operated as a hotel to any significant extent under its present ownership and ceased operation entirely in about 2007. Its usage since then has attracted a great deal of both controversy and criticism in Llandudno.

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). Latterly, all three businesses have closed due to various problems and the entire building stands empty. The upper floors of the building cannot be used as the Fire Service has issued a Prohibition order.

In 2005, the owner applied to convert the Hotel into 19 apartments, with an arcade of 3 shops on the Ground Floor. This 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. In theory, this is a good idea - in practice, it has meant that large 'second tier' hotels like the Clarence are stuck in a cycle of decline. So perhaps a degree of flexibility is required with regard to the Planning issues?

If we face facts, the Clarence hasn't been used as a proper hotel for several years (and when it was open the guest reviews were awful!). The cost of renovating it (given the severe structural problems) almost definitely wouldn't be worth it, compared with the revenue you'd get from running it as a hotel. It has a central location in town but that's about it, no sea views, no car parking and, most importantly, no room to introduce new facilities.

I'm a great believer in being pragmatic about these things - a good conversion job on the Clarence would enhance the appearance of Gloddaeth Street and surely be far preferable to it remaining a derelict hotel for years. If we're brutally honest, one less mediocre hotel in Llandudno would be no great loss for the town...

Decline & Fall

These three unique photos, kindly provided by Mr Mike Owen*, illustrate all too clearly the parlous state into which Colwyn Bay Pier has fallen since its closure over a year ago:

It is clear that time is running out for the pier; soon, the maintenance backlog will have reached such a level that renovation will become totally uneconomic. Conwy Council's lack of interest in resolving this matter is very disappointing, particularly when you consider that they will ultimately end up liable for the cost of demolition and removal of the derelict structure - a procedure certain to cost several million pounds.

There is also a significant safety issue developing - several areas of the pier are in danger of collapse, yet the public are free to walk on the beach close to and actually underneath the pier without there being any warning notices or safety fencing. Action needs to be taken.

* Mr. Owen operates http://www.birdseyeviewofwales.co.uk/ , a ground based aerial photographic business which involves using a pneumatically powered mast with a camera attached, on a platform, at the top. The mast rises to a height of sixty feet, the camera can be rotated in any direction and the camera functions are all controlled from a laptop on the ground.His rates are very reasonable and he can be contacted on either 07990 517 020 or by email at viewofwales@aol.com

From the Daily Post, July 24, 2009:
Link to Article

Colwyn Bay Pier 'is dangerous'

A DERELICT pier is a danger to those who use the beach below warns the man who has dedicated the last six of seven years trying to restore the Victorian structure.

A year after being declared bankrupt, Steve Hunt, the former owner of Colwyn Bay’s Victoria Pier says tons of unstable steelwork could collapse at any time and crush anyone walking underneath.

The pier has stood untouched for 12 months.

It is currently being managed by a Manchester-based creditor, who Steve says need to keep up with the general maintenance or face a possible tragedy.

“The worry is, you can see the rot there, these big heavy railings, if one of those was to fall off it doesn’t bare thinking about what could happen,” said Steve.

“These are the jobs we tended to but are not being done. Although technically speaking it is not my problem, it is still a worry to me. I don’t want to see anybody hurt or the pier falling down.”

Steve still lives in a flat on the structure despite the pier now being the responsibility of trustees, Royce Peeling Green (RPG). The company are managing the site after he was declared bankrupt in July 2008. There is an ongoing legal dispute relating to business rates between Conwy County Council and Steve who is seeking to have the bankruptcy annulled.

Leaks in the roof are causing havoc with the building’s interior, while the decking is rotting.

Before the pier closed last summer the pier had four shops operating and a newly refurbished bar.

Steve fears that if another year goes by without RPG stepping in to maintain the pier it could be ruined the elements, causing Colwyn Bay to lose one of its most important landmarks.

Already Steve says the damage sustained in the last 12 months from rot, damp and leaks runs into tens of thousands of pounds.

“It is falling to bits, the pier has stood for a year with zero maintenance. If there is a hole in the roof, if there is a board with a hole which needs replacing, all these jobs are not being done,” he said.

“Technically RPG, they are the legal owners, it is a grade two listed building and they have a duty to look after it. They are neglecting their duty.”

A spokesman for Royce Peeling Green declined to comment.

My view.....

Steve Hunt is certainly correct, certain parts of the pier do require immediate attention. In several areas, the wooden supports of the cast iron balustrade have rotted away, leaving the the balsutrade hanging in mid air:

Although it's a sturdy structure (even in decay), there is definitely a real danger that a collapse could occur at some point. I hope that Royce Peeling Green (currently managing the pier as trustees in bankruptcy) will take the necessary action quickly to secure the structure. In addition, the long-term future of the pier needs to be decided urgently or demolition may be the only option. Given the costs of demolition could be in the region of £2m, doesn't it make a lot more sense to spend that sort of money on renovating the pier, creating attractions for visitors and jobs for local people?