Kinmel Bay () is a large seaside village in

Conwy County Borough Conwy County Borough () is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the north Wales, north of Wales. It borders Gwynedd to the west and south and Denbighshire to the east. The largest settlement is Colwyn Bay, and Conwy is the administrativ ...

, north-east

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It is also an

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

to the county council and town council. The resort town of Rhyl lies just across the River Clwyd in the neighbouring county of

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthi ...

. According to the 2001 Census, together with neighbouring Towyn (to the west), it had a

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 7,864, of which 10.7% could speak Welsh. Kinmel Bay is part of a large

urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

which includes Abergele, Bodelwyddan, Pensarn, Towyn, Rhyl and Prestatyn, These are also tourist areas for spring/summer self-catering holidaymakers which include various caravan sites. According to early 19th Century texts, the etymology of 'Kinmel' derives from the Welsh name 'Cynmael' (Cyn-, a prefix which means 'former' and Mael which means 'Chief' or 'Prince'). Kinmel Bay was originally called Foryd before it grew in size, and that was the name of the former train station (see Foryd railway station). Kinmel Bay beach is popular with tourists and the local population. In addition to various small shops and takeaway outlets, there is also an

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superstore that opened in 1981, and (as of 2016) includes a large petrol filling station. Screenwriter/director Jimmy Sangster, known for his work on various Hammer horror films, was born in Kinmel Bay. Kinmel Bay was the inspiration for the piece 'Vanishing Games', music written for oboe quartet by composer Peter McGarr.

Governance

Kinmel Bay is also the name of an

which comprises the eastern half of the community of Kinmel Bay and Towyn. It elects three county councillors to

Conwy County Borough Council Conwy County Borough Council () is the local authority for Conwy County Borough, one of the principal areas of Wales. History Conwy County Borough was created in 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, which replaced the previous two ...

. Since 2004 it has been represented by a mixture of

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and

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

councillors. Kinmel Bay is also a community ward, electing town councillors to represent them on Towyn and Kinmel Bay Town Council.Welcome to our website
Towyn and Kinmel Bay Town Council. Retrieved 26 March 2018.

References

External links

photos of Kinmel Bay and surrounding area
{{authority control Villages in Conwy County Borough Wards of Conwy County Borough Kinmel Bay and Towyn Populated coastal places in Wales