Category Archives: History

Castles, Hill Forts and Princes

Posted on by

It’s not all about the bike (or dogs) unless you want it to be.

Did you know that North Wales has the highest concentration of castles per square mile in the world?

During the late 13th and early 14th century the English King Edward I built many of these in attempt to subjugate the indigenous Welsh.  Some of the most significant and breathtaking of these are in North Wales including the UNESCO-listed sites in Beaumaris, Conwy, Caernarfon, Harlech.

Conwy Castle is just an hour’s drive from Ty Beic. It is one of the most magnificent medieval fortresses in Europe and one of the best preserved.  It boasts the most intact set of medieval royal apartments in Wales and its eight towers offer spectacular views of Conwy and Eryri (Snowdonia).

Predating these fortifications are the structures built by the Welsh Princes. Across the water from Conwy is Deganwy Castle. It was the stronghold of Maelgwn Gwynedd in the 6th century. The Norman, Robert of Rhuddlan, built a fortification here in 1080 which was later captured and destroyed by the Welsh. Llywelyn ab Iorwerth recaptured and rebuilt it in 1213, and in the mid-13th century, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd captured and demolished the last structure built by Henry III. Keeping up? All that remains today are ruins along with stunning views of Conwy and its impressive fortress.

As well as these historic sites, Wales is also home to over 1000 Iron Age hill forts. The most well-known locally are Dinas Bran in Llangollen and Cae Drewyn above Corwen. Closer still is the hill fort at Caer Euni, after which the nearby private lake is named. The walk to the hill fort is about a 5-mile round trip from Ty Beic. It’s incredibly peaceful, and I’d be surprised if you saw another soul. Take a picnic and enjoy the panoramic views from the cairn.

Ty Beic is a great base for adventures, be it cycling, walking, or exploring the castles and hill forts of North Wales. Just imagine stepping back in time as you wander through these ancient fortifications, each with its own story to tell.

Learn more about Wales’ rich history here and start planning your next adventure.

A little piece of history

Posted on by

I have been following with interest the daily tweets from St Fagan’s from the diary of Kate Rowlands who lived at Ty Hen a hundred years ago.

The history of our house, the farm buildings we are converting and the land around is very important to us.  We feel incredibly lucky to live here and be part of a Welsh community that is so rooted in history.  To be able to find out something about the people who lived here a century ago is not only fascinating but helps us to understand something about where we live.  Our aim has always been to restore some of the original character to the main house and to convert the barns as sympathetically as possible.  Helping us to do this is, is Eilir Rowlands.  Kate’s grandson.

The diary tweets can be a little dry.  Endless visits to the chapel and prayer meetings and constant talk about “big weather” or “tywydd mawr”.  The obsession with the weather is still very much in evidence today and understandably so.

There is a blog on the St Fagan’s website which summarises the diary entries and also provides historical context and background information.  This is a far more interesting read.  It is in Cymraeg so provides good practise for me and with a little help from google translate I can usually understand it.

The blog entry from 13 January is particularly interesting. ‘Pwy ‘di pwy’, or ‘Who’s Who’ tells us that Kate, with her mother and step father, moved to Ty Hen in the 1890’s.  Kate’s mother was from Hendre, Cefnddwysarn where Eilir now lives.

Kate was an only child and left school early aged 14 to work on the farm.

Here’s a picture of Kate as a child:

dyddiadurkate

and here’s one taken in 1969: dyddiadurkate

That’s not outside Ty Hen.

As well as updates on building works, I will also from time to time update on the trials and travails of Kate Rowlands.