LIFE GOES ON: APR 2018

Punchinello aka Punch and Judy on Rhyl promenade, late 1800s.
On your left is the Rowley-Conwy drinking fountain
which had been erected in 1862.

A rare and rusty old tin that once contained "dainty pieces"
of  Mountain Heather Toffee made by
Convalli Confections Ltd of Rhyl.

During April 2018 the following posts were updated:

Circus at the old Pavilion / Trio Hazmas -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/pavilions-circus.html

Dolphinarium in West Parade -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/dolphinarium.html

Johnny Gizzi -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/skid-row.html

J.W. Jones / Rhyl Pavilion -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/parting-shots.html

Kinmel Park Camp, National Service -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/give-us-rink.html

Premier Inn project -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/cool-calling.html

Rhylsville the song -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/junes-choice.html

Roller skating rink -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/rolling-for-rhyl.html

Vaughan's Baths, High Street -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/in-swim-1.html

World War 2 -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/echoes-of-world-war-2.html

New-ish in Queen Street is Chutney Lobster Indian Restaurant (renamed
from Jafflong Spice) on the former Chilli Pink premises. Pity about the
spelling mistake "Takewaway" on fascia.

Preparing to launch is Tim's Coffee Lounge at 90 High Street (with black
frontage) formerly the  premises of Soulmates Bridal Shop.
Soulmates went round the corner to 12 Kinmel Street.

These references are added here for indexing purposes:

Front Room pub restaurant Rhyl, Reeds Rains estate agents.

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HELLO, GOODBYE

This afternoon out for a stroll (a Sunday constitutional) I witnessed Burton / Dorothy Perkins in the process of clearing out. Inside the shop were rails of clothes marked for transfer to other branches, nearest being Llandudno and Broughton.

The building at 48-50 High Street is one of few left from Rhyl's art deco period. It began life in 1930 simply as Burton the tailor. In recent years: Burton menswear on the 1st floor, Dorothy Perkins womens' fashions on ground floor.

Just in case the building undergoes radical change, here is  a record of its exterior wall plaques.

The following is on front of the building, to the right of Dorothy Perkins' window at a height of roughly 10-12 feet. It commemorates The Beatles 1962 appearance at Regent Dansette which used to be on 2nd floor: 

This cornerstone is at ground level beneath The Beatles plaque: 

Round the corner of Burton's window is a disused side door with plaques at ground level on each side:

Left:

 Right:

The photographs above are by Yours Truly.

You could read a short history of the company in Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burton_(retailer)

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TUE 9th JAN 2018 UPDATE: Ex-Rhylite Nigel Kerry of Clun writes, “Misspent youth. Burton’s also had a very popular snooker hall upstairs as lots of Burton’s branches had.”

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WED 24th JAN 2018 UPDATE:  Rhyl's percentage of empty shops has increased from 17.3 per cent in 2015 to 21.6 in 2016, and to 24.7 in 2017. What a rate of decline. It's hard to believe Rhyl was once THE regional shopping centre in Vale of Clwyd.

See Daily Post:

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/town-centre-one-worst-wales-14193941#ICID=IYA

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MONDAY MEANDER

Rhyl town centre changes so often that a stroll round at any time of year reveals something new or new-ish. The photos in this post were taken yesterday, Monday 9th October 2017 by Yours Truly.

Above is corner of Wellington Road & High Street which not long ago was home to Boomers toys and gifts and way back in time the Mostyn Hotel. Now we have 'Golden Razor' offering haircut, shave and additional hair- removing treatments.

I was sorry to see the closure of Oldhams Bakery in Wellington Road opposite the ex-Post Office, and pleased to see the worthy replacement - Sandbank Bakery's shop in Russell Road opposite Liffy's:

Now, to your right of legendary Jay's Cafe/restaurant in Market Street is Clwyd Bakeries. My pal Jill and I liked this clean and tidy place and added it to our list of approved Rhyl snack bars:

At 11 Bodfor Street, sandwiched (sorry!) between The Bodfor pub on your left and Cash Converters on your right, is Courden's Coffee House & Bistro. Not tried yet.

The following shot was taken while standing in Sussex Street and looking through the gap between George Hotel & Baptist Church. Demolition of buildings on northeast side of Queen Street affords a dramatic view of the Skytower, at least temporarily.

On northwest side of Queen Street, in the building known for decades as Adelphi Fish Restaurant, later Shaw's Restaurant, and recently as Chilli Pink, there now stands Jafflong Spice. Restaurants of the name Jafflong are invariably Indian.

On corner of Water Street and West Parade, on the site of the demolished Honey Club, the Brewer's Fayre pub restaurant and Premier Inn hotel are at long last taking shape opposite the Skytower:

The following names are added here for indexing purposes:
Office2Home stationery, Portal Entertainment games, Grade 1 Barbers, Aquarius Market Street.

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

Don't forget my YouTube channel featuring Rhyl videos and slideshows. The channel is named RhylTime. Click here to see RhylTime's Top Ten:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7BKgZiQNRSaVpnyTl8PgEpPusmd3dl_z

Only YouTube items labelled RhylTime are mine.

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HOLD VERY TIGHT

Here are some bus items to add to the strength transport pix in this blog. Above: the earliest form of bus, a coach and horses. This one is in Rhyl and ready to depart on a trip. The word TOURIST is just about visible on side of the coach. The image is from a card postmarked 1913.

Above: Brookes Brothers open-top white double decker outside the White Lion Hotel, High Street, Rhyl (where Jobcentre Plus is now).
On the front of the bus is an advert for E.B. Jones, grocers; on the side is advert for a Rhyl Pavilion show titled This Woman Business.

Below: Crimson Coaches vehicle near the Llanberis Pass. It is made by Vulcan of Southport. Crimson is one of the lesser known Rhyl firms, and the driver in this instance is 'Will Llanfair'.

Above: Late 1930s snapshot of a Crosville Motor Services U8 that ran between High Street, Rhyl, and Sandy Cove in Kinmel Bay.

Below: Late 1950s probably. The double decker is near corner of High Street and West Parade, with Woolworth's (now B&M) on your left.

Crosville's 5000th bus, circa 1980 at Marine Lake end of Wellington Road, near an Esso petrol station and an Elf service station.

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6720. Additional image added in July 2020:

This wonky old advert shows that the Brookes Brothers company mentioned above, pre-dated the era of motor coaches.

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FLASHBACK #25

Kerfoot Hughes & Jones is one of those evocative Rhyl business names that I like so much. They were ironmongers mainly, and their shop was in Bodfor Street. The business card above states new premises, so this was not their first address. The card would be circa 1909.

The Kerfoot Hughes & Jones invoice below is addressed to Mrs. Stanley "Plas Coed" Dyserth Road and is dated 1931.
Click on it to see small print.

Having consulted my pal Dilys Bagnall, I can advise that the shop was on the northeast side of Bodfor Street. The location is shown in the following photo taken last month by Yours Truly standing outside Argos:

There may be a connection between the ironmonger Kerfoot and the Rhuddlan street name Kerfoot Avenue. Can anybody confirm?

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

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Another fondly remembered ironmongers was H.O. Davies, 28 Queen Street (known as Garth's). At the time of writing we have no ironmongers in Rhyl town centre.

6720. Additional image added here in June 2020:

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At the time of writing we have no butchers in Rhyl town centre either. The business card below, for long gone butchers I mean purveyors of meat Owens & Sons of 9 Water Street and 51a High Street, is likely to be from before World War 1.

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These names are added here for indexing purposes: Mind charity shop, Goldilocks hairdressers.

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FRI 23rd JUN 2017 UPDATE: Nigel Kerry has written from Clun – a lovely place in South Shropshire. Nigel says that in the 1950s his uncle Oswald Jones of Alpha Villa (now No.9) Elwy Street, Rhyl, worked in the dispatch department of Kerfoot Hughes & Jones.

[He adds that there is or was a few years ago a Kerfoots in Porthmadog, an imposing shop that was part ironmonger/ fancy goods etc. The proprietors told him that there was a link to the Rhyl business.]

Nigel says that, in Rhyl, Kerfoots’ dispatch department was in Windsor Street – probably where Salvation Army is now. That would it have made it parallel with the Bodfor Street shop with perhaps an alley between.

Here is a photo of the Sally Army premises taken today by Yours Truly:

The Blood and Fire emblem on the wall above the entrance never fails to catch my eye:

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HANDFUL OF MYSTERIES

Here at Jones Towers are quite a few pictures marked 'Maybe Rhyl', 'Possibly Rhyl', 'Probably Rhyl'. or simply 'Unknown'. Nothing is known about this one - a large group of males of various ages:

The above is presumed to be a Rhyl picture because it is by photographer Wills Jones who, in that era of straw boater hats, operated from the Magnet Studio in High Street, Rhyl.
[The Magnet Studio was upstairs to your left of Boots chemist until Boots expanded and swallowed it.]

Click on any image to see a bigger version.

The above is dated 1941 (during World War 2) and labelled 'Rhyl district'. There is no obvious pointer to why these people are being photographed together.
Standing in the back row (left to right): Don't know, Nellie Hall, Rosie Powell, ---- Whittaker, Elsie Woods, V. Gratton and Don't know.
Sitting in the front row (l to r): Kitty Harris, Rene Mac, Vera Whitworth, Don't know and Lottie Jones.

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I am not 100 per cent convinced that the following is Rhyl but, if it is, we might be looking at businesses that were replaced by the long gone Regal Cinema which was in turn replaced by the retail building at 97 High Street recently vacated by the Co-op.

On your left in the picture is Pozzi's Restaurant & Tea Rooms at No.97. 
On your right is 'Ye Olde Britannia' Fish &  Chip Saloon, which may well have been the remnant of the Britannia Forge pub  - a hotbed of illegal gambling - originally the Britannia Inn.
On the other hand, the picture may not be Rhyl at all.
Hey ho.
Motor car enthusiasts may be able to guess the date.

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In this Rhyl promenade pic, probably late 1950s, on your left is the Pier Amphitheatre ('The Amphi') and on your right is Prince's Water Phantasy at the Open Air Bathing Pool ('The Baths'). All well and good but what is the tall tower centre right?

Would it part of the illuminations perhaps?

Your thoughts on any of today's mysteries would be most welcome.

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

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MON 12th JUN 2017 UPDATE: Of the first picture above, Robert Jones of Dyserth writes:

"The location of the men and boys is the old Merseyside Holiday Camp in Dyserth. The Allt y Graig railway bridge is at the top left, and the wall to the right going to Lady’s Wood is visible. 

The camp was sited on Lletty Mwyn (Place of Minerals), next to the Clive Engine; you can see undulating ground due to the mine waste.

There are lots of pictures of those tents from 1909 onwards, including soldiers in WW1, until wooden huts replaced them in the 1920s. 

The most interesting thing about the photo is the unusual mixture of the classes posing together."

Thank you, Robert!

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LIFE GOES ON: MAY 2017

High Street, Rhyl (looking south from near Sussex Street)
card postmarked 1919

Thank you to the many readers who have been in touch this month about one thing or another, from horrible housing conditions to exceptionally hot weather.
My pal Jill and I took a day trip to Llandudno and your blogger came away preferring Rhyl which is more compact (less walking to do) and better value for money.
If you knew what we paid in Llandudno for two teas and ice creams you might just faint.

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During May 2017, fourteen older posts were updated:

Boer War Memorial -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/quiz-answer-88_26.html

Church Army pilgrimages -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/ecclesiastics.html

Circus at Pavilion 1958 -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/pavilions-circus.html

Gilbert Rogers and his Jovial Jesters -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/quiz-answer-78.html

HMS Rhyl -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/hms-rhyl-4.html

Lifeboat Caroline Richardson II -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/lifeboat-day.html

Marine Lake early description -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/crown-jewels.html

North Wales "Pals" (WW1) -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/quiz-answer-133.html

Pentre Bach Model Village -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/pentre-bach.html

Princes Street 1953, identification -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/princes-street-1953.html

Rhyl Amateur Swimming Club, identification -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/fun-at-baths.html

Rotor fun fair ride / Gravitron -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/quiz-answer-141.html

Royal Hotel, High Street -
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/flashback-18.html

Talbot's shop, High Street - 
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/butterick-at-talbots.html

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

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MILITARIANISM # 2

A post on 8th January this year, now titled MILITARIANISM #1, featured some local military camp pictures from the World War 1 era. These drew a considerable amount of interest so here are more of the same.

I present these as items of social history and would not wish to condone or glorify military conflict in any way. In my lifetime I have not supported the UK's involvement in any war. Peacenik, that's me.

The following images are dated.
Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

1908 - Cheshire Regiment at Rhyl

1914 - North Wales Comrades training at Rhyl
(not to be confused with North Wales "Pals")

1914 - North Wales Comrades training at Rhyl (2)

1915 - Service Batt. Welsh Regt. (Carmarthenshire)
outside Rhyl Pavilion

1916 - Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Kinmel Park Camp near Bodelwyddan
Aber. Hut (Aber Where,  I wonder)

The following images are undated but from same period.
Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

 Church Lads' Brigade - Morning wash at Rhyl Camp No.7
(Magic Lantern slide)

 Royal Welsh Fusiliers - Church Parade at Rhyl Camp

Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Kinmel Park Camp

Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Kinmel Park Camp (2)

To round off this post, here is a rare snapshot of WW1 soldiers in Rhyl, marching down High Street and about to cross the Alexandra Bridge which these days is called Vale Road Bridge:

Furthest right is a tantalising glimpse of the building that was demolished in the 1930s to make way for Odeon Cinema (now Apollo Bingo).
In centre of the picture is William Roberts' corner shop, and to your left of the shop is a hotel; I have it on good authority that the hotel's rooms still exist on the upper floors.

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MON 11 SEP 2017 UPDATE: Another image of Church Lads' Brigade. Here they are marching along the prom in Rhyl. This pic is presumably from World War 1 period.

You can find out more about the Church Lads' Brigade and Church Girls' Brigade in Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Lads%27_and_Church_Girls%27_Brigade

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FLASHBACK #23

Previously in this blog have been references to the Post Office that used to be in Rhyl High Street in days of yore, but no clear illustration until now. The date 1959 appears on the back of this photo:

The building has long gone. It was opposite the present Boots chemist, on a site where now we have a pair of charity shops: British Heart Foundation at No.42 and Scope at No.44.

I thought I remembered a red pillar box outside. Memory plays tricks!

To your right of the Post Office was formerly Avondale Restaurant which, by the time the photo was taken, had become combined-Avondale-Cafe-and-shop belonging to E.B. Jones & Co Ltd.

Cyclists, please take note of the two chaps in the picture. They are doing what you should be doing in town centres, i.e. walking along pushing the bikes and not riding. 

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Incidentally, the E.B. Jones company was known mainly for its chain of grocery shops in North Wales – based in Rhyl.  E.B.'s shops were much in evidence in the 1950s, having sprung up like mushrooms between the two world wars.

6720. Two additional images added here in June 2020:

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