Colwyn Bay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Colwyn Bay
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From the top, View over Colwyn Bay, Station Road, Penrhyn Road
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 Colwyn Bay
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| Population | 34,284 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SH865785 |
| Community |
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| Principal area |
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| Ceremonial county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | COLWYN BAY |
| Postcode district | LL28, LL29 |
| Dialling code | 01492 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament |
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| Welsh Assembly |
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Colwyn Bay (Welsh: Bae Colwyn) is a lively town and seaside resort located on the north coast of Wales. It's part of the Conwy County Borough and looks out over the Irish Sea. It's a great place for holidays by the beach!
Colwyn Bay started as a small group of homes and farms in 1844. Since then, it has grown a lot. Today, it's the second-largest town and business hub in North Wales. If you include nearby areas like Old Colwyn, Rhos-on-Sea, Mochdre, and Penrhyn Bay, the total population was about 34,284 people in 2011.
Contents
- History of Colwyn Bay
- Geography of Colwyn Bay
- Climate in Colwyn Bay
- People and Language in Colwyn Bay
- Economy of Colwyn Bay
- Culture in Colwyn Bay
- Fun Things to Do in Colwyn Bay
- Famous Places in Colwyn Bay
- Getting Around Colwyn Bay
- Schools in Colwyn Bay
- Places of Worship
- Sports in Colwyn Bay
- Famous People from Colwyn Bay
- Images for kids
- See also
History of Colwyn Bay
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The western part of Colwyn Bay, called Rhos-on-Sea, has some very old sites. These are linked to Saint Trillo, a saint, and Ednyfed Fychan, a famous general from the 1200s who worked for Llywelyn the Great, a Welsh prince.
The name 'Colwyn' might come from Collwyn ap Tangno, an important person from the 1000s. He was a lord in different parts of Wales. Another idea is that it's named after the River Colwyn in Old Colwyn.
In 1399, King Richard II was ambushed in Old Colwyn. This happened when he was returning to England from Ireland.
During World War II, the Colwyn Bay Hotel was used as the main office for the Ministry of Food. This ministry helped make sure people had enough food during the war. Colwyn Bay also helped the war effort by becoming a place where diamonds were cut and polished.
The town grew quickly after the railway arrived in 1848. In the early 1900s, it became a popular holiday spot for people from big towns in North West England.
Geography of Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay is located about halfway along the north coast of Wales. It sits between the sea and the tall hills of Pwllycrochan Woods. Groes yn Eirias was once a small village, but now it's part of the town, with homes and Eirias Park.
Climate in Colwyn Bay
Like most of the British Isles, Colwyn Bay has a maritime climate. This means it has cool summers and mild winters. It can also be quite windy. The area is known for "Foehn winds." These are winds that blow from the south over the mountains. They become warm and dry as they come down, making the temperatures much higher than you might expect.
| Climate data for Colwyn Bay 36m asl, 1981-2010 | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.1 (61.0) |
18.7 (65.7) |
21.4 (70.5) |
24.8 (76.6) |
28.1 (82.6) |
30.3 (86.5) |
33.0 (91.4) |
32.4 (90.3) |
28.3 (82.9) |
27.2 (81.0) |
18.3 (64.9) |
16.4 (61.5) |
33.0 (91.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.5 (47.3) |
8.4 (47.1) |
10.3 (50.5) |
12.1 (53.8) |
15.2 (59.4) |
17.6 (63.7) |
19.6 (67.3) |
19.4 (66.9) |
17.4 (63.3) |
14.3 (57.7) |
11.1 (52.0) |
8.9 (48.0) |
13.6 (56.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.8 (37.0) |
2.7 (36.9) |
4.1 (39.4) |
5.3 (41.5) |
7.7 (45.9) |
10.4 (50.7) |
12.5 (54.5) |
12.5 (54.5) |
10.7 (51.3) |
8.1 (46.6) |
5.7 (42.3) |
3.2 (37.8) |
7.2 (45.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −9.9 (14.2) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−9.3 (15.3) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
2.4 (36.3) |
5.7 (42.3) |
4.0 (39.2) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
−10.4 (13.3) |
−10.4 (13.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 74.7 (2.94) |
53.0 (2.09) |
57.5 (2.26) |
50.7 (2.00) |
52.9 (2.08) |
56.1 (2.21) |
52.1 (2.05) |
64.6 (2.54) |
70.2 (2.76) |
96.8 (3.81) |
89.8 (3.54) |
90.2 (3.55) |
808.7 (31.84) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 56.2 | 81.8 | 115.0 | 162.8 | 209.0 | 185.6 | 189.6 | 174.7 | 135.2 | 108.2 | 59.9 | 44.1 | 1,522 |
| Source: Met Office | |||||||||||||
People and Language in Colwyn Bay
In 2011, the population of the wider Colwyn Bay area was about 33,549 people. This makes it the second-largest town in North Wales.
The Welsh language is an important part of the culture here. In 2011, about 17.9% of people aged three and older could speak Welsh. For those born in Wales, about 29.9% could speak Welsh.
Economy of Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay's economy mainly relies on tourism because of its beautiful beaches. The town is also a Fairtrade Town. This means it supports fair prices and good working conditions for producers in developing countries.
Culture in Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay has hosted the National Eisteddfod twice, in 1910 and 1947. The National Eisteddfod is a big festival that celebrates Welsh culture, music, and poetry.
The Victoria Pier used to be a popular place for dances and shows. Many famous bands and artists performed there until 2008.
Fun Things to Do in Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay has many parks and gardens, as well as natural places like Eirias Park. The town has won a gold award eight times in the "Wales in Bloom" competition, which celebrates beautiful floral displays. It has also won silver gilt awards in the "Britain in Bloom" competition.
The Welsh Mountain Zoo is located nearby, where you can see many different animals.
The Porth Eirias Watersports Centre is a great place to learn new skills. You can take lessons in sailing, windsurfing, and power boating. You can also rent kayaks and canoes there.
Famous Places in Colwyn Bay
The Victoria Pier was a well-known landmark. It closed to the public in 2009. After some time, parts of the pier collapsed into the sea in 2017. The pier was finally taken down in May 2018. The council plans to store parts of it to possibly restore it later.
Other important buildings include Llety'r Dryw, which is now a training centre for the North Wales Police. Llys Euryn is an old manor house that is now in ruins. There are also several buildings designed by a famous local architect named Sidney Colwyn Foulkes.
Cotswold is a special house with unique Japanese and Arts and Crafts style gardens. These gardens are listed as important historical sites. Another notable garden is The Flagstaff, which overlooks the bay.
Getting Around Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay has its own Colwyn Bay railway station in the town centre. Trains run along the North Wales Coast Line. The A55 road also goes through the town, running next to the railway line.
Old Tramline
From 1907 to 1956, an electric tramway service ran between Llandudno and Rhos-on-Sea, and then extended to Colwyn Bay. It was a fun way to travel around the area!
Schools in Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay has three secondary schools. Eirias High School and Ysgol Bryn Elian are state schools. Rydal Penrhos School is a private school.
The town also has several primary schools, including Ysgol Nant y Groes, Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn, Ysgol T Gwynn Jones, Ysgol Hen Golwyn, Saint Joseph's R.C. Primary, and the Welsh-language Ysgol Bod Alaw.
Places of Worship
There are several churches in and around Colwyn Bay. These include St Paul's Church, St David's Welsh Church, St John the Baptist's Church, St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, and Christ Church, Bryn-y-Maen.
Sports in Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay has a local football team called Colwyn Bay F.C.. They play in the Cymru Premier, which is the top football league in Wales. The local cricket team is Colwyn Bay Cricket Club. There is also a rugby union team, Colwyn Bay RFC. The RGC 1404 rugby team also plays at Eirias Stadium in Colwyn Bay.
The Black Cat Cycling Club, started in 2014, is based in Colwyn Bay and has members from the town and nearby areas.
Glamorgan County Cricket Club often plays one first-class game each year at Colwyn Bay.
Famous People from Colwyn Bay
- William Davies (born 1555), a Welsh priest.
- William Roache (born 1932), an actor famous for playing Ken Barlow in Coronation Street.
- Terry Jones (1942–2020), an actor and comedian from the Monty Python group.
- Alun Michael (born 1943), a former Member of Parliament.
- Timothy Dalton (born 1946), an actor who played James Bond.
- Richard Ellis (born 1950), a well-known astronomer.
- Paula Yates (1959–2000), a British television presenter.
- Helen Willetts (born 1972), a BBC weather reporter.
- The Vivienne (born around 1985), a drag queen and winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK.
Famous Sports People
- Nancie Colling (1919–2020), an international lawn bowls player.
- Tony Lewis (born 1938), a cricketer who captained Glamorgan.
- Mike Walker (born 1945), a footballer and former manager for teams like Everton FC.
- Peter O'Sullivan (born 1951), a former footballer.
- Mickey Thomas (born 1954), a famous footballer who played for Manchester United and Wales.
- Carl Dale (born 1966), a footballer.
- Ash Dykes (born around 1980), an adventurer and extreme athlete.
- Rachel Taylor (born 1983), a Welsh international women's rugby player.
- Marc Williams (born 1988), a footballer.
- Rosie Hughes (born 1995), a footballer for Wrexham Women.
Images for kids
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View over Colwyn Bay
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Station Road
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Penrhyn Road
See also
In Spanish: Colwyn Bay para niños
