Sunday 23 August 2009

ABBEY STREET

Here are photos of the northern end of Abbey Street looking towards the sea, taken about 100 years apart. The old picture is a postcard from the collection of Ann Hayes – another fine shot by local photographer Rae Pickard. The structure on the promenade looks like a large shelter; it is on the spot where later stood the Coliseum Theatre which opened in 1921.

The colour picture is a recent shot by Yours Truly. The shop on the right is closed and so is a restaurant a little further up. No boarding houses on the other side these days, just flats. On the prom, the Coliseum has gone but its curved back wall is incorporated into the new Drift Park development; the wall has decorative tiles illustrating Rhyl seafront scenes old and new.

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