Author Topic: Questions about places  (Read 115039 times)

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Offline Hugo

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Re: Questions about places
« Reply #135 on: December 10, 2012, 07:24:40 pm »
Site of Plas Mawr, Penmaenmawr

Site of Plas Mawr, Parc Plas Mawr, Penmaenmawr

The foundations in what is now the public park called Parc Plas Mawr are the remains of the residence of the Darbishire family, which owned Penmaenmawr quarry.
 
The building was called Plas Mawr, which means large house or mansion. It was built by the Smiths of Pendyffryn in the first half of the 19th century. Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone stayed here at least seven times. This is where he and his wife came for the last time as a couple in 1896.
 
Part of the area was laid out as a miniature railway. The quarry foreman made a scale model of a De Winton quarry locomotive for the family to take rides around their grounds. De Winton locos, made in Caernarfon and much used at Penmaenmawr, were unusual in having vertical boilers. The water lay directly above the fire rather than being heated by flue tubes inside a horizontal boiler. One of the original Penmaenmawr quarry locomotives, built in 1895, is on display at Dinas station, near Caernarfon.
 
The house was demolished in 1960 but the area is now a public park with a small lake. In 2001 Conwy County Borough Council commissioned sculptures from several artists for Parc Plas Mawr. The works include “Sunset through clouds”, in granite and sandstone, by Timothy Leonard Shutter, and several works in wood by Dominic Clare including a kissing bench, a lion’s head and a spiral

Offline romanjohn

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washington hotel llandudno
« Reply #136 on: December 10, 2012, 11:49:05 pm »
hi tony so sorry for the delay in replying to your letter about the washington .my mum and stepfather ran it from 1961 to the end of 1963 .a lot of the promotions were done by a chap called  dennis  i think he came from colwyn bay the groups .the swinging blue jeans .the kinks .the mersey beats . dave clark five .  mike cotton sound big band. johnnie dankworth .  dennis would take the posters home with him so i cannot help you their . mum and stepfather ran three more pubs and retiered in 1979 we moved to portsmouth and ran 8 bed b/b in southsea . mum is  very with it  93 year old .stepfather passed away in 1988.  ps.the landlords were ind coope brewries.you done a good job for them they were good to you. the washington had off lience  snug  public bar the salad bowl the lounge  the regency room up cocktail bar very large ballroom with bar . all  the  best romanjohn   .                           


Offline Gwynant

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Re: Questions about places
« Reply #137 on: December 11, 2012, 10:39:19 am »
                Thanks very much for all the info. on Plas Parc Mawr, Hugo. I noticed the carvings of the kissing bench, lion's head and the granite sculptures, (and also the baby buggy which has been dumped in the ornamental lake!) However, what intrigued me was the granite rock with the memorial plaque which is on the grassed area by the lake The inscription lists some 16 persons (including twins), whose ages range from 9 weeks to 35 years old but there are no dates or or any other details on the inscription.(see pics. below).  I was just curious to know if the memorial had any local historical significance (such as an accident or epidemic) and why it was situated there in the Parc.

Offline Gwynant

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Re: Questions about places
« Reply #138 on: December 17, 2012, 03:42:45 pm »
                   I was talking to a resident of Penmaenmawr today about the memorial pictured in the previous post on this thread and he told me that he understands that it is in memory of the people inscribed on the stone who died in a house fire on the site many years ago. I have found no mention of any such fire in the history of the Parc or of the house Plas Mawr online, and would be interested to know if anyone else with local knowledge of the area has heard of this event.

Offline sam

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Re: Questions about places
« Reply #139 on: December 17, 2012, 07:20:04 pm »
The memorial is dedicated to various young inhabitants of Penmaenmawr that have died in largely unrelated tragic circumstances it seems. My friend Jon(athan) Pratt (22) is mentioned. He died in a train accident in August 1999. He had been living with his family in Pen for a few years.  Jon was a lovely soul - he was extremely popular and had friends in all walks of life. He lived his life to the max, was full of fun, energetic and creative and was a thoroughly good guy..you really couldn't meet a nicer lad - still miss him.

The 'twinnies' Aiden and Dominic Ryan (21), residents of Pen were also the victims of a tragic accident. They drowned on a fishing trip  trying to swim to shore after their boats engine failed. There was one survivor Tony Evans. This was also in 1999.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/566492.stm

I can't find any information on the other names mentioned but I assume they were all locals from Pen - obviously they all died young untimely deaths.....I'm sure I remember an article a few years ago in the local paper regarding the stone memorial being erected.

                   I was talking to a resident of Penmaenmawr today about the memorial pictured in the previous post on this thread and he told me that he understands that it is in memory of the people inscribed on the stone who died in a house fire on the site many years ago. I have found no mention of any such fire in the history of the Parc or of the house Plas Mawr online, and would be interested to know if anyone else with local knowledge of the area has heard of this event.

I'm wondering if this person may have been thinking about the incident at the Red Gables in Pen in the 1970's which was set on fire after a mass murder took place. The names on the memorial are not the same as those who died there though.

Offline DaveR

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Re: Questions about places
« Reply #140 on: December 17, 2012, 07:35:15 pm »
I was talking to a resident of Penmaenmawr today about the memorial pictured in the previous post on this thread and he told me that he understands that it is in memory of the people inscribed on the stone who died in a house fire on the site many years ago. I have found no mention of any such fire in the history of the Parc or of the house Plas Mawr online, and would be interested to know if anyone else with local knowledge of the area has heard of this event.

I'm wondering if this person may have been thinking about the incident at the Red Gables in Pen in the 1970's which was set on fire after a mass murder took place. The names on the memorial are not the same as those who died there though.
I think you might be right, Sam. We've covered the Red Gables Murders in some detail here:
http://threetownsforum.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,367.msg23080.html

Offline Gwynant

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Re: Questions about places
« Reply #141 on: December 17, 2012, 11:14:25 pm »
    $thanx$
                  Thanks very much for that info Sam. I'm sorry to hear that one of those mentioned was a good friend of yours. The resident I spoke to lives just below the Red Gables but has only lived there in the last 20 years or so and could have heard about the murders there and presumed that the memorial was for them.

Offline Nemesis

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House of nuisance ??
« Reply #142 on: December 31, 2012, 11:19:25 am »
I was stopped today by two passers by who asked me where one or two history points were situated including  " The House of Nuisance" which they thought was somewhere at the Western end of Abbey Road. I hadn't heard of same. Anyone any ideas?
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know.

Offline DaveR

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Re: House of nuisance ??
« Reply #143 on: December 31, 2012, 11:30:50 am »
No Town Hall jokes, please.....  :laugh:

Offline Nemesis

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Re: House of nuisance ??
« Reply #144 on: December 31, 2012, 11:38:43 am »
Mmm-- that thought crossed my mind. Either that or Bodlondeb !! ;D
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know.

Offline Yorkie

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Re: House of nuisance ??
« Reply #145 on: December 31, 2012, 11:42:29 am »
I do believe that the olde original Town Hall was in Abbey Road or Church Walks near the Empire Hotel.   Some one will know exactly, I'm sure.
:D

Just to add that the Town Hall was in the building that is now The Capri Guest House from 1854 to 1902 and it was also the Local Magistrates Court from 1856.
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Offline Jack

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Re: House of nuisance ??
« Reply #146 on: December 31, 2012, 12:10:29 pm »

Offline ogh47

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Re: Questions about places
« Reply #147 on: January 11, 2013, 03:46:35 pm »
Does anyone have any idea  what the remains of an old building are in Marl woods situated roughly between the entrance up to Bodysgallen Hall, off the A470 and the Marl Hall roundabout. We used to play there as kids and I can remember what seemed  to be a leat running  from a dried up pond and then along side an overgrown trackway up to a derelict building, curiously not made from local limestone,  which  then joined up to what is now Marl stream, I can remember seeing  what looked like old metal parts of a water wheel,( which where still there about 3-4 years ago). I can't find any reference on any old maps of a mill having stood here, anybody out there who could enlighten me?   ;)

I,ve attached an old map ...maybe you can indicate where about it was .....I have an aerial photo of the region taken in 1947 to show you ,  if you can pinpoint the area off this map

Offline Michael

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Re: Questions about places
« Reply #148 on: January 12, 2013, 01:56:48 pm »
   Presumably this must have been a fair distance away from any public road. Is it possible that it lay somewhere around the new road which was built around 1984/5? So its now been destroyed?

Offline ed jones

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Re: Questions about places
« Reply #149 on: January 17, 2013, 07:27:01 pm »
Can anybody help me with this one?Gwynant started me off with a photo of my dads' old boat The Welsh Maid. Way back in the distant mists of time 'When I were a lad' All the boats operating from the beach used to get our fuel from a garage at the top of Vardre lane at the back of Upper Mostyn Street, does anybody remember the name of it? Help Gwynant, do you remember struggling along to the beach with a five gallon jerrycan of fuel in each hand pretending they weren't heavy.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2013, 07:57:36 pm by Ian »