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 History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

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 Rhyl (; , ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire in Wales. The town lies on the coast of North Wales, at the mouth of the River Clwyd. To the west is Kinmel Bay and Towyn, to the east Prestatyn, and to the south-east Rhuddlan ...

. 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 Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

emphasis on the penultimate syllable and a modification of 'ton' to 'tyn', as also happened at

Mostyn Mostyn is a village and Community (Wales), community in Flintshire, Wales, and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward lying on the estuary of the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, located near the town of Holywell, Flin ...

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 Graig Fawr (also known in English as ''Meliden Mountain'') is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the preserved county of Clwyd, north Wales, now in Denbighshire. It is 153 metres (502 feet) high and located between Meliden and Dyserth, m ...

, in the nearby village of

Meliden Meliden () is a village between Prestatyn and Dyserth in Denbighshire, Wales. It grew up around the locality of lead mines and limestone quarries. The placename "Meliden" has variously been claimed to be derived from that of Bishop Melitus ...

, 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 Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

bathhouse Bathhouse may refer to: * Public baths, public facilities for bathing * Gay bathhouse A gay bathhouse, also known as a gay sauna or a gay steambath, is a public bath targeted towards Gay men, gay and Bisexuality, bisexual men. In gay slang, a ...

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 Prestatyn Castle is a motte and bailey castle in Prestatyn, Wales, built in 1157 on land granted to the Norman lord Robert Banastre by King Henry II of England. It was built on level ground on the coastal plain and commanded an extensive view. No ...

, probably built by the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

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 Bank Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Bretherton, Lancashire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building and is at the centre of a private estate, surrounded by parkland. The hall was built on the site of an older house in 1608 by the Banastres w ...

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 Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian litera ...

. 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 camp A holiday camp is a type of holiday accommodation, primarily in the United Kingdom, that encourages holidaymakers to stay within the site boundary, and provides entertainment and facilities for them throughout the day. Since the 1970s, the term ...

s 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 Somerfield ( ) was a chain of small to medium-sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The business started life in the 19th century as grocers J. H. Mills, and after a series of buyouts and mergers, the company became known as Gatew ...

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 North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm is Wales' first offshore wind farm, and the UK's first major offshore renewable power project. Situated in Liverpool Bay, it commenced operation in 2003. The first of the UK's Round 1 offshore wind farms, North Ho ...

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 Offa's Dyke Path () is a long-distance footpath loosely following the Wales–England border. Officially opened on 10 July 1971, by John Hunt, Baron Hunt, Lord Hunt, it is one of Britain's National Trails and draws hillwalking, walkers from th ...

, 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 The North Wales Path () is a long-distance walk of some that runs close to the coast of northern Wales between Prestatyn in the east and Bangor in the west. Parts of it overlap with the Wales Coast Path. The path runs along parts of the Clwy ...

, a long-distance coastal route to Bangor, and the western end of the

Clwydian Way The Clwydian Way () is a waymarked long-distance footpath in north-east Wales, mostly running through Denbighshire. Distance The waymarked circular walk runs for a total of . It was established by the North Wales area of the Rambler's Associat ...

. Other attractions include the remains of

Roman baths In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large Roman Empire, imperial public bath, bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed i ...

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 The Gop (, also known as Gop Cairn or ''Gop-y-Goleuni'') is a Neolithic monument lying within the Clwydian Range, northwest of Trelawnyd, in Flintshire, Wales. Description Oval in form, it is the second-largest Neolithic mound in Britain a ...

. 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 ''On the Buses'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom that was broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 1969 to 1973. It was created by Chesney and Wolfe, Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe, who wrote most of the episodes. It spawned thr ...

''.

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 Denbighshire County Council is the unitary authority, unitary local authority for the county of Denbighshire, one of the principal areas of Wales, principal areas of Wales. The council is based at County Hall, Ruthin, County Hall in Ruthin. Ther ...

. For elections to

the town is divided into five

electoral wards The wards and electoral divisions in the United Kingdom are electoral districts at sub-national level, represented by one or more councillors. The ''ward (subnational entity), ward'' is the primary unit of English electoral geography for civil pa ...

, 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 The Vale of Clwyd () is a tract of low-lying ground in the county of Denbighshire in north-east Wales. The Vale extends south-southwestwards from the coast of the Irish Sea for some 20 miles (about 30 km) forming a triangle of low ground bo ...

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 ...

(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 An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...

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 Prestatyn railway station on the North Wales Coast Line serves the town of Prestatyn in North Wales. The station was built on the Chester and Holyhead Railway (CHR) line and opened on 1 May 1848. The coming of the railway is credited with bri ...

is on the

North Wales Coast Line The North Wales Main Line ( or ; ), also known as the North Wales Coast Line (), is a major railway line in the north of Wales and Cheshire, England, running from Crewe on the West Coast Main Line to Holyhead on the Isle of Anglesey. The lin ...

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 Transport for Wales (TfW; ; ) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consisting of itself and its subsidiaries: Trans ...

Bus

Bus services are provided by

Arriva Buses Wales Arriva Buses Wales () is a bus operator providing services in northern Wales and Chester in northern England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus. History Crosville Motor Services was formed in 1919 and operated services in Wales and northe ...

, which visit

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 Gordon Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor (27 May 1888 – 20 January 1966), was a British Labour Party politician and Newfoundland's final British governor as well as the last chairman of the Commission of Government serving from 19 ...

(1888–1966), politician and Newfoundland's final British governor * Sir Huw Wheldon (1916–1986), a broadcaster and BBC executive. *

Harold Bird-Wilson Air Vice Marshal Harold Arthur Cooper "Birdie" Bird-Wilson, (20 November 1919 – 27 December 2000) was a senior Royal Air Force officer, and a flying ace of the Second World War. Early life Bird-Wilson was born in Prestatyn, North Wales, on 2 ...

(1919–2000), senior Royal Air Force officer, and a flying ace in WWII. *

Emyr Humphreys Emyr Owen Humphreys, FRSL, FLSW (; 15 April 191930 September 2020) was a Welsh novelist, poet, and author. His career spanned from the 1940s until his retirement in 2009. He published in both English and Welsh. Early life and career Humphre ...

(1919–2020), a Welsh novelist, poet and author. *

Peggy Cummins Peggy Cummins (born Augusta Margaret Diane Fuller; 18 December 1925 – 29 December 2017) was an Irish actress, born in Wales, who is best known for her performance in Joseph H. Lewis's '' Gun Crazy'' (1950), playing a trigger-happy ''femme f ...

(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 Neil Stanley Aspinall (13 October 1941 24 March 2008) was a British music industry executive. A school friend of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, he went on to head the Beatles' company Apple Corps. The Beatles employed Aspinall first as ...

(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 Apple Corps Limited is a British multimedia company that was established in London by the members of the Beatles in the 1960s to form a Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. The company's name, pronounced "apple core", is a pun. Its chief div ...

. *

Gareth Williams, Baron Williams of Mostyn Gareth Wyn Williams, Baron Williams of Mostyn, (5 February 1941 – 20 September 2003), was a Welsh barrister and Labour politician who was Leader of the House of Lords, Lord President of the Council and a member of the Cabinet from 2001 unt ...

(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 Jonathan Elphick is a British natural history writer, editor and consultant. He is an eminent ornithologist, a qualified zoologist; Fellow of the Zoological Society of London and a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London. He is author of ''The B ...

(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 Philip Caveney (born 1951) is a British children's author, best known for the Sebastian Darke, Alec Devlin and "Movie Maniacs" novels. He previously wrote a number of thrillers for adults. He was born in Prestatyn, North Wales but for many ...

(born 1951), a British children's author *

Karl Wallinger Karl Edmond De Vere Wallinger (19 October 1957 – 10 March 2024) was a Welsh musician, songwriter and record producer. He was best known for leading the band World Party and for his mid-1980s membership of the Waterboys (contributing in parti ...

(1957–2024), pop musician, songwriter and record producer. *

Bryn Crossley Bryn Gareth Crossley (3 August 1958 – 7 January 2018) was a Welsh jockey who competed in Flat racing. He was British flat racing Champion Apprentice in the 1981 season and rode over 200 winners in total in a career lasting from 1976 to 1993. C ...

(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 Carol Jean Vorderman (born 24 December 1960) is a Welsh broadcaster, media personality, and writer. Her media career began when she joined the Channel 4 game show ''Countdown'', appearing with Richard Whiteley from 1982 until his death in 2005, ...

(born 1960), media personality, brought up in Prestatyn, co-hosted the game show ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

'' for 26 years from 1982 until 2008 *

Danny Coyne Daniel Coyne (born 27 August 1973) is a Welsh football coach and former professional player. As a player, he was a goalkeeper who played between 1992 and 2018. He came through the youth ranks at Tranmere Rovers during the 1992–93 season. Coyn ...

(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 Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, '' The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, '' Jill'' (1946) and '' A Girl in Winter'' (194 ...

wrote a poem entitled ' Sunny Prestatyn'. In it he describes a poster advertising the resort that is progressively defaced by vulgar graffiti.

Roddy Frame Roddy Frame (born 29 January 1964) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was the founder of the 1980s new wave band Aztec Camera and has undertaken a solo career since the group's dissolution. In November 2013, journalist Brian Do ...

and Jeremy Stacey wrote most of

Aztec Camera Aztec Camera were a Scottish pop/ new wave band founded by Roddy Frame, the group's singer, songwriter and only consistent member. Established in 1980, Aztec Camera released a total of six studio albums: '' High Land, Hard Rain'' (1983), ''Kn ...

's 1995 album ''

Frestonia Frestonia was the name adopted for a couple of months by the squatters of Freston Road, London, when they attempted to stop a threatened eviction via secession from the United Kingdom. In 1974, two streets of tumbledown terraced Victorian cot ...

'' 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 ''The Royle Family'' is a British sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series from 1998 to 2000, and specials from 2006 to 2012. It centres on the lives of a television-fixated Manchester family, the Royles, com ...

'' 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 Prestatyn Town Football Club () is a Welsh professional football club based in Prestatyn, Denbighshire. They play in the . History Early years Records show that football has been played in Prestatyn since the early 1890s with games being playe ...

and the recently formed Prestatyn Sports. Local football side Prestatyn Town gained promotion to the

Welsh Premier League The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. It was found ...

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 Pontins is a British company operating holiday parks in the UK, founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It was acquired by Britannia Hotels in 2011. Pontins specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays featuring entertainment at r ...

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.

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