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Aberystwyth

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

                Aberystwyth
       Population      11,607 (2001)
    OS grid reference  SN585815
     Principal area    Ceredigion
    Ceremonial county  Dyfed
   Constituent country Wales
     Sovereign state   United Kingdom
        Post town      ABERYSTWYTH
    Postcode district  SY23
        Dial code      01970
         Police        Dyfed-Powys
          Fire         Mid and West Wales
        Ambulance      Welsh
      UK Parliament    Ceredigion
   European Parliament Wales
   List of places: UK • Wales • Ceredigion
   Image:WalesCeredigion.png
   Image:Red Dot.svg
   Aberystwyth within Ceredigion UA

   Aberystwyth ( IPA: [abɛrˈəstwɪθ], South Welsh: [abɛrˈəstɔʏθ]) (in
   English: Mouth of the Ystwyth) is a historic market town,
   administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. It
   is often called just "Aber".

   In modern times Aberystwyth has become a major Welsh educational
   centre. The indigenous population is around 12,000, but is swelled by
   an additional 9,232 (2006) students associated with the University of
   Wales, Aberystwyth. Thus for nine months of the year, Aberystwyth's
   population is around 21,000 people. The world's first department in
   international politics was established in Aberystwyth in 1919. It is
   also the home of the only AMBA accredited MBA programme in Wales.
   "Aber" is acknowledged as being Wales' spiritual capital.

Geography

   The town is situated near the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and
   Rheidol, about midway down the length of Cardigan Bay. Although the
   name may seem to suggest otherwise, only the River Rheidol actually
   passes through the town - the River Ystwyth only just skirts the town,
   following the reconstruction of the harbour.

   Aberystwyth has a pier and a fine sea-front which stretches from
   Constitution Hill at the north end of the Promenade to the mouth of the
   harbour at the south.

Brief information

   Aberystwyth is a major tourist centre and a cultural link between the
   north and south of Wales. Constitution Hill is scaled by the
   Aberystwyth Electric Cliff Railway giving access to fine views and
   other attractions at the top, while much of the finest scenery in Mid
   Wales lies within easy reach of the town. This includes the wilderness
   of the Cambrian Mountains, whose valleys contain forests and meadows
   which have little changed in centuries. A convenient way of reaching
   the interior is by the preserved narrow gauge Vale of Rheidol railway.

   Although the town is relatively modern, it contains a number of
   historic buildings, including the remains of the castle and the old
   buildings of the University College of Wales nearby, which could well
   be said to be similar aesthetically to that of Hogwarts Castle in the
   Harry Potter series. The Old College was originally intended to be a
   hotel, but due to a lack of funds the shell of the building was sold to
   the university. The new university campus overlooks Aberystwyth from
   Penglais Hill to the east of the town centre. The terminus for the
   standard gauge railway is also very impressive being built in 1924 in
   typical style of the period.

   The architecture is a mix of Gothic, Classical Revival and Victorian,
   and the town is sometimes referred to as "the Oxford of Wales".
   The much-photographed seafront
   The much-photographed seafront

   The town is generally regarded as the capital of Mid Wales, and several
   institutions have regional offices there. Perhaps the most important of
   the public bodies located in Aberystwyth is the National Library of
   Wales. The library also incorporates the National Screen and Sound
   Archive of Wales, one of six British regional film archives. The Royal
   Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, which
   maintains and curates the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW),
   provides the public with information about the built heritage of Wales.
   Aberystwyth is also the site of the Institute of Grassland and
   Environmental Research.

   Aberystwyth is twinned with St Brieuc, Brittany and Kronberg im Taunus,
   Germany.

History

Mesolithic

   There is evidence that during the Mesolithic Age the area of
   Tan-y-Bwlch at the foot of Pen Dinas was used as a flint knapping floor
   for hunters making weapons from flint that was deposited as the ice
   retreated.

Celtic

   The remains of a celtic fortress on Pen Dinas, a hill in Penparcau
   overlooking Aberystwyth, indicates that the site was inhabited before
   700 BC. On a hill south of the present town, across the River Ystwyth,
   are the remains of a medieval ringfort believed to be the castle from
   which Princess Nest was abducted. This rare survival is now on private
   land and can only be accessed by arrangement.

Middle Ages

   However, the recorded history of Aberystwyth may be said to date from
   the building of a fortress on the present Castle Hill, in 1109. Edward
   I rebuilt Strongbow's Castle in 1277, after its destruction by the
   Welsh. Between the years 1404 and 1408 Aberystwyth Castle was in the
   hands of Owain Glyndŵr, but finally surrendered to Prince Harry (the
   future King Henry V of England). Shortly after this the town was
   incorporated under the title of Ville de Lampadarn (the ancient name of
   the place being Llanbadarn Gaerog, or the fortified Llanbadarn, to
   distinguish it from Llanbadarn Fawr, the village one mile inland). It
   is thus styled in a charter granted by Henry VIII, but by Elizabeth I's
   time the town was invariably termed Aberystwyth in all documents. In
   1647 the Parliamentarian troops razed the castle, so that its remains
   are now inconsiderable, though portions of three towers still exist.
   Excavations in the 1970s within the castle, in what is believed to be a
   stables area, revealed a complete male skeleton, deliberately buried.
   Rarely surviving in Wales' acidic soil, this skeleton was probably
   preserved by the addition of lime from the collapsed building.
   Affectionately known as "Charlie", he probably dates from the Civil War
   period, probably dying during the Parliamentarian siege and is now
   housed in the Ceredigion Museum in the town.

Victorian era

   The Cambrian Railway line from Machynlleth reached Aberystwyth in the
   1860s closely followed by rail links to Carmarthen which resulted in
   the construction of the town's impressive station. The railway's
   arrival gave rise to something of a Victorian tourist boom and the town
   was once even billed as the "Biarritz of Wales" . During this time a
   number of hotels and fine town houses were built including the Queens
   Hotel. One of the largest of these hotels 'The Castle Hotel' was never
   completed as a hotel but following bankruptcy was sold cheaply to the
   'Welsh National University Committee', a group of people dedicated to
   the creation of a Welsh University. The University College of Wales
   (later to become the University of Wales, Aberystwyth) was founded in
   1872 in this building.

   Aberystwyth was a contributory parliamentary borough until the Third
   Reform Act, which caused its representation to be merged into that of
   the county in 1885.

Modern History

   The Vale of Rheidol Railway narrow gauge line from Devil's Bridge was
   constructed between 1901 and 1902, intended to ship mineral traffic,
   primarily lead, from Devil's Bridge down to Aberystwyth for
   trans-shipment. By the time it was finished the lead mines were in a
   deep downturn and it therefore came to rely largely on the tourist
   industry. The railway opened for passengers in December 1902. It is
   still open for the summer season today.

   On the night of Friday 14th January 1938 a storm with estimated wind
   speeds of up to 90 mph struck the town. Most of the promenade was
   destroyed, along with 200 feet of the pier. Most properties on the
   seafront were damaged, most severely on Victoria Terrace.

   Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg held their historic first protest on
   Trefechan Bridge in Aberystwyth, back in 1963, and here also the first
   ever independent Welsh Evangelical Church was established (see
   Evangelical Movement of Wales).

   Merched y Wawr have their national headquarters in Aberystwyth.

   Aberystwyth hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1865, 1916, 1952 and
   1992.

   On March 1st, 2005, Aberystwyth was granted Fairtrade Town status.

Tourist facilities

   The town boasts:
     * A funicular railway and a camera obscura on Constitution Hill
       (known as Consti to locals)
     * A golf course
     * A marina
     * A cinema
     * A tour company specialising in day trips of the local aarea
     * A paint-balling centre
     * An Arts Centre featuring three theatre spaces, a cinema, 2d and 3d
       art studios, three art galleries, a photographic darkroom,
       rehearsal spaces, a bookshop, a craft shop, a dance school, three
       bars, a cafe and a restaurant
     * A university
     * A local museum
     * A steam railway (The aforementioned narrow gauge Vale of Rheidol
       Railway)
     * A microbrewery (Flannery's) which no longer brews beer in the town
     * The smallest commercial brewery in the world at the Tynllidiart
       Arms in Capel Bangor (Guiness World Record Holder).
     * A castle ruins (see history section)
     * The Old College historical seafront university building.

Transport

   Two of Wales's important trunk roads, the A487 and A44 meet in the
   town, with much traffic between north and south-west Wales passing
   through.

   Arriva Trains Wales provide a roughly two-hourly service over the
   scenic Cambrian Line to Shrewsbury and Birmingham via Machynlleth and
   Mid Wales. Connecting services from Machynlleth also provide a link to
   Gwynedd's west coast.

   Aberystwyth is also a hub for Wales's TrawsCambria bus network, with
   regular direct services to Bangor, Cardigan, Carmarthen and Cardiff. A
   daily National Express coach to London and Birmingham also exists.

   The preserved Vale of Rheidol railway provides a convenient transport
   link during the summer months to Devil's Bridge, a tourist attraction
   about 12 miles east of the town.

Music

   Within Wales, Aberystwyth is known for its music scene which has
   produced successful bands and artists such as.
     * The Crocketts
     * Hot Puppies
     * Black Russian
     * Pagan Wanderer Lu

In fiction

   Aberystwyth (albeit an alternate universe version) is the setting for
   the cult Louie Knight series which transfers Chandeleresque "noir"
   stories and dialogue to this small seaside town. This alternate reality
   features many landmarks of Aberystwyth such as the university and the
   National Library of Wales, but the social situation is radically
   altered to more closely resemble the pulp/noir stereotypical 'Dirty
   Town' that the narrative plays off of. Most of the humour in the books
   is derived from the almost seamless juxtaposition of the real
   Aberystwyth and the fictional, noir Aberystwyth. Various aspects of
   Welsh culture are reflections of what you might expect to see in
   reality, but with a pulp twist - for example, prostitutes wear Welsh
   stovepipe hats.

   In the setting for Classic Battletech, a star system in the Timbuktu
   Theatre of Alarion Provence of the Lyran Commonwealth / Lyran Alliance
   is named Aberystwyth.

   The local writer Niall Griffiths has set many of his novels here and
   reflects local slang, settings and even individuals. 'Grits', 'Stump',
   and 'Sheepshagger' are set wholly in Aberystwyth and it also features
   prominently in his other novels such as Kelly and Victor and 'Stump.'
   He portrays a more gritty side of Aberystwyth.

   Nancy Bond's "A String in the Harp" is set in the small coastal town of
   Borth, near Aberystwyth . The main characters' father is on sabbatical
   from Amherst University and working at the University of Wales,
   Aberystwyth.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberystwyth"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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