Aberaeron

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Around Cardiganshire (Ceredigion)

Aberaeron

Aberaeron Harbour

The Harbour at Aberaeron

Aberaeron is a compact town situated at the mouth of the River Aeron and has a lot to offer. Its architecture is the most notable feature, one house in every four is listed as being of special architectural or historical interest. Many of the Georgian houses retain the trademarks of the original builders on the keystones above doors and windows.

The town is a popular shopping centre for the surrounding area and the shops offer a good selection of crafts and local produce.

Many of the pubs serve food and are ideal for a summer’s evening outing.

There are B&Bs, guest houses and hotels to suit all tastes along with caravan parks with private clubs and bars which cater for tourers outside the town and along the coast.

The harbour is very pretty with many of the surrounding houses painted in pastel colours.

At Aberaeron Sea Aquarium which can be found on one side of the harbour you can see the fish that live in Cardigan Bay.

Parking can be a problem during the holiday season. Regular buses connect to other towns up and down the coast.

The beach is pebble and probably not a favourite with children.

Other information

Aberaeron was busy port in the 19th century, many ships were built there.

On the headland is the little Church of the Holy Cross, dating from about 1400. It stands on the site of an earlier Celtic church which was once a stopover on the pilgrim’s route to Bardsey Island where 20,000 Celtic Saints are believed to be buried.

An extract from a Special Act of Parliament dating from 28 July 1807 says

". . . Alban Thomas Jones Gwynne, Clerk Lord of the said Manor of Llyswen, otherwise Aberayron, is willing and desirous at his own Expense, to rebuild, enlarge, improve and maintain the said Quay or Pier, and also to improve the said Harbour"

It was the vision of the Revd Alban Thomas Jones Gwynne, Lord of the Manor of Aberaeron which gave birth to the town.

Aberaeron took shape around the harbour and what was once a small fishing village gradually grew into one of the major trading ports along the Cardigan Bay coast.

The the myth of John Nash having anything to do with the design of Aberaeron was finally exploded by Henry Phythian-Adams nearly thirty years ago in Ceredigion, 1979, and also in 2005 in his article on Colonel Gwynne of Monachty. The Rev. Alban Gwynne founded the town, but it was his son Col. Alban Gwynne who was responsible for the planned part of the town round Alban Square in the 1830s – too late for John Nash. The colonel used Edward Haycock of Shrewsbury as his architect. See Cardiganshire County History, vol.3, page 247, which acknowledges the work of Henry Phythian-Adams.

Many of the houses surrounding the harbour were owned by local sea-captains and the house names reflect such places as Gambia and Melbourne.

The ship building industry was established along the coast and for almost a century both sail and steamships bore the words "of Aberaeron" beneath their nameplates.

As the harbour expanded so did local enterprise and Aberaeron soon became a thriving town.

The site of the local woollen mill still stands on the banks of the river Aeron and the famous Aberaeron shovel was produced in the local ironworks. Farming was a major contributor to the local economy and the annual livestock fair still draws people from far and wide - although the only livestock on the fairground today are the goldfish given as prizes on the "Hook the Duck" stalls! There were 35 public houses when Aberaeron was at its height, sadly today only 9 remain.

The success of the harbour began to dwindle with the introduction of the Railway in 1911 and Aberaeron’s seafaring traditions came to an end.

Today one of the town’s main industry is tourism.

In 2007 the town celebrates its bi-centenary.

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