Glasdir, Plas yn Dre, Llanrwst

link_to_welsh_translationGlasdir, Plas yn Dre, Llanrwst

photo_of_plas_yn_dreAt the beginning of the 19th century a manor house called Plas yn Dre ("Manor in the town") stood on this site. It was set in front of a row of copper beech trees. A high wall at the front separated the house from Station Road. It is shown in the photo on the right.

The Jones family of Plas yn Dre was one of few to lose a daughter and a son in the First World War. Hugh Price Jones was killed in the ill-fated attempt to invade the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey, in 1915. His sister Janet, a quarter master in the Women’s Royal Air Force, was buried in an official war grave outside Seion chapel, Llanrwst, in 1918.

In the 1930s the Luxor Cinema was built on the site. It officially opened on Thursday 2 June 1938 and was said to feature an ultra-modern design, ample car parking, select entertainment, perfect sound and beautiful lighting. The photo below shows the newly built cinema.

In the early 1960s Llanrwst’s courthouse and police station were built on the site. The Lord Lieutenant, Colonel J C Wynne Finch, performed the opening ceremony on 14 March 1963. The police station remains at Plas yn Dre today, along with an ambulance station and library.

The cinema closed in 1966 and the premises were used as a KwikSave supermarket until 1996.  Following this the building lay empty, until it was demolished in 2004. 

photo_of_luxor_cinema

In 2007, Glasdir was built on the site – a business, conference and training centre. Used by organisations and companies across Wales, it receives c.20,000 visitors annually, aiding the local economy. The project was developed in conjunction with the Conwy Rural Partnership and part financed by the Welsh Assembly Government. It was supported by the Conwy Economic Development and Regeneration Partnership and secured £1.16m from the European Regional Development Fund. Other partners in the early stages included Conwy County Borough Council, the Welsh Development Agency and Coleg Llandrillo Cymru. 

More recently, Glasdir has developed an academy that provides a range of training courses to business across Wales.

Postcode: LL26 0DF    View Location Map

Website of Glasdir

Website of Glasdir Skills Academy