I’ve just discovered this fascinating incident in the wonderful ‘Kilvert’s Diary’ written by a cleric in late 19th century Wales: Friday 8 April 1870 In the green lane between York and Cefn y Fedwas I came upon Smith of Wemwg hedging. He told me that a child had arrived at Pen-y-worlodd and wanted to know … Continue reading
This is from Wednesday’s i paper and is a fantastic example of the value of so-called amateurs, and how much can be achieved by local communities. It was a medieval mystery that baffled experts for decades. Now a history fan has finally unearthed the priceless remains of a lost city- thanks to a colony of … Continue reading
I knew many British people did the Grand Tour to widen their education, but had no idea some artists lived and worked there. Gibson (1790-1866) was born in Conwy, Wales but settled in Rome in 1817 where he studied with Antonio Canova and set up his own studio which itself became a tourist attraction for … Continue reading
Last weekend saw the end of the Brickstock Festival at a former brickworks in Central Cardiff. It had a huge number of events, with music by James Dean Bradfield and many others but I only made it to the last, a series of site-specific performances in a Victorian house. There was an old couple reminiscing … Continue reading
There are lots of artists and craftspeople out there trying to sell their wares at fairs and markets, especially in the run-up to Christmas. I get a bit jaded with all the seasonal stuff. But sometimes I stumble upon something genuinely original. Take a look at this piece of glasswork. It’s beautifully designed, and in … Continue reading
Walls are generally straight, they follow boundaries, and are made with a minimum of materials to save money and time. But sometimes they are bendy. I recall a few in isolated places that had trees planted in the bends. The walls were in an area where fields had lots of stones, so were a nuisance … Continue reading
This is a wall – or monument, barrier, that is generally believed to have been built by the Mercian king Offa to separate Wales from England, and that, like Hadrian’s Wall, to have run from sea to sea. But the story is far less clear or straightforward. This is from an article by Chris Catling … Continue reading
This is an article on the family home of the Bute family who owned fantastic amounts of property including Cardiff Castle, paid for by the local coal industry. This is from Saturday’s i paper: Tucked away down a winding corridor inside Mount Stuart, a sprawling 19th century neo-gothic mansion off the west coast of Scotland … Continue reading
Victorians loved adapting old styles of architecture and playing with them. It makes their buildings far more interesting though they were breaking all the classical rules. This is a house I spotted in Central Cardiff that makes use of what was called Gibbs details, after the early 18th century architect/artist patronised by Lord Burlington who … Continue reading
This is an incredibly well preserved large church in the centre of this walled town on the coast of West Wales. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a leaflet explaining the church, the notes I took were without my reading glasses and I was exhausted by the time I got there, and their website is so busy … Continue reading
