The oldest building in Penrhyn Bay is Penrhyn Old Hall dating from the early 15th century. It was the home of the Pugh family whose fortunes faded through the high fines imposed for
Recusancy and their staunch adherence to the
Catholic Church in Wales, even when their tenants and neighbours increasingly conformed to
Anglicanism. On 14 April 1587, printing material for
Catholic Welsh-language literature was found in a cave on the Little Orme, where it is believed to have been used by Robert Pugh (
squire of Penrhyn Hall) and his
chaplain and future Catholic
martyr William Davies to print
Y Drych Cristianogawl ('The Christian Mirror'), one of the first books ever printed in the
Welsh language. They had taken refuge there during the persecution of Catholics instigated by
Queen Elizabeth I in May 1586. On the grounds of the Penrhyn Hall are the ruins of a
medieval chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Penrhyn, last used by the
Church in Wales for Anglican worship c.1930. The Pugh family also held a charter and built a
windmill to serve their land in the nearby village of
Glanwydden the first charter dating 1580. In addition to being the Welsh equivalent to
Scalan, Penrhyn Hall is also important as the birthplace of Welsh-language
Cavalier poet and collector of local
oral tradition Gwilym Puw and now serves as both a village
pub and
restaurant. Originally a small farming community, Penrhyn Bay came to rely heavily on the employment opportunities of the
limestone quarry operating since the mid-19th century, and served by its own
narrow gauge railway, but quarrying ceased in 1936. However, Penrhyn Bay expanded rapidly in the 20th century to become a desirable
suburb of Llandudno, with developments taking place in the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s. Most recently, in the 1990s, further large development of family homes took place to the south of the town. The village also has a school called Ysgol Glanwydden which was built in 1910. ==References==