The Welsh Marches .... a bit of history to listen to ..... today on the wireless

 Now this is one I listened to and enjoyed.

And of course learned a lot.   It's the latests from Radio 4's In Our Time

"At the Hay Festival, Misha Glenny and guests discuss the impact of the Norman invasion on the people and land of Wales and across the modern border with England in what became known as The Welsh Marches, march being a term for a militarized borderland. 

Hay was one of the first Marcher lordships. Even before 1066, William the Conqueror knew that he would have to subdue the Welsh if he were to control the English and he allowed more and more Norman warlords to establish virtually their own private kingdoms in these Marches. 

Later some of the Lords were to use these bases to invade Ireland rather than conquer the rest of Wales. Marcher Lords built numerous castles such as the one at Hay and many new towns would then grow up alongside these where there was one law for the English and another for the Welsh and, though the Acts of Union under the Tudors brought an end to much of the Marcher Lords' powers, the distinct identity of these Welsh Marches continued.

With Rhun Emlyn, Lecturer in the Department of History and Welsh History at Aberystwyth University, Helen Fulton

Professor of Medieval Literature at the University of Bristol, and Huw Pryce, Emeritus Professor of Welsh History at Bangor University

Producer: Simon Tillotson"

Location; BBC Radio 4

Picture; walking with the woods, RHS Bridgewater, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*The Welsh Marches, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002wt1v

Fish, chips …… and a seagull warning

So on a wet Friday in Beaumaris, what better than a seagull health warning.

Location; Beaumaris, Wales

Picture; Fish, chips …… and a seagull warning, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

The bus stop …. a mobile .... and other ways to pass the time

So, we were in the small town of Dolgellau, and having exhausted the sights, and the pubs and leaving the others to the gift shops I wandered off.

And as you do, I happened on the town square and the bus stop, which offered up a study of how people occupied themselves while waiting for the 39 to Porthmadog via Harlech.

Chief among the ways to pass the time was the mobile, while for some there was always the chance to read the paper, pour a drink for a companion or just stare into space and think thoughts

My Wikipedia tells me that it "is a town and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the historic county of Merionethshire." 

It has a population of 2,688 and hosts several festivals during the year.

Location; Dolgellau

Pictures; 101 things to do at the bus stop, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

* Dolgellau, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolgellau

Dampness ….. a bit of decay and …….. heaps of green

So as summers go it’s been wet.

But undeterred by this we set off for mid Wales and a cottage in a spot as remote as you could get.

The private road twisted and turned with surprises around each corner, and the house kept company with battalions of trees.

That said the sun broke through on several of the days and so kitted out in wellies we ventured out into the woods, coming across, a pond, an ancient caravan and the last gasp of an old summerhouse, whose wooden platform had long surrendered to decay.

And if this was not enough, the cottage offered up a fascinating history and plenty of little mysteries to follow up.

All of which was perfect as it was exciting.

Location; Cwm-Cewydd

Pictures, Llwyn Glass, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Bob Dylan …. the cottage in the woods …. a host called Marcus …. and a bit of musical history

So, as Monty Python once said “No one expects the Spanish Inquisition”, which is the lead into the first of a series of stories which effortlessly connects Bob Dylan, a Welsh cottage and a remarkable host called Marcus.

One of the ponds, 2023

We had left the city for a short break in Wales meeting up with our Josh and Polly and had chosen the holiday cottage, Llwyn Glass in Cwm-Cewydd in the heart of Snowdonia.

The place is remote, accessed by one of those twisty private roads, which seem to offer a surprise around each bend.  Surprises there were but they were nice ones, including heaps of quails wandering across the road, a ford,  and stunning views as we progressed towards Marcus and the cottage.

Bob Dylan in Wales, 2023

That story of the cottage and the place is for tomorrow. 

For now it is a poster of Bob Dylan advertising his famous 1966 performance in Manchester when he broke with his earlier work and went “electric”.

The poster was a present to Marcus from one his daughters, and as we shared favourite tracks the conversation turned to the moment in the concert shortly after Dylan began his electric stuff when a man in the audience shouted out “Judas”.

It would be eight years later that I came across the man who shouted it out, and as stories go it turns out I was working next to him. 

I have to confess I only half believed him, until I came across a newspaper story by Andy Kershaw years later which confirmed the account. ***

Mr. Kershaw had gone looking for him and sure enough it was my ex-colleague.

All of which allowed Marcus to smile and mutter, “I know a man who knew the man who called Bob Dylan “Judas”.

Bob Dylan in Manchester, 1966

And I guess for ever after when ever he passes that poster a little bit of Manchester in 1966 will pop into his head, along with of course, “I know a man who knew the man who called Bob Dylan “Judas”.

Chickens at Llwyn Glass, 2023

Marcus owns Llwyn Glass which is set in a remote spot surrounded by woodland, and which was reclaimed from a ruin thirty odd years ago by a scrap merchant from my bit of south east London which offers up more links and more stories.

Marcus has renovated the cottage, restored the channels that allow water from a spring to fill a series of ponds which in turn supply water to the house.

The story of that renovation is for another day, and with it will come Gwilym the farmer next door, a search for the history of the cottage and a little bit of Marcus’s plans which he maintains are about acting as a custodian for the property and the surrounding land.

And yes, there are chickens, lots of trees and  the cottage can be booked through Booking.com.*

Location; Cwm-Cewydd

Pictures, Llwyn Glass, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*Booking.com,

Simplicity itself ……….

 Seen on a pub wall.

Location; pub wall in Menai Bridge

Picture; Simplicity itself ……….2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

The swing … the roundabout …… and the sliding horse ……

You will have to be a certain age to remember and perhaps mourn those old-fashioned play appliances which were a feature of our public parks from the beginning of the last century up till quite recently.

There was the roundabout, the seesaw, and the sliding horse along with a bank of swings. 

Some have survived, with just a hint of design change, and others like the roundabout seem to have vanished.

What they all had in common was that they were all placed on a hard surface, which proved unyielding if you fell on it.

Added to which some of the playthings were not always well maintained.  

The wooden platform of the roundabouts could be rotten, the swings and seesaws rusty, and the sliding horses didn’t always live up to their name.

Now there will be those out there who bewail the passing of these creaking paint chipped ways of hurting you, even citing accusation of wokeism and worse.

Not me …… I had enough nasty tumbles and scratches from these “accidents waiting to happen” in the 1950s and judge the safety of our grandchildren as such that bouncy surfaces, and well-maintained playthings are paramount.

That said the ones in Beaumaris by the pier all looked to be in excellent condition, and had I been 65 years younger I might have given them a whirl.

That I suspect is the real cruel observation about the passing of the decades.

Location; Beaumaris

Pictures; nostalgia at play, 2023 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Bright spot on a grey day

We never asked his name, but the chap who sold “Family fun” on the pier at Bangor had been doing the business for 25 years.

And his bright yellow shop brightened up an otherwise grey day.

We bought some postcards to send back to Italy, and behind us patiently waiting were two girls wanting to purchase a crab catching kit.

I have to say the kit was not that sophisticated containing as it did a bucket, a stretch of twine, and a net.

That said on previous visits the kit did the trick, as clumps of visitors added more crabs to their buckets, before throwing them back at the end of the day.

Location; Bangor Pier

Picture; Bright yellow spot on a grey day, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

When you go looking for something to eat in Wales ………

It was a short break to celebrate some birthdays and eat at a very nice fish restaurant in Menai Bridge.*

Coffee advice, Beaumaris, 2023

And along the way we picked up breakfast in Bangor, another chip supper at  Menai Bridge, at least one pub meal and got some guidance on what coffee to drink.

Breakfast in Bangor at the Pavilion, the Pier, 2023

And that was about it.

Supper at the Seaways, Menai, 2023

Location, Bangor and Menai

Chips and the Beano, 2023

Pictures; Coffee advice, Beaumaris, Breakfast in Bangor at the Pavilion on the Pier, Supper at the Seaways, Menai, Chips and the Beano, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*Dylan's Menai Bridge, https://dylansrestaurant.co.uk/restaurant/locations/menai-bridge

Tales from a camera ……. mistakes and successes

Now like almost everything I have done over the fifty years as an adult I am best described as an amateur.

The lamppost at the edge of the Pier, 2021

When it comes to writing about the past, the best description is “a jobbing historian” and with photography I have always subscribed to that simple rule of thumb which is spot the opportunity and snap away.

Not for me the carefully composed study taken over an expanse of time which is for the professionals.

All washed out, 2021

Most of the time it works well, but during my smelly photography days, I never had the patience to do test runs of the paper, and was known to guess at developing times, all of which made the end results a bit hit and miss.

Digital works better, but I never underestimate my ability to do something silly, and so it was on Sunday as we happened across Bangor Pier.

And while Tina was parking up, unpacking the boot, I was off happily snapping away, pleased with the scenes I was recording.

But alas that simple maxim of checking everything on the camera was a simple task too far.

So having somehow managed to fiddle with the mode dial, I ended up with a series of images which look washed out.  

And even I can’t be bothered to fiddle with them to produce something artistic.

Happily I noticed my mistake and corrected it before we left the pier, making the rest of the trip from Bangor and onto Menai and Beaumaris more successful.

So that is it.

The landmark, Menai, 2021

Less another history tale of Bangor Pier,* and more a silly story which I suspect only my pals in the Facebook site, All Things Photographic** will appreciate …….. although I suspect some of them will gently tut, and murmur “plonker”.

Location; Bangor

Pictures; Bangor Pier, 2021, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*Adventures into the West … a pier… some Anglesey glass and two nice people, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2021/07/adventures-into-west-pier-some-anglesey.html

**All Things Photographic, https://www.facebook.com/groups/331565394411795

Adventures into the West … a pier… some Anglesey glass and two nice people

Now I maintain and I maintain most strongly that the best adventures are those which have the minimum in planning, and are more a spur of the moment “point the car in a general direction” and trust to hope and good weather.

That way every thing is a bonus, and if the first destination is disappointing there is always the next one, just around the corner.

And that is how we rediscovered Bangor Pier, which dates from 1896, was restored and reopened in 1988, and in between has had some moments of high excitement.

All of which are recorded by the Friends of Bangor Pier.*

And two of those friends proved to be fascinating people who shared my love of Italy, and made “unique jewellery from sea glass from the shores of Anglesey”.** 

It was just our luck that it was their turn to be looking after the shop on the pier, specializing in art from North Wales.

The rest as they say was a delightful 20 minutes of conversation, including some purchases of their work, which they carefully wrapped for us while we walked on to the end of the pier, and the nice touch was the lightbulb which came with the lampshade.

And while this was being done, we completed the tour of the pier, explored some of the other shops and of course watched as kids went fishing for crabs, none of which were harmed in the process.

I could write more about the history of the pier but that has been covered by the Friends, and so I will just reflect that the sun shone, the place grew more busy, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, as did we.

But the tide waits for no one, and on a whim we decided to push on over the Menai Bridge into Anglesey and on to Beaumaris, with its stretch of beaches, and of course its castle.

In between there was Dylan’s fish restaurant and some delightful spots to sit and watch the Sunday visitors and residents doing what you do on a sunny day.

But more of them and the history another time.

Location; Bangor,  Menai and beyond

Pictures; Welsh adventures, 2021, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*Friends of Bangor Pier, https://bangorpier.org/

**Gany Môr, ganymore846@gmail.com

A little bit of Italy on the coast of Wales ……. Portmeirion on a hot July day

Now, my Wikipedia tells me that “Portmeirion is a tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales”.* 

And like many people it is  a place we keep going back to, which puts me in good company because Noël Coward wrote Blithe Spirit while staying there and George Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells were also early visitors. 

In 1956 the architect Frank Lloyd Wright came, and other famous guests included Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman and the Beatles. 

Their manager Brian Epstein was a frequent visitor, and Paul McCartney, spent his 50th birthday there in 1993.

I can’t be quite sure when I first came across it, but it might have in in the late 1970s, after John had built a boat in the back garden and took it down to Porthmadog,  where for all I know it might still be.

And on one of those escapes from the city to see him and the boat we will have called in and the rest as they say is a series of visits.

We have been there in the spring when the sunshine belied  how cold it was, traipsed around the place in the rain and yesterday melted as the sun cracked the paving stones.

True to form I never read the guidebook and only this morning refreshed my skimpy knowledge by going online and discovering that “it was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village, and is now owned by a charitable trust. 

The village is located in the community of Penrhyndeudraeth, on the estuary of the River Dwyryd, 2 miles south east of Porthmadog, and 1 mile  from Minffordd railway station. Portmeirion has served as the location for numerous films and television shows, most famously as "The Village" in the 1960s television show The Prisoner”.*

As you do I took lots of pictures, but resisted the temptation to go “noir”, after all one of the stunning things about the architecture is the bright and vivid colours they have been painted.

Rosa who is from Naples and on holiday with us had to agree and was as impressed with the gardens as well as the buildings.

So that is it, my Wikipedia, offers up a lot more interesting information, but never having been one to hoover up other people’s work I shall just suggest following the link to the article.

Leaving someone to responded with "I am not a number", which will be almost incomprehensible to anyone other than those who watched the Prisoner, or  was a fan of Patrick McGoohan.

The Prisoner began in 1967, ran for 17 episodes and finished the following year.  It was for some a bewildering show, but for a 17 year old it was required viewing and marked you off from the grown ups who broadly speaking found it a puzzle.

The visitors were out in record numbers leaving some to relax on what ever seat they could find.

And for me to just take in the scenery

Location; Portmeirion

Pictures; Portmeirion, 2021, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*Portmeirion, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmeirion

Faded glory in Conway ………….. the Palace Cinema

Now I  like it when you get a chance to get a look inside a cinema which closed its doors ages ago.

It’s that mix of getting to see what has been hidden from view, with the chance of discovering a cinematic gem.

I have never been to the Palace Cinema in Conway, but lots of people will have, and will remember with fondness sitting in the darkened auditorium watching a film or playing Bingo.

So, this is for all those who on a wet Monday afternoon in Conway spent a few hours in the company of Ginger Rogers, and James Bond or despaired as Mrs. Trellis got a full bingo card for the third time, before anyone else.

The place has featured on the blog, which included one of Any Robertson’s pictures, and a bit of its history.*

It opened in 1936, closed in the 1980s and for a while doubled as a Bingo Hall before going dark in 2012.

And yesterday Andy sent over a collection of new pictures, this time of the interior, taken by his sister in law.

I await the full story of how she got in and what if any plans there are for the cinema.

Leaving me just to reflect on the faded glory of the Palace, and a link to another short history of the place, which offers up some snippets on the buildings which wee lost wen the picture house was built.**

Location; Conway,

Pictures; inside the Palace Cinema, Conway, courtesy of  Gwen Roberts and Eunice Long

*A little bit of cinema history …….. in Conway, where they do it well, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2019/11/a-little-bit-of-cinema-history-in.html

**Former Palace Cinema, Conwy, https://historypoints.org/index.php?page=former-palace-cinema-conwy

A little bit of cinema history …….. in Conway, where they do it well

One of the great bonuses of my friendship with Andy Robertson is the wonderful collection of pictures he has stored away in the collection.

Yesterday we were having a conversation about his love affair with Stockport, and then out of the blue he remembered the Palace cinema in Conway, and with an hour of him leaving he sent over this image of the place, with the comment that it had opened in 1936 and closed in the 1980s.

And not wanting to shortchange the picture I went looking in that wonderful cinema resource which is cinema Treasures.*

It is a site I often go to for information and which I have never been disappointed.

Nor was I this time, because according to Ken Roe, the picture palace of dreams and adventures, opened in 1936 with Hugh Williams in "Lieutenant Daring R.N.".

And “of all the cinemas that were built in the U.K. in 1936, the Palace Cinema received the title ‘Cinema of the Year’ and the architect was given a special design award.”

And I can see why because “inside the auditorium was rather plain, but there was a reason for this. The lighting was by Holophane, which was able bathe the auditorium in over 400 tints and hues of colour. There are six silvered columns on each side of the proscenium opening which reflected the lighting. Across the top of the proscenium were panels in silver, which showed the faces of leading film stars of the 1930’s. The ceiling was a plain ‘dome’ which had the Holophane lighting ‘played’ onto it”.  

Now I could go on, but that would be to snaffle Mr. Roe’s research, so instead I shall just leave you with the link and advise you to go and look up the full story of the Palace for yourself.**

Leaving me as ever just to thank Andy, who I notice has now inspired over 500 stories which have used his images.***

Location; High Street, Conway, LL32 8DB

Picture; the Palace cinema, Conway, 2019, from the collection of Andy Robertson

* cinema Treasures, http://cinematreasures.org/

**Palace Cinema, Conway, Ken Roe, cinema Treasures, http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/22947

***Andy Robertson, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search?q=Andy+Robertson&max-results=20&by-date=true

Out of Tredegar ...... Aneurin Bevan, 70 years of the NHS and the Welsh health service which preceded it

Now, listening today, to Out of Tredegar with Martin Sheen on the wireless reaffirmed my admiration for Radio 4.*

Aneurin Bevan, 1954

It was a wonderful piece of radio, telling the story of the Tredegar health service which pretty much was the model for the National Health Service, and focused on Aneurin Bevan, the Labour politician who was responsible for its creation.

Aneurin Bevan was born in the town and much of the programme was given over to stories about him, and the impact of a health service, free at the point of delivery on the lives of millions of people, many of whom before 1948 “couldn’t afford to be ill”.

So that is all I am going to say, other than there is 29 days left to listen to it.

Producer: Martin Williams, BBC Wales.

Picture; Aneurin Bevan and his wife Jenny Lee in Corwen, 1952, Geoff Charles, made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication  

*Out of Tredegar , https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b7hl3d

On parade ...... the missing men and a clue in Colwyn Bay

This is one of those photographs which I suspect will remain a bit of a mystery.

The date on the card is 1915 and it was sent to Private Tom Smith of Wellington Road in Rhyl.

But who sent it is unclear, other than that Tom Smith was a friend.

The card begins “Dear Chum” and goes on to thank Tom for a photo, and reports that there is no news of a transfer or when he will get leave.

The rest as they say awaits someone to recognise where the men are on parade.

That said there is just one possible clue and that comes from the photographer who produced the card.

He was Alfred Haley of Penrhyn Road, Colwyn Bay who was active marketing pictures of Colwyn Bay from at least 1910 well into the 1930s.

So perhaps we are in Colwyn Bay, if so I doubt Mr Haley had far to walk on the day he captured the men on parade.

Penrhym Road is just behind the sea front and still presents an elegant mix of shops many of which have impressive canopies of cast iron and glass.

At one end of the road is Metropole Hotel and round the corner the “Picture House” both of which will have been familiar to Mr Haley.

So that is about it. I have only visited Colwyn Bay twice and cannot pretend to be an expert on the geography of the place but someone might know where the men are standing.

And no the postmark does not help. I know the card was stamped at just after mid day on March 15 1915 but the location of where it was sent is missing.

And no sooner had the post gone out and Bill Sumner came up with the answer, "we are on Princes Drive, the houses on the right still exist, in front of the men may have been a sea view but to their right a hundred and fifty yards round the left hand bend was the station which I think was the destination. They are just about to move off."

BIll went on street maps and found that the houses behind them are still there but the houses to the right have gone.

A little further along Princes Drive there are some tall Edwardian buildings with the half timbered top gables.

And that as they say is that.  Thanks to Bill

Location; Colwyn Bay.

Picture; men on parade, from a picture postcard, 1915 from the collection of David Harrop