Table of Contents
Castles
When you think of Wales, you often may think of castles. Indeed there are more than 600 castles in Wales, more per square mile than anywhere in the world.
A large number of them are worth visiting but of course not many of us have the free time to go on trips to 600 different castles. Therefore if I were to select my 5 favourites, they would be:
Number 5: Caerphilly Castle
Caerphilly Castle is situated in Gwent in South Wales north of Cardiff. A large part of it is surrounded by water which adds to its beauty. Work on the castle began in 1268 by Earl Gilbert de Clare, who built it on the site of an ancient Roman fort.
Number 4: Harlech Castle
Harlech Castle is located on a 200 foot cliff overlooking Cardigan Bay in South West Wales and gives one of the finest views on the Cambrian coast. It was designed by architect James of St. George for Edward 1 in 1283 and took advantage of the site’s steep cliffs. The castle was attacked almost as soon as it was completed and served as a fortress well into the 1600s.
Number 3: Pembroke Castle
Pembroke castle is situated in Prembrokeshire in South West Wales. It dates back to 1093 so is one of the oldest castles still standing. The castle is actually privately owned and, whether this is connected or not, is also in the one of the best conditions.
Number 2: Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle is situated in Conwy in the North of Wales, It was designed by the famous architect of the time, James of St Georges for King Edward I and was built between 1283 and 1289. The castle has been preserved in good condition and overlooks the Conwy Estuary.
Number 1: Caernarfon Castle
This castle is situated in the town of Caernarfon in North West Wales at the mouth of the river Seiont. Like Conwy Castle and Harlech Castle, it was designed by James of St. George for Edward 1 and was built around the same time, approximately 1283. Likewise it is heavily fortified. King Edward’s son was born in Caernarfon and was dubbed the Prince of Wales, a title that the heir to the throne has been awarded to this day.
Cottages
Like the castle, the Welsh cottage is seen as an icon of Wales.
Cottages are spread throughout the rural parts of Wales and have traditionally been made with low walls of rubble stone. If stone was not available, the walls would be made of a mixture of earth, straw and animal manure (known in Wales as ‘clom’). The structure is timber based and the roof would be thatched.
The Industrial Revolution And Welsh Properties
With the growth of industrialisation and particularly the mining industry, less and less cottages got built and thatch rooves on properties in Wales fell in decline. Suddenly the arrival of the railways brought slate mined in North Wales to towns throughout the region and Welsh homes had slate on their rooves.
Industrialisation also led to large population growth in areas which hitherto had been sparsely settled. Large workforces were needed in minding, metal working and ship building and this led to a need for social housing.
Rows and rows of brick terraced were built in a uniform style within the Victoria and Edwardian housing booms to accommodate the workers. And to this day, many Welsh streets contain these streets of similar looking properties.
Modern Wales
As with other cities in the UK, there have been an increase in recent years of modern high blocks of flats, particularly in Cardiff and Swansea in the south. As more and more people have moved into the cities, the trend for modern flats has grown. With Covid-19 though, more and more flats are suddenly are struggling to let and so are coming on the market. So this may mean people starting to leave the cities for a more rural property with outside space.
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