Bryn Euryn and Llys Euryn Bryn Euryn is a hill overlooking Rhos-on-Sea on which there are the remains of a
hillfort called Dinerth, the 'fort of the bear', and a
limestone quarry. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most important historic buildings in
North Wales. The stone
lych-gate was built in 1677 and is one of the oldest in the district; the
sundial is from the early 18th century. The graveyard here contains the grave of
Harold Lowe, an officer on the RMS
Titanic. He was widely regarded as a hero, helping many to safety with cool nerve and bravery. It also contains
war graves of eight service personnel, two of
World War I and six of
World War II.
Rhos Fynach In 1186 Llywelyn the Great permitted the establishment of the
Cistercian Aberconwy Abbey, and the monks built a
fishing weir on the sea shore below Bryn Euryn. The place became known as
Rhos Fynach,
heath of the monks. In a charter of 1230, Llywelyn sanctioned the purchase by Ednyfed Fychan of land at Rhos Fynach and in 1289, the abbey moved to Maenan (becoming
Maenan Abbey), and the weir was ceded to Ednyfed's estate. Eventually Rhos Fynach and the weir came into the hands of
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who in 1575 granted it to a Captain Morgan ap John ap David, a
privateer, for services rendered against the enemies of Queen
Elizabeth I at sea. Because such weirs decimated inshore fish stocks,
Parliament banned them in 1861 unless it could be shown they pre-dated the
Magna Carta, which the then owners, the Parry Evans family, were able to prove. Their estate included Rhos Fynach house, also known as Rhos Farm, on the Promenade near St Trillo's Chapel. The house is now a
pub and restaurant. Its date of construction is not known for sure, but it is considered to have been started by the Cistercians before the
dissolution of the monasteries. The fishing weir fell into disuse during
World War I and most traces have disappeared.
St Trillo's Chapel The 6th-century St Trillo's Chapel (), which was the mother church of a large parish which included places as far apart as Eglwysbach and
Eglwys Rhos (
Llan Rhos). The chapel by the sea is on the site of a pre-Christian, sacred
holy well; the
altar is built directly over the pure water of the well.
Saint Trillo, the son of
Ithel Hael from Llydaw (
Brittany) also founded a church at
Llandrillo in
Denbighshire. Trillo's brother
Tygai (Llandygai) founded a church near
Penrhyn,
Bangor; their sister Llechid founded a church (Llanllechid) in the uplands above Penrhyn.
Trams The
Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway operated an electric tramway service between
Llandudno and Rhos-on-Sea from 1907 and extended to
Colwyn Bay in 1908. The service closed in 1956. ==Other features==