Author Topic: Museums, Art Galleries and Cultural items  (Read 31453 times)

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Offline Hugo

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Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #15 on: October 28, 2010, 11:03:00 am »
I saw the notice in the NWWN and popped down to Aber to see what was going on.  The escorted trip around the
site is well worth the visit.


"ARCHAEOLOGISTS in Abergwyngregyn may have discovered one of the most iconic royal buildings of the 12th century.

Up to 20 archaeologists are digging into the history of the area which has links to the medieval Prince Llewellyn.

The dig has already unearthed a building which archaeologists say could be a royal court.

“A small friendly village today, Aber is a poorly known gem of Welsh national history,” said Snowdonia National Park archaeologist John Roberts, who is heading the project.

“The project is giving people a chance to find out more about Aber’s iconic past and to explore its rich ancient landscape for themselves.

“We have opened up quite a large trench in the field near the motte and the foundations of the medieval hall and other buildings which might date to the same period are looking really dramatic.

“We will have to rebury the site at the end of the excavation and hope people take the chance to see it beforehand at our open days.”

Six schools have taken full advantage of the history of their local area with field trips to the sites last week.

Open days will be held on October 27-30 to show people what they have found. The site is a two minute walk from the village bus stop and car park – just follow the signs."



Offline Blongb

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #16 on: October 29, 2010, 01:04:52 pm »
Being well into that period of Welsh History and knowing several Prince Llewellyn’s had lived at Abergwyngregyn, the wife and I decided it would be a great morning out to pop over and see whats been going on. I can’t blame Hugo for our disapointment as he only commented on what was published in the North Wales Weekly. The Site is only open to the Public on the 27th AND 30th of October not 27 – 30 as stated in their article. 
Quot homines tot sententiae: suus cuique mos.
(There are as many opinions as there are people: each has his own view.)


Offline Hugo

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #17 on: October 29, 2010, 03:31:37 pm »
Sorry about that Blongb, even when I was on the site and speaking to the people there I got the impression that it was over 4 days.  I may go back again tomorrow to have another look.  Being interested in Welsh history too, I thought that the Llys was actually in the grounds of Pen Y Bryn just above the village so I was surprised when we found the location of this dig.
My friend and I continued on the theme of Llewelyn and later visited his church in Llanrychwyn and then saw the sarcophagus of Llewelyn Fawr in the Gwydr Chapel in Llanrwst   I've posted some photos of our day out for you.

Offline DaveR

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #18 on: October 29, 2010, 05:51:48 pm »
Llanrychwyn is a fantastic old church, was there a piece of twig holding the door shut?

Offline Hugo

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #19 on: October 29, 2010, 10:09:36 pm »
Yes, it's still there Dave and we put it back in place when we left!   

Offline Hugo

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #20 on: October 30, 2010, 04:25:27 pm »
I didn't go back to the site today as I had things to do at home and spent some time on the computer instead.  As you are interested in the Llewelyns Blongb put into Google search   "Pen y Bryn Abergwyngregyn" and have a look at the 2nd & 3rd items headed Palace of the Welsh Princes and The Princes Tower respectively.
They are quite good, I think they are not bang up to date but it appears that visitors may be able to visit Pen y Bryn by prior appointment. I hope so because I've a few friends who would like to go inside the house.

Offline Blongb

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #21 on: November 04, 2010, 07:55:14 pm »
As you are interested in the Llewelyns Blongb put into Google search   "Pen y Bryn Abergwyngregyn" and have a look at the 2nd & 3rd items headed Palace of the Welsh Princes and The Princes Tower respectively.
Thank you for that lead Hugo, It was most informative. Like you, all the time we were waking around the site my wife was saying "its not Garth Celyn, it's in the wrong place." It was still a lovely day out and shows what an important place Abergwyngregyn was in past times. The last time we were at Llanrychwyn the door was locked. Now its been modified we will have to give it another go.
Quot homines tot sententiae: suus cuique mos.
(There are as many opinions as there are people: each has his own view.)

Offline DaveR

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #22 on: November 04, 2010, 08:17:45 pm »
The ancient church at Llanrychwyn:

Offline Hugo

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #23 on: November 04, 2010, 08:49:34 pm »
Just watch your footing when you go to Llanrhychwyn Blongb, it was wet when we went and I ended up sliding on the mud but it was worth it to see the old Church again.
With Welsh history, a lot of it wasn't written down and as you'll have read partly distorted from the reign of Edward I.
A friend of mine was telling me about the rediscovery of Llewelyn's Palace in Newborough and the archaeologists were looking for it in a field in the village. They had maps and ground radar to help with the search but had been in the field for hours with no success. An inquisitive resident of the village was watching what was going on and asked them what they were looking for and they said Llewelyn's Palace.  He then told them that they were looking in the wrong place and that they should be looking in another field which had the Welsh name Cae Llys.  ( Court Field)
When they did concentrate their effort on Cae Llys they found the building straight away and it's an impressive site.
There are other fields on the banks of the Menai Straits with Roman implications but when I wrote to Time Team they didn't follow it up.

Offline suepp

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #24 on: November 04, 2010, 09:56:20 pm »
There must be many archaeological finds waiting to be discovered on  Anglesey shores and across the Menai Straits. Years ago  found a patterned bronze looking ring  on the side of  a tall rock in Porthdafarch which could have been Roman!

Offline Hugo

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #25 on: November 05, 2010, 11:17:58 am »
If you still have the bronze looking ring Suepp you want to get someone to have a close look at it just in case it is Roman.   People seem to find these things when they are not looking for them, like the guy with a metal detector on the Vadre some years ago.  He wanted to go to the toilet so he went in some trees for privacy and inadvertently left his metal detector on.   When he picked the metal detector up again it was bleeping like mad and he found 208 King Kanute silver coins.
On my first walk with the retirement group I thought that I saw something but didn't like to keep the others waiting so I'm going back to the spot with a friend who has a GPS and we'll find out one way or another about what I actually saw.

Offline suepp

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #26 on: November 05, 2010, 03:55:31 pm »
Unfortunately I lost quite a few things 30 years ago in a fire and the ring was probably amongst them, unless by some miracle my parents still have it!

It's worth looking around for things on walks, you can quite often find old bottles in old hedgerows.  I would love to try metal detecting I sometimes see people wandering the fields around Ruthin's Roman Road, and  in the area around Denbigh Castle musket balls are often found. When I lived in Fairways we used to find lots of pottery pieces in the area between the houses and the gold course!

Yorkie

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #27 on: November 05, 2010, 04:32:03 pm »
When Conwy Marina was being built I remember there were lots of old bottles found in the area nearest to the Golf practice area.  Whether they were worth anything I don't know - I was only interested in full ones!    :P

Offline Trojan

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #28 on: November 06, 2010, 02:25:02 am »
When Conwy Marina was being built I remember there were lots of old bottles found in the area nearest to the Golf practice area.  Whether they were worth anything I don't know - I was only interested in full ones!    :P

Were they old Corona bottles?  $happy$

Offline Hugo

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Re: Aber archaeology dig
« Reply #29 on: November 07, 2010, 01:21:07 pm »
I used to walk my dog along the Conwy Morfa beach by the Langley Spa but found so much glass on the beach that I no longer walk him there now.  It's a shame as it is such a beatiful stretch of sand.
I was told that there were Victorian bottle banks there (pits dug and the bottles buried and then covered over) and the sea had eroded the soil and washed the broken glass onto the beach.
When I did walk the dog, in addition to poo bags, I carried bags to carry the glass I had collected but in the end it was a losing battle with the glass.