Llandudno / Introduction

An introduction to Llandudno by Greg Stevenson

Llandudno is Wales’ favourite seaside resort. Visitors come here in their thousands for its fine location, choice of beaches and entertainment… or as the town’s motto tells us ‘A Beautiful Haven of Peace’ - a phrase coined by Queen Elizabeth of Romania after a five week visit in 1890.

Llandudno has been known as the ‘Queen of Welsh Resorts’ ever since it was developed in the mid C19 – and there is certainly something majestic about the architecture here.

Limestone is the key to Llandudno’s unique environment and history. The town’s beautiful horseshoe-shaped bay is defined by twin limestone headlands (the Great Orme and Little Orme), the oldest buildings in town are made of limestone, and the rare plants on the Orme depend on limestone.

Amongst this limestone is found copper ore and this was the reason this area had its first ‘golden age’ (or should that be ‘copper age!’) in the Bronze Age. In fact this probably was the only full-time copper mine in Britain at the time.

Archaeological evidence survives on the Orme for the earliest settlers, though other and important sites were destroyed by the Victorians when they laid out their new streets.

Two hundred years ago Llandudno was a quiet, Welsh-speaking village of miners, fishermen and farmers. Most villagers combined all three activities and their small homes were scattered along the lower slopes of Y Gogarth and there were about 20 cottages along the beach.The land was mostly owned by the Mostyn family who lived nearby at Gloddaeth.

In 1848 the common land was taken from the people of Llandudno and given to the rich landowners of the Parish – the Mostyns. Some 832 acres went to the Mostyns, and 1.5 acres were left for local people. People were evicted from the beachside cottages where the hotels now stand.

Lord Mostyn couldn’t decide whether to build a dock for the export of Flintshire coal (he was going to call it Port Wrexham), or a ferry port called St George’s Harbour, or a bathing resort named Llandudno.It was in a meeting in a miner’s pub, The King’s Head, that the agent decided to develop the town as a resort.

Llandudno developed as a genteel watering place, and in Victorian days the beach was full of bathing machines. This was the first place in Wales to have Turkish baths (1867) and there were separate sea bathing areas for men and women. Up until 1894 men could be fined for swimming within 200 yards of the women’s bathing area.

What is great is that Llandudno has adapted with the times and it hasn’t become run-down like so many other resorts. People still come here to bathe, just that they use spa hotels with pools rather then the cold sea.