Penmorfa is (or was) the summer and Christmas holiday home of the Liddell family. Alice Liddell was the girl for whom Lewis Carrol wrote “Alice’s adventures in Wonderland” and “Alice through the looking-glass”.
The family first visited Llandudno in 1861 and Alice’s father then bought a plot of land at the bottom of the Great Orme, and built Penmorfa.
Much later the building was extended and used as a hotel, reverting to it’s original name again in 2002. Unfortunately the hotel closed down in 2006
Conwy County Borough Council have Penmorfa as part of the Llandudno Town Trail…….but they have allowed developers to pull the building down!
The developers were supposed to keep the original part of the building (seen here in July 2008), but then said that it was unsafe and needed to be demolished.
Protests were held, as this is an historic building and important to the town.
But the councillors, those representatives of the people, allowed the demolition.
Today (21 November 2008) this is all that remains of an historic building and tourist attraction.
Shame on Conwy County Borough Council for allowing this to happen.
Llandudno is called “The Queen of resorts”, and relies heavily on tourism. Unfortunately the Council don’t seem to be very active in this area.
About 100 metres from Penmorfa is the White Rabbit monument, along with one of the council’s information boards about Alice, Penmorfa and the White Rabbit.
The monument was erected in 1933, but as can be seen in the photo taken today, the ear is missing and there is other damage.
When is Conwy Council going to pay attention to it’s tourist attractions?
Just a little further along the West shore is this lovely shelter, but again, it is damaged. Broken windows and tatty paint work spoil what should be one of the centre-pieces of the West Shore.
What is the Council doing? Very little it seems.
And then into town, and the iconic Grand Hotel and the Victorian Pier.
This derelict site is what greets you as you walk to the Grand Hotel, the site of the old Pier Pavilion. The theatre was last used in 1990, and in 1994 was destroyed by fire.
What a waste of a prime site in a tourist resort.
The current owner is apparently a Worcester business man, but surely there must be some action the Council can take.
Come on Conwy Count Borough Council, the town needs some action, from you.
The Pier Pavilion in it’s heyday.
Stop the rot you councillors, there is much more I can write about if you don’t.
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Dalesman,
I read your blog with interest as it raises the issues that I am interested in.
I am from Manchester but visit Llandudno regularly as it is a little gem with lots of history and good walks.
However, I have to agree with you about the loss of the Penmorfa – it’s demolition should not have been allowed. That’s the oldest trick in the book – saying that the last bit of the hotel had to be demolished as it was unsafe – a predictable trick by the developers ?.
They should be made to re-build the central bit – as that was part of the planning acceptance.
Now what are we going to get ? Another block of modern appartments with no charachter ?
Also, your comments on the Pier Pavilion are spot on as we commented only the other day what a mess it looked….and why was it left like this ?
Last Christmas I complained to Conwy Coucil about the litter on the Great Orme that they had left over the Chrostmas period. They had left newspapers and unravelled toilet roll all over it. They replied and said that they would increase the winter cleaning.
My point is – Llandudno is a hidden gem – and it is well worth looking after all the historical buildings and indeed spending money on improvements/restoration – as I think with all this climate change and high oil prices etc., that places like Llandudno will become alot more popular over the next few decades as people take holiday’s closer to home and start to appreciate places such as Llandudno.
However – it does mean spending money on the resort and maintaining the historic buildings/statues/shelters.
We don’t want another Rhyl on our hands !!!
Most of the changes needed would not be expensive, it’s about maintenance as much as anything.
The council really need to keep on top of unused buildings though, we now hear that the old hotel at the end of Mostyn Street is to be demolished too. Llandudno could end up with rows of modern shops and apartments.
I was there in 2000-and we were all very excited to see the ALICE HOTEL- and gloried in the sunny day and the wonder of the hotel-the statue had been a war zone-kids rocked the sculpture…..(not one brat in sight that day ) thank heavens.
It is rotten that all this wonder and lovely Victoriana has gone!But even in oXFORD-THE ALICE book/sweet shop is
owned by a lovely Japanese lady-and her brother runs
the Alice cake shop.It is a shame the English let things slip away- they sell anything to anybody ! ROTTEN LOT !
My dreams are shattered.!!!!! Why now should ANYBODY visit LLandudno……..NO NO NO. ? Nothing to see but the sea !
Eric Smith
I wouldn’t go quite as far as to say that Eric. Llandudno is still a wonderful Victorian town but the council really need to stop letting things go, and keep up to the maintenance.
Llandudno is still a wonderful Victorian town !Here is an example of problem all over UK. In Oxford is the grave of Kenneth Graham-with much effort I arrived at the cemetry-all the grave stones are wind swept-no names !Where is he ?All the book shops are filled with K. Grahams books-A HOT SELLER !But no money for the inscription on grave.By the loss of Alice hotel the magic of the area is gone-and what about repair of the rabbit sculpture ? This is my point.JK Rowling should make a foundation for writers conservation.
Or rather-book publishers -who make all the money-should have a foundation for the preservation problems.
That would be an excellent idea Eric.
The council have now repaired the white rabbit, but I fear it’s too little too late after the demolition of Penmorfa.
Your idea of a writers/publishers foundation is still a good one however.
So -now we should spread the word-before it is to late-enough is gone.The Society of Authors.org.Authors and Publishers Association.org.Booksellers.org.UK publishing.org. etc etc, as well as Architects and illustrators.
creating a society to save our culture.Not sell it or knock it down for a Mac donalds.Our foundation is all those who inspired us-so we must save and put back what is going-or gone.People today are not aware of all the devastation that surrounds us-they are locked up in their own worlds-creating-so all the facts should be made more public.there is enough land to build -and not destroy or sell the treasures that made us who we are.
Read this page-web full of people who can support the projects:
http://www.writersandartists.co.uk/
I’ve blogged about most of the Llandudno issues mentioned in this post myself and agree completely. I’ve made the point over and over again – Llandudno is a seaside resort that needs to be maintained well in order to preserve its character and pull in the visitors. Sadly, the local authority seems to view it as ‘just another town’ and no heed is paid to its special needs. It is sheer folly.
Over on the local Llandudno discussion forum, we’ve even discussed reforming the old Llandudno Heritage Trust to try and campaign to get things done.
Here are links to a couple of my blog posts that are relevant:
http://llandudnoandcolwynbay.blogspot.com/2009/07/pier-pavilion-llandudno.html
http://llandudnoandcolwynbay.blogspot.com/2009/10/civic-pride.html
http://llandudnoandcolwynbay.blogspot.com/2009/11/clarence-hotel-llandudno.html
Dave
Thanks for your comment Dave.
I agree that the local authority views Llandudno as just another town, along with other local towns such as Conwy and Colwyn bay. I shudder4 to think what will happen to these towns if action isn’t taken fairly soon.
I am really shocked to see Penmorfa has been demolished. I never got the chance to visit and now never will. I have a keen interest in writers houses and places associated with them as my MA dissertation was on the subject.
It offered the opportunity of a great tourist attraction with the history that was attached to it but if the money could not be found it never should have been demolished.
I look at your picture of the original building and, though derelict, you can really imagine what it would of been like. Then I look at the demolished image and it is incrediably sad, it is like it has been erased from history. I know there are photographs but it is not the same as the real thing plus you can view photographs anywhere whereas with the house you had to go to it to really experience it. Now that experience is lost.
I agree totally with your sentiments Melanie. Unfortunately developers had got their hands on Penmorfa and they always seem to get their own way, no matter what. There was a protest movement formed but it made little difference.
We intend to visit Llandudno again soon, which always stirs up emotions in me. I love the place, but can’t help but be angry at those who have no concern for our heritage, and in Llandudno this obviously revolves around those who have no regard for the town’s literary connection with one of the most revered stories for children. Anger at the mindless vandalism to the white rabbit marble statue, and the civic vandalism which allowed Pen Morfa to be destroyed to sate the greed of a selfish and cynical property developer.
Ah, the old trick: buy the land for a song, promise to maintain the original structure but leave it open to the elements, then, a few months down the line, declare it unfit for repair. An old trick which Conwy County Council bought hook, line and sinker. By some wacky coincidence, the former head of planning at the County Council later became a director at the very developers who were given permission to demolish Pen Morfa. Like I say, just a wacky coincidence. I wonder how he sleeps?
I wouldn’t blame the town council who opposed the move throughout, though you have to worry at the impotence of local coucillors who are supposedly representing the views of local residents and were ultimately powerless to do anything about it. When you consider how other sites in the town have been left to rot, you wonder what exactly the people of Llandudno gain from being associated with Conwy County Council. Perhaps they would be better governing their own affairs.
As for Pen Morfa itself, it hadn’t been closed for very long as a hotel, and certainly wasn’t beyond salvation. It was a beautiful, imposing building and should have been the centrepiece of the town’s Alice connection. Apparently Jacqueline Wilson, Carol Vorderman and Griff Rhys-Jones were among those who opposed its destruction. Well sorry guys but if I had a tenth of your income I’d have set up a consortium, bought the place back and restored it to its former glory.
CADW were no better, describing the building of being “of little architectural significance”. Oh yeah, because the North Wales coast is choc-a-bloc with neo-Gothic Victorian mansions, isn’t it? You can’t move for ‘em, guv.
We can disagree about the bulding’s beauty, there will always be doubt as to whether Lewis Carroll visited Llandudno, let alone Pen Morfa, but those who allowed its destruction missed a trick: tourists equal money.
I thank God that Conwy Borough Council and CADW aren’t in charge of any other threatened buildings in the rest of the U.K. We all have a duty to fight those who are as short-sighted and guilty of acts of vandalism in the name of the taxpayer.
there are many tourists attractions to choose from, the only problem that we have is the money to spend to see most of them “
For those who loved Penmorfa, Gogarth Abbey Hotel, here is a small remembrance:
http://www.penmorfapaintings.co.uk