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Aberystwyth
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Aberystwyth ( Welsh: ) is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. It is often colloquially known as Aber, and is located at the confluence of the Rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol.
Aberystwyth since the late 19th Century has also been a major Welsh educational centre, with the establishment of the first University in Wales in 1872 (Lampeter founded in 1822, was only a university college). The permanent population is around 12,000, but for nine months of the year the 7,000 resident students associated with Aberystwyth University take this total to about 19,500 people.
Geography
The town is situated near the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol, about midway down the length of Cardigan Bay.
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Encyclopedia
Aberystwyth ( Welsh: ) is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. It is often colloquially known as Aber, and is located at the confluence of the Rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol.
Aberystwyth since the late 19th Century has also been a major Welsh educational centre, with the establishment of the first University in Wales in 1872 (Lampeter founded in 1822, was only a university college). The permanent population is around 12,000, but for nine months of the year the 7,000 resident students associated with Aberystwyth University take this total to about 19,500 people.
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 seafront which stretches from Constitution Hill at the north end of the Promenade to the mouth of the harbour at the south, taking in two separate beach stretches divided by the castle. Today it is essentially made up of four different areas: Aberystwyth town, Llanbadarn Fawr, Waunfawr and Penparcau, with Penparcau being the most populous.
Aberystwyth is an extremely isolated town, considering the population density of the United Kingdom. The nearest substantial settlements are located at least 1 hour 45 minutes drive away: Swansea, to the south, is away; Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, England, to the east, is away; and Wrexham, to the north-east, is approximately away. The Welsh capital, Cardiff, is over away. London is away from Aberystwyth.
Brief information
Aberystwyth is a major tourist centre and a cultural link between North Wales and South 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 changed little 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 College of Aberystwyth University nearby. 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 Oxbridge of Wales".
The town is generally regarded as the capital of Mid Wales, and several institutions have regional or national 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 home to the national offices of UCAC and Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, and the site of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research. The Welsh Books Council and the offices of the standard historical dictionary of Welsh, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, are also located in Aberystwyth.
Schools
Aberystwyth has two comprehensive schools serving the town and a wide rural area, Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig, and Ysgol Penglais; the former uses Welsh as the primary medium of tuition, the latter, English.
Aberystwyth University
Aberystwyth is home to Aberystwyth University. It was founded in 1872 and was the first university institution to be established in Wales.
History
Mesolithic
There is evidence that during the Mesolithic Age the area of Tan-y-Bwlch at the foot of Pen Dinas (Penparcau) was used as a flint knapping floor for hunter gatherers making weapons from flint that was deposited as the ice retreated.
Celtic
The remains of a Celtic fortress on Pen Dinas (or more correctly 'Dinas Maelor'), 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
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