AT the end of the 18th century much of the land in and around Aberystwyth was owned by a relatively few aristocratic families as large estates, with many slowly declined as the result of taxes and the two World Wars.

As the estates ran down they were sold off in small parcels.

In 1946, the final 205 acres remaining from the Penglais Estate, came on the market.

A retired London milk merchant of Welsh origin, Alban Davies, donated £34,000 to the university in Aberystwyth to enable them to buy it.

The-then Aberystwyth Borough Council had plans to build affordable houses for returning soldiers and their families on Penglais Hill near to where the university planned to build its new campus.

The university persuaded the council to drop these plans in exchange for the donation of 23 acres of land to the town for the creation of a public Park.

The council agreed to this proposal by 11 votes to seven in 1946.

The plans were finalised the next year and land around Elysian Grove was leased to the council for 999 years on a peppercorn rent.

In 1960 there was some redistribution of the leased land to form what is now Parc Natur Penglais.

Over time this land became somewhat neglected and in 1991 a group of local people determined to keep this green space as a valuable asset to the town formed a support group to advise the then owners, Ceredigion County Council, on its management.

The reformed and renovated was opened in 1993 and two years later was officially recognised as a Local Nature Reserve – giving it additional legal protection.

Read the full feature in this week’s Cambrian News, on sale now