White Rabbit statue, West Shore

link_to_welsh_translation link_to_french_translation link_to_mandarin_translation Link to Japanese translationSite of white Rabbit statue, West Shore, Llandudno

The sculpture known as the White Rabbit statue was created by local stonemason Frederick Forrester and unveiled in 1933 by former Prime Minister David Lloyd George.

Old photo of white rabbit statue photo_of_pen_morfa

It depicts one of the characters in the classic children’s story Alice in Wonderland.  The statue commemorates, as the plaque says, “On this very shore, during happy rambles with Alice Liddell, LEWIS CARROLL was inspired to write the literary treasure Alice in Wonderland”. 

Don’t believe it!  In fact Dean Liddell, Alice’s father, used to bring his wife and his children to a lodging house in Llandudno from Oxford for their holidays. In 1861 he decided to have a holiday home built to his specification on the West Shore. Completed in August 1862, it was called Pen Morfa (pictured below left).

Carroll had in fact told the Wonderland story to Alice Liddell and her sisters on a boat trip on the river Isis, Oxfordshire, in July 1862 and finished writing the book in 1863. Clearly the dates do not add up!

However, a photo of Pen Morfa in an album which Carroll presented to Alice was probably taken by Carroll, with himself posing in front of the camera. You can see the photo on our page about the site of the building. Alice spent many happy extended holidays for the next 11 years at the house, which was demolished in 2008.

The White Rabbit statue was renovated and placed in its present position in 2015. It was previously by the model boating lake.

With thanks to John Lawson-Reay, of the Llandudno & Colwyn Bay History Society

Postcode: LL30 2AY    View Location Map

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