RITA LANDI # 1

Rita Landi was born in Breconshire and trained as a coloratura soprano in Italy. She was active as a singer in the 1910s and '20s and then became a teacher. Miss Landi lived at Bettws Fawr which is now part of the county of Gwynedd, and then at Haulfryn in Bath Street, Rhyl, for 40 years. She was the founder and conductor of Rhyl & District Ladies Choir formed in 1931.

They were the first choir in North Wales to broadcast on radio. The ladies of the choir wore blue gowns and red capes and sang to prize-winning effect at eisteddfodau and at an international festival in Madrid in 1949 and 1953. On the second occasion in Spain they were awarded the title "champions of the world" - and that was a real feather in Miss Landi's cap.

The choir sang at local venues such as St. Thomas' Church and Rhyl Pavilion, and at Royalty Theatre Chester, and made two visits to Ireland. Miss Landi taught at four private schools in Rhyl: Colet House in East Parade, Elwy Hall in Grange Road, and Arcville and Blencathra in Russell Road. She also ran Rhyl & District Children's Choir.

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Copyright in the photograph belongs to Getty Images. It shows Rita Landi conducting a choir on January 1st, 1951 at Gwrych Castle.

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RITA LANDI # 2

Rita Landi is centre of front row in the picture above; the pendant that she and some of the choir members are wearing was a memento of their festival success in Madrid.

One singer to receive tuition from Miss Landi at an early age and eventually become professional was Faith Puleston Jones (mezzo-soprano) who studied at Royal Academy of Music and then went to sing opera in Germany and retired recently.

Choir regulars mentioned in 1950s press cuttings include: Mrs. Morris Jones, Miss Edith Jones, Mrs. M. Singleton, Mrs. Dorothy Lomas, Mrs. Bryn Evans, Maureen Robinson ALCM ATCL, Miss Gwladys Jones, Mrs. Katharine Banks and Mrs. D.W. Jones (chairman of the choir).

Miss Landi retired in 1963. Nearly 70 past and present members of the choir turned up at a farewell dinner. She went to live in Sussex and made one or two return visits to the Rhyl district.

George Owen recalls the children's choir taking part in a recording at Gwrych Castle and the music being on the soundtrack of a film about champion boxer Randolph Turpin who was training there with sparring partners such as Derek Weale from Rhyl.

Does anybody else remember the film? Please send information to:  rhylcolinjones@live.co.uk

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QUIZ QUESTION # 27

Above is a photograph taken in Rhyl a few weeks ago. Where was I standing when I took the photo?

The answer will appear on this blog a week today, i.e. Wednesday 18th November 2009.

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QUIZ ANSWER # 26

Last Wednesday I posted the photographs above and said, “The cottage at the top and the other old building (which has a faded sign saying Mews Sales Rooms) are fairly close to each other. Where in Rhyl would you see them?"

Answer: In an alley between Kinmel Street and Windsor Street.
The two buildings are on same side of the alley, and just to the right of Mews Sales Rooms is Rhyl Silver Band's HQ.

First with the correct answer was Moira Evans of Russell Road.

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MOIRA IN MAY

From this week's quiz winner Moira Evans we have May Day snaps.

The black-and-white is from 1963 and was taken on Ocean Beach Fun Fair car park. The enlarged detail reveals May Queen Victoria Noble 2nd from left, Moira 4th from left and Christine Roberts 5th from left.

The colour photo is from 1966 when May Queen was Susan Hughes who is not in the picture. Moira is sitting centre right and the float is passing Rhyl Pavilion.

Your May Day and Rose Day pictures would be welcome on this site. Please send by email to: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

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LESS MYSTERY

The black-and-white vessel on the left in the picture above was described in a previous post as 'a mystery ship in 1960s at the Foryd harbour'. Hints and tips from Peter Trehearn, Captain Brian McManus (Merchant Navy, retired), Bill Ellis and Mr. John Povah (fisherman) have combined to produce the following information:

It was an old ship's lifeboat made of metal. The boat was acquired by Frank Urmston who was a prominent member of Rhyl Yacht Club and the proprietor of Hawaiian Eye travel agency in Kinmel Street. Mr. Urmston turned the boat into a replica of HMS Conway, a training ship which had local connections and had been destroyed in 1950s.

Mr. Urmston used to refer jokingly to his boat as 'HMS Conway' and it was only 36 feet in length. The masts were mainly for show; it was a motor-driven cabin cruiser. The cruiser was used for two or three years in late '60s until structural problems developed and some damage occurred, then it was scrapped. It lies buried at the Foryd.

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BRUNSWICK / BRUNSWICK

The picture above (TOP) is from Rhyl History Club Community Archive and shows Brunswick Chapel which used to be in Brighton Road on a corner of Thorpe Street.

The Brunswick opened in 1874 as the Welsh-speaking sister of the English Methodist Church in Bath Street, and it was the biggest Methodist place of worship in the area. It closed in 1987 and the congregation moved to Soar Chapel, Sisson Street.

The other photo was taken this week by Yours Truly and shows the site is now occupied by a block of flats named Llys Brunswick. The flats are for the elderly and are owned and managed by Denbighshire County Council.

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