Aberaeron (), previously

anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

as Aberayron, is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

and

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

Ceredigion Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the West Wales, west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the River Dyfi, Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire t ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. Located on the coast between

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

and Cardigan, its resident population was 1,274 in the 2021 census. The name of the town is Welsh for "mouth of the Aeron". It is derived from the

Middle Welsh Middle Welsh (, ) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh (). Literature and history Middle Welsh is ...

' (slaughter), which gave its name to Aeron, believed by some to have been a Welsh god of war. One of the main

Ceredigion County Council Ceredigion County Council () is the governing body for the county of Ceredigion, since 1996 one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The council's main offices are in Aberaeron. History The current council was created on 1 April 1996 under t ...

office sites is located in Aberaeron.

History and design

In 1800, there was no significant coastal settlement here. The present town was planned and developed from 1805 by the Rev. Alban Thomas Jones Gwynne. He built a harbour which operated as a port and supported a shipbuilding industry in the 19th century. A group of workmen's houses and a school were built on the harbour's north side, but these were reclaimed by the sea.Aberaeron 1807–2007: Aberaeron Town Trail, celebrating our heritage
Heritage Treftadaeth, 2007 (under building 1 - General Storehouse) Steam ships continued to visit the harbour until the 1920s but, in later years, it evolved into a small half-tide harbour for recreational craft. The estuary is also crossed by a wooden pedestrian bridge. Crafts were an important part of village life in the 19th century. Information recorded in trade directories shows that in 1830, although it was not yet fully developed as a port, in Aberaeron there were one woollen manufacturer, one bootmaker, one baker, one corn miller, one blacksmith, one blacksmith and shovel maker, two

shipwrights Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces i ...

, one carpenter and one hatmaker. In the late 1890s, a hand-powered cable car, the Aeron Express, was built to ferry workers across the harbour when the bridge was demolished by floods. The structure was recreated in 1988 as a tourist attraction that ran until the end of summer 1994, when it was closed under health and safety regulations. The architecture of Aberaeron is unusual for this part of rural Wales, being constructed around a principal square, Alban Square, of Regency style buildings grouped around the harbour. This was the work of Edward Haycock Sr., an architect from

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

. His designs also included the former Aberaeron Town Hall, which was completed in 1846 and became County Hall, Aberaeron in 1910. Some of the architecture was of sufficient interest to feature on British postage stamps. Aberaeron Golf Club was founded in 1923. It continued until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when the course was turned over to agriculture to aid the war effort. Post-war attempts to reinstate the club failed.

Castell Cadwgan

Castell Cadwgan, a 12th-century

ringwork A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles without the motte. Defences were usually earthworks in the form of a ditch and bank surrounding the site ...

fortification around a probable wooden structure, was by the shore at Aberaeron, but has long since been claimed by the sea. Traces of the structure remain in mounds of earth and the remains of the enclosure bank. Henry Gastineau's ''Wales Illustrated in a Series of Views'' (1810) mentions the site: "Near the town are some remains of an ancient fortress called Castell Cadwgan, thought to have been erected by King Cadwgan, about the year 1148." However, Cadwgan is recorded as having been killed in 1111. ''Welsh Minstrelsy: Containing the Land beneath the Sea'' (1824) says: "Just where Sarn Ddewi juts out from the shore is an old fort, called Castell Cadwgan."

Governance

There are two tiers of local government covering Aberaeron, at

(town) and

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

level: Aberaeron Town Council and

. The town council meets at the Memorial Hall on South Road. The county council also has one of its main offices in the town, at Neuadd Cyngor Ceredigion (Ceredigion Council Hall) at Penmorfa. Ceredigion-council-aberaeron

Administrative history

When the town was laid out in the 19th century, Aberaeron straddled the parishes of Henfynyw and Llanddewi Aberarth. Efforts to secure local government functions for the town were hesitant. The town was declared a

local government district Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

in 1892, but no-one stood for election to the local board that was supposed to administer the district. The local board remained dormant until local government districts across the country were converted into urban districts under the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The act followed the reforms carried out at county leve ...

. Aberayron Urban District Council held its first meeting on 31 December 1894. The official spelling of the urban district's name was 'Aberayron' until 1966, when the council changed it to 'Aberaeron' to better respect modern Welsh

orthography An orthography is a set of convention (norm), conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, punctuation, Word#Word boundaries, word boundaries, capitalization, hyphenation, and Emphasis (typography), emphasis. Most national ...

. Aberaeron Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

. A community called Aberaeron was created instead, covering the area of the abolished urban district. District-level functions passed to Ceredigion District Council, which was in turn replaced in 1996 by Ceredigion County Council. The first representative for Aberayron on Cardiganshire County Council was John Morgan Howell, who became a prominent figure in the political life of the county. Following his election in January 1889, bonfires were lit to celebrate his victory. Since 1995, the town has been part of the Aberaeron and Aberarth ward, electing one councillor to

. Since 2008, the ward has been represented by Elizabeth Evans for the

Welsh Liberal Democrats The Welsh Liberal Democrats () is a Liberalism, liberal, Federalism, federalist political party in Wales, part of UK Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrats. The party is led by Jane Dodds, who has served as an Member of the Senedd, MS for Mid ...

Education

The town and surrounding areas are served by Ysgol Gyfun Aberaeron, a bilingual secondary

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

. Although there is no provision for higher education in the town, three university towns are within easy travelling range:

( away), and the

Lampeter Lampeter (; (formal); ''Llambed'' (colloquial)) is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion, after Aberystwyth and C ...

() and

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

() sites of the

University of Wales Trinity Saint David The University of Wales Trinity Saint David () is a public university with three main campuses in South West Wales, in Carmarthen, Lampeter and Swansea, a fourth campus in London, and learning centres in Cardiff, and Birmingham. The university ...

Location and features

Aberaeron is located between Cardigan and Aberystwyth on the A487, at a junction with the A482 leading south-east to the university town of

. It lies on the Ceredigion Coast Path, part of the

Wales Coast Path The Wales Coast Path () is a designated long-distance trail which follows, or runs close to, the coastline of Wales. Launched in 2012, the footpath is long and was heralded as the first dedicated coast path in the world to cover the entire len ...

. The shoreline consists of generally steep

storm beach A storm beach is a beach affected by particularly fierce wind wave, waves, usually with a very long fetch (geography), fetch. The resultant landform is often a very steep beach (up to 45°) composed of rounded Cobble (geology), cobbles, shingle be ...

es of pebbles, although fine sand is visible at low tide levels. Aberaeron South Beach was awarded the Blue Flag rural beach award in 2005. The Harbourmaster Hotel is nearby. The climate is mild and temperate, largely conditioned by the proximity of the relatively shallow sea. However, Aberaeron experiences occasional winter frosts when cold air descends the Aeron valley from the upland parts of Ceredigion.

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer, whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Un ...

's links with Aberaeron,

New Quay New Quay () is a seaside town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales; it had a resident population of 1,045 at the 2021 census. Located south-west of Aberystwyth, on Cardigan Bay with a harbour and large sandy beaches, the town ...

and Talsarn have been documented. The Dylan Thomas Trail runs through Ceredigion, passing through Aberaeron and ending in New Quay. There are 248

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

s in the Aberaeron community, most in the town itself. An annual festival of Welsh ponies and cobs is held on Alban Square Field every August. A life-sized statue of a Welsh cob stallion, sculpted by David Mayer, was donated to the town in 2005 by the festival. An annual carnival takes place on the Monday bank holiday in August, with a procession of floats and a carnival queen moving from the quay to Alban Square.

Transport

In 1866, transport in Lampeter was greatly improved with the opening of the railway linking

and

. In 1911, a branch line, the Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway, opened to Aberaeron. Following the nationalisation of the railways, the passenger service to Aberaeron ceased in 1951; the last freight train left the town on 2 April 1965. A regular bus service links the town with Aberystwyth, Lampeter and Carmarthen, with several daily through services to

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...

and

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. Another service connects with New Quay,

Aberporth Aberporth is a seaside village, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales. The population at the 2001 Census, was 2,485, of whom 49 per cent could speak the Welsh language. At the 2011 Census, the population of the co ...

and Cardigan from Monday to Saturday.

Notable people

* Jenkin Alban Davies (1885–1976), international rugby union player and chaplain with the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It was created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of the regiment, the ...

in WWI * Ron Davies (1921–2013), photographer * Sir Geraint Evans (1922–1992), opera singer, had a home in Aberaeron for more than 30 years * David Lewis Jones (1945–2010), historian and librarian of the House of Lords Library, 1991 to 2006 * Eleri Siôn (born 1971),

BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Wales, Welsh national radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the Welsh opt-out service of BBC Radio 4. As of August 2022, the stat ...

presenter * Seirian Sumner (born 1974), entomologist and behavioural ecologist, professor at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

* Cynan Jones (born 1975), Welsh writer who lives and works in Ceredigion * Caryl Lewis (born 1978), Welsh novelist. * Joshua Tarling (born 2004), Welsh track and road cyclist.

Gallery

File:DV405 no.160 Aberaeron.png, Early 19th-century sketch of Aberaeron File:Aeron2209e.JPG, River Aeron File:Black lion2268e.JPG, Black Lion Hotel on Alban Square File:Harb2359e.JPG, Harbour at low tide File:Footbridge over Aeron.jpg, Footbridge over the Aeron File:Harbour2263.JPG, Harbour and hills File:Workhouse2287e.JPG, Former workhouse File:Feathers2219e.JPG, Feathers Royal Hotel (former coaching inn) File:Cob2220lg Aberaeron.JPG, Welsh cob statue File:MarketSt2208e.JPG, Castle Hotel and Market Street File:Street2218e.JPG, Georgian houses File:Northgate Toll House SN4663 073.jpg, Northgate Toll House, File:Princes avenue.JPG, Prince's Avenue

References

External links

Aberaeron Town Council website

{{authority control Towns in Ceredigion Cardigan Bay Coast of Ceredigion Wards of Ceredigion Populated coastal places in Wales County towns in Wales Communities in Ceredigion