Cestyll Cymraeg
August 24, 2020 3:40 PM Subscribe
The Castles of Wales web site, launched in November of 1995, provides visitors with information on over 400 different Welsh castles, accompanied by high quality photographs, as well as a wide range of topics related to Welsh castles and Welsh medieval history, many of the essays written by today's leading experts in their respective fields of study.
Previously from 2003, so I think technically this is a double, but a lot of material has been added in the intervening years.
Previously from 2003, so I think technically this is a double, but a lot of material has been added in the intervening years.
Oh, yeah, the castles are great - but there's also an abbeys page!
I love the still-intact buildings, I love the ruins, but I equally love the places where a castle used to be but is no more, like Llangadog Castle.
I could easily spend several days poking around this site.
This is a great find (and updated previously) - thanks so much for sharing this with us, carter!
posted by kristi at 5:13 PM on August 24, 2020
I love the still-intact buildings, I love the ruins, but I equally love the places where a castle used to be but is no more, like Llangadog Castle.
I could easily spend several days poking around this site.
This is a great find (and updated previously) - thanks so much for sharing this with us, carter!
posted by kristi at 5:13 PM on August 24, 2020
This site was designed in 1996, looks like it, and I love it. This is how my dad still designs his sites. They're easy to get around. He likes adding little gifs where it's appropriate. What matters is the content and the imagery. A+ find, thank you for sharing, carter.
posted by Kitchen Witch at 10:10 PM on August 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Kitchen Witch at 10:10 PM on August 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
We really are lousy with castles in Wales.
There's 2 within 15 miles of my house I forgot where there!
My American friend is incredulous there's the ruins of a 12th century castle within 5 minutes of me and it's where I used to hang round as a teenager and get drunk on cider.
Luckily, the dragons are still a secret.
posted by fullerine at 12:02 AM on August 25, 2020 [3 favorites]
There's 2 within 15 miles of my house I forgot where there!
My American friend is incredulous there's the ruins of a 12th century castle within 5 minutes of me and it's where I used to hang round as a teenager and get drunk on cider.
Luckily, the dragons are still a secret.
posted by fullerine at 12:02 AM on August 25, 2020 [3 favorites]
Echoing fullerine that the things are everywhere hereabouts. Here's my local one, about a mile and a half away from where I live. For me there's something a bit depressing about them (except perhaps the frivolous, fake ones) - very old statements of oppression & control as they are - but I can understand why many people are fascinated by them.
posted by misteraitch at 12:21 AM on August 25, 2020
posted by misteraitch at 12:21 AM on August 25, 2020
Among my favourite "guru sites", I used Castles of Wales extensively during the decade I lived in Wales and was making a concerted effort to tour as many castles as possible. I'm a big fan of Caernarfon and Beaumaris. (Looking back, I was clearly inspired by playing Castles as a kid.)
posted by avapoet at 1:08 AM on August 25, 2020
posted by avapoet at 1:08 AM on August 25, 2020
And now I see I commented to similar effect on the 2003 post... still here, still predictable.
posted by misteraitch at 1:14 AM on August 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by misteraitch at 1:14 AM on August 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
I use to walk to school past/around/through the ruins of a 12th century castle in wales.
I moved away before I was old enough for illicit cider, but it's totally where I would have gone.
I believe it's officially called Tomen-Y-Clawdd. We called it the Monkey Tump.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 5:27 AM on August 25, 2020
I moved away before I was old enough for illicit cider, but it's totally where I would have gone.
I believe it's officially called Tomen-Y-Clawdd. We called it the Monkey Tump.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 5:27 AM on August 25, 2020
Ah. My Welsh bride took me to several of these on our honeymoon.
posted by doctornemo at 9:58 AM on August 25, 2020
posted by doctornemo at 9:58 AM on August 25, 2020
Visiting my Grandma in Milford Haven every year when I was a child, there were lots of day trips to the various Pembrokeshire castles, the most impressive of which must be Pembroke itself. They always fascinated me. Later on, there was a week-long school trip that involved in staying at the Youth Hostel at St Briavels (went back for a very strange Christmas fifteen years later, still didn't see any ghosts), with visits to some of the castles around there - Goodrich, Chepstow and a few others. I found them consistently fascinating.
So it's not out of rancour that I want to mention that they're what's left of the brutal expansionist Norman and Plantagenet imperialism.
posted by Grangousier at 1:34 PM on August 25, 2020
So it's not out of rancour that I want to mention that they're what's left of the brutal expansionist Norman and Plantagenet imperialism.
posted by Grangousier at 1:34 PM on August 25, 2020
The site also has a listing of castles built buy Welsh princes of the time, native Welsh castles. Castell y Bere is wonderful.
posted by carter at 4:47 PM on August 25, 2020
posted by carter at 4:47 PM on August 25, 2020
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posted by sundrop at 4:59 PM on August 24, 2020