October 2023 – STUDIA PHOTOS

WALES 2023 – II

This post is on the visit to Caernarfon Castle.

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Caernarfon Castle is a medieval fortress in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. The first fortification on the site was a motte-and-bailey castle built in the late 11th century, which King Edward I of England began to replace with the current stone structure in 1283 finishing in 1330. The castle and town established by Edward acted as the administrative centre of north Wales, and as a result the defences were built on a grand scale.

Caernarfon Castle is recognised around the world as one of the greatest buildings of the Middle Ages.

This fortress-palace on the banks of the River Seiont is grouped with Edward I’s other castles at Conwy, Beaumaris and Harlech as a World Heritage Site. But for sheer scale and architectural drama Caernarfon stands alone.

Here Edward and his military architect Master James of St George erected a castle, town walls and a quay all at the same time. This gigantic building project eventually took 47 years and cost a staggering £25,000. [£25.5 Million today]

The castle was born out of bitter war with Welsh princes. So of course its immense curtain walls and daunting King’s Gate were designed to withstand assault. But the polygonal towers, eagle statues and multi-coloured masonry sent a more subtle message.

There was a deliberate link with Caernarfon’s Roman past—nearby is the Roman fort of Segontium—and the castle’s walls are reminiscent of the Walls of Constantinople. They also recalled the Welsh myth of Macsen Wledig, who dreamed of a great fort at the mouth of a river – ‘the fairest that man ever saw’.

Although the castle appears mostly complete from the outside, the interior buildings no longer survive and many parts of the structure were never finished. In 1294 the town and castle were sacked and captured by Madog ap Llywelyn during his rebellion against the English, but were recaptured the following year. The castle was unsuccessfully besieged during the Glyndŵr Rising of 1400–1415. When the Tudor dynasty ascended to the English throne in 1485, tensions between the Welsh and English began to diminish and castles were considered less important. As a result, Caernarfon Castle was allowed to fall into a state of disrepair.

Despite its dilapidated condition, during the English Civil War Caernarfon Castle was held by Royalists and besieged three times by Parliamentarian forces. This was the last time the castle was used in war. The castle was neglected until the 19th century when the state funded repairs. The castle was used for the investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1911 and again in 1969. The castle is managed by Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service. It is part of the World Heritage Site “Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd”.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caernarfon_Castle

Front Entrance, Caernarfon Castle, Castle Ditch, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

WALES 2023 – I

After spending the night in the wonderful Market Town of Hay-on-Wye, our next destination is for a few nights in Caernarfon on the shores of the Menai Strait. The drive through Snowdonia is full of scenery.

Clywedog Reservoir, Llanidloes, Powys, Wales UK

Bridge over Afon Croessor, Llanfrothen, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Riverside Vegetation, Afon Croessor, Llanfrothen, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Roadside Marker, Aberglaslyn Pass, Snowdonia, Gwynedd, Wales UK

See street view here:-

Afon Glaslyn, Aberglaslyn Pass, Snowdonia, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Road, Aberglaslyn Pass, Snowdonia, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Gallt y Wenallt, Snowdonia, Gwynedd, Wales UK

We arrive at Caernarfon and wander about.

Brewer’s Sign, Ind Coope & Allsopp, The Black Boy Inn, Stryd Pedwar a Chwech, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

An old metal plate inside the Black Boy Inn. A brewer dating back to 1740s. In 1935 Samuel Allsopp & Sons merged with Ind Coope Ltd to form Ind Coope and Allsopp Ltd. The Allsopp name was dropped in 1959 and in 1971 Ind Coope was incorporated into Allied Breweries.

Y Bachgen Du (Black Boy Inn), Stryd Pedwar a Chwech, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

One theory suggests that a boy was brought into Caernarfon on a ship, who later became known as ‘Jack Black’ in many local stories, and another suggests that the inn’s name simply refers to a navigational buoy which could be seen in the harbour.

The Black Boy Inn (or just Black Boy) is a hotel and public house in the Royal Town of Caernarfon in Gwynedd, Wales which is thought to date back to 1522, making it one of the oldest surviving inns in North Wales. It is within the medieval walls of Caernarfon, a few hundred yards from Caernarfon Castle.

Prior to 1828, the pub was known as the ‘Black Boy’. Though still referred to by its traditional name, it was officially altered to the ‘King’s Arms’ and, later, the ‘Fleur de Lys’, until a change of ownership led to the restoration of the old name and the creation of the “Black Boy Inn” as it is today. The Inn signs each show a ‘black buoy’ on one side and a ‘black boy’ on the other.

Old Town Walls, Stryd Pedwar a Chwech. Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Caernarfon’s town walls are a medieval defensive structure around the townn North Wales. The walls were constructed between 1283 and 1292 after the foundation of Caernarfon by Edward I, alongside the adjacent castle. The walls are 734 m (2,408 ft) long and include eight towers and two medieval gatehouses. The project was completed using large numbers of labourers brought in from England; the cost of building the walls came to around £3,500, a large sum for the period. The walls were significantly damaged during the rebellion of Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294, and had to be repaired at considerable expense. Political changes in the 16th century reduced the need to maintain such defences around the town. Today the walls form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site

View to the Castle, Stryd y Plas (Palace Street), Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Sign, The Market Hall, Stryd y Plas (Palace Street), Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

The market building which opens onto Palace Street and Hole in the Wall Street was designed by local architect John Lloyd and built in 1832 as a corn market. The large cellars were used to store wine in Victorian times. The large cellars were a bonded warehouse, where imported goods were stored without customs payments being paid. Duties would be paid when the goods were distributed.

Four Alls, Stryd y Plas (Palace Street), Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Armour Suite, Stryd y Plas (Palace Street), Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

The Palace Vaults, Pen Deitsh (Castle Ditch), Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Masonic Hall & Cyngor Gwynedd (Council), Stryd y Castell (Castle Street), Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Originally an English Methodist Chapel on Castle Street, built in 1877 to replace the 1832 chapel on Pool Street. The chapel is built in the Gothic style of the gable entry type with a tower. By 1995 the chapel builing was in use as a Masonic Hall.

The Crown, Stryd y Farchnad (Market Street), Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Granary Tower, Castle Walls, Pen Deitch (Castle Ditch), Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Castle Entrance, Pen Deitch (Castle Ditch), Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Derelict Tower of Old Town Walls, Lon Yr Eglwys, Penygroes, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Old Library Entrance, Stryd y Castell (Castle Street), Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

The plate to the right of the arch reads:-

Llyfrgell Sirol Gyntaf Cymru
sefydlwyd yma 1918

The First County Library of Wales
founded here 1918

“Cartref”, 23 Stryd y Farchnad (Market Street), Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

This is in use as a guest house.

See street view here:

HMS Conway Anchor, Victoria Dock, Sowth o Ffrans, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Anchor from the HMS Conway at Victoria Dock, Caernarfon. First launched as the HMS Nile in 1839, it was renamed HMS Conway in 1875. The ship was brought to Bangor in 1941 and then to Plas Newydd, just north of Caernarfon, in 1949. The ship was wrecked in the Menai Strait in 1953, and this, one of 2 anchors, is displayed at Victoria Dock in Caernarfon.

Victoria Dock, Sowth o Ffrans, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales UK

Next up is the castle.

ENGLAND 2023 – IX – The (Last of) Cotswolds (V)

We have had our wonderful stay in The Cotswolds and now head onward….. passing through Cirencester again and on to Wales.

Doorway, Castle Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

War Memorial, Market Place, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Tower, Church of St John the Baptist, Market Place, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Door, Church of St John the Baptist, Market Place, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Stone Cross, Church of St John the Baptist, Market Place, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

The church is a Grade I Listed Building and originates from the 12th century

The Gallery at The Crown, Black Jack Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

10 Black Jack Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Cowley House, 12 Black Jack Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

A Grade II Listed Building

Door, 15 Black Jack Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

12 Park Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

View Along Silver Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Bathurst Estate, Park Lane, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

The Bathurst family originate from Sussex where, in the 13th Century, they owned extensive lands and a castle. The castle was subsequently demolished, but the name lives on in Bathurst Wood, where its ruins can still be discovered.

In 1695, Sir Benjamin Bathurst, a kindly and generous gentleman, purchased the current estate, known then as Oakley Grove. It was a gift for his eldest son, Allen, who became the 1st Earl Bathurst.

It was under his care that Cirencester Park became one of the greatest privately-owned parks of the 18th century and the finest forest landscape in England. It is still amongst the most beautiful in the country today. Having remained in the same family, its main advantage has been continuity.

Since the 1st Earl’s time the Bathurst Estate has been carefully stewarded by many generations. Following the 8th Earl’s death in October 2011, his eldest son Allen succeeded to the title. He presently runs and oversees the estate for future generations, supported by The Countess Bathurst.

The Park sits within the town of Cirencester, screened from it by the tallest yew hedge in the world. This remarkable feature has been much recorded in local and international history, especially when it comes to its annual trim – a job that takes two men two weeks to complete. Clippings have been used to further the research of the use of ‘taxol’ to treat cancer.

See beyond the wall:-

“Dunstall House”, 27 Park Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

17th century, re-fronted in 18th century. Mishearing a suggestion by Earl Bathurst in the 1920s, that the house should be called after the Gumstool Brook which flows at the rear, a tenant called it Dunstall House, which has endured.

8-16 Park Lane, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Grade II Listed Building,which is 5 houses built in the early 1800s

The Old Grammar School Forecourt Wall & Gate, Park Lane, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Former Grammar School, now house. Late mediaeval, 1534-60, 1640s and 1760s with C20 alterations and repairs.

Rear Yard Entrance, Old Police Station & Courts, 2 Park Lane, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

The Old Museum, Tetbury Road, Cirencester. Gloucestershire, England UK

Henry George, the 4th Earl Bathurst (1790-1866), funded the building of Cirencester’s first museum in Tetbury Road. It was built to house the Hunting Dogs and Four Seasons Mosaics found in 1849 in Dyer Street, Cirencester, now on display in the Corinium Museum.

The museum opened in 1856 and received 1740 visitors in the first year. It was staffed by honorary curators and a resident custodian lived in the adjacent lodge. The Earl’s museum soon began to benefit from donations from other local collectors. By the 1930’s, when the Bathurst collection was given to the town, it numbered nearly 3000 objects.

Street Sign, Sheep Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Old Town Station, Sheep Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

That’s it for The Cotswolds and Cirencester. We then travelled to Hay-on-Wye in Wales where we once spent a week back in 2016. We even stayed at the same place and in the same room as back then.

The Butter Market, Market Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Hay Butter Market was erected by a local entrepreneur by the name of William Enoch in 1830. It replaced a very old open market in order to provide a covered market area for the use of local traders and farmers on market days which have always been a Thursday. It is situated right in the centre of town by Hay Castle Square.

The building had been walled up since just after the second World War but was opened up and restored by Hay Warren Trustees in 1985.

The Trustees won a “Prince of Wales Award” for this restoration. It is now used again every Thursday and also by other traders and charity organisations on most Saturdays and holiday weekends.

It is a Grade II Listed Building.

A Wet Street, High Town, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

The Butter Market is on the left.

Clock Tower, Jcn Lion & Broad Streets, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Built 1884 by J C Haddon of Hereford. It originated in a legacy by Captain Brown for a clock for the church tower. This idea was expanded by the executors to include the town clock, public hall and corn exchange but only the former was built; cost £600.

It is a Grade II Listed Building

The Rose & Crown (Centre) & The Old Electric Shop, Broad Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

The Rose & Crown is a 17th century building.

It is a Grade II Listed Building

“Rest For The Tired”, Laneway off Broad Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Heritage Residence, Jcn Broad Street & Belmont Road, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

St Joseph’s Church, Belmont Road, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Property Entrance, Belmont Road, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

The Blue Boar, Castle Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

We had dinner here as we did back in 2016.

Late Georgian architecture (shown on 1847 Tithe map) with 17th century origins to rear.

A Grade II Listed Building

“Radnor House”, Oxford Road, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

A Grade II Listed Building

Heritage Residence and Adjoining Buildings, Church Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Building Attached to Heritage Residence, Church Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Oxford Road, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

“Rounded”, Llys Brewys (Off Church Street), Hay=On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

The Cheese Market, Market Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

The Cheese Market in Hay-on-Wye (Welsh: Marchnad gaws Y Gelli Gandryll), formerly Hay-on-Wye Town Hall, (Welsh: Neuadd y Dref Y Gelli Gandryll), is a municipal building in Market Street, Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales. The structure, which has been restored with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund so that the first floor can be let out for residential use, is a Grade II Listed Building. Built in 1835 and statue on the higher part of the wall is Henry VII.

Hay Castle, Castle Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Probably built by Bernard de Newmarch and once surrounded by a moat. The castle is traditionally thought to have been rebuilt by Maude de St Valerie; was burnt by King John in 1216, rebuilt by Henry III in 1233, burnt by Prince Edward in 1263 and later suffered further damage under Owain Glyndwr. The double pile Castle House was begun by James Boyle ca 1660; divided up after 1702 and in 1844 sold to Sir Joseph Bailey. Major restoration by W D Caroe ca 1910; major fires in 1934 (E half) and 1977 (W half).

A Grade I Listed Building

War Memorial, Jcn Castle Lane and Castle Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

The memorial was unveiled in the centre of the Market Square in 1920. After 1945 it was moved to an enclosure set into the boundary wall of the castle grounds, which allowed for additional plaques to be set up commemorating the dead of World War II.

It became a Grade II Listed Building in June 2020.

Kilvert’s Country Hotel, Cnr Bull Ring & Bear Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Grade II Listed Building described as a Late Georgian remodelling of a 17th century structure.

This was where we stayed in Hay-On-Wye.

We stopped for lunch at this lovely country pub on our way from Hay-On-Wye.

Dining, The Brigand’s Inn, Mallwyd, Machynlleth , Powys, Wales UK

This pub is also a Grade II Listed Building

Just a Few Pints

ENGLAND 2023 – VIII – The Cotswolds (IV)

I drove on to another wonderful town in the Cotswolds called Malmesbury. There were just a couple of stops along the way.

Parsons Nose, 30 High Street, Melksham, Wiltshire, England UK

Bricked In, Lowebourne, Melksham, Wiltshire, England UK

Lacock Abbey, Lacock, Chippenham, Wiltshire, England UK

Pew Hill House, Pew Hill, Chippenham , Wiltshire, England UK

The Old Bell Hotel, Abbey Row, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

Dating to 1220 and originally named The Castle Inn as it was built on the site of Malmesbury Castle.The name was changed in 1798. It served as the guest house of the Abbey located next door. It has a claim to be considered as the oldest hotel in England. The Historic England official ‘listing’ of the hotel as a Grade I building, for example, describes the hotel as having been originally the ‘Abbey Guest House’.

After the Dissolution of the Abbey in 1539 and the departure of the monks the building became an inn offering accommodation to travellers on the road from Bristol to Oxford. The claim that the Old Bell is the oldest hotel in England is based, therefore, on the strong possibility that there was more or less continuous use of the building as a place of hospitality from about 1220 to the present day.

Malmesbury Abbey, Gloucester Street, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

Malmesbury Abbey, at Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England, is a religious house dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It was one of the few English houses with a continuous history from the 7th century [c.676] through to the dissolution of the monasteries.

The abbey, which owned 23,000 acres (93 km2) in the twenty parishes that constituted the Malmesbury Hundred, was closed at the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 by Henry VIII and was sold, with all its lands, to William Stumpe, a rich merchant. He returned the abbey church to the town for continuing use as a parish church, and filled the abbey buildings with up to 20 looms for his cloth-weaving enterprise.

Malmesbury Market Cross, 1A Market Cross, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

The Old Bakehouse, 27 High Street, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

Access to Beer Garden, The Kings Arms, High Street, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

HM Postmaster-General Notice, 41 High Street, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

Inscription:

H.M. POSTMASTER-GENERAL, THE OWNER OF THE LAND IN FRONT OF THIS NOTICE BOUNDED BY METAL STUDS, HAS NOT DEDICATED AND DOES NOT INTEND TO DEDICATE AS A HIGHWAY, THE SAID LAND OR ANY PART THEREOF OR ANY WAY THEREON OR THEREUNDER.

The building where this is affixed was erected in 1902.

Only Here, 41 High Street, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

The Old Library, 44 High Street, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

Freehold currently for sale of Offers over £400,000.

Residences, Jcn High Street & King’s Wall, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

Lotus House, 119 High Street, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

The Rose & Crown, High Street, Burton Hill, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

St John’s Court Almshouse, High Street, Burton Hill, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

St John’s Court, a group of three almshouses, stands on the site of the medieval hospital of St John of Jerusalem. The date of the foundation of the hospital is unknown, but records attest to its existence by the C13. It is reported to have incorporated an existing chapel, the former late-Norman doorway to which remains within the southern wall of the building. The hospital was closed as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and the site is recorded as having been confiscated. It was acquired by clothier John Stumpe, who transferred ownership to the Corporation in 1580, with the liability on them for the maintenance of a school and almshouses at £20 a year.

Left Column Plate Inscription:

In memory of the Malmesbury men who made the supreme sacrifice in the second worl war 1938-1945.

Right Column Plate:-

Names those men.

Dedicated in 1951.

<a href=”https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/24206″><b>Imperial War Museum Reference</b></a>

WW2 Gates, Lower High Street, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

Through to St Johns Court Almshouse.

The Silk Mills, High Street, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England UK

Also known as the Avon Mills (a branch of the Avon River right alongside.). They were built in 1790 originally for wool but also used for corn and are Grade II Listed buildings. They have now been converted to apartments.