Thread: 35mm SLR Camera's

Beautiful Jamie!

Thanks for the history of the place too. I based my Masters thesis on a land dispute in the Welsh Marches in the early 15th century, and my PhD was a biography of the Earl of Northumberland, so it's safe to say I have a thing about border regions and the history of frontiers. Fascinating stuff.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

Beautiful Jamie!

Thanks for the history of the place too. I based my Masters thesis on a land dispute in the Welsh Marches in the early 15th century, and my PhD was a biography of the Earl of Northumberland, so it's safe to say I have a thing about border regions and the history of frontiers. Fascinating stuff.

Here's a little short video of the castle giving you a better idea of the overall plan and scale.

There's a couple of YouTube vids about Morlais Castle and quite a few about Merthyr Tydfil.

Are any of those contributors you Jamie?

Not me Steve, I know many people involved with historical interests within my town, there's so much history in the Town and surrounding area all on my doorstep, Iron age the Celts, Romans, Anglo Saxons, Norman, right through to the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, something I always valued highly walking on history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merthyr_Tydfil

Originally Posted by celticcrusader

Not me Steve, I know many people involved with historical interests within my town, there's so much history in the Town and surrounding area all on my doorstep, Iron age the Celts, Romans, Anglo Saxons, Norman, right through to the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, something I always valued highly walking on history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merthyr_Tydfil

Methyr Tydfil certainly has a lot of history. Unfortunately I have never been there. I visited Snowdonia quite often and Prestatyn when we went to Butlins as a kid.

I have also been to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch, Electric Mountain and a slate mine.

Interesting about Watling Street, that runs through Milton Keynes where I lived for several years (although I am originally from Bournemouth), Fenny Stratford (Bletchley) and St Albans right into London, although it's obviously called the A5 now.

As far as I know Queen Bodecia was killed in battle at Towcester on Watling Street (A5)

Originally Posted by STF

Methyr Tydfil certainly has a lot of history. Unfortunately I have never been there. I visited Snowdonia quite often and Prestatyn when we went to Butlins as a kid.

I have also been to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch, Electric Mountain and a slate mine.

Interesting about Watling Street, that runs through Milton Keynes where I lived for several years (although I am originally from Bournemouth), Fenny Stratford (Bletchley) and St Albans right into London, although it's obviously called the A5 now.

As far as I know Queen Bodecia was killed in battle at Towcester on Watling Street (A5)

Yes, Boudica, was the Queen of the Iceni Celtic tribe, they were from the Norfolk area, fearsome indeed, Celtic Women were given equal status to Men and allowed to fight alongside them.

Cefn Coed Viaduct

The viaduct is the third-largest in Wales and is now a Grade II listed building. It was designed by Alexander Sutherland in conjunction with Henry Conybeare and partly built by Thomas Savin and John Ward. In early 1866, the project faced disaster when Savin and Ward suffered serious financial and legal difficulties. It was eventually completed with the assistance of Alexander Sutherland. He produced an alternative route into Merthyr, curving the viaduct so that the railway line avoided property owned by ironmaster Robert Thompson Crawshay. It cost £25,000 to build (equivalent to £2.1 million in 2016).

It consists of 15 arches, each one 39 feet 6 inches wide, and is 770 ft. long with a maximum height of 115 ft. It was planned to be constructed entirely of limestone like the nearby Pontsarn Viaduct but a trade union strike by stonemasons in February 1866 caused the company to buy 800,000 bricks and use bricklayers to complete the 15 arches. It was completed on 29 October 1866, three years after the mainline which linked it with Brecon. The last trains travelled over the viaduct in the mid-1960s and it subsequently fell into disrepair. It was refurbished by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council with assistance from a grant from the National Lottery. It has now become part of the Taff Trail, route 8 of the National Cycleway