One of the people who popularised Penmaenmawr as a holiday destination in the early days of rail travel in the 19th century was William Ewart Gladstone, four times Britain's Prime Minister. He first come to the town in 1855. After he died in 1898, townspeople paid for a statue in his memory which was erected towards the town of Paradise Road. This is a good starting point to explore the town centre (or to walk down the bank to the beach.
One point to note - the statue now in place is not the original. Someone did a smash and grab job on it in the early 1970s and as far as I am aware, it was never recovered. The replica which is on the plinth now was installed in the early 1970s.
To the left of this picture is the shopping centre called Pantyrafon. Over the past decade it has been substantially renovated but has retained its Victorian character.
Above - Pantyrafon. This was taken at the junciton of Paradise Road and Bangor Road (the latter was once the main Chester to Holyhead road but it has now been replaced by the A55 Expressway. Turn right at this junction instead of towards Pantyrafon and follow Bangor Road until you get to the restored New York Cottages (see below) which front the main road. You can't get into them but they make a good stop off for a couple of minutes for photos.
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