A British seaside town has lost the record for having the world’s steepest street – after it was reclaimed 10,000 miles away in New Zealand.
Down Under’s Dunedin held the title for their Baldwin Street in Down until the gradient of Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech, North Wales, was judged to be steeper.
But now an ‘extensive review’ has been held into their giant gradient – and the Welsh town is now judged to be second in the world.
Baldwin Street locals (pictured) in Dunedin, New Zealand, have been vindicated as the rightful holders of the Guinness World Record because it is a two-way road with houses on either side
Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech, North Wales, was recently judged to be steeper than the street in New Zealand, but this has since been overturned once more
Checks found that Baldwin Street in fact boasts a steeper gradient coming in at 34.8 per cent, compared to Fforn Pen Llech’s 28.6 per cent.
Appeal leader Toby Stoff said: ‘Sincere thanks to Guinness World Records for considering our findings.’
‘It is important to know that Guinness World Records treats matters like this in a robust and professional manner. The issue of gradient was technical in nature only.
‘There was no bad feeling toward the people of Harlech. I had the great joy of visiting last November. It is a wonderful heritage town full of friendly people.’
The appeal included a comparative survey of the three dimensional shapes of both streets.
Harlech campaigner Gwyn Headley said: ‘I feel sorry – but steeper is steeper.’
Mr Headley’s research found the street was the steepest in Great Britain, though a different methodology was used to calculate Baldwin Street in New Zealand.
Criteria for the record stated the street must be a public thoroughfare, fully surfaced and have buildings alongside the carriageway, and the record measurement is based on the highest gradient over a 11-yard section of road.
The street is thought to have existed for more than 1,000 years, runs past the medieval Harlech Castle, a Unesco World Heritage site, and is lined with houses, a shop, a caravan park, a laundry service, and a restaurant
However the Harlech bid was able to justify the absence of blueprints before 1842 because the street was thought to have existed for more than 1,000 years.
A Guinness World Records statement said: ‘Each one of the 60,000+ records we monitor have a set of rules unique to them which specify, among other things, the evidence that must be provided in order for us to verify a world record claim.
‘As well as calling upon in-house expertise, we also work in collaboration with dozens of consultants, universities, federations and governing bodies across a number of subject matters to ensure that our rules are as up-to-date and as relevant as possible.
‘We’re very grateful to the Baldwin Street appeals team, led by surveyor Toby Stoff, for making us aware of a rare gap in our stipulations and we’re pleased to see the title return to New Zealand.
‘We’re also very grateful to the Ffordd Pen Llech team for their application and good humour throughout this process.’
Gwyn Headley and Sara Badhan in 2019 hold a certificate from the Guinness World Records stating that Ffordd Pen Llech, pictured, in Harlech, Wales, was officially the world’s steepest street before the award was reclaimed by Baldwin Street in Down
An independent surveyor measured Ffordd Pen Llech and found that it has a 37 per cent gradient and is officially ‘unsuitable for motors’, but under Guinness World Record’s criteria, the street’s gradient is 28.6 per cent
The initial change that led to the street in Wales being named the steepest sparked some online criticism from New Zealanders.
Baldwin Street resident Colleen Williamson told news website Stuff: ‘They are two completely different streets, the one in Wales is not two-way all the way through and not heavily populated like Baldwin Street.’
Another critic wrote online: ‘By definition the street in Wales is a lane, not a street. It a single lane with no footpaths or parking.’