Former Lloyd Street School, Llandudno
The Penderyn whisky distillery occupies the former Llandudno Board School, later known as Lloyd Street School.
The school began in 1873 as the Llandudno British School in a chapel basement. On 9 December 1881 pupils had the afternoon off to see John Bright MP lay the new school’s foundation stone. He frequently visited Llandudno and kept horses in a field beside Church Walks.
In 1906 the school had 116 infants, 235 girls and 186 boys. The girls’ and boys’ sections merged in 1912.
Land behind the school (where visitors now enter the distillery) was acquired in 1906 so children could be taught cookery and manual skills. In 1939 an infants’ block was opened there. Infants who spoke Welsh were in a separate section from those who didn’t.
A group of 18 Lloyd Street School boys began cookery lessons at John Bright School in 1909. Cookery was taught to girls only, but the education authority granted an exemption for Llandudno boys, despite opposition from William George (brother of future Prime Minister David). Llandudno’s thriving hotels needed many cooks.
Eric Turner, 11, took detonators into the school in July 1932. One exploded in his left hand during a lesson in the gymnasium. The school log noted that he lost four fingers and both thumbs. The headmaster thought the detonators were from a quarry. The following month another pupil, Margaret Worthington, 12, died as a result of a Great Orme Tramway accident, despite the driver’s attempt to save her.
In June 1940 the school excluded 42 pupils aged under five because of the risk of air raids. Nearby residents agreed to shelter pupils during any raids in school hours. A practice run in July was successful but when the air-raid warning sounded five months later, one householder refused to admit her designated infants!
The school was used in the evenings by the Llandudno Shukokai Karate Club in the early 1980s. After the school’s closure, Llandudno library occupied the premises in the early 1990s. In 1996 the newly formed Conwy Archive Service moved in. The archives transferred to purpose-built premises in Conwy town in 2019.
The Penderyn distillery opened here in 2021, after an investment of £5m. Penderyn Whisky was launched in 2004 in Penderyn, in the Brecon Beacons. The Llandudno distillery features an innovative copper-pot still and a visitor centre. Follow the link below to book a tour or masterclass.
With thanks to Conwy Archive Service for information and the photo
Postcode: LL30 2YG View Location Map
Penderyn Whisky website
Website of Conwy Archive Service