The promenade is built on a natural
shingle bank, which protects from flooding at high tides the somewhat
marshy land (now drained by pumping) on which the modern resort of
Llandudno stands. The superb crescent of hotels (one of the finest in
Europe) that creates a magnificent backdrop to the promenade was
proposed by Owen Williams, a surveyor from Anglesey and Liverpool, who
had his first meeting with Lord Mostyn's land agent in 1846 and became
the surveyor to the Mostyn Estate in 1847.
From North Western Gardens
take the obvious route to the Promenade along the short seaward section
of Vaughan Street to the Imperial Hotel at the corner of Gloddaeth
Crescent. To the right is Mostyn Crescent and beyond that over half of
Llandudno's northern shore line including Neville Crescent and Penrhyn
Crescent and beyond as far as The Little Orme.
Neville Crescent ends at The Hydro Hotel (with
its tall roof) and Penrhyn Crescent above includes several hotels, Venue Cymru - the
North
Wales Theatre (above) and the adjoining
Arena and Conference
Centre. The theatre is the principal North Wales venue for
Opera (including the Welsh National who visit each year), Ballet,
Drama, Orchestral Concerts and Recitals, Musical Comedy, Ice Shows,
Circus and Pantomime.
This
superb bay continues further for
almost another mile, past the former Arcadia Theatre site
(which has recently been redeveloped as an extension to the Conference
Centre) and the
Llandudno Sailing
Club
above, through Craig y
Don (with excellent hotels and where there is a large and very
popular
children's paddling pool
on the Promenade) and on past Bodafon Fields and Children's farm (also
sanctuary for birds of prey) to Craigside and the
Little Orme.
But the walking trail
continues to the left from Vaughan Street along Gloddaeth
Crescent towards Clonmel Street (junction above left) and the Queen's
Hotel (Llandudno's
second oldest sea front hotel built in 1855) at one end of Saint
George's Crescent leading to St. George's Hotel (built in 1854) at the
corner of St. George's Place.
The 5th Trail
Marker stands on the Promenade across the road from the Queen's Hotel.
But on the footpath directly in
front of the Hotel stands a Penfold
hexagonal post box of 1866 still in regular use. It is one
of the few six sided pillar boxes surviving in Wales.
Beyond St. George's Place (a continuation of Lloyd Street) is
Glan-y-Mor Parade leading to South Parade. But it is on the
Promenade near St. George's Place that the Llandudno Lifeboat,
with its
tractor, can often be found at weekends. The lifeboat house is in
Lloyd Street, midway between the two shores, it is too small for the
next generation of lifeboats and in an increasingly unsatisfactory
location (owing to today's heavy road traffic) from which they are
seeking to move to a new boathouse in a new location.
The present
Llandudno Lifeboat - The Andy Pearce
The walk continues along the Promenade to the Cenotaph.