Fame at last! The photos are only in the print version, unfortunately.
Kelly Williams speaks to David Roberts on his project to record Rhyl’s declining streetscapeTHESE photos catalogue a seaside resort’s demise from what was once a bustling hot spot attracting tourists in their thousands.
Rhyl in its heyday was a day-tripper’s haven boasting Logworld, the Butterfly Jungle, bumper boats, Punch and Judy, the monorail, skate park and Oceanworld.
Revellers from all over would flock to the town and spend their summers strolling along the promenade with an ice cream, visiting the Coliseum to see a show, or splash about in the paddling pool on West Parade.
But now, the area is barely a shadow of its former glory, with sorry, half-demolished buildings left behind, hinting at a long-forgotten history.
These images, taken by photographer David Roberts and loaded onto Flickr, document the contrast between Rhyl, past and present.
He said: “The image of the tired and run down seaside town has always interested me. Back in 2005, Rhyl’s glory days as a bustling seaside resort had long passed. Its promenade was a very shabby place indeed, housing a variety of run down buildings and businesses. The talk was of large scale redevelopment to transform the area, aiming to sweep away the tatty buildings completely.
“I wanted to document this pivotal moment in Rhyl’s history through the means of photography, so I started to record how it all looked before the regeneration work started. I was especially interested in how once grand buildings like the Palace Hotel had declined into a state of near dereliction, becoming a fitting metaphor for the decline of the resort as a whole.”
He added: “A significant number of the buildings in these photographs have now been demolished, in many cases to be replaced by just vacant land, as the promised redevelopment has never taken place. I’m continuing to document the changes taking place in Rhyl.”
Nostalgic residents have set up a Facebook group called We Love Old Rhyl where they have been posting old photographs and sharing memories.
Up to now, it has attracted over 1,500 members. The Daily Post is keen to publish images of the resort at its peak. Please send your photographs to kelly.williams@dailypost.co.uk.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2012/02/06/rhyl-then-and-now-in-pictures-55578-30272235/
