19th
Century Bangor
In
the Nineteenth Century, Bangor on the South Side of the Menai Straits
linked North Wales by rail and road to Anglesey with its two famous
bridges.
The
region's railway engineering headquarters was in Bangor on the London
to Holyhead rail route. It had two major hospitals catering for a
wide area, it was also North Wales' only university city and boasted
training and theological colleges.
The
City is dominated by the wealthy slate quarry owning Pennant family.
They lived in splendour at Penrhyn Castle and Port Penrhyn was an
outlet for their slates.
A train also ran from Penrhyn quarry to Port Penrhyn with the slates
going to the four corners of the world. 60,000 tons of slates were
transported per annum on seven slate boats.
Bangor
was also an important college centre boasting the Normal Teacher Training
College, Theological Colleges and above all the University College
situated on land donated by the Penrhyn family. A new stage in its
development came with the foundation of a new prestigious site for
the University in 1911 opened by George the V. He brought the Prince
of Wales with himl. However, the academic ideal was shattered when
the First World War broke out. Many young students followed other
Bangor young men to war. Bangor was an important recruiting centre
as well as an important medical centre, its hospitals soon filled
up with injured soldiers. The First World war had a devastating effect
with 220 Bangor men killed.
Following
the war the slate industry revived and the port was again busy for
a short period. Moored off the beautiful Victorian pier was the Clio
a school for hundreds of orphaned children. The port was also enhanced
by the arrival of the famous Dickies' Boat yard in the Twenties. One
of its workers at the time remembers the launching of the Genetta
Boat. Dickies built beautiful boats for a rich clientele but in the
Thirties Bangor was badly hit by the depression. It was lessened by
public works schemes like re-routing the A5 and the building of one
of Wales' largest council estates like Maesgeirchen.
Another major employer in the thirties were Bangor's hospital, especially
St David's County Hospital and the Caernarvonshire and Anglesey Infirmary.
However the major employer even during the depression was the railway
station.
There were many sources of entertainment to escape the depression
including the establishment of the new cinema, the Plaza. But Bangor
was most well known for its pioneering role in the development of
welsh radio when the BBC established their station under Sam Jones.
Many young Bangor men went off to war again. But Bangor had an active
role on the home front as well. Bangor's port and the Menai Straits
had important work in producing military boats. Yards like Dickies
made Motor Torpedo Boats which often raced up and down the Menai Straits.
There were also other major works as well like Saunders Rowe and women
worked on the home front in the Aircraft Parts Factory, Daimlers.
Many believed that the only major bombing incident in Bangor during
the war was aimed at the aircraft factory works. But it fell on the
Maesgeirchen housing estate instead, killing three people, as one
man who was there remembers.
There were happy times for the citizens of Bangor and many enjoyed
meeting the American soldiers. Another source of delight to the citizens
of Bangor was the relocation of the BBC Light Entertainment Department
from London to Bangor. Famous stars like Tommy Handley and many others
lived and worked in Bangor during the war and the ITMA programme was
transmitted throughout Britain.
Bangor also became a refuge for evacuees and even had a prisoner of
war camp on Beach Road with Italian prisoners. Many wounded prisoners
who returned to Bangor hospitals found themselves sharing their ward
with the enemy. The end of the war brought great relief to the people
of Bangor. Despite the fact that Bangor had lost 95 of its young men
the general relief expressed itself in street parties galore.
The post war period saw an effort to rebuild Bangor's economy. Many
new employers came to Bangor especially in the public services. However
one of the biggest developments in Bangor during this period was the
extension of the hospital service. Following the establishment of
the NHS in 1948, the 50's and the 60's saw the C and A developing
into a major medical centre.
Another major effect of post war Labour government policies was the
nationalisation of the railway. It was a great time as one railwayman
remembers. There were also new industries especially at the Llandegai
Industrial Estate. Some of the wartime factories had also been converted
for peace time purposes. Daimlers was turned into Ferranti's Electrical
Meter Works catering for the post war housing boom. Bangor prospered
and a symbol of the new found confidence was the building of the new
Wellfield shopping centre.
However one of the most important changes in Bangor town was the expansion
of the University. Bangor was becoming increasingly cosmopolitan as
students from across the world came there to study and indeed it was
to the Normal College that the Beatles came to visit.
There was more excitement for Bangor people in the Sixties as Bangor
City FC swept all in its path under the management of Tommy Jones.
The highlight of the period was Bangor's game against Napoli in the
European Cup in 1961 when they beat the Italians.
However, all the optimism in Bangor was marred as the Beeching Axe
affected Bangor station with the closure of many branch lines. A further
loss was that of Bangor's powerful city council. Symbolic in many
ways of this loss was the burning of the Britannia bridge in 1970
which further affected the station. By the 80's privatisation of many
services including the railway saw Bangor suffer under the Thatcher
years with increased unemployment. Once again Bangor's main employer
the railway was affected with a decline in service.
Despite
the recession Bangor still had some important employers. In 1984 Ysbyty
Gwynedd, the new hospital was opened. It employed thousands and managed
to take the edge off the unemployment of the period, as one doctor's
son notes.
In the 90's Bangor also saw an even further expansion of college education.
By now higher education is centred on the university which has a student
total of 6,000. It has been beneficial to Bangor but, at a cost some
believe to the character of Bangor.
Many see the university as an essential part of Bangor's future prosperity.
Linking with the new Parc Menai technological park and the University's
technology expertise might bring future prosperity. The present mayor
also believes that technology is the future for Bangor - Parc Menai
bred a new entrepreneur, the Secure Trading Company which specialises
in securing access on the internet.
Many
see a prosperous future for Bangor with Bangor's Regeneration Scheme
with the University taking on a central role. Many also see a potential
in developing the old slate port into a Marina and possibly a Medical
School that has in the past been controversial. Bangor has changed
dramatically during the 20th century and is no longer dependent on
its traditional industries
