The Elvis Rock is a rock alongside the A44

A44 road

The A44 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Oxford in southern England to Aberystwyth in west Wales.-History:The original route of the A44 was Chipping Norton to Aberystwyth. No changes were made to the route of the A44 in the early years...

 near Eisteddfa Gurig in Ceredigion

Ceredigion

Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. It is one of the most iconic pieces of graffiti

Graffiti

Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....

 in Wales, probably the most iconic in mid-Wales. This is mainly due to its placing on the main trunk road through the country, and the fact that the word “Elvis” seems to some incredibly out of context compared to the area and landscape.

History

The graffiti on the rock allegedly originally read “Elis” and was written in 1962 by John Hefin and David Meredith in support of a local Plaid Cymru

Plaid Cymru

' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...

 candidate, Islwyn Ffowc Elis

Islwyn Ffowc Elis

Islwyn Ffowc Elis was one of Wales's most popular Welsh-language writers.Born Islwyn Ffoulkes Ellis in Wrexham, Elis was educated at the University of Wales colleges of Bangor and Aberystwyth. During World War II he was a conscientious objector and he began writing poetry and prose, winning the...

.
The rock has been repainted several times, and at one point was totally destroyed. However the word “Elvis” has again reappeared on the rock and is still visible today.

External links

• Photos of the Elvis Rock from the BBC website.