These are the words with which we are introduced to The Shadow Key by Susan Stokes-Chapman. It 's a heady combination for any lover of gothic fiction and to top it all it is set in Wales. I loved this book and I am sure any of you are historic fiction readers will do too. You can hear all about it, and get a copy too, at this forthcoming event organised by Gwisgo Bookworm. Wednesday 7th May 7pm Susan Stokes-Chapman in Conversation Venue: Royal British Legion Hall, Victoria St, Aberaeron, SA46 0JB Susan Stokes-Chapman , best selling author of the historical novel  Pandora , will be joining us to discuss her second novel  The Shadow Key  that is now available in paperback. The Shadow Key  is an intriguing gothic mystery that connects beautifully with the Welsh landscape, language and mythology – this is the heart of the novel, described by the author as her love letter to Wales. Set in Meirionydd in 1783, Dr Henry Talbot has been dismissed from his post in London. The only job he can find is in Wales where he can’t speak the language, belief in myth and magic is rife, and the villagers treat him with suspicion. When Henry discovers his predecessor died under mysterious circumstances, he is determined to find answers.  Guaranteed to be a fascinating evening as Susan talks about writing historical fiction and what inspired her to write this ‘love letter’ to Wales. £12 ticket to include a signed copy of one of Susan’s books £5 ticket, entry only Tickets are available to buy here  or pop in the shop.

Hopefully only temporarily but, if you want a final visit to this gem of a museum you better go soon. Ceredigion Museum in Aberystwyth will be closing on 19 May for an estimated 12 months to allow for repair and maintenance work on the Grade II listed building. This will include a new roof, and work on the water damaged ceilings and walls. If you can’t get there in person, the link below will give you a 3-D tour.    https://discover.matterport.com/space/FD9TwVCvsGu

April 2025 marks the centenary of the opening of the Memorial Hall. This building on South Road is so important to the town. It provides a poignant reminder of those who lost their lives in the two world wars and is a much-loved community resource for those of us living here today.    The Memorial Hall Committee is marking the centenary with a range of events throughout the year. We at Cymdeithas want to commemorate this landmark in the town’s history too. There are, of course, pictures of the Hall in our picture gallery. Here is one showing the programme for the opening ceremony held on April 1st 1925 and you can see the attendees at the event itself at the bottom of this article. In October, our own President, Elinor, will be giving a joint talk on the history of the hall with Robert Thomas, the Hall president. She will be posting an article on this shortly after her talk.   Last year, she gave a talk about the memorials in the town to those who lost their lives fighting for their country. There is an earlier blog about this. She has an article on this on the heritage page of this site:    Memorial Hall Roll of Honour  giving details of the lives of the 41  servicemen from Aberaeron who were killed in the 2 world wars; a stark reminder that this year is a commemoration, rather than a celebration.    We also have a blog  ‘D-Day Memories: By Gwilym Morgan, Almor, Bellevue Gardens’. Gwilym was a telegraphist  on the HMS Kingsmill and this is a moving account of his recollections of his experience of those events. This was uploaded to coincide with last year’s anniversary.

The 18th March was the last talk of the 2024/2025 season and the speaker was me! This was the second of my talks about the people who have lived in Portland House. Last season I spoke of Bensha and his daughters:  The first owner Benjamin Evans, who was thrown off his farm tenancy for following his political beliefs The scandal surrounding the move of the post office from Aberaeron House His daughter, Margaret’s fascinating career as a University Matron and house keeper for Lady Llanover The mysterious circumstances surrounding the ‘death’ of her sea captain husband and that of her sister Jane’s. This time, I introduced more of Bensha's descendants, the Howells: Anne, the runaway bride John, JM Howell, a man who did so much in every walk of Aberaeron’s life Fred, a multiple bigamist with wives in Llangrannog, London and Australia.     You can read more about them and other remarkable residents of Portland House in articles on the Heritage page of this website :  -Portland People -Portland House Captains -The barque Glenara -The Aberaeron Post Office Scandal of 1874.

The Oscar nominated film  Hedd Wyn  will be showing at the Memorial Hall on 7th March. The cawl and cinema evening is one of a series of events this year to commemorate the centenary of the opening of the Hall. It therefore seems timely for Cymdeithas to remember Wales’ most famous pacifist too.   Ellis Humphreys Evans is better known more by his bardic name of Hedd Wyn. An award-winning poet from a young age, he posthumously won the bardic chair at the National Eisteddfod held in Birkenhead in 1917 for his poem  ‘Yr Arwr ’ (The hero). It was just 6 weeks after his death on the battle field in Passchendale.    The Eisteddfod chair was covered in black cloth during the ceremony and has been known as  Y Gadair Ddu  (the Black Chair) ever since.     You can read and indeed hear more in the link below; a blog by historical fiction writer, S E Morgan. This includes the performance of a song,  Fleur-de-lys , played on the harp and inspired by the poet.   https://wordpress.com/post/semorganhistoricalfiction.wordpress.com/1300

A minute’s silence; a very sad start to Tuesday’s meeting. It was of course in memory of Dr Helen Herbert, a strong supporter of Cymdeithas and our President from 2014 to 2020.    She died at the weekend having battled with cancer for several years, with such grace and dignity and always a smile.   Shortly before her death, Dr Helen provided us with medical artefacts for our display case in County Hall from her father, Dr Hugh Herbert, and from her own time; both as GPs in Tanyfron. We did not realise at the time that it was to become a memorial so soon after.    Her MBE medal and a photo of her receiving it from the King are in pride of place; a thoroughly well-deserved accolade for someone who dedicated herself to the care of the people of this town.   The display will remain there in her memory for some months. Her article,  ‘Memories of Aberaeron Hospital ,’ can be found in the heritage section of this site and we also have photos in the picture gallery from her childhood and her career. Please take time to look at them and remember her.    In the words of one of our trustees: ‘She was a beautiful person in every way.’    Our thoughts and sympathies go out to her husband, Geraint, and all of her family. Cysgu yn dawel/ Rest peacefully Dr Helen.

Friday 21st February is Eisteddfod day at Ysgol Gyfyn Aberaeron. Shouts of Portland, Tanyfron and Tyglyn will be deafening in the school hall and pupils will be bedecked in the school colours. But why and when were these three names chosen?  It is commonly believed that these were named after three of the large properties in the area. I am ashamed to admit that as a former vice-captain of Portland House myself, this is what I thought. It is not the case.  An article on the then County School’s prize day in The Cambrian News of March 1919 ( see extract below) reports that three school teams or houses had been established the previous year and gives us the actual origins of the names.   They are actually so named as these were the homes of the first three Chairmen of the school’s Board of Governors:  ·        Major Price Lewes of Tyglyn,  ·        Dr Davies of Tanyfron ·        Cllr JM Howell of Portland House who was Chairman at the time.

The brass plaque with the names of the fallen in the 2 world wars in the Memorial Hall is passed on a daily basis, however there are others in the town. There are two 1st World War memorials in the Library in Ysgol Gyfun Aberaeron, one a very large oak memorial ornately carved by the Belgium refugee Joseph Reubens. The other displays photographs of the fallen who attended ACS, young men from the town and countryside. The Memorial for the 2nd World War is a bronze plaque again naming former pupils of the school. Other memorials you will find will be plaques in the local chapels and churches, indeed the bells of Aberaeron Trinity church were installed in 1925 in memory of the 10 church members who died during the 1st World War. Poignantly many of the local men who fell during the two World Wars have no known graves and their names are recorded on large Memorials in Britain, France, Belgium, Daresaalam and Jerusalem. Elinor Ingham, 19/11/2024

Hapus (happy), we are most certainly not! As any one who has followed our blogs will know, Cymdeithas has strongly opposed the move of the library.   Even now we are appealing against the decision through the Older Person’s Commissioner for Wales.   It takes a lot to make Elinor or me speechless but we were at a loss for words to discover that at last week’s Cabinet meeting , the Leader of the Council stated that Cymdeithas were “hapus gyda’r peth”.   We could not let this total misrepresentation go unchallenged so I have written to the Leader , copied to all Cabinet members, asking for this statement to be withdrawn.   Here is the letter in full:

Now you have another reason to visit the library. Come and see the new exhibits in the Cymdeithas display cabinet. Thanks to Dr Helen Herbert for providing us with photos commemorating the success of Tanyfron surgery and even some tools of the trade. If you are interested in the history of the Aberaeron Cottage hospital we also have an article by Dr Helen on the heritage page sharing her memories from childhood to the time she was caring for patients there. And last but not least have a look at our Healthcare section on the photo archive for images of the hospital, the Tanyfron surgeries and the people who worked there.

As the UK and Welsh 'Sports Personality of the Year' reviews are about to be broadcast on BBC TV it's worth sparing a thought for local cycling hero Josh Tarling. Compared to his stellar 2023 season it’s been a somewhat cruel 2024 for the professional track & road time trial specialist from Ffos-y-ffin who continues to ride for the UK-based Ineos Grenadiers team. Josh started the 2024 season well … A team pursuit victory and a 3rd place in the Madison race at the UCI Track Cycling Nations Cup at Adelaide, Australia in early February. A road time trial stage victory at the O Gran Camino (The Great Way) staged through the Galicia region of Spain in late February. A 6th place at the Dwars door Vlaanderen one-day road race on the treacherous Belgian cobblestones in late March. Another victory in the elite time trial race at the UCI National Championships in June, repeating his previous win in 2023. Sadly, for this year’s ‘higher profile’ events, lady luck has not quite been on Josh’s side despite his continuing great form. He was ... Denied at least a bronze (or a probable silver) medal in the Olympic Road Time Trial after sustaining the only puncture of the race on the rain-soaked streets of Paris. He missed out on a medal by a mere 2 seconds. A soul-destroying result for Josh as well as his family and fans. Forced to abandon after a horrible high-speed crash on stage 9 of his ‘Grand Tour’ debut in La Vuelta (the Tour of Spain) in August, after a promising 6th place finish in the stage 1 time-trial. Edged out to 4th place at the UCI Road World Championships time trial in Zurich, Switzerland. More bad luck struck Josh when he suffered broken ribs after a crash in the Tour of Croatia in early October. To add insult to injury (no pun intended) his accident resulted in him having to withdraw from the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Denmark. That said, it has to be recognised that, despite being a mere 20 years of age, Josh is regularly mixing it with arguably the top 2 time trialists in the world, in the shape of older riders Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) and Josh’s Ineos-Grenadiers team-mate Fillipo Ganna (Italy). Josh had already previously finished in 3rd place behind this pair in the 2023 UCI World Championships time trial after a stunning performance (aged 19) which finished spectacularly on the steep cobbled ramparts of Stirling Castle in Scotland. This performance really raised Josh's public profile as it was broadcast live on mainstream UK TV. To match that, on stage 4 of the renowned the 2024 Citerium du Dauphine race in France the 34km time trial from Saint-Germain-Laval to Neulise saw Josh lead the entire field of racers by 1 second at the second time check, only to be nudged into 2nd place by the renowned Remco Evenepoel at the finish. A great performance against an elite field of competitors, this further consolidated his place in the upper echelons of world time trialists. BBC TV interview after 4th place finish in the 2024 UCI time trial in Zurich Continuing in a positive vein, the challenges that he has faced in 2024 will surely be character-building in the long term. His disappointment after his string of narrow podium misses and crash-related abandonments was evident in his TV interviews, particularly after the 4th place in the UCI time trial in Zurich (see photo above). He is clearly a driven and self-critical young man despite his incredible achievements to date at a world level, let alone the UK. This bodes well for any athlete. His potential to hit new heights has been further rubber-stamped by a 3-year contract extension to 2027 by his team, Ineos-Grenadiers. Given that Josh already has 10 years of full-time competitive cycling under his lycra there’s no knowing where he’ll be when he reaches his mid-30s, which is when many of the greats were in their prime … including a certain Geraint Thomas ;) Here's hoping that Josh continues to grow as an athlete. He’s got great support team from his father Mike (a Welsh track and road cyclist), mother Dawn and younger brother Finlay (also a professional cyclist with Israel Premier Tech Academy). Of course, it goes without saying that the residents of the Aberaeron area are all 100% behind Josh and are wishing him ‘pob lwc’ through 2025! Paris Olympics send-off for Josh at Aberaeron bakers 'Y Popty'. Left to right: Pete 'Bach' Evans, Ray 'Penmaesglas', Sian Thomas, Mike & Dawn Tarling. For those wanting to follow Josh's stats & achievements, there’s plenty of information available online: Josh's Story: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/article/20240726-My-Story--Josh-Tarling-0 Pro Cycling Statistics: Josh & Finlay https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/joshua-tarling/start https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/finlay-tarling

‘Y Wal’. Dyna oedd teitl sioe Ysgol Gynradd Aberaeron eleni! Ond pa wal? Wal fawr Tsiena? Wal Berlin? Neu Wal ‘Cofio Tryweryn’? Na! Ein wal ni ein hunain yma yn Harbwr Aberaeron. Dyna beth oedd sioe. Swynwyd y gynulleidfa ar ddwy noson wrth iddynt gael eu tywys trwy’r ddwy ganrif a mwy diwethaf o hanes yr harbwr. Dechreuwyd gyda’r enwog Alban Thomas Jones Gwynne yn cyhoeddi’r siarter a arweiniodd at adeiladu’r harbwr a datblygiad Aberaeron fel tref forwrol a masnachol. Clywyd am adeiladu’r llongau mawr ac atgoffwyd ni o enwau rhai o’r llongau hynny a deithiodd i bedwar ban byd gyda bechgyn lleol ar eu bwrdd. Mae enwau’r llongau yn fyw o hyd yn enwau tai Aberaeron heddiw! Gwelwyd y dyrfa wrth yr harbwr yn ffarwelio wrth i deuluoedd lleol ymfudo i Ohio yn 1818 oherwydd gorthrwm tirfeddianwyr. Wrth gwrs mae’r cysylltiadau rhwng Aberaeron ag Ohio yn parhau hyd heddiw. Cofiwyd hefyd am bysgotwyr lleol ac yn arbennig y teulu Jenkins. Mor braf oedd cael dau o’u disgynyddion o’r Ysgol yn adrodd eu hanes. Portreadwyd taith stormus nifer o’r pysgotwyr hynny yn llawn hiwmor. Mewn golyga hynod liwgar, atgoffwyd y gynulleidfa o’r hyn sy’n denu’r tyrfodd i harbwr Aberaeron bob blwyddyn. O’r ffair ym mis Tachwedd i dynnu gelyn ar draws yr harbwr yn yr haf, i’r carnifal unigryw a Gŵyl y Mecryll i gloi’r tymor gwyliau. Trwy gyfrwng ffilm gwelwyd disgyblion y Dosbarth Meithrin yn ‘crwydro’r’ safle adeiladu ac yn holi, “Pam fod angen y morglawdd newydd arnom?” I gloi’r perfformiad, talwyd gwrogaeth i gwmni BAM am eu gwaith a’u dyfalbarhad trwy ddawns fywiog. Dyma oedd perfformiad a fydd yn dal yn y cof am amser hir a pa well ffordd o drosglwyddo hanes ein tref i’r genhedlaeth nesaf. Llongyfarchiadau i bawb a fu ynghlwm â’r sioe. Mair Jones