LIFE GOES ON: MAR 2018

Above: stamp albums published in Rhyl by Thomas Cliffe of The Philatelic Factory, Marsh Road, and one by Martin Mills of The Philatelic Workshops, Lusanga Mews.

Lusanga Mews?

Since 1st March 2018 the following posts have been updated:

Albion Hotel, Rhyl -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/quiz-answer-123.html

Botanical Gardens: lily pond -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/flashback-21_9.html

Coal mines -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/quiz-answer-190.html

Derbyshire Miners’ Camp -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/derbyshire-miners.html

Fiveways Café -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/quiz-answer-47.html

Floral hall: birds -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/floral-hall-advert-1970s.html

Kavern Records -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/quiz-answer-115.html

National Eisteddfod 1985 -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/rhuddlan-request.html

Rawicz & Landauer at Pavilion -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/mark-hambourg.html

YMCA Kings Avenue -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/wellington-and-kings.html

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BARNES BOOKED

As hinted in a previous post, there exists a biography of Albert Barnes the creator of Marine Lake Fun Fair and Ocean Beach Fun Fair. The book is written by Kathryn Nedd. The back and front covers are shown above.

Click on the image to read the blurb.

Kathryn is Mr. Barnes' granddaughter (and Eric Hughes' daughter). Although essentially a piece of family history, the book gives a thorough appraisal of the Barnes contribution to Rhyl. He was one of the most important figures in the development of the resort.

The first edition of the book, 'White Socks and a Walking Stick' by Kathryn Nedd, was circulated privately. The second edition is yours for £10 in Central Station at Marine Lake or £11 via the Rhyl Miniature Railway website:

http://www.rhylminiaturerailway.co.uk

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At long last the chain store named The Range has opened at Marina Quay the former Ocean Beach Fun Fair site. The Range sells furniture, bedding, curtains, and has a garden centre and cafe. The company's headquarters are in Plymouth.
To see the Rhyl store's opening hours please click here:
https://www.therange.co.uk/stores/rhyl/

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6720. Additional image added in July 2020:
Re: The Philatelic Factory (Thomas Cliffe) mentioned above, here is a rare glimpse of the workshop interior – 

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THE WORKS

Lot of works going on in Rhyl at present. The scene above is part of the Marina Quay development on the former Ocean Beach Fun Fair site, and so are these two:

The big unit on corner of West Parade and Sydenham Avenue has an entrance in the same place as the fun fair's main entrance was. The resemblance ends there.

The Marina Quay development will bring more shoppers to Rhyl, but will it take more trade away from our town centre? We'll have to wait and see.

All photos in this post were taken this month by Yours Truly.

Click on any one to see a bigger version.

Further along West Parade there is nothing doing on the derelict plot of land at top of John Street, but the Skytower is getting a lick of paint in advance of further decoration.

Across the road, at top of Water Street, work has commenced on site of the demolished Honey Club (previously Rosy O'Grady's, originally Monica Hotel). The plan is for a Premier Inn. Not much to see at present because of a high fence.

Near top of Queen Street the scaffolding is a work of art and should be preserved:

Near Rhyl Golf Club, opposite Lyons Robin Hood Holiday Park, large moles have become a problem.

No, it's just more flood defence work:

Nothing doing on site of the demolished Grange Hotel in East Parade, but the Pavilion Theatre's facelift is coming along nicely and plans to your left of the theatre include a Travelodge hotel and a pub.

At present the theatre looks like this from Conwy Street:

The shows go on as usual. See Pavilion website -

http://www.rhylpavilion.co.uk/

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Sorry to have to note here that my pal Fred Burns the photographer, who has been operating a studio at 44 Bedford Street, Rhyl, for more than ten years has opted for early retirement due to illness. Fred and I worked together on several projects and had a lot of laughs.

By coincidence, GMG's wedding dress shop next door at No.42 has closed down because proprietor Geraldine also is afflicted by illness. One-person businesses have a fragile existence.

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LIFE GOES ON: APR 2017

During April 2017, eight older posts were updated:

Brexit / Regrexit!

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/may-does-trump.html

Coventry Co-op Camp, Kinmel Bay -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/in-response.html

Jolly Boys Football Club -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/minstrels-pierrots-and-jolly-boys.html

Knights Caverns, Palace Fun Centre -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/quiz-answer-130.html

Ocean Beach Fun Fair/1970s -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/ocean-beach.html

Promenade boating lake (pedal boats) -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/boating-on-prom_10.html

Rebecca Trehearn -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/rebecca-trehearn.html

Stoke-on-Trent Children's Holiday Home -

http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/quiz-answer-89_3.html

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

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FLASHBACK #15

Above is another beautifully detailed interior shot by Rhyl photographer Rae Pickard taken probably in the 1920s. This one shows the dining room of the Monica Hotel which stood on the corner of Water Street and West Parade (the Rosy O'Grady's/Honey Club corner).

[The dining room may have outlived the hotel and been the forerunner of the Esplanade Restaurant - one of West Parade's upstairs eateries.]

The entire building has been demolished to make way for an announced, and re-announced and re-announced, long-awaited hotel. The following photo of the corner was taken a couple of weeks ago by Yours Truly:

On the same day the former Ocean Beach Fun Fair site (currently named Marina Quay) was still in a similar state of limbo despite the announced, and re-announced and re-announced, long-awaited development.

This week over in East Parade the remains of the burnt-out Grange Hotel have been cleared. Round the corner in St. Asaph Street the Grange's rather nice archway has survived - so far.

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Recently on Internet this signed drawing by L.S. Lowry was up for auction. We know Lowry holidayed in Rhyl with his Mum more than once but this drawing of the Pavilion is not well known.

There were clearly doubts about its authenticity; after 12 bids it sold for £588. Rhyl artist Judith Samuel commented, "If it is genuine then it's really cheap. If not then it's really expensive!"

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NOW IT'S MARINA QUAY

We've had yet more news from the Scarborough Group, previously known in this blog as Scarborough Development Group (SDG).

They are the company that picked up the Ocean Beach Fun Fair site from the receiver when previous owners Modus went bust. Scarborough Group have done very little with the place other than make occasional statements about their intentions.

The Group’s latest announcements tell us that the site (which they had been calling Ocean Plaza) is now called Marina Quay, and a retailer named The Range may set up there. It is hoped that the presence of The Range would draw in other businesses and create hundreds of jobs.

Aye, ‘appen.

My position remains as written more than five years ago in this blog:
“I would say to SDG, Investec and any other parties involved, that some of us are weary of hearing promises about hundreds of this, thousands of that and millions of the other. We will believe in the new developments when we see them.”

The plan above showing the proposed scheme appeared in the Daily Post a few days ago:
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/rhyl-ocean-plaza-funfair-range-9790961

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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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OVERBOARD # 2

This is one of many shots of Ocean Beach Fun Fair added by Gordon Langley to Facebook's ‘Petition to bring back Rhyl fun fair’ which has more than 100 members. The petition is for sending to Denbighshire County Council, but the council has no control in this matter. Ocean Beach Fun Fair – like many of Rhyl’s old attractions – was created by private enterprise.

Rhyl Amusements Ltd, comprising the Robinson brothers and Dave Skelly, owned the fair and the land beneath and took the decision to sell. The rides were removed but the buying company Modus failed to go ahead with its proposed Ocean Plaza housing & retail development.

Yesterday in Daily Post, a story by reporter Martin Williams indicated that an un-named buyer has expressed an interest in taking over the land for unknown purposes. No contracts have been signed yet.

Thanks to Rachel Sorahan for drawing my attention to the story.

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

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OVERBOARD # 1

A few days ago in the Daily Post, a story by reporter Martin Williams indicated that the proposed Ocean Plaza development on the former Ocean Beach Fun Fair site is in deep trouble. The company behind the scheme (Modus) has gone bust, and so far no other company wants to take over the project or buy the land for other purposes.

I never liked the idea of 200 new flats, one or more new pubs, and more shops; there was something a bit 1980s about the scheme. Interesting that Modus implied for months that the Rhyl project was ‘free standing’ and would not be affected by the company’s financial problems.

In Rhyl we are used to being told lies. For example, the company that installed the first electricity-generating turbines in the sea between Rhyl and Prestatyn told us that the turbines would be “barely visible to the naked eye”. When it comes to being economical with truth, the world of politics has nothing to compare with the world of business.

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

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OCEAN PLAZA

In 2006 the Ocean Beach Fun Fair site was bought from Rhyl Amusements Ltd by a Manchester-based company Modus Ventures. The proposed plan for the site is shown above and is named Ocean Plaza. Impressive though it looks, it’s still a case of building more flats and shops in a town full of flats and shops.

During the last 3 years, the site has been fenced off and not a lot seems to be going on. Modus Ventures, caught out by the recent banking fiasco and credit crunch, has gone into administration – although that does not mean the work won’t go ahead.

Asda is due on the site next April to open a supermarket there in October 2010. Well maybe, maybe not, no one knows what the economy will look like by then. Meanwhile, this week the derelict Downtown Club and Schooner Inn were demolished – a step forward of sorts.

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

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MON 19th OCT 2009 UPDATE: Reader Martyn Daniel has sent an email to say that, despite last week's newspaper reports and picture of Chris Ruane MP wielding a sledgehammer, the Downtown Club and Schooner Inn were still standing when he passed yesterday. Thank you, Martyn.

SAT 21st MAR 2015 UPDATE: A resident reports that early in 2015 a group of volunteers assembled to ‘clean up the west end’. Mr. Ruin turned up, grabbed a broom or whatever, had his photo taken – and then left.

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THE WESTERN FRONT

THIS IS THE BLOG OF COLIN JONES, RHYL TOWN COUNCILLOR: BODFOR WARD
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The opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own and not the views of the town council.
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These derelict hotels in West Parade (near the junction with Sandringham Avenue) are an embarrassment. They have been purchased by Welsh Assembly Government as part of Rhyl’s regeneration strategy. Let’s hope that they disappear soon.

Just for the record, the one on your right is the former Westcliffe Hotel.

Rumours persist that all is not well with Modus Properties' proposed Ocean Plaza development of the nearby Ocean Beach Fun Fair site as 200 flats plus shops and whatever else. A necessity for flood defence work - and the credit crunch - may be delaying the project.

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Note: The proposed Ocean Plaza development has been replaced by the Marina Quay development.

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MON 6th NOV 2018 UPDATE: The above matters were sorted and Marina Quay is a retail park. Meanwhile, a welcome reminder of happier times at Westcliffe Hotel has arrived here at Jones Towers in the form of the following card postmarked 1963:

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