Aberglasslyn is a rapidly expanding suburb of

Maitland Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" (Old French, ''Maltalent''; Anglo Norm ...

, located in the

Hunter Valley The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and so ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia.

Description and history

The

traditional owners Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have rights ...

and custodians of the Maitland area are the

Wonnarua The Wonnarua people, otherwise written Wanarruwa, are a group of Aboriginal Australian people united by strong ties of kinship, and who survived in family groups or clans scattered along the inland area of what is now known as the Hunter Region ...

people. Once known as "The Country Estate", Aberglasslyn was surrounded by paddocks and

bushland In Australia, bushland is a blanket term for land which supports remnant vegetation or land which is disturbed but still retains a predominance of the original floristics and structure. Human survival in bushland has a whole mythology evolving ...

which have now been developed into numerous sub-divisions such as "The Sanctuary" and "Weblands Wonderland". Aberglasslyn provides views of the hills of Maitland Vale and Rosebrook, situated near the

Hunter River Hunter River may refer to: *Hunter River (New South Wales), Australia *Hunter River (Western Australia) *Hunter River, New Zealand *Hunter River (Prince Edward Island), Canada **Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, community on Hunter River, Canada ...

. It still retains some bushland which has been listed as a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

. Aberglasslyn House (circa 1840), a private residence, looks over a bend in the Hunter River and is built completely out of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

. Aberglasslyn House is one of the most important early Colonial homes in Australia. With its vast cellars, this early stone mansion has the potential to become the only "chateau style" boutique vineyard in the Hunter. It was built by George Hobler, and designed by

John Verge John Verge (1782–1861) was an English architect, builder, pioneer settler in the Colony of New South Wales, who migrated to Australia and pursued his career there. Verge was one of the earliest and the most important architect of the Greek Rev ...

who was born in

Christchurch, Dorset Christchurch () is a town and civil parish in Dorset on the south coast of England. The town had a population of 31,372 in 2021. For the borough the population was 48,368. It adjoins Bournemouth to the west, with the New Forest to the east. Part ...

, England. The name is said to be a combination of "

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

" and "

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

", though it is more likely to be from the place in Wales so called -

Aberglaslyn The Afon Glaslyn (English, ''River Glaslyn'') is a river in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. While not of great significance in terms of its length (about ), it is one of Gwynedd's primary rivers, and has greatly influenced the landscape in which it ...

, spelt Aberglasslyn by English writers in the 1800s. This Welsh name means the "mouth of the river Glaslyn" (aber = river mouth). See

Afon Glaslyn The Afon Glaslyn (English, ''River Glaslyn'') is a river in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. While not of great significance in terms of its length (about ), it is one of Gwynedd's primary rivers, and has greatly influenced the landscape in which it ...

. The Glaslyn used to enter

Cardigan Bay Cardigan Bay ( cy, Bae Ceredigion) is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales. Geograp ...

at this point (it is now at some distance from the sea after land reclamation). "

Glaslyn Glaslyn ( cy, Blue lake) is a lake in the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is found at approximately above sea level in a cwm on the eastern flanks of Snowdon. It is a rough ellipse in shape, about east–west and abo ...

" is "blue lake", and is the name of the lake from which the river flows down to the sea and from which it has taken its name.

Heritage listings

Aberglasslyn has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Aberglasslyn Road: Aberglasslyn House

References

{{coord, 32, 41, 40.76, S, 151, 32, 4.59, E, display=title Suburbs of Maitland, New South Wales