Kinmel Bay and Towyn are two adjoining coastal villages situated west of Rhyl and stretching for approximately two and a half miles along the north Wales coast. The first edition of the 25inch OS maps, published in 1872, depicts a very sparsely populated area. Kinmel Bay is not named at all. Towyn is shown as a very small village with a church (NPRN 12566) and a Methodist chapel (NPRN 7441). A little to the north east is Foryd, which has now been absorbed by Kinmel Bay. In 1872 Foryd had a lodge, 'Ferry House Vaults,' a landing stage, signal post for the railway, Foryd Fawr farm and a lifeboat station (NPRN 544023). When the second edition of the 25inch maps was published in 1899. the 'Ferry House Vaults' had been replaced by 'the Ferry Hotel.' Towyn Hall, situated on the railway line between Towyn and Foryd, had expanded rapidly. Whereas the first edition of the maps only recorded it as 'Towyn Hall,' by 1899 it was home to the Foryd railway station, Morfa Villa and Morfa Hospital. The third edition of the 25inch OS maps was published in 1913. Again, Kinmel Bay as it exists today had not yet been built, but there were signs that Towyn and Foryd were expanding a little. Towyn had acquired a school and a Sunday school. Towyn Hall was no longer marked on the maps, but Morfa Hospital had become an isolation hospital. Two rows of cottages had been built and recorded at Foryd, one right next to the railway junction (NPRN 87067) on the Chester to Holyhead railway.
The modern Kinmel Bay and Towyn are almost unrecognisable compared to how the area was at the turn of the twentieth century. There are several major caravan parks and holiday camps on the coast, including Sunnyvale caravan park; Golden Sands holiday park; Lyons Winkups holiday park; Abbeyford holiday park and Seldons Golden Gate holiday centre. According to the Visit Llandudno website, Kinmel Bay has a sandy beach which attracts, swimmers, paddlers, canoeists and windsurfers. It also has a kitesurfing centre. Slightly inland is the Kinmel Dunes Nature Reserve. Additionally, there is a harbour at Kinmel Bay, and its main attraction is Y Morfa Leisure Centre, 'which has a multi-purpose sports hall, two squash courts and an outdoor multi-use games area.'
Towyn, meanwhile, 'is a bustling place, with beach-front amusements, fine sands and good shopping.' The two principal attractions there are 'the Tir Prince Leisure Park which offers an unusual combination of American-style harness racing and a big amusement park with lots of rides ? plus the largest outdoor weekly market in North Wales. The other principal attraction is Kinghtley's Fun Park, 'a complete amusement centre with everything from costumed characters to a frenetic family funfair.'
Sources: modern and historic OS maps; www.visitllandudno.org.uk
M. Ryder, RCAHMW, 8th January 2019.