QUIZ QUESTION # 125

This wonderfully derelict bus looks like something out of an old Ealing comedy film. It used to belong to Gold Star buses of St. Asaph. On the side is a Rhyl attraction advertised as The Dom Bier Keller.

The question: When the bierkeller closed what replaced it?

The correct answer would score 1 win.

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Below is a photo taken on New Year's Day 2016 in Rhyl. A place name has been blanked out.

The question: What is the missing name?

The correct answer would score 1 win.

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You have until the end of Sat 6th February 2016 to send your entry.
Second tries not accepted!
The result will be published on Sun 7th Feb 2016 around Midday.

Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

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QUIZ ANSWER # 124

Last Sunday I posted the above photo of the locomotive 'King Arthur' at Rhyl. The question: Was the picture taken before or after 1960?

The answer: Before 1960.

Partly obscured by the engine is the platform sign for the Vale of Clwyd line which closed down in 1955. The ‘King Arthur’ was well named because its route went through one of the areas where legendary King Arthur of Round Table fame is said to have operated.

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Also I posted a couple of photographs taken recently by Yours Truly.
The question: What are the names of these places?

The answer: St. Helens Place (TOP) and Wellington Terrace.

I was standing at the elbow of St. Helens Place (looking towards High Street). The alley also has entrances/exits in Bodfor St and Kinmel St.

Wellington Terrace is off Wellington Road between Wellington Community Centre and The Royal Oak pub.

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Scoring 1 win for the 'King Arthur' question and 1 win for the pair of place names:
Richard & Ceri Swinney 2, The Great Gareth 2, Sue Handley 2, Jane Shuttle 2 and Dilys Bagnall 2.

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DEAR ME! (1)

The Co-operative Bank, Bodfor Street, Rhyl, which figured in last week's quiz is preparing to close down. You would find the why and wherefore in Daily Post:
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/rhyl-bangor-co-operative-bank-10799280

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DEAR ME! (2)

Pavilion Court, 27-29 East Parade, Rhyl, has two Ls in its street sign! Please click on the following picture to see a bigger version.

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THE BAY

Bae Colwyn aka Colwyn Bay is approximately 11 miles oh all right 17 kilometres to the west of Rhyl and there has been a lot of cross-fertilization of residents and visitors.

If the planned merger of counties Conwy and Denbighshire goes ahead the resorts of Prestatyn, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay & Llandudno would be in the same local authority area - a sensible move.

History of Colwyn Bay is well covered elsewhere, notably by authors Graham Roberts and Cindy Lowe. Here are some of my favourite pix chosen at random:

Above: Old Colwyn, Fairy Glen card posted 1907 and Old Village card posted 1918.

Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

Below: the entrance to Colwyn Bay pier, followed by the entertainment venue Catlin's Arcadia:

You would find more about promoter Will Catlin of Arcadia in Bill Ellis' book 'Entertainment In Rhyl And North Wales'. Will's real surname was Fox. His daughter Gladys Fox married Billie Manders whose Quaintesques played season after season at Rhyl's Amphitheatre.

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Below: Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay, on a card postmarked 1905, and part of Eirias Park on card posted in 1930s:

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Here are shots of The Bay looking eastwards. First is a view from Bryn Euryn on a card postmarked 1917; the more recent photo is (1960s?):

According to reliable sources there is still plenty going on in Colwyn Bay.

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Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

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FLASHBACK #15

Above is another beautifully detailed interior shot by Rhyl photographer Rae Pickard taken probably in the 1920s. This one shows the dining room of the Monica Hotel which stood on the corner of Water Street and West Parade (the Rosy O'Grady's/Honey Club corner).

[The dining room may have outlived the hotel and been the forerunner of the Esplanade Restaurant - one of West Parade's upstairs eateries.]

The entire building has been demolished to make way for an announced, and re-announced and re-announced, long-awaited hotel. The following photo of the corner was taken a couple of weeks ago by Yours Truly:

On the same day the former Ocean Beach Fun Fair site (currently named Marina Quay) was still in a similar state of limbo despite the announced, and re-announced and re-announced, long-awaited development.

This week over in East Parade the remains of the burnt-out Grange Hotel have been cleared. Round the corner in St. Asaph Street the Grange's rather nice archway has survived - so far.

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Recently on Internet this signed drawing by L.S. Lowry was up for auction. We know Lowry holidayed in Rhyl with his Mum more than once but this drawing of the Pavilion is not well known.

There were clearly doubts about its authenticity; after 12 bids it sold for £588. Rhyl artist Judith Samuel commented, "If it is genuine then it's really cheap. If not then it's really expensive!"

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QUIZ QUESTION # 124

Above is the locomotive 'King Arthur' at Rhyl.
The question: Was the picture taken before or after 1960?
You would score 1 win for the correct answer.

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Below are a couple of photographs taken recently by Yours Truly.
The question: What are the names of these places?

You would score 1 win for the correct pair of names.

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You have until the end of Sat 30th Jan 2016 to send your entry. Second tries not accepted!
The result will be published on Sun 31st Jan 2016 around Midday.

Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

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QUIZ ANSWER # 123

Last Sunday I posted the above face which is on the exterior of a building - not to be confused with the face in Question # 113 about the corner of High St and Wellington Rd. 

The question: Where in Rhyl would you find three identical faces like this?

The answer: Bodfor Street.

They are above windows on The Co-operative Bank.

Click on this picture to see a bigger version:

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Also I posted the following image of the prom to the west of Rhyl Pavilion. The white building just left of centre is Coliseum Theatre; the picture was taken before it was roofed in 1960. 

The question: What is the name of the street at bottom right of the pic?

The answer: John Street.

Coliseum was opposite Abbey Street.

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Scoring one win for the faces answer and/or one win for the street name: Jane Shuttle 2, The Great Gareth 2, Sue Handley 1.

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Do you like my new mousemat?

Eat your heart out, Bill Ellis!

Well, not really. Much as he would appreciate the pin-up, Bill finds the world of computers quite resistible. He is a pen and paper and steam typewriter man.

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MON 5th MAR 2018 UPDATE: The Co-op Bank pictured above closed in Spring 2016. The building has been derelict since then. Here is an image from an old postcard (undated) showing its original use as Albion Hotel:

This pic reveals that the building was not originally white. Alfred Hawkes is named as proprietor; at other times it was D. Lloyd, also an unfortunate Henry Radcliffe who was declared bankrupt in July 1870.

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SIT DOWN PROTEST

This picture of High Street, Rhyl, was taken probably in the 1990s and already it conjures up feelings of nostalgia. The round sheltered benches - such as the one on the left - were handy places during rain showers and ideal for pausing in while sorting shopping bags.

Workers would take a break there and have a chat and a ciggy; visitors with time to stop and stare enjoyed sitting in them, The shelters were unique locally and they gave Rhyl the special feeling of a being a resort rather than just an ordinary town.

Rhuddlan Borough Council had placed the benches but in the spring of 2004 the successor authority, Denbighshire County Council, ripped them out. Denbighshire painted the remaining benches black - perhaps under the impression that was a suitable colour for a seaside town.

Eventually Denbighshire installed coffin-shaped slabs for us to sit on, unsheltered of course - and black of course. The coffins quickly became dented on the top and held pools of water long after a shower. Soon but not soon enough these rubbishy items were done away with.

What have we got now? The best that could be said for the new benches is that they are not black:

After all the talk about how to "re-socialise" High Street the county authority has introduced benches with evil metal dividers in case we try to cuddle up. They are about as inviting as those spiteful narrow seats in the bus station.

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COMPTON HOUSE

I have been asked by Ms. Sue Edwards (currently residing in Canada) where in High Street Compton House was. The answer is number 57. Compton House is the old name for the building now occupied by Holland & Barrett health foods shop:

Originally it was same colour and texture as Betfred to your left - but with smaller bricks. One of Compton House's earlier incarnations was as a ladies’ hat shop I mean milliners. The following advert is circa 1905:

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These references are added here for indexing purposes: Rhyl W H Smith, Evans ladies clothes, M J Edwards milliner.

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THE TOWN HALL

This illustration is from a publication named 'The Builder' dated 26th December 1874. It shows an advance drawing of the present Rhyl Town Hall (opened 1876) by architects Wood & Turner. Note how the clock tower at the front isn't leaning forwards!

Years ago somebody told me the first town hall was in High Street and made of wood, later replaced by the brick-built Town Assembly Rooms now No. 78 High Street.

No. 78 became a pub named the Old Town Hall and eventually a shop named Old Town Hall Stores (picture from Rhyl History Club):

The building still exists. That distinctive circle on the gable is still there. But I have never been convinced that this was really a town hall. More likely it was just a place for public meetings.

No, our municipal offices were on the present town hall site and behind them a market. These were swept away by Wood & Turner's Town Hall with a more formal Market Hall at the rear.

The text below from 'The Builder' provides additional points of interest.
Please click on it to see more clearly:

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These references are added here for indexing purposes: Rhyl market, fish market, soup kitchen, fire station, Town Hall bazaar, Eyrton Denbigh, North South Wales Bank, corn exchange, Denbigh stone, Penmaenmawr stone, Wrexham stone, J Rhydwen Jones.

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6720. Additional image added in July 2020:

This amateur snapshot shows that the Old Town Hall Stores was in the 1990s called the High Street Food Hall.
At present (2020) it is Mark Webber's betting shop and amusement arcade.

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QUIZ QUESTION # 123

Above is a face on the exterior of a building - not to be confused with the face in Question # 113 about the corner of High St and Wellington Rd.

The question: Where in Rhyl would you find three identical faces like this?

You would score 1 win for the correct answer.

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Below is a card showing the promenade west of Rhyl Pavilion. The white building just left of centre is Coliseum Theatre; the picture was taken before it was roofed in 1960.

The question: What is the name of the street at bottom right of the pic?

Street could mean avenue, road, street, whatever.

You would score 1 win for the correct answer.

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So with 2 wins on offer this week, you have until the end of Saturday 23rd January 2016 to send your entry. Second tries not accepted!

The result will be published on Sunday 24th Jan 2016 around Midday.

Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

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QUIZ ANSWER # 122

Last Sunday I posted the above photo taken in Dec 2015 by Yours Truly.
The question: Where in Rhyl would you find this building?

The answer: Brighton Road.

That failed to fool regular players. I had forgotten that the alley in which I was standing is a shortcut to Morley Road car park which many of you use. Hard being a quizmaster sometimes.

The building in question is No.1 Brighton Road which was a martial arts school not many moons ago. It is opposite Apollo Bingo.

Scoring a win for the correct answer are: Dilys Bagnall, Sue Handley, Jane Shuttle, The Great Gareth, and Richard & Ceri Swinney.

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Mon Jan 25th is Dydd Santes Dwynwen aka Saint Dwynwen's Day.
Dwynwen (pronounced Dwin-wen) is the Welsh patron saint of love and romance. You can read about here:
http://gwalia-stores.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/who-was-st-dwynwen.html

Daily Post has suggestions for what to do on Dwynwen's Day:

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/13-things-santes-dwynwen-day-10738821?ptnr_rid=381515&icid=EM_DailyPost_Nletter_WhatsOn_smallteaser_Text_Story1

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Copyright in the image of Dwynwen belongs to Tracy L. Christianson:
http://www.portraitsofsaints.com

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PUB TALK

The Liverpool Arms in Wellington Road (to your left of Sidoli's ice cream parlour) had been closed for a while until it was re-opened this month and renamed the Wellington:

Welsh Government has been putting public money (our money) into re-opening pubs in various places including Rhyl disregarding the fact that alcohol kills about 1,000 people every year in Wales and makes many thousands more ill enough to require NHS treatment.

Whether this particular re-opening was subsidised I know not - but, in any case, there are three other pubs operating on opposite side of Wellington Road. They are: The North (formerly North Wales Inn), The Sun Inn and The Royal Oak:

The photos above were taken on dull, cold and rainy New Year's Day 2016 by Fred Burns the frozen photographer.

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New research shows any amount of alcohol can increase the risk of cancer - there is no such thing as a safe level of drinking the stuff. That is the opinion of the UK's health chiefs. You have been warned!

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NOTTINGHAM ARMS

Recently I received an email from Mr. K. Parry asking where in Wellington Road the Nottingham Arms was. My guess would be Nos.48-54 where UC Bed Bargains store is now, nearly opposite the junction with Elwy Street.

Photo by Yours Truly:

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FRI 29th JAN 2016 UPDATE: The Prince Of Wales pub on corner of Vale Road and Albert Street has undergone a change of colour and career. It is now 'Lifestyle Express Prince Of Wales Convenience Store' comprising off licence and grocery shop.
Photo by Yours Truly:

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TUE 21st JUN 2016 UPDATE: Today I noted that the convenience store had gone and the premises were occupied by 'Clockwork Tattoos & Body Piercing'.

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THE GREAT WAR REVISITED

The Great War, later known as First World War/World War 1, was fought overseas. Around here local people would not have known what a forlorn and muddy bloodbath it was. Young men were urged to join up and fight; those who had moral objections were branded as cowards.

Nearest army training camp to Rhyl (during WW1 and WW2) was Kinmel Park Camp near Bodelwyddan. The above photo of the camp was taken by Rhyl photographer Rae Pickard presumably before, during or after WW1.

The camp looks a pleasant sort of place but conditions were not exactly comfortable if we are to believe the following:
Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

This half-joking card would have been for sale in various locations in UK with the name of the camp changed to suit - worth Tommy's penny for a good larf.

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The card below is dated June 1916 and shows a group at the Red Cross Hospital (aka Men's Convalescent Home) in Bedford Street, Rhyl:

Here is the back of the card:

It is from Grace Brown (presumably a nurse) writing home. She says that the card cost 3d (three pennies) which probably went to Red Cross funds. 
"Dear Mama, What do you think of this? I think it has only just lately been taken because Frank is not on it - Can you find Stiff Neck, Scotty and Flying Boy - We have just had a very nice sergeant about sending stuff to Kinmel. Love Grace."

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Here is a photo hand-dated 1917 of Rhyl County School Cadet Corps. The County School was forerunner of Rhyl Grammar School now Rhyl High:

And below is a rarity that was on sale last year on Internet - hence the seller's logo across the middle. It shows some Belgian refugees being welcomed to Rhyl in 1914:

As we saw recently in Syria, war displaces large numbers of people who uproot themselves and search for a safer place. Drought, famine, war, persecution, failing economies – the history of the world is the history of mass movements of refugees.

No doubt that is how we all came to be where we are.

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This reference is added here for indexing purposes: Brown Attleborough Nuneaton.

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SUN 1th FEB 2016 UPDATE: More bad press for Kinmel Park Camp, this time in the form of a sarcastic poem titled ‘A Little Bit of Heaven’ written by G.W.D. (M.T., A.S.C.)

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SUN 13th AUG 2017 UPDATE: However grim the circumstances, there's always time for laughter. This card is designed by Reg Carter:

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Below: an Internet auction item in 2018 – a folding card!

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QUIZ QUESTION # 122

Above is a photo taken in December 2015 by Yours Truly.

The question: Where in Rhyl would you find this building?

You have until the end of Saturday 16th January 2016 to send your entry.
Second tries not accepted.
The result will be published on Sunday 17th Jan 2016 around Midday.

Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

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