Laura Place

Laura Place, in the centre of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales is a terrace of mid-19th century townhouses. Pevsner considers them "the finest Georgian houses of the town". Laura Place forms two sides of a square, fronting the Church of St Michael and All Angels in the shadow of Aberystwyth Castle. It was developed in the early 19th century by William Edward Powell of Nanteos, High Sheriff and Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire. Powell's architect is uncertain, but Cadw suggests George Stanley Repton as a possibility. Repton was certainly the architect of the Assembly Rooms, a separate building standing between 1-9 and 11-12. The Assembly Rooms later became the first home of the National Library of Wales. The Place was named after Powell's first wife, Laura Edwyna Phelp, who died in 1822. No.s 1-9 inclusive, and No.s 11 and 12 Laura Place are Grade II* listed buildings. The Assembly Rooms are also Grade II*.