The “Frontiers” project was a collaboration between the North Wales region of the Royal Photographic Society and the North Wales Photographic Association to explore the edges of urbanised areas – places usually ignored or taken for granted.
My project focused on Prestatyn, which has a rich industrial history based on its geology. It is probably best known as a resort town, which is why I designed my photographs as picture postcards. Prestatyn, Meliden and Dyserth lie between the sea and a limestone escarpment mined for lead from the Roman occupation until the late 19th century. Limestone was quarried for 700 years. Mechanisation increased production and a branch railway line served the two industries.
Although evidence of our industrial heritage is disappearing, as quarries and disused buildings are reclaimed by nature, it is commemorated. The railway line is now a walkway, commercial buildings have been restored and renovated and a Roman helmet sculpture has been installed on Prestatyn Hillside. Offshore in modern times, there are oil and gas rigs and wind turbines.
