Rhos-on-Sea () is a

seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...

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 ...

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 ...

, Wales. The population was 7,593 at the 2011 census. It adjoins

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 is named after the Welsh kingdom of Rhos established there in late

Roman Britain Roman Britain was the territory that became the Roman province of ''Britannia'' after the Roman conquest of Britain, consisting of a large part of the island of Great Britain. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. Julius Caes ...

as a sub-kingdom of

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

. It later became a ''

cantref A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a Wales in the Early Middle Ages, medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law. Description Land in medieval Wales was divid ...

'' (hundred).

History

Bryn Euryn and Llys Euryn

Bryn Euryn is a hill overlooking Rhos-on-Sea on which there are the remains of a

hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

called Dinerth, the 'fort of the bear', and a

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

Ednyfed Fychan Ednyfed Fychan ( 1170 – 1246), full name Ednyfed Fychan ap Cynwrig, was a Welsh warrior who became Seneschal to the Kingdom of Gwynedd in Northern Wales, serving Llywelyn the Great and his son Dafydd ap Llywelyn. Ednyfed claimed descent fr ...

, 13th century

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (, – 11 April 1240), also known as Llywelyn the Great (, ; ), was a medieval Welsh ruler. He succeeded his uncle, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, as King of Gwynedd in 1195. By a combination of war and diplomacy, he dominate ...

and ancestor to the

House of Tudor The House of Tudor ( ) was an English and Welsh dynasty that held the throne of Kingdom of England, England from 1485 to 1603. They descended from the Tudors of Penmynydd, a Welsh noble family, and Catherine of Valois. The Tudor monarchs ruled ...

was granted the land and built a castle on the hill, of which all traces have disappeared, and a manor,

Llys Euryn The ruined remains of Llys Euryn (; ) sit upon a wooded shoulder of Bryn Euryn — a limestone hill on the outskirts of Rhos-on-Sea ({{langx, cy, Llandrillo-yn-Rhos) in the county of Conwy County Borough, Conwy, north Wales. Three sides of the ...

of which the ruins of its 15th-century reconstruction can be seen today.

Church of Llandrillo yn Rhos

Eglwys Sant Trillo, Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, St Trillo, Rhos-on-Sea, Conwy 08.JPG Eglwys Sant Trillo, Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, St Trillo, Rhos-on-Sea, Conwy 33.JPG Eglwys Sant Trillo, Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, St Trillo, Rhos-on-Sea, Conwy 35.JPG Eglwys Sant Trillo, Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, St Trillo, Rhos-on-Sea, Conwy 41.JPG Llandrillo yn Rhos Church was built on the site of Ednyfed Fychan's private chapel and incorporates what was his

tombstone A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The us ...

, the history of this church goes back to the 13th century, but having been rebuilt over the centuries, the oldest parts of the present church are 15th century. A major restoration was carried out in 1857 and was criticised by some for amounting to 'vandalism', in particular the destruction of an ancient

stained glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most important historic buildings in

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

. The stone

lych-gate A lychgate (from Old English ''līc'', corpse) or resurrection gate is a covered gateway found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard. Examples also exist outside the British Isles in places such as Newfoundland, the ...

was built in 1677 and is one of the oldest in the district; the

sundial A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...

is from the early 18th century. The graveyard here contains the grave of

Harold Lowe Commander Harold Godfrey Lowe (21 November 1882 – 12 May 1944) was a British naval officer. He was also the fifth officer of the ''RMS Titanic'', and was one of the four ship's officers to survive the disaster. Biography Early years Harold ...

, an officer on the RMS ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

''. He was widely regarded as a hero, helping many to safety with cool nerve and bravery. It also contains

war graves A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...

of eight service personnel, two of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and six of

World War II 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 ...

.
CWGC Cemetery Report. Breakdown obtained from casualty record. Date retrieved 3 February 2013.

Rhos Fynach

In 1186 Llywelyn the Great permitted the establishment of the

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

Aberconwy Abbey Aberconwy Abbey was a Cistercian foundation at Conwy, later transferred to Maenan near Llanrwst, and in the 13th century was the most important abbey in the north of Wales. A Cistercian house was founded at Rhedynog Felen near Caernarfon in ...

, and the monks built a

fishing weir A fishing weir, fish weir, fishgarth or kiddle is an obstruction placed in tidal waters, or wholly or partially across a river, to direct the passage of, or trap fish. A weir may be used to trap marine fish in the intertidal zone as the tide rec ...

on the sea shore below Bryn Euryn. The place became known as Rhos Fynach, ''heath of the monks''. In a charter of 1230, Llywelyn sanctioned the purchase by Ednyfed Fychan of land at Rhos Fynach and in 1289, the abbey moved to Maenan (becoming

Maenan Abbey Maenan Abbey (formally: The Abbey Church of Saint Mary and All Saints; alternatively: Abaty Maenan, or Maynan Abbey; now Maenan Abbey Hotel) was a monastic religious house located in Maenan, Conwy, Wales. It is situated near Llanrwst. Histor ...

), and the weir was ceded to Ednyfed's estate. Eventually Rhos Fynach and the weir came into the hands of

Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years. Dudley's youth was ove ...

, who in 1575 granted it to a Captain Morgan ap John ap David, a

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

, for services rendered against the enemies of Queen

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

at sea. (This is not the famous pirate of the Caribbean Captain

Henry Morgan Sir Henry Morgan (; – 25 August 1688) was a Welsh privateer, plantation owner, and, later, the lieutenant governor of Jamaica. From his base in Port Royal, Jamaica, he and those under his command raided settlements and shipping ports o ...

who lived in the century following). The weir continued to provide a prosperous livelihood through to the early 20th century: during a single night in 1850, 35,000

herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...

were caught, and 10 tons of

mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...

were removed in one tide as late as 1907. Because such weirs decimated inshore fish stocks,

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

banned them in 1861 unless it could be shown they pre-dated the

Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter"), sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardin ...

, which the then owners, the Parry Evans family, were able to prove.Reid, Ian: "Rhos-on-Sea Heritage Trail".
BBC Wales North West website retrieved 7 August 2007. Their estate included Rhos Fynach house, also known as Rhos Farm, on the Promenade near St Trillo's Chapel. The house is now a

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

and restaurant. Its date of construction is not known for sure, but it is considered to have been started by the Cistercians before the dissolution of the monasteries.Tucker, Norman (1967). "How Old is Rhos Fynach?" ''

North Wales Weekly News The ''North Wales Weekly News'' is one of a group of newspapers published weekly in Llandudno. History The newspaper was first published on 14 February 1889 by local printer Robert Evans Jones as the ''Weekly News and Visitors’ Chronicle fo ...

'', 6 July 1967. The fishing weir fell into disuse during

and most traces have disappeared. Trial excavation of the site in 1993 recorded constructions

carbon 14 Carbon-14, C-14, C or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic matter is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and colle ...

-dated between 1500 and 1660.

St Trillo's Chapel

The 6th-century St Trillo's Chapel (), which was the mother church of a large parish which included places as far apart as Eglwysbach and Eglwys Rhos (''Llan Rhos''). Rhos-on-Sea9172201

The chapel by the sea is on the site of a pre-Christian, sacred

holy well A holy well or sacred spring is a well, Spring (hydrosphere), spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christianity, Christian or Paganism, pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualitie ...

; the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

is built directly over the pure water of the well. Saint Trillo, the son of

Ithel Hael Ithel Hael ("Ithel the Generous") or Ithel Hael o Lydaw was a prince of Armorica In ancient times, Armorica or Aremorica (Gaulish: ; ; ) was a region of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, and much of h ...

from Llydaw (

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

) also founded a church at Llandrillo in

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 ...

. Trillo's brother Tygai (Llandygai) founded a church near Penrhyn, Bangor; their sister Llechid founded a church (Llanllechid) in the uplands above Penrhyn.

Trams

The Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway operated an electric tramway service between

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 � ...

and Rhos-on-Sea from 1907 and extended to

in 1908. The service closed in 1956.

Other features

*Rhos-on-Sea also has the first permanent

puppet theatre Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performan ...

to be built in Britain, the Harlequin Puppet Theatre, which opened on 7 July 1958, when it won the Civic Trust Award for its design. Founders Eric Bramall and Chris Somerville have also created many puppet programmes for

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

children's television over a forty-year period. Many of the puppets created for these television series are now on display at the National Trust property of

Penrhyn Castle Penrhyn Castle () is a country house in Llandygai, Bangor, Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd, North Wales, constructed in the style of a Norman architecture, Norman castle. The Penrhyn estate was founded by Ednyfed Fychan. In the 15th century his descenda ...

. *

Coleg Llandrillo Cymru is a college in the north of Wales. After its merger in 2012, Grwp Llandrillo Menai became Wales' largest further education institution. History The college (which originally only included the main campus at Rhos-on-Sea) was opened as Llandril ...

, the former Llandrillo Technical College. *Ysgol Llandrillo yn Rhos, a mixed county primary day school. *The Society of St. Pius X operates a

Traditionalist Catholic Traditionalist Catholicism is a movement that emphasizes beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions and presentations of teaching associated with the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). ...

chapel in a renovated

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

church on Conwy Road.

Governance

The community boundaries are coterminous with the

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 ...

Llandrillo-yn-Rhos Rhos-on-Sea () is a seaside resort and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The population was 7,593 at the 2011 census. It adjoins Colwyn Bay and is named after the Welsh kingdom of Rhos established there in late Roman Britain as a sub- ...

, which elects four 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 ...

. Rhos-on-Sea is also divided into two community wards, of Rhos and Dinarth. Rhos elects up to five councillors and Dinarth elects up to three councillors to the

Bay of Colwyn Town Council Bay of Colwyn Town Council is an elected community council serving the town of Colwyn Bay in North Wales, and neighbouring communities of Rhos-on-Sea and Old Colwyn. Background Bay of Colwyn Town Council was formed in 1996 following the disso ...

(which was formed in 1996).

Sport

Colwyn Bay Cricket Club was founded in 1923 and started playing at Penrhyn Avenue, Rhos on Sea in 1924. Glamorgan Cricket has been hosted here since the 1960s.

Notable people

* According to legend, Madog ap

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 ...

, a Welsh prince of

, sailed from here in 1170 and discovered

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, over three hundred years before

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

's famous voyage in 1492. This event was recorded by a plaque on one of the properties on the sea-front. This property was called "Odstone" at no. 179, Marine Drive which, as of June 2012, had become neglected. It was demolished as of September 2017. * The poet and visual artist David Jones visited Rhos-on-Sea in 1904 when he was 9. It was his first ever trip to Wales and it made an enormous impression on him. His father's family lived in Rhos, and the young Jones played with his cousins at St. Trillo's Chapel, and on Bryn Euryn. He also particularly loved the fishing weir just a few yards from St. Trillos. These were formative influences both on his writing and visual art. He wrote that this visit left 'an indelible mark on my soul'. :In 1937, after the death of his mother, Jones revisited Rhos. He found it a 'wilderness of villas and bungalows'. The fishing weir had gone (there remain a few stumps), and the chapel was now 'cleared and cared for', but it had 'lost half its numinous feeling'.David Jones:Engraver, Soldier Painter, Poet. Thomas Dilworth. Jonathan Cape 2017 p195. *

5th officer of

, is buried at Llandrillo-yn-Rhos churchyard *

Thérèse Coffey Thérèse Anne Coffey, Baroness Coffey, (born 18 November 1971), is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from September to October 2022 under Liz Truss. She also served as Secretary of State for Enviro ...

Suffolk Coastal Suffolk Coastal was a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council was based in Melton, Suffolk, Melton, having moved from neighbouring Woodbridge, Suffolk, Woodbridge in 2017. Other towns include Fel ...

, 2010–present] was partly educated in Rhos-on-Sea * Llewelyn Wyn Griffith, author of ''Up to Mametz'', born 1890 * Wilf Wooller, Welsh rugby international, Glamorgan cricketer and Cardiff City footballer, was born here.

References

:General reference :*Norman Tucker and Ivor Wynne Jones, ''Colwyn Bay, Its History Across the Years''

External links

The Official Site for Rhos On Sea

A Vision of Britain Through Time

British Listed Buildings

Geograph

Office for National Statistics

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhos-On-Sea Populated coastal places in Wales