Great Orme

2025-10-15T10:08:12Z

51.6.210.95: /* Wells */

{{short description|Headland in north Wales}}
{{Redirect|Gogarth|the station in Mid-Wales|Gogarth railway station}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Great Orme
|other_name = ''Pen y Gogarth''
| photo = File:Llandudno & Great Orme.jpg
| photo_caption = Great Orme and [[Llandudno]]
| elevation_m = 207
| elevation_ref =
| prominence_m = 201
| prominence_ref =
| parent_peak = [[Mwdwl-eithin]]
| listing = [[Marilyn (hill)|Marilyn]]
| location = [[Conwy (county borough)|Conwy county borough]], [[Wales]]
| range =
| map = Wales
| map_caption = Location in Wales
| coordinates = {{Coord|53|20|0|N|3|51|20|W|region:GB_type:mountain|display=inline,title}}
| grid_ref_UK = SH767833
| topo = [[Ordnance Survey|OS]] ''Landranger'' 115
| type =
| age =
| last_eruption =
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route =
}}
The '''Great Orme''' ({{langx|cy|Y Gogarth}}) is a limestone [[headland]] on the [[North Wales|north coast of Wales]], north-west of the town of [[Llandudno]]. Referred to as ''Cyngreawdr Fynydd'' by the 12th-century poet [[Gwalchmai ap Meilyr]],<ref>J. E. Caerwyn Williams (ed.), ''Gwaith Meilyr Brydydd a'i ddisgynyddion'' (University of Wales Press, 1994). 9.153n.</ref> its English name derives from the [[Old Norse]] word for [[sea serpent]].<ref name="hanes">{{cite web |title=Great Orme copper mines |work =BBC Cymru Wales history website |publisher=[[BBC Cymru Wales]] |date=25 August 2008 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/industry_copper.shtml |access-date=26 April 2013 }}</ref> The [[Little Orme]], a smaller but very similar limestone headland, is on the eastern side of [[Llandudno Bay]]. The headland is a tourist attraction, with a Victorian tramway, a cableway, walking routes and a mining museum.

==Toponym ==
[[File:Great ormes headmap1947.png|thumb|right|Map of the Great Orme, 1947]]
Both the Great and Little Ormes have been [[etymology|etymologically]] linked to the [[Old Norse]] words ''urm'' or ''orm'' that mean [[sea serpent]] (English ''[[worm]]'' is a [[cognate]]). One explanation is that the Great Orme is the head, with its body being the land between the Great and Little Ormes, whilst another, possibly more likely, is that the shape of the Great Orme viewed as one enters the isthmus of Llandudno from the southeast landward end resembles a giant sleeping creature. The [[Vikings]] left no written texts of their time in North Wales although they certainly raided the area. They did not found any permanent settlements, unlike on the [[Wirral Peninsula]], but some Norse names remain in use in the former [[Kingdom of Gwynedd]] (such as [[Point of Ayr]] near [[Talacre]]).

Despite there being a theory for the origin of the name "Orme", the word was not commonly used until after the creation of the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] resort of Llandudno in the mid-19th century. Before this, Welsh names were predominantly used locally and in [[cartography]] to name the headland's landward features and the surrounding area. The entire peninsula on which Llandudno was built was known as the [[Creuddyn peninsula|Creuddyn]] (the medieval name of the [[Commote|cwmwd]] – a historical division of land in Wales); the headland itself was called Y Gogarth or Pen y Gogarth; its [[Promontory|promontories]] were Pen trwyn, Llech, and Trwyn y Gogarth.

Orme only appears to have been applied to the headland as seen from the sea. In 1748, the ''Plan of the Bay & Harbour of Conway in Caernarvon Shire'' by Lewis Morris names the body of the peninsula "CREUDDYN" but applies the name "Orme's Head" to the headland's north-westerly seaward point.<ref>Mary Aris, ''Historic Landscapes of the Great Orme'' page 32</ref> The first series [[Ordnance Survey]] map (published in 1841 and before the establishment of Llandudno) follows this convention. The headland is called the "Great Orme's Head" but its landward features all have Welsh names.<ref>Ordnance Survey (1841) First Series [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/series?xCenter=3114384.98752&yCenter=3024649.00749&scale=63360&viewScale=181417.4208&mapLayer=nineteenth&subLayer=first_edition&title=Ordnance%20Survey%20and%20Ordnance%20Survey%20of%20Scotland%20First%20Series&download=false 78-Bangor]</ref> It is likely that Orme became established as its common name due to Llandudno's burgeoning tourist trade because a majority of visitors and holidaymakers [[Liverpool and North Wales Steamship Company|arrived by sea]]. The headland was the first sight of their destination in the three-hour journey from [[Liverpool]] by [[paddle steamer]].

==Natural history==
[[File:Great Orme and Kayaker.jpg|thumb|The [[limestone]] and [[Dolomite (mineral)|dolomite]] cliffs of the Great Orme]]

Parts of the Great Orme are managed as a nature reserve by the [[Conwy County Borough]] Countryside Service. The area, which is {{convert|2|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} long by {{convert|1|mi|km|round=0.5|abbr=off}} wide, has a number of protective designations including [[Special Area of Conservation]], [[Heritage Coast]], Country Park, and [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]]. The local authority provides a warden service on the Great Orme that regularly patrols the special scientific and conservation areas.<ref>Great Orme [http://www.conwy.gov.uk/section.asp?cat=1495&Language=1 Warden Service] {{webarchive|url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121124203720/http://www.conwy.gov.uk/section.asp?cat=1495&Language=1 |date=24 November 2012 }}.</ref> There are numerous maintained paths for walking to the summit; a section of the long-distance [[North Wales Path]] also crosses the headland. About half the Great Orme is in use as farmland, mostly for sheep grazing. In 2015, the [[National Trust]] purchased the summit's {{convert|140|acre|ha|abbr=off|adj=on}} Parc Farm for £1million.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/national-trust-spends-1m-to-secure-precious-archaeological-site-on-north-wales-coast-10274796.html|title=National Trust spends £1m to secure precious archaeological site on Great Orme in North Wales|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=25 May 2015|access-date=11 August 2016}}</ref>

===Geology===
The Great Orme is a peninsula made mostly of limestone and [[Dolomite (rock)|dolomite]], formed during the [[Early Carboniferous]] part of the [[Geological history of Earth|Earth's geological history]]. Most of the Great Orme's rocks are between 339 and 326 million years old.<ref name="BGSViewer">{{cite web | url=http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyofbritain/home.html?lat=55.9530396957744&long=-4.45200105095433 | title=Geology of Britain viewer | publisher=[[British Geological Survey]] | access-date=8 February 2017 | archive-date=11 February 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211080714/http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyofbritain/home.html?lat=55.9530396957744&long=-4.45200105095433 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The upper surface of the Great Orme is particularly noted for its [[limestone pavement]]s covering several headland areas. There are also rich seams of [[Dolomite (mineral)|dolomite]]-hosted copper ore. The Great Orme copper mine was estimated to have produced enough copper to make about 2,000 tons of bronze during the [[Bronze Age]].<ref>Oliver, N. 2012. ''A History of Ancient Britain.'' Phoenix. {{ISBN|978-0-7538-2886-1}}</ref>
The slopes of the Great Orme are subject to occasional subsidence.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-28469099|title=Rock fall closes Great Orme road at Llandudno|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=24 July 2014}}</ref>

===Wells===
[[File:Map Ffynhonnau.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Location of wells on the Great Orme]]
Natural wells were greatly prized in limestone districts and the Great Orme was no exception. Water was required for copper mining purposes as well as for domestic and agricultural use. The following Great Orme wells are known and most still supply running water:

*Ffynnon Llygaid. Possibly one of the wells supplying the needs of the once populous Gogarth community before much of it was lost to [[coastal erosion]].
*Ffynnon Gogarth. The main water source for Gogarth and in the later 18th and early 19th centuries the power source to operate the famous Tom and Gerry engine that through a long series of Brammock rods powered the mine water pumps at the Higher shaft near the summit above Pyllau.
*Ffynnon Powel. One of the water supplies together with ffynnon Tudno and ffynnon Rufeining serving the medieval farming community of Cyngreawdr.
*Ffynnon Galchog. This well, near Mynydd Isaf, to the north of Pen Dinas, is a source of lime-rich water known for its [[petrifying well|petrifying]] qualities, it is one of two wells known to have been used in the washing of copper ores.
*Ffynnon Tudno. Situated beyond the road, near the northeast corner of St Tudno's Church, ffynnon Tudno was, together with ffynnon Rufeining, a principal source of water for the community settled around the church.
*Ffynnon Rufeinig. Translated as "Roman Well", it takes its name from the tradition that Roman copper miners used its waters to wash the copper ores mined nearby.
*Ffynnon Llech. A spring of water in Ogof Llech, a cave on the headland which is very difficult to access. It is claimed to have been used as a hermitage by [[Celtic Christianity|Saint Tudno]], a sixth-century monk of [[Bangor-is-y-Coed]] who established the first church here.
*Ffynnon Gaseg. Literally "Mare's well", this spring was revealed at the side of the road, about halfway round and near the highest point, during the construction of the Marine Drive in the 19th century. It was ideally situated to refresh the horses on the five-mile carriage drive round the base of the Great Orme.

===Flora===
[[File:HappyValley-P6180224.JPG|thumb|Landscaped gardens in Happy Valley]]
The Great Orme has a very rich flora, including most notably the only known site of the critically endangered wild cotoneaster (''[[Cotoneaster cambricus]]''), of which only six wild plants are known.<ref name="sap">Species Action Plan {{cite web |url=http://www.conwy.gov.uk/upload/public/attachments/48/WildCotoneasterv2.pdf |title=Wild Cotoneaster (pdf file) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927064747/http://www.conwy.gov.uk/upload/public/attachments/48/WildCotoneasterv2.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> Many of the flowers growing in shallow lime-rich earth on the headland have developed from the [[Alpine plant|alpine]] sub-Arctic species that developed following the last [[ice-age]]. Spring and early summer flowers include [[Geranium sanguineum|bloody cranesbill]], [[Armeria maritima|thrift]] and [[sea campion]], clinging to the sheer rock face, while [[pyramidal orchid]], [[Helianthemum nummularium|common rockrose]] and [[wild thyme]] carpet the grassland. The old mines and quarries also provide suitable habitat for species of plants including [[spring squill]] growing on the old copper workings. The [[white horehound]] (''Marrubium vulgare''), which is found growing on the westernmost slopes of the Orme is said to have been used, and perhaps cultivated, by 14th-century monks, no doubt to make herbal remedies including cough mixtures. The rare [[horehound plume moth]] (''Wheeleria spilodactylus'') lays her eggs amongst the silky leaves and its [[caterpillars]] rely for food solely upon this one plant.

===Fauna===
The headland is the habitat of several endangered species of [[butterflies]] and [[moth]]s, including the [[Idaea dilutaria|silky wave]], the [[silver-studded blue]] (''Plebejus argus'' subsp. ''caernesis'') and the [[grayling (butterfly)|grayling]] (''Hipparchia semele thyone'') These last two have adapted to the Great Orme by appearing earlier in the year to take advantage of the limestone flowers and grasses. Also they are smaller than in other parts of the country and are recognised as a definite subspecies. The Great Orme is reported as the northernmost known habitat within Britain for several 'southern' species of [[spider]] notably: ''[[Segestria (spider)|Segestria]] bavarica'', ''[[Episinus truncatus]]'', ''Micrargus laudatus'', ''Drassyllus praeficus'', ''Liocranum rupicola'' and ''[[Ozyptila]] scabricula''.

[[File:Feral Kashmiri goat grazing rough vegetation on the Great Orme, Llandudno - geograph.org.uk - 352800.jpg|thumb|A Kashmiri goat grazing on the Great Orme]]
The headland is also home to about 200 [[Cashmere goat|Kashmir goats]]. The herd, which has roamed the Orme since the middle of the 19th century, is descended from a pair of goats that were presented by the [[Mohammad Shah Qajar|Shah of Persia]] to [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] shortly after her coronation in 1837.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.llandudno.com/goats.html |title=The Great Orme Kashmiri Goats |publisher=llandudno.com |access-date=6 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100908132338/http://www.llandudno.com/goats.html |archive-date=8 September 2010 }}</ref> Numbers are controlled by [[compulsory sterilization]]; the action was taken because competition for resources was forcing goats off the Orme into gardens and property.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/north_west/8614252.stm |title=Contraceptive jabs cut goat herd on the Great Orme |publisher=[[BBC News]] | date=12 April 2010}}</ref> The [[Royal Welsh]], a [[large regiment]] in the [[British Army]], is permitted by the British monarch to choose an animal from the herd to be a [[Military mascot|regimental goat]] (if it passes selection, it is given the honorary rank of [[lance corporal]]).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/8100259.stm|title=Soldiers choose regimental goat|publisher=BBC|date=15 June 2009|access-date=24 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-35371670|title=Royal Welsh appoints new regimental goat Fusilier Llywelyn|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=22 January 2016}}</ref> During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] restrictions in Wales, goats began entering the town because of the lack of people; at the same time, the goat population on the Orme grew rapidly because park wardens were unable to administer sterilisation injections.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-56423211|title=Covid: Lack of contraception sees goats boom in Llandudno|website=BBC News|date=17 March 2021}}</ref> With the end of the pandemic, the town council has created a special task force to manage goat numbers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Special task force created to control famous street-wondering LLandudno goats|url=https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/countryside/a41798179/special-task-force-created-to-control-famous-street-wondering-llandudno-goats/|website=www.countryliving.com|date=22 October 2022}}</ref>

The caves and abandoned mine workings are home to large colonies of the rare [[horseshoe bat]]. This small flying mammal navigates the caves and tunnels by using echolocation to obtain a mental picture of its surroundings. During the daytime, horseshoe bats are found suspended from the roof of tunnels and caves, with their wings tightly wrapped around their bodies. Only at dusk do the bats leave the caves and mine shafts, to feed on beetles and moths.

The cliffs are host to colonies of seabirds (such as [[guillemot]]s, [[kittiwake]]s, [[razorbill]]s and even [[fulmar]]s as well as [[gull]]s). The Great Orme is also home to many resident and migrant land birds including [[raven]]s, [[little owl]]s and [[peregrine falcon]]s. The [[red-billed chough]] is occasionally spotted.

Below the cliffs, the rock-pools around the headland are a rich and varied habitat for aquatic plants and animals including barnacles, red beadlet anemones and hermit crabs.

==History==

===Copper mines===
[[File:Great Orme Copper Mine - geograph.org.uk - 819.jpg|thumb|The entrance to the Bronze Age Copper Mine complex on the Great Orme]]
Large-scale human activity on the Great Orme began around 4,000 years ago during the [[Bronze Age Britain|Bronze Age]] with the opening of several [[copper mine]]s. The copper [[ore]] [[malachite]] was mined using stones and bone tools.<ref name="Histuk">{{Cite web |url=http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofWales/the-great-orme-mines/ |title=The Great Orme Mines |year=2014 |editor-last=Johnson |editor-first=Ben |access-date=6 June 2017}}</ref> It is estimated that up to 1,760 tonnes of [[copper]] was mined during the period.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160420-the-ancient-copper-mines-dug-by-bronze-age-children |title=The Ancient Copper Mines Dug By Bronze Age Children |last=Ruggeri |first=Amanda |date=21 April 2016 |publisher=BBC |access-date=6 June 2017}}</ref> The mine was most productive in the period between 1700BC and 1400BC, after which most of the readily accessible copper had been extracted. The site was so productive that by 1600BC, there were no other copper mines left open in Britain because they could not compete with the Great Orme.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theconversation.com/bronze-age-discovery-reveals-surprising-extent-of-britains-trade-with-europe-3-600-years-ago-125973 |title=Bronze Age discovery reveals surprising extent of Britain's trade with Europe 3,600 years ago|date=31 October 2019 }}</ref>

The mine was abandoned and evidence suggests it was not worked again until the late 17th century, due to the demand for copper and improved ability to pump water out of the mine. A [[steam engine]] was introduced in 1832 and ten years later an 822-metre long tunnel was mined at sea level to drain the deeper mine workings. Commercial-scale mining on the Great Orme ended in the 1850s, although small-scale mining continued until the mines were finally abandoned in 1881.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}

In 1987, the improvement of the derelict mine site was commissioned by the local council and [[Welsh Development Agency]]. The area was to be landscaped and turned into a car park. Since excavation began in 1987, over {{convert|5| mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} of [[prehistoric]] tunnels have been discovered. It is estimated that less than half of the prehistoric tunnels have been discovered so far.{{according to whom|date=March 2021}}

In April 1991 the Great Orme Mines site was opened to the public. Pathways and viewing platforms were constructed to give access to the surface excavations. In 1996 a bridge was erected over the top of Vivian's Shaft. The visitor centre's extension, built-in 2014, contains a selection of mining tools and bronze axes along with displays about life and death in the Bronze Age, mining and ancient [[metallurgy]]. Also accessible is the 3,500-year-old Great Cavern.

===Medieval period===
[[File:GreatOrme4170025X.JPG|thumb|Remains of the 13th-century palace at Gogarth belonging to the [[Bishop of Bangor|Bishops of Bangor]] (at {{nowrap|{{coord|53|19|41.72|N|3|51|44.58|W|scale:2000_type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline}}}})]]
The medieval parish of Llandudno comprised three townships all established on the lower slopes of the Great Orme. The township of ''Y Gogarth'' at the south-western 'corner' of the Great Orme was latterly the smallest but it contained the palace of the [[Bishop of Bangor]]. The Manor of Gogarth (which included all three townships) had been bestowed on Anian, Bishop of Bangor by [[Edward I of England|King Edward I]] in 1284 in recognition of services rendered to the crown, notably the [[baptism]] of the first English [[Prince of Wales]], newly born at [[Caernarfon]]. The palace was burnt down by [[Owain Glyndŵr]] in 1400 and the ruins have mostly been washed away together with much of the township by coastal erosion in the Conwy Estuary.

[[File:StTudno4170020X.JPG|thumb|left|Saint Tudno's is Llandudno's original parish church.]]
The significant agricultural yet north-facing township of ''Cyngreawdr'' includes the original [[parish church]] and [[rectory]] of [[Saint Tudno|St Tudno]], a sixth- or seventh-century foundation. Following the Glyndŵr uprising, the villagers of the Creuddyn peninsula were harshly taxed and by 1507 they had nearly all fled their homes. Henceforth the cultivated land lay fallow and is now grazed by sheep and goats. Llandudno's Victorian cemetery, which is still in regular use, was laid out in 1859 adjacent to the 12th-century church of [http://www.llandudnochurches.org.uk/sainttudno.html Saint Tudno] where open-air services are held every Sunday morning in summer. Nearby are several large ancient stones that have become shrouded in [[folklore]] and also an unexplained stone-lined avenue called ''Hwylfa'r Ceirw'' leading towards ''Cilfin Ceirw'' (Precipice of Deer).

The third township was ''Yn Wyddfid'' clustered below the [[Iron Age]] [[hill fort]] of Pen y Dinas at the northeastern "corner" of the Great Orme. With the reopening of the copper mines from the 18th century onwards, this township grew considerably in size with the streets and cottages of the mining village laid out on the largely abandoned agricultural holdings.

===Victorian expansion===
[[File:Summit Great Orme Llandudno.jpg|thumb|The Great Orme's summit complex]]

In 1825 the Board of the [[Port of Liverpool]] obtained a local [[act of Parliament (UK)|act of Parliament]], the [[Liverpool Improvement Act 1825]] ([[6 Geo. 4]]. c. clxxxvii) to help improve safety and communications for the [[merchant marine]] operating in the [[Irish Sea]] and [[Liverpool Bay]]. The act allowed them to erect and maintain [[Telegraphy|telegraph stations]] between Liverpool and the [[Isle of Anglesey]]. This would help ship-owners, merchants and port authorities in Liverpool know the location of all mercantile shipping along the North Wales coast.

In 1826 the summit of the Great Orme was chosen as the location for one of the 11 [[Semaphore line|optical semaphore stations]] that would form an unbroken {{convert|80|mi|abbr=on}} chain from Liverpool to [[Holyhead]]. The original semaphore station on the Orme, which consisted of small building with living accommodation, used a {{convert|15|m|abbr=on}} ship's mast with three pairs of moveable arms to send messages to either [[Puffin Island (Anglesey)|Puffin Island]] {{convert|7|mi|abbr=on}} to the west or {{convert|8+1/2|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} to [[Llysfaen]] in the east. Skilled telegraphers could send semaphore messages between Liverpool and Holyhead in under a minute.

In March 1855 the Great Orme telegraph station was converted to [[electric telegraph]]. Landlines and [[Submarine communications cable|submarine cables]] connected the Orme to Liverpool and Holyhead. At first the new equipment was installed in the original Semaphore Station on the summit until it was moved down to the Great Orme lighthouse in 1862. Two years later the Great Orme semaphore station closed with the completion of a direct electric telegraph connection from Liverpool to Holyhead.

By the late 1860s, Llandudno's blossoming tourist trade saw many Victorians visit the old semaphore station at the summit to enjoy the panorama. This led to the development of the summit complex.

=== Twentieth century ===
By the early 20th century, a nine-bed hotel was built on the site. It served as the clubhouse for the Great Orme Golf Club that was founded in the early 1900s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/index.php/wales-64/1044-great-orme-golf-club-llandudno-conwy|title=Great Orme Golf Club|publisher=Golf’s Missing Links|access-date=25 July 2014}}</ref> The course closed in 1939 and is now a sheep farm.
[[File:Saint_Tudno's_Church_Great_Orme_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1539012.jpg|thumb|Beatrice Blore Browne's gravestone at Saint Tudno's Church]]
On 11 July 1914, [[Beatrice Blore]] drove a [[Singer Ten]] car up the cable track of the Great Orme, with a gradient of 1 in 3 in places, becoming the first woman to drive up the steep and challenging headland. She was six months pregnant at the time and the drive was a publicity stunt developed by her partner George Wilkin Browne to help sell the cars at his Llandudno garage, North Wales Silver Motors.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Bloor|first=Roger N.|title=The winged wheel grave of Llandudno : the life of Beatrice Blore Browne|date=2016|isbn=978-1-5376-2182-1|location=[Place of publication not identified]|oclc=1231051081}}</ref> Her feat is commemorated by her unusual gravestone in St Tudno's graveyard.<ref name=":0" />

===Second World War and beyond===
[[File:Gun emplacements - geograph.org.uk - 1705534.jpg|thumb|Gun emplacements belonging to the coastal artillery school]]
During the [[Second World War]], the [[RAF]] built a [[Chain Home Low]] [[radar station]] at the summit.

The [[Royal Artillery]] coast artillery school was transferred from [[Shoeburyness]] to the Great Orme in 1940 (and, additionally, a Practice Camp was established on the Little Orme in 1941) during the war. [[Target practice]] was undertaken from the headland using both towed and anchored boats. Experimental work and training were also provided for radio direction finding. The foundations of some of the buildings and installations remain and can be seen from the western end of Marine Drive. The site of the school was scheduled as an Ancient Monument in 2011 by [[CADW]], the Welsh Government's historic monuments body. This was done in recognition of the site's significance in a UK and Welsh context.

Also of note was the Aerial Defence Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) known as "X3", which was a three-storey building erected in 1942. This seems to have been a secret radar experimental station above the artillery school. The road put in to serve it now serves a car park on the approximate site of the station, which was demolished in 1956.

In 1952 the site was taken into private ownership, until it was acquired by Llandudno Urban Town Council in 1961.

==Tourism==
[[File:Great Orme Marine Drive.jpg|thumb|The Marine Drive round the Great Orme opened in 1878.]]
[[File:GreatOrme1-P4271287.JPG|thumb|Vintage tram near the summit]]
[[File:The Lamp suite of the Llandudano Lighthouse Hotel.jpg|thumb|right|The 180° former [[optic]]al lamp room at the Llandudno lighthouse [[bed & breakfast]]]]
With the creation of Llandudno, the first route round the perimeter of the Great Orme was a footpath constructed in 1858 by Reginald Cust, a trustee of the [[Mostyn baronets|Mostyn Estate]]. In 1872 the Great Ormes Head Marine Drive Co. Ltd. was formed to turn the path into a Victorian carriage road. But it went bankrupt before work was finished. A second company completed the road in 1878. The contractors for the scheme were Messrs Hughes, Morris, Davies, a consortium led by Richard Hughes of Madoc Street, Llandudno.<ref name=Ivor>{{cite book|first=Ivor|last= Wynne Jones|title=Llandudno Queen of Welsh Resorts|pages=70–121|publisher=Landmark Publishing Ltd|year=2002}}</ref> The road was bought by Llandudno Urban District Council in 1897.<ref name=Ivor /> The {{convert|4|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on|adj=on}} one-way toll road starts at the foot of the Happy Valley. After about {{convert|1+1/2|mi|km|round=0.5}} a side road leads to [[Grade II* listed buildings in Conwy County Borough|St. Tudno's Church]], the Bronze Age Copper Mines and to the Great Orme Summit complex with car park. The toll road ticket also pays for the parking at the Summit Complex. Marine Drive has been used as a stage on the [[Wales Rally GB]] in 1981, [[2011 Wales Rally GB|2011]], [[2013 Wales Rally GB|2013]], [[2015 Wales Rally GB|2015]] and [[2018 Wales Rally GB|2018]].

In 1902, the [[Great Orme Tramway]] was built to convey visitors to the top of the Great Orme. In 1969, the [[Llandudno Cable Car]] was also constructed to take visitors up to the summit attractions. These include a tourist shop, cafeteria, visitors' centre, play areas, a licensed hotel, and the vintage tram/cable-car stations.

On clear days [[Winter Hill transmitting station|Winter Hill]], the [[Isle of Man]] and the [[Lake District]] can be seen from the summit of the Orme.

The Orme has one of only two artificial [[ski]] slopes in North Wales, complete with one of the longest [[toboggan]] runs in the United Kingdom.

Landscaped gardens in the Happy Valley and terraces in the Haulfre Garden cover the lower landward facing steeply sloping southern side. Walkways link the Haulfre Gardens with the western end of the Marine Drive.

On the northernmost point of the Orme is the former Llandudno [[lighthouse]]. It was constructed in 1862 by the [[Mersey Docks and Harbour Company]]. The [[navigation aid]] remained in continuous use until 22 March 1985 when it was decommissioned. The building has now been converted into a small [[bed & breakfast]] guest house. The lantern and its optics are now on permanent display at the Summit Complex visitors' centre. The old established "Rest and be thankful" café is also nearby.

{{wide image|Great-Orme-Panorama.jpg|1800px|alt=Panorama of [[Llandudno]] bay from the Orme|align-cap=center|View across Llandudno Bay towards the [[Little Orme]] and across the [[River Conwy|Conwy estuary]] towards [[Tal y Fan]]}}
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|first=Mary|last= Aris|title=Historic Landscapes of the Great Orme|publisher= Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst Wales|year= 1996| isbn= 0-86381-357-7}}
* {{cite book|first=Philip C.|last= Evans|title= Llandudno Coast Artillery School|publisher= Llandudno Town Council|year= 2011}}
* {{cite book|first=Jim|last= Roberts|title=Llandudno Past & Present|publisher= Sutton Publishing Ltd, Stroud, Gloucestershire|year= 1992| isbn= 0-7509-2903-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Saxon|year= 1578|title= Map of Anglesey and Caernarvonshire}} Great Orme peninsula labelled as "Ormeshead Point".
* {{cite book|first=Ivor|last= Wynne Jones|title=Llandudno Queen of Welsh Resorts|publisher=Landmark, Ashbourne Derbyshire|year=2002| isbn= 1-84306-048-5}}
* {{cite book|first=Nick|last= Jowett|title=Great Orme Bronze Age Mines|publisher=Great Orme Mines Ltd, Great Orme, Llandudno, Wales|year=2016}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Great Orme}}
{{Commons category|Great Orme Tramway}}
* [http://www.goes.org.uk/ The Great Orme Exploration Society]
* [http://www.greatorme.org.uk/tramway.html The Great Orme Tramway]
* [http://www.greatorme.org.uk/summit.html The Great Orme Summit Experience]
* [http://www.greatorme.org.uk/marinedrive.html The Marine Drive]
* [http://www.greatormemines.info/ Great Orme Mines]
* [https://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=2798509 Photos of Great Orme and surrounding area]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/unearthingmysteries_20030826.shtml BBC Radio 4 programme on Bronze Age mining]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20210321105245/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00pd1d9 BBC One The Story of Wales – Great Orme Copper Mine]

{{Conwy}}

[[Category:Llandudno]]
[[Category:Copper mines in Conwy County Borough]]
[[Category:Headlands of Conwy County Borough]]
[[Category:Mountains and hills of Conwy County Borough]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Conwy County Borough]]
[[Category:Marilyns of Wales]]
[[Category:Rally GB]]
[[Category:Limestone formations of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Bronze Age Wales]]
[[Category:Prehistoric mines]]

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Great Orme