Old photos from the archive

[SteveH]

Right Royal occasions in North Wales in past years
On the occasion of the Coronation of Charles III, this week Memory Lane takes a look at past events featuring the Royal Family

Cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/right-royal-occasions-in-north-wales-in-past-years/

SAILING IN: Prince Charles arrives at Llandudno from the Royal Yacht Britannia 7th July 1969, during his post-investiture of Wales

[SteveH]

White rabbits and beach donkeys: Llandudno in past years
This week Memory Lane pays a visit to the Queen of Welsh Resorts, which claims links to a famous 19th Century literary work

cont plus photo gallery https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/white-rabbits-and-beach-donkeys-llandudno-in-past-years/


MARINE DRIVE: The residents of Llandudno seen enjoying a Easter walk along and drive along the improved road to The Great Orme April 17,1933

[SteveH]

The popular outdoor pool with seating for 10,000 people now lost to history
The pool was filled with 800 gallons of water from the Irish Sea

These grainy images show swimming-capped dippers relishing the fresh air and freedom of a bracing, al fresco swim at a popular outdoor pool. Sadly, Deganwy bathing pool is lost to history - but it would surely have gone down a storm today.

The pool, which even had a zoo nearby, was built near Deganwy Promenade in 1934 but was eventually cleared by the relentless bulldozer of "progress". An estate of white houses now occupy the site and it is almost essential to see photographic evidence before believing that this stunning attraction was ever there.

Local historian Vicky Macdonald told North Wales Live the "West Shore and Deganwy Bathing PooI", was built by R Arthur Jones, a local auctioneer and estate agent. She said: "The large sea water-filled pool became a very popular venue, holding swimming galas and diving competitions from its high, five-metre diving board.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/popular-outdoor-pool-seating-10000-26993334?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

The abandoned North Wales village which has been reclaimed by nature
What remains today of the ruins of Talysarn village is like a 'Welsh Angkor Wat'

In the west of the region, there is a long belt of Cambrian slate which was formed about 500 million years ago, stretching from the Nant Ffrancon valley in the east, to Nantlle Valley in the west. Along this line, some of the largest and most productive slate quarries in the world were situated.

The region was known to have "roofed the 19th century world", which had a significant effect on the lives of the region's people and communities as well as the landscape, with its traces still found today, reports WalesOnline. In the east the slate was garnered through open quarries using the gallery method while in the west slate beds were found beneath the floor of the valley.

It was the depth of the slate beneath the valley floor which influenced the quarrying techniques of Nantlle. And the only way to obtain the rock was by digging down and creating large pits.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/abandoned-north-wales-village-been-27015425?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[Hugo]

Thanks for posting that article Steve, it brought back some nice memories.    We did that walk in Dorothea Quarry 10 years ago and by coincidence we have been talking about doing it again.
I've looked at my posting of the walk but there are no photos posted but what I do remember is getting hold of the key to the old pumping  house  and looking inside the building which is very well preserved.
The building  of the old Talysarn Hall was fascinating too and I seem to remember a quarry train line going very close behind the hall, it'll be well worth a second visit to the site

[SteveH]

How a North Wales engineer played a key role in D-Day success
Bangor-born H. Iorys Roberts came up with a vital invention

The ingenuity of a North Wales civil engineer helped thousands of Allied troops to land in Normandy on D-Day. H. Iorys Hughes designed a prototype of giant floating concrete harbours which helped change to course of the war as the Allies repelled and defeated the Nazis in occupied Europe.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill himself took a keen interest in the project in which Mr Hughes played a pivotal role.
cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/how-north-wales-engineer-played-27020929?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589


PS
This links to an interesting site I posted a few years ago......... https://www.combinedops.com/Mulberry%20Harbours.htm

[SteveH]

These photographs chronicle some of the special moments at a North Wales zoo as staff celebrate its 60th anniversary. The Welsh Mountain Zoo in Upper Colwyn Bay has become one of our most loved tourist attractions, welcoming 170,000 visitors on average a year to the picturesque site with over 80 species.

The story of the Zoo began in 1962 when Robert Jackson, his wife Margaret and their three sons moved from their home in Cheshire to Colwyn Bay. Through the coldest winter in living memory, they began building what he named the "Welsh Mountain Zoo and Botanic Gardens".

Robert Jackson, and the Mayor of Colwyn Bay officially opened the Welsh Mountain Zoo on May 18, 1963. The Zoo has evolved over the years, becoming a charity in the 1980s. Although the Jackson family gave up ownership of the private zoo company, members of the family remain on the charity?s board to this day.

cont gallery https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gallery/welsh-mountain-zoo-celebrates-60-27063045

[SteveH]

How a small family firm in North Wales became jeweller to the world's royals and celebrities
Clients have included Prince William, Jacqueline Onassis and Ian Fleming - and it all began in Gwynedd

When the city of Bangor wanted to repair its 140-year-old ceremonial mace, councillors feared the expense might be too great. Coming to their rescue was a jewellery firm with an international standing for making and repairing jewellery for royals and celebrities.

London-based Wartski offered to carry out the three-month repairs free of charge. In doing so, the gesture sealed a relationship stretching back to the mid 19th century when the Gwynedd city provided the launchpad for the company?s global expansion.

Before the restored civic mace was returned to Bangor, it received a special ceremony in London. After being paraded past Buckingham Palace to Wellington barracks, headquarters of the Welsh Guards, it was formally presented back to the city. Present at the ceremony was Katherine Purcell, the firm?s director, who said the restoration project signified a relinking of the business with its roots. ?Bangor means an awful lot to the business,? she said.

Today, Wartski is one of London?s most prestigious jewellers but it all began here in North Wales. The firm was founded in Bangor High Street in 1865 as the city grew rapidly following the construction of Thomas Telford?s Menai Suspension Bridge in 1825.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/how-small-family-firm-north-27283811?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

The story behind the plaque on famous pier dedicated to 'Birdman of Llandudno'
Gicianto Ferrari entertained people in the town for many years

Long before the people of Llandudno took 'Monkey Man' into their hearts the town was home to a gentleman who earned the title "The Birdman of Llandudno". The man is remembered with a faded red plaque at the entrance to the resort's famous pier.

This caught the attention of John Lunt, from Liverpool. He decided to do some digging into the history of the man, whose actual name was Gicianto Ferrari. Mr Ferrari is buried in the graveyard at Llanrhos with carved birds on his tombstone. His time in Llandudno was marked by fun and feuds.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/story-behind-plaque-famous-pier-27418624?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

Shakespeare, sequoias and sundials: Bodnant Gardens in past years
This week Memory Lane pays a visit to a spectacular National Trust garden in the Conwy Valley

Bodnant Gardens were founded in 1874, and was subsequently developed by five generations of one family before being given to the National Trust in 1949. The extensive garden of 80 acres includes Italianate terraces, hillsides, a Dell, a gorge garden, and the famous laburnum arch.

cont plus photos  https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/shakespeare-and-sequoias-bodnant-gardens-in-past-years/

photo MEN AT WORK: Peter Jones (right) seen here planting up one of the flower beds at Bodnant Gardens. August 8, 1984

[SteveH]

Comics were a weekly childhood treat worth remembering
Are you Camp Beano or Bunty? Roy of the Rovers or Twinkle?

A favourite childhood memory for many will be going to the newsagents every week and buying a comic or magazine to savour with a bag of sweets. And at Christmas, you could often look forward to an annual in your stocking.

The use of the word 'comics' as a generic term for all children's weekly publications derives from an early publication, Comic Cuts, which ran from 1890 to 1953, which contained only humorous material. That would be the theme for most subsequent juvenile publications as well, so comic is usually a justified term.

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/comics-were-a-weekly-childhood-treat-worth-remembering/

[Ian]

Curious that epitome of accuracy, the Eagle, is rarely mentioned.

[DVT]

Eagle was my favourite, especially the cutaway drawings of all sorts of things.  Here is a book I have which includes loads of them, although this was published in 2008.

[SteveH]

Pier pavilion and a mechanical jumbo: Colwyn Bay in past years
This week Memory Lane pays a visit to a coastal town that has served both as a seaside resort and a shopping centre

Colwyn Bay has been a popular holiday resort since the Victorian era, with its sandy beach and attractive countryside nearby. To the east of the town centre is the delightful Eirias Park, while the Welsh Mountain Zoo is on the hill just above the town.

cont plus more photos https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/pier-pavilion-and-a-mechanical-jumbo-colwyn-bay-in-past-years/

[SteveH]

The worst sea disaster in Irish Sea history will be remembered this week on Anglesey
It came to be known as the worst loss of life in the Irish Sea during the Great War

The sinking of the RMS Leinster by a German submarine - in the last few weeks of the First World War - would see more than 500 people perish in what is the greatest loss of life in the Irish Sea. Among the dead were a number from Anglesey and other parts of Wales, Ireland, but also from as far away as America and Canada.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/worst-sea-disaster-irish-sea-27840565