Caught on Camera

It can’t have escaped your notice that as of Thursday the whole country’s been subjected to Google Street View, the 360-degree zoomable roadside images of anything that happens to be in the way. Rhuthun is no exception and its coverage is quite extensive, including estate roads and byways. Every road chalked in blue, below, in fact. See if you can spot anyone in town that you know.

There are some omissions. For example, why does private road Bryn Goodman/Jumbo Hill get the Google treatment whereas A494 main road Wernfechan doesn’t? Llanrhydd, Erw Goch & Bro Deg’s missing, as is Upper Clwyd Street. Not to mention Glasdir and the northern relief road, not even shown.

Judging by the evidence, it would appear that the Google car swept Rhuthun at least twice, once when there was foliage on the tress plus hanging baskets; and once without. Most pictures appear during the late autumn of 2009. How can we tell?

• Ink Inc is open on Clwyd Street, as is the Capricorn charity shop (both opened during the summer of 2009)
• The Royal British Legion’s poppy appeal HQ, the former Artifacts in Well Street, is active
• The Watergate Tea Rooms is open (this was finally cleared out last week)
• The Christmas light clusters are up (mid-October 2009, very early)
• The Children's Society shop is undergoing refurbishment (October-early November 2009)
• Reebee’s has moved next door to its old premises (November 2009)
• There are hallowe’en pumpkins in the window of an open Sweetie Heaven and ghostly goods within neighbouring First House

That said, there are earlier and later shots. For example:

• Street View hasn’t recorded the conversion of the former Molyneux estate agents to Caledfryn credit unit yet (this occurred in October 2009), though there are two views of the building, one without and one with the Molyneux name (the latter has a hanging basket)

• Complete Homecare’s still at Panbarras/Anchor Corner. This became Greenland’s Insurance in early November 2009 (Greenland’s originally traded on Saturday mornings but no more)
• There’s no sign of the Tesco environmental lobby extension, started at the end of November 2009

It’s interesting what you can find. All the cars parked on Market Street have permits, as they should. Visible on Street View emerging from Troed y Rhiw is Jeff Brimble’s window cleaning van. And there are a number of unlawfully parked trades people (and private motorists), including three on pavements.

Leonardo’s van, seen twice, is half on the pavement opposite its shop on Well Street and again on Wynnstay Road, this time partly on double yellows and partly on a bus stop. Notice that Google’s software scrubs off the detail on Leonardo’s van side but not the front.

Detail is very good. Go to Well Street and take a look at the former Carpedi Rhuthun Carpets and 14A next door; or zoom onto the Castle Hotel fabric.
To access Google Street View, try www.google.co.uk/local and enter Ruthin. Drag the orange pegman from the top left to where you want to start exploring.