Site of Mostyn Street tramway, Llandudno

Site of Mostyn Street tramway, Llandudno

Old photo of tram in Mostyn Street, LlandudnoElectric trams used to run along the centre of Mostyn Street, as you can see in the old photos (courtesy of the L&CB Tramway Society and Conwy Archive Service).

The photo was taken at the junction with Lloyd Street soon after the tramway opened in 1907. It shows one of the original batch of 14 trams, with bodies built in Shrewsbury. The trams were dark red and cream, with gold lining on the panels, until they were painted grey during the First World War. They were green and cream from the early 1930s until the tramway closed in 1956.

The copy of this photo held by Conwy Archive Service is captioned “First public tram”, with the tramway’s opening date. The lack of curiosity from the bystanders on the left (several looking at the photographer!) suggests that the passing tram wasn’t a novelty, but local residents had seen trams making test runs before the tramway opened to the public.

Old photo of Mostyn Street with tramThe lower photo was probably taken in the 1930s. Car traffic had grown enough to warrant the presence of the traffic policeman in the bottom right corner, wearing white bands on his forearms. The tram is one of five bought from Accrington Corporation in 1932.

Beyond the tram in the upper photo is the Swiss Café, where proprietor Henry Charlier made fresh chocolates every day. Upstairs in 1906 were the “consulting rooms” of Madame Pardoe, who claimed to practise “scientific palmistry and phrenology” (phrenology was a fake method of understanding a person’s psychology by studying features of their skull).

Jessie Haworth, aged 22, caused a scandal in 1909 when she stole a box of chocolates, worth one shilling, from the Swiss Café, and a gold ring belonging to an assistant at the Boots chemist shop. She was described as a “respectably connected” lady. Magistrates were lenient, taking into account the embarrassment and strain the thefts had brought on her parents, with whom she lived in Mostyn Street.

With thanks to the Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Tramway Society

Postcode: LL30 2WY    View Location Map

Website of Conwy Archive Service

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