Kinmel Bay ( cy, Bae Cinmel) is a seaside village in Conwy County Borough, north-east

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. It is also an

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

to the county council and town council. The resort town of Rhyl lies just across the

River Clwyd The River Clwyd (Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd'') is a river in Wales that rises in the Clocaenog Forest () northwest of Corwen. Its total length is . It flows due south until, at Melin-y-wig, it veers north-eastwards, tracking the A494 and passing t ...

in the neighbouring county of

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

. According to the 2001 Census, together with neighbouring Towyn (to the west), it had a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 7,864, of which 10.7% could speak

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

. Kinmel Bay is part of a large

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

which includes Abergele, Bodelwyddan, Pensarn, Towyn, Rhyl and

Prestatyn Prestatyn is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085, History Prehistory There is evidence that the ...

, These are also tourist areas for spring/summer self-catering holidaymakers which include various caravan sites. According to early 19th Century texts, the etymology of 'Kinmel' derives from the Welsh name 'Cynmael' (Cyn-, a prefix which means 'former' and Mael which means 'Chief' or 'Prince'). Kinmel Bay was originally called Foryd before it grew in size, and that was the name of the former train station (see

Foryd railway station Foryd railway station (later known as Kinmel Bay Halt) was a railway station built to serve Kinmel Bay, then in Flintshire but now in Conwy County Borough, Wales. History The original Foryd station was opened on 5 October 1858 and was situated ...

). Kinmel Bay beach is popular with tourists and the local population. In addition to various small shops and takeaway outlets, there is also an Asda superstore that opened in 1981, and (as of 2016) includes a large petrol filling station. Screenwriter/director

Jimmy Sangster James Henry Kinmel Sangster (2 December 1927 – 19 August 2011) was a British screenwriter and director, most famous for his work on the initial horror films made by the British company Hammer Film Productions, Hammer Films, including ''The Cur ...

, known for his work on various Hammer horror films, was born in Kimmel Bay. Kinmel Bay was the inspiration for the piece 'Vanishing Games', music written for

oboe quartet An Oboe quartet is a composition scored for oboe, violin, viola and basso. While the genre is not very common, Mozart wrote the most well known, his Oboe Quartet, K. 370. Other composers of oboe quartets include Johann Christian Bach, Josef Fi ...

by composer

Peter McGarr Peter McGarr (born 28 May 1953) is an English classical composer and teacher, working in the English experimental tradition and inspired by Northern English landscape and culture. Biography McGarr was born in Openshaw, Manchester, and attended ...

Governance

Kinmel Bay is also the name of an

which comprises the eastern half of the community of Kinmel Bay and Towyn. It elects three county councillors to Conwy County Borough Council. Since 2004 it has been represented by a mixture of Conservative and

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

councillors. Kinmel Bay is also a community ward, electing town councillors to represent them on Towyn and Kinmel Bay Town Council.Welcome to our website
Towyn and Kinmel Bay Town Council. Retrieved 26 March 2018.

References

External links

photos of Kinmel Bay and surrounding area
{{authority control Villages in Conwy County Borough Wards of Conwy County Borough Kinmel Bay and Towyn Populated coastal places in Wales