THE CARNIVAL # 2

‘Sunny Rhyl’s June Carnival 1929’ had exhibitions, a fancy dress ball, fireworks display, special concert and plays, sports events including speedboat racing, and it ended with a huge procession. This photo is one of 14 images of the carnival in the book ‘The Spirit Of Rhyl’ by Bill Ellis (published 2004). Riding in the carriage are the Carnival King and Queen. The King was Bertram Jones the proprietor/editor of ‘Rhyl Leader’ newspaper and the Queen was female impersonator Billie Manders.

Hmmmm.

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THE BIG DAY

In an earlier post on this blog there was a photographic portrait of Miss Chrissie Davies, Rhyl May Queen 1915. The photo above shows her on the big day, on the promenade near Rhyl Pavilion, with World War 1 soldiers and boy scouts greeting her. In the smaller detail Chrissie is front left.

In the bigger picture the street top left could be Water Street but looks to me more like Edward Henry Street. Whichever the case, this is an interesting addition to our stock of May Day pictures and it comes from the collection of Gaynor Williams. Today is Gaynor’s birthday; she says she is 32-and-a-half.

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FRI 13th MAR 2015 UPDATE: A photographic portrait of Chrissie:

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MON 15th DEC 2016 UPDATE: This poignant note from Chrissie to her brother is worth a read:

Click on it to see a bigger version.

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THE HOTEL GAME # 2

Rhuddlan Borough Council's original Sun Centre plan included a hotel to the right of the new Pavilion Theatre; we never got the hotel. A few years ago there was an idea to build a hotel over-looking Marine Lake but this failed to reach fruition.

A couple of years back a posh hotel was part of the proposed Ocean Plaza redevelopment of the Ocean Beach Fun Fair site – that whole scheme is in doubt now.

Recently plans were announced for a new hotel in East Parade, attached to White Rose Centre. Then came news that an other company wished to build a hotel on the showfield site opposite Sainsbury's thereby destroying green land.

And a couple of weeks ago plans were submitted for The Grange (as photographed above by Yours Truly) a Victorian building in East Parade, wrecked by fire in 2008. The Grange used to be a hotel, and the plan is for – a hotel?

No, a block of flats.

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Note: The proposed Ocean Plaza development was replaced by Marina Quay.

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6720. Additional image added in July 2020:

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QUIZ QUESTION # 39

This photograph was taken on the 1st of this month in Rhyl. Where was I standing when I took the photo? Please send your answer by email to: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

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The usual first-correct-answer-wins format has been disadvantaging readers who can’t be near a computer at the right time, so starting this week we change:
All correct answers received before midday on Tuesday 9th Feb 2010 shall go in a hat and I will ask somebody to draw one at random.
The result will be published on the following day.

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QUIZ ANSWER # 38

Last Wednesday I posted a larger version of the photograph above and asked where in Rhyl you would find this scene?

The answer is Glan Aber Trading Estate, Vale Road.

I took the photo at far end of the trading estate; on my right was Unit 11 (MJ Graphics Ltd). The corrugated steel, tunnel-shaped Nissen huts or Romneys are leftovers from World War 2 when Royal Artillery motor engineers were moved from Kent to Rhyl. In that part of Vale Road they had workshops on both sides.

Only one correct answer was received. It was from The Legendary Lloyd & Kerry, and that was their fifth win.

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SUN 15th MAR 2015 UPDATE: A reliable source says there was a sweet factory at Glan Aber in the 1950s.

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THE TWENTIES

COPYRIGHT IN THIS CARD BELONGS TO IRIS PUBLISHING LTD.
The card is part of a collectors’ series marked Yesterday’s Britain 1890s - 1950s and the picture of a little girl with dinghy is titled ‘Rhyl, 1923’. It was taken at the Promenade paddling pool aka Children's model yacht pond.

In 1920s Rhyl’s pier was standing but had been declared unsafe and was closed to the public throughout the decade. Marine Lake Fun Fair was in full swing. Rhyl Pavilion was in a commanding position on the promenade. Visitor numbers were high; the town was buzzing.

In 1920 our first purpose-built cinema, Cinema Royal, opened at the top of High Street on what I still call the Woolworths corner. In the following year the Coliseum Theatre (open-air at first) opened on the prom, and also Billie Manders’ Quaintesques began to play summer seasons at the Pier Amphitheatre.

In 1923 the present coast road opened from Rhyl to Prestatyn. Later in the decade, Queens Theatre and Ballroom opened in West Parade, and the 1920s ended spectacularly with Sunny Rhyl’s June Carnival 1929 – an extraordinary 3-day event about which I will say more later this week . . .

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THU 25th FEB 2016 UPDATE: On the subject of 1920s the following pic seems to capture the fun. It is a card postmarked 1924 showing bathers near the Pavilion. I'm glad I found a place to put it:

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AROUND THE OLD PAVILION

Click on a picture to see a bigger version.

These postcards of the photogenic old Pavilion show differing sides at differing times. The black-and-white photo is from 1950s, taken on the prom opposite High Street looking westwards towards Foryd Harbour. In the foreground we have cycling opposite the Queens. On the far side of the cafe was roller skating opposite Water Street. The Pavilion had a circus for summer season.

The card in colour is postmarked 1967 and the picture was taken opposite John Street looking eastwards. Centre left is the boating pool, then Coliseum Theatre, paddling pool and Pavilion. The card is sent with love from Hilda and Edith to a friend in Yeovil saying that the weather was glorious but they gave the Snowdon Railway a miss because the hills looked misty. Very wise, very wise.

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