Aberystwyth Travel Poster Travel By Train Print – Wales – Where holiday fun begins – Harry Riley

Aberystwyth Travel Poster Travel By Train Print – Wales – Where holiday fun begins – Harry Riley The Welsh town of Aberystwyth is situated on Cardigan Bay on the west coast of Wales, near where River Ystwyth and Afon Rheidol meet. In this fabulous 1950s Aberystwyth Travel Poster, the artist Harry Riley shows us part of the impressive view on offer at the top of Craig Lais. Constitution Hill as it is better known, or Consti as it is known to the locals, rises dramatically 430 feet from the sea at the northern end of Aberystwyth Promenade. Riley’s poster artwork depicts a young couple taking some time out from walking with their dog along the Ceredigion Coastal Path. The hill provides a spectacular natural viewpoint with uninterrupted views of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay. On a clear, from the couple’s vantage point, it is possible to see 26 mountain peaks spanning much of the length of Wales. However, today the pair seem more occupied with the view across the Irish Sea and out toward the village of Abersoch, at Llanengan in Gwynedd. The opening of the Cambrian Railways line from Machynlleth in 1869 saw the port town of Aberystwyth quickly grow into a popular Victorian tourist destination. The Cambrian line opened on Good Friday 1869. That same day, 7,000 visitors witnessed the opening of the new 958 ft Royal Pier, designed by Eugenius Birch. In 1880, the town built its first camera obscura on the grounds of Aberystwyth Castle. Nineteen years, in 1896, it was moved to Constitution Hill above the harbour on North Beach. Constitution Hill was a popular walking spot, that was once a playground for wealthy Victorians. To carry visitors to the top of the hill, Aberystwyth Cliff Railway opened a funicular on the side of Craig Lais.  Once at the summit, visitors could visit the brand-new camera obscura with ease. They could also enjoy additional attractions that formed a Victorian version of a theme park, known as ‘Luna Park’. In its heyday, the popular Luna Park, boasted a bandstand, a switchback railway, a glittering ballroom, and tearoom. The high viewpoint offered by Harry Riley’s artwork gives us a bird’s-eye view over the sweeping bays and Victorian architecture of Aberystwyth. The dramatic view includes the magnificent buildings along the seafront. Magnificent Victorian hotels including The Glengower, Marine, and Richmond Hotels line Victoria Terrace and Marine Terrace adjacent to Aberystwyth Promenade. The Gothic architecture of Old College, Aberystwyth built in 1865, stands proudly behind the Royal Pier, at the far end of Marine Terrace. The Victorian pier was the first pier to be built in Wales and juts out into the cool blue waters of Cardigan Bay. On the headland, we just catch a glimpse of the ruins of the 12th century Aberystwyth Castle and its Castle grounds. Beyond the harbour, Harry Riley’s poster incorporates the rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, wooded estuaries, wild inland hills, the moorland of the Preseli Hills and the wooded Gwaun valley as its magnificent backdrop.