Cheshire History Day
Cheshire History Day will take place on Saturday 29th October and I am delighted to be the opening speaker.
Heritage
Anglesey Barracks, Snowdonia
Tucked away in an abandoned slate quarry in north Wales – once the second largest in the world – sits Anglesey Barracks. However, they’re not army barracks, and they’re not on Anglesey. These two rows of derelict houses mark an old street of quarry workers’ houses in Dinorwig Quarry. The quarry now makes up part […]
A medieval bridge to nowhere – Pont Dafydd, St Asaph
There is a tiny medieval bridge called Pont Dafydd in a field right next to the A55 north Wales expressway. It no longer has a river running under it, and traffic no longer goes over it. But the history behind it is fascinating. Watch my short video all about Pont Dafydd medieval bridge. I speak […]
An 800 year old church ruin near Ruthin
Nestled in the hills of the Clwydian Range, just east of Ruthin, a tiny church ruin sits. With no windows, no roof, and only half the walls left, it should be a sorry sight. But is it actually a little haven for wildlife, peace and a good dose of tranquility. Old St Peter’s Church ruin […]
Exploring a 4000 year old cemetery
A 4000 year old barrow cemetery is found on the hills just a few miles from Prestatyn and Rhyl, in Flintshire. These Bronze Age monuments are quite hard to see on the ground, but there are a surprising number of them in this part of Wales, near to Snowdonia and the Clwydian Range and Dee […]
In search of Wales’ ancient lost city
Delighted to let you know that I’ll be on this week’s episode of Weatherman Walking again – this time in search of an ancient lost city! This week I am in the tiny Monmouthshire village of Trellech, or Treleck, which has a surprising number of historical monuments. From standing stones and an ancient well, to […]
Old Oswestry Hillfort
I was really honoured to write, along with my co-author Fiona Gale, a chapter for a recent publication all about Old Oswestry Hillfort. The book, edited by Tim Mallim and George Nash, is entitled ‘Old Oswestry Hillfort and its Landscape: Ancient Past, Uncertain Future’. Its title is a stark reminder that, for a few years […]
Sundays on BBC2
Just a reminder that UK viewers are getting the chance to watch Series 3 of Weatherman Walking, the Welsh Coast. You can now see episodes on Sunday mornings on BBC2. Filmed in 2020, not long after having Poppy, and with strict social distancing procedures, I present some fascinating features in three episodes of Weatherman Walking […]
The wonder of yew
Visit a church yard and you’d be hard pushed not to find a yew tree growing within. And they will date back a lot longer than the stone building they sit next to. Ever heard of the Seven Wonders of Wales? The yew trees of Overton-on-Dee church yard are one of them! Yew trees have […]
Women of few words
Several words spring to mind when I think about the wonderful women in Wales’ past: strength, courage, determination, intelligence, skill. But one word often left out when it comes to the two ‘Ladies of Llangollen’ is the word ‘love’.