Christmas shopping, festive windows, presents, parties and plenty of food. Delving into newspaper archives reveals that while Penarth has changed considerably, the excitement of Christmas in the town feels remarkably familiar.
^ Long before online booking and Christmas packages, the Esplanade Hotel was using the local press to tempt festive visitors to Penarth.
^ Christmas parties were clearly plentiful when this correspondent visited Penarth. The writer hoped that “some philanthropist” might build Penarth a “substantial public hall capable of dancing at least 250 persons”. In the decades that followed, both the Paget Rooms and Penarth Pier Pavilion would provide the town with major venues for gathering, dancing and entertainment.
^ Mrs Millward’s showroom at 27 Windsor Road promised everything from dolls and Christmas cards to rocking horses, mechanical toys and musical boxes.
^ Nearly a century before the phrase became familiar, Penarth’s traders were making the case for Christmas shopping close to home.
^ This enthusiastic celebration of Penarth’s shops argues that there was little need to travel to London or Paris for the latest fashions and Christmas gifts.
The shops have changed. The presents have changed. The Christmas rush, perhaps, hasn’t.
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