History of Aberystwyth
1920-1940
1921
May: Ireland partitioned
Census
Population 11,211
Flooding
Serious Flooding in Aberystwyth
1922
Tutankhamen
March: Trains
'Cambrian Railway Company' merges with the 'Great Western Railway Company'
July 19: College Jubilee
Prime Minister David Lloyd George in Aberystwyth to celebrate 50 years of the university.
War Memorial
Work stared on the 82ft tall war memorial built in castle grounds [7] surmounted by a statue of the Angel of Peace with a figure on the pediment embodying the idea of Humanity emerging from the entanglements of war designed by Mario Rutelli of Rome.
December 22 Statue
Unveiling of a statue of Edward the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) also by Mario Rutelli.
1923
Easter: Tennis
Opening of the municipal tennis courts
College Hall
College Hall opened (built near the current municipal tennis courts - burnt down on the 13th of August 1933)
September 14: War Memorial
Opening ceremony of the War memorial built in castle grounds. Many regard this as the grandest war memorial in the UK.
October 30:
Prime Minister David Lloyd George in Aberystwyth to salute the war memorial.
1925
New Railway Station
Railway station built on the site of the much smaller one.
1926
January 26: Television
JL Baird demonstrates his 'television' in London
May 3-12: Strike
General Strike as 3 million union members go on strike. By taking over some of the essential jobs businessmen and students help break the strike.
June 29-July 3: League of Nations Union
Tenth Plenary Congress Conference of the International Federation of League of Nations Societies and the Annual Conference of the Welsh National Council of the League of National Union held at Aberystwyth
Tenth Plenary Congress Conference of the International Federation of League of Nations Societies and the Annual Conference of the Welsh National Council of the League of National Union
“ The Corporation possess an excellent Isolation Hospital of 16 beds for the isolation of the general infections diseases, also a well isolated residence known as Alltglaise, about 2½ miles distant from the town, ready for use at any moment in case of an outbreak of small pox.”
“ After the war, there were over 1,100 students in residence - in Arts, Science, Law, Music, Agriculture - students drawn from every of the Principality and other countries, who are trained for their degrees in the Welsh University at a reasonable cost well within the means of the working peasant. ”
“ The shopping facilities in Aberystwyth deserve full consideration before deciding in favour of any great city's allurements. The prices are low, chiefly owing to the enterprise of the traders, and partly because keen competition have developed the best business instincts and up-to-date methods. Prospective visitors will be bound to be impressed that Aberystwyth is really a high-class shopping centre, even should they only confine their inspections to the window display of the many high-class shops.
To avoid any inconvenience or delay in shopping on arrival, it is respectfully suggested to prospective visitors that their initial orders should be posted a day previous to arrival, when they may have every confidence that the resultant services will justify these recommendations. More especially should should this course be adopted when the arrival is on Wednesday, the early closing day in the district. ”
1928
Transistor
Transistor invented and patented by Julius Edgar Lilienfeld in Germany
October: Flood
Flood. Boats line Terrace Road.[7]
1929
October: Stock Market Crash
1930
1930/31
Prom
South Marine Prom extended at a cost of £12,000
1931
Census, National Youth
Population 9473
Inhabited houses 1962
Urdd established with headquarters in Aberystwyth
Coliseum Cinema
The Coliseum Cinema opens. The 1904 building was originally an entertainments arcade and would become Ceredigion museum in 1976.
1932-1933
Ukrainian Famine
Bad weather during the unwelcome transition to collectivization causes a famine in and around Ukraine. This natural tragedy is turned into a man-made disaster by the Stalinist regime continuing to export food out of the area and restricting population movement. These measures lead to millions of excess deaths. Combining the famine with a brutal policy of integrating Ukraine into the Soviet Union has led most observers to conclude that intensifying the famine was a deliberate act of genocide that claimed the lives of over a fifth of Ukraine's mostly rural population.
Ukrainian Famine
One of the few journalists that reported on the Ukrainian famine was 1926 Aberystwyth graduate Gareth Jones after which he was banned from entering the Soviet Union. In 2006 a plaque was unveiled in the old college for his efforts in bringing the world's attention to these events.
1933
Drinks
Alcohol legalised in USA
1934
Driving test
Driving test introduced
June: Kings Hall
Municipal Hall (later renamed - Neuadd Y Brenin/The King's Hall) built on the site of the Waterloo Hydro for £21,000.[7]
1935
February 28: Nylon
After evaluating many synthetic polyamide fibres Dr. Carothers at DuPont chose one for commercial development. Nylon became the world 1st fully synthetic textile.
Flood
Flood covers North Parade. [7]
February 20: Palladium
Palladium Cinema (Corner of Market Street and Eastgate) burns down
May 6: Bandstand
New bandstand opened on the day of king George V's silver jubilee.
eg no Hospital or Penglais Campus Buildings
1936-1939
Spanish Civil War
1937
Logical Electronics
Claude Shannon brought together Boolean logic and electronics switching circuits in this masters thesis A Symbolic Analysis of Relay and Switching Circuits
July 16: Big Library
The part of the National Library of Wales that was complete, was opened by King George VI. ...more in 1955
New Campus
Start of work on the Rural Science Block, the 1st building on Penglais Campus.
1938
January 15-19: Storm
Storm lasting 5 days causes considerable damage to promenade and shortens the pier by 200ft. Rebuilding work is hampered by another gale in November.
July: Toll House
Northgate Toll House (junction of Penglais Road and Llanbadarn Road) demolished
1939-1945
World War
1939
Welsh School
The 1st Welsh primary school 'Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth' opened.
Treasure
Art treasures from National Gallery (London) were hidden in a cave under the National Library - the entrance was behind the Milk Marketing Board buildings off Llanbadarn Rd, just opposite the entrance to the cemetery.