Thanks to the presentations yesterday, I've discovered that there are more such pictures on Facebook. This time, they're on the "official" Rhuthun/Ruthin page (though this might be self-styled: if it were official then surely this would be bilingual).
This is a remarkable shot of St Peter's Square, taken in 1969. Architecturally, nothing's changed and that, dear readers, is as well, for nowhere other than the Square gives Rhuthun its identity.
On the left is the long-gone Wales Gas Board shop. Indeed, the area gas boards are themselves long-gone, lasting from 1948 to 1973 (when the Wales Gas Board initially became British Gas Wales but still referred to as the "gas board" long after its 1986 privatisation).
Across Clwyd Street is the famed Sarita's. It was a café downstairs and above, by way of the stairs that now separate Cwtch (surely Cwtsh) and Choo Choo Etc Etc a restaurant.
On the opposite flank, the solicitors taken over by Gamlin's (William Jones & Talog Davies) is still there, as is both Gayla House (unchanged apart from cosmetics) and the off-licence (now under Ruthin Wine Sellers) and the milk bar. Vanity Fayre sold women's fashions.
Notice the older-style telephone kiosk by the post office and the three more easily identifiable pedestrians all wearing hats.
Above the roof line to the right of the Memorial can be seen a number of television aerials, all of which (as far as can be seen) are for black & white-only 405 lines transmissions. UHF-PAL transmissions were available at this time, just. BBC2 began washed-out colour transmissions on 625 lines in 1967.
The number of cars is especially of note. Here is a scene where the central Square free car park accommodated about double the numbers it now has, before the area was remodelled in the mid-1980s. The prevalence of parking gives the shot a busy feel but actually this is false: look at the small number of people actually shopping or going about their business. There are very few. The Square, the hub of Rhuthun, isn't actually busy at all and all the cars do is detract from the street scene.
And, finally, as far as I can make out, only one of the cars is manufactured on the Continent (as we used to call it) and that's a burgundy Volkswagen Beetle, to the left of the Memorial.
And, here's a shot that tries to complete the picture of the Square. It's of the rank behind where Sarita's was, probably in the early 1980s or possibly very late 1970s.
Carrying on towards the post office from the corner of Clwyd Street (former Sarita's) was Artefacts gift shop, before it moved to Well Street and before its stock was later merged with Swings & Roundabouts, Clwyd Street. Then came a tobacconist, sweet shop and hairdresser known as Sam's. It's up for sale in this shot. Tobacconists are long gone in this country and with the requirement this month for small shops to join the supermarkets in no longer displaying cigarette products one wonders how they would ever have survived (note the Marlboro and Benson & Hedge's signs). A delicatessen followed that sold fine foods that before it simply weren't available in an age of "meat & two veg". Finally, there's Montecito, still there albeit under new management when compared to this shot.
At this time, only three cars are visible, of which only one appears built in Britain. A second is Sweddish and the third Japanese.
On the left is the long-gone Wales Gas Board shop. Indeed, the area gas boards are themselves long-gone, lasting from 1948 to 1973 (when the Wales Gas Board initially became British Gas Wales but still referred to as the "gas board" long after its 1986 privatisation).
Across Clwyd Street is the famed Sarita's. It was a café downstairs and above, by way of the stairs that now separate Cwtch (surely Cwtsh) and Choo Choo Etc Etc a restaurant.
On the opposite flank, the solicitors taken over by Gamlin's (William Jones & Talog Davies) is still there, as is both Gayla House (unchanged apart from cosmetics) and the off-licence (now under Ruthin Wine Sellers) and the milk bar. Vanity Fayre sold women's fashions.
Notice the older-style telephone kiosk by the post office and the three more easily identifiable pedestrians all wearing hats.
Above the roof line to the right of the Memorial can be seen a number of television aerials, all of which (as far as can be seen) are for black & white-only 405 lines transmissions. UHF-PAL transmissions were available at this time, just. BBC2 began washed-out colour transmissions on 625 lines in 1967.
The number of cars is especially of note. Here is a scene where the central Square free car park accommodated about double the numbers it now has, before the area was remodelled in the mid-1980s. The prevalence of parking gives the shot a busy feel but actually this is false: look at the small number of people actually shopping or going about their business. There are very few. The Square, the hub of Rhuthun, isn't actually busy at all and all the cars do is detract from the street scene.
And, finally, as far as I can make out, only one of the cars is manufactured on the Continent (as we used to call it) and that's a burgundy Volkswagen Beetle, to the left of the Memorial.
Carrying on towards the post office from the corner of Clwyd Street (former Sarita's) was Artefacts gift shop, before it moved to Well Street and before its stock was later merged with Swings & Roundabouts, Clwyd Street. Then came a tobacconist, sweet shop and hairdresser known as Sam's. It's up for sale in this shot. Tobacconists are long gone in this country and with the requirement this month for small shops to join the supermarkets in no longer displaying cigarette products one wonders how they would ever have survived (note the Marlboro and Benson & Hedge's signs). A delicatessen followed that sold fine foods that before it simply weren't available in an age of "meat & two veg". Finally, there's Montecito, still there albeit under new management when compared to this shot.
At this time, only three cars are visible, of which only one appears built in Britain. A second is Sweddish and the third Japanese.