Lampeter
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Lampeter".

Lampeter within Ceredigion UA

Lampeter (Welsh: Llanbedr Pont Steffan, or more informally, Llambed) is a town in Ceredigion, Mid Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Teifi and the Afon Dulas.

In 1991 the population of the town was recorded as 1,989 people, of which 1,410 were Welsh speaking. Lampeter is therefore the smallest university town in both Wales and the United Kingdom. The university, in a normal year, adds a further 1,000 people to the town's population, which gives the rural town a somewhat cosmopolitan feel.

The town is best known for the University of Wales, Lampeter (formerly St David's University College), originally founded in 1822 as a college for ordinands and now a constituent part of the University of Wales, primarily awarding degrees in the liberal arts. Its central building, based on an Oxbridge quadrangle was completed in 1827, and was designed by C. R. Cockerell. Its construction is recorded as having cost £16,204 6s 7d.

It was also from Lampeter, in 1968, that William Julian Cayo-Evans first marched his paramilitary nationalist 'Free Wales Army'.

Lampeter and its surroundings are home to a theatre (Theatr Felin-fach at Felinfach), a museum and a number of locally owned shops rather than national chain stores.

Although Lampeter is in the heart of rural Ceredigion it has a reasonable bus service to the larger towns of Carmarthen and Aberystwyth. The local bus services are a lifeline to many people of the town, especially students of the town's university.

History

Cardiganshire was one of the royal counties established by Edward I after the defeat of Llywelyn the Last (Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf) at Cilmeri in 1282 — Lampeter fell under direct Royal Control. This however had little effect on the culture of the town, as the Welsh language and culture have continued to thrive. The first Borough Charter was granted in 1284 and successive charters allowed many markets and fairs to be held in the wide High Street until the 1930s. One of these fairs was the Dalis Horse fair.

The university of Lampeter once hosted a concert for the glam-rock star Garry Glitter in the 1970s.^{citation needed}

The earliest reference to Lampeter is believed to be 1187, when Owain Gwynedd destroyed the King's castle of Pont Steffan (Stephen's Bridge in English). The remains of this castle later became the foundations for C. R. Cockerell's college building, and still form part of the university campus.

Lampeter's War Memorial was unveiled in September 1921. It was sculpted by Sir William Goscombe John.

Lampeter hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1984.

Lampeter Railway Station

Transport in Lampeter was drastically improved with the opening of the railway. The town was on the route of several projected schemes, which came to nothing, but the first train steamed in to Lampeter from Pencader Junction on June 1st 1866. The railway was extended to Strata Florida in on September 1st, and finally to Aberystwyth in August 1867. The railway was owned by the Manchester and Milford Railway Company, which was a financial disaster, and was built to the now standard gauge of 4ft, 8.5 inches, rather than the 7ft gauge of the Great Western Railway. Three trains ran every day except Sundays, and enabled Lampeter to become an important station, although the cost of building the railway was slowly bankrupting the company. A steam Locomotive, No7 "Carmarthen", exploded at Maesycreigiau in 1890, and the Cambrian Railway took the M&M to court over unpaid bills. The Great Western Railway eventually bought the line in 1906.

Under the auspices of John C Harford, Falcondale, a branch line was constructed between Lampeter and Aberaeron, opening in 1911, this too was later sold to the GWR.

After the nationalisation of the railways, the passenger service to Aberaeron ceased. Passenger trains on the main line to Carmarthen and Aberystwyth continued until January 1965, when they ceased due to flooding, never to resume. Milk continued to be conveyed by railway until 1973, when the traffic was transferred to road. The tracks were lifted shortly afterwards. Little remains of the railway, the large station and goods yard are now part of the University and the Cattle Market, although the name Station Terrace and the railway bridge over the river Teifi near the Co-operative Supermarket serve to remind us of this part of Lampeter's history.^[1]

Local residents have been campaigning for the return of the railway to Lampeter.

External links

• Town website
• Lampeter Town RFC website
• Tourist information
• grid reference SN577481
• Aerial photograph of Lampeter
• H&W Jones a long established local firm of chartered accountants
• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Lampeter and surrounding area

References