Lampeter

Coordinates: 52°07′13″N 4°04′56″W / 52.1202°N 4.0821°W / 52.1202; -4.0821
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the town in Wales. For the place in the United States, see Lampeter, Pennsylvania.

Lampeter
  • Welsh: Llanbedr Pont Steffan
Lampeter is located in Ceredigion
Lampeter
Lampeter
Location within Ceredigion
Population2,970 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSN578478
Community
Principal area
Preserved county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLAMPETER
Postcode districtSA48
Dialling code01570
PoliceDyfed-Powys
FireMid and West Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
Ceredigion
List of places
UK
Wales
Ceredigion
52°07′13″N 4°04′56″W / 52.1202°N 4.0821°W / 52.1202; -4.0821

Lampeter (

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, after Aberystwyth and Cardigan, and has a campus of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. At the 2011 Census, the population was 2,970. Lampeter is the smallest university town
in the United Kingdom. The university adds approximately 1,000 people to the town's population during term time.

Etymology

The Welsh name of the town, Llanbedr Pont Steffan, means "Peter's church [at] Stephen's bridge" in reference to its church and castle. Its English name derives from this, as does the colloquial Welsh name Llambed.[3] An alternative English spelling occurs as "Thlampetre" in 1433.[4]

History

Lampeter Town Hall

The Norman timber castle of Pont Steffan ("Stephen's bridge" in English) occupying a strategic position beside the River Teifi was destroyed in 1187 after it had been conquered by Owain Gwynedd and was not rebuilt.[5]

Cardiganshire was one of the royal counties established by Edward I after the defeat of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf) at Cilmeri in 1282, when Lampeter fell under direct royal control. But this had little effect on the town, and the Welsh language and culture continued to thrive. The first Borough Charter was granted in 1284 to Rhys ap Meredydd who was given the right to hold a weekly market. As many as eight fairs were also held each year under successive charters.[6]

The town was ruled by a local aristocracy who lived in elegant mansions, including Brynhywel, Maesyfelin and the

whipping post in front of Lampeter Town Hall were frequently put to use in the 18th century.[6]

The town developed the crafts, services and industries to cater to the needs of the rural area. There were several woollen mills, one of which in the mid-18th century was already producing the complex double-woven tapestry cloth later to become associated with the

Welsh woollen industry. There were also blacksmiths, a leather tannery, carpenters, saddlers, bootmakers and hatters. The town was one of the main centres on the Welsh drovers' road which carried cattle and sheep on foot to the markets in England. A large number of inns point to the town's importance as a rural centre.[7]

Lampeter's war memorial, sculpted by Sir William Goscombe John (1860–1952), was unveiled in September 1921.[8]

University

Main article: University of Wales Trinity Saint David
The college c. 1835

St David's College was founded in Lampeter in 1822 by

liberal arts.[7] Its central building, based on an Oxbridge-style quadrangle, was designed by Charles Robert Cockerell.[9]

In 1971, it became a constituent part of the University of Wales as St David's University College and was renamed the University of Wales, Lampeter, in 1996. In 2008, the Lampeter institution's original charter was used to reform higher education in West Wales with the integration of Trinity College Carmarthen, further education colleges in Cardigan and Llanelli, and the technical college known as Swansea Metropolitan into the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.[10]

The university's

Rugby Union team was the first in Wales. It was formed in the 1850s by Rowland Williams who introduced the game from Cambridge.[11]

Governance

Lampeter is the name of the

Welsh Labour Party councillor and an Independent councillor at each election since 1995.[14][15]

At the local level Lampeter is represented by 14 town councillors on Lampeter Town Council.[16]

Culture

Theatr Felinfach

Notable people

Elin Jones, 2021

Sport

Lampeter has a strong sporting community, which includes

feeder club for the Llanelli Scarlets.[25]

Many other sports are played in the town, including association football, with the town being represented by a football team, their pitch being directly next to the main pitch of Lampeter Rugby Club. The football team has junior teams as well as a 1st and 2nd team. The town is served by a leisure centre, which has a gym, the main hall and modern tennis facilities. The town has a swimming pool and also a bowling green.[26]

Transport

Main article: Lampeter railway station
In 1911, a branch line opened to Aberaeron

In 1866, transport in Lampeter was greatly improved with the opening of the railway linking

Danycoed Halt still exists and is used by the Gwili Railway, a steam railway preservation society which operates a regular timetable during summer months.[27]

Regular bus services operate through the town, connecting Lampeter to Aberystwyth, Carmarthen and Swansea. Two buses a day continue beyond Swansea, providing a through service to Cardiff.[28]

Twinning

Lampeter is

twinned with Saint-Germain-sur-Moine, France.[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ "town and electoral division population 2011". Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Lampeter Town Council | Cyngor Tref Llanbedr Pont Steffan".
  3. ISBN 9780198527589
    .
  4. ^ Plea Rolls of the Court of Common Pleas; CP40/689, year: 1433; image seen on the website of the Anglo-American Legal Tradition: http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H6/CP40no689/aCP40no689fronts/IMG_0739.htm ; second entry, line 2
  5. ISBN 9780852292907
    .
  6. ^ a b Jenkins, J. Geraint. Ceredigion: Interpreting an Ancient County. Gwasg Careg Gwalch (2005) pg. 27.
  7. ^ a b Jenkins, J. Geraint. Ceredigion: Interpreting an Ancient County. Gwasg Careg Gwalch (2005) pg. 29.
  8. ^ "Lampeter". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  9. ISBN 978-0192513441
    .
  10. ^ "History". University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Celebrating the roots of Welsh rugby". Welsh Rugby Union. 22 March 2016.
  12. ^ "Election maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  13. ^ The County of Dyfed (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1988. Statutory Instruments. 1988. Retrieved 20 November 2018. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  14. ^ "Ceredigion County Council Election Results 1995-2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  15. ^ "Ceredigion County Council Election 2017: The Results". Cambrian News. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  16. ^ "Councillors". Lampeter Town Council. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  17. ^ "Eisteddfod Rhys Thomas James Panyfedwen". Lampeter Town Council.
  18. ^ Evans, Janet. "Llais Llwyfan Llambed". bbc.co.uk/cymru.
  19. ^ "Museum celebrates Lampeter's rich history". uwtsd.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  20. ^ "Public to get say on £4.5m theatre plan". BBC News. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  21. ^ D. N. Thomas, Dylan Thomas: a Farm, Two Mansions and a Bungalow, Seren, 2000.
  22. ^ The Dylan town trail is described clearly in the following bi-lingual booklet, available at Tourist Information Centres in Ceredigion and online at town trail There's also a photographic guide to the town trail at The Dylan Thomas Trail in New Quay. S. W. Rhydderch's Rock Climbing in Silk includes work that provides a poetic introduction to the town (Seren 2001).
  23. ^ "Young nationalists of the FWA go on the march". BBC. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  24. ^ "Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Attached Presbytery (RC), Lampeter, Ceredigion". Cadw. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  25. ^ BBC News (8 July 2004). "Wales' regional rugby map". BBC. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  26. ^ "Lampeter Bowls Club". Dewis Cymru. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  27. ^ "Fatal accident at Bronwydd Arms station on the Gwili Railway". Rail Accident Investigation Branch. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  28. ^ "Lampeter to Cardiff". Rome to Rio. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  29. ^ "Lampeter and St Germain Sur Moine, 2001, French seal of approval for town, Cambrian News, 15 February 2001". Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2010.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lampeter.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lampeter.
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