Towyn () 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 ...

in the

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 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 to the town and

county councils A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Australia In the Australian state of New South Wales, county council (New South Wales), co ...

Location

It is located between Rhyl, in Denbighshire, and

Abergele Abergele (; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community, situated on the north coast of Wales between the holiday resorts of Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, in Conwy County Borough. It lies within the historic counties of Wales, historic county b ...

in Conwy.

Demography

According to the 2001 Census, together with neighbouring Kinmel Bay (to the east), 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 ...

7,864, of which 10.7% could speak Welsh. Only a third of the population were born in Wales. Towyn itself had a population of 2,380 in the 2011 census.

1990 tidal floods

The town made national headlines in 1990 when a combination of gale-force winds, a high tide and rough seas caused Towyn's flood defences to be breached at about 11.00am on 26 February. of land was flooded, affecting 2,800 properties and causing areas of the resort to be evacuated. Further flooding occurred later the same week, on 1 March, shortly after the site of the disaster was visited by Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Scientific experts also believe that the silt left behind from the flooding had left the town with a higher concentration of radioactivity, over ten times the governmental safety limits, most likely originating from the nuclear processing plant at Sellafield which had been dispersed into the Irish Sea over many years since its construction. The National Radiological Protection Board stated that there was a "small risk" to the people there, while the Welsh Office claimed there was no danger to the public. The coastal defences have since been reconstructed and significantly enhanced.

Architecture

St. Mary's Church was designed by the renowned architect George Edmund Street, and was consecrated on 17 June 1873. It is known for the distinctive tiling on the roof. The same architect also designed the building which now houses the youth club in nearby

Economy

The principal economic activity in Towyn is tourism, concentrated in the summer season. A mix of static caravans and touring caravan pitches provides accommodation.

Governance

Towyn is also the name of an electoral ward which comprises the western half of the community of Kinmel Bay and Towyn. It elects a county councillor to Conwy County Borough Council. It was represented by the Labour Party until June 2004, when the Conservative Party won the seat. At the May 2017 election the ward was won by an Independent councillor. Towyn is also a community ward, electing town councillors to represent it on Towyn and Kinmel Bay Town Council.Welcome to our website
Towyn and Kinmel Bay Town Council. Retrieved 26 March 2018.

References

External links

www.geograph.co.uk: photos of Towyn and surrounding area
{{authority control Kinmel Bay and Towyn Towns in Conwy County Borough Seaside resorts in Wales Wards of Conwy County Borough