Author Topic: Abergele Old Police Station 1849.  (Read 3059 times)

Offline cashmere

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Abergele Old Police Station 1849.
« on: Friday 20 September 13 12:36 BST (UK) »
Does anyone out there know if any photos of Abergele Old Police Station built in 1897 exist and if so where can i get them.I t was on Chapel Road.
Regards.Cashmere.

Offline cashmere

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Re: Abergele Old Police Station 1849.
« Reply #1 on: Friday 20 September 13 12:39 BST (UK) »
Sorry i have just realised i put the wrong date of when the Police Station was built.I t was built in 1849.
Regards.
Penny.

Offline Gele

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Re: Abergele Old Police Station 1849.
« Reply #2 on: Friday 11 January 19 11:35 GMT (UK) »
I realise this is an old post but I wonder if Penny ever managed to find a photograph.

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Re: Abergele Old Police Station 1849.
« Reply #3 on: Friday 11 January 19 20:31 GMT (UK) »
Hi Gele.Thanks for your interest.No I didn't find a photo which was a disappointment.My husbands Great,Great,Grandfather was the Police Sergeant there when the Tithe Riots were happening.I think that was 1887.His name was John Lewis.He retired from the Police Force in 1891 and moved to Caernarfon soon after.He died there.I researched him for a few years.Its a lovely surprise to hear from someone after all this time.

Best regards.

Cashmere 


Offline Gele

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Re: Abergele Old Police Station 1849.
« Reply #4 on: Friday 11 January 19 22:06 GMT (UK) »
Like your husband I have a "connection" to the old building. My family lived in the house between 1953 and 1955 (my father had moved there from Wrexham to be the first Inspector in Abergele for many years) and then it was replaced by a new building in the town with two adjacent inspector's and sergeant's houses. The old house was then occupied by a police constable until about 1964, when everything was demolished and replaced by two rather uninteresting "police houses". I hardly remember living there (I was only 3 when we left) and I have never been able to find a photo of the building, but I have seen an aerial photograph of that part of the town taken in (probably) the 1930s and showing the house/police station and adjoining courthouse (as well as the public cemetery, and the Mynydd Seion chapel and other buildings). I will see if I can track it down. It will take a few days. Alan

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Re: Abergele Old Police Station 1849.
« Reply #5 on: Friday 11 January 19 22:56 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for your prompt reply.I too have an aerial photo that I printed off the internet.About 4 years ago we went down to Abergele to try and find it.I got info from the local library but no photos.The description you gave of the 2 new police houses (which I thought looked like council houses)was correct from the what the library told me.The 2 houses are built above the police cell of the original police station.If you stood on the pavement at the bottom of these houses you would be stood by the wall of the cell.Looking up and to the left of the wall you can see a stone plaque with the date 1849.I did run my hands over the wall.The wall is from the pavement up to the base of the 2 houses.I do have a couple of photos of that somewhere!!!!We havnt been back there since because John died in C to it.aernarfon.There is a book which mentions the police station and mentions Police Sergeant John Lewis and the Tithe Troubles in 1887.I bought one from a local second hand book shop in Abergele.Its called(Abergele.The story of a parish)by Ellis Wynne Williams.An excellent read.

How amazing for you and your parents to have lived there. Part of the town history.Its so nice to add a little more history.Whilst we were there we searched for his grave in the cemetery in very warm conditions but found nothing.It was much later that I found him in a cemetery in Caernarfon.

We live in the far North of Scotland where its very much like North Wales.Only much more bleak than Wales in Winter.We used to do a lot of hill walking here but age is against us now so we don't go in the hills as much.

Best Regards.Cashmere 

Offline Gele

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Re: Abergele Old Police Station 1849.
« Reply #6 on: Saturday 12 January 19 12:02 GMT (UK) »
I see that there is an aerial photo at https://britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/WPW040129  (probably the one you mentioned). The one I have in mind was taken from the other direction and shows, albeit too small to be ideal, the police station, and courthouse. The house was part of the same building. If I can track a copy down I will let you have it.

The photo on the internet confirms what my father once told me, namely that the stone retaining wall (which extended somewhat higher than it does now) actually enclosed the prisoners' "exercise yard". It must have been a very small affair but 1849 was not a landmark period for prisoners' rights! The stone steps, which still remain, led directly up to the front door of the house. Access to the police station and court was from the other side, from the sloping access road leading off Chapel Street. At that side there was a yard between the buildings and the public cemetery wall.

I do remember that the living room of the house had a heavy studded wooden door, normally covered by a curtain, at the bottom of the stairs, and this was an access to the cell (or at least the cell block)! On two occasions I remember that we had to move out of the room because a prisoner was being taken in or out. I am sure there must have been some "main" access route to the cell/cells and this was some kind of occasional secondary route, otherwise we would have constantly been moved out of our living room!

The courthouse continued to be used after the police station closed in 1955. It was in 1960 that a new courthouse opened, alongside the new police station. My father retired, still in Abergele, in 1964. But that was not quite the end of our involvement with the Abergele magistrates' court - between 1987 and 1999 I was the magistrates' clerk at several North Wales courts, including Abergele. Sadly it closed, despite being only 40 years old, in 2000, though it is now used by the Abergele Town Council. The police station still operates and after 1961 it was a "Chief Inspector's station" but in the early 1990s things were reorganised and it became a sergeant's station again (there may have been an initial short period when an inspector was in charge), and later (and still now) it became just an "outpost" with mainly a few civilian employees working there.

The houses built on the site of the old police station/courthouse were built by the police authority of the day to house two police families (who were not, under the rules of the time, allowed to live in their own houses, only in houses provided by the police). When the rules changed, all the police force's houses were sold off.

It is good that you managed to trace John Lewis to Caernarfonshire after he retired. Is he the John Lewis, retired police officer, of Penywern, Llanfair Isgaer, who died 21 April 1898? (National Probate Calendar).)

If I can locate the other photograph I will let you have a copy or scan of it.

I hope your winter is not too bleak!

Alan

Offline cashmere

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Re: Abergele Old Police Station 1849.
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 13 January 19 19:58 GMT (UK) »
Hi Alan.Bingo!!!!!You are correct with John Lewis.He was the Police Sergeant.Yes he did die at Pen-y-wern.I searched for over 10 yrs to find where and when he died.His wife died a few months after John retired.She is buried in Abergele and we thought John would be buried with her.The only reason I think he went to Caernarfonshire is because his daughter lived by the Menai Bridge which was nearby.Also he had friends there.When I did find where he died we went to see if the house was there.We found it and met the family who now live there.They were very helpful and fascinated with his story.The house is overlooking the Menai Straight.A beautifu sight.

With your line of work im not surprised you were able to find so much.John first did his Police training at Liverpool.He then went to Colwyn Bay where he was very highly thought of by the community.From there he went to Denbigh before going to Abergele.The story of the Tithe Troubles was most interesting and sad for the farmers.I have clips from the newspapers.


Its so long since i used this site and it would be better if we could communicate privately.Any ideas so i can let you know my email address?

Best Regards.

Offline Gele

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Re: Abergele Old Police Station 1849.
« Reply #8 on: Monday 14 January 19 21:09 GMT (UK) »
I will try to send a private message - I am not too familiar with the facility.