Announcement November 2010
Next month, on 10 December 2010, this website is being incorporated into AbergelePost.com - a new hyperlocal news and history website I'm editing all about Abergele. I'll move all the Abergele in Shorts stories over to the new site and keep this site live as an archive of comments, photos and other stories for a while but please update your bookmarks now to http://www.abergelepost.com.

Added May 2010
Ten newspaper clippings from the 1970s - from group photos to the Floods. If you're 40-something from Abergele, you may recognise some faces:

Added December 2009
1973 Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan pupils rescue badgers from Nant y Corn. Newly-discovered images.

Added July 2009
"I was woken in what felt like the middle of the night by a huge blast and a rattling of the sash windows. " my memory of the Abergele Investiture Bomb 1969.


Added August 2008
Tribute to Athrawes Ysgol Sul Mynydd Seion, the late Mrs Brassil.

Added June 2008
Atgofion Cymraeg disgybl Ysgol Glan Morfa 1969.
Welsh-language article - memories of Glan Morfa school in 1969.



Added May 2008
Graham Matok writes: "I grew up in Abergele during the 60s and spent loads of time in the playnies trying to catch trout in the Gele! We also used to play a lethal game of catch up Tan y Gopa which involved throwing rocks from the Door Knob at anyone or anything that moved! An annual favourite pastime was getting conkers from the avenue at the end of High St leading to the Garnett’s house, and hiding if a car came!" Now read the rest...

Added November 2007
I've uploaded some recent pictures of Abergele to Flickr, (because the host I'm using has capped webspace). Link to 123 new photos of Abergele on Flickr.com, opens in a new window.

Added February 2007
Four new links on the Links page.
NEW ADDITION: Clwyd Ave. hairdressers. Photos from Lee Wetton:

Towyn Floods:


Added November 2006
1947 panoramic school photo. Do you recognise anyone?

Added September 2006
Spectacular aerial photos of Abergele taken in 1938


Can you spot your house?

Messages added May 2006


Pandora's Box in the old days
The Harp smithy and Llanfair TH baptisms

Added April 2006
74 photos of Abergele taken by Sally Hindley in 1999.


Also added April 2006. Five new messages, including one new photo feature by Cenys Watkins about the horse fair in Abergele between the two World Wars.
74 photos
An unusual companion
A collection
Llanddulas Bombed

Added February 2006, readers' own messages about:
Jackie's Stables
Happy memories
The Birm and the Bombs (Highfield Park bombed and Thetis)
40 in New Zealand
News: Old Abergele postcard scans now available to view at Time Past website. http://www.anglesey.info/Abergele_Photograph_Archive.htm

Also added February 2006
Photo of Playnies in 1968

Added September 2005, readers' own messages and stories about:
Pandora's Box
Bertie Babs
Playnies and Mad Mouse
Good Friday Picnic
Harold, Dump 123 and Floods
Llanfair TH website
Tower Hill Easter Picnics
From Abergele to Chicago
Goodalls
Old North Wales Photos Website

Also added September 2005
Photo of Rhyl's Mad Mouse roller coaster


Remember the Shoe Box?


1973 - Badger rescue!

Added January 2002-
Three new image galleries:

Abergele Floods 1971


Building the Expressway 1980


Abergele today

A little bit of Abergele in Boston. Story...


The first 25 of these stories were originally written while living with my wife Gwenan in Kerry, Ireland, and were first published in The Visitor - Abergele's weekly. Thanks to that newpaper's editor, Kath Evans, who now edits BBC Local North-West Wales website.
For the Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan alumni ... John Emrys Williams ('Willie Welsh') is my father. Thanks to him and Hilary Williams (my late mother) for encouragement, corrections and suggestions.
Thanks to the people I've written about for the inspiration.
GarethMorlais (melyn@bigfoot.com) May 2010

Abergele-related links