The former amusement park before the promenade was developed

The town took off as a resort once its rail station opened in 1848 and by the 1890s the Marine Lake fairground was seeing thousands of visitors annually.

After the second World War, the funfair moved to its present site on the seafront, but later fell victim to the rise of the overseas package holiday.

Rhyl's decline as a resort has seen a rise in its crime and social problems.

Like most of the resorts along the north Wales coast, Rhyl's destiny was secured with the railway from Holyhead to England and the rise of the seaside holiday for the working classes.

After its rail station opened in 1848, visitors could choose to arrive and leave by train rather than risk sea-sickness as a boat passenger.

It was declining by the 60s - it happened very slowly, as it went down and down - now it's collapsed altogether Retired fisherman John Povah

The railway also led to tracts of flood plain west of Rhyl being reclaimed from the sea, as well as the West End of the town.

Rhyl's Marine Lake was created as part of this reclamation and was the site of the funfair from the 1890s to the 1950s.

From the turn of the century, visitors were enjoying many of the rides and activities associated with a British funfair.

One of the first was a water shoot. This was soon joined by a helter skelter and another taller slide with a seat lift to the top. Then came the big dipper and much later still, bumper cars.

The river caves took visitors on a boat ride through imaginary caves and gardens, while a haunted house and the hall of mirrors were the preserve of the brave-hearted.

The seafront funfair once made Rhyl a top holiday destination

There were also traditional tests of skills such as coconut shies, rifle ranges and the roll-a-penny.

While all this was going on, four miniature steam trains took up to 80 passengers at a time on the railway around the lake.

Retired fisherman John Povah, 71, remembers how the miniature trains would have a whistle dialogue with the full-size steam trains entering and leaving the town.

"That was all you could hear all over town was this 'whistle' and 'beep' as they were whistling to each other. It was part of it," he said.

Visitors boomed until the Second World War and even continued during it, even though British soldiers and later US servicemen were billeted in the large houses along the promenade.

Mr Povah said towards the end of the war the Allied troops were replaced by Italian prisoners-of-war, who were free to wander the town and visit the funfair.

The fairground moved to its present site on the seafront in the 1950s but the 1960s saw the nemesis of the British seaside trip, cheaper jet travel and the rise of the overseas package holiday.

"It was declining by the 60s. It happened very slowly, as it went down and down. Now it's collapsed altogether," added Mr Povah.