
Charlotte of Aberdovey (Source: “My Welsh Ancestry” website by Alan Jones at http://www.mywelshancestry.co.uk/John%20Jenkins/John%20Jenkins%20Story.html)
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 heard everywhere in the village, although there are now many incomers who do not speak Welsh. 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 explore different aspects of the local economy and industries, aspects of social life, and individual buildings.
Here are my heritage and history posts, in more or less chronological order (by date of subject matter, starting in prehistory):
- Tal y Garreg Iron Age hillfort at the top of Tonfanau, near Twywn
- Llechlwyd Iron Age hillfort, Tonfanau, near Tywyn
- Castell Mawr hillfort, Mynydd Garreg, near Llanegryn
- The Tal-y-Llyn Iron Age Hoard
- Cefn Caer, the Roman fort at Pennal
- The Legend of Cantre’r Gawelod and the Bells of Aberdovey
- The ruins of the 1198 Cistercian Cymer Abbey, just north of Dolgellau
- A Visit to Castell-y-Bere (1221-1295) near Abergynolwyn
- Where was Aberdyfi Castle?
- The Bear of Amsterdam, a ship of the Spanish Armada, in Aberdovey 1597
- The Royal Silver Mint and Charcoal Furnace in the village of Furnace
- A Background to Shipping and Shipbuilding in Aberdovey
- A Visit to the church of St Peter ad Vincula and Owain Glyndŵr’s Pennal Letter in Pennal
- A brief history of 1-3 Penhelig Lodge, Penhelig
- The Calvinistic Methodist Chapel, Chapel Square, Aberdovey (established 1828)
- The Wesleyan Methodist chapel in Chapel Square, Aberdovey (built 1829, rebuilt 1868)
- St Peter’s Church, Aberdovey, (built 1842)
- Aberdovey in “A Topographical Dictionary of Wales” 1849
- A short history of the Ynysymaengwyn Estate, near Tywyn and Bryncrug
- The canalized section of Afon Leri and the West Wharf Boatyard, Ceredigion, completed 1847
- Wandering Pigs in Tywyn 1854 – 1898
- Steamships in Aberdovey from the mid 1800s to the First World War
- The auxiliary steamer Aberllefeni Quarrymaid, launched in 1858
- A History of Cambrian Times, established 1860
- The Railway arrives in Aberdovey in 1864
- The arrival of gas, running water and electricity in Aberdovey 1865-1945
- Photograph of Aberdovey in the 1895 book “Round The Coast”
- The Calvinistic Methodist Tabernacle, Sea View Terrace, 1864
- The Tomlins Flour Mill, Melyn Ardudwy, established 1881
- The Loss of the 1857 schooner Frances Poole in 1869
- The Aberdovey schooner Maglona, launched in 1876
- The Aberdovey schooner Mervinia, launched 1878
- The Congregational Chapel in Aberdovey, established 1880
- 19th Century John Thomas photograph of cargo vessels at the wharf, Aberdovey,c.1885
- Two-masted schooners in Aberdovey at Aberdovey wharf, c.1885-1894
- Ellen Beatrice (built in Aberystwyth, 1865), in Aberdovey Harbour c.1903
- Video of Aberdovey in the 1920s
- The changing appearance of the Trefeddian Hotel in postcards
- Tonfanau Army Camp from 1938 to the present day
- The Story Behind the WWII Memorial to 3 Group 10(1A) in Penhelig Park
- The Aberdovey Second World War Pillbox
- The RNLI station in Aberdovey 2018
Iron Age hillforts in the south Merioneth area (in the order in which they were visited)
- A walk to the top of Tonfanau to explore the Tal y Garreg Iron Age hillfort August 2020
- Llechlwyd Iron Age hillfort, Tonfanau, near Tywyn, August 2020
- Castell Mawr hillfort, Mynydd Garreg, near Llanegryn, September 2020
- A walk up Craig yr Aderyn Iron Age hillfort, September 2020
- A visit to the Castell-y-Gaer hillfort near Llwyngwril, September 2020
Vintage postcards in very roughly chronological order
- Pen Y Bryn chapel to school, 1880s-1977
- Cattle in the Dysynni Valley with Bird Rock in the background in 1895
- The Battery (cannons at the Literary Institute) c.1900?
- Aberdovey Beach with elegant fashions and tall masts, c.1900
- Sheep herding on Trefri Road in 1903 (the Christmas colour version is here)
- “Ellen Beatrice” (built in Aberystwyth, 1865), in Aberdovey Harbour c.1903
- The Roman Road 1904
- Aberdovey Parade 1905
- Rolling stock on Aberdovey beach, early 1900s (postmark 1912)
- Trefri Road 1910
- Aberdovey Shopping Centre 1910s
- Aberdovey beach huts 1910s
- Sea View Terrace 1910s
- Aberdovey from Ynyslas 1915
- Vintage postcard of fishing-net racks on the beach, postmarked 1917
- View across the estuary to Penhelig, possibly 1923
- The Tennis Courts (now the bowling club) 1920s
- Aberdovey from the Air, probably 1920s
- Talyllyn Railway 1920s (and later postcards)
- With Love from Aberdovey (mixture of photographs) 1956
- A special train on the Cambrian Coast Line, September 1960
- Penhelig Beach 1962
Vintage postcards of unknown date
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- Terrace Road, Aberdovey, by moonlight
- Penhelig
- Five Points, Smugglers’ Cove, Frongoch (on the Aberdovey to Machynlleth road)
- View over the jetty towards Penhelig, with boat moored up
- Tal Y Llyn Pass, 3 postcards, probably 1930s-1950s
- Cadair Idris
- Church Street, Aberdovey
- Fishing nets out to dry on the beach