FLASHBACK #32

These two photos were taken on the Dyserth branch line that operated 1869-1973 from Prestatyn to Meliden to Dyserth for the quarries.

Ah yes, the quarries. As a schoolboy on the Dyserth side of Rhuddlan I used to hear a warning siren followed by eerie silence, and then big boom accompanied by a chorus of dogs barking.

The mountain looked as if a giant’s spoon had removed a portion to eat. We took the disfiguring of the landscape by heavy industry for granted.

On visits to Wrexham area I joined the children playing on ‘spoil tips’ from the collieries until 1966 when a big one collapsed on houses and a school at Aberfan in South Wales and killed 28 adults and 116 children.

Our industrial past is less than glorious.

You can read about the Dyserth branch line, most of which is now a footpath, in Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyserth_branch_line

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Mr. Gerald Turner, now of Canada, thought he saw a picture of Yours Truly and my pal Jill on this blog ages ago – and he has spent a long time trying to find it again. He didn't say what for!

Well Gerry, the pic was taken in 2015 by Lynn Roberts outside The Piazza Restaurant, High Street, Rhyl. It appeared as part of a temporary post and got deleted. Here 'tis.

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

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OTHER WORLDS

A surprisingly large amount of info and pix received here at Jones Towers is not about Rhyl but about towns and villages nearby.

Above: Bodfari railway station (opened in 1869). This shot dates from 1961, a year before the station closed down and is taken looking westwards towards Denbigh. Station buildings on your right were on the Chester bound platform. Last I heard the station was a private residence.

Below: An old image of  the present Tafarn Yr Heliwr/Sportsman's Arms on Denbigh Moors. The pub is in Bylchau near Denbigh or Llansannan according to whose directions you take. "You can't miss it," I suppose.

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Above: A lofty view of part of Dyserth village on a card postmarked 1937.

Below: In Dyserth Parish Church aka St. Bridget's Church – the 15th century Jesse Window photographed circa 1930.

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Above: Found in a batch of Prestatyn pictures, an image captioned Old Pigeon House, Talacre. I'm glad about the caption, otherwise I wouldn't have known what the hell it was.

Below: Fforddlas in Prestatyn. What shall we say – 1950s?  Fforddlas in Prestatyn is one word whereas Ffordd Las in Rhyl is two words often written mistakenly as one.

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Above: Multiview card of Towyn near Abergele, postmarked 1955. The church bottom right is (Grade II listed) St. Mary's consecrated in 1873.

Below: This is a memorial at St. Michael's Church, 1 Peel Street, Abergele. The inscription reads: "Sacred to the memory of 33 persons who names are inscribed on this monument. They perished in the railway accident near Abergele on the 20th of August 1868 and their remains are deposited within this enclosure."
Click on the image to see bigger version.

The family names are (top to bottom left):- Farnham, Chinnery, Berwick, Aylmer, Franks, Askin, Cripps, Edwards, Farrell, Holmes;
(top to bottom right):- Ingram, Kellett, Lea, Lund, Owen, Outen, Parkinson, Roe, Scovell, Smith, Stearn, Strafford, Symes.

For details of the accident see Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abergele_rail_disaster

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Recently I've had meetings with film maker Mike Theaker who is planning a new Rhyl project. Mike co-produced the most popular video on my YouTube channel where it is titled Rhyl 1960s: A Tale Of Two Seasons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7l8SIqHvsw

Only the videos marked RhylTime are mine!

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

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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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QUIZ ANSWER # 142

Last Sunday I posted the above Rhyl streets photographed this year. Each has a place name blanked out.
The question: What are the missing names?
The answer: Bryntirion Avenue (TOP) and Victoria Avenue.
The Bryntirion pic is by Yours Truly; the Victoria is by Fred Burns.

Also I posted a couple of old photos NOT taken in Rhyl. The question: Where were they taken?
The answer: Llandudno and Dyserth.
Here are the images in full:

Above is the Llandudno picture: Open-top tram No.22 on the Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway which operated between Llandudno and Rhos-on-Sea from 1907 and extended to Colwyn Bay in 1908. The service closed in 1956.

(There was a plan for a Rhyl to Prestatyn tramway that never materialised. You could fill a book with the things Rhyl nearly had.)

Below is the Dyserth picture with its caption restored. I am almost certain this would be pre-WW2: 

Scoring 1 win for the pair of Rhyl streets and/or 1 win for the Llandudno & Dyserth pictures:
Dilys Bagnall 2, The Great Gareth 2, Jane Shuttle 2, Sue Handley 1.
(Sue sent in her answer while holidaying on the Isle of Bute. I call that dedication!)

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NOW WE KNOW
A post on Thursday 19th May 2016 titled 'Return To Val's' included an advertising card for Grosvenor Saddlery Works and I wondered where that was. The following advert from circa 1905 provides the answer: It was at 7 Kinmel Street and the business belonged to R.E. Owens:

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SAT 15th JUL 2017 UPDATE: Speaking of Llandudno and tram, here is a composition by G.S. 'Sid' Cooper, transport artist (b.1935, d.1998).

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MR. PICKARD IS OUT

From his base in Rhyl, photographer Rae Pickard visited frequently nearby towns and villages in search of good marketable shots; he understood that a lot of Rhyl's appeal lay in its surrounding countryside.

The following pictures of Denbigh Castle and Penrhyn near Llandudno are random examples. The latter is thought to be circa 1920:

Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

This is a photo of High Street, Newmarket (Trelawnyd near Dyserth) on a card posted in 1927.

Of the two below taken in Dyserth, the one of the waterfall is circa 1915; the interior shot of the New Inn Dyserth is remarkable for detail:

The following is thought to be a Rae Pickard even though not signed. It is circa 1912 at what looks like a ploughing contest. All the usual Pickardian hallmarks of quality are evident in this:

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MON 5th DEC 2016 UPDATE: A faded Pickard card postmarked 1912.

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FRI 3rd FEB 2017 UPDATE: Here is another Pickard of Newmarket (Trelawnyd) followed by his take on Highbury Avenue, Prestatyn.
The third pic is Maesydon in Llanddulas near Abergele, on a card postmarked 1918.

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6720. Additional image added in July 2020:

Rae Pickard's take on Llanrhaeadr Hall (he didn't quite get the spelling right). The hall still exists. It is near Denbigh, a care home now.

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RHYL FOR A START

Published this year and definitely worth a fiver is the slim paperback titled ‘A Victorian Tour of North Wales: Rhyl to Llandudno’.

The author Andrew Gill says, “This booklet reproduces relevant parts of Black’s Guide, published in 1897, and thirty five photographs, most of which were taken between 1880 and 1920, owned by the Keasbury-Gordon Photograph Archive.”

The text describes Rhyl as the Margate of North Wales and refers to our broad sands and safe bathing and remarkably favourable winter climate. The description of Rhyl includes a reference to the unbeautiful Pavilion. That would have been the Grand Pavilion concert hall at the shore end of the pier.

The book refers to Rhyl having an Operetta House which I take to be Lyric Hall in Market Street. Lyric Hall became Central Hall where Mr. Cheetham had his Silvograph Cinema. The building is the row of shops between Wilkinsons and The Lorne. The 'Hall' part was upstairs.

The Rhyl chapter is not very long and there are only four old photos – fascinating nevertheless. From there we go to Rhuddlan, Dyserth, St. Asaph and other places in the Vale of Clwyd.

Next town to get a substantial share of the book is Colwyn Bay. The front cover photo of a fisherman and his friend was taken in Colwyn Bay.

Llandudno gets the biggest chapter and then there is a Victorian guide to the Welsh alphabet and a glossary of some Welsh terms. What’s more, the author has produced a companion volume titled ‘A Victorian Tour Of North Wales: Conwy to Caernarfon via Anglesey’.

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Mr. Gill has similar publications about other parts of UK. See this list:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrew-Gill/e/B00VS3ZFHG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1440669657&sr=1-2-ent

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RHYL UNITED

Around the time of World War 1, Rhyl United was the short-lived name of what became Rhyl Football Club. There is no connection with the coach company of same name:

The photographs above show Rhyl United vehicles at departure points near Coliseum Theatre on the prom and at top of Water Street. Copyright in the photos belongs to Brian Botley.

Rhyl United Coachways Ltd was comprised originally of a small group of Rhyl West tour operators working on a cooperative basis. They became a freestanding company in 1944.

At the end of the 1960s the company was sold to the Evans family of Llanrhaeadr near Denbigh who ran Pentre Motors; they continued to use the name Rhyl United.

The following advert is from the 1970s:

In 1984 the name was bought by S. & W.M. Kerfoot-Davies of Voel Coaches Ltd which is now based in Dyserth.

North Wales Garage mentioned in the advert may have been the building below currently owned by Voel Coaches. It is known as Wellington Market; the photo was taken today by Yours Truly:

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More information about Rhyl United Coachways Ltd can be found here:

http://www.ronsbusesandcoaches.com/ceased-operators/rhyl-united

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RURAL CHARMS

In recognition of the fact that Rhyl's surrounding countryside is an important part of the resort's appeal to visitors, above are more old
views of villages nearby.
Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

From the top:
BODELWYDDAN by Rae Pickard of 12 Queen Street, Rhyl;
CEFN near St. Asaph: nice old card of Pont-yr-Allt-Goch;
DYSERTH card postmarked 1905;
RHUDDLAN railway station on the Vale of Clwyd line which closed to passengers in 1955;
TREMEIRCHION near St. Asaph: Church of Corpus Christi.

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HOLIDAY ON THE BUSES

HOLIDAY ON THE BUSES was a 1973 movie made by Hammer Films at Elstree Studios, Borehamwood. It included location shots at Dyserth waterfall, the grounds of Gwrych Castle, Pontin’s camp in Prestatyn, Rhuddlan bridge, and Rhyl seafront including Foryd Bridge.

It was a spin-off of a TV series with the same bus crew, Reg Varney (as Stan the driver) and Bob Grant (as Jack the conductor), a double-act that seemed to me so profoundly unfunny as to make the Chuckle Brothers look like brilliant comedians.

The TV series and spin-offs (there were 3 films in all) were very popular. Stephen Lewis played Inspector ‘Blakey’ Blake, Doris Hare was Stan’s mum, Anna Karen was his sister Olive and Michael Robbins played the brother-in-law.

'Holiday On The Buses’ was written by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney and directed by Bryan Izzard.

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SAT 20th FEB 2016 UPDATE: While we are the subject of the 1970s this shot seems to capture the flavour. It’s an unused postcard of a miniature train by the beach in Prestatyn. I'm glad I found a place to put it:

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DISERTH / DYSERTH

The illustration above is a postcard of Dyserth Falls from my own collection. It is postmarked 1931 and was sent from H.J. in Rhyl to Rev. Pocock of Handsworth, Birmingham, and says, “They are building a new bridge here for buses that go on to Colwyn Bay.”

H.J. was referring to the present Foryd Bridge which opened in the following year.

George Owen has been in touch to draw my attention to the fact there is a website devoted to Dyserth, run by Peter J Robinson and it is jolly good. Please click on the following link to see:
http://www.dyserth.com/

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FRI 3rd SEP 2010 UPDATE: This old postcard (undated) has just turned up here at Jones Towers. Quite irresistible, despite the misspelling of Dyserth:


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MON 30th MAR 2015 UPDATE: The following postcard shows The Old Tombs, Dyserth:

TUE 5th MAY 2015 UPDATE: Below is a Dyserth image by eminent Rhyl-based photographer Rae Pickard, circa 1915:

Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

MON 6th JUL 2015 UPDATE: More Dyserth! A card postmarked 1904 followed by a picture of the waterfall which looks 1960s:

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WED 25th JAN 2017 UPDATE: What is the correct term - Dyserth Falls, Fall, Waterfalls or Waterfall? Today I passed by and saw a sign for Rheadr Dyserth Waterfall, Rheadr being the Welsh equivalent of the English word Waterfall.
Recently arrived here at Jones Towers is the following bucolic image of Dyserth. It is undated but feels pre-World War 1:

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THE RHYL WELSH

The following post was revised Sat 13th Feb 2010 in accordance with additional information received from Philip Lloyd:

These photographs from Geoff Banks show a Welsh language theatre company named Cwmni’r Foryd, circa 1961. The smaller photo is a snapshot taken during a rehearsal. Both pictures were taken at the Little Theatre Club in Abbey Street.

In the larger picture sitting in front, far right is Chris Rees and next to him is Nan Evans his future wife. Standing at the back, far left is Enid Williams who became the wife of Dr. David Roberts of Rhyl, the local medical officer of health – they moved to Bangor, Gwynedd.

Next to Enid is Geoff's auntie Hulena Jones (in case that looks like a typing error, Geoff says: "Her father/my grandfather was Rev. Hugh Hughes Jones of Trelogan, and maybe that's where the 'Hu' bit came from.") and next is Geoff's mother Iona Banks.

Fourth from left is Robin Jones who died in January 2010 at the age of 71. Mr. Jones was born in Abergele, raised in Rhyl and a teacher in Prestatyn before becoming in 1982 the first presenter on S4C as well as a newsreader on BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru. Behind him is Valmai Williams who was an infants school teacher in Dyserth.

A press review of Cwmni’r Foryd’s production of the play 'Lle Mynno'r Gwynt' by J. Gwilym Jones, lists Iona as producer as well as a member of the cast, and apart from company members already mentioned above, these names are given: Gwilym Hughes, Peter Griffiths, Aeron Evans, Phil(ip) Lloyd and Derek Johnson.

Geoff, good boy that he was, was helping out backstage.

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