Readers share memories of Rhyl in the 1980s

For many of you Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, it is a decade to look back on fondly.

A time when Top Gun was at the cinema, Kate Bush was high in the music charts, and there was a tense Cold War between Russia and the USA.

We asked readers what they could do in Rhyl in the 1980s that they can't do now, and it conjured up fond memories of their younger days.

Whether it was a holiday destination or home, Rhyl has a special place in the hearts of many of us.

One of the most mentioned locations was Rhyl Sun Centre.

Rhyl Sun Centre

Opened in 1980, the subtropical waterpark, which boasted tropical storm effects, wave pool, monorail and an indoor surfing pool, was among one of the first indoor attractions of its kind in the UK.

The old Queen's Market in Rhyl and associated buildings was purchased by Denbighshire council for redevelopment.

Others remembered the paddling pool, monorail, Queen's Market, deckchairs and donkey rides on the beach, the roller skating rink, Butterfly Junge, Woolworths, Mr Peabody's, the Royal Floral Hall, and the funfair.

Others recalled favourite places to eat and drink, such as the Flamingo Cafe, Evans Cafe, Downtown, Bistro nightclub, and The Queens Hotel.

Others missed High Street shops like Marks and Spencer, Woolworths, and Dorothy Perkins.

While some missed the days of free parking and cheap pints.

What people said the could do in the 80s:

• Jay Evans: "Go to the fair."
• Martin Lam: "Monorail, Sun Centre, free paddling pool."
• Mark Green: "Pound a pint."
• Robert Downes: "Play Paperboy in the Mint Arcade."
• Andi Nicholas: "Enjoy a drink at Jolly Nights and Mirrors."
• Christy Williams: said: "Almost everything!"
• Alison Bambridge: "Vern's Arcade juke box and abit of pool and a cuppa in the cafe
• Sarah Spencer said: "Fair, Butterfly Jungle, Radio One roadshow, donkey rides, Sun Centre, aww all good memories."
• Cheryl Kemshell: "Loved the 80s going to Rhyl fair, Downtown, monorail, Sun Centre. I’m so glad I was around in the 80s."
• Scoobywrx Davies: "The good old days mini Blackpool."
• Andreas Ap Harri: "Space invaders in the Bright Spot, Sun Centre, monorail, Royal Floral Hall, take hours walking into town taking to folks you knew et al."
• Adrian Barratt: "Bonk like a rabbit."
• Jacqui Turner: "Tropicana above the Queens, harbour stores and shell shop, boat ride round the sea side, boat pools and paddling pool along the front, the lights along the front, different theme most years always something to do not matter what the weather, markets..."
• Tommie James: "Afford a mortgage."
• Chris V Evans: "Have two sunny days without it being a crisis!"
• Diane Loftus: "Ride the mad mouse, that ride was lethal, my poor back."
• Brian Cotterill: "Enjoy yourself, nothing to do now except shop."
• Dennis Grainger: "We had nothing but good times.we made our own fun."
• Sue Holdsworth: "Breathe in without smelling someone else’s weed, walk the streets without being attacked by seagulls, go to the attractions listed by others, park on the roads without charge, spend money in decent shops in the ‘new’ White Rose Centre, see the sea from the road and not have to wage through all the litter!"
• Mark Challoner: "Feel safe around town. Not be verbally abused by teenagers. Not be attacked by seagulls. Have a big choice of nightclubs. Listen to some great music. Not have to smell weed all over the place. Have a decent fairground to go to and not pay £20 for 3 rides. Park for free. Jump on an open top bus. Go to many shops Not charity junk or empty shops. Actually have conversations with people instead of messaging or social media. Be able to see the seafront from one end to other. Go out for the day and not cost an arm and a leg."
• Yvonne Edwards: "Take the kids on the bike track on the prom and the fair. Roller skating too."
• Jillian Vaughan: "I loved the cafe that was where Detour is now, upstairs was the cafe and downstairs was the bakery. It was always packed. And you could actually walk to the beach before they wasted millions on the stupid children's village and walled it all off."
• Marc Macauley: "Go to the paddling pool, ride the monorail, drive down the high street, go to the fair, funhouse, horror crypt, go on the cycle track, go skating & skate boarding! Where do we stop? Rhyl has been destroyed, someone needs to be accountable."
• Gillian Twamley: "Going to the Flamingo cafe."
• Holly Jones: "Get almost free childcare (50p all day) in Mr Peabody's while the parents get p*ssed and no one calls social services."
• Mark Hughes: "Sit in the window or play pool in the Bistro all day Saturday, then go upstairs drink, dance or chill with your mates and then get kicked out at 2."
• Glen Farquhar: "Roller skating. Breakdancing at bandstand."
• Paul Maffia: "Park up for more than 10mins and go shopping without getting a fine. Those were the days."
• Phil Tye: "Ride horses down the High St...sitting on the original sea wall watching the world go by."
• Liza Keates: "Enjoy the funfair, Professer Peabody's, ten pin bowling, bike park, skate park, log world, two theatres, Floral Hall, free paddling pool, Bistro, skipping school to play pool."
• Stuart Lloyd: "Go out with a tenner, get smashed and still have enough cash to get a spicy beef pizza from Ginos."
• Amy Mellor: "Stuart Lloyd agree. But clearly Ham and Pineapple."
• Rhian Roberts: "Gino's!!!! After a night in Flanaghans.. those were the days."
• Eryk Blonski: "Go shop with a quid and come out with lots of sweets, now days bloody CCTV everywhere."
• Mark Herrington: "The question should be what can you do in Rhyl now that you could do in the 80's as it's very little."
• Susan Singfield: "Go to the Bistro."
• Hillary Wright-Jones: "Go on a pub crawl from one end of the town to another."
• James Price: "Put the heating on without having to get a bank loan."
• Glyn Jones: "Long before I lived here, but be brought over here, taken to the fair for a few rides and then a visit to Prices piano shop. Sit on a stool with my dad and listen to him play, for what seemed like hours. What I'd give for just 5 more minutes of that."
• Jimmy Lyons: "See the horse trough in Queen St.
• Kelly Leighton: "Go to Woolworths to buy Buckaroo!"
• Mish Robinson: "Go to the Sun Centre and hear 'waves in the big pool'."
• Katie Foster: "Use the outdoor pool, loved it as a child."
• Paul Trenfiel: "Brunels on a bank holiday."
• Sharon Pritchard: "Walk around the town in the early 80s and say 'good afternoon' to the mother and daughter who were always very smartly dressed in brightly coloured suits or a dress & jacket."
• Marie Dziekciarow Watson: "The paddling pool. Jumped in when I was 4 fully clothed. My mum wasn’t happy lol."
• Debs Waring: "Dance and drink at Cee J's."
• Vanessa Bold Stanfield: "Go to Sunnyvale Holiday Camp! Maybe not, I think it was more the 70s. Wear a Shell Suit lol."
• Sion Huw Davies: "Have 6 form parties at Knightleys Nightclub!!!!!!!"
• Gemma Perry: "Visit the sun centre! That was the place to be as kids, spent my £5 pocket money to go in most weekends.
• Danny Powell: "Go to Lightfoots shop, wonder at the boxes of soldiers and Hornby railways models
• David Cooper: "Go on the boating lake and the cycle track. Visit to the Floral Hall and then off to the fun fair. Had some great days in Rhyl in the 80’s. Shame it ended up full of bed sits."
• Jacqui Hockridge: "Go around on the bike track and bounce on the trampolines."
• Janet Barker: "Go to the fair..great days!"
• Tina Hornby: "Have a good stomp."
• Elaine Harley: "Go on the fair that was where the Range is now."
• Jonathan Sid: "Have a good night out."
• Elaine Harley: "Our family tradition every time we came on holidays was park up in Rhyl on the morning of our holidays and head straight to the cafe in Queens Market for breakfast, cant do that now as Queens Market has gone."
• Garry Paul Clements: "Go to the Bistro."
• Norma Quinn: "Market, paddling pool, straight to the beach from the clock, bikes on the front, also theatre on the front and Sun Centre and lots of shops."
• Jan Sheel: "Evans Café, Dorothy Perkins, M&S, Shoe shops galore."
• Brian Robinson: "See the sea, whilst standing in the middle of the High Street."
• Davina Antoinette: "At 8 years old living in Marsh Road (1984) used to walk up the fair on a Sunday morning on my own to have free goes on the rides before they opened."
• Ann Howson: "Go on the fairground."
• Johnny White: "Go to the Bistro."
• Ian Kightley: "Let your dog loose on the Coronation garden field with out getting fined, drive up the high street, go to the Wimpy, and go to Tescos in Bodfor St with me Nan for sweets."
• Vicky Crew: "Go to the Flamingo restaurant for an 18th."
• Dave Benson: "Go on the fair."
• Gordon Williams: "Have spare money in your pocket."
• Susan Abbott: "Go on the monarail."
• Shel Williams: "The fair, the paddling pool all the pubs and clubs, the seaside town, and of course The Queens Hotel, arcade and market. Sad times its all long gone."
• Steve Sheen: "Twin cone please with everything on it."
• Lesley Wilde-griffiths: "Shop!"
• Samantha Jones: "Go to Kavern Records and pick up your favourite single you ordered. Go to super snaps to pick up your photographs, and you might be lucky if 5 turned out."
• Michelle Davies: "Buy the best ice cream from me."
• Sandra Smith: "Juke box in Tudor cafe!!"
• Kimberley Dawn Clark: "The Butterfly Jungle."
• Kathy Beresford: "Gang up in Woolworths."
• Aaron Liam Griffiths: "Fair ground."