Aberystwyth started life as a garrison town for the Normans in 1277. For centuries fishing, sea faring, lead mining and agriculture were the mainstays of the local economy. Today's vitality originates from a few tumultuous years during the 1860s which changed Aberystwyth from being a remote market town, port and watering-hole for the wealthier classes to a bustling holiday resort with a new university. With a mile of promenade, beaches, a harbour, ruined castle, medieval street plan, University, National Library of Wales, narrow gauge and funicular railways Aberystwyth is a town of great character and charm. Using images of Aberystwyth dating from a hundred and fifty years ago until the present day the reader is taken on a tour of the town taking in the promenade, outlying districts and the town centre.