Prestatyn

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Prestatyn
Prestatyn shown within the United Kingdom
Population	18,496
OS grid reference	SJ065825
- Cardiff	171.9m
- London	233.9m
Principal area	Denbighshire
Ceremonial county	Clwyd
Constituent country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	PRESTATYN
Postcode district	LL19
Dialling code	01745
Police	North Wales
Fire	North Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
European Parliament	Wales
UK Parliament	Vale of Clwyd
List of places: UK • Wales • Denbighshire

Coordinates: 53°19′52″N 3°24′20″W / 53.33112, -3.40545

Prestatyn is a seaside resort in Denbighshire, North Wales, lying on the north coast. At the 2001 UK census, it had a population of 18,496.

1 History
2 Description
3 Attractions
4 Transport
5 Wind farm
6 Notable people
7 Cultural references
8 Sport
9 References
10 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Prehistory

The town is believed to be one of the oldest inhabited places in north Wales. Tools found in the caves of Craig Fawr, in the nearby village of Meliden, have revealed the existence of cavemen in the area.

[edit] Roman

The Roman bathhouse is believed to be part of a camp/military base on the route march from Chester to Caernarfon. However, much of 'Roman Prestatyn' has been destroyed as houses have been built over unexcavated land.

[edit] Medieval

An earth mound, visible in fields to the south of the railway station (near Nant Hall), marks the site of a wooden mound and bailey castle, destroyed by Owain Gwynedd's men in the 9th century. The town was primarily a fishing village for hundreds of years. The beginning and end of the high street today marks the location of two 'faenols' (or manor houses) called Pendre (translated as "end of" or "top of town") and Penisadre ("lower end of the town").

The name Prestatyn derives from the Old English preosta ("priest") and tun ("farm"), and was recorded in the Domesday Book 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.^[1]

[edit] 19th century to present

The town's population remained at less than a thousand until the arrival of the railway 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 Victorians. During the Second World War the holiday camps 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, and many evacuees came to Denbighshire from various northern cities.

Prestatyn was the home of the first ever Kwik Save supermarket in 1965.

[edit] Description

Although Prestatyn remains a tourist destination, 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, it will help regenerate the town, increase employment, improve tourism and provide much needed facilities for community volunteer groups whilst providing a digital cinema with films, exhibition and theatre venues. Prestatyn has the steepest High Street in the United kingdom.

Work is underway on the revival of the Ffrith Beach Festival Gardens. After a troubled few years when the seafront site has lain deserted, attractions are planned (eg 10-pin bowling, quad bikes) to breathe fresh life into the resort.

[edit] Attractions

The town is located at the northern end of the Offa's Dyke Path, 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, the Scala Cinema (now closed due to structural damage but undergoing renovation), opened in 1913, and the nearby Neolithic mound, The Gop.

[edit] Transport

A railway station 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.

[edit] Wind farm

The North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm was opened in 2003. Situated in Liverpool Bay, 5 miles (7.5km) off the coast of Prestatyn, it was the UK's first major offshore wind farm. It comprises 30 turbines with a combined maximum capacity of 60 megawatts - enough to power 40,000 homes.

[edit] Notable people

Notable people from the town include Neil Aspinall, John Prescott, Mike Peters (The Alarm), Carol Vorderman (who was brought up here), Karl Wallinger (of the band World Party) and authors Jake Davies and Emyr Humphreys. 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.

[edit] Cultural references

Philip Larkin once wrote a poem, loosely about the town, called 'Sunny Prestatyn'. He was inspired by a roadside advert and probably never visited the town.

[edit] Sport

Local football side Prestatyn Town F.C. gained promotion to the Welsh Premiership football league having been crowned champions of the Cymru Alliance League 2007-08 season . As of the 23rd of April 2008 planning permission for flood lights and seating has been granted^[2] in order to meet the Welsh Premier grading requirements. The deadline for these upgrades is May the 1st 2008^[3], and having passed these requirements their promotion will be ratified by the Welsh Premier League on the 15th of May.^[4]