Abergele (GB)
Abergele is a small market town and community, situated on the north coast of Wales between the holiday resorts of Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, in Conwy County Borough.
Its northern suburb of Pensarn lies on the Irish Sea coast. Abergele and Pensarn railway station serves both resorts. Abergele is often overlooked due to the popularity of towns in nearby Rhyl, Prestatyn, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno and Conwy.
The meaning of the name Abergele can be deduced by aber being the Welsh word for estuary, river mouth or confluence and Gele the name of the river which flows through the town. Gele is a dialectal form of gelau, which means spear, describing the action of the river cutting through the land. It has also been suggested this river is named because its waters flash brightly.
Outside the church is a penitential stone where sinners had to do penance by standing, dressed in white, by the stone and beseech the congregation for mercy as they entered and left the church.
The 1868 Abergele rail disaster was, at that time, the worst railway disaster in Britain. The 33 people who died are buried in a mass grave in the local churchyard.
Abergele Sanitorium was built just outside Abergele in 1910; it became a community hospital in the 1980s.
| Pre-stamp to 1899 | 1900-1999 | 2000-Present |
| Post Town by 1785 & POST TOWN 1827 Under St Asaph by 1842 Under Chester by 1844 Under Rhyl 31 July 1848 Money Order Office 15 February 1851 RSO 1860 & Savings Bank 16 September 1861 Telegraph Office 1870. Code used AAX |
SO and Post Town 1 July 1905 BO under Rhyl but still a Post Town 1 August 1966 |
Postmark Examples
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_header.jpg) Abergele Un-dated circle despatch mark sent to Campden in Gloucester. |
