Colwyn Bay, 1898
Colwyn Bay, 1898 Ref: 42368
Memories of Colwyn Bay
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Colwyn Bay & local memories
Read and share memories of Colwyn Bay and Clwyd inspired by Frith photos
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Fun in the Park
1960. As young lads most of us had started work and Friday/ Saturday night was our gang meeting night. Summer hols were good fun as the bay used to get a lot of girls, swap girls as we called them, on holiday from Sweden, the swap was a girl from the bay area would exchange family in Sweden and vice versa, but it was our swap if we had a date with one and did not like her, and would always meet in the fair ground - yes the bay had its own fair ground - small, but opposite the tunnel under the train station. Then most Saturdays we would have the battle of the Alamo with the canoes in Eirias Park, the last man still in his canoe had free drinks the following Saturday. There was always one in the gang who worked on the canoes and knew where the key to the chain was, and we always got the boats righted or it would of been the end of our fun, it happened when the next generation gang tried to do the same. One night a boy from Liverpool was with us -Joe Dillon - my step mother's brother, he and Bobby Brown (one of the gang) took one of the canoes from Eirias Park to the sea, where it overturned on the first wave. Lucky they had not gone far out to sea as neither of them could swim. Last edited: 19/08/2008 10:46 by Anthony Roberts |
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 Colwyn Bay, the Pier 1961 (ref: C141162) |
Year: 1961
Little Green Buses Along The Prom.
For many years, Colwyn Bay U.D.C. ran a bus service along the promenade from Old Colwyn to just beyond the former pier at Rhos on Sea. Commencing in 1926, a small fleet of 5 'Guy' BB type vehicles with covered top 'toastrack' bodies ran in service during the late spring to early autumn tourist season. While the normal requirement was for two vehicles to maintain a half-hourly service, when the weather drew tourists to the beautiful beach in their many thousands, all of the vehicles were pressed into service. Five conventionally sided small buses, (of 'Guy' Wolf type) were taken into stock in the period 1934/7 with another in 1949. By 1954 all of the pre-war vehicles were in a 'tired' condition and they were replaced by three Bedford OLAZ type with bodywork of a spartan nature by Spurlings. By 1960 the last of the old 'Guy' vehicles was on its last legs (wheels ??) and the opportunity was taken to purchase two further lightweight Bedfords of similar specification of type J2LZ2 with bodywork by Spurling. All of the Bedford fleet could carry 21 passengers on very basic brown leather 'dunlopillow' seats. An attractive feature for small boys was that the seating layout placed a double seat directly opposite the driver. This allowed a 'front seat view' and many were the hours on which my twin brother and I rode on the vehicles enjoying talking to the drivers. From the first day onward, the drivers had the additional duty of fare collection using 'Williamson' make 'bell punches' of the 1903 variety. In the mid 1970's, other Bedford vehicles were purchased to replace the OLAZ and J2LZ2 vehicles; these principally being of mini-coach (as opposed to basic bus)appearance. There was one exception to this; a Strachans bodied Bedford with an even more utilitarian body which seated approx 25 passengers ran for about 8 years. The service was varied in the late 1950's when certain journeys deviated from the promenade by taking the quite steep roadway to Eirias Park pavillion. The last of the 'Guy' Wolves could not be relied upon to make the journey without it's exhaust spitting and backfiring but the new Bedfords had little problem. (The council's buses also ran on another service from the former council offices to the Flagstaff Gardens (later the Welsh Mountain Zoo). This required vehicles to surmount several sustained and steep hills above the town, very narrow tree lined roads with tight clearances; quite an experience to ride upon ! ) In later days the council altered the basic route to perform a circular function in the Rhos area but this was not the significant success that had been hoped for. Some of the vehicles in the early days were painted in red with their roofs in cream. Immediately pre the second world war, some of the older vehicles were painted in differing colours, one was yellow, another was blue, another was green. In the early 1950's the writer clearly remembers a 'Guy' in service wearing black and white - the next year when seen it was in use as a St John's Ambulance caravan at Eirias Park. There was nothing in those days to beat a ride along the prom, seated at the front of one of these buses. Bouncing and swaying over the undulating road surface, the vibrations and tintinabulous resonations within the vehicles which often carried far above their official capacity (47 on one occasion during August 1962 ! ) could make for quite an interesting experience.... In those days, a summer afternoon could see almost every inch of the promenade being occupied by cars of all types, modern, old and sometimes downright ancient. Clearances were tight, vehicles boiled over, hot weather caused some windscreens to shatter but somehow Colwyn Bay seemed a much happier place to be. The town was enjoying a 'golden period' of prosperity long before the 'Motorway on Sea' concept had ever been thought of. Those were the days.................. Posted: 31/07/2008 13:23 by John Owen |
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Year: 1968
Re donkey Path
My memory of the donkey path on the promenade. I used to walk from Old Colwyn to Rhos on Sea nearly every sunny day during the summer school holidays. They were the best Swimming Baths I have ever swum in, at Rhos. The donkey path ran alongside the prom, below the railway embankment. Primroses blessed the grassy banks in the spring. The path meandered through trees , it was wonderful. Fond memories of my wonderful childhood. Posted: 13/05/2008 20:08 by Joanna Jarvis |
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 Old Colwyn, Abergele Road 1908 (ref: 60765) |
Year: 1900s
Whose Bus Is This ??? A memory of Old Colwyn, Clwyd This early motor wagonette was probably operated by J. Fred Francis from Colwyn Bay to Old Colwyn for a three-penny fare until the coming of the Trams in March 1915. It succeeded a two horse omnibus which ran between the two locations eight times daily until about 1907. The horse bus was painted green and is likely to have been purchased and constructed in the Manchester area circa 1895-8 Francis was one of the road transport pioneers of motor driven vehicles in the North Wales area. Within ten years of this date he was operating silver painted 'torpedo' charabancs to locations throughout the area, to Bettws y coed and Caernarfon etc. His early bus services were [almost literally !] overtaken by buses of the London & North Western Railway which ran between Colwyn Bay and Old Colwyn from 1912 -14 at a reduced fare of only tuppence ! What a shame the man on his bicycle is obscuring the registration number of the bus !!! My grandmother, who was a local, would probably have known the names of the people seen here. Posted: 29/09/2008 16:53 by John Owen |
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 Old Colwyn, 1921 (ref: 70827x) |
Year: 1920s
The Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Tramway in Old Colwyn A memory of Old Colwyn, Clwyd What an interesting photograph of a grey painted tram heading for the 'Queens Hotel' terminus which was just over half of a mile away. It would take just over five minutes and three tramstops to reach the terminus where, the brakes would be wound on full to counteract the falling gradient there. The conductor would hold on to the trolley pole rope, pull it down and tie it down to the front bumper. He would then untie the other trolley pole rope at the Penmaenhead end and carefully allow the trolley head to rise upward into contact with the overhead wire. He'd then have to check for any lost property left in the car from the last journey before entering on his waybill the numbers of tickets that he'd sold since his journey had commenced. Maybe he had time for a quick, illicit cigarette with the driver. No chance if they thought an Inspector was around ! Photos of the trams when they ran in Old Colwyn are very hard to find and a delight when they are found. This photo dates from the last three years of their running beyond Colwyn Bay. They were succeeded by the buses of North Wales Silver Motors, New Blue, Royal Blue and for a VERY short time indeed, White Rose Motors. All of the buildings shown still exist albeit with detail changes over the eighty years since the photograph was taken. Posted: 28/07/2008 18:05 by John Owen |
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