Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, t ...

in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the C ...

. In the 2011 UK census, the community – which includes

Gogarth The Great Orme ( cy, Y Gogarth) is a limestone headland on the north coast of Wales, north-west of the town of Llandudno. Referred to as ''Cyngreawdr Fynydd'' by the 12th-century poet Gwalchmai ap Meilyr, its English name derives from the Old ...

, Penrhyn Bay, Craigside,

Glanwydden Glanwydden is a small village located between Llandudno and Colwyn Bay in Conwy county borough, north Wales. Amenities & History The village has one pub and around 30 houses. It was the centre of the limestone quarry trade in the 17th centu ...

, Penrhynside, and

Bryn Pydew Bryn Pydew is a small settlement to the east of Llandudno Junction in North Wales. The limestone hill of Bryn Pydew reaches 128 metres (420 feet) above sea level. The population is around 451 people. Bodysgallen Hall is nearby. Bryn Pydew is hom ...

– had a population of 20,701. The town's name means "Church of

Saint Tudno Saint Tudno () is the patron saint of Llandudno (whose name is derived from his), and founder of the original parish church, located on the Great Orme peninsula. Origins Saint Tudno is said to have been one of the seven sons of King Seithenyn, ...

". Llandudno is the largest seaside resort in Wales, and as early as 1861 was being called 'the Queen of the Welsh Watering Places' (a phrase later also used in connection with

Tenby Tenby ( cy, Dinbych-y-pysgod, lit=fortlet of the fish) is both a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the western side of Carmarthen Bay, and a local government community. Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembroke ...

and

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location i ...

; the word 'resort' came a little later).

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

a part of Caernarfonshire, Llandudno was formerly in the

district of Aberconwy The Borough of Aberconwy was a local government district with borough status from 1974 to 1996, being one of five districts in the county of Gwynedd, north-west Wales. History The borough was created on 1 April 1974, under the Local Governme ...

within

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, an ...

History

The town of Llandudno developed from

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with ...

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

and

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...

settlements over many hundreds of years on the slopes of the limestone headland, known to seafarers as the Great Orme and to landsmen as the Creuddyn Peninsula. The origins in recorded history are with the Manor of Gogarth conveyed by

King Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

to Annan, Bishop of Bangor in 1284. The manor comprised three townships, ''Y Gogarth'' in the south-west, ''Y Cyngreawdr'' in the north (with the parish church of St Tudno) and ''Yr Wyddfid'' in the south-east. Modern Llandudno takes its name from the ancient parish of Saint Tudno but also encompasses several neighbouring townships and districts including Craig-y-Don,

Llanrhos Llanrhos (English: 'Church on the moor') is a village in the community of Conwy, in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The village lies between the towns of Conwy and Llandudno. Llanrhos was a civil parish from 1894 until 1974. The area was formerly ...

and Penrhyn Bay. Also nearby is the small town and marina of Deganwy and these last four are in the traditional parish of Llanrhos. The ancient geographical boundaries of the Llandudno area are complex: although they are on the eastern side of the River Conwy (the natural boundary between north-west and north-east Wales), the ancient parishes of Llandudno, Llanrhos and

Llangystennin Llangystennin (sometimes spelt Llangwstennin) is a rural parish to the south-east of Llandudno and Llanrhos in Conwy County Borough, north Wales. Llangystennin includes Llangwstennin Hall, the villages of Mochdre, Pabo and Bryn Pydew and t ...

(which includes Llandudno Junction) were in the medieval

commote A commote ( Welsh ''cwmwd'', sometimes spelt in older documents as ''cymwd'', plural ''cymydau'', less frequently ''cymydoedd'')''Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru'' (University of Wales Dictionary), p. 643 was a secular division of land in Medieval Wale ...

of Creuddyn in the

Kingdom of Gwynedd The Kingdom of Gwynedd (Medieval Latin: ; Middle Welsh: ) was a Welsh kingdom and a Roman Empire successor state that emerged in sub-Roman Britain in the 5th century during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. Based in northwest Wales, ...

, and afterwards part of Caernarfonshire. Today, Deganwy and Llandudno Junction are part of the town community of Conwy even though they are across the river and only linked to Conwy by a causeway and bridge.

Great Orme

Mostly owned by Mostyn Estates, the Great Orme is home to several large herds of wild Kashmiri goats originally descended from a pair given by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

to Lord Mostyn. The summit of the Great Orme stands at 679 feet (207 m). The Summit Hotel, now a tourist attraction, was once the home of world middleweight champion boxer Randolph Turpin. The limestone headland is a haven for flora and fauna, with some rare species such as peregrine falcons and a species of wild cotoneaster ('' cambricus'') which can only be found on the Great Orme. The sheer limestone cliffs provide ideal nesting conditions for a wide variety of sea birds, including cormorants, shags, guillemots, razorbills, puffins, kittiwakes, fulmars and numerous gulls. There are several attractions including the Great Orme Tramway and the Llandudno Cable Car that takes tourists to the summit. The Great Orme also has the longest toboggan run in Britain at 750m long.

Development

View from the Lighthouse hotel, Llandudno

By 1847 the town had grown to a thousand people, served by the new church of St George, built in 1840. The great majority of the men worked in the copper mines, with others employed in fishing and subsistence agriculture. In 1848, Owen Williams, an architect and surveyor from

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, presented Lord Mostyn with plans to develop the marshlands behind Llandudno Bay as a holiday resort. These were enthusiastically pursued by Lord Mostyn. The influence of the Mostyn Estate and its agents over the years was paramount in the development of Llandudno, especially after the appointment of George Felton as surveyor and architect in 1857. Between 1857 and 1877 much of central Llandudno was developed under Felton's supervision. Felton also undertook architectural design work, including the design and execution of Holy Trinity Church in Mostyn Street.

Transport

Great Orme cable car, Llandudno - geograph

The town is just off the North Wales Coast railway line which was opened as the Chester and Holyhead Railway in 1848. It became part of the

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lo ...

in 1859, and part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. Llandudno was specifically built as a mid-

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...

holiday destination and is served by a branch railway line opened in 1858 from Llandudno Junction with stations at Deganwy and Llandudno. The town is also served by Arriva Buses Wales, with services to Rhyl, Bangor, Caernarfon and The Great Orme Summit. Also there is Llew Jones with services to Betws-y-coed and Llanrwst.

Trams

Present

* Great Orme Tramway to the summit of the Great Orme

Former

Land Train in Gloddaeth Avenue - geograph

The Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway operated an electric tramway service between Llandudno and Rhos-on-Sea from 1907, this being extended to Colwyn Bay in 1908. The service closed in 1956. In Llandudno the original Tramway went up the middle of Gloddaeth Street and down the North Shore, through Penrhyn Bay and across to Colwyn Bay.

Attractions

Llandudno Bay and the North Shore

For most of the length of Llandudno's ''North Shore'' there is a wide curving Victorian promenade. The road, collectively known as The Parade, has a different name for each block and it is on these parades and crescents that many of Llandudno's hotels are built. The ''North Wales Theatre, Arena and Conference Centre'', built in 1994, and extended in 2006 and renamed " Venue Cymru" is located near the centre of the bay.

Llandudno Pier

The

Llandudno Pier Llandudno Pier is a Grade II* listed pier in the seaside resort of Llandudno, North Wales, United Kingdom. At , the pier is the longest in Wales and the fifth longest in England and Wales. In 2005, was voted "Pier of the Year 2005" by the membe ...

is on the ''North Shore''. Built in 1877, it is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

. The pier was extended in 1884 in a landward direction along the side of what was the Baths Hotel (where the Grand Hotel now stands).

Happy Valley

The Happy Valley, a former quarry, was the gift of Lord Mostyn to the town in celebration of the

Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু� ...

in 1887. The area was landscaped and developed as gardens, two miniature golf courses, a putting green, a popular open-air theatre and extensive lawns. The ceremonies connected with the Welsh National Eisteddfod were held there in 1896 and again in 1963.

Marine Drive

The first route round the perimeter of the Great Orme was a footpath constructed in 1858 by Reginald Cust, a trustee of the Mostyn Estate. In 1872 the Great Ormes Head Marine Drive Co. Ltd. was formed to turn the path into a carriage road. Following bankruptcy, a second company completed the road in 1878. The contractors for the scheme were Messrs Hughes, Morris, Davies, a consortium led by Richard Hughes of Madoc Street, Llandudno. The road was bought by Llandudno Urban District Council in 1897. The one-way drive starts at the foot of the Happy Valley. After about a side road leads to St. Tudno's Church, the Great Orme Bronze Age Copper Mine and the summit of the Great Orme. Continuing on the Marine Drive the Great Orme Lighthouse (now a small hotel) is passed, and, shortly afterwards on the right, the Rest and Be Thankful Cafe and information centre. Below the Marine Drive at its western end is the site of the wartime Coast Artillery School (1940–1945), now a scheduled ancient monument.

West Shore

The West Shore is a quiet beach on the estuary of the River Conwy. It was here at Pen Morfa that Alice Liddell (of '' Alice in Wonderland'' fame) spent the long summer holidays of her childhood.

Mostyn Street

Running behind the promenade is Mostyn Street leading to Mostyn Broadway and then Mostyn Avenue. These are the main shopping streets of Llandudno and Craig-y-Don. Mostyn Street accommodates the high street shops, the major high street banks and building societies, two churches, amusement arcades and the town's public library. The last is the starting point for the Llandudno Town Trail.

Victorian Extravaganza

Every year in May

bank holiday A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Crown Dependencies. The term refers to all public holidays in the United Kingdom, be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation or h ...

weekend, Llandudno has a three-day Victorian Carnivalvictorian-extravaganza.com
Welcome to Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza
/ref> and Mostyn Street becomes a funfair. Madoc Street and Gloddaeth Street and the Promenade become part of the route each day of a mid-day carnival parade. The Bodafon Farm fields become the location of a Festival of Transport.

Llandudno Lifeboat

Until 2017, Llandudno was unique within the United Kingdom in that its lifeboat station was located inland, allowing it to launch with equal facility from either the West Shore or the North Shore as needed. In 2017, a new lifeboat station was completed, and new, high-speed, offshore and inshore lifeboats, and a modern launching system, were acquired. This station is close to the paddling pool on North Shore. Llandudno's active volunteer crews are called out more than ever with the rapidly increasing numbers of small pleasure craft sailing in coastal waters. The Llandudno Lifeboat is normally on display on the promenade every Sunday and bank holiday Monday from May until October.

Places of worship

The ancient

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

dedicated to

stands in a hollow near the northern point of the Great Orme and two miles (3 km) from the present town. It was established as an oratory by Tudno, a 6th-century monk, but the present church dates from the 12th century and it is still used on summer Sunday mornings. It was the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

parish church of Llandudno until that status was transferred first to St George's (now closed) and later to Holy Trinity Church in Mostyn Street. Eglwys y Drindod Sanctaidd - Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno, North Wales, Cymru 04.JPG Eglwys y Drindod Sanctaidd - Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno, North Wales, Cymru 09.JPG Eglwys y Drindod Sanctaidd - Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno, North Wales, Cymru 13.JPG Eglwys y Drindod Sanctaidd - Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno, North Wales, Cymru 25.jpg Eglwys y Drindod Sanctaidd - Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno, North Wales, Cymru 32.JPG Eglwys y Drindod Sanctaidd - Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno, North Wales, Cymru 33.JPG The principal Christian Churches of Llandudno are members of Cytûn (churches together) and include the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The pos ...

(Holy Trinity and also Saint Paul's at Craig-y-Don), the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Saint John's

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

, Gloddaeth United Church (

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

), Assemblies of God (

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestantism, Protestant Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian movementBaptist Church, St. David's Methodist Church at Craig-y-Don, the

Coptic Orthodox Church The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...

of Saint Mary and Saint Abasikhiron, and Eglwys Unedig Gymraeg Llandudno (the United Welsh Church of Llandudno). There is also a Christadelphian meeting hall in the town. A member of the local Methodist community is Roger Roberts, now Lord Roberts of Llandudno, Liberal Democrat Spokesman for

International Development International development or global development is a broad concept denoting the idea that societies and countries have differing levels of economic or human development on an international scale. It is the basis for international classificatio ...

in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

. Llandudno is home to a Jewish centre in Church Walks, which serves the local Jewish population – one of few in North Wales. There is also a Buddhist centre, Kalpa Bhadra, on Mostyn Avenue in Craig-y-Don.

Sports

The town is host to Llandudno F.C. who currently compete in the Cymru North, the second tier of Welsh football, but the team have previously competed in the top level Cymru Premier. The club plays home matches at Maesdu Park and competed in the Europa League in 2016. The town is also host to Llandudno Albion, who currently play in the third tier of Welsh football, and Llandudno Amateurs, who play in the fourth tier. Football in Llandudno dates back to 1878 when a club known as Gloddaeth Rovers for around a decade. Gloddaeth Rovers were then replaced by Llandudno Swifts as the towns main club. Following the demise of Swifts in 1901, a new club, Llandudno Amateurs were formed. A football club is mentioned in Llandudno as far back as 1865. Llandudno Rugby Club also plays in the town and was established in 1952. There are also local pool, snooker and domino tournaments.

Demography

The 2011 census counted 20,701 usual residents of which 50.8% were born in Wales and 40.7% in England.

Governance

Electoral wards in the town of Llandudno, North Wales

There are two tiers of local government covering Llandudno, at

(town) level and principal area (

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent te ...

) level: Llandudno Town Council and Conwy County Borough Council. Llandudno is now divided into five electoral wards: Craig-y-Don, Gogarth, Mostyn,

Penrhyn Penryn is a Cornish word meaning 'headland' that may refer to: *Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom, a town of about 7,000 on the Penryn River **Penryn railway station, a station on the Maritime Line between Truro and Falmouth Docks, and serves the t ...

and Tudno. The wards elect county councillors to Conwy County Borough Council and four community councillors each to Llandudno Town Council.

Administrative history

In 1854 Llandudno was made an Improvement Commissioners District. The district covered part of the ancient parish of Llandudno and part of the neighbouring parish of Eglwysrhos. In 1894 the improvement commissioners were replaced by Llandudno Urban District Council. This was a lower-tier council, with Caernarfonshire County Council providing county-level services. The urban district council built Llandudno Town Hall to serve as its headquarters in 1902. In 1974 the urban district was abolished, with the area becoming a community within the Aberconwy district in the new county of

. Further local government reform in 1996 saw the area become part of the principal area of Conwy County Borough. Llandudno falls under the UK parliamentary constituency of Aberconwy, whose MP is the Conservative

Robin Millar Robin John Christian Millar, CBE (born 18 December 1951) is an English record producer, musician and businessman, known variously as 'The Original Smooth Operator', 'The man behind Sade', and 'Golden Ears' Boy George. He was born in London to ...

, and the Senedd constituency of Aberconwy, whose MS is the Conservative

Janet Finch-Saunders Janet Elizabeth Finch-Saunders (born 1958) is a Welsh Conservative Party politician. She is the Member of the Senedd for the Aberconwy constituency. Political career Janet previously represented the Craig-Y-Don ward on Llandudno Town Cou ...

. It falls under the North Wales electoral region.

Links with Wormhout and Mametz

Llandudno is twinned with the

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

town of Wormhout from

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.

. It was there that many members of the Llandudno-based 69th

Territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

were ambushed and taken prisoner. Later, at nearby

Esquelbecq Esquelbecq (; from ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Its southern limit with Ledringhem is ''chemin de Rubrouck''. Heraldry History In 1436, Wautier de Ghistelles was ''seigneur d'Ekelsbeke et de Ledringhem'' (Lord ...

on 28 May 1940, the prisoners were shot. The 1st (North Wales) Brigade was headquartered in Llandudno in December 1914 and included a battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, which had been raised and trained in Llandudno. During the 1914–18 war this Brigade, a major part of the 38th Welsh Division, took part in the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place be ...

and the Brigade was ordered to take

Mametz Wood The Mametz Wood Memorial commemorates an engagement of the 38th (Welsh) Division of the British Army during the First Battle of the Somme in France in 1916. The memorial The memorial, erected in 1987 by Welsh sculptor David Petersen, is a ...

. Two days of fighting brought about the total destruction of Mametz village by shelling. After the war, the people of Llandudno (including returning survivors from the 38th Welsh Division) contributed generously to the fund for the reconstruction of the village of Mametz.

Cultural connections

Llandudno hosted the Welsh

National Eisteddfod The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitor ...

in 1864, 1896 and 1963, and in 2008 welcomed the Urdd National Eisteddfod to Gloddaeth Isaf Farm, Penrhyn Bay. The town also hosted the Liverpool Olympic Festival in 1865 and 1866. Matthew Arnold gives a vivid and lengthy description of 1860s Llandudno – and of the ancient tales of

Taliesin Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the ''Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to have sung at the court ...

and

Maelgwn Gwynedd Maelgwn Gwynedd ( la, Maglocunus; died c. 547Based on Phillimore's (1888) reconstruction of the dating of the '' Annales Cambriae'' (A Text).) was king of Gwynedd during the early 6th century. Surviving records suggest he held a pre-eminent positio ...

that are associated with the local landscape – in the first sections of the preface to ''On the Study of Celtic Literature'' (1867). It is also used as a location for dramatic scenes in the stage play and film '' Hindle Wakes'' by Stanley Houghton, and the 1911 novel, '' The Card'', by

Arnold Bennett Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 – 27 March 1931) was an English author, best known as a novelist. He wrote prolifically: between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaboratio ...

, and its subsequent film version. Elisabeth of Wied, the Queen Consort of Romania and also known as writer Carmen Sylva, stayed in Llandudno for five weeks in 1890. On leaving, she described Wales as "a beautiful haven of peace". Translated into Welsh as "''hardd'', ''hafan'', ''hedd''", it became the town's official motto. Other famous people with links to Llandudno include the Victorian statesman John Bright and multi-capped Welsh international footballers Neville Southall,

Neil Eardley Neal James Eardley (born 6 November 1988) is a former Wales international footballer who last played for Cymru Premier champions Connah’s Quay Nomads. He represented Wales at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels, before winning the fir ...

, Chris Maxwell and Joey Jones.

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

n ex-Prime Minister Billy Hughes attended school in Llandudno. Gordon Borrie QC (Baron Borrie), Director General of the Office of Fair Trading from 1976 to 1992, was educated at the town's John Bright Grammar School when he lived there as a wartime evacuee. The international art gallery '' Oriel Mostyn'' is in Vaughan Street next to the post office. It was built in 1901 to house the art collection of Lady Augusta Mostyn. It was requisitioned in 1914 for use as an army drill hall and later became a warehouse, before being returned to use as an art gallery in 1979. Following a major revamp the gallery was renamed simply 'Mostyn' in 2010. Llandudno has its own mini arts festival LL''AWN' (Llandudno Arts Weekend) which has been running for the past three years (''LL''AWN''01'' −2013, ''LL''AWN''02 – 2014'', ''LL''AWN''03 – 2015''). ''LLAWN'' is a mini festival that rediscovers and celebrates Llandudno’s past in rather a unique way; via art, architecture, artefact, sound, performance, and participation. The festival takes place over three days of the weekend in late September, originally conceived as a way to promote what those in the hospitality sector refer to as the ‘shoulder season’, which means a lull in the tourist calendar. The festival is supported by Arts Council Wales, Mostyn Estates, Conwy County Borough Council, MOSTYN and Llandudno Town Council. In January 1984 '' Brookside'' character

Petra Taylor Petra Taylor is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'', played by Alexandra Pigg. One of the show's original characters, Petra debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 23 November 1982. ''Brookside'' ...

( Alexandra Pigg) committed suicide in Llandudno. In 1997, the English cookery programme "

Two Fat Ladies ''Two Fat Ladies'' was a British cooking programme starring Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright. It originally ran for four series and twenty-four episodes, from 9 October 1996 to 28 September 1999, being produced by Optomen Televisi ...

" with Jennifer Patterson and

Clarissa Dickson Wright Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Dickson Wright (24 June 1947 – 15 March 2014) was an English celebrity cook, television personality, writer, businesswoman, and former barrister. She was be ...

shot an episode in Llandudno. The fictional town of Spikemuth in the

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of what each of thos ...

video games Pokémon Sword and Shield is modelled after Llandudno.

Notable people

:''See :People from Llandudno'' Lady Augusta Mostyn- painting detail (geograph 4710161)

* Augusta Mostyn (1830–1912) philanthropist and photographer, lived in

Gloddaeth Hall Gloddaeth Hall originated as a large country house in Llandudno, Caernarfonshire (now Conwy), Wales. It is designated by Cadw as a Grade I listed building. It stands on land which had been owned by the Mostyn family since the 15th ce ...

* Martha Hughes Cannon (1857–1932) a Utah State Senator, physician, women's rights advocate and suffragist * Dion Fortune (1890–1946) occultist, ceremonial magician, novelist and author. *

Margaret Lacey Margaret Brackenbury Lacey (26 October 1911 – 4 October 1988) was a British character actress and ballet teacher. She appeared in over 30 films between 1957 and 1985, usually playing a sweet old lady or motherly figure in minor roles. Early ...

(1911–1988) character actress and ballet teacher. * Sylvia Sleigh (1916–2010) naturalised American realist painter, worked in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Peter Brinson Peter Neilson Brinson (6 March 1920 – 7 April 1995) was a British writer and lecturer on dance. At various times he was a film-maker, writer, and academic, and did much to raise the profile of dance education in Britain and elsewhere. Biography ...

(1920–1995) writer and lecturer on dance. * Jeremy Brooks (1926–1994) novelist, poet and dramatist, evacuated to Llandudno. * Roger Roberts, Baron Roberts of Llandudno (born 1935) politician & Methodist minister. * Ben Johnson (born 1946) painter of detailed cityscapes * Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles, rock band formed in 2015 around Llandudno.

Sport

* Joey Jones (born 1955) football full-back with 594 club caos and 72 for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

* Neville Southall (born 1958) footballer with 710 club caps and 92 for

Neal Eardley Neal James Eardley (born 6 November 1988) is a former Wales international footballer who last played for Cymru Premier champions Connah’s Quay Nomads. He represented Wales at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels, before winning the fir ...

(born 1988) footballer with over 400 club caps and 16 for

Freedom of the Town

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Llandudno.

Individuals

* Neville Southall : September 1993. * Councillor Philip Evans JP: January 2002 * Terence Davies: 16 April 2018.

Military Units

* RAF Valley: September 1995. * Llandudno Lifeboat Station,

RNLI The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...

: January 2002. * 203 (Welsh) Field Hospital (Volunteers)

RAMC The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps ...

: 19 September 2009.

References

Bibliography

* Ivor Wynne Jones. ''Llandudno Queen of Welsh Resorts'' Landmark, Ashbourne Derbyshire 2002 * Philip C. Evans. "Llandudno Coast Artillery School" Llandudno Town Council 2011

External links

*
A Vision of Britain Through Time

British Listed Buildings

Geograph

Office for National Statistics
{{authority control Towns in Conwy County Borough Principal areas of Wales Populated coastal places in Wales