Saturday 31 March 2018

LIFE GOES ON: MAR 2018



Above: stamp albums published in Rhyl by Thomas Cliffe of The Philatelic Factory, Marsh Road, and one by Martin Mills of The Philatelic Workshops, Lusanga Mews.
Lusanga Mews?

Since 1st March 2018 the following posts have been updated:

Albion Hotel, Rhyl -

Botanical Gardens: lily pond -

Coal mines -

Derbyshire Miners’ Camp -

Fiveways Café -

Floral hall: birds -

Kavern Records -

National Eisteddfod 1985 -

Rawicz & Landauer at Pavilion -

YMCA Kings Avenue -


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BARNES BOOKED

Kathryn Nedd


As hinted in a previous post, there exists a biography of Albert Barnes the creator of Marine Lake Fun Fair and Ocean Beach Fun Fair. The book is written by Kathryn Nedd. The back and front covers are shown above.
Click on the image to read the blurb.

Kathryn is Mr. Barnes' granddaughter (and Eric Hughes' daughter). Although essentially a piece of family history, the book gives a thorough appraisal of the Barnes contribution to Rhyl. He was one of the most important figures in the development of the resort.

The first edition of the book, 'White Socks and a Walking Stick' by Kathryn Nedd, was circulated privately. The second edition is yours for £10 in Central Station at Marine Lake or £11 via the Rhyl Miniature Railway website:

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At long last the chain store named The Range has opened at Marina Quay the former Ocean Beach Fun Fair site. The Range sells furniture, bedding, curtains, and has a garden centre and cafe. The company's headquarters are in Plymouth.
To see the Rhyl store's opening hours please click here:
https://www.therange.co.uk/stores/rhyl/

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6720. Additional image added in July 2020:
Re: The Philatelic Factory (Thomas Cliffe) mentioned above, here is a rare glimpse of the workshop interior – 


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Thursday 1 March 2018

FOR ST DAVID'S DAY


Welsh

In 1993 after a long absence I returned to the Vale of Clwyd where born and raised. My mother and her mother being Rhylites, I had known the town all my life and was shocked to see how much it had changed.


Since then I have been involved with community groups in Rhyl, and from early 1990s onwards with the resort’s history. One way or another I have been thinking about Rhyl on a daily basis for a quarter of a century.

It’s time I thought about something else.

Rhyl Life therefore is closing today, but the existing posts will continue to be updated, and ‘Life Goes On’ bulletins about these updates should appear occasionally.


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I've had my say about the inadequacies of local politics and about the 2016 referendum on UK's membership of the European Union having produced the wrong result for Wales.


In my 72nd year I feel unhappy about the bigger picture but could never feel pessimistic about Rhyl – it has as much potential as ever. It is a young town with far more of a future than a past. 


Rhyl Life has operated on-and-off for ten years. Many early posts were of a temporary nature and have been deleted. At the time of writing there are 1,220 posts and an estimated 3,000 images.


At its height, the site attracted about 10,000 pageviews a month. A large part of this success was due to the contributors who generously supplied material for inclusion.


With a final word of thanks to the contributors, I sign off here and wish all readers the best of health and happiness.



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

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CHEETHAM BOOKED

book by Philip Lloyd

Arthur Cheetham the Rhyl-based movie pioneer and businessman is the subject of a new book by Philip Lloyd whose previous work 'Glorious Rhyl: a peep at its past' was published in 2002 and well received.


Of the new book, which is titled 'Silvograph, Arthur Cheetham 1865-1937, pioneer film maker', Philip writes, "Arthur Cheetham arrived in Rhyl in 1889 and set up in business as a phrenologist, ‘medical electrician’ (offering ‘treatment’ for a variety of ailments with his ‘electro-curative battery’), printer, publisher and photographer.


"But he is best known as the town’s pioneer film maker. Between 1898 and 1912 Cheetham shot at least 47 films, depicting aspects of contemporary entertainment, sport, industry, transport etc, well over half of them in Rhyl, including the arrival of the first through Euston/Rhyl summer-service train."


Arthur Cheetham, film movie maker

The new book will be on sale on Thursday 22nd March 2018 at Rhyl Library. The author will be available to sign copies between 9.30 am and 5 pm and will screen a selection of Cheetham films at 2 pm.

Most of the films came from the collection of the late Eric Foulkes of Foulkes' Bar, High Street, Rhyl.

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