In the
town of Llandudno, over 4,000 miles from Florida is a Wonderland in progress. Llandudno is an ocean shore town, located in North
Wales, in the Conwy County Borough. The town is in the process of building an
Alice in Wonderland trail in hopes of promoting tourism. Local myth is that Lewis Carroll wrote part of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland at the St. George’s Hotel in Llandudno. Also, that Alice Liddle, the real Alice, spent some family vacations along the West Shore of the town.
The first of the Alice Trail landmarks are four wooden Alice in Wonderland characters, which were put up in June. The part of the trail where the wooden sculptures are located, start by the train station between Gloddaeth and Vaughan streets.
Artist Simon Hedger’s specialized carvings are done with a chain saw. Hedger said, “This is a great opportunity for an artist to carve sculptures of such strong iconic characters that have become part of our culture and for these to be placed in a town that has a historic relationship with Lewis Carroll,” according to WalesOnline.CO.UK.
The characters include Alice, the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit. They were all carved out of oak, except for the Queen of Hearts who is made from cedar. Alice is grabbing her dress and has a smile on her face and the Queen has one fist clenched and the other pointing outward, her mouth is agape and her face looks angry.
The project was commissioned by the Conwy County Borough and with additional support from the Llandudno Town Council. There is also a themed flower clock on the trail and four additional wooden sculptures are to be put up at a later date.
Last weekend the county opened to the public a new Alice in Wonderland themed bandstand and classroom, which will be used by schools and youth groups. Ultimately, the town hopes to have 35 Alice in Wonderland themed points along the Llandudno’s Alice Trail.
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