ONE of Rhos-on-Sea's historic buildings has been reduced to rubble.

Odstone, on Marine Drive, was demolished last month. The building, designed and built by Manchester architect Henry Goldsmith in 1912, had become semi-derelict. 

Last year, the site became the subject of a petition. More than 2,000 signatures were gathered in an attempt to save the building after a planning application was submitted by agent Cadnant Planning on behalf of Madock Development Ltd to demolish the property and build 12 apartments.

Later in the year, Madoc Developments Limited withdrew the application to allow time for the building to be assessed by Cadw. Following a review and site visit, Cadw confirmed Odstone did not represent a building of special architectural interest.

Councillor Donald Milne, of Llandrillo yn Rhos, said: “Obviously we’re always concerned to lose properties of character, but the owners have their own rights and certainly it had fallen into a state of disrepair, which is a great shame.”

Legend has it that Prince Madoc sailed from near the site in 1170 on his voyage to Mobile, Alabama in the United States, which was commemorated on a bronze plaque outside the house. 

Main image: A computer-generated impression of how the site would look with apartments