Prestatyn
Encyclopedia
Prestatyn is a seaside resort
, town and community
in Denbighshire
, North
Wales
. It is located on the Irish Sea
coast, to the east of Rhyl
. At the 2001 Census
, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.
s of Craig Fawr, in the nearby village of Meliden
, have revealed the existence of early human habitation in the area.
bathhouse
is believed to be part of a fort on the road
from Chester
to Caernarfon
. However, much of 'Roman Prestatyn' has been destroyed as houses have been built over un-excavated land.
as Prestetone. Unlike similarly derived names in England, which generally lost their penultimate syllable and became Preston
, this village's name developed a typically Welsh emphasis on the penultimate syllable and a modification of "ton" to "tyn", as also happened at Mostyn
.
Although the Domesday Book only extended to demesne
s in England
, Prestatyn was included since it was at that time under English control.
An earth mound, visible in fields to the south of the railway station, near Nant Hall, marks the site of an early wooden motte and bailey castle
, probably built by the Norman
Robert de Banastre about 1157, which was destroyed by the Welsh under Owain Gwynedd
in 1167. The Banastre family then moved to Bank Hall
in Lancashire
.
The town appears to have been primarily a fishing village for hundreds of years. The beginning and end of High Street today marks the location of two 'faenols' (or manor house
s) called Pendre (translated as "end of" or "top of town") and Penisadre ("lower end of the town").
s. During the Second World War the holiday camp
s were used as billets for British soldiers, many of whom were also sent to live with locals. Despite being close to Liverpool
, the area was not bombed by the Luftwaffe
, but was one of the few British towns to be bombed by the Regia Aeronautica
(the Italian Air Force) in June 1941. Despite this many evacuees came to Denbighshire
from various northern cities.
Prestatyn was the home of the first ever UK Kwik Save
supermarket
in 1965, Prestatyn was also the home of the firm's business headquarters. The Kwik Save store was renamed Somerfield
following a takeover in 2007, and was finally demolished in 2008 when surrounding land bought by supermarket giant Tesco
with the intention of building their own store.
, the decline of the British holiday means the town is diversifying. The NHS is planning to open an elderly care facility in the town to serve north Denbighshire, and the opening of big name shops and supermarkets looks set to increase the town's status as a shopping district. Construction of the Scala Cinema started in February 2007, providing a digital cinema with films, exhibition and theatre venues.
Work is under way on the revival of the Ffrith Beach
Festival Gardens. After a troubled few years when the seafront site has lain deserted, attractions are planned (e.g., 10-pin bowling
, quad bikes, dance studio and yoghurt bar) to breathe fresh life into the resort.
, although not on Offa's Dyke
itself. It also marks the eastern end of the North Wales Path
, a long-distance coastal route to Bangor
. Other attractions include the remains of Roman baths
and the nearby Neolithic
mound, The Gop
.
connects the town to Holyhead
to the west and Chester
to the east via the North Wales Coast railway line
. Bus services are provided by Arriva North West and Wales.
was opened in 2003. Situated in Liverpool Bay
, 5 miles (7.5 km) off the coast of Prestatyn, it was the UK's first major offshore wind farm. It comprises 30 wind turbine
s with a combined maximum capacity of 60 megawatts - enough to power 40,000 homes.
Notable people from the town include Harold Bird-Wilson
, Neil Aspinall
, Peggy Cummins
, John Prescott
, Mike Peters
(The Alarm
), Carol Vorderman
(who was brought up in the town), Karl Wallinger
(of the band World Party
), author Emyr Humphreys
and the leading ornithologist Jonathan Elphick
. It hosts the qualifying tournament for many snooker
tournaments at the Pontin's Holiday Centre
, which was the location for a 1973 movie of the popular British
TV series, On The Buses
.
Middlesbrough F.C.
goalkeeper Danny Coyne
was born in Prestatyn.
in 2011.
The traditional Carnival Parade takes place on the Saturday, and is followed by a Carnival Baby Competition later in the day. In 2008 the Carnival became a two day event with the Sunday designated "Fun on the Field" day, providing a host of events include a talent show and dance competition.
In 2008, Prestatyn Carnival Association revived the Miss Prestatyn title. Lauren Knowles became the first Miss Prestatyn since 1958, although some have claimed (falsely) to have held the title during the intervening years. Miss Prestatyn attends many local events and civic functions and is somewhat of a local celebrity.
once wrote a poem entitled Sunny Prestatyn
. In it he describes a poster advertising the resort that is progressively defaced by graffiti artists. Roddy Frame
and Jeremy Stacey wrote most of Aztec Camera
's 1995 album Frestonia during a three-week retreat at the Sands Hotel in Prestatyn. Frame later blamed the overcast and grim weather conditions resulting from Prestatyn being situated on the Irish Sea
for the album's melancholy and gloomy tone.
In the 2009 Christmas special of British sitcom The Royle Family
, Jim, Barbara, Dave and Denise go on holiday to the 'Pearl of Prestatyn', a holiday caravan park presumably in the town.
In Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge, Alan mentions that he used to go on all weekend benders in Prestatyn to see rock band Wings (band)
.
gained promotion to the Welsh Premiership
football league having been crowned champions of the Cymru Alliance
League 2007-08 season. As of 23 April 2008, planning permission for floodlights
and seating has been granted in order to meet the Welsh Premier grading requirements. The deadline for these upgrades was 1 May 2008 and, having passed these requirements, their promotion was ratified by the Welsh Premier League on 15 May.
Prestatyn is also the town where many qualification rounds were once held in the sport of snooker, this included all the major snooker tournaments, and the World Championship. The qualifying rounds were held at Pontin's Holiday Camp. The qualification rounds have since moved to the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield.
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
, town and community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
in Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
, North
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is located on the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
coast, to the east of Rhyl
Rhyl
Rhyl is a seaside resort town and community situated on the north east coast of Wales, in the county of Denbighshire , at the mouth of the River Clwyd . To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay, with the resort of Towyn further west, Prestatyn to the east and Rhuddlan to the south...
. At the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.
Prehistory
There is evidence that the current town location has been occupied since prehistoric times. Prehistoric tools found in the caveCave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s of Craig Fawr, in the nearby village of Meliden
Meliden (Gallt Melyd)
Meliden is a village between Prestatyn and Dyserth in Denbighshire, Wales. It grew up around the locality of lead mines and limestone quarries. The placename "Meliden" has variously been claimed to be derived from that of Bishop Melitus or St. Melyd ; its Welsh placename, "Gallt Melyd", means...
, have revealed the existence of early human habitation in the area.
Roman
The RomanRoman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
bathhouse
Public bathing
Public baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness. The term public may confuse some people, as some types of public baths are restricted depending on membership, gender, religious affiliation, or other reasons. As societies have changed, public baths have been replaced as private bathing...
is believed to be part of a fort on the road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
from Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
to Caernarfon
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
. However, much of 'Roman Prestatyn' has been destroyed as houses have been built over un-excavated land.
Medieval
The name Prestatyn derives from the Old English preosta ("priest") and tun ("farm"), and was recorded in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Prestetone. Unlike similarly derived names in England, which generally lost their penultimate syllable and became Preston
Preston (disambiguation)
-England:*Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement**The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement**County Borough of Preston, a local government district containing the settlement from 1835 to 1974...
, this village's name developed a typically Welsh emphasis on the penultimate syllable and a modification of "ton" to "tyn", as also happened at Mostyn
Mostyn
Mostyn is a small village in Flintshire, North Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Dee, and located near the town of Holywell.Mostyn once served as a port from which ferries used to sail to Dublin on the Liverpool-Dublin route...
.
Although the Domesday Book only extended to demesne
Demesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
s in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Prestatyn was included since it was at that time under English control.
An earth mound, visible in fields to the south of the railway station, near Nant Hall, marks the site of an early wooden motte and bailey castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
, probably built by the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
Robert de Banastre about 1157, which was destroyed by the Welsh under Owain Gwynedd
Owain Gwynedd
Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd , in English also known as Owen the Great, was King of Gwynedd from 1137 until his death in 1170. He is occasionally referred to as "Owain I of Gwynedd"; and as "Owain I of Wales" on account of his claim to be King of Wales. He is considered to be the most successful of...
in 1167. The Banastre family then moved to Bank Hall
Bank Hall
Bank Hall is a Jacobean mansion south of the village of Bretherton in Lancashire, England. It is a Grade II* Listed Building. The hall was built on the site of a previous building in 1608 during the reign of James I by the Banastre family who were Lords of the Manor. It was extended during the 18th...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
.
The town appears to have been primarily a fishing village for hundreds of years. The beginning and end of High Street today marks the location of two 'faenols' (or manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
s) called Pendre (translated as "end of" or "top of town") and Penisadre ("lower end of the town").
19th century to present
The town's population remained at less than a thousand until the arrival of the railways and the holidaymakers in the 19th and 20th centuries. "Sunny Prestatyn" became famous for its beach, clean seas and promenade entertainers, and visiting for a bathe was considered very healthful by city dwelling VictorianVictorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
s. During the Second World War the holiday camp
Holiday camp
Holiday camp, in Britain, generally refers to a resort with a boundary that includes accommodation, entertainment and other facilities.As distinct from camping, accommodation typically consisted of chalets – small buildings arranged either individually or in blocks. Some had three or four storeys,...
s were used as billets for British soldiers, many of whom were also sent to live with locals. Despite being close to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, the area was not bombed by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
, but was one of the few British towns to be bombed by the Regia Aeronautica
Regia Aeronautica
The Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946...
(the Italian Air Force) in June 1941. Despite this many evacuees came to Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
from various northern cities.
Prestatyn was the home of the first ever UK Kwik Save
Kwik Save
Kwik Save was a discount supermarket chain in the United Kingdom until 2007. Its stores were small to medium sized high street supermarkets, mainly located in areas with below average incomes...
supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
in 1965, Prestatyn was also the home of the firm's business headquarters. The Kwik Save store was renamed Somerfield
Somerfield
Somerfield was a chain of small to medium sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth largest food retailer. The name is currently being phased out and replaced by the...
following a takeover in 2007, and was finally demolished in 2008 when surrounding land bought by supermarket giant Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
with the intention of building their own store.
Description
Although Prestatyn remains a tourist destination and resort townResort town
A resort town, sometimes called a resort city or resort destination, is a town or area where tourism or vacationing is a primary component of the local culture and economy...
, the decline of the British holiday means the town is diversifying. The NHS is planning to open an elderly care facility in the town to serve north Denbighshire, and the opening of big name shops and supermarkets looks set to increase the town's status as a shopping district. Construction of the Scala Cinema started in February 2007, providing a digital cinema with films, exhibition and theatre venues.
Work is under way on the revival of the Ffrith Beach
Ffrith Beach
Ffrith Beach, Prestatyn, Denbighshire, North Wales is one of three sandy beaches along the Prestatyn coastline - Barkby Beach, Central Beach and Ffrith Beach. A promenade joins the three beaches, and, at around 4-miles in length, is popular for leisurely strolls and cycling. It has recently been...
Festival Gardens. After a troubled few years when the seafront site has lain deserted, attractions are planned (e.g., 10-pin bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, quad bikes, dance studio and yoghurt bar) to breathe fresh life into the resort.
Attractions
The town is located at the northern end of the Offa's Dyke PathOffa's Dyke Path
Offa's Dyke Path is a long distance footpath along the Welsh-English border. Opened in 1971, it is one of Britain's premier National Trails and draws walkers from throughout the world...
, although not on Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke is a massive linear earthwork, roughly followed by some of the current border between England and Wales. In places, it is up to wide and high. In the 8th century it formed some kind of delineation between the Anglian kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys...
itself. It also marks the eastern end of the North Wales Path
North Wales Path
The North Wales Path is a long distance walk of some 60 miles which runs close to the North Wales coast between Prestatyn in the east and Bangor in the west....
, a long-distance coastal route to Bangor
Bangor, Gwynedd
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
. Other attractions include the remains of Roman baths
Roman Baths
The Roman Baths complex is a site of historical interest in the English city of Bath. The house is a well-preserved Roman site for public bathing....
and the nearby Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
mound, The Gop
The Gop
The Gop is a neolithic mound lying north of Trelawnyd in Flintshire, Wales. Oval in form, it is the second-largest such mound in Britain after Silbury Hill. Excavations have uncovered no burial chambers or other underground works. This may indicate that it was used as a look-out or hill fort;...
.
Transport
Prestatyn railway stationPrestatyn railway station
Prestatyn railway station serves the town of Prestatyn in North Wales. It located on the North Wales Coast Line and was opened in 1848. The coming of the railway is credited with bringing prosperity to the town, which was an aspiring resort...
connects the town to Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
to the west and Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
to the east via the North Wales Coast railway line
North Wales Coast Line
The North Wales Coast Line is the railway line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin Trains consider their services along it to be a spur of the West Coast Main Line. The first section from Crewe to Chester was built by the Chester and Crewe Railway and absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway shortly...
. Bus services are provided by Arriva North West and Wales.
Wind farm
The North Hoyle Offshore Wind FarmNorth Hoyle
North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm is Wales' first offshore wind farm, and the UK's first major offshore renewable power project. Situated in Liverpool Bay, it commenced operation in 2003....
was opened in 2003. Situated in Liverpool Bay
Liverpool Bay
Liverpool Bay is a bay of the Irish Sea between northeast Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to the east of the Irish Sea. The bay is a classic example of a region of freshwater influence...
, 5 miles (7.5 km) off the coast of Prestatyn, it was the UK's first major offshore wind farm. It comprises 30 wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s with a combined maximum capacity of 60 megawatts - enough to power 40,000 homes.
Notable people
- See :Category:People from Prestatyn
Notable people from the town include Harold Bird-Wilson
Harold Bird-Wilson
Air Vice Marshal Harold Arthur Cooper "Birdie" Bird-Wilson CBE, DSO, DFC & Bar, AFC & Bar was a British Royal Air Force ace during World War II.-Family Background:...
, Neil Aspinall
Neil Aspinall
Neil Stanley Aspinall was a British music industry executive. A school friend of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, he went on to head The Beatles' company Apple Corps....
, Peggy Cummins
Peggy Cummins
Peggy Cummins is a retired Irish actress. Cummins is best known for her performance in Joseph H. Lewis' Gun Crazy , playing a trigger happy femme fatale who robs banks with her lover .-Early life:...
, John Prescott
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
, Mike Peters
Mike Peters (musician)
Mike Peters is a Welsh musician, best known as the lead singer of The Alarm. He currently lives in Dyserth, North Wales with his family. After The Alarm split up in 1991, Peters wrote and released solo work, which he has been releasing under the name "The Alarm" since 2000...
(The Alarm
The Alarm
The Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...
), Carol Vorderman
Carol Vorderman
Carol Jean Vorderman MBE is a British media personality, best known for co-hosting the popular game show Countdown for 26 years from 1982 to 2008. In September 2011 she became a co-anchor of the ITV1 panel show Loose Women....
(who was brought up in the town), Karl Wallinger
Karl Wallinger
Karl Edmond De Vere Wallinger is a Welsh musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for leading the band World Party and for his mid-1980s stint in The Waterboys...
(of the band World Party
World Party
World Party is a British pop/alternative rock band, which is essentially the solo project of its sole member, Karl Wallinger. He started the band in 1986 in London after leaving The Waterboys.-Career:...
), author Emyr Humphreys
Emyr Humphreys
Emyr Humphreys is a leading Welsh novelist, poet and author. He was born at Prestatyn in Flintshire, and attended University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He registered as a conscientious objector at the outbreak of the Second World War...
and the leading ornithologist Jonathan Elphick
Jonathan Elphick
Jonathan Elphick is a natural history author, editor and consultant. He is an eminent ornithologist, a qualified zoologist; Fellow of the Zoological Society of London and a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London...
. It hosts the qualifying tournament for many snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
tournaments at the Pontin's Holiday Centre
Pontin's
Pontins is a British holiday business which was originally founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays with regular entertainment on offer. Accommodation is usually in the form of chalets. The company once grew to be a major operator of...
, which was the location for a 1973 movie of the popular British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
TV series, On The Buses
On The Buses
On the Buses was a British situation comedy created by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney which was broadcast in the UK from 1969 to 1973. The writers' previous successes with The Rag Trade and Meet the Wife were for the BBC, but the Corporation rejected On the Buses, not seeing much comedy potential...
.
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
goalkeeper Danny Coyne
Danny Coyne
Daniel "Danny" Coyne is a Wales international footballer who plays for Middlesbrough as a goalkeeper. He has previously played for Tranmere Rovers, Grimsby Town, Leicester City and Burnley.-Tranmere Rovers:...
was born in Prestatyn.
Carnival
Prestatyn Carnival is the major annual summer event in the town, and features field events, competitions and a procession. Each year, thousands take part in the festivities. The Carnival celebrated its Diamond JubileeDiamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
in 2011.
The traditional Carnival Parade takes place on the Saturday, and is followed by a Carnival Baby Competition later in the day. In 2008 the Carnival became a two day event with the Sunday designated "Fun on the Field" day, providing a host of events include a talent show and dance competition.
In 2008, Prestatyn Carnival Association revived the Miss Prestatyn title. Lauren Knowles became the first Miss Prestatyn since 1958, although some have claimed (falsely) to have held the title during the intervening years. Miss Prestatyn attends many local events and civic functions and is somewhat of a local celebrity.
Cultural references
Philip LarkinPhilip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL is widely regarded as one of the great English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century...
once wrote a poem entitled Sunny Prestatyn
The Whitsun Weddings (book)
The Whitsun Weddings is a collection of 32 poems by Philip Larkin. It was first published by Faber and Faber in the United Kingdom on 28 February 1964. It was a commercial success, by the standards of poetry publication, with the first 4,000 copies being sold within two months. A U.S...
. In it he describes a poster advertising the resort that is progressively defaced by graffiti artists. Roddy Frame
Roddy Frame
Roddy Frame is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician, who was the founder of the 1980s indie band, Aztec Camera, and more recently is a solo performer.-Career:...
and Jeremy Stacey wrote most of Aztec Camera
Aztec Camera
Aztec Camera were a Scottish New Wave band from the Glasgow suburb of East Kilbride, formed in 1980 and centered around teenage singer-songwriter, Roddy Frame. Their album Love was among the nominations for Best British Album at the 1989 BRIT Awards....
's 1995 album Frestonia during a three-week retreat at the Sands Hotel in Prestatyn. Frame later blamed the overcast and grim weather conditions resulting from Prestatyn being situated on the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
for the album's melancholy and gloomy tone.
In the 2009 Christmas special of British sitcom The Royle Family
The Royle Family
The Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning television comedy drama produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, and specials from 2006 onwards...
, Jim, Barbara, Dave and Denise go on holiday to the 'Pearl of Prestatyn', a holiday caravan park presumably in the town.
In Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge, Alan mentions that he used to go on all weekend benders in Prestatyn to see rock band Wings (band)
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
.
Sport
Local football side Prestatyn Town F.C.Prestatyn Town F.C.
Prestatyn Town Football Club is a Welsh association football club based in Prestatyn, Denbighshire.- History :Prestatyn town FC played their first-ever game on Thursday October 20th 1910 when they travelled to Rhyl Amateurs and got off to a flying start, winning 3-2 thanks to goals by Gratton,...
gained promotion to the Welsh Premiership
League of Wales
The Welsh Premier League is the national football league for Wales. It has both Professional and Semi-Professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 2002, the league was known as the League of Wales, but changed its name as part of a sponsorship deal...
football league having been crowned champions of the Cymru Alliance
Cymru Alliance
The Huws Gray Alliance is a football league and forms the second level of the Welsh football league system in north and central Wales....
League 2007-08 season. As of 23 April 2008, planning permission for floodlights
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
and seating has been granted in order to meet the Welsh Premier grading requirements. The deadline for these upgrades was 1 May 2008 and, having passed these requirements, their promotion was ratified by the Welsh Premier League on 15 May.
Prestatyn is also the town where many qualification rounds were once held in the sport of snooker, this included all the major snooker tournaments, and the World Championship. The qualifying rounds were held at Pontin's Holiday Camp. The qualification rounds have since moved to the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield.
External links
- Prestatyn Town Council tourism
- The Parish of Prestatyn
- BBC Wales's Prestatyn website
- Geograph - photos of Prestatyn and surrounding area