Ystrad Aeron is a small village west of
Felinfach on the
A482 between
Lampeter
Lampeter (; cy, Llanbedr Pont Steffan (formal); ''Llambed'' (colloquial)) is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion, ...
and
Aberaeron
Aberaeron, previously anglicised as Aberayron, is a town, community, and electoral ward between Aberystwyth and Cardigan, in Ceredigion, Wales. Ceredigion County Council offices are in Aberaeron. The name of the town is Welsh for ''mouth of ...
,
Ceredigion
Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. It is part of the constituent
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
of
Llanfihangel Ystrad
Llanfihangel Ystrad (English "Vale of St Michael") is a constituent community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is named after the principal place of worship, St Michael's church at Ystrad Aeron.
The total population of the community taken at the United ...
.
Facilities
The church, St Michael's, is in the centre of Ystrad Aeron. It survived as a medieval church until 1877, when it was entirely rebuilt.
is located just outside the village, as is the Felin Fach Creamery.
Other facilities in the village include a garage, a shop, a farmers’ co-op, a caravan park, and a pub, ''The Vale of Aeron''. Neuadd Goffa Felinfach Memorial Hall serves both Ystrad Aeron and Felinfach villages.
The
Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway
The Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway was an independent branch line railway in south west Wales. It connected Aberayron (later spelt Aberaeron) to the former Manchester and Milford Railway line at Lampeter; New Quay was never reached ...
line ran through the village.
Felin Fach railway station
Felin Fach or Ystrad was a small railway station in the rural location between Ystrad Aeron and Felinfach, the intermediate station on the Aberayron branch of the Carmarthen Aberystwyth Line, Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Line in the Wales, Welsh c ...
closed in 1951 to passenger services. Initially it was named Ystrad. General freight ceased in 1963, and milk traffic in 1973.
Dylan Thomas
The Vale of Aeron pub was frequented by
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...
and his wife,
Caitlin Thomas
Caitlin Thomas (née Macnamara; 8 December 1913 – 31 July 1994) was an author and the wife of the poet and writer Dylan Thomas. Their marriage was a stormy affair, fuelled by alcohol and infidelity, though the couple remained together until Dy ...
, when they lived at Plas Gelli in nearby
Talsarn
Talsarn is a hamlet in the community of Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion, Wales. It lies some 16 miles (26 km) south of Aberystwyth, 64 miles (103 km) north-west of Cardiff, and 178 miles (286 km) from London. It is situated almost half-way ...
in the early 1940s. The landlord then was Thomas Vaughan, whose son has described how Dylan and Caitlin used to walk across the fields to visit the pub. ''Dylan and Caitlin’s Pub Walk: Talsarn to Ystrad Aeron'' is published in the
Dylan Thomas Trail
The Dylan Thomas Trail ( cy, Llwybr Dylan Thomas) runs through places associated with the poet Dylan Thomas in Ceredigion, west Wales. It was officially opened by Aeronwy Thomas, Dylan's daughter, in July 2003. It also featured in the celebrat ...
.
John Davies
The bookbinder and poet, John Davies (Shôn Dafydd y Crydd) 1722–1799, is buried in St Michael's graveyard. His grave is directly behind the wooden bench by the church door. The inscription on the grave reads:
"Beneath this stone lies John alone
Cordwainer, scribe, Musician,
Poet sublime in blank and Rhime,
Devine and Politician."
John Davies’ diary with poems for 1 January 1796 to 19 December 1799 is in the
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...
. It is available online. There is also a summary of its contents available, as well as two newspaper reports and a journal article.
[M. Freeman (2016) ''“Wife on the Moor Raising Turf”: The Diary of John Davies, Ystrad Aeron, 1796-1799'', ''Ceredigion'' vol.17. no. 4.]
References
External links
www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Ystrad Aeron and surrounding areaTheatre Felinfach website
Ystrad Aeron War Memorials
Neuadd Goffa Felinfach Memorial Hall
Villages in Ceredigion
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