Prestatyn is a seaside town and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

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 ...

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 ...

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

a part of Flintshire, it is located on the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...

coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085,

History

Prehistory

There is evidence that the current town location has been occupied since

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

times. Prehistoric tools found in the caves of

Graig Fawr Graig Fawr is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the preserved county of Clwyd, north Wales, now in Denbighshire. It is 153 metres (502 feet) high and located near Prestatyn. It is owned by the National Trust. See also *List of Sites of ...

, in the nearby village of Meliden, have revealed the existence of early human habitation in the area.

Roman

The

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

bathhouse is believed to be part of a fort on the

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

from

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the eastern shore of the Menai Strait, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is ...

. However, much of "Roman Prestatyn" has been destroyed as houses have been built over unexcavated land.

Medieval

The name Prestatyn derives from the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

''prēosta'' ("priests, the

genitive In grammar, the genitive case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can al ...

plural The plural (sometimes abbreviated pl., pl, or ), in many languages, is one of the values of the grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than the default quantity represented by that noun. This de ...

of ''prēost'') and ''tūn'' ("town"), and was recorded in the ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

'' as ''Prestetone''. Unlike similarly derived names in England, which generally lost their penultimate syllable and became

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

, 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 A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...

s in England, Prestatyn was included since it was at that time under English control. An earth mound, visible in fields to the east of the railway station, beyond Nant Hall, marks the site of an early wooden

Prestatyn castle Prestatyn Castle is a motte and bailey castle in Prestatyn, Wales, built in 1157 on land granted to the Norman lord Robert Banastre by King Henry II of England. It was built on level ground on the coastal plain and commanded an extensive view. N ...

, probably built by the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

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 Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

. The town appears to have been primarily a fishing village for hundreds of years. The beginning and end of High Street today mark the location of two 'maenolau' (or

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

s) called Pendre (translated as "end of" or "top of town") and Penisadre ("lower end of town").

19th century to present

The town's population remained at less than 1,000 until the arrival of the

railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

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 healthy by city-dwelling

Victorians In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardian ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the holiday camps were used as billets for British soldiers, many of whom were also sent to live with locals. Prestatyn was the home of the first UK Kwik Save

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...

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 was bought by

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...

. The

North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm 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. The first of the UK's Round 1 offshore wind farms, North Hoy ...

was opened in 2003. Situated in Liverpool Bay, 5 miles (8 km) off the coast of Prestatyn, it was the UK's first major offshore wind farm. It has 30

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. ...

s with a combined maximum capacity of 60

megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units, International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), ...

s – enough to power 40,000 homes.

Facilities and attractions

Although Prestatyn remains a tourist destination and

resort town A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...

, the town is diversifying in response to the decline of the British seaside holiday. The town is 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, and the western end of the Clwydian Way. Other attractions include the remains of

Roman baths In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large imperial bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed in great numbers throughout ...

and the nearby

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

mound, the Gop. Pontin's Holiday Centre was the location for a 1973 film of the popular British TV series, '' On the Buses''.

Nova

Previously named the Lido, this leisure and entertainment complex was established in 1923 with an outdoor seawater swimming pool and ballroom. A £4.4 million pound investment in 2015 has seen the redevelopment of this complex to include a new facade, entrance and reception area as well as a new bar/restaurant, 60 station fitness suite and children's soft play area.

Politics

The town was in the Delyn parliamentary constituency from 1983 to 1997, since when it has been in Vale of Clwyd. For elections to Denbighshire County Council the town is divided into five

electoral wards The wards and electoral divisions in the United Kingdom are electoral districts at sub-national level, represented by one or more councillors. The ward is the primary unit of English electoral geography for civil parishes and borough and distri ...

, namely Prestatyn Central, Prestatyn East, Prestatyn Meliden,

Prestatyn North Prestatyn North is the name of one of the electoral wards of the town of Prestatyn, Denbighshire, Wales. It covers the northwest part of the town, either side of Victoria Road close to the beach. Prestatyn East ward lies to the east, while Rhyl E ...

and Prestatyn South West. For elections to Prestatyn Town Council the town is divided into six wards (with Prestatyn North county ward being subdivided into North and North West). Eighteen town councillors are elected.

Transport

Prestatyn railway station Prestatyn railway station on the North Wales Coast Line serves the town of Prestatyn in North Wales. The station was built on the Chester and Holyhead Railway (CHR) line and opened on 1 May 1848. The coming of the railway is credited with bring ...

is on the

North Wales Coast Line The North Wales Coast Line ( cy, Llinell Arfordir Gogledd Cymru), also known as the North Wales Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell Gogledd Cymru or cy, label=none, Prif Linell y Gogledd), is a major railway line in the north of Wales and Cheshire, ...

which connects the town with

Holyhead Holyhead (,; cy, Caergybi , "Cybi's fort") is the largest town and a community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales, with a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north, and is ...

to the west and

to the east. Bus services are provided by Arriva Buses Wales.

Notable people

:''See :People from Prestatyn'' John Prescott 2009 (cropped)

Gordon Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor Gordon Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor (27 May 1888 – 20 January 1966) was a British Labour Party politician and Newfoundland's final British governor as well as the last chairman of the Commission of Government serving from 19 ...

(1888-1966) politician and Newfoundland's final British governor * Sir Huw Wheldon (1916–1986) a broadcaster and BBC executive. * Harold Bird-Wilson (1919–2000) senior Royal Air Force officer, and a flying ace in WWII. *

Emyr Humphreys Emyr Humphreys (; 15 April 191930 September 2020) was a Welsh novelist, poet, and author. His career spanned from the 1940s until his retirement in 2009. He published in both English and Welsh. Early life and career Humphreys was born on 15 A ...

(1919–2020), a Welsh novelist, poet and author. *

Peggy Cummins Peggy Cummins (born Augusta Margaret Diane Fuller; 18 December 1925 – 29 December 2017) was an Irish actress, born in Wales, who is best known for her performance in Joseph H. Lewis's ''Gun Crazy'' (1950), playing a trigger-happy ''femme fa ...

(1925–2017), an Irish actress * John Prescott (born 1938), politician, UK Deputy Prime Minister, 1997 to 2007 * Neil Aspinall (1941–2008), music industry executive, head of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' co. Apple Corps. *

Gareth Williams, Baron Williams of Mostyn Gareth Wyn Williams, Baron Williams of Mostyn, (5 February 1941 – 20 September 2003), was a Welsh barrister and Labour politician who was Leader of the House of Lords, Lord President of the Council and a member of the Cabinet from 2001 unti ...

, (1941–2003), barrister and politician * Barry Flanagan (1941–2009) sculptor of bronze statues of hares *

Jonathan Elphick Jonathan Elphick is a British natural history writer, 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. He is author of ''The ...

(born 1945), natural history author,

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

and zoologist *

Philip Caveney Philip Caveney (born 1951) is a British children's author, best known for the Sebastian Darke, Alec Devlin and Movie Maniacs novels. He previously wrote a number of thrillers for adults. He was born in Prestatyn, North Wales but for many y ...

(born 1951), a British children's author *

Karl Wallinger Karl Edmond De Vere Wallinger (born 19 October 1957, Prestatyn, Wales) 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. He also wrote and origi ...

(born 1957), pop musician, songwriter and record producer. *

Bryn Crossley Bryn Gareth Crossley (3 August 1958 – 7 January 2018) was a Welsh jockey who competed in Flat racing. He was British flat racing Champion Apprentice in the 1981 season and rode over 200 winners in total in a career lasting from 1976 to 1993. ...

(1958–2018) champion flat racing jockey * Mike Peters (born 1959), pop musician, lead singer of '' The Alarm'' * Carol Vorderman (born 1960) media personality, brought up in Prestatyn, co-hosted game show ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

'' for 26 years from 1982 until 2008 *

Danny Coyne Daniel Coyne (born 27 August 1973) is a Welsh football coach and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a goalkeeper who played between 1992 and 2018. He came through the youth ranks at Tranmere Rovers during the 1992–93 season. ...

(born 1973), former goalkeeper with 442 club caps and 16 for

Annual events

Flower Show

Prestatyn Flower Show is an annual event held in Prestatyn town centre on the last Friday and Saturday of July. The flower show has traditionally been held within the grounds of Cerrig Llwydion, High Street, Prestatyn, which was formerly a vicarage. The event also includes a small display of classic cars and vintage motorcycles on the Saturday.

Carnival

Prestatyn Carnival is an 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 jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

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, with many events including a talent show and dance competition. In 2011 the event reverted to its original one–day format. In 2008, Prestatyn Carnival Association revived the 'Miss Prestatyn' title.

Classic Car Show

The largest free classic car show in North Wales with over 400 vehicles taking part in 2019. The show is an annual event taking place on the last Bank Holiday Monday in May since 2000. It usually takes place on Ty Nant car park in Prestatyn town centre, but expanded in 2019 to include the majority of the High Street. In 2020, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, there was a virtual show.

Cultural references

Philip Larkin wrote a poem entitled ' Sunny Prestatyn'. In it he describes a poster advertising the resort that is progressively defaced by vulgar graffiti. Roddy Frame and Jeremy Stacey wrote most of Aztec Camera's 1995 album ''

Frestonia Frestonia was the name adopted by the residents of Freston Road, London, when they attempted to secede from the United Kingdom in 1977 to form the Free and Independent Republic of Frestonia. The residents were squatters, many of whom eventual ...

'' during a three-week retreat at the Sands Hotel in Prestatyn. Frame later blamed the overcast and grim weather conditions there for the album's melancholy and gloomy tone. The town also appears in '' The Royle Family'' 2009 Christmas special " The Golden Egg Cup", in which the family visits Prestatyn to celebrate Jim and Barb's fiftieth wedding anniversary.

Sport

The town is host to two major

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

teams within the Welsh football league pyramid,

Prestatyn Town Prestatyn Town Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl Droed Tref Prestatyn) is a Wales, Welsh association football, football club based in Prestatyn, Denbighshire who play in the Cymru North. History Early years Records show that football has been play ...

and the recently formed Prestatyn Sports. Local football side Prestatyn Town gained promotion to the Welsh Premier League having been crowned champions of the

Cymru Alliance The Cymru Alliance League (known for sponsorship reasons as Huws Gray Alliance) was a football league in north and central Wales which formed the second level of the Welsh football league system. From the 2019/20 season onwards, it was replaced ...

League 2007-08 season. As of 23 April 2008, planning permission for

floodlights A floodlight is a broad-beamed, gas discharge lamp#High-intensity discharge lamps, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is Night game, being held during low-li ...

and seating had 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. They currently play in the Cymru North, the second tier of Welsh football. Many qualification rounds in

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...

were once held at

Pontin's Pontins is a British company operating holiday parks in the UK, founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. Since 2011, it has been owned by Britannia Hotels. Pontins specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays featuring entertainment ...

Holiday Camp here; this included all the major snooker tournaments, and the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

. The qualification rounds have since moved to the World Snooker Academy in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

. Founded in 1895, Prestatyn Cricket Club has recently celebrated its 125th Anniversary. As of 1 November 2020 they play in Liverpool and District Comp (LDDC) 1st XI division.

References

External links

{{authority control Communities in Denbighshire Towns in Denbighshire Seaside resorts in Wales Populated coastal places in Wales