RHYL IN A BUBBLE

The Legendary Lloyd and Kerry of Cannock sent these photographs of the prom near the top of High Street, both of which have the Gaiety Theatre (ex Pier Amphitheatre) in the background. The photo at the top would be 1970s with the clock tower in its original position and Punch and Judy in front. At the top of the booth are the letters E.G. for Edward Green aka Professor Ted Green of 118 Marsh Road.

In the lower picture is the monorail which was there only a few weeks in 1980; Punch and Judy was/were moved to the right of the clock tower to make room. Also in 1980 the Sun Centre opened and was a big success because it was unique. Still in use during 1980s were the cycling track (as Cyclorama), roller skating rink (Skateworld), Open-Air Bathing Pool (Rhyl Fishing Village) and Royal Floral Hall (Butterfly Jungle).

The 1980s seemed like a good period in Rhyl, but it was unreal in the sense that we were living in a bubble of European grant aid which paid for the Sun Centre and other innovations and improvements. In the UK as a whole the economy was unstable; there were recessions in mid '70s and early '80s. A third and most severe recession began in January 1990, the same month as the Towyn floods.

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THE MONORAIL

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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This is the Monorail that appeared in August 1980 about 15 feet in the air on specially constructed pillars along 600 yards of central promenade. It was the middle section of a proposed longer line. The doomed Monorail’s 40-seater trains ran for only six or seven weeks.

This monorail was not a council project, it was a private enterprise venture which backfired. The early 1980s was a period of economic recession; the owner was unable to borrow enough money to continue. He was forced into liquidation with debts of more than £650,000.

In the lower picture the clock tower, which now faces the top of High Street, is shown in its original position a few yards to the northeast and on the promenade walkway – with Punch and Judy standing by.

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SUN 21st FEB 2016 UPDATE: A recent arrival here at Jones Towers is this shot of the Monorail:

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MON 19th NOV 2018 UPDATE: This month the following auction item could be found on Internet. It is a cloth badge, presumably for monorail staff to have on their jackets. The badge does not add much to the sum total of human knowledge but tells us the company's name was Metrim.

I recall Eric Hughes telling me that the man behind this monorail project was somebody involved with Rhyl Amusements Limited, the company that owned Ocean Beach Fun Fair.

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6720. Three additional images added here in June 2020:
          1. Monorail and Gaiety Theatre
          2. Riding on Monorail
          3. Demolition of Monorail

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