From the collection of
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.
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.
Whether you're going by road, rail, air or sea, this collection of screen ads doesn't just get you from A to B, it offers a road map to an A-Z of desirable destinations.
Throughout the 20th century, screen advertising helped transform the car from luxury conveyance for the wealthy to essential commodity, 'hand-built by robots'. It saw out the last days of steam, and made 'the age of the train'. And it presented travel - at home or abroad - as a route to a better life.
