Remembering the old land

Published Tuesday 12 August 2008 at 11:30

I have been researching the theatres and cinemas that Llandudno used to have. Just after the war, the resort had nine. Now they have all closed. Some have gone completely, and others have found a new use. Of course, the town does have a theatre, a fairly new one which is a technically very efficient building - the North Wales Theatre, now Venue Cymru.

Close to the pier once stood the pavilion, while at the far end of it was the little Pier Head Theatre, really more of a bandstand, but useful years before for the minstrel shows. Their descendants were still to be found at the open air theatre at Happy Valley. The big stars of variety were usually found at the Pier Pavilion or, further along the promenade at the Arcadia. Behind this, stood the beautiful Grand Theatre. It still stands but was converted to a nightclub. Standing too and also converted, but to a pub is the Palladium. Wetherspoon has made a good job restoring it. All that remains of the Savoy is the post-war facade. It was never used as a theatre, but was always a cinema. The gothic facade still remains of the oldest entertainment place in the town, the Prince’s but that closed in the late fifties to become a supermarket and is now the local HMV store. On the site of the large thirties cinema, the Astra (Odeon or Winter Gardens) is a block of flats. The big names of showbusiness often went there in its later years, as did the Welsh National Opera.

Many of your readers may well have performed a season or two in one or two of these venues, or came here with a play. Maybe they came to work backstage. If any of your readers have any memories of the places, of great moments in a show, or when things nearly went haywire, or of a show they saw here, and would like to share them with me, can I ask them drop me a line at the address below.

Terry Davis

2 The Oaks

Kitlings Lane

Stafford

ST17 OLE

Email: terryfrank63@hotmail.com