By the late 19th century, Llandudno had earned the title “Queen of the Welsh Resorts,” attracting wealthy holidaymakers, day-trippers, and industrial workers in their thousands each summer. Towering above the town, the Great Orme – a striking limestone headland rising 679 feet (207 metres) – was a natural draw for visitors. Sensing a profitable opportunity, local entrepreneurs proposed building a tramway to carry passengers up to the summit, transforming the tiring climb into a leisurely and scenic experience.
Construction began in 1901 with the lower section, climbing from the town centre to the Halfway Station, opening the following year. The upper section, running from there to the summit, was completed in 1903.
In 1904 the old Telegraph Inn on the summit was enlarged to become the Telegraph Hotel complete with bar, cafe and golf course.
The hotel was requisitioned in 1939 for wartime use as an RAF radar station. The golf course was repurposed for growing potatoes under Britain’s “Dig for Victory” campaign. It reopened to the public in 1946 but the golf course had been sold leaving around 14 acres surrounding the property.
In September 1952 Leslie Salts (owner of nearby Gwrych Castle) and boxer Randolph Turpin (former world middleweight champion) joined together to acquire the complex for £10,000.
To read the full story of Gwrych Castle, and how Salts and Turpin got to know each other, read our illustrated Gwrych Castle blog.
Salts was a hard-nosed businessman with a ruthless reputation. Turpin had been warned not to get involved with him financially. So it came as a surprise when Turpin announced that he’s appointed Salts as his business manager and financial advisor. Even more surprising was the announcement that the two were forming a partnership to purchase the Great Orme complex.
They soon set to work on adding new attractions. The old hotel pub was converted into ‘Randy’s Bar’ which contained assorted photos and memorabilia showcasing Turpin’s boxing career “under a midnight blue ceiling and luminous stars.”. An outdoor boxing ring was built where Turpin would give occasional demonstrations. A small kids theatre known as The Little Theatre was built inside an old army Nissen hut. A miniature railway was built with ‘The ‘Silver Belle” locomotive being moved up from Gwrych Castle. It was rebuilt and renamed to ‘Commodore Vanderbilt’. A display of replica Crown Jewels, made in South Africa, was also installed to cash in on the upcoming Coronation. These new attractions opened to the public at Easter 1953.
Later that year, Charles Royle, MP for Salford West, complained that the beauty spot was being ruined “I found slot machines, a boxing ring, photographers taking pictures around a cardboard ‘Randy’. Who permitted this monstrosity to come to my beloved Great Orme?”.
Unfortunately, the complex proved to be far from lucrative. The miniature railway was removed after only 2 years after Salts sold it to Skegness council for a new line on the seafront. The boxing ring fell into disuse. And to to the surprise of nobody, the partnership later soured and various accusations were thrown around.
For the first three years, Salts’ name appeared above the pub door as licensee, but in 1956 it was replaced with Turpin’s who was now handling much of the day-to-day running himself. He freely admitted that he was no businessman, and his pride often got in the way of accepting assistance, turning down offers from well-meaning supporters. He felt that, having got himself into the situation, it was his responsibility – and his alone – to find a way out.
In 1957 the gift shop was raided by police who removed a number of “obscene articles” including rubber dolls, “educational toys” and wooden wall plaques which contained “indecent inscriptions”. No charges were brought but 106 items were removed and destroyed.
In 1958 a 10-year old girl fell into an abandoned quarry and suffered severe head injuries. Turpin rushed to the scene and carried the girl back to his hotel where an ambulance was waiting. Sadly she later died of her injuries.
The complex quickly became a major drain on Turpin’s time and finances, with him putting in long hours just to keep it afloat. He could often be found working behind the bar.
In 1959 he was served with a writ for unpaid taxes dating back to his boxing days. The hotel was put up for sale for £14,000 and in December 1960, the local council purchased it for the bargain price of £9,000. Salts was still listed as a shareholder.
What followed next was a sad decline for Turpin and the story has been well documented elsewhere.
New ownership
The council had no desire to run the complex themselves so they leased it out on a series of short three-year agreements which discouraged any investment from tenants. The Llandudno-based Fortes family held the concession for the cafe and bar, while other operators managed the amusement arcade and gift shop.
In 1969, visitors to the summit gained a new way to travel with the opening of Britain’s longest chairlift. Extending over a mile from Happy Valley Gardens to the summit, the £120,000 chairlift was the creation of Dennis Bagshaw, whose family owned Alton Towers at the time.
By the 1970s, the old hotel had fallen into disrepair, with one council official describing it as “a dismal, neglected and generally unpleasant structure.”
In 1980, the council sold the property to the Llandudno Fortes company, with one council member describing it as “an environmental and commercial disaster from the day it opened”. But the new owners soon had the place looking much smarter. A fire in 1985 gutted the inside of the cafe but it was rebuilt the following year
In 1991 the Randolph Turpin bar, aka Randy’s Bar, was reopened along with a selection of memorabilia and photos celebrating the life and career of its former owner. The bar sadly closed during COVID, and at the time of writing it still hasn’t reopened. But the restaurant and gift shop are still in use with both looking fresh and modern inside.
The tramway and cable car are both still in operation, and overall, the summit hasn’t changed much since the days when Randolph Turpin ruled the roost.
We’d love to hear your stories and memories of Great Orme. Feel free to leave a comment below.
