Hidden history - 12 May 2007

The curious thing about the UK is that there are quaint little bits of history scattered all over the place, some in the most obscure locations.

This mausoleum, modelled on one on the Apian Way in Rome, was built in 1752 in the little village of Fawley, tucked away in the Chilterns.

John Freeman saw the original while on his Grand Tour and decided to copy it for his and the family's mortal remains. There are 12 Freemans entombed here. The mausoleum in the background is a MacKenzie resting place.

World Heritage day - 8 May 2007

We had previously known King Edward I as a romantic from the memorial crosses he built marking Queen Eleanor's funeral journey.

From our trip to north Wales, we saw him in a different light. In the 13th Century he commissioned a series of strategic castles, around the coastline of northern Wales; these are all now classed as world Heritage Sites

On our final day we visited another three of his castles. Beaumaris is a perfectly symmetrical castle; built on a marsh beside sea it had a channel cut to allow ships to tie up beside the walls. Possibly the pinnacle of medieval military architecture, this castle was built from scratch on a new site, so was unfettered by previous constructions and allowed the designer free reign to explore the latest defensive techniques. Ironically, it was never fully completed and never saw action until the Civil War some four centuries later.

The whole of Conwy is like a film set. A C 19th suspension bridge leads to the castle walls. Like Caenarfon, the castle has walls to walk along, corridors to explore and towers to climb. It is a stunning castle set at one corner of an amazing town, itself a World Heritage Site.

Surrounding the town, almost intact, are its medieval walls. Unlike Caenarfon where what remains of the walls seems to get lost in the modern town, Conwy’s walls are its defining feature. Inside the walls medieval houses have survived: we visited one of the oldest and reputedly the finest remaining Elizabethan Townhouse in Britain, a Tudor merchant's house. The exterior of Plas Mawr is white plaster, which apparently is how the town walls and castle originally looked: it must have been very impressive. In fact all of the castles we visited on this trip were originally plastered inside and out and lime whitewashed. They must have made a fantastic sight on the occasional sunny Welsh day.

Just outside Conwy is Bodnant Garden; these were equally impressive, in a different way. These gardens are famous for their rhododendrons and azaleas; and, in spite of the inclement Welsh weather, everything was looking stunning.

As we headed back to London, on a rather quicker journey than King Edward could ever have imagined, we had a quick stop at one more of his castles. Castle Rhuddlan is inland, and a 2-mile section of the passing river was straightened and channelled to bring the ships up to the foot of the castle. This was the first of Edward’s northern castles; Beumaris was the last.

One weekend is not long enough to visit all the surviving castles in Wales; there are 641, and not even long enough to visit all the castles Edward built, but the 13 we saw gave us a great appreciation of the building skills from so long ago.

Edward's Jewel - 7 May 2007

Leaving South Wales, we set off for the north. On the way, but curiously seemingly in the middle of nowhere, was the National Woollen Museum. This provided an interesting look into the work methods and conditions of the past. Fascinating fact for this visit was the wool gatherers: women who followed the drovers, collecting the scraps of wool from the bushes and hedgerows as the herds made their way across country. Tufts of wool caught on barbed-wire fences are such a common part of our childhood that it is sobering to realise how tough times past were; in that these scraps were precious enough to be gathered, spun and woven to produce saleable goods to supplement the meagre living of these women.

However, the focus of the day was the two castles at Harlech and Caernafon, both World Heritage Sites. Harlech Castle is little more than a shell, but has a great walk around the walls from where the views are magnificent. When built, the sea came right up to the base of the rock the castle is built on, allowing the castle to be re-provisioned from the sea: a feature of the next three castles as well.

The Bank Holiday traffic meant that we were later than planned arriving at Caernarfon. We could have spent much longer there, but in the 1.5 hours we had left before closing we raced around the extensive walkways and corridors and up and down most of the towers. Caernarfon Castle is amazing, and it is not surprising that it has World Heritage status.



Much more a statement of Kingship than military power, it has retained its ceremonial significance by hosting the investitures of the last two Princes of Wales



After checking into our hotel, we had a look around Bangor. The best feature of the town is the pier, extending half a kilometre out into the Menai Strait.

Castles: a tour de four - 6 May 2007

Kidwelly Castle really appealed to us although it is now an extensive ruin. It has an especially impressive gatehouse with double layers of defence and the slots for the portcullis and murder holes etc all still well defined.

Picton Castle is a very different type of castle: rather than the ruins we had been visiting this castle has been occupied for the last 850 years by direct descendants of the original builder. The castle was extended in the Regency Period, and the result is a splendid residence that is open for guided tours. We started the tour in the library, which has been made in one of the round towers, saw some of the other 'great' rooms and then the 'below stairs' area where they have an amazing collection of kitchen, laundry and domestic household items . The gardens are, once again, a rhododendron showplace, being home to several hybrids that were bred here and are unique to Picton.

The forecast rain had not arrived, so we decided to visit Tenby, via the Lamphey Bishop’s Palace. Although this is now a ruin and not really worth a detour it does hint at the style to which the mediaeval church fathers thought they were entitled and the power that they wielded. As one visits Bishop’s Palaces around the UK one wonders were they saw any justification for their excesses and extravagance in the words and teachings of Jesus.

Tenby is a busy little town full of tourists and tourist tat. The tourists flock here, as it is a perfect relic from the past: the town walls and entrance arches have survived well; unlike the castle, which is no more than a ruin.

The harbour is very sheltered and surrounded by gaily-painted houses. Hidden behind the front row, is a Tudor Merchant’s House, furnished in period furniture. One of the room stewards was a font of information and we learnt the derivation of expressions such as “left on the shelf”. One only graduated to a bed once one was married, until then you slept on the floor, as close to the fireplace as possible. Pride of place went to the eldest daughter who could sleep on the shelf (or hearth as it is known today). So, clearly, if the daughter never married, she was “left on the shelf”.



As the rain was still holding off we stopped at one final village, Carew. This small village is well worth a visit, and on a sunny day would look even better. As well as the large castle, (closed by the time we arrived) there is an impressive, and rare (one of only three in Wales) C 11th Cross; and the only restored tidal mill in Wales. The mill dam and a medieval bridge at the village provide a 1 mile loop track which we walked in the intermittent drizzle.

Castles everywhere - 5 May 2007

The ‘experts’ were predicting the busiest bank Holiday ever, with papers reporting numbers like 18 million vehicles on the roads, an extra 1.8bn miles being travelled, traffic up by 150%, gridlock all round, etc, etc, so it was an early start on Saturday morning to avoid the crowds.

The big advantage London has for Bank Holidays is that you can exit London to just about any point on the compass, thus the traffic load is spread. Obviously if it is a beautiful day and you decide to go to the coast along with the majority, you will be caught in the traffic queues. We didn’t; we headed for the castles and gardens of Wales on, what turned out to be, the best day of the weekend.

The first stop was Caerphilly Castle. This is a magnificent castle has several claims to fame: the biggest castle in Wales (and second only to Windsor in Britain); large-scale water defences; one of the first truly concentric castles; and a tower that, at 10 degrees, out-leans Pisa. Built in C13th it is now a beautiful tranquil spot, the only hint of a turbulent history is a set of replica war machines.

We then travelled further west to visit Carreg Cennen, a romantic ruin, perched in an amazing spot, high on a cliff top; wonderfully defendable, as it would be very easy to see the enemy approaching. This was the first of a string of Edward I castles we were to visit on this trip.

On the other side of the picturesque village of Llandeilo we visited Dinefwr Castle, made into a romantic ruin in the 18th century as a garden feature for the recently re-opened Newton House.

As a break from castles we revisited the recent theme of rhododendrons by visiting Colby Woodland Garden. Although described as “One of the best collections of rhododendrons and azaleas in Wales” it did not match last week’s beautiful gardens at Bowood, or Bodnant, the gardens we were to visit on Tuesday. Nevertheless, it was a tranquil valley to explore.

The final stop was Laugharne to visit another a ruined castle. The tower gives a great view over the town and coast. The town is best know for it’s association with Dylan Thomas as he lived and wrote here. His ‘Boat House’ is just around the cliff from the castle and the walk between takes you past the ‘garage’ he used while writing. The village church is very beautiful, and a simple white cross marks his grave.

Te Haerenga

Since Chelsea has asked: 'te haerenga' is Maori for 'the journey'; referring both to our extended working holiday visits to various places around the world and our journey through life. Sometimes we feel a little like these two at the end of a busy sight-seeing day.

Wiltshire Wisteria - 29 April 2007

On Sunday we visited a number of attractions around the very attractive town of Bradford-on-Avon.

The first was Farleigh Hungerford, south of the town. After the unique experience (for us) of driving through a medieval gatehouse, just beyond a large moat (we could imagine the draw bridge) we toured the ruins of the Castle. All that remains intact is the priest house and Chapel complete with tombs, unique wall paintings and Crypt containing lead death masks on coffins of the lesser 16th and 17th century Hungerfords.

There were interesting stories about the castle, the one we found most interesting was the wife of the chief steward who murdered her husband and disposed of him in the large kitchen oven, so that she could then marry the Lord of the Manor.

Following this, we visited The Courts Gardens: they were bursting with new spring growth and colours; and we saw our first wisteria of the day, climbing up the house.

Back into Bradford-on-Avon to visit the impressive Tithe Barn where the majority of the timber beams holding up the massive roof are 650 years old. Find a big oak with just the right bend and you have a ready-made arch-beam that will last for centuries!

A pleasant walk along the River Avon took us into the town. Although much smaller than nearby Bath, it is still well worth a visit. A canal also flows though the town and we were able to enjoy the spring sunshine on a loop track along the river, and back via the canal.

By this time, Westwood Manor was due to open, so we headed south again. The earliest parts of this house date back to 983. The house is small, very liveable (still lived in by a tenant) and a fascinating time shot of history, having been restored in the early 20th century to be as it was in the 17th century. The garden has a topiary representation of the missing west wing.


Our final visit of the day was the best. The Peto Garden at Iford Manor is inspiring: once again, with a magnificent display of wisterias. The garden has been laid out in an Italian style. Colour, shapes, interesting layout, water features, pools, fountains, colonnades, it has it all. Not only is the garden wonderful, the position would be hard to beat. At the bottom of a sheltered valley, complete with a river flowing past the front gate and a picturesque bridge with a built-in seat nook.

The long spring day begged us to do one more walk on the way home, but despite thatched cottages and an disproportionately large, for the size of the village, Cathedral style church - we had been so visually over loaded at the Peto Garden that the walk based around the village of Bishops Canning was actually an anticlimax. But in fairness, it had quite the perfect ‘job description’ for a walk: past a beautiful church and thatched cottages, alongside rape fields in full bloom, across a grassy meadow, along a canal towpath, crossing back via a swing bridge and past a final thatched cottage to the start.