Llandudno at a Glance
| Population | About 19,700 (2021 census) |
| County | Conwy County Borough, North Wales |
| Name | Llan (church) + Tudno: the church of Saint Tudno |
| Built as a resort | From 1849, on land owned by the Mostyn family |
| Railway | Branch line from Llandudno Junction opened 1858 |
| Pier | Opened 1877, extended 1884, Grade II listed |
| Great Orme | 207 metres (679 feet) high |
| Twin towns | Wormhout (France) and Champéry (Switzerland) |
Where the Name Comes From
Llandudno means the church of Saint Tudno. Tudno was a 6th-century holy man who is said to have lived in a cave on the Great Orme and founded a church there. The current St Tudno's Church on the Orme dates largely from the 12th century and still holds open-air services in summer.
How the Resort Was Built
Before the 1850s, Llandudno was a small community of copper miners and fishermen of about a thousand people, living on the slopes of the Great Orme. In 1848 the Liverpool architect and surveyor Owen Williams showed Lord Mostyn plans to turn the marshland behind the bay into a holiday resort. Mostyn took up the idea with enthusiasm, and plots were sold from 1849.
The planned layout explains why the town still feels so handsome: wide streets on a grid, a sweeping crescent of hotels along the promenade, and strict rules on building heights and frontages. George Felton, appointed surveyor and architect in 1857, oversaw much of the town centre between 1857 and 1877. By 1861 Llandudno was already being called the Queen of the Welsh Watering Places. Read more in our Victorian Llandudno and history of Llandudno guides.
Fun Facts
- The Great Orme Tramway, opened in 1902, is the only cable-hauled tramway still running on Britain's public roads.
- The Great Orme Copper Mines are among the largest prehistoric mines ever discovered, dug around 4,000 years ago with stone and bone tools.
- Until 2017, Llandudno was the only place in the UK with an inland lifeboat station, towing the lifeboat through the streets to whichever shore was needed. See our lifeboat station guide.
- The Great Orme has the longest toboggan run in Britain, at around 750 metres, at the ski centre.
- The Summit complex on the Great Orme was once the home of world middleweight boxing champion Randolph Turpin.
- The wild Kashmiri goats on the Orme made headlines around the world when they wandered into the empty town during the 2020 lockdown.
- Alice Liddell, the real girl behind Alice in Wonderland, spent family holidays at a house on the West Shore. See Alice in Wonderland and Llandudno.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Llandudno?
Llandudno had a population of about 19,700 at the 2021 census.
What does Llandudno mean?
Llandudno means the church of Saint Tudno, the 6th-century holy man who founded a church on the Great Orme.
When was Llandudno built?
Llandudno was developed as a planned Victorian seaside resort from 1849, on land owned by the Mostyn family.