Heritage

Aberdovey, or more properly Aberdyfi, was established as a base for herring fishing and was approached mainly by sea. Aberdyfi means mouth (aber) of the river Dyfi (now frequently Anglicized to Dovey).  When it was established, the village was entirely Welsh-speaking, and Welsh is still the first language, although there are now many residents from outside the area.  As one would expect, the settlement started at the bottom of the hill next to the estuary, spread horizontally and then worked its way up.  A drawing showing thatched cottages along the seafront dates to 1834, but although these vanished later in the same century, they were the legacy of seafront construction that dated from at least the 16th Century.  Each new building and each new phase of development represents the development of new aspects of industry and trade in the area.

The cultural mix of Aberdovey residents has continued to change.  Even before the arrival of tourism, within the Welsh community there  were differences in status, religious affiliation, and types of trade and industry.  Some of this diversification is visible in the area’s heritage.  When tourism arrived, the cultural mix expanded to include many more Welsh speakers from other areas and English speakers, mainly from the Midlands, many of whom began to settle.

In the blog I will be exploring different aspects of the local economy and industries, aspects of social life, and individual buildings.  Shipping and shipbuilding are particular interests of mine, so I will be focusing quite a few posts on this area.

Here are my heritage and history posts to date, in more or less chronological order (by date of subject matter, starting in prehistory):