Fun at Rhyl

From the collection of

Archif Sgrin a Sain Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / National Library of Wales Screen and Sound Archive

Established in 2001, the National Library of Wales Screen and Sound Archive holds an unrivalled collection of films, TV and radio broadcasts, video tapes and sound recordings relating to Wales and the Welsh, from 1898 to the present day. The collection spans multiples formats and genres, both professional and amateur.

Fun at Rhyl

Archif Sgrin a Sain Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / National Library of Wales Screen and Sound Archive
Rhyl
1962-01-01
Sound

Cinema advertisement for Marine Lake & Ocean Beach, Rhyl, a popular destination for crowds set on a day's fun on free rides.

What times were had on the free funfair rides at Marine Lake & Ocean Beach, Rhyl, destination of many a Sunday School and chapel outing across the decades. David E Sutcliffe, a BBC stringer based in Anglesey, was commissioned to make this film advertising summer fun during the winter months. The lack of crowds and appropriate weather account for its brevity!

Rhyl's Marine Lake was opened on Queen Victoria's birthday in 1895 - May 24th. It was bought by the Rhyl Amusement Company in 1910 and fairground rides were built along part of its shore. In 1954, the company expanded onto nearby land it also owned, creating a larger funfair - Ocean Beach - in addition to the lake rides. Ocean Beach operated until 2007. The lake continues to support sailing and other water sports.

Near Your Local Cinema

Local goods for local people! Screen advertising wasn’t all national brands and chain stores.

Purpose-built cinemas began appearing around Britain shortly before WWI, booming in popularity during the War and developing into the ‘picture palaces’ of the 1920s - when adverts jostled for space alongside newsreels before the main feature. Local businesses were quick to see the potential of a big screen and a captive audience to promote their wares.

While they didn’t have access to the budgets of the national brands, regionally-specific businesses had the benefit of that personal touch. Products and services evolved over time, but that scratchy ad for your local Indian restaurant, so integral to the cinema-going experience into the 1990s, had its roots in the booming entrepreneurship of the industry many decades before.