Colwyn Bay

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Colwyn Bay
From the top, View over Colwyn Bay, Station Road, Penrhyn Road
Colwyn Bay is located in Conwy
Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay
Location within Conwy
Population34,284 (2011)
OS grid referenceSH865785
Community
  • Colwyn Bay
Principal area
Preserved county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCOLWYN BAY
Postcode districtLL28, LL29
Dialling code01492
PoliceNorth Wales
FireNorth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Conwy
53°17′N 3°42′W / 53.29°N 3.70°W / 53.29; -3.70

Colwyn Bay (Welsh: Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorporated within its postal district. Established as its own separate parish in 1844 with just a small grouping of homes and farms where the community of Old Colwyn stands today, Colwyn Bay has expanded to become the second-largest community and business centre in the north of Wales as well as the 14th largest in the whole of Wales with the urban statistical area, including Old Colwyn, Rhos-on-Sea, and Mochdre and Penrhyn Bay, having a population of 34,284 at the 2011 census.[1]

History[edit]

"Pier and Pavilion, Colwyn Bay, Wales", ca. 1890 - 1900.

The western side of Colwyn Bay, Rhos-on-Sea, includes a number of historic sites associated with St Trillo and Ednyfed Fychan, the 13th century general and councillor to Llywelyn the Great.

The name 'Colwyn' may be named after Collwyn ap Tangno, an 11th century nobleman who was Lord of Eifionnydd, Ardudwy and part of the Llŷn peninsula,[2] or after the River Colwyn in Old Colwyn. (In Welsh the word Colwyn means "puppy" (with the 'w' being a vowel), but Collwyn (with an alveolar lateral fricative) is a more plausible toponym, meaning "hazel grove" (llwyn cyll).)

King Richard II (1367–1400) was ambushed in Old Colwyn in 1399 by supporters of Henry Bolingbroke as he returned to England from Ireland.[3]

During World War II the Colwyn Bay Hotel, Marine Road (now demolished) was the headquarters of the Ministry of Food. This also housed the Cocoa & Chocolate division and was the communications hub for the ministry. They continued to use the hotel until 1953.[4] Colwyn also supported the war effort by becoming a significant location for the diamond cutting and polishing industry, which was used to help fund the war effort.[5]

The nucleus of the town comprised Old Colwyn (originally Colwyn) and Llysfaen to the east and Llandrillo-yn-Rhos to the west; the town grew up between those two places (which are part of Colwyn Bay for local government purposes). As in the cases of Llandudno and Rhyl, Colwyn Bay grew rapidly in the second half of the 19th century following the arrival of the railway in 1848, and in the early 20th century as a seaside holiday town conveniently for the large towns in NW England.

The town was in the historic county of Denbighshire until 1974, and then in Clwyd until 1996.

Government[edit]

Bay of Colwyn Town Council is a statutory body, covering the communities in the urban area. It is based at the old police station and magistrates court.[6] The mayor for 2019 to 2020 was Councillor Neil Bastow.[7] Conwy County Borough Council was based at the old civic centre in Colwyn Bay[8] before moving to Coed Pella in Conway Road in Colwyn Bay in November 2018.[9]

Geography[edit]

The town is situated about halfway along the north coast of Wales, between the sea and the Pwllycrochan Woods on the towering hillside. Groes yn Eirias (Welsh:Cross in Torch) was once a separate hamlet centred on the Glyn farmhouse (c1640) but the area is now occupied by the Glyn estate and Eirias Park.

Climate[edit]

Like the rest of the British Isles, Colwyn Bay experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters, and often high winds. The local climate is well known for the prevalence of Foehn winds: winds from the south which pass over the nearby mountains and warm and dry on their descent, leading to far higher temperatures than might otherwise be expected; the area held the Welsh high temperature record for February at 18.7 °C from 23 February 2012 to 24 February 2019.[10]

Climate data for Colwyn Bay 36m asl, 1981-2010
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.1
(61.0) 		18.7
(65.7) 		21.4
(70.5) 		24.8
(76.6) 		28.1
(82.6) 		30.3
(86.5) 		33.0
(91.4) 		32.4
(90.3) 		28.3
(82.9) 		27.2
(81.0) 		18.3
(64.9) 		16.4
(61.5) 		33.0
(91.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 8.5
(47.3) 		8.4
(47.1) 		10.3
(50.5) 		12.1
(53.8) 		15.2
(59.4) 		17.6
(63.7) 		19.6
(67.3) 		19.4
(66.9) 		17.4
(63.3) 		14.3
(57.7) 		11.1
(52.0) 		8.9
(48.0) 		13.6
(56.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.8
(37.0) 		2.7
(36.9) 		4.1
(39.4) 		5.3
(41.5) 		7.7
(45.9) 		10.4
(50.7) 		12.5
(54.5) 		12.5
(54.5) 		10.7
(51.3) 		8.1
(46.6) 		5.7
(42.3) 		3.2
(37.8) 		7.2
(45.0)
Record low °C (°F) −9.9
(14.2) 		−7.2
(19.0) 		−9.3
(15.3) 		−4.2
(24.4) 		−1.7
(28.9) 		2.4
(36.3) 		5.7
(42.3) 		4.0
(39.2) 		0.6
(33.1) 		−3.8
(25.2) 		−7.3
(18.9) 		−10.4
(13.3) 		−10.4
(13.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 74.7
(2.94) 		53.0
(2.09) 		57.5
(2.26) 		50.7
(2.00) 		52.9
(2.08) 		56.1
(2.21) 		52.1
(2.05) 		64.6
(2.54) 		70.2
(2.76) 		96.8
(3.81) 		89.8
(3.54) 		90.2
(3.55) 		808.7
(31.84)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 56.2 81.8 115.0 162.8 209.0 185.6 189.6 174.7 135.2 108.2 59.9 44.1 1,522
Source: Met Office[11]

Demography[edit]

Prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 Colwyn Bay was a municipal borough with a population of around 25,000, but in 1974 this designation disappeared leaving five separate parishes, known as communities in Wales, of which the one bearing the name Colwyn Bay encompassed just the central part of the overall town and in the 2001 Census contained just 9,742 people, with the others as follows: Mochdre (1,862), Rhos-on-Sea (7,110), Glan Conwy (2,290), Old Colwyn (7,626) and Llysfaen (2,652). This gives a total figure for the six communities of 31,382, generally referred to as the population of Colwyn Bay, making it the 16th largest urban area in Wales and the second largest settlement in North Wales. Bringing 2011 figures into account that figure is now 33,549. The area is sometimes referred to by the name Bay of Colwyn.

According to the 2011 Census, 17.9% of the population aged three and above noted that they could speak Welsh.[12] The Census also noted that 29.9% of the population who were born in Wales could speak Welsh.[13]

Economy[edit]

The town is dominated by the tourist trade, because of its famous beaches. Colwyn Bay is a Fairtrade Town as certified by the Fairtrade Foundation as part of the Fairtrade Towns scheme.

Culture[edit]

Colwyn Bay hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1910 and 1947. Also the Victoria Pier hosted many dances and shows during the 20th century and became popular with touring bands and artistes through the 1960s until the final gig there in August 2008.[14]

Community facilities[edit]

The town has parks and gardens and a number of natural amenities such as Eirias Park. Colwyn Bay has received a gold award 8 times in the Wales in Bloom competition. In 2009 and 2010 the town has been invited to enter Britain in Bloom and has been awarded silver gilt in both years. The Welsh Mountain Zoo is nearby.

The Porth Eirias Watersports Centre offers tuition in sailing, windsurfing and power boating as well as kayak and canoe hire. In 2013 it was nominated for Building Design's Carbuncle Cup.[15]

Landmarks[edit]

small building with white and red frontage and two small towers
Victoria pier
Colwyn Bay in the early 2000s.The buildings to the right have since been demolished.

The Victoria Pier was closed to the public in 2009, when a dispute between Conwy County Borough Council and the pier's owner led to him being declared bankrupt. The fate of the pier was initially uncertain; the council hoped it would be "substantially" demolished for "health and safety and visual reasons to be able to re-open that section of the beach”.[16] In January 2017, the lower end of the pier partially collapsed into the sea and Conwy Council subsequently announced plans to dismantle and store the pier, with a view of restoring it at a later date.[17][18] The pier was finally demolished in May 2018.[19]

Llety'r Dryw is a Grade II listed house in Abergele Road, built for the uncle of Anthony Eden and now used as the training centre for North Wales Police. Llys Euryn is a medieval manor house on Bryn Euryn, now in ruins. There are a number of buildings by notable local architect Sidney Colwyn Foulkes. These include Williams Deacon's Bank 1925 and Colwyn House 1933-7 originally occupied by the W.S.Wood department store.[20] Colwyn Bay Community Hospital was completed in 1925.[21]

Cotswold, on Brackley Avenue, is a notable town villa by Alfred Steinthal. Built for a Manchester businesswoman, the house was subsequently the home of Sidney Colwyn Foulkes. It is a Grade II listed building.[22] Its Japanese and Arts and Crafts style gardens are listed, also at Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.[23] Another notable garden is The Flagstaff, overlooking the bay. It was designed by Thomas Hayton Mawson for a house that was not ultimately built, and is listed at Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS register.[24]

Transport[edit]

The town is served by Colwyn Bay railway station located in the town centre on the North Wales Coast Line with trains run by Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast. The A55 road passes through the town, running parallel to the North Wales Coast Line.

Tramline[edit]

The Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway operated an electric tramway service between Llandudno and Rhos-on-Sea from 1907 and extended to Colwyn Bay in 1908. The service closed in 1956.[25]

Education[edit]

Colwyn Bay has three secondary schools - one private and two state. Eirias High School is in Eirias Park and Ysgol Bryn Elian is in Old Colwyn. Ysgol Bryn Elian mainly serves Old Colwyn and Eirias High School mainly serves Colwyn Bay, Rhos on Sea and Penrhyn Bay.

Rydal Penrhos School is a Methodist public school, which is on multiple sites in the town. Fees at this elite public school exceeded more than £34,000 per year for boarding in 2021 and boasts the only Eton Fives courts in Wales. Former alumni include Princess Maria of Romania, a cousin of Prince Charles.

The town's primary schools are Ysgol Nant y Groes, Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn, Ysgol T Gwynn Jones, Ysgol Hen Golwyn, and Saint Joseph's R.C. Primary and the Welsh-language Ysgol Bod Alaw.

Religious sites[edit]

Churches in and around the town include the parish church St Paul's Church, St David's Welsh Church, St John the Baptist's Church, St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church and Christ Church, Bryn-y-Maen to the south of the town.

Sport[edit]

The local football team is Colwyn Bay F.C. who play in the Cymru Premier, the top tier of Welsh football after securing promotion in the 2022–23 season. The local cricket team is Colwyn Bay Cricket Club who play at Penrhyn Avenue and the rugby union team is Colwyn Bay RFC. As of 2012, the RGC 1404 rugby team play at Eirias Stadium in Colwyn Bay as part of a development venture by the WRU.

Colwyn Bay Golf Club (now defunct) was founded in 1893. The club and course closed in 1959 and the land was used for a housing development.[26]

The Black Cat Cycling Club, founded in 2014, is based in Colwyn Bay[27] with members made up of cyclists from the town and the surrounding area.

Glamorgan County Cricket Club traditionally play one first-class game a year at Colwyn Bay.[28]

Notable people[edit]

See Category:People from Colwyn Bay
Timothy Dalton, 1987

Sport[edit]

See also[edit]

  • Mochdre, a village to the west that was originally part of the Borough.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Colwyn Bay Built-up area". Nomisweb.co.uk.
  2. ^ The history of the parishes of Whiteford, and Holywell. October 2009. Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  3. ^ "History Points - Penmaen Head, Old Colwyn". historypoints.org. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  4. ^ "History Points - Site of Colwyn Bay Hotel". historypoints.org. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  5. ^ "History Points - Site of wartime diamond factory, Colwyn Bay". historypoints.org. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  6. ^ Cadw. "Police station and magistrates court (14707)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  7. ^ "The Mayor 2017/2018". Colwyn-tc.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Flats plan for Conwy council's old civic centre". North Wales Pioneer. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Flagship £58m Colwyn Bay Coed Pella base could be left partially empty". North Wales Pioneer. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  10. ^ Office, Met. "UK climate". Metoffice.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 3 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Colwyn Bay 1981-2010 averages". Met Office. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  12. ^ "Comisiynydd y Gymraeg - 2011 Census results by Community". Comisiynyddygymraeg.cymru. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  13. ^ "LC2206WA (Welsh language skills by country of birth by age) - Nomis - Official Labour Market Statistics". Nomisweb.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  14. ^ "Dixieland – Colwyn Bay Pier". Link2wales.co.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Britain's ugliest new buildings named". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014.
  16. ^ Powell, David (14 August 2016). "Ask Daily Post: What is going on with Colwyn Bay Pier?". dailypost.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016.
  17. ^ "Engineers assess collapsed Colwyn Bay Victoria Pier damage". BBC News. 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  18. ^ "Collapsed Colwyn Bay Pier to be dismantled for 'protection'". BBC News. 11 February 2017. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  19. ^ "End of the pier as demolition completed at Colwyn Bay". BBC News. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  20. ^ "[:en]Town Centre Heritage Walk[:cy]Llwybr Treftadaeth Canol y Dref[:]". Colwyn Bay Heritage. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  21. ^ "Sidney Colwyn Foulkes". Colwyn Bay Heritage. 15 August 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  22. ^ Cadw. "Cotswold (Grade II) (14669)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  23. ^ Cadw. "Cotswold, Brackley Avenue (PGW(Gd)60(CON))". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  24. ^ Cadw. "The Flagstaff (PGW(Gd)61(CON))". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  25. ^ The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.
  26. ^ “Colwyn Bay Golf Club” Archived 27 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine, “Golf’s Missing Links”.
  27. ^ "The Black Cat Cycling Club Club profile". British Cycling. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016.
  28. ^ "Glamorgan Cricket". Glamorgan Cricket Tickets and Memberships. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  29. ^ Davies, William (d. 1593) Archived 5 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine at National Library of Wales Dictionary of Welsh Biography
  30. ^ Squad Profiles: Wales Women Archived 11 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine at Welsh Rugby Union, 2012

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Colwyn Bay.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Colwyn Bay.
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