The History of Colomendy The National Camps Corporation started to build Colomendy in 1939 to use as an outdoor activity centre. In 1940, Liverpool corporation leased the two camps that were built, Top Camp and Bottom Camp, to house evacuees when the war started. Both camps consisted of long wooden buildings made of Canadian pine. Boys were in the bottom camp, girls in the top. After the war Liverpool continued to lease Colomendy from the N.C.C. until the early 1950s when Liverpool bought it from them. It was during this period that they started to hold International camps during the summer holidays this continued for many years but eventually dwindled out. Also around the late 1940s, they started to take Liverpool school groups for a week-long visit. This continues today. In 1956 it was decided to make the school comprehensive and the girls where moved down to the bottom camp. The top camp was used for the Liverpool visiting schools. This did not work out too well so they moved the boarding school up to the top camp and the visitors had the use of the bottom camp and that's how it stayed until 1969. In 1969 a new school was built called Glan Alyn. It was built on the hill between top and bottom camp. This had all the mod cons that the two camps did not have. Cubicled beds, indoor ablutions, each dorm had it's own washing room and T.V. room as well as proper flats for the teachers. Glan Alyn closed as a boarding school in 1990 and all three schools became the 'Colomendy Centre' where the emphasis is on outdoor activities. So in a way it has come full circle. Liverpool schools still visit there and that is the main purpose of the centre but so do schools from other areas and adult groups. Glan Alyn ex-scholars are trying to start a reunion group for people attending the school between the years 1969 and 1990. If you are interested in joining that group, contact us and we will contact them for you. The Colomendy Connection's main interest though is the boarders who lived in the wooden huts between the years 1940 - 1969. The connection we have is that we all had to run across the yard to the ablutions no matter how bad the weather was. Getting chilblains from putting your feet on the pipes running round the dorm. Swimming in the open air swimming pool usually covered in frog spawn and countless other memories. A stay in Colomendy is not quite the same as it was when you went as a child. A lot has been done to make it more comfortable. Beds with duvets instead of bunks; a large indoor swimming pool; verandas turned into small private rooms; new loos; new showers with curtains but you still have to go over to the ablutions! There are however sinks and loos situated in the middle of the dorms. The Colomendy Connection group was formed in 1990 and the committee organise a reunion every year in July. To keep you up to date with all the goings on we issue a newsletter every other month.
It's easy to find the people you're looking for at Colomendy Hall School. There are 203 members at Colomendy Hall School
Schools Nearby Colomendy Hall School:
- Alun School
- Elfed High School
- Maes Garmon
- Ysgol Maes Garmon
- Ysgol Uwchradd Maes Garmon
- Argoed School
- Alun Grammar School
- Argoed High School
- Mold High School
- Daniel Owen
