A lost underwater city is opening as a tourist attraction in a quiet UK seaside town

When visiting Llandudno, it’s easy to spend a lot of your time looking up, whether that’s at the breathtaking Great Orme cliffs or the town’s grand Victorian buildings. But there’s plenty of spectacular stuff beneath your feet, too.

Below Llandudno is a 12-feet deep ‘sunken palace’, an enormous brick chamber with vaulted ceilings and enough space to hold around a million gallons of water. The Victorian structure is hiding beneath Happy Valley, one of Conwy’s oldest parks. 

Sound like something you fancy exploring? Well, soon you might get the chance to do so. There are plans to turn the place into a visitor attraction known as Llandudno Vaults. 

The space opened in 1880 to house the historic Fach Reservoir, supplying water to Llandudno as the North Wales town emerged as a fashionable seaside resort. It was later transformed into a subterranean chamber known locally as Y Fach – little one in Welsh. Engineers built the towering 248 red-brick arches over the water. The reservoir was mostly drained in the mid-20th century, with its grass roof later becom­ing a put­ting green.

According to the Llandudno Vaults website, plans are underway to make it an arts and heritage venue. They want the space to celebrate Welsh history, myths and folklore through storytelling, music and interactive technology. There will also be a gift shop, where visitors can buy themed products inspired by the legends and creatures of the Vaults.

For decades, Y Fach was abandoned, living on as something of a local legend thanks to its cavernous, dripping interiors. Currently, the reservoir is only accessible by a man hole and ladders. However, if the plans for the attraction go ahead, a new entrance will be created on the Happy Valley hillside.

You can watch an eerie clip from the team’s first exploration of the drained reservoir here:

Plans are now in motion thanks to the project receiving £20,000 funding through the UK-wide Immersive Arts programme. The team are already working with local businesses, organisations and the community to shape the plans, which it intends to submit for approval later this year.

Did you see that a brand-new UK train route now links a major English city with one of Wales’ most underrated seaside towns?

Plus: Scotland’s ‘Grand Canyon’ is up for sale – and could become a major tourist attraction.

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