Rhyl

150 years of sunshine

“I can only say that I am delighted with this place, and indisposed and delicate as I am, I do not believe there is another place so good in the country. In fact a traveller like me is a sojourner here and has visited the South of France, Spain, Mexico, etc. and says he prefers the atmosphere to any of them.”
(Parry’s Railway Companion from Chester to Holyhead”, 1848)

Rhyl in the early nineteenth century was a small village with a population of about 300. By the end of the mid 1830's it had become a fashionable watering place and many titled people took rooms for months at a time. Rhyl may boast modern facilities and attractions but at heart it is a very traditional seaside resort and has been welcoming visitors for over 150 years.

As you walk along the promenade, it's easy to imagine Victorian tourists in their top hats or crinoline enjoying the same air. These simple pleasures are what many families are now rediscovering. These pictures give you a taste of 'Sunny Rhyl', a book which provides a snapshot of the town’s history, including the fascinating people who lived there. Pick up a copy for £2 at the Tourist Information Centre.

Prestatyn

"If you are ill, don’t take a pill. I’ll tell you something better still. For sunshine and air, weather that’s fair and health giving rest Prestatyn is best."
This little poem was created by E.T. Williams the chairman of Prestatyn Public Health committee in 1920.

As in Rhyl, visitors have been coming to Prestatyn for over 150 years, ever since the railway opened in 1848. Prestatyn is steeped in history, dating back to Roman times, when an offshoot settlement of the Twentieth Legion based in Chester in 120AD came to the area. The remains of three buildings have been discovered in 1984 on Melyd Avenue, the best preserved being a bathhouse and the other two probably workshops.

The scant remains of Henry II's motte and bailey castle which was built in 1157, but destroyed in 1168 by Owain Gwynedd, can be seen just off Prestatyn Road near the railway.

Christ Church, Prestatyn’s Parish Church dates back from1863. Within the churchyard are the graves of six choirboys who tragically drowned in 1868 and those of shipwrecked mariners who were washed up on the shore.

From the hillside just above Prestatyn, you will notice a house called Uplands which incorporates a revolving dome observatory. This was built in 1912 by Thomas Thorpe an inventor, architect and engineer. He met Marie Curie the founder of radium at a scientific exhibition. Not knowing the full devastating effects of radium at that time she gave him a small piece. He kept it in his waistcoat pocket as a souvenir and he ultimately died through radiation poisoning. The telescope was dismantled because local people feared it would be taken over by German spies! It was donated to his old school.

Pictures on these pages courtesy of Harry Thomas Archives