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Conwy
Conwy maps
Historic maps of Conwy and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Conwy maps
Conwy area books
Displaying 1 of 2 books about Conwy and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Conwy
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memories of Conwy.
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Elizabeth Martin
My maternal grandparents ran Hooson's Cafe on Bangor Road, Conwy, very close to the city walls. My brother and I were put in boarding school near them - at Llandudno and Penmaenmawr - whilst our parents were overseas, so we could be near them for school holidays. Because they were busy through the day with the cafe (and grandpa used to run a fish and chip take-away booth down a passage adjoining the cafe at lunchtimes), my brother and I, had to spend most of the day out. We were aged between six and ten (from about 1957- about 1960). Most of the time was spent on the quayside watching the fishing boats, and during the summer, a retired ex-headmistress of Gloddaeth Hall School for Girls would serve ice creams from a small cart near the Smallest House. In spite of being so young, we felt free to roam wherever the spirit of our play took us, but most of the time it was by the estuary.
The Boats in This Photo
I think the motor yacht in the centre of this photo [outer row, single mast with 3 visible portholes on the starboard side] is the White Aster II which belonged to my grandfather Walter Robinson Handforth. The same vessel appears in the Marine drive photo taken in "c.1955". White Aster was sold by my family in 1954. Chris Handforth
Holidays at Conwy
For several years in the early 60's our family spent our summer holidays at the caravan park just outside the town of Conwy. I have very happy memories of visiting the castle and the lovely town. Often in the late afternoon we would walk to town via the Harbour Walk and spend a lovely evening by the harbour quay where I recall there was a little pub where you could sit outside. My father would have a beer and my mother a shandy. Along the Harbour Walk there was an old sanitorium which had fallen into disuse. I wonder whether it's still there, it seemed a fairly substantial building. My brother and I were amazed by the "smallest house", there was really only enough room for 2 people inside and very short at that. We had marvellous times in Conwy, the beach was pristine and the water beautiful. We would swim and sunbathe all day. I still have photos of our holidays at Conwy, we are in our swimsuits by... Read more
Gwynedd memories
My Thoughts of Bryn Pydew
During the 1940s my parents lived on Bryn Lupus Road, Llanrhos Corner. I was born in Treherne House was the first house next to the Corner. One of our rambles was to cross the fields and walk through the woods to Pydew as we called it. It was a quaint village that was reminiscent of bygone days. I remember a house where a lady lived and she took me in and fed me. She had suffered a tragedy with losing her son in an accident. I was ginger haired like her son and she would feed me with biscuits. I was taught how to milk her cow and during holidays I would help her around her property. Later on my parents moved to Llandudno and they ran The Paragon Cafe on Mostyn Street. All our kitchen scraps were saved for the Pydew Pig farmer and some days he would take me to his farm and I would help with the pigs. I believe during the times I was in Pydew I... Read more
Great Orme Railway, Ty Gwyn Road Passing Loop
The Great Orme Tramway is split into an upper and lower section at Halfway station. This photo is taken on the lower section at the middle passing place, situated on Ty Gwyn Road just above Black Gate. At this point, car 4 takes the outer rails to pass car 5 which passes on the hillward side. The roadway here is 'pinched' [ie it suddenly narrows] and has on occasion been the scene of minor crashes with cars heading downhill whose drivers have not taken into account the outward swing of the front of the tram. Despite safety road markings, the tram driver sounding his warning horn etc., the writer was conducting number 4 on the occasion of a brand new car heading downhill venturing into the danger zone and having it's front and nearside panels brutally filleted by the front left step. The car driver waved his hands as if to indicate to the tram driver [who rejoiced in the nickname of "Bob Dog" ] to steer away!!! As if... Read more
Passing Place on The Upper Section, Great Orme Tramway
This is a photograph of two tramcars, Nos 6 & 7, at the passing loop above the Great Orme Mines. They are painted in the Dark Ochre livery which was only used for a few years after the upper line's opening in 1903. The haulage cables are clearly visible, these being of seven eigths of an inch diameter. They roll above ground on 12 inch sheaves and are guided by 'top hat' profiled pulleys. Every pulley requires greased lubrication on a daily basis, this being a backbreakingly unpleasant job. Without this, the cables would wear out quickly and would literally scream in protest! One can also see the two trolley poles mounted on each roof, these being used singly for signalling purposes. It was at this spot that a 'washout' of the track ballast took place in the late 1990s. This caused the upper section to be temporarily closed and required reballasting and new pointwork equipment was installed. A safety camera was found to be necessary, there having been several... Read more
''Tram Crash on Tabor Hill''
On Tuesday, August 23rd 1932 there occurred at almost exactly the same spot from which this photo was taken, the most serious runaway and crash that ever ocurred on the line.
Car no. 4 broke away from the haulage cable at the spot that the tram is shown above. Rapidly gathering speed and toppling onto the wall to the left of the image, it uprooted a tramway standard (pole) flinging it up the lane by where the children are standing. The roof of the wildly canted tram crashed along the wall, this dislodged coping stones from the wall which fell into the tram causing passenger injuries. The driver, Edward Harris was thrown sideways from the front platform, into the wall and was sadly crushed to death. Apparently riding with the driver on the front platform, was a twelve year old girl named Margaret Worthington. She was badly injured and died at the local hospital within hours of the incident. Other passengers sitting near to the glazed bulkheads were thrown... Read more
