Rhyl

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Statistics
Rhyl
Population:	24,889 (2001 census)
Ordnance Survey
OS grid reference:	Maps for SJ015815
Administration
Principal area:	Denbighshire
Constituent country:	Wales
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Police force:	North Wales Police
Ceremonial county:	Clwyd
Historic county:	Flintshire
Post office and telephone
Post town:	RHYL
Postal district:	LL18
Dialling code:	+44-1745
Politics
UK Parliament:	Vale of Clwyd
European Parliament:	Wales

Rhyl (Welsh: Y Rhyl) is a seaside town located on the Irish Sea, in the administrative county of Denbighshire and the traditional county of Flintshire, North Wales, United Kingdom, at the mouth of the River Clwyd (Welsh: Yr Afon Clwyd). Once an elegant Victorian resort, there was a large influx of people from Liverpool and Manchester after World War II. This had a huge impact on the town and surrounding area, affecting local culture and diminishing the prevalence of the Welsh Language.

Rhyl railway station has through trains to and from London, Crewe, Cardiff and Manchester.

Rhyl Football Club are currently one of the most successful teams in the Welsh football pyramid -- in the 2003-04 season they won the Welsh Premiership championship, the Welsh Cup and the Welsh League Cup, and were losing finalists in the FAW Premier Cup.

It was in Rhyl that the infamous egg-throwing attack on John Prescott occurred, during campaigning for the 2001 General Election.

1 Tourist attractions
2 Famous people
3 Infamous people
4 External links

[edit] Tourist attractions

Rhyl's most famous monument was the original Pavilion, an elegant ornate building with five domes, which was demolished in the 1970s. Rhyl's current top attractions on the West Parade are the 80-metre-high Sky Tower, which opened in 1993; Rhyl Children's Village theme park; and the fairground. There was once a Laser Quest and bowling establishment, but this has since burnt down.

On the East Parade, can be found the SeaQuarium and the popular Rhyl Suncentre - an indoor leisure swimming pool featuring an indoor monorail, as well as Europe's first indoor surfing pool. Next door stands the New Pavilion Theatre, opened in 1991.

The Marine Lake used to be a popular tourist destination, with fairground rides and even, many years ago, a zoo. Nowadays, it is home to a miniature steam train that travels around the lake, a playground and numerous watersports clubs.

In an effort to regenerate the town and boost declining tourism, a number of projects are currently underway or being proposed. These include the ongoing Drift Park development on the promenade, as well as a new leisure complex to be built on what is now the site of Rhyl's fairground. Although once popular, it is no longer as successful, and will be replaced by shops, restaurants and luxury flats, with a new Asda supermarket as a centrepiece.

[edit] Famous people

Famous former inhabitants of Rhyl include Hollywood director Sara Sugarman, and Nerys Hughes, television actress.

Lee Trundle, Swansea City Football Club's striker, and Bayern Munich midfielder, Owen Hargreaves, both have strong family ties with Rhyl, as does comedian Lee Evans.

Former Visage singer Steve Strange (real name, Steve Harrington) went to junior school in nearby Kinmel Bay.

Lisa Scott-Lee, a former member of the band Steps, is from nearby St Asaph.

[edit] Infamous people

Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain (1955), was born in the town in 1927.

The "A6 lay-by murderer" James Hanratty claimed he was in Rhyl at the time of his supposed crime, staying at a guesthouse in Kinmel Street. Despite offering a credible description of the area and summoning witnesses claiming to have seen him in the town, he was disbelieved and found guilty of the murder. He was executed in 1962, although many believed him innocent of murder. DNA tests on his exhumed corpse in 2002 established his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.