Plans to replace stolen 'figurehead' for the Queen of Welsh Resorts

WHEN a bronze bust of Queen Victoria disappeared from Llandudno in January, it was as if the Queen of Welsh Resorts had lost its figurehead.

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE Countryside and Tourism Editor [e-mail]

The 138-year-old bust was presumed stolen and likely melted down for scrap.

A police investigation drew a blank and the bust has never been recovered. Ever since, its damaged plinth in Llandudno's Happy Valley has stood empty, surrounded by barriers.

In the expectation that the original will never be found, two local Gogarth councillors have begun planning a replacement.

Louise Emery and Greg Robbins are in talks with the British Ironwork Centre, which runs a "metal sculpture park" near Oswestry, Shropshire.