Jewellery store to replace chemist

A Conwy chemist is set to be replaced by an upmarket jewellery shop.

The town currently has two Rowlands pharmacies, one on the High Street and one on Castle Street.

But a planning application has now been submitted to Conwy County Council’s planning department to replace the chemist’s existing timber shopfront on the High Street in preparation for a new Clogau jewellery store.
Bodelwyddan-based Clogau Gold is set to start work pending planning permission, following the shop being vacated this month. If it gets the go-ahead, the new shopfront will feature hardwood timber and ironmongery.

The planning application will be decided by the council’s planning committee at a future committee meeting.

A spokeswoman for Rowlands commented on the closure of the chemist and said the two pharmacies would be amalgamated at a new site, also on Castle Street. “In order to best serve the local community, the two Rowlands branches in Conwy have relocated and come together on a new site on Castle Street,” she said.
“The new, larger branch is well placed to support the community and continues to offer the same breadth of services for Conwy residents.”

Clogau Gold was contacted for a comment.

Clogau Gold’s website explains the company was formed in 1989 when William Roberts discovered an abandoned gold mine in the mountains of Snowdonia, the Clogau St. David’s mine in Bontddu.

Mr Williams then planned to transform the mine into a tourist attraction where visitors could pan for gold. The idea was rejected, due to it being located in the Snowdonia National Park. Consequently Mr Williams took a gamble that there was undiscovered gold in the mine and used it to create high-quality jewellery – with Wales as the inspiration.

In 1994 the first range of jewellery was sold at small gift shops near the Clogau St. David’s mine
Today’s gold comes from the original significant stockpile, which is used for most of the Welsh gold the company uses.

By Richard Evans – Local Democracy Reporter