Colwyn Bay postcard: The Cayley Flyer
This granite postcard on the promenade at Rhos-on-Sea refers to the aeroplane built by Sir George Cayley in 1853 – the first in the world to carry a human. Rhos-on-Sea is also where the first aeroplane landing in Wales took place (see below).
The Cayley family owned estates in Yorkshire and much of the land at Rhos-on-Sea. The names of several local roads relate to the family, including the Cayley Promenade.
Sir George (1772-1854) was an inventor with a lifelong interest in flight. His experiments led to the publication in 1809 of principles for building a fixed-wing aircraft. He had tested a miniature glider as early as 1799, but it wasn’t until 1853 that he built a version large enough to carry the weight of a man. The “Cayley Flyer” flew for about 275 metres at one of the family’s Yorkshire estates – the first recorded flight in a fixed-wing aircraft (as opposed to hot-air balloons).
The Cayley Flyer ended its flight by crash-landing. Sir George was unharmed, because he’d given the task of flying the machine to his coachman!
Fifty years later, the Wright brothers successfully demonstrated sustained powered flight in the USA. They acknowledged the importance of Sir George’s pioneering work.
The first aeroplane to land in Wales touched down at Rhos-on-Sea golf course in August 1910. Welsh actor Robert Loraine left Blackpool at 6.30am in his Farman biplane. He intended to land at Llandudno golf club but decided that Rhos-on-Sea would be quieter, and landed there 93 minutes after take-off. The photo, courtesy of Conwy Archive Service, shows some of the thousands of people who viewed the plane before it took off at 5.30pm.
Click here for a map of the postcards' location.
Website of Conwy Archive Service
https://www.conwy.gov.uk/en/Resident/Libraries-Museums-and-Archives/Archives/Archives.aspx
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