Abergele Heritage Trail
Created with the support of Abergele Town Council and Bangor University.
Nestled on the north coast of Wales, Abergele is a picturesque market town known for its rich history and close-knit community spirit. While Abergele itself is relatively small, it holds an important place within the broader tapestry of Welsh multicultural life, including a modest but significant Jewish presence dating back to the First World War.
Abergele also provided a place of refuge for many Jewish youngsters during the Second World War, going on to become a popular holiday destination for families from large cities such as Manchester and Liverpool in the 1950s and 1960s.
Both Jewish residents and visitors to Abergele have contributed to the town’s social and economic life, engaging in local business, education, and military activities throughout the years.
Sites around Abergele.
Hover over the sites to discover what they are and click to read about them.
Sites in the town centre.
Gwrych Castle
Image courtesy of Gwrych Castle.
​In 1939, Gwrych Castle became home to a group of young Jewish refugees who had escaped Nazi persecution, many of them aboard the Kindertransports. The majority of the young adults had arrived from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. Their time in Abergele was spent preparing for a new life in Palestine.
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Arieh Handler served as Director of the Youth Aliyah movement Brit HaNoar. In early 1939, he travelled between Germany and London to assist in establishing a network of hachsharot (training farms) across the United Kingdom, with the aim of providing children an avenue to escape Nazi persecution. Handler was very successful in his lobbying for support from both the Jewish and non-Jewish community in Britain.
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Gwrych Castle was offered for free by the Dundonald family to house and train Jewish youngsters in agricultural work, and it remained in operation between 1939 and 1941. The majority of the Jewish youngsters had arrived via the Kindertransport from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia.
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The core purpose of the Gwrych Castle hachshara was to develop key practical and agricultural skills for the planned emigration of young Jews to Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel).
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Gwrych Castle became the largest hachshara in the UK.
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Walter Bingham, a Kindertransportee from Germany, recalls his memories of being one of the first youngsters to form an advance party to Gwrych Castle. They were collected in red busses and when he first caught sight of Gwrych Castle, he thought it was magnificent – until he went inside. There was a stately oak panelled entrance, a marble staircase and rooms with open fireplaces, but there was no electricity, the generator was broken and the drainage system for sanitation was blocked. Walter was put to work assembling metal beds for the children who would arrive the following week. The group had to be completely self-sufficient, and they were all allocated jobs. Walter began working in the locksmith shop to make keys to open all the locked doors at the castle.
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Mimi Schleissner recalls her arrival at Gwrych Castle ‘Gwrych had no electricity, no toilets and she explained that to pronounce the word Gwrych ‘you have to think about the sound you make while throwing up. Gwrych, Gwrych, Gwrych.’
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When Gerard Friedenfeld first caught sight of Gwrych, he called it a ‘monstrosity’ that was built into the hill overlooking the Irish Sea. It was cold and impossible to heat. The dining room had an enormous fireplace, and they used to burn half a tree at a time to try and keep warm.
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Members of castle management visited the farms surrounding Abergele, Towyn, Llandulas and Rhyd y Foel, as well as those slightly further afield in Talhaiarn and Llangernyw.
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The purpose of these visits was to offer free labour from the youngsters at Gwrych in exchange for knowledge of how to successfully run a farm.
This offer came at a fortuitous time, shortly following the passing of the National Service (Armed Forces) Act on 3 September 1939, which required all men between the ages of 18 and 41 to register for military service. Many of the young men in Abergele had joined up, leaving noticeable gaps in the workforce. Just a few weeks later, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) convened an emergency ‘war cabinet’ which increased agricultural targets and planned to increase the land being utilised for food production. Denbighshire was set a target of developing 20,000 additional acres, which felt unachievable as the agricultural workforce was dwindling. This led to local farmers taking up the offer of assistance from the Jewish youngsters, leading them to work on several farms in the area during their time in Abergele. The members of the hachshara therefore helped to minimise disruption to agricultural production, which remained largely unaffected in the area. In May 1940, the Abergele Farmer’s Union expressed concern at the number of workers lost to the Army but were thankful that this had been more than compensated for by the nearly 200 young workers from Gwrych. The arrival of the refugees at Gwrych also increased the Jewish population of north Wales considerably. In early 1939 it is believed that there were only around 300 or 400 Jews in the whole of north Wales.
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The refugee youngsters quickly impressed the local farmers with their honest and trustworthy dispositions. However, many of the members of the hachshara felt more uncomfortable disclosing their German and Austrian nationalities than their Jewish heritage.
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When Herman Rothman had been asked questions by farm labourers on his first day, he felt the need to hide his nationality, not his religion, which was a stark difference compared to what he had become used to at home. Ruth Kessel also confirmed that they felt uncomfortable admitting they were from Germany, but that being Jewish had never been a problem. Ruth noted that there was never any antisemitism expressed by the locals, and they were treated as equals. It was the first time in years that they had ‘actually felt safe.’
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The administrators of Gwrych Castle received numerous applications for their services, and the youngsters also contributed by working in the town, providing valuable assistance during this period of reduced workforce.
The Yeshiva at Lady Emily’s Tower (grounds of Gwrych Castle).
Image credit:
Johathan Wilkes, Geograph Project Collection.
Rabbi Sperber (Rabbi of the Gwrych Castle hachshara) had previously taught in a yeshivah school in London, and he had hoped to establish one upon his arrival at Gwrych Castle. A yeshivah is a place where Jewish students gather to study traditional religious texts. He did not achieve this until 1940, and he chose the folly known as Lady Emily’s Tower, which sat high in the woods on the Gwrych Estate. It was in an isolated area which reduced the chance of being disturbed. It also had a magnificent sea view which Rabbi Sperber felt inspired reflection. His decision was cemented by the inscription of Psalms 95:5 above the door ‘The Sea is His, and He made it’.
Rabbi Sperber would offer religious education here to fifteen boys at a time, concentrating primarily on the Torah and Talmud. The yeshivah students were excused from all work duties to attend these lessons, and many signed up enthusiastically.
The Farms
Jewish refugees working on a farm in Abergele.
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Image from the collection of Josef Altberg, courtesy of Helen Levy - taken from the book 'Escape to Gwrych Castle' by Andrew Hesketh.
In order to gain the practical farming knowledge required by the children at Gwrych Castle, they would regularly volunteer to work at local farms.
Some local farmers offered a fair wage for the working youngsters, but this was always turned down on principle by the Gwrych Castle administrators. This was widely appreciated and even made it into the news in October 1939 when the Daily Mirror headline read “Alien boys resent pay,” going on to explain that they did this as a service to the country that had given them a haven. This did not prevent the children from happily taking cashless thanks when offered, as food supplies at the castle were stretched, along with many other resources.
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Many of the children, especially the younger ones or those not as physically fit, remained at Gwrych Castle where they tended the gardens, grew vegetables, undertook forestry work, cleared drainage ditches, and generally kept the castle and grounds in a state of good repair. This was quite a lifestyle change for the children, many of whom had come from urban backgrounds, and they found the work extremely physically demanding.
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After the closure of the Gwrych Castle hachshara in 1941, it became apparent how integral the youngsters had been to the continuing agricultural production in the area. Farms began to struggle with filling the gaps they left, and in August 1941, Tan-Y-Dderwen Farm had to advertise in Liverpool for two young girls to help with farm duties. Nine months after the closure, a Land Army unit of 39 women were stationed in the town to provide replacement workers.
Please be aware that these farms are privately owned and are not open to the public.
Tyddyn-uchaf Farm
Run by Edwin Roberts, this farm lay over the hill just beyond the Gwrych estate. Edwin took on several refugee workers, including Salli Edelnand who had left his home in Halberstadt, Germany when he was only 14 years old.
Tan y Dderwen Farm
Run by Thomas Cecil John Manners and his wife Kathleen. Thomas’s father was also living with the couple, and he was the director of three firms which supplied cotton goods all over the world. At least one of the Gwrych Castle refugees (unnamed) worked with the Jersey cow herd there.
The Reids' Market Garden at Hen Wrych Lodge
Run by Alexander and Lena Reid and their manager Amy Wilson, who was a widow. A group of ten workers from Gwrych (including Salli Edelnand, Wolfgang Billig and Wilhelm ‘Bill’ Braun) would assist with growing fruit, vegetables and flowers which were sold locally.
Fachell Farm
Run by Robert and Gwyneth Parry. Also living there were John Edwards, retired farmer, and his wife Annie. The family also employed William J. Jones to look after the dairy herd. Mary Brearley, a member of the Women’s Land Army, was also living at the farm in 1939. Fachell Farm was one of the longer treks to work, around four miles from the Castle. This was made easier once the group had secured bicycles.
Hendre Bach Farm
Ruth Glasser, a Polish Jew, arrived in the UK in early 1939. She was born in Stettin, (Szczecin) on 6 May 1920. She turned nineteen shortly following her arrival in the UK and was found employment by a Jewish agency as a domestic servant at Hendre Bach Farm in Abergele. Ruth was interviewed by a tribunal in Caernarfon on 19 October 1939 due to her status as an ‘enemy alien’. She was marked as exempt from internment and could continue her domestic duties at Hendre Bach. She stated on the form that she had no desire to be repatriated to her homeland.
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Ruth was overjoyed by the news of the refugees arriving at Gwrych Castle and made a point of introducing herself, and over the months got to know the castle community well. She commented that:
“The refugees were complete strangers to one another. There were some who spoke only Polish, some came from Latvia and others from Czechoslovakia. The dominant common factor was that all had escaped from Nazi persecution and found a refuge in Abergele.”
Kinmel Park Military Training Ground
Image courtesy of The Western Front Association, taken from J.J Putowski's book The Kinmel Park Camp Riots 1919, published by Flintshire Historical Society.
Kinmel Military Camp was constructed during the First World War as an Army training facility on land from both the Kinmel and Bodelwyddan estates. Hundreds of wooden huts housed nearly 20,000 people at its peak.
Image Credit: alchetron.com
​There are records of Jewish conscientious objectors being sent to Kinmel for trial during the First World War. The Shepherd brothers were arrested in South Wales and taken to Kinmel for sentencing. Isaac Shepherd was arrested in Pontypridd with his brother Joseph in May 1916. Isaac and Joseph were both sentenced to two years hard labour during a court martial hearing. Joseph wrote a letter while at Kinmel to appeal for help. He mentioned their struggles with maintaining their orthodox Jewish upbringing while imprisoned, especially with regard to obtaining kosher food. He also mentioned the antisemitic threats in addition to the general threats which were aimed at all conscientious objectors.
Their brother Solomon was also arrested for his principles and was sent to Kinmel for court martial in April 1917, where he was also sentence to two years hard labour.
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Isaac, Joseph and Solomon were all brothers of author Lily Tobias, whose book Eunice Fleet took inspiration from her brothers’ experiences as conscientious objectors.
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In 1917, appeals were made for funds to build military huts for Jewish worship. Kinmel Park is noted as having a “considerable number of Jews”. Services were carried out by Jewish soldiers and occasionally visiting Rabbis, such as Rev. S. Frampton, of the Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation.
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The Christian soldiers who died at Kinmel were buried at “The Marble Church” in nearby Bodelwyddan. There was no Jewish cemetery in North Wales at this time, so soldiers who died at Kinmel were taken to Broadgreen Jewish Cemetery in Liverpool, most likely facilitated by links with Rev. Frampton.
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Thousands of Canadian troops were sent to Kinmel awaiting transportation home at the end of the First World War. Delays in sending the troops led to overcrowding and insufficient and poor food. This is believed to have been partly responsible for riots which broke out at the camp on 4th March 1919.
One of the more notable Jewish soldiers who fought with the Canadian Railway Troops on the Eastern front was known as Morris Abraham “Two Gun” Cohen. Morris passed through Kinmel Park Camp waiting for his return journey to Canada in 1919.
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Following the war, Morris went on to become main protector and advisor for Chinese revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen, following him to conferences and war zones and training his army to box and shoot. After a battle where he was nicked by a bullet, he began carrying a second gun, which earned him his nickname.
Morris Abraham “Two Gun” Cohen.
Image credit: Jewish War Veterans of Canada Website.
​​Kinmel was once again used as a military training ground during the Second World War, and a number of Jewish soldiers were stationed there.
Alongside the soldiers, there were also army recruits who managed the day-to-day needs of the large camp.
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Harry Stratton, a taxi driver from Swansea, was stationed at Kinmel where he met Lil, a Jewish Hungarian refugee who had joined the British Army and was working there as a cook. They fell in love and married. Lil organised opposition to compulsory church parades, recruiting other Jews as well as Christians to the campaign.
Kinmel Hall - The Rheuma Spa of Wales
Image credit: Jewish Chronicle, 4 December 1936, p. 3.
Kinmel Hall was purchased in 1936 by Mrs Lindley, who was the retired principal of Lowther College based at neighbouring Bodelwyddan Castle. It was transformed into the Rheuma Spa of Wales, where treatment was delivered based on hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, and specialised diets.
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The Rheuma Spa was advertised in the Jewish Chronicle during 1936 and 1937, promising high quality treatments in beautiful surroundings.
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The Rheuma Spa of Wales used holistic medical trends developed in Europe and overseen by a team of practitioners from several countries. Dr Vint from Dublin was head of the medical team. Dr Kobler MD from Vienna was in charge of the Bircher Benner Clinic, which developed special vegetarian diets mirroring those used in a similar clinic in Zurich and Dr Schmitt from Slovakia carried out therapies using mineral rich mud imported from Piestany.
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The Rheuma Spa of Wales was a thriving business but only lasted for three years. Once again, the area surrounding Kinmel Hall was used as a training ground for soldiers following the outbreak of the Second World War. Kinmel Hall was requisitioned as a military hospital in late 1940, giving the Lindley’s only 12 days’ notice to vacate the premises of staff, patients and furniture.
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Kinmel Hall - Kate Kobrak
Kate Kobrak at a class picnic on the hockey pitch at Kinmel Hall in 1967.
[Image courtesy of a former student.]
Kate Kobrak was born Käthe Toni Charlotte Kobrak in Breslau on 20 March 1918. From 1948 to 1975 she lived at Kinmel Hall in Abergele, working as a teacher at Clarendon School for Girls.
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During her early years in Breslau, Kate’s family had been devout and practicing Christians. Kate was the eldest of three siblings.
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When the Nuremberg Race Laws were passed in Germany in 1935, Jews were now no longer defined by religious practice, but by their ancestral lineage. People with three or more Jewish grandparents were considered Jewish by law, even if subsequent generations had converted to Christianity. As a Christian family with Jewish heritage, the Kobrak’s were considered racially Jewish defined by both birth and blood.
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By 1939 the violence around them was escalating and Kate’s parents decided to send their three children to England. During 1939 and 1940, Kate’s father headed the welfare department at the office of Pastor Grüber where they attempted to secure the emigration of “non-Aryan” Christians.
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Kate’s parents were arrested and deported from Berlin to the Theresienstadt Ghetto in 1943 and were then deported in separate transports to Auschwitz-Birkenau in October 1944. It is believed that both were murdered upon arrival.
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Kate is still remembered by the girls she taught in Abergele, being described as “scary but lovely” during her French and German lessons. One former student remembers playing with her hair during a lesson and being reprimanded and told that her cowlick reminded Kate of Hitler. Kate always wore her hair in a long braid pinned around her head, and she taught the girls who boarded there how to clean, and clean properly, with daily housework. Kate’s strictness made her a target for retaliation, with one student recalling that swastikas would occasionally be drawn on Kate’s books in reference to her German heritage. The head of the school would come down on these pupils “like a ton of bricks” whenever this happened, but it was only later that they discovered her family history and expressed regret at their ignorance and lack of understanding as they grew older. Some of her students recall that she always had a sad look in her eyes, and that on occasion she would share her life story with them.
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Kate played the recorder, and there would be carols in German every Sunday afternoon, leading up to her advent wreath, candles and the singing of ‘Stille Nacht’ during the last week before Christmas. Many of her former pupils kept in touch over the years, visiting for tea at her home in Beckenham until she passed away in 1997.
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One former pupil recalls Kate’s kindness when she lost her own parents while at school, stating that “she was fearsome but the only teacher who understood grief”.
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With thanks to the former pupils of Clarendon School at Kinmel Hall for sharing their memories.
Habonim Dror Conference
A Habonim Dror Conference was held at Kinmel Hall in January 1984. Habonim Dror is a Socialist Zionist Culturally Jewish youth movement which educates their members on worldly values of equality, Jewish culture and the significance of Israel for the Jewish people. They work with youngsters in a fun and engaging way which includes summer camps, trips to Israel and residential weekends. The Conference held at Kinmel Hall included seminars and workshops ranging in topic from the theory of kibbutz as radicalism to the practicality of voluntary work in Britain.
Abergele Sanatorium (today, Abergele Hospital)
Image courtesy of Gwrych Castle.
The land for the Abergele Sanatorium was purchased by the South Manchester Board of Guardians in 1910 for the treatment of patients with tuberculosis. A children’s section was opened in 1931. It eventually became a chest hospital in the 1950s before becoming largely focused on orthopaedics during later years.
Image credit: Gwrych Castle.
The youngsters from the hachshara had formed a football team and they regularly played against the sanatorium football team in organised matches. Dr. Julius Handler built on this relationship and was able to provide each child at the castle with a chest x-ray to ensure they were staying healthy in the difficult and cold conditions at the Castle.
Bodelwyddan Castle
Image credit: Rae Pickard of Rhyl.
The summer school at Bodelwyddan Castle was advertised regularly in the Jewish Chronicle, but for a relatively short period of time between December 1965 and July 1967. The company itself had associations with many schools throughout the years, and the last advert to be found in the Jewish Chronicle for Elite Summer Schools is on 2 March 1973 for Kent College in Canterbury, stating that this was their 21st holiday project.
Image credit: Jewish Chronicle, 31 December 1965, p. 30.
The summer schools were not only open to Jewish children across the UK, but also children from Europe and Israel. It allowed them to experience life in a leading public school and to visit places of historic interest in the countryside. Before this, Lowther College had never been leased to a youth organisation for a summer school.
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The summer schools catered for children age 7 to 18, and promised excellent amenities, fascinating excursions and kosher food.
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In 1967, Bodelwyddan Castle was also advertised in The Jewish Chronicle for Elite Family Holidays.
Image credit: Jewish Chronicle, 30 June 1967, p. 42.
This was the sole advertisement for Elite Family Holidays run by the Grossmans. The holiday spaces were offered in response to the cancellation of a group of Israeli students due to the Six-Day War.
The Parlor Café, Pensarn
Image credit: The North Wales Weekly News, Mar 12, 1959, p. 2.
The north Wales coastline has always been a popular place for holidaymakers. One of the most prominent families in the tourism industry in Abergele was an immigrant Jewish family from Iraq.
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Marcus/Mark (Murab) Gubay left Iraq with his parents Lulu and Joseph (Yousif) Gubay in the early 1920s. He was the oldest of the seven children living in Wales. He had four brothers and two sisters with him in the UK, all born in Baghdad. He was heavily involved in the holiday and tourism industry in Abergele, running the amusement arcade on the Promenade in Pensarn. He also owned several other arcades across north Wales, and it was claimed that he brought the first juke box to Wales.
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A 1959 newspaper shows Marcus Gubay advertising for a tenant for the Parlor Café, a 40-seater restaurant which was on the main coast road facing the Abergele and Pensarn train station. The area has had significant redevelopment, and the original building no longer exists.
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Marcus and his brothers ran several shops, a camp site, snack bars, cafés and also owned several rental properties across Towyn, Kinmel Bay, Llandudno and Colwyn Bay between the 1920s and 1980s. One of the brothers was still living in Llandudno in 2000.
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The Gubay family were featured in press articles accusing the arcades of corrupting the moral fibre of the youth of the area. As in all seaside towns, the arcades continued to thrive and the Gubays were regular donors to local charities throughout the decades.
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The most well-known member of the Gubay family is Albert (son of Marcus), born in Rhyl in 1928, who went on to establish the Kwik Save supermarket chain in 1965.
Happy Days Holiday Camp
Marcus/Mark (Murab) Gubay was also the proprietor of the Happy Days Holiday Camp in Towyn, Abergele.
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In 1952, Marcus's application to increase the size of his campsite was refused by Denbighshire County Council. He appealed this decision in June 1952. It was proposed to add an additional 8 ¾ acres of land on the seaward side of the main Holyhead-Chester railway line to the existing camp. Demand for camping was increasing due to the high cost of hotels. The plans were opposed because of the problem of sewage disposal, and because it would be necessary to cross the train lines to reach the camp. There were also concerns raised as the land was at risk of flooding. The County Medical Officer of Health said the summer visitors increased the local population from 7,000 to 20,000 and it would place considerable strain on sanitation and could cause a serious epidemic to break out. Local residents also opposed the plans.
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The application to extend the Happy Days holiday camp was officially rejected in August 1952 as a threat to public health.
Image credit: Western Mail, 19 August 1952, p. 3.
Marcus was again in the newspaper in 1955, fighting a refusal by Denbighshire County Council to build an American style drug store on land at Foryd Road, Towyn, which would be available to people at the Happy Days Holiday Camp.
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Although Marcus came up against regular opposition, his holiday camp has endured, and the Happy Days Holiday Camp is now the Happy Days Caravan Park in Towyn.
The National School
The National School, Abergele.
Image courtesy of the Malcolm Seaborne Collection.
Rabbi Shmuel Sperber oversaw the religious, educational and cultural needs of the children at Gwrych Castle. Along with his wife, Miriam, and two children, Avigail (age five) and Avigdor (age three) they arrived at Gwrych in 1939 at the invitation of Arieh Handler. Rabbi Sperber was born in Transylvania before moving to Hungary, then to Germany. He left Germany in 1933 as the Nazi party came to power. His wife was born in Ukraine, and she became the ‘housemother’ of the castle. In November 1940, the couple had their third child in Abergele, named Daniel.
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Rabbi Sperber attempted to mingle with the local community to help with public relations. He wanted to explain that the castle inhabitants hated the Nazi party as much as the locals did. One way he attempted this was to visit the pub in the evenings, which was a popular meeting place. Unfortunately, it proved awkward for all involved because the customers felt they could not drink heavily in front of a religious man, and he was often seen standing in the corner looking out of place. He found that he was listening in to conversations rather than taking part, and worried that this made him look like a spy. He soon stopped attending the local pubs, but an integrating move which was more successful was the enrolling of his daughter, Avigail, at the National School. She adapted well, and there were also two older Jewish children at the school who had arrived in the town as evacuees. Avigail began picking up the Welsh language and loved to sing Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau every morning.
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The National School in Abergele was a church school, built in 1869. It was used as a school until its closure in 1972, when it became a community centre.
The Abergele Visitor,
42 Market Street
The Abergele Visitor newspaper was established in 1856 and was printed in the rooms above the Visitor Office Newsagents, next door to the Bee Hotel. It was originally published by Robert Jones, who ran it for 50 years. In around 1906, it was taken over by Robert’s trainee, John Henry Williams, who also had a long tenure publishing the paper until 1956. During 1939 and 1940, Mr Williams’ original employees had enlisted in the army, so Wolfgang Billig and another boy from Gwrych Castle were taken on as compositors, arranging the type by hand ready for printing. This was an intricate and complicated job which required attention to detail. Compositors usually underwent apprenticeships of several years to become competent in this profession.
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Wolfgang and his friend, who is sadly not named, worked at The Abergele Visitor for a year.
Llewellyn Morgans,
51 Market Street
Image courtesy of abergelepost.com
The winter of 1940 was particularly harsh and presented challenges for Dr. Julius Handler and his team of six nurses at Gwrych Castle. There were outbreaks of german measles and tonsillitis, and by February 1940 as many as 20 of the young adults were ill at a time and unable to work, which created great concern among the residents of the castle. The kitchens at Gwrych were also understocked and there was no proper cook among the castle population. Dr. Handler was concerned that with new rules regarding rationing, the situation would only get worse. He increased his efforts to develop medical contacts in the local area to help them through this difficult period.
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Llewellyn Morgans ran a dispensing chemist and opticians at The Medical Hall, 51 Market Street, Abergele. He lived there with his wife, Doris, and their family. Mr Morgans would often deliver much needed medical supplies to keep the castle infirmary stocked.
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The building still carries its painted sign today.
Wedgewood Cinema,
14 Market Street
Image credit: The People's Collection Wales.
Salli Edelnand, one of the young adults at Gwrych Castle, had fond memories of the local cinema in Abergele. William Edward Parry worked at the cinema alongside his job as a limestone quarries ‘rock man’ in 1939. Mr Parry would often allow the youngsters from the castle in for free, or in return for a small chore. Salli was given two free viewings per week for rewinding the films in the projection room ready for the next showing. Salli stated, “I must say that I enjoyed this job very much indeed as it was certainly different from my daily chores such as tree felling, gardening and working on the farm.”
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The Wedgewood Cinema was renamed the Luxor Cinema some time around 1949.
Hywel Roberts - barbers,
Market Street (demolished)
Hywel Roberts barbers, on corner, left.
Image credit: abergelepost.com.
Before there was an operational barbers at Gwrych Castle, the young adults would go in groups of six at a time to Abergele barber, D. Hywel Roberts. His shop was officially called Robert’s, but he was affectionately known in the town as ‘Hywel the Barber’.
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Hywel was approached by David Smith, who was a 24-year-old English solicitor who came to Gwrych to help manage the financial and business aspects of the Hachshara. It was his job to ensure that the community had sufficient funds which were allocated effectively. Smith was also a leading member of Habonim, which translates as ‘The Builders’ in Hebrew. This was a Socialist Zionist movement which provided children with a strong grounding in Jewish culture and educated them on the importance of Israel as a focus for the Jewish world. Habonim oversaw the distribution of grants to the Refugee Children’s Movement and the Jewish Agency. Mr Smith was often able to squeeze some extra funds from the Refugee Committee for the Gwrych Castle community, which was essential for running the largest hachshara in Britain.
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According to a letter written by one of the founders of the Gwrych Castle hachshara:
‘After the haircut each youth would stand firmly to attention and say, “Mr Smith will pay!”’
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Robert’s was still operating in the early 1960s on the corner where Water Street meets Market and Bridge Street, but the property has subsequently been demolished and replaced with a seating area.
Slater and Wheeler’s Garage
Image credit: The Abergele Visitor, 28 July 1994, p. 5.
A small group of the youngsters from Gwrych Castle volunteered to work at Slater & Wheeler’s Garage in Abergele. They did this not only for personal interest, but to gain mechanical experience for their future life in Palestine. Unfortunately, on 22 December 1940, one of the young adults from Gwrych Castle recalls that a bomb landed on the garage. Thankfully it did not detonate but left a hole in the roof. The garage remained closed the next day, and when Henry Glanz and his friend showed up for work, the owner (who was very angry at anything relating to Germany) shouted ‘You buggers did it! You buggers clear it up!’ This level of anger was unusual in Abergele, and the majority of the local community were sympathetic to the Gwrych Castle community.
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Slater & Wheelers was based at the former Bodlondeb Wesleyan Chapel on Rhuddlan Road, which has now been demolished.
Robert Pye - dentist,
Plas Tirion, Kinmel Avenue
Image credit: Google maps.
Local dentist, Robert Pye, opened his practice to the young adults from Gwrych Castle. He would assist with their dental checks at his premises at Plas Tirion, Dundonald Avenue (today Kinmel Avenue), Abergele.
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Robert and his wife, Mary, had fond memories of the young adults from Gwrych Castle. During Christmas of 1939, Arieh Handler arranged for the youngsters to write and deliver hundreds of Christmas cards to prominent members of the community in Abergele, and to those who offered help or kindness. Robert and Mary were also invited to the castle for tea and described sitting on rickety camp beds while Julius Handler played his violin. Mary kept the Christmas card from the hachshara for the rest of her life.
Sources
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Gwrych Castle
Ajrrefugeevoices.org.uk, Arieh Handler, <https://www.ajrrefugeevoices.org.uk/RefugeeVoices/arieh-handler> [accessed 24 September 2025].
Cae Parry-Jones, The Jews of Wales (2017) University of Wales Press.
Friedenfeld, USC Shoah Foundation, Tape 3
Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
Mimi Ormond, Kindertransport: A Rescued Child (USA, 2016)
Walter Bingham’s Memories, ‘Bnei Akiva United Kingdom’, [https://www.bauk.org/1939-1945/, accessed 3 September 2023].
Yeshiva at Lady Emily’s Tower
Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
Tyddyn-uchaf Farm
Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
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Tan y Dderwen Farm
Ancestry.co.uk, Thomas C J Manners in the 1939 England and Wales Register, <https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61596/records/42495554?tid=&pid=&queryId=5f63748f-2367-47c0-b25e-227b8c5fb16a&_phsrc=CEL320&_phstart=successSource> [accessed 17 March 2025].
Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
The Reid’s Market Garden at Hen Wrych Lodge
Ancestry.co.uk, Lena M Reid in the 1939 England and Wales Register, <https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61596/records/42495150?tid=&pid=&queryId=c93eef66-e038-4156-bb16-3162fa1c1090&_phsrc=CEL328&_phstart=successSource> [accessed 17 March 2025].
Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
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Fachell Farm
Ancestry.co.uk, Gwyneth Parry in the 1939 England and Wales Register, <https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61596/records/42502162?tid=&pid=&queryId=36021587-a186-4af8-828b-81da41a3b5e9&_phsrc=CEL342&_phstart=successSource> [accessed 18 March 2025].
Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
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Hendre Bach Farm
Ancestry.co.uk, Ruth Hildegard Glasser in the UK, World War II Alien Internees, 1939-1945, <https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61665/records/110371?tid=&pid=&queryId=d5711296-d8ca-42dd-944c-42d526e0d7ee&_phsrc=CEL267&_phstart=successSource> [accessed 16 March 2025].
Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
Kinmel Park Military Training Ground
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Kinmel Hall - The Rheuma Spa of Wales
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Kinmel Hall - Kate Kobrak
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Abergele Sanatorium (today, Abergele Hospital)
Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
Historic-hospitals.com, Abergele Hospital, Llanfair Road <https://historic-hospitals.com/clwyd/> [accessed 02 June 2025].
Bodelwyddan Castle
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The Parlor Café, Pensarn
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Happy Days Holiday Camp
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The National School
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Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
The Abergele Visitor, 42 Market Street
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Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
History Workshop.org.uk, The Compositor in London: The Rise and fall of a Labour Aristocracy, <https://www.historyworkshop.org.uk/labour/the-compositor-in-london-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-labour-aristocracy/> [accessed 23 May 2025].
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Llewellyn Morgans, 51 Market Street
Ancestry.co.uk, Llewelyn Morgans in the 1939 England & Wales Register, <https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61596/records/42496793?tid=&pid=&queryId=9f623670-5702-4576-8bd1-f3916cdd1c6b&_phsrc=nXZ355&_phstart=successSource> [accessed 27 April 2025].
Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
Wedgewood Cinema,14 Market Street
Ancestry.co.uk, William Ed Parry in the 1939 England and Wales Register, <https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61596/records/42497173> [accessed 08 May 2025].
Ancestry.co.uk, William Edward Parry in the 1921 Census, ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/63151/records/35733764?_phcmd=u(%27https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/?name=William_Parry&event=_abergele-denbighshire-wales-united+kingdom_1651890&birth=1905&location=5250&name_x=1_1&priority=welsh&searchMode=advanced&successSource=Search&queryId=51167a56-4f51-44c2-9ac5-178c2e45d751%27,%27successSource%27) [accessed 08 May 2025].
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Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
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Hywel Roberts - barbers, Market Street (demolished)
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Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
Slater and Wheeler’s Garage
Coflein.gov.uk, Bodlondeb Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Rhuddlan Road, Abergele <https://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/97200/> [accessed 12 May 2025].
Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
Newspapers.com, Slaters look forward to their vintage past, in The Abergele Visitor, 28 July 1994, p. 5 <https://www.newspapers.com/image/877666354/?match=1&terms=slater%20%26%20Wheeler> [accessed 09 May 2025].
Robert Pye, dentist, Plas Tirion, Kinmel Avenue
Ancestry.co.uk, Robert Joseph Pye in the UK, Dentist Registers, 1879-1942 <https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61101/records/105742?tid=&pid=&queryId=c30ef035-6b90-4729-a9d0-3c5440bd55fb&_phsrc=nXZ202&_phstart=successSource> [accessed 27 April 2025].
Hesketh, Andrew (2023) Escape to Gwrych Castle, Cardiff: Calon
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