Coney Beach Amusement Park in Porthcawl dates from 1918; it is thought to have been built to entertain American troops returning from the First World War, taking its name from the slightly larger New York pleasure park on Coney Island. Also in 1918, the miners' fortnight was introduced: a two-week holiday in July and August when the mines shut and most of the population of the mining valleys decamped to the seaside. Porthcawl suddenly mushroomed into one of the most popular holiday resorts in the country. From 1948 it was the venue for the South Wales Miners? Eisteddfod.
Source: Coney Beach Amusement Park
B.A.Malaws, RCAHMW, 11 July 2013.