Three Towns Forum
The Local => Genealogy & Research => Topic started by: jackiecj on January 27, 2011, 12:04:42 pm
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Hi Does anyone have any information, or better still pictures, of Roby house, The shop was founded & run by the Roberts family . The business was taken over by a multiple firm, soon after the end of the 2nd world war. Could this have been the Maypole shop on Mostyn Street-now a Lidl shop?
All help / suggestions gratefully received. Thanks in anticipation......
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Address ?
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Ooops! Llandudno - Mostyn Street
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Roby House - we could do with a number for it really. It says on the BBC website that it was called 'Coopers' at one time? One of the early business guides may have the info, I shall try and have a look in the Library if I get time.
Bit of info on page 19 of the Parish Magazine here (that you might already have seen):
http://www.llandudno-parish.org.uk/pm1110web.pdf (http://www.llandudno-parish.org.uk/pm1110web.pdf)
Oddly enough, the info refers to Roby House as being on Church Walks - so maybe it was on the corner of both Mostyn Street and Church Walks, making it this property which is across the road from the Empire Hotel:
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1361/553699735_4c0709a8ee_z.jpg?zz=1) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davellandudno/553699735/)
Flatiron Building, Llandudno Style (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davellandudno/553699735/#) by davidrobertsphotography (http://www.flickr.com/people/davellandudno/), on Flickr
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Hi Does anyone have any information, or better still pictures, of Roby house, The shop was founded & run by the Roberts family . The business was taken over by a multiple firm, soon after the end of the 2nd world war. Could this have been the Maypole shop on Mostyn Street-now a Lidl shop?
All help / suggestions gratefully received. Thanks in anticipation......
Do we actually have a Lidl? We did have a Farmfoods, but that went a while back.
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Cant have been the Maypole (now HMV) - that was originally the St George's Hall/Princes Theatre/New Princes Cinema. It only became a shop sometime in the 1950s/60s.
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Sure I've seen the words Roby House somewhere--- could it have been in Upper Mostyn Street nearly at the top opposite the Ros Tor?
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The article in the parish magazine includes information about the funeral of Harry Lloyd Roberts-He was the grandson of Thomas Roberts, as it says in the article. Roby House on Church Walks was the family home in 1918
There was also a Roby Mount on Church Walks in the1960s-the home of another grandson-John Frederick Gordon Roberts.
The 1891 census for Thomas Roberts gives an address of 114 Mostyn Street
The 1901 census for James Henry Roberts(Thomas' son) gives an address of Roby House, Llewelyn Street
(I dont know whether these are just residential addresses or whether there was a shop there also)
The 1911 census shows that there are 2 Roby House premises on Llewelyn Street:
1. Roby House Stores-Lock up shop
2. RobyHouse Fruit Stores
I also thought that the shop later on was on Mostyn Street, but I'm not sure about this.
Re-"Do we have a Lidl?"
I may have thought wrongly that the shop was a Lidl shop- it could have been Farmfoods!
Hope this extra info may be useful
I'm new to this & I got a bit carried away this morning, thinking that I may have found a source of information, and just dived in without planning what I was going to say, or more to the point what I needed to say!!
Thanks to everyonefor trying to help!
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My O.H. says it was the Flatiron building shown in the photo, opposite the Empire Hotel.
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Suepp has a 1929 Street Index of Llandudno and I'm sure she could find it easily in there. These indexes are alphabetical too which help in tracing people.
If I go to the Conwy Archives next week I'll have a look if the answer is not found in the meantime.
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Jackiecj I am sure that you are aware of this but I have copied it just in case.
5) Harry Lloyd Roberts, killed in
action on 23rd April 1918, aged 28.
The CWGC register shows him as
a private in the Royal Marine Light
Infantry attached to HMS ‘Vindictive’.
The inscription on his grave reads ‘Honoured
Memory of Harry Lloyd Roberts,
Royal Marines, died of wounds received
on the Mole at the Battle of Zeebrugge,
April 23rd 1918, aged 28.’
The first report of his death appeared
in the Llandudno Advertiser on 27th
April 1918. It reads, ‘The brilliant naval
exploits at Ostend, Zeebrugge claimed
the life of a Llandudno man, Harry
Lloyd Roberts. His mother was away
from home and two uncles went to
Chatham to arrange the return of the
body to Llandudno.’ In the Llandudno
Advertiser on the 4th May 1918 there is
a comprehensive report of the funeral.
In that report it shows that the body
was returned on a Saturday evening
and the funeral took place the following
afternoon, a Sunday!
There a glowing testimony to Harry
in this report describing him as ‘one
of those intrepid volunteers who have
gained immortal fame for their courageous
work on the “Vindictive” the war
vessel which, battered beyond recognition
in her upper works, came back
from the inferno at Zeebrugge, carrying
with her the dead and wounded in as
gallant an action as any inscribed on the
records of the Navy.’
Harry was the eldest son of Mr Harry
Roberts and Mrs Roberts, Roby House,
Church Walks and grandson of Mr.
Thomas Roberts, founder of the firm
Messrs T Roberts, Roby House. He
had been in the Llandudno Boy Scouts,
a member of the Llandudno Amateur
Dramatic Society and a sidesman of the
Church of St. Tudno.
He is buried in the family grave in Section
‘G’ at the beginning of the path
leading to the town cemetery.
He also was buried with full military and
naval honours and I’ve selected parts of
the report on the funeral to show what
such a funeral entailed: ‘The funeral was
announced for half past two, but long
before that hour people began to assemble
in the vicinity of Roby Mount,
There is a lot more written about him but I have just copied this part. It seems that Harry Roberts was a very well respected person
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The 1929 directory lists T Roberts and sons as grocers in the trades listings at both 1 Llewellyn Street and at 114 Mostyn street -grocers and fruiterers - (Now Fountains)
Re the photo of the flatiron building is it not on the corner of Tudno street? - in which case does not fit with the listing.
both addresses have the name Roby House in the alphabetical listings and also in the street listings.
Llewellyn street is now Llewellyn Avenue and number 1 - I'm thinking -is directly next door to fountains and m ay refer to the upper floors of the shop as it was? If you look at Google earth there is a door in between Fountains and the old petshop, and the next house along is number 5
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just found in Llandudno Queen of the Welsh Resorts a photo of the grocers shop on the corner of Tudno and Mostyn streets, it was the grocery shop of Tenby & son and also the London and North Western Railway parcels office, the photo looks to be early 1900's, sorry my scanner didn't scan properly so not able to display the photo. It's on page 80
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Here's T. Roberts' shop at Roby House at 1 Llewellyn Street (now Fountains bar):
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Wow I'm impressed!!! Thanks Everyone for all your help!!!
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that is a great photo!
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It's a close up of part of a postcard. I will try and stick up a pic of the whole card later.
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Have just noticed this thread, I did know where the building was, as kids coming home from school we would go into Roby House for a penny worth of broken biscuits and we would be hoping there would be some chocolate ones included.
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Full version of the Llewellyn Avenue postcard, as promised. Click it to see it in full size.
[smg id=1122]
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The pictures are really great! Everyone has been so helpful!
I'm so pleased that I found this forum!!
Thanks everyone!!!
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my great grandfather David J Roberts lived at number 2 Llewellyn street in 1898, - Waverley House I think it may now be part of "Sunnyside"
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Roby House became Coopers and was run by Mr Corris in the 50's before they took over the tenancy of the Snowden pub. Lovely smell of roasting coffee would waft over our garden in Tudno Street. The flat iron building, opposite the Empire Hotel was called Pierce Brothers and was run by Arthur Davies and his wife in the 50's. Suepp wasn't Sunnyside once the town post office? There's a well in the back yard.
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In 1929 Sunnyside is listed as number 4 and Waverley as number 2.
I had a look in QOTWR which mentions 18 Old Road as Llandudno's first Post Office, I then turned to "The Streets of Llandudno" but there's no mention of Llewellyn Street or LLewellyn Avenue!
I'll have a look at some other sources. unless someone on the forum can enlighten us ;)
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In 1929 Sunnyside is listed as number 4 and Waverley as number 2.
I had a look in QOTWR which mentions 18 Old Road as Llandudno's first Post Office, I then turned to "The Streets of Llandudno" but there's no mention of Llewellyn Street or LLewellyn Avenue!
I'll have a look at some other sources. unless someone on the forum can enlighten us ;)
That's right Sue, it was a semi-detached house at 18 Old Road, called Greenhill, built in 1817, which became two shops.
Ann Jones actually opened the Post Office in October 1838 and operated it from a small shed (9ft long X 5ft wide) alongside the house.
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Have just noticed this thread, I did know where the building was, as kids coming home from school we would go into Roby House for a penny worth of broken biscuits and we would be hoping there would be some chocolate ones included.
Can you tell me when this would have been please
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Well it was certainly still there in the late 50's when I was growing up. Don't know when it closed though. perhaps there would be a record at the Land registry?
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By 1957, it was called Coopers & Sons Ltd - Provisions Merchants.
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Thanks again! All information gratefully received.
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Some more info I found....Mr. Roberts emigrated to California in the 19th Century in order to make his fortune supplying provisions to prospectors in the Gold Rush (1848-1855). Returning to Llandudno, he invested his newly made fortune in Roby House (now Fountains Bar). His descendent, Edric Roberts, is a Director of Great Orme Mines.
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That's really interesting! Where did you find this? Was it from the descendant you mentioned, or some other source?
We were in Llandudno a few weeks back, and when we drove past Fountains you can actually see one of the old "T Roberts & Sons" signs. It is on the building which was the old pet shop.
Thanks for the extra info!
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I will have to take a look for that old sign and grab a photo. $good$
That info was in an exhibition that was in the Victoria Centre during the 2010 Extravaganza - there was an old photo of Roby House together with the info. Don't think I have anything more to add to it but I shall take a look.
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I did take some photos-here's one (I hope!) showing the sign. (I haven't uploaded any photos before, so hope this is ok!)
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I wandered past yesterday and had a look - never noticed it until you said! $good$
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The sign doesn't show up very clearly in the picture, now that I've posted it- sorry! but I suppose its better than nothing!?!
Oh, and credit, where credit is due - it was actually my hubby who noticed the sign, and he was driving at the time!
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this may not be important but my great great great taid`s wife was called eleanor edwards before marriage and had a grace roberts aged 4 living in thier house as a boarder but no other roberts lived in this household it then works out that she married james Henry Roberts who was from originaly liverpool. The 1911 census says that they lived in Roby House Llewelyn st llandudno they aso had a daughter called Ettie Grace Roberts and 1 boarder and a servant / domestic living with them also . i dont know if this is of any use to you but its sort of thrown a spanner in the works with my family tree hunting
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Jack posted this on the Re: Old Postcards Llandudno thread. On the bottom left of the photo is a shop with "T. Roberts" above the canopy. This is "Fountains" today. Is this of any help?
(http://threetownsforum.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=186.0;attach=7062)
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Jack posted this on the Re: Old Postcards Llandudno thread. On the bottom left of the photo is a shop with "T. Roberts" above the canopy. This is "Fountains" today. Is this of any help?
DaveR had already posted it on page 1 of this thread dwsi.
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Jack posted this on the Re: Old Postcards Llandudno thread. On the bottom left of the photo is a shop with "T. Roberts" above the canopy. This is "Fountains" today. Is this of any help?
DaveR had already posted it on page 1 of this thread dwsi.
DOH!!! D)
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It's a great photo, anyway, really sums up what Victorian Llandudno must have been like. Must have been so quiet without all the traffic noise.
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I wandered past yesterday and had a look - never noticed it until you said! $good$
No nor had I, but I crossed the road to be able to see it this morning !
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It's a great photo, anyway, really sums up what Victorian Llandudno must have been like. Must have been so quiet without all the traffic noise.
Absolutely and all the tree lined streets must have looked so wonderful whereas today streets are just cluttered with street furniture like bins and road signs etc and the lamposts today are hideous compared with those delightful crafted one from yesteryear.
Just look how much greenery used to surround the Roman Catholic church on the corner of St Marys and Lloyd Street. I wonder who thought it would be a good idea to rip it all down and turn it into a carpark?
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Here's a close up of that sign:
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Your picture looks so much clearer than mine! Just shows what a decent camera, and someone who knows how to use it, can do!
Haven't been on this site (nor my computer very much for a while (health problems)
Thanks for all the extra info & pics!
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Hope you are feeling better, Jackie. This has been a very interesting thread. $good$
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Z** Just out of interest, the Mr Corris mentioned in Llechwedd's post 07/02/11 was Ron Corris who I remember very well. Ron was one of the best liked landlords in one of the then best liked pubs with one of the best liked pints of bitter (Bass) in town: The Snowdon. Deggsy Riddler was also one of Ron's best barmen (and a good friend). Bloody good darts team too - ours, The London, couldn't hold a Swan Vesta too them.
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Picking up on an old post: I am researching the Private Harry Lloyd Roberts RMLI mentioned here, who dies of wounds received in the Zeebrugge Raid. I have a memorial card with his photo. I would be keen to get copies of the full articles about him in the local paper if possible as I am writing a book about the marines who took part in the Zeebrugge Raid.
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Mrs Harry Roberts was still residing at Roby Mount 58 Church Walks in 1929