EARLY ROYAL VISITS

Although television executives seem to believe we are all royalists, they can include me out. The bestowing of massive privileges on one particular family for hereditary reasons seems to me an outdated and offensive idea.

Nevertheless I have a soft spot for Alexandra of Denmark (shown below) patron of the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Rhyl. We had Alexandra Hotel and still have Alexandra Bridge i.e. the Vale Road Bridge.

She was Princess of Wales and wife of Edward, Prince of Wales, who became King Edward V11. Alexandra visited Rhyl in 1894 for laying the foundation stone of the hospital, and in 1902 to open the hospital. On the second occasion her husband was with her in his coronation year.

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A later Prince of Wales was to become King Edward V111 for less than 12 months. He abdicated (gave up the throne) in order to marry his lover, a divorced American woman. I always admired this Edward for flying in the face of convention.

Here he is, in his days as Prince of Wales, opening the War Memorial Hospital, Grange Road, Rhyl (now Hafan Deg Day Centre and War Memorial Court):

This was taken on the same occasion:

Click on the image to see a bigger version.

[Strangely, considering how brief his rule, we have a miniature train at Marine Lake named Edward V111.]

All very well, but the only king that really interests me is The Wire King who used to bend wire into novelties at a booth on the prom in Rhyl, and of course our May Queens & Rose Queens and – who said Johnny Dallas! Go and stand in the corner!

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The following references are added here for indexing purposes:

Duke of Windsor, Buckley Jones, Hughes Jones, G.J. Evans.

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ALL IS FAIR

Film maker Mike Theaker has dug into his archives and come up with footage of Rhyl fairground in 1959. At that time we had the old fun fair at Marine Lake and a newer one at Ocean Beach.

The shots are brief, the video’s total running time is less than 3-and-a-half minutes, but the material has not been viewed publicly before. Click on the link below to see on my YouTube channel.

Thanks, Mike!

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=GVw9JKqGg8A

Only videos marked RhylTime are mine. Don't blame me for the others.

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ALEX BOOKLET

Ex-Rhylite Robert Jones of Dyserth has provided this item - a booklet from the early days of the Royal Alexandra Hospital or - as it was known then - Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital and Convalescent Home.

The booklet is undated but clearly over 100 years old. Some pictures are familiar but the big attraction here is the text which is very informative about conditions at the time.

Incidentally, The Patroness H.M. Queen Alexandra was actually Alexandra of Denmark, Queen consort, wife of Edward VII.

Interesting item. Thanks, Robert!

Click on any page to read small print.

Click on any page to read small print.

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The following references are added here for indexing purposes:
Archdeacon Ffoulkes, Duke of Westminster, Alfred Waterhouse architect, Murray Browne, Gertrude Ffoulkes, Edith Vizard.

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LIFE GOES ON: OCT 2017

Erdington Children's Homes Band in Rhyl. They were fundraising in the 1920s
and early '30s for the War Memorial Hospital, Grange Road

During October 2017 the following old posts were updated:

Former Co-op premises, High Street (2 updates) -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/regal-1.html

Foryd Bridge -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/toll-bridge.html

High Street, Polkinghorne’s Series -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/foot-notes-2.html

Pleasure Boats / Gangways on beach -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/something-cool.html

Pleasure / Fishing Boats near harbour -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/for-sea-dogs.html

May Queen 1941 -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/may-queen-who.html

Sun Centre -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/new-water-park.html

Universal Credit in Rhyl -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/income.html

STOP PRESS! Bodycare is moving from High Street to White Rose Centre.
ALDI is moving from Wellington Rd to Marina Quay (was Ocean Beach).

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chicagotribune.com

MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN

October 2017 was a classic month for quotes about Republican President Donald Trump:

Republican Senator Jeff Flake said,
“We must never meekly accept the daily sundering of our country - the personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms, and institutions, the flagrant disregard for truth or decency, the reckless provocations.”

Republican Senator Bob Corker said,
"At the end of the day, when his term is over, I think the debasing of our nation, the constant non-truth telling, just the name-calling ... I think the debasement of our nation will be what he'll be remembered most for, and that's regretful."

American Professor of Economics Jeffrey Sachs said,
"I believe that at an individual level he is profoundly psychologically ill. He is a malignant narcissist and a sociopath."

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MON 30 OCT 2017 – Ex-Trump election campaign adviser George Papadopoulos has admitting lying to the FBI about connections between individuals associated with the campaign and the Russian government's efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.

MON 30 OCT 2017 AGAIN – Ex-Trump election campaign adviser Paul Manafort & his business associate Richard ‘Rick’ Gates, have been charged on 12 counts, including conspiracy against United States, making false statements and conspiracy to launder money.

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QUIZ ANSWER # 185

On Sunday 9th  I posted the black-and-white picture shown below. The question: At junction of what two streets is the lamp post standing?

The answer: East Parade and Bath Street.
Far right is Children's Hospital on the prom. The building had been the Baths Hotel the road to which became - and remains - Bath Street.
The hotel was there as early as the 1820s managed by Miss Summers & Miss Stevens. It was a respectable inn and bathing establishment with a lending library. It was converted to hospital in 1873.

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Also I posted a pic of a hanging lamp shade. The question: Where in Rhyl would you find this item?

The answer: Rhyl Railway Station (Platform 2).
Here is a wider view in a photo taken this year by Yours Truly:

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AN ALEX GALLERY

On this Valentine's Day here is a bouquet for the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Rhyl, which is held in affection because of its function and because it still looks good despite inevitable alterations.

Images in this post are from the very early days, probably first decade.

The Alex is on a site previously occupied by a house named 'Plastirion' which had been built as a seaside home for Dr. Stephen Warren and his family. Dr. Warren was a physician to Queen Victoria.

Click on any image to see a bigger version.

The Alex opened officially in 1902 as a children's hospital. There were no miracle drugs for kids who were afflicted by illness, but plenty of fresh sea air and TLC!

Whether the patients were local or from industrial cities far away, the main cause of their maladies - directly or indirectly - was poverty.

Initially there were 160 beds. As time rolled by the capacity expanded and the Alex became a General Hospital. Now it is classed as a 'community hospital' and comes under occasional threat of closure.

The Alex is such an important institution in Rhyl that closure should never be contemplated - not even for a moment! Its services are too valuable and its historical significance really quite considerable.

To see ALL posts relating to hospitals please click here:
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/HOSPITALS

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

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DINBYCH / DENBIGH

The town of Denbigh, 10 miles or about 16km to the south of Rhyl, must be one of the oldest settlements around here - it dates back to the 1200s. Denbigh Castle is not the most photogenic monument but this undated aerial view is worth a look . . .

. . . and so is this 1950s view from the Southeast:

Here is an old picture of High Street (looking towards the public library and Vale Street). This is followed by a 1930s postcard of Crown Square looking towards the town hall - in foreground is the 'Winged Peace' war memorial, just one of Denbigh's interesting statues:

Click on any image to see a bigger version.

Denbigh had a fine railway station building (near what became Kwik Save) with busy lines to Rhyl, Chester, Mold and Ruthin. The station closed in the early 1960s.

Transport fans go here: http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/d/denbigh/

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Howell's School in Peake's Lane, was a private school for girls. Below in the lower photo Howell's girls in the 1920s are doing the sort of jive that Rhyl convent girls used to do:

Howell's School died in 2013 but the corpse is twitching - apparently a new buyer has been found and the establishment renamed Myddelton College. Further info here:
http://www.myddeltoncollege.com/about-myddelton/

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The above photo shows North Wales Hospital (known as Denbigh Mental or "the asylum") which was built in the 1840s and operated until the 1990s. Not long ago the building was bought by Denbighshire County Council by Compulsory Purchase Order against private owners who had failed to keep the site in a good state of repair.

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The following references are added here for indexing purposes:
T A Roberts grocer, Dicks shop, Crown Hotel, Worthington brewery, Star Supply Shop, Hepworth tailor.

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Here in Rhyl I am disconcerted by the recent closure of the Cookbook Cafe, a place with a range of herbal teas and homemade cakes, attached to Rhyl Library I mean One Stop Shop.

Thanks to Lynn Roberts for alerting me to this catastrophe. The cafe was a special place.

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

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QUIZ ANSWER # 126

 

Last Sunday I posted this photo taken on New Year's Day 2016 in Rhyl by Fred Burns. Hidden behind the big bush is a place name. The question: What is the place name?

The answer: Cramer Court.

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Also I posted a cutting from a pre-World War 1 publication, an advert for Vaughan's chemist, with the phrase 1, Vaughan Street removed. The question: What is located there now?

The answer: RSPCA Animal Welfare Clinic.

Here is the advert in full supplied by Dave Williams – thanks, Dave!

The advert says Corner of Abbey Street. The shop is not on the corner of Abbey Street but there was commercial value in saying so because Abbey Street was a busy shopping street with a lot of footfall.

Here is the corner photographed on a dull day last week by Yours Truly:

On your left of RSPCA is Fred Burns' photographic studio (formerly Phoenix photographic studio) in Bedford St and on your right - behind playground - is Bromleys upholsterers in Vaughan St.

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Scoring 1 win for Cramer Court and/or 1 win for RSPCA: Dilys Bagnall 1, Jane Shuttle 1, Sue Handley 2, The Great Gareth 2.

Gareth wonders if there was a connection between E.E. Vaughan chemist and the name Vaughan Street.  Possibly!  In 1880s one of the Rhyl commissioners (forerunners of councillors) was Edward Vaughan who could have been a chemist and may have had the street named after him.

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HALL OF SHAME

Last year in North Wales a large number of food outlets were checked for food hygiene and rated on a scale of 0-5 with 5 representing the best.

The following Rhyl businesses managed to score only 1:

Brothers Cafe Takeaway, 13 Kinmel Street;

Nash Care Home, 10-12 Churton Road;

Premier Convenience Stores, 135 Wellington Road;

Seagull International Foods, 32-36 Bedford Street.

Hospital patients and visitors should note that the voluntary group League of Friends at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan, scored only 1.

See Daily Post for more details of the survey:

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/north-wales-food-outlets-one-10753180

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THE TABLE IS READY

The Royal Alexandra Hospital, Marine Drive, Rhyl has cropped up a few times in this blog. You would find the previous references and pictures under the label HOSPITALS on your left at the top of this page.

The image above showing an operating theatre is dated circa 1908 (more likely before that date than after). Note the small size of the operating table - at that time The Alex was a children's hospital.

On the mantelpiece the bottle nearest to the camera is labelled Carbolic 1 in 20, and the one in the middle is Boracic. These were antiseptics.

At that time electric lighting would have been unlikely. The fireplace seems to be tiled over, and there is no visible form of heating. The nurse is well wrapped up!

[Generally, it was believed that cool temperatures were more beneficial.]

Above: the building is shown without its east wing which was added in 1908. The presence of the town crest bottom right leads me to believe this may be the first ever postcard of The Alex, commemorating the official opening in 1902.

Below is the Lady Superintendent's Room - an undated photo:

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QUIZ ANSWER # 119

Last Sunday I posted the above exterior of a Rhyl building photographed
a few weeks before by Yours Truly. The door bears the number 2.
The question: In what road/street would you find this building?
The answer: Millbank Road.
At the Vale Road end, opposite the back yard of Caskeys pub.

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Also posted was a room inside a Rhyl building photographed during or before World War 1 (1914-18).
The question: In what road/street would you find this building?
The answer: Bedford Street.
Pictured is the dining hall of the Men's Convalescent Institution which was a Red Cross Hospital during WW1:

Click on the card to read more easily.

Here is the exterior photographed a few days ago by Yours Truly:

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Also posted was the 1970s picture below which is NOT RHYL but not a million miles away.
The question: Where is it?
The answer: Llandrillo yn Rhos aka Rhos-on-Sea.
Just t'other side of Colwyn Bay.

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Scoring 1 win for each correct answer: Dilys Bagnall 1, Sue Handley 1, Jane Shuttle 1, The Great Gareth 2, Richard & Ceri Swinney 2.

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This reference is added here for indexing purposes: Watkins Llanfwrog.

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RAE PICKARD

Postcard collectors would tell you that the Rhyl name to look out for is photographer Rae Pickard. Some of his work appears in previous posts in this blog – and sometimes uncredited because not all of his pictures carry his trade mark.

Here is one attributed to Rae Pickard circa 1914 and coloured at a later date. It shows the steam packet St. Elian at Foryd Harbour:

Rae Pickard was a Kentish lad whose real name was Harold Ashby Norris. He came to Rhyl in the early 1900s and stayed with his brother Jeffrey Norris who was Clerk to the Rhyl county court.

Some fine details in Mr. Pickard’s work gets lost in translation to Internet but the following item showing the boarding house (unlicensed hotel) Moseley House, 66 West Parade, run by Mrs. S. Rowlands circa 1915 illustrates he was a cut above other photographers of the day:

Rae Pickard’s first studio/shop was in Queen Street, and later he moved to High Street. The following shot of the sands and promenade is undated, must be later than 1908 because Rhyl Pavilion is there. At the bottom on your right is the Pickard trade mark:

Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

Next is Queen Street on a card posted in 1913 to Mrs. G. Nicholls of Maids Moreton, Bucks, from daughter Rose. On the corner Parr's Bank is now the NatWest:

In late 1930s Rae Pickard passed away after more than 30 years of producing work that is still admired. In a later post I will present some of his photos of other towns and villages in North Wales.

Meanwhile, here are two more of his Rhyl gems – a picture of the Women’s Convalescent Home at Morfa Hall undated, and one that was taken under tricky lighting conditions at the children’s sea water bath in Royal Alexandra Hospital circa 1920:

I am obliged to Llanddulas Hidden History for some of this information. Please click here to see the site:
http://www.llanddulashiddenhistory.co.uk

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SUN 28th FEB 2016 UPDATE: Recently to hand came this Rae Pickard photo of the Children’s Lake (paddling pool) and West Parade from the late 1920s or thereabouts:

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MON 15th OCT 2018 UPDATE: The Rae Pickard picture below seems to fit here. It is captioned Rhyl Shore and shows a pleasure boat returning to the beach, with Pavilion and pier in the background.

This is a card postmarked 1920.

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Additional image added in July 2020:

This is a card postmarked 1926.

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