New & Revised Articles
Leeswood Hall Dovecote ~ Leeswood, Flintshire
I love dovecotes. They are curious things to come across in the landscape. Quirky little buildings, built to provide year long supplies of pigeon to the great and the good. Their heyday came to an end with the advent of modern argricultural methods which provided fresh meat throughout the year. But these buildings, which whle conforming to a number of architectural norms, almost always have a bit of weirdness to them which make them a pleasure to study. The Leeswood Hall Dovecote dates to the 18th century and has fallen into ruin, but its still a delight to visit.
The Llangollen Underground Monitoring Post ~ Llangollen, Denbighshire
I stumbled across this curious and somewhat disconcerting bit of evidence of our Cold War history a little while ago. The Royal Observor Corp (ROC) underground monitoring post in Llangollen was the master unit for a group of three posts (the other two are at Ruthin and Brymbo in Wrexham), built to house one or two soldiers, buried in the earth and tasked in quantifying the devastation of a nuclear attack. The post at Llangollen has sent me stumbling towards an attempt to visit all the many, many UMP's in Clwyd. It will take some time.
Tŷ Castell ~ Nercwys, Flintshire
It was naughty of me of course, but I'd sort folded the pretty little village of Nercwys into a sort of wider Mold. As I say, naughty. But I visited the curiousity that is Tŷ Castell - a folly, but lately a palatial cowshed. There, in a field, in Nercwys. That's ace, that is.
The Pillar of Eliseg ~ Llantysilio/Llangollen, Denbighshire (Revised)
It was one of the first articles I wrote for this website, back in 2017 or thereabouts. But it was basic and rudimentary and all the more awful for it, since the Pillar of Eliseg is a wonder. It was high time I rewrote the article, attempting to credit this ancient cross with the awe it deserved. You'll have to let me know if I succeeded.
St Winefride's Holy Well & Shrine ~ Holywell, Flintshire (Revised)
I tend to like my holy wells to be quiet places, in the out of the way places. This of course, takes no account for how actually popular they were in they hey day. But, I adore St Winefrede's Well in Holywell, Treffynnon. No other place in the British Isles has a long an unbroken tradition of pilgrimmage as here. I must admit to being a little apprehensive on my first visit, but there was no need to have been. It is a splendid site, and so very rewarding.
Site Visits
Given the weather, its been a surprisingly productive few months of visits. I would have liked to have seen and investigated more, but hey ho. I begun to become a little bit obsessed by the cold war monitoring posts dotted about our area, spurred on by the discovery of the Llangollen post. They will be coming thick and fast over the next couple of months, I fancy. I and the We managed to get about the county, and hopefully you'll be seeing some of these visits written up as articles in the near future - or perhaps revised.
The Capel Garmon Chambered Tomb ~ Capel Garmon, Conwy
Yes, I know its a little bit out of my current remit, but its just a matter of time, you know. And the chambered tomb at Capel Garmon is brilliant. A rare cotswold-severn chambered tomb overlooking Snowdonia to the west and the rest of the world elsewhere.
St Garmon's Well ~ Llanarmon-yn-Iâl, Denbighshire
I went to have another look for St Garmon's Well. I was frustrated. I know it's there somewhere - probably within the hedges. The OS map is certain - but there are doubts. Still, maybe, possibly, I came across its source.
Tomen y Faedre ~ Llanarmon-yn-Iâl, Denbighshire
I made the mistake of visiting Tomen y Faedre in a thunderstorm. Still, it had to be done. The article needs a complete rewrite. Fascinating place, but curiously little is actually known about it. Better be about it, then.
The Penrhos Engine House ~ Brymbo, Wrexham
I think this might be the oldest remaining engine shed in Britain you know. I can't tell you how many times I've driven past this place without visiting, but I managed it. And it was worth it, esepcially given the momentum Stori Brymbo seems to be building at the moment. To that end, I'm going to attend a talk on 'Iron Mad' Wilkinson on Wednesday 9th October 2024 - all are welcome.
The Underground Monitoring Post ~ Brymbo, Wrexham
...and it seemed silly not to visit the UMP at Brymbo, especially since it is, in fact almost adjacent to the Penrhos Engine Shed. This was part of the 'triangle' of posts, of which the Llangollen UMP was the master. The other is at Ruthin, and will shortly be getting a visitor - as long as it isn't in someone's back garden.
Ffynnon Ddeier ~ Bodfari, Denbighshire
I'm not entirely unhappy with the article I originally wrote some years ago, but I might have a pass at it. Still, the We and I visited in order to see if I could take a few more photos. Still there, still strangely underwhelming for a site so very important.
Moel y Gaer Bodfari ~ Denbighshire
Before I get to rewriting my article on Penycloddiau, I need to complete the Clwydian set - an article on Moel y Gaer Bodfari is well overdue. And its a delight to visit. The We and I visited many years ago, with the kids before they got big and otherwise engaged, and I have fond memories of them on a rope swing. I couldn't find the swing, otherwise I'd have been on it...
St Michael & All Angels ~ Efenechtyd, Denbighshire
And I couldn't help myself. I was near enough. I favourite, bestest place. There were flowers on the knocker, and they've moved the Maen Camp from beneath a pew. All the better for that.
Other Matters Arising
I really ought to start making some money from this time swallowing obsession of mine - especially since I'd love to be doing this for a living. Imagine that - the freedom just to wander, wonder and write about Curious Clwyd for the rest of my life. But the mortgage needs paying. I've sort of given up on the Shop business - it wasn't making any real money, and I'm not very good at all this, you know. So, I've created a Picfair account, and intend on selling my photographs and such like on their platform. Apparently, you can still turn these pictures into prints and the like if you wish. If you're interested, the link is below. You'll recognise a few of the pictures, I'm sure.
And on that bombshell, I have long wished to take small parties of the interested to these places I visit, write about and photograph. So, I've decided to start a little business - a guiding business, sharing my love of these wonderful places with you wonderful people. They asked me for a business plan - I told them I wanted visitors to become locals. They liked that. The plans are still in their infancy, but I'll keep you informed...
I'm bored with Linotype Didot ~ it feels a little twee to me. So, I shall be switching over to EB Garamond. Yes, I like it very much. Of course, I may change my mind...So little time, so many fonts.
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