Conwy Morfa
Encyclopedia
The Conwy Morfa is a piece of originally marshy-sand based spit, north of the western end of the modern A55
entrance to Conwy
in Conwy county borough, north-west Wales
.
Known locally as "The Morfa" (Welsh, Y Morfa), it shapes the south side of the estuary of the River Conwy
. Today a large sandy bay, which at low tide forms part of the extensive sandy beaches and mussel banks of Conwy Bay
, Conwy Morfa has many developments on its land, including:
In 1869, three Scots laid out a few holes on Conwy Morfa - they may have been the first to play golf on Welsh soil. In 1875 members from The Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake
realised the potential of the Conwy Morfa, and had a 12-hole course professionally laid out. On 30 June 1890 The Caernarvonshire (Conwy) Golf Club was formed, and on 30 July the Club's first Captain, Mr. Sydney Platt opened the club house - a donated military mess hut from the local army base. In 1895, the club became one of the founding members of the Welsh Golfing Union and after extending the course to eighteen holes staged the first Welsh National Championship.
Douglas Adams the golfing painter created three of his most famous paintings on the Conwy Morfa: 'A Difficult Bunker, 'The Putting Green' and 'The Drive'. These are on display in the present club house, completed in 1996, the fifth since 1875; they are also on display at Pinehurst Resort
and various other Golf Courses.
, the Allies realized that if they were at some point to invade Northern Europe, and oust the Nazis, then harbours would be essential. They could not assume access to or the operation of the existing facilities, and they needed something quick and easy to assemble under enemy fire and that would survive the Atlantic storms. There is a debate as to who came up with the design for the Mulberry Harbour
, but what is known is that a North Walian civil engineer Hugh Iorys Hughes
was given the task of proving one of the competing designs - the one he had most input to. The prototypes were constructed at the Morfa, with the area transformed into a huge construction site and over 1000 labourers were drafted in. These included Oleg Kerensky
, son of former Russian Prime Minister Alexander Kerensky
, who supervised the construction process. Hughes constructed three 'Hippo' caissons were towed from the Morfa to the test site Rigg Bay, Solway Firth
near Garlieston
, Scotland. When full production started, the main location was on a site behind what is now the second green, before being launched into the River Conwy
estuary for their journey south and ultimately to play a key role in the D-Day landings
where they wore the maroon and white colours of Llandudno Junction. In the 1962-3 season, they won the Welsh Cup, beating League opposition in Newport County F.C. 2-1 - although they made a £73 loss. They thus entered the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
, beating Maltese
opposition in the first round, but lost out to Czech
cup-winners Slovan Bratislava 4-0. In 1967, Nant-y-Coed’s owners, the Irish Oblates of Mary Immaculate
order, evicted the club. They could not move or merge with various other local clubs, and rejected a return to the available Morfa site which lacked facilities other than the pitch itself. Resigning from the Welsh League, they survived two more seasons as nomads before folding in 1969
to work in Conwy, and was amazed that a Welsh town didn't have a Rugby Club. He formed the Llandudno Rugby Club, played all its inaugural season matches as away games. In 1953 the Conwy Football Club abandoned the Morfa sports ground, and the rugby club were established on the Morfa for the 1953-4 season. The town introduced rugby to the John Bright Grammar School, and the links between club and school are remembered by the Annual Boxing Day game between the Old Boys and the club. In 1957 a fire destroyed the dressing rooms at the Morfa ground, and the club departed to a new ground in Llandudno
A55 road
The A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway, is a major road in Britain. Its entire length is a dual carriageway primary route, with the exception of the point where it crosses the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. All junctions are grade separated except for two roundabouts — one...
entrance to Conwy
Conwy
Conwy is a walled market town and community in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales. The town, which faces Deganwy across the River Conwy, formerly lay in Gwynedd and prior to that in Caernarfonshire. Conwy has a population of 14,208...
in Conwy county borough, north-west Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Known locally as "The Morfa" (Welsh, Y Morfa), it shapes the south side of the estuary of the River Conwy
River Conwy
The River Conwy is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is a little over long. "Conwy" is sometimes Anglicized as "Conway."...
. Today a large sandy bay, which at low tide forms part of the extensive sandy beaches and mussel banks of Conwy Bay
Conwy Bay
Conwy Bay is an inlet of the Irish Sea, defined by the east coast of Anglesey and the north coast of Wales. Puffin Island and the Great Orme mark the limits of the bay....
, Conwy Morfa has many developments on its land, including:
- A beach - a large sandy bay, which also provides excellent fishing
- The Golf Club - possibly the place the first place people played golfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
in WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²... - A marina - Conwy Quays managed by Quay Marinas Ltd
- An industrial estate - on the south-side of the A55, including the Conwy Brewery
Golf Course
A typical links course which provides a test of golf, with an abundance of gorse and a traditional links wind adding to the challenge.In 1869, three Scots laid out a few holes on Conwy Morfa - they may have been the first to play golf on Welsh soil. In 1875 members from The Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake
Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake
The Royal Liverpool Golf Club is a leading golf club in Merseyside in North West England. It was founded in 1869 on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club, and received the "Royal" designation in 1871 due to the patronage of the Duke of Connaught of the day, who was one of Queen...
realised the potential of the Conwy Morfa, and had a 12-hole course professionally laid out. On 30 June 1890 The Caernarvonshire (Conwy) Golf Club was formed, and on 30 July the Club's first Captain, Mr. Sydney Platt opened the club house - a donated military mess hut from the local army base. In 1895, the club became one of the founding members of the Welsh Golfing Union and after extending the course to eighteen holes staged the first Welsh National Championship.
Douglas Adams the golfing painter created three of his most famous paintings on the Conwy Morfa: 'A Difficult Bunker, 'The Putting Green' and 'The Drive'. These are on display in the present club house, completed in 1996, the fifth since 1875; they are also on display at Pinehurst Resort
Pinehurst Resort
Pinehurst Resort is a historic upmarket golf resort at Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA. It has hosted a number of prestigious golf tournaments.-History:...
and various other Golf Courses.
Mulberry Harbour
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Allies realized that if they were at some point to invade Northern Europe, and oust the Nazis, then harbours would be essential. They could not assume access to or the operation of the existing facilities, and they needed something quick and easy to assemble under enemy fire and that would survive the Atlantic storms. There is a debate as to who came up with the design for the Mulberry Harbour
Mulberry harbour
A Mulberry harbour was a British type of temporary harbour developed in World War II to offload cargo on the beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy....
, but what is known is that a North Walian civil engineer Hugh Iorys Hughes
Hugh Iorys Hughes
Hugh Iorys Hughes was a civil engineer and unsung hero of World War II who advised on the design of the Mulberry harbours used in Operation Overlord....
was given the task of proving one of the competing designs - the one he had most input to. The prototypes were constructed at the Morfa, with the area transformed into a huge construction site and over 1000 labourers were drafted in. These included Oleg Kerensky
Oleg Kerensky
Oleg Aleksandrovich Kerensky CBE FRS , was a Russian civil engineer, one of the foremost bridge designers of his time....
, son of former Russian Prime Minister Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky was a major political leader before and during the Russian Revolutions of 1917.Kerensky served as the second Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government until Vladimir Lenin was elected by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets following the October Revolution...
, who supervised the construction process. Hughes constructed three 'Hippo' caissons were towed from the Morfa to the test site Rigg Bay, Solway Firth
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very...
near Garlieston
Garlieston
Garlieston is a small planned coastal village in south west Scotland founded circa 1790 by Lord Garlies.-Location & History:The village lies northwest of Whithorn and a few miles north of Cruggleton Castle which was abandoned in the 17th century...
, Scotland. When full production started, the main location was on a site behind what is now the second green, before being launched into the River Conwy
River Conwy
The River Conwy is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is a little over long. "Conwy" is sometimes Anglicized as "Conway."...
estuary for their journey south and ultimately to play a key role in the D-Day landings
Football
Llandudno Junction football club had been resident at Conwy Morfa for some time, but with falling attendances and high costs due to the Entertainment tax, by the 1953-4 season they and local rivals Conwy Borough occupied the bottom two places in the Welsh League (North) - a complete reverse of the previous season! An agreement was struck, and Borough United were created who left the Morfa and played for 15-seasons at Nant-y-Coed, Llandudno JunctionLlandudno Junction
Llandudno Junction , once known as Tremarl, is a small town in the county borough of Conwy, Wales. It is part of the ancient parish of Llangystennin, and it is located south of Llandudno. It adjoins Deganwy and is to the east of the walled town of Conwy, which is on the opposite side of the River...
where they wore the maroon and white colours of Llandudno Junction. In the 1962-3 season, they won the Welsh Cup, beating League opposition in Newport County F.C. 2-1 - although they made a £73 loss. They thus entered the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
, beating Maltese
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
opposition in the first round, but lost out to Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
cup-winners Slovan Bratislava 4-0. In 1967, Nant-y-Coed’s owners, the Irish Oblates of Mary Immaculate
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816 by Saint Eugene de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, 1782. The congregation was given recognition by Pope...
order, evicted the club. They could not move or merge with various other local clubs, and rejected a return to the available Morfa site which lacked facilities other than the pitch itself. Resigning from the Welsh League, they survived two more seasons as nomads before folding in 1969
Rugby Club
In 1952, John Kidson arrived from LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to work in Conwy, and was amazed that a Welsh town didn't have a Rugby Club. He formed the Llandudno Rugby Club, played all its inaugural season matches as away games. In 1953 the Conwy Football Club abandoned the Morfa sports ground, and the rugby club were established on the Morfa for the 1953-4 season. The town introduced rugby to the John Bright Grammar School, and the links between club and school are remembered by the Annual Boxing Day game between the Old Boys and the club. In 1957 a fire destroyed the dressing rooms at the Morfa ground, and the club departed to a new ground in Llandudno
Llandudno
Llandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...