Prestatyn (; ) is a seaside town and

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

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 ...

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 ...

. Historically a part of

Flintshire Flintshire () is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, the Dee Estuary to the north-east, the English county of Cheshire to the east, Wrexham County Borough to the south, and Denbighshire to the west. ...

, it is located on the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085.

Origin of name

The name Prestatyn derives from the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

''prēosta'' (the

genitive In grammar, the genitive case ( abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can ...

plural In many languages, a plural (sometimes list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated as pl., pl, , or ), is one of the values of the grammatical number, grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than ...

of ''prēost'' 'priest') and ''tūn'' ('homestead'), and thus means 'the homestead of the priests'. It was recorded in the ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

'' as ''Prestetone''. Unlike similarly derived names in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, which generally lost their penultimate syllable and became Preston, the village's name developed a typically Welsh emphasis on the penultimate syllable and a modification of 'ton' to 'tyn', as also happened at Mostyn.

History

Prehistory

There is evidence that the current town location has been occupied since

prehistoric Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...

times. Prehistoric tools found in the caves of Graig Fawr, in the nearby village of Meliden, have revealed the existence of early human habitation in the area.

Roman

Among a housing estate in the north of the town, there is a Roman bathhouse which may have been part of a

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

on the

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

from

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a List of place names with royal patronage in the United Kingdom, royal town, Community (Wales), community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the easter ...

. It was probably built by the Twentieth Legion around 120, and expanded around 150, as shown by stamped tiles with either the legion's name, or its boar insignia. Its cold plunge-bath was fed by a wooden aqueduct channel, while, nearby, the traces of timber buildings, as well as three bronze-smiths' workshops, have been found. The bathhouse was found in 1934, and when the housing estate was built in 1984, it was excavated and preserved. However, much of the rest of Roman Prestatyn has been destroyed as houses have been built over unexcavated land, so that the "Prestatyn Roman Bathhouse" is the only visible remnant of it.

Medieval

Prestatyn was included in the ''Domesday Book'' since it was at that time under English control. An earth mound, visible in fields to the east of the railway station, beyond Nant Hall, marks the site of an early wooden Prestatyn castle, probably built by the Norman Robert de Banastre about 1157, which was destroyed by the Welsh under

Owain Gwynedd Owain ap Gruffudd ( – 23 or 28 November 1170) was King of Gwynedd, North Wales, from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He was called Owain the Great () and the first to be styled "Prince of Wales" and th ...

in 1167. The Banastre family then moved to Bank Hall in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. The town appears to have been primarily a fishing village for hundreds of years. The beginning and end of High Street today mark the location of two 'maenolau' (or

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

s) called Pendre (translated as "end of" or "top of town") and Penisadre ("lower end of town").

19th century to present

The town's population remained at less than 1,000 until the arrival of the

railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to roa ...

and the holidaymakers in the 19th and 20th centuries. "Sunny Prestatyn" became famous for its beach, clean seas and promenade entertainers, and visiting for a bathe was considered very healthy by city-dwelling Victorians. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the holiday camps were used as billets for British soldiers, many of whom were also sent to live with locals. Prestatyn was the home of the first UK

Kwik Save Kwik Save is a British convenience store chain. Prior to 2007, it was also a discount supermarket chain that had shops across the United Kingdom. It went into administration in July 2007, but was brought back in April 2012. Its shops were s ...

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...

in 1965, as well as the firm's business headquarters. The Kwik Save store was renamed Somerfield following a takeover in 2007, and was finally demolished in 2008 when surrounding land was bought by

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...

. The North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm was opened in 2003. Situated in

Liverpool Bay Liverpool Bay is a bay of the Irish Sea between northeast Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to the east of the Irish Sea. The bay is a classic example of a region of freshwater influence. Liverpool Bay has historically suffered from redu ...

, 5 miles (8 km) off the coast of Prestatyn, it was the UK's first major offshore wind farm. It has 30

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that wind power, converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of list of most powerful wind turbines, large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over ...

s with a combined maximum capacity of 60

megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s – enough to power 40,000 homes.

Facilities and attractions

Although Prestatyn remains a tourist destination and

resort town A resort town, resort city or resort destination is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding area. Sometimes ...

, the town is diversifying in response to the decline of the British seaside holiday. The town is at the northern end of the Offa's Dyke Path, although not on

Offa's Dyke Offa's Dyke () is a large linear Earthworks (Archaeology), earthwork that roughly follows the England–Wales border, border between England and Wales. The structure is named after Offa of Mercia, Offa, the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon king of Mer ...

itself. It also marks the eastern end of the North Wales Path, a long-distance coastal route to Bangor, and the western end of the Clwydian Way. Other attractions include the remains of Roman baths and the nearby

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

mound, the Gop. Pontin's Holiday Centre was the location for a 1973 film of the popular

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

TV series, '' On the Buses''.

Nova

Previously named the Lido, this leisure and entertainment complex was established in 1923 with an outdoor seawater swimming pool and ballroom. A £4.4 million pound investment in 2015 has seen the redevelopment of this complex to include a new facade, entrance and reception area as well as a new bar/restaurant, 60 station fitness suite and children's soft play area.

Governance

There are two tiers of local government covering Prestatyn: Prestatyn

Town Council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...

and Denbighshire County Council. For elections to Denbighshire County Council the town is divided into five electoral wards, namely Prestatyn Central, Prestatyn East, Prestatyn Meliden, Prestatyn North and Prestatyn South West. For elections to Prestatyn Town Council the town is divided into six wards (with Prestatyn North county ward being subdivided into North and North West). Eighteen town councillors are elected. The town was in the Delyn parliamentary constituency from 1983 to 1997, then in Vale of Clwyd until 2024, when it became a part of Clwyd East.

Administrative history

Prestatyn was formerly part of the

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Meliden (also called Meliden with Prestatyn) in the historic county of

. When elected parish and district councils were established in 1894 Meliden was given a parish council and included in the St Asaph Rural District. A separate urban district called Prestatyn was created from part of Meliden parish in 1896. The urban district council built itself a headquarters on Nant Hall Road in 1903. Prestatyn Urban District was abolished in 1974, with its area becoming a community instead. District-level functions passed to Rhuddlan Borough Council, which was in turn replaced by Denbighshire County Council in 1996.

Transport

Rail

Prestatyn railway station is on the North Wales Coast Line which connects the town with

Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...

to the west and

to the east. It is run by Transport for Wales.

Bus

Bus services are provided by Arriva Buses Wales, which visit Rhyl,

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...

Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay () is a town, Community (Wales), community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic counties of Wales, historic county boundaries of Denbighshire (h ...

and

Llandudno Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community (Wales), community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 UK census, the community � ...

Road

Prestatyn is on the A547 and A548 roads, and is about 6 miles from the A55.

Notable people

:''See :People from Prestatyn'' * Gordon Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor (1888–1966), politician and Newfoundland's final British governor * Sir Huw Wheldon (1916–1986), a broadcaster and BBC executive. * Harold Bird-Wilson (1919–2000), senior Royal Air Force officer, and a flying ace in WWII. * Emyr Humphreys (1919–2020), a Welsh novelist, poet and author. * Peggy Cummins (1925–2017), an Irish actress *

John Prescott John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (31 May 1938 – 20 November 2024) was a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the ...

(1938–2024), politician, UK Deputy Prime Minister, 1997 to 2007 * Neil Aspinall (1941–2008), music industry executive, head of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' co. Apple Corps. * Gareth Williams, Baron Williams of Mostyn (1941–2003), barrister and politician *

Barry Flanagan Barry Flanagan OBE Royal Academy, RA (11 January 1941 – 31 August 2009) was an Irish-Welsh people, Welsh sculptor. He is best known for his bronze statues of hares and other animals. Biography Barry Flanagan was born on 11 January 1941 i ...

(1941–2009), sculptor of bronze statues of hares * Jonathan Elphick (born 1945), natural history author,

ornithologist Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

and zoologist * Philip Caveney (born 1951), a British children's author * Karl Wallinger (1957–2024), pop musician, songwriter and record producer. * Bryn Crossley (1958–2018), champion

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all spor ...

jockey * Mike Peters (born 1959), pop musician, lead singer of ''

The Alarm The Alarm are a Welsh rock band that formed in Rhyl, Wales in 1981. Initially formed as a punk band, the Toilets, in 1977 under lead vocalist Mike Peters, the group soon embraced arena rock and included marked influences from Welsh language ...

'' * Carol Vorderman (born 1960), media personality, brought up in Prestatyn, co-hosted the game show '' Countdown'' for 26 years from 1982 until 2008 * Danny Coyne (born 1973), former goalkeeper with 442 club caps and 16 for

Annual events

Flower Show

Prestatyn Flower Show is an annual event held in Prestatyn town centre on the last Friday and Saturday of July. It has traditionally been held within the grounds of Cerrig Llwydion, High Street, Prestatyn, which was formerly a vicarage. The event also includes a small display of classic cars and vintage motorcycles on Saturday.

Carnival

Prestatyn Carnival is an annual summer event in the town, and features field events, competitions and a procession. The traditional Carnival Parade takes place on the Saturday, and is followed by a Carnival Baby Competition later in the day. In 2008 the carnival became a two-day event, with the Sunday designated "Fun on the Field" day, with many events including a talent show and dance competition. In 2011 the event reverted to its original one–day format. In 2008, Prestatyn Carnival Association revived the 'Miss Prestatyn' title.

Classic Car Show

The largest free classic car show in North Wales with over 400 vehicles taking part in 2019. The show is an annual event taking place on the last Bank Holiday Monday in May since 2000. It usually takes place on Ty Nant car park in Prestatyn town centre, but expanded in 2019 to include the majority of the High Street. In 2020, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, there was a virtual show.

Cultural references

Philip Larkin wrote a poem entitled ' Sunny Prestatyn'. In it he describes a poster advertising the resort that is progressively defaced by vulgar graffiti. Roddy Frame and Jeremy Stacey wrote most of Aztec Camera's 1995 album '' Frestonia'' during a three-week retreat at the Sands Hotel in Prestatyn. Frame later blamed the overcast and grim weather conditions there for the album's melancholy and gloomy tone. The town also appears in '' The Royle Family'' 2009 Christmas special " The Golden Egg Cup", in which the family visits Prestatyn to celebrate Jim and Barb's fiftieth wedding anniversary.

Sport

The town is host to two major

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

teams within the Welsh football league pyramid, Prestatyn Town and the recently formed Prestatyn Sports. Local football side Prestatyn Town gained promotion to the Welsh Premier League having been crowned champions of the

Cymru Alliance The Cymru Alliance League (known for sponsorship reasons as Huws Gray Alliance) was a association football, football league in North Wales, north and Mid Wales, central Wales which formed the second level of the Welsh football league system. Fro ...

League 2007-08 season. As of 23 April 2008, planning permission for

floodlights A floodlight is a broad-beamed, gas discharge lamp#High-intensity discharge lamps, high-intensity artificial light. It can provide functional area lighting for travel-ways, parking, entrances, work areas, and sporting venues to enable visibil ...

and seating had been granted in order to meet the Welsh Premier grading requirements. The deadline for these upgrades was 1 May 2008 and, having passed these requirements, their promotion was ratified by the Welsh Premier League on 15 May. They currently play in the

Cymru North The Cymru North is a regional association football, football league in Wales, covering the northern half of the country. It initially had clubs with semi-professional status. Together with the Cymru South, it forms the second tier of the Welsh fo ...

, the second tier of Welsh football. Many qualification rounds in

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets: one at each corner and ...

were once held at Pontin's Holiday Camp here; this included all the major snooker tournaments, and the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

. The qualification rounds have since moved to the World Snooker Academy in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

. Founded in 1895, Prestatyn Cricket Club has recently celebrated its 125th anniversary. As of 1 November 2020 they play in Liverpool and District Comp (LDDC) 1st XI division.

References

External links

{{authority control Communities in Denbighshire Towns in Denbighshire Seaside resorts in Wales Populated coastal places in Wales