Rhyl
Encyclopedia
Rhyl is a seaside resort town
and community
situated on the north east coast of Wales
, in the county of Denbighshire
(within the preserved county
of Clwyd
, and the historic county of Flintshire
), at the mouth of the River Clwyd
(Welsh:
Afon Clwyd). To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay
, with the resort of Towyn
further west, Prestatyn
to the east and Rhuddlan
to the south. At the 2001 Census
, Rhyl had a population of 24,889. The conurbation of Abergele-Rhyl-Prestatyn has a population of over 60,000.
Rhyl has long been a popular tourist destination for people all over Wales and North West England
. Rhyl is accessible by road, rail, air via Liverpool Airport, and sea via Holyhead
.
Once an elegant Victorian
resort, there was an influx of people from Liverpool
and Manchester
after World War II
changing the face of the town. The area had declined dramatically by 1990, but has since improved due to a series of regeneration projects bringing in major investment. European funding, secured by the Welsh Government, has produced millions for the development of Rhyl's seafront.
note that the oldest known dwelling is actually called 'Ty'n rhyl' and that the town marketed itself as a resort as 'Sunny Rhyl'.
On the East Parade is the SeaQuarium and the Rhyl Suncentre, an indoor leisure swimming pool featuring an indoor monorail, as well as Europe's first indoor surfing pool. Next door stands the New Pavilion Theatre, which opened in 1991. A run of traditional beach shops runs alongside the sea front. The Carneddau Mountains
can be seen from the beach.
Barratt's of Tyn Rhyl is the oldest house in Rhyl. It is run as a hotel and restaurant.
The derelict Welsh Baptist Tabernacular chapel built in 1867 has been bought by the Muslim community and been renamed the Islamic Cultural Centre.
The Marine Lake, an artificial excavation in the west of the town, used to be a tourist destination, with fairground rides and a zoo. Rhyl Miniature Railway
is the only original attraction remaining on the site, a narrow gauge
railway that travels around the lake and is now based at the new museum and railway centre. There is also a playground and numerous watersports clubs based around the lake.
The Marine Lake Funfair was eventually replaced by the Ocean Beach Funfair
and demolished in the late 1960s. Ocean Beach finally closed on 2 September 2007 to make way for Ocean Plaza, a development which includes flats, a hotel and retail outlets, including a supermarket.
, projects include the Drift Park development on the promenade and the reopening of the town's miniature railway around the Marine Lake.
The West End of Rhyl is undergoing much reconstruction. One of the major investments is at Rhyl College, a satellite site of Llandrillo College
, with the investment being worth approximately £4 million. 2010 part of Rhyl College the new Sixth form centre.
Ann Jones
, who has lived in Rhyl all her life, has been the Assembly Member for the Vale of Clwyd since 1999. Chris Ruane
has been the MP for Rhyl since 1997.
They have partnered with Sony to redesign Rhyl cinema, it will be in 3D and in 4K resolution, it will be ready for July 2011.
. The school then moved to St. Asaph in 1969. The building now houses Rhyl's Welsh medium primary school Ysgol Dewi Sant, which in 2009 celebrated 60 years.
are a successful football team in the Welsh football pyramid. In the 2003–04 season they won the Welsh Premiership Championship
, the Welsh Cup
and the Welsh League Cup, and were losing finalists in the FAW
Premier Cup. In the 2008–09 season they again won the Welsh Premier League.
is situated on the North Wales Coast Line
and is served by through trains provided by Virgin Trains
between Holyhead
and London Euston, and Arriva Trains Wales
services to Cardiff Central
via Newport
and Crewe
, and to Manchester Piccadilly.
The A548 road runs through the town, connecting it to the A55
Holyhead to Chester
road at Abergele
.
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
and community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
situated on the north east coast of 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...
, in the county of Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
(within the preserved county
Preserved counties of Wales
The preserved counties of Wales are the current areas used in Wales for the ceremonial purposes of Lieutenancy and Shrievalty. They are based on the counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 and used for local government and other purposes between 1974 and 1996.-Usage:The Local Government ...
of Clwyd
Clwyd
Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east, bordering England with Cheshire to its east, Shropshire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Gwynedd to its immediate west and Powys to the south. It additionally shares a maritime border with the metropolitan county of...
, and the historic county of Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
), at the mouth of the River Clwyd
River Clwyd
The River Clwyd is a river in North Wales which rises in the Clocaenog Forest northwest of Corwen.It flows due south until at Melin-y-Wig it veers northeastwards, tracking the A494 to Ruthin. Here it leaves the relatively narrow valley and enters a broad agricultural vale, the Vale of Clwyd...
(Welsh:
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
Afon Clwyd). To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay
Kinmel Bay
Kinmel Bay is a suburb of Rhyl in Conwy county borough, north-east Wales.According to the 2001 Census, together with neighbouring Towyn , it had a population of 7,864, of which 10.7% could speak Welsh....
, with the resort of Towyn
Towyn
Towyn , is a seaside resort in the County Borough of Conwy, Wales.It is located between Rhyl, in Denbighshire, and Abergele in Conwy. According to the 2001 Census, together with neighbouring Kinmel Bay , it had a population 7,864, of which 10.7% could speak Welsh...
further west, Prestatyn
Prestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
to the east and Rhuddlan
Rhuddlan
Rhuddlan is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire , in north Wales. It is situated to the south of the coastal town of Rhyl and overlooks the River Clwyd. The town gave its name to the Welsh district of Rhuddlan from 1974 to 1996...
to the south. At the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, Rhyl had a population of 24,889. The conurbation of Abergele-Rhyl-Prestatyn has a population of over 60,000.
Rhyl has long been a popular tourist destination for people all over Wales and North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
. Rhyl is accessible by road, rail, air via Liverpool Airport, and sea via Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
.
Once an elegant Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
resort, there was an influx of people from Liverpool
Liverpool
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...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
after World War II
World 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...
changing the face of the town. The area had declined dramatically by 1990, but has since improved due to a series of regeneration projects bringing in major investment. European funding, secured by the Welsh Government, has produced millions for the development of Rhyl's seafront.
Etymology
The origin of the name "Rhyl" is not fully known. However, the name appears in old documents variously as Hyll (1506), Hull (1508), [Leidiart] yr Hyll (1597), Rhil (1706), Rhûl (1749), Rhul (1773) Rhyll (1830), and Rhyl (1840), all of which are variations (and some anglicizations) of an uncertain original form. Other suggestions have been made that it might derive from the similar sounding Yr Hill (as in "The Hill") or Yr Heol "(The Street)". Another theory is that the name Rhyl originates from the Welsh 'Ty yn yr haul' meaning 'House in the sun' written 'Ty'n yr haul'note that the oldest known dwelling is actually called 'Ty'n rhyl' and that the town marketed itself as a resort as 'Sunny Rhyl'.
Buildings and landmarks
A Rhyl landmark was the Pavilion Theatre, an ornate building with five domes, which was demolished in 1973 and the adjacent pier which was finally removed in 1972. Rhyl's top attractions on the West Parade are now the 250 feet (76.2 m) high Sky Tower, which opened in 1989, and Rhyl Children's Village theme park.On the East Parade is the SeaQuarium and the Rhyl Suncentre, an indoor leisure swimming pool featuring an indoor monorail, as well as Europe's first indoor surfing pool. Next door stands the New Pavilion Theatre, which opened in 1991. A run of traditional beach shops runs alongside the sea front. The Carneddau Mountains
Carneddau
The Carneddau , are a group of mountains in Snowdonia, Wales. It includes the largest contiguous areas of high ground in Wales and England, as well as six or seven of the highest peaks in the country—the Fourteen Peaks...
can be seen from the beach.
Barratt's of Tyn Rhyl is the oldest house in Rhyl. It is run as a hotel and restaurant.
The derelict Welsh Baptist Tabernacular chapel built in 1867 has been bought by the Muslim community and been renamed the Islamic Cultural Centre.
Marine Lake
Rhyl Miniature Railway
The Rhyl Miniature Railway is a gauge miniature railway line located in Rhyl on the North Wales Coast. The line runs in a circle around a boating lake near the promenade, to the west of the town centre...
is the only original attraction remaining on the site, a narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
railway that travels around the lake and is now based at the new museum and railway centre. There is also a playground and numerous watersports clubs based around the lake.
The Marine Lake Funfair was eventually replaced by the Ocean Beach Funfair
Ocean Beach, Rhyl
Ocean Beach was a amusement park in Rhyl, North Wales which operated from 1954 until September 2, 2007.-History:Rhyl began to take off as holiday resort following the opening of its train station in 1848 and the fairground at Marine Lake was seeing thousands of visitors annually...
and demolished in the late 1960s. Ocean Beach finally closed on 2 September 2007 to make way for Ocean Plaza, a development which includes flats, a hotel and retail outlets, including a supermarket.
Regeneration project
In an effort to regenerate and boost declining tourism, a number of projects are underway or being proposed. As well as the £85 million Ocean Plaza complex on the site of the former Ocean Beach FunfairOcean Beach, Rhyl
Ocean Beach was a amusement park in Rhyl, North Wales which operated from 1954 until September 2, 2007.-History:Rhyl began to take off as holiday resort following the opening of its train station in 1848 and the fairground at Marine Lake was seeing thousands of visitors annually...
, projects include the Drift Park development on the promenade and the reopening of the town's miniature railway around the Marine Lake.
The West End of Rhyl is undergoing much reconstruction. One of the major investments is at Rhyl College, a satellite site of Llandrillo College
Coleg Llandrillo Cymru
Coleg Llandrillo Cymru is the largest College in North Wales with around 22,000 learners studying either on campus, in the community, in the workplace or over the Internet....
, with the investment being worth approximately £4 million. 2010 part of Rhyl College the new Sixth form centre.
Ann Jones
Ann Jones (Welsh politician)
Margaret Ann Jones AM is a Welsh Labour Co-operative politician. Born in Rhyl, Denbighshire, Jones has represented the Vale of Clwyd constituency since the National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999. Jones is presently Chair of the Equality of Opportunity Committee...
, who has lived in Rhyl all her life, has been the Assembly Member for the Vale of Clwyd since 1999. Chris Ruane
Chris Ruane
Christopher Shaun Ruane is a Welsh Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for the Vale of Clwyd since 1997.-Early life:...
has been the MP for Rhyl since 1997.
They have partnered with Sony to redesign Rhyl cinema, it will be in 3D and in 4K resolution, it will be ready for July 2011.
Education
The first Welsh medium secondary school was opened in Rhyl in 1956 on Rhuddlan Road and was called Ysgol Glan ClwydYsgol Glan Clwyd
Ysgol Glan Clwyd is a Welsh medium secondary school, and was the first of its kind. It opened in 1956, initially at Rhyl on the coast before moving inland to St Asaph in 1969 . It is overseen by Denbighshire Local Education Authority.In 2006 it had 833 students, of whom 108 were in the sixth form...
. The school then moved to St. Asaph in 1969. The building now houses Rhyl's Welsh medium primary school Ysgol Dewi Sant, which in 2009 celebrated 60 years.
Sport
Rhyl Football ClubRhyl F.C.
Rhyl Football Club is a Welsh football club, playing in the Cymru Alliance.The club was founded in 1882 and the team plays its home matches at Belle Vue, Rhyl, which can accommodate 3,000 spectators.- History :Few clubs in the Welsh Premier League have as distinguished a past as Rhyl's...
are a successful football team in the Welsh football pyramid. In the 2003–04 season they won the Welsh Premiership Championship
League of Wales
The Welsh Premier League is the national football league for Wales. It has both Professional and Semi-Professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 2002, the league was known as the League of Wales, but changed its name as part of a sponsorship deal...
, the Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
and the Welsh League Cup, and were losing finalists in the FAW
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
Premier Cup. In the 2008–09 season they again won the Welsh Premier League.
Transport
Rhyl railway stationRhyl railway station
Rhyl railway station is on the Crewe to Holyhead North Wales Coast Line and serves the major holiday resort of Rhyl.The station was once the junction for a branch line to Denbigh , but this was closed to passengers in September 1955.Ticket barriers are in operation at this station...
is situated on the North Wales Coast Line
North Wales Coast Line
The North Wales Coast Line is the railway line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin Trains consider their services along it to be a spur of the West Coast Main Line. The first section from Crewe to Chester was built by the Chester and Crewe Railway and absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway shortly...
and is served by through trains provided by Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
between Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
and London Euston, and Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
services to Cardiff Central
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
via Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
and Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
, and to Manchester Piccadilly.
The A548 road runs through the town, connecting it to the A55
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...
Holyhead to Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
road at Abergele
Abergele
Abergele is a community and old Roman trading town, situated on the north coast of Wales between the holiday resorts of Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, in Conwy County Borough. Its northern suburb of Pensarn lies on the Irish Sea coast and is known for its beach, where it is claimed by some that a ghost ship...
.
Notable people
- See :Category:People from Rhyl
- Arthur CheethamArthur CheethamArthur Cheetham was an English-born film-maker who became the first of his profession to be based in Wales. His legacy is a collection of eight surviving films, including the oldest extant British football 'short' from 1898...
- The first film-maker based in Wales, worked in Rhyl. - Ruth EllisRuth EllisRuth Ellis , née Neilson, was the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom. She was convicted of the murder of her lover, David Blakely, and hanged at Holloway Prison, London, by Albert Pierrepoint.-Biography:...
– The last woman to be hanged in Britain in 1955. - Ched EvansChed EvansChedwyn Michael "Ched" Evans is a Wales international footballer currently playing as a striker for Sheffield United.Born in St Asaph, Denbighshire Evans was an inexperienced youth striker with Manchester City, when he arrived at Norwich City on loan in 2007...
– Professional footballer. - Lee EvansLee Evans (comedian)Lee Evans is an English comedian, writer, actor and musician.-Personal life:Lee Evans was born in Avonmouth, Bristol, England to an Irish mother and a Welsh father, Dave Evans, a nightclub performer. He left Bristol at the age of 13 and then went to The Billericay School in Billericay, Essex...
– Comedian. - Albert GubayAlbert GubayAlbert Gubay, KC*SG is a Welsh businessman and philanthropist, who made his fortune in retailing with Kwik Save, building it further on investments, mainly in property development...
– Founder of Kwik SaveKwik SaveKwik Save was a discount supermarket chain in the United Kingdom until 2007. Its stores were small to medium sized high street supermarkets, mainly located in areas with below average incomes...
. - Sir Robert Jones, Bt, KBE, CBRobert Jones (surgeon)Sir Robert Jones, 1st Baronet, KBE, CB was a British orthopaedic surgeon who helped to establish the modern specialty of orthpaedic surgery in Britain....
(1857–1933), orthopaedic surgeon. - Ted HankeyTed HankeyEdward "Ted" Hankey is an English darts player who is a two-time BDO World Professional Darts Champion. His nickname is The Count and his walk on music is Be On Your Way by DJ Zany. Hankey built up a large following due to his obsession with and resemblance to Dracula...
– Darts player. - Adrian HenriAdrian HenriAdrian Henri was a British poet and painter best remembered as the founder of poetry-rock group The Liverpool Scene and as one of three poets in the best-selling anthology The Mersey Sound, along with Brian Patten and Roger McGough. The trio of Liverpool poets came to prominence in that city's...
– Poet and painter. - Nerys HughesNerys HughesNerys Hughes , is a Welsh actress, known primarily for her television roles.Nerys Hughes was born in Rhyl, . She studied drama at Rose Bruford College. She is best known for the role of Sandra Hutchinson in the enormously successful BBC TV series The Liver Birds which ran from 1969 to 1978 with a...
– Television actress. - Sir John T. HoughtonJohn T. HoughtonAs co-chair of the IPCC, he defends the IPCC process, in particular against charges of failure to consider non-CO2 explanations of climate change. In evidence to, the Select Committee on Science and Technology in 2000 he said:...
, leading scientist and former co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeIntergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental body which provides comprehensive assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and... - Peter MoorePeter Moore (serial killer)Peter Moore is a Welsh serial killer who owned and managed a number of cinemas in Bagillt, North Wales. He murdered four men in 1995. Due to his attire he was dubbed the "man in black".-Crimes:...
– Serial killerSerial killerA serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. - Mike PetersMike Peters (musician)Mike Peters is a Welsh musician, best known as the lead singer of The Alarm. He currently lives in Dyserth, North Wales with his family. After The Alarm split up in 1991, Peters wrote and released solo work, which he has been releasing under the name "The Alarm" since 2000...
– Member of The AlarmThe AlarmThe Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...
. - Lisa Scott-LeeLisa Scott-LeeLisa Scott-Lee is a Welsh singer. She has worked as a songwriter and is a graduate of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts stage school. Lisa is best known as one fifth of pop group Steps from 1997 until their split on Boxing Day 2001 and recently reformed in 2011. Scott Lee released her debut...
– Member of pop group Steps. - Steve StrangeSteve StrangeSteve Strange , is a Welsh pop singer, best known as the lead singer and frontman of the 1980s pop group Visage...
– Pop singer. - Sara SugarmanSara SugarmanSara Sugarman is a Welsh actress and film director whose work includes Disney's Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and Very Annie Mary...
– Hollywood director.