Wales
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Conwy
The final use Conwy castle saw was in the English Civil War in 1642. The castle was held by the supporters of Charles I until 1646 when it was surrendered to the Parliamentary armies. In 1665 the remaining lead and iron were stripped out of the castle and it fell into disrepair.
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Conwy Castle and Fields
In 1401 Rhys ap Tudur and his brother Gwilym successfully captured the castle by posing as carpenters, killing the watchmen on duty, and opening the gates. They held the castle for 3 months before negotiating a surrender with Henry IV.
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The Guard at Conwy Castle
One of the many art installations within the castle. This is "The Guard" created by John Merril.
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The Knight Shop in Conwy
Best place in Conwy where you can buy both swords and mead.
Conwy at Twilight
Shortly after the castle was completed it was besieged by Madog ap Llywelyn. The attack was successfully repelled.
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Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle was another castle constructed by Longshanks to secure his hold on Wales. The castle was part of the larger construction effort to create the walled town of Conwy.
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Beaumaris Castle
Construction began for this castle in 1295. It had stopped, with the castle unfinished, by 1300, due to financial issues and trouble Longshanks was having in Scotland because of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.
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Out of Focus Camera Obscura from a hole in Beaumaris Castle
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Caernarfon Castle Grounds
Caernarfon was one of the major castles designed by James of Saint George under Edward I. Other castles which he had designed include Harlech, Conwy, and the never completed Beaumaris.
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Caernarfon from the Castle
In 1283 Edward I (Longshanks) started the construction of Caernarfon Castle immediately following his conquest of Wales. Edward II was born in the castle in 1284,
Caernarfon Watch Tower
In the Historia Brittonum written in the the early 9th century, Nennius mentions that a tomb with the inscription "Constantius the Emperor" still stood at the site. Some believe it was the tomb Constantius, father of Constantine the Great. Others believe it could be the tomb of Constantine (not that one) son of Magnus Maximus and Saint Helen.
Caernarfon Fields
Caernarfon was an important Roman fort fort founded by Agricola in the late 70s AD. It was originally known as Segontium. It was occupied by Rome until the Magnus Maximus's bid for imperial power in 383 AD.
Beddgelert
Beddgelert translates to Gelert's Grave. On the supposed grave a memorial reads:
IN THE 13TH CENTURY, LLYWELYN, PRINCE OF NORTH WALES, HAD A PALACE AT BEDDGELERT. ONE DAY HE WENT HUNTING WITHOUT GELERT "THE FAITHFUL HOUND" WHO WAS UNACCOUNTABLY ABSENT. ON LLYWELYN'S RETURN, THE TRUANT STAINED AND SMEARED WITH BLOOD, JOYFULLY SPRANG TO MEET HIS MASTER. THE PRINCE ALARMED HASTENED TO FIND HIS SON, AND SAW THE INFANT'S COT EMPTY, THE BEDCLOTHES AND FLOOR COVERED WITH BLOOD. THE FRANTIC FATHER PLUNGED THE SWORD INTO THE HOUND'S SIDE THINKING IT HAD KILLED HIS HEIR. THE DOG'S DYING YELL WAS ANSWERED BY A CHILD'S CRY. LLYWELYN SEARCHED AND DISCOVERED HIS BOY UNHARMED BUT NEAR BY LAY THE BODY OF A MIGHTY WOLF WHICH GELERT HAD SLAIN, THE PRINCE FILLED WITH REMORSE IS SAID NEVER TO HAVE SMILED AGAIN. HE BURIED GELERT HERE. THE SPOT IS CALLED BEDDGELERT.
Stars above Dolgellau
Dolgellau is a small market town located near Snowdonia. It was also the first place we tried Purple Moose Brewery beer. Best beer in Wales.
Aberystwyth at Night
In hindsight, this is a really weird spot for a speed limit sign.
Aberystwyth Sunset
During the Victorian Era Aberystwth became a popular holiday location. Railway lines connected it to rest of the island in the 1860s.
Royal Pier at Aberystwyth
The original Royal Pier was built in 1865 and was 794 feet long. Storms have since reduced the length to 299 feet.
Aberystwyth Street
The name Aberystwyth indicates this is the place that the river Ystwyth meets the ocean. The location has been populated on and off since the Mesolithic Age.
Fishguard Coast
The coast near Fishguard. Nearby is a small fort with cannons, which was completed in 1781 to combat privateers blackmailing the town.
Chapel of St Thomas Becket at St Davids Cathedral
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Chapel of St Edward
The Cathedral was nearly destroyed under the rule of Oliver Cromwell. The cathedral was restored 1793. Unfortunately the restoration in 1793 was a general failure, and itself had to be restored again in 1862.
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St Davids Cathedral Ceiling
St Davids, the city, is the smallest city in Great Britain. It has a population under 2000. In the 16th century a town was recognized as a city if it had a cathedral within its limit. In 1888 this rule was changed and St Davids became a town. In 1995, Queen Elizabeth officially restored city status to St Davids.
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High Alter and Edmund Tudor's Tomb at St David's Cathedral
Edmund Tudor was the father of Henry VII. He was born in 1431 and was the half brother of Henry VI. He was captured at Carmarthen Castle in 1455, and died November 1456, 2 months before his son was born.
Inside St David's Cathedral
St David's Cathedral began being built in 1181 and stands near the site of the monastery that Saint David founded in the 6th century.
Armenian Genocide Memorial at St Davids Cathedral
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The Mumbles Pier
"Alfred Pomeroy Jones, sealawyer, born in Mumbles, sung like a linnet, crowned you with a flagon, tattoed with mermaids, thirst like a dredger, died of blisters.."
-Dylan Thomas (Under Milk Wood)
Romantic Sunset
... Sidney and Dan stayed there last year, coming back brown and swearing, full of stories of campers' dances round the fires at midnight..."
-Dylan Thomas (Extraordinary Little Cough)
Sunset at Rhossili
"We were going to camp for a fortnight in Rhossili, in a field above the sweeping five-mile beach...
Leaf Boat
"We sail a boat upon the path,
Paddle with leaves
Down an ecstatic line of light"
-Dylan Thomas (Rain Cuts The Place We Tread)
Inside Tintern Abbey
In 1536 the building abbey was surrendered to King Henry VIII after the split with the Catholic church. All valuables were sold off and the church was left to decay.
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Tintern Abbey
In 1128 Cistercian monks started occupying Tintern Abbey. In 1269 construction started on the great church and was finished in 1301.
Cliffs Near Chepstow Castle
By the 15th century its use declined as the wars between England and Wales came to an end. by the early 19th century its ruins had become a tourist destination.
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Looking Across River Wye from Chepstow Castle
William the Conqueror began the building of Chepstow Castle in 1067. It was seen as an important defensive position against the the Welsh. The castle continued to expand through the 13th century.
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