A Brief History of Presteigne Presteigne is a small town in Powys, Wales on the England – Wales border. An early 11th century motte and bailey castle once stood to the west of the current town center know as Warden Castle. The castle was destroyed by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1262 and never rebuilt. The […]
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Newport Overview Newport – Casnewydd is a city located along the coast on the southeast edge of Wales also gives its name to the wider county. At its heart are the remains of Newport Castle and a Brunel railway bridge over the River Usk. The city has a core of shops and a market all
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What are Coins? Coins are usually flat pieces of metal which have been officially stamped to be used as currency in exchange for goods and services. A Brief History of Coins. The notion of person-to-person trading begins very early on in the human story where it is easy to see how early tools may have
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What is Japanware? Japanware is modelled on the look of varnished and lacquered decorative arts from the Far East. In the beginning of the 17th century the first attempts were made to imitate imported Oriental decorative objects. The look became extremely popular in the 18th century following the ‘Age of Discovery’ and the opening up
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Blaenavon Overview Blaenavon – Blaenafon is a small town at the top of the Afan Llwyd Valley in Torfaen, Wales. The town is set in a raw industrial landscape that inspired the writer Alexander Cordell and antiquarian Sir Richard Colt Hoare. Parts of the town and surrounding countryside form the ‘Blaenavon Industrial Landscape’. Blaenavon Industrial Lanscape
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Overview Pontypool – Pont-y-pŵl is a town in southeast Wales within the county borough of Torfaen. The Welsh name for the town, Pont-y-pŵl, stems from the word bridge ‘pont’ and pool ‘pwll’. It gets the word pool from a pool in the Afon Lwyd River which flows through the town. Pontypool is one of the
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Marcross – Marcroes is a very small village in the Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales. It consists of a public house – The Horseshoe Inn – and a few scattered houses, farms, and a small Medieval church in the centre of the village. Marcross lies close to the Glamorgan Heritage Coastline and Nash Point Lighthouse
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History of Nantgarw China Works Nantgarw China Works is one of the most important industrial heritage sites in Wales. Between 1813-1814 and again between 1817-1820 the finest porcelain in the world was produced here by William Billingsey and Samuel Walker. Due to a very low firing success rate and expensive production costs success was short
The Heritage Hiker’s Guide to Nantgarw China Works. History in the Making. Porcelain. Read More »
Where is Fontygary? Fontygary – Ffont-y-gari, is a village linked to the west of Rhoose. It is 3 miles south-west of Barry and set along the Glamorgan Heritage Coastline. The origin of the name is uncertain but in 1587 it was documented as “Fundygary”. It is set in a landscape with earthwork traces of prehistoric
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Loughborough Bell Foundry Trust – Taylor’s Bell Foundry Tour. It’s history, the museum collection and bell casting plus visiting information.
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