TECHNOLOGY is being used to lift the lid on old town tales of murder and mystery.

Rhyl Town Council’s Dark History Tour – featuring three mini films on the town’s – was launched yesterday on Halloween.

The films provide a snapshot of key stories in the town’s history. On a smartphone, viewers can watch Kinmel Street’s Mummy in the Cupboard, the story of one of the last men in Britain to be hanged and the secret of the ghost of Bodfor Street. 

People can pick up a leaflet from Rhyl Tourism Information centre, follow the map and scan the QR code, and then view the films in the streets where the stories happened. The stories are part of a  permanent virtual history tour, the first of its kind for Rhyl, and are first in a series to be unveiled. Other trails are expected to focus on Rhyl’s famous faces and sporting history.

Councillor Alan James, mayor of Rhyl, said: “Rhyl is rich in history – from murder mysteries, strange happenings to a host of famous faces, there are stories to tell at every turn. These are woven into the fabric of Rhyl life and, bit by bit, we’ll be telling them in a new way, using the latest technology.

“The Dark History tour has been a cross-Rhyl project, bringing in the history club, and working with young people through Barnardos’ providing opportunities to learn about research, film making and development. This has been as much about supporting local groups and providing an educational resource as it has about preserving local history. Dark History is something new to discover this Halloween but the films will live on for all time.”

Rhyl History Club opened its archives to help the project and a team from Barnardo’s worked with TAPE Community Music and Film to shape the content and storyboards.

The films will eventually be available in full on the town council and history club’s website.

Ruth Pritchard, of Rhyl History Club, added: “Rhyl is full of legendary stories, such as Hanratty’s murder trial which has been the subject of much discussion, debate and legal challenges and the ghost of Bodfor Street which is believed to have been sighted many times over the years.”

In the case of the Mummy in the Cupboard, the remains of Frances Alice Knight were discovered locked away in a Kinmel Street house, instantly turning a 65-year-old landlady into a murder suspect. The Dark History film covers the grim discovery and what happened next in a story which generated headlines around the world.