IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Colwyn Crescent, COLWYN BAY, LL28 4RW

It gives the impression of perhaps being a cinema of playhouse in a previous life, however the only cinema in Rhos was the Rhos Playhouse which is now the Co-op, just around the corner.

Bethany Chapel, built in the 1950s, on Colwyn Avenue in Rhos-on-Sea, was probably the last religious structure to be built in the Colwyn Bay until 2008.

The curious and unexpected Bethany chapel in Colwyn Avenue was built in the 1950s in a very utilitarian style. It adjoins the Spar store, which has an exceptionally ornate front completely at odds with the plain rear - suggesting that this was originally a cinema. However, according to the Llandrillo-yn-Rhos Conservation Area Appraisal (2007) published by Conwy County Borough Council, this ornate building was the meeting hall of the English Congregational Church. Both are difficult subjects, needing early morning light to avoid deep shadows.

A no. 12 bus is waiting for its departure time on the stop at the junction of Colwyn Avenue and Penrhyn Avenue. Daffodils are bursting into bloom in the adjacent garden.

Coop Store in Rhôs-on-Sea.

The new store was opened in 2019 after removal from the nearby Picture Playhouse Cinema site, occupied since the 1970s. This store was built on the site of the United Reformed Church hall, which had been derelict for many years. The original boundary wall of the site has been repaired and retained where possible.

Former Coop store Penrhyn Avenue in Rhôs-on-Sea.

The Picture Playhouse cinema, to a design by Sidney Colwyn Foulkes opened in 1914 and survived with various modifications to install sound and a Cinemascope screen until 1974 when it was closed and purchased by the Co-Op for a supermarket. In the 1930s the cinema was used by George E. Mellor as a studio to produce silent movies under the name Rhos Amateur Film Productions. Mellor was a founder member of the nearby cricket club, and in his later years produced model railway equipment under the name GEM.

On Colwyn Avenue