Old banana warehouse, Llandudno Junction
Old banana warehouse, Conwy Road, Llandudno Junction
This warehouse was constructed by the Elders & Fyffes banana company in the 1940s. Green bananas were shipped to Britain and brought by train to Llandudno Junction. The building had ovens where bananas were ripened ready for sale. Wholesalers and retailers from a wide area of North Wales collected supplies here.
Many local people have told of “tarantulas” being seen in the vicinity. Exotic spiders stowed away in bunches of bananas and emerged at Llandudno Junction.
The plans for the building, received by the local authority in January 1940, are shown here courtesy of Conwy Archive Service (Conwy County Borough Council). Britain was then braced for aerial bombing by the Nazis, and the plans show an “air raid shelter” in the building’s north-west corner.
The site was on London Midland & Scottish Railway property, directly behind the main signal box (which was relocated after the war). There were three openings in the warehouse’s back wall with sliding doors, where Fyffes employees unloaded bananas from vans (enclosed railway wagons) which were parked on a siding between the warehouse and signal box. “Rustic facing” was specified for the frontage. The side walls had louvre vents.
Elders & Fyffes bought a semi-detached house nearby in 1947. In February 1973 it presented gold watches for 25 years’ service to warehouse supervisor CR Turner and salesman RJ Williams.
In January 1979 thieves stole a safe containing c.£650 in cash and cheques from the warehouse. Manager John Murray said they had ignored other valuables, and not a single banana was taken!
In the early 1990s the former banana warehouse was used as a depot by contractors building the A55 Expressway, after which Collinge Antiques moved its showroom here from West Shore, Llandudno. It is North Wales’ largest antiques dealership.
Postcode: LL31 9LU View Location Map
Website of Conwy Archive Service