Well, let me tell you a story....

I worked in close proximity to the Pavilion in the 1990s and I hosted several unofficial tours of the building.

It's only when you got inside that you could appreciate what a really massive building the empty theatre was, full of literally dozens of secret rooms, corridors, old equipment scattered around, old posters, photos and programmes on the floor, feral cats sleeping in the balcony seats, an abandoned projection room and a massive basement area that was like a maze, previously used for a horror waxworks museum and all the backdrops were still in place! French Revolution, Torture Chamber, London street with Sweeney Todds Barber Shop...they were all still in situ!

We explored the entire building...the balcony level (at the Happy Valley road entrance doors, there was a large round mosaic set into the floor that said "Llandudno Pier Company"), the stalls level (all the seats still in place), the stage (complete with open trap door!), back of the stage (all of the backdrops were still hanging there), backstage dressing rooms (full of old bits of furniture), manager's office (a lovely panelled room with a large walk-in safe), technical storerooms under the stage, and the massive basement area.

Most entertaining thing of all was...we (I was with a mate) got right down to the lowest part of the building, found a hidden room with a printing press once used for making all of the theatre's posters and then actually found ourselves in the gap between the theatre's wall and the cliff face that the theatre was built up against. We actually had our feet in sea water at this point and could see the passage heading towards the Grand Hotel. As we looked around, I heard a strangled cry and I turned to see the torch fading into just a pinprick of light. Yep, my mate Steve had rechargeable batteries in his torch and they had just failed!!

We must have been at the furthest possible point from the way out and it was absolutely pitch black! Luckily, I had a pretty good idea of the layout in my mind and we were able to slowly feel our way out, with Steve using his cigarette lighter now and again for a little bit of light. And just for a final bit of fun, we were just walking up some steps back up into the stalls area when we walked into a cardboard skeleton that some kind soul had left hanging in the middle of the corridor. We jumped just a little!

By SnakeCorp (Forum Member)
Submitted 13/10/06.