From Alexandra Roar to Marine Terrace Road

The lower part of Terrace Road, near the railway station, was formerly called Mary Street. Before the railway arrived, it was a narrow street occupied by small houses, stables, workshops and several pubs. The railway arrived from Carmarthen in 1863 and from Shrewsbury in 1865. Thousands of people arrived by train and would have walked along Mary Street and Terrace Road to the seaside. The Town Council decided to make Mary Street a much more impressive entrance to the town so they made many of the owners on the west side demolish their old, unattractive buildings. By 1900 the street had been transformed: it was wider; most of the pubs had gone and grand, new buildings stood at many of the corners. Refreshment and souvenir shops were opened along the street to provide holidaymakers with sustenance and presents for those left at home.

The research on which this is based is part of a project to record information about pubs, temperance inns and other places which sold drinks to the public throughout Ceredigion: 'A Pint of History Please'.