77 years ago yesterday, Rhos on Sea pier was sold at auction for ?2,250 to Mr W R Denson, a Chester businessman.
Many won?t remember Rhos-on-sea pier as it was pulled down in 1954 and so may be surprised to learn that it was older and far longer than neighbouring Colwyn Bay pier (which too has now been demolished).
Opened to the public in 1895, Rhos pier was financed by a consortium of local businessmen keen to have a slice of the burgeoning holiday trade and hoped that steamers would land thousands of tourists into the area each year. The business soon went bust, partly because when they built the pier, they didn?t construct a landing stage!
Local magistrate, William Horton, took over and a landing stage was built. In 1897 paddle steamers belonging to Horton?s Colwyn Bay & Liverpool Steamship Company started to arrive however further trouble arose in 1908 when one of his vessels, Rhosneigr, was wrecked near the pier. At low tide some of the wreckage can still be seen.
In May 1915 William Jones the pier master spotted Private Gwilym John Thomas of the Welsh Regiment on the landing stage and warned the soldier not to try swimming to the shore. Private Thomas replied: ?I?m an old sailor and I?m not born to be drowned?. He then proceeded to dive into the water, got into difficulty and drowned. He is buried at Bron-y-Nant cemetery.
During the Second World War, Rhos-on-sea pier was sectioned with planks removed to deny easy access to the invading enemy! These were replaced once the threat had passed but with Horton?s death in 1944, Rhos-on-sea pier?s glory days were firmly in the past. The council bought it off Mr Denson in 1952 and, despite much protest from local people, it was pulled down in 1954.
