Olympic torch route - Day 10 Aberystwyth

Aberysywth. A seaport, watering-place and municipal borough on Cardigan Bay, in the county of Cardigan, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Ystwith and Rheidol, 244 miles NW of London on the Cambrian Railway. Some amount of trade is carried on, the exports being lead, flannel and iron. The University College of Wales is established here. In the summer, many visitors are attracted by the climate, and the picturesque surroundings, among which the Devil's Bridge is not the least interesting. The ruins of a castle of Edward I crown a promontory to the SW. Until 1885 Aberystwyth was one of the Cardigan parliamentary boroughs. Pop (1901) 8,013.  

From Cassell's Encyclopedia; a Storehouse of General Information (undated, but apparently early 1900s)

The local record office is Ceredigion Archives/Archifdy Ceredigion but Aberystwyth is better known as the home of the National Library of Wales/Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru. There is more information about Aberystwyth at Vision of Britain and you will find  The New Aberystwyth Guide by T J Llewelyn Prichard 1824 on Google Books.

 

Olympic torch route - Day 9 Swansea

Very busy and thriving town and port, with a beautiful bay and fine sands. Copper-smelting, tin-plate working, and other industrial activities. The ruins of a castle built about 1330 by the Bishop of St David's are in the midst of the town. The great docks of Swansea are continually being enlarged and improved. 

Neath 8¼, Ammanford 19¼ miles. 

London 212¼ miles. Population 160,000. Market Sat. Early Closing, Thurs

From The Dunlop Book 1920

The Registration district of Swansea has been in existence since 1837, and has changed remarkably little during that time. It includes 33 parishes beyond Swansea itself and like almost every other registration district is based on a Poor Law Union. Records for Swansea are held at the West Glamorgan Archives Service. Digitised and indexed parish registers for Swansea are online at Findmypast. Swansea is also the home of the National Waterfront Museum for Wales. There is more information about Swansea on Vision of Britain. 

 

Olympic torch route - Day 8 Cardiff

Cardiff Castle in the 15th century

Cardiff, a county and parliamentary borough on the Taff, and the principal town of Glamorgan. Though Cardiff has been termed the Welsh Chicago, it is a place of considerable antiquity. As Tibia Amnis it was a military station of importance in Roman days, and one of its gateways has been discovered in the grounds of the castle, which was built on the lines of the Roman rampart. The castle itself is an elaborate modern restoration of the medieval fortress, but the ruins of the Norman keep built by Robert of Caen stand on a moated mound in the centre of the court. The curthouse tower is said to have been for 20 years the prison of Robert of Normandy.

Besides the castle the only other ancient building in the town is St John's church, a fifteenth century edifice with a fine Perpendicular tower. The old church of St Mary, which was connected with a Benedictine priory, was destroyed by a flood in 1607. Cardiff also once possessed some habitations of Black and Grey Friars, and the ruins of the house which Lord Herbert built out of the material of the latter still stand near the City Hall.
Though always a port, Cardiff's commercial prosperity dates only from the middle of docks, and it is the largest coal port in the world. The town is well built and its streets are spacious. A fine group of buildings consisting of the City Hall, the Assize Courts, the Welsh National Museum, and the University College have been erected in Cathays Park, and there is a large library in another part of the town. 

From Glamorganshire 1911 one of the many useful resources for Cardiff as transcribed on its Genuki page

The present-day Cardiff Castle is open to the public, and its website includes a timeline of its history, dating back to Roman times. There is more information about Cardiff at Vision of Britain. The website of the Glamorgan Record Office includes a section Cardiff: the building of a capital

 

Olympic torch route - Day 7 Worcester

Worcester Friars Street 

The making of china, vinegar and the famous  'Worcester Sauce' will at one occur to the mind when Worcester is mentioned; but itis a place of many miscellaneous activities.
The cathedral standin beside the Rivern Severn, is a fine spectacular object from many points of vi in length, and has a central tower rising to 170 feet. In general, the exterior, of a dull red-brown sandstone, gives the impression of a 15th century building, but it is in fact of many periods. The crypt, beneath the choir, dates back to 1084 and is, with the Chapter house, the only remaining portion of the Norman Cathedral. The Choir itself, together with the eastern transepts and the Lady Chapel, displays 13th century, or Early English architecture, while the nave is of the 14th century or 'Decorated' period, merging into the Perpendicular style of the next century. In the Cloisters, of 15th century, note a stone in the pavement close beside a doorway into the south side 'Miserrimus.' This covers the grave of a Minor Canon, the Rev T Morris, who died in the time of William III, from grief, it is said, at the ejection of the Stuarts from the throne of England.

The Cathedral has been from time to time restored; notably after the Civil War, when it was left almost roofless. Midway in the choir, in a prominent position of great honour, is the altar-tomb, with a recumbent portrait-effigy of King John, who died in 1216. He was one of the worst of monarchs, but the statue of him is extraordinarily good. Here also is the chantry-chapel to Prince Arthur, eldest son to Henry VII, who died in his sixteenth year, at Ludlow Castle, 1502. There are numerous monuments of bishops and others. 'Edgar's Tower' is the name of a 14th century gatehouse of the Close. Note on the north side of the Close a fine bronze group, representing an angel crowning a soldier with a wreath. Beneath is the inscription: 'In grateful Memory of the Men of Worcestershire who in South Africa gave their Lives for their Country, 1899-1902.'

The 'Commandery' in its origin a hospice for travellers in the Norman period, was re-founded in the 16th century. It is a quaint old building. Here died the Duke of Hamilton, who was wounded in the Battle of Worcester, fought in and about the city, September 3rd 1651. The Royalists, under Charles II, were hopelessly defeated that day, and the King fled, to wander for months, a hunted fugitive, through the land, finally escaping from Brighton to France, October 14th.

Pershore 9, Bromyard 14¼, Bromsgrove 12½, Tewkesbury 15¼, Evesham 15, Great Malvern 8, Ledbury 16, Kidderminster 14¼, Stourbridge 20½, Droitwich 6¾ miles.

London 110 miles. Population 47,982. Market, Sat. Early Closing, Thurs.    

From The Dunlop Book (1920)

The registration district of Worcester was been in existence from 1837 to 1974, consisting originally only of the parishes within the city of Worcester, but expanding considerably during the 20th century. The Worcestershire County Record Office is preparing to move to new premises in July 2012, but in the meantime there is plenty of useful content on its website, including an interactive map.

A General History of Worcester by John Chambers Esq, (1820) can be found on Google Books and the city occupies 5 chapters in Volume 4 of the Victoria County History of Worcestershire. There is more information about Worcester at Vision of Britain. 

 

Olympic torch route - Day 6 Gloucester

Gloucester Westgate Street

Gloucester An English town on the left bank of the Severm 38 miles NNE of Bristol. It was made a Roman station (Glevum) by Claudius, and was the seat of several religious houses, of which the last, a Benedictine Abbey, was suppressed in 1530. Two years later the see of Gloucester was founded.It was held by Hooper and Warburton, among others, and was joined with that of Bristol in 1836. The cathedral was begun in the 11th century, and finished in 1498. It is chiefly Perpendicular, but the crypt and the interior of the nave are Norman. The east window is the largest in England, and the building contains the canopied shrine of Edward II, a statue of Jenner and a group by Flaxman. Its fan-vaulted cloisters and fine stained glass are also among its glories. The cathedral was restored by Sir Gilbert Scott. Here, alternately with Hereford and Worcester, is held the Festival of the Three Choirs. Other notable buildings in Gloucester are the Deanery, the New Inn (15th century), the Tolsey (guildhall), and the King's School. It was in medieval times one of the chief places in the West of England, and the repulse of Charles I before it was one of the most important events of the Great Rebellion. It was once the seat of a thriving cloth manufacture, but it is now chiefly a commercial town. The trade of its port has largely grown in recent years. Corn and timber are imported, and agricultural and mineral produce form the exports. Several Parliaments have been held at Gloucester, which now has one member. Taylor, the water-poet, Whitefield and Raikes were natives of the city.

From Cassell's Encyclopedia; a Storehouse of General Information (undated, but apparently early 1900s)

New Inn

 Gloucester was a registration district until 1937, comprising thirteen parishes in Gloucester itself and 20 others from the surrounding area. Records for Gloucester are in the Gloucestershire Record Office whose website includes an online genealogical database of names. There is more information about Gloucester on Vision of Britain, and the section of the Victoria County History for Gloucestershire dealing with Gloucester can be found at British History Online