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The Smallest House
Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne when a rather unusual house was built in Conwy. To keep the cost down, the builder wanted a site...
Graham Watkins
2 min read
299 views


Gnoll Belvedere - A Story of Welsh Coal, Copper and Corruption.
Sir Humphrey Mackworth was an industrialist, lawyer and fraudster who studied the scriptures in his spare time. He was educated at...
Graham Watkins
4 min read
979 views


The Mad King's Monument.
King George III, the first Hanoverian king of Britain who spoke English as his main language, had been on the throne for nearly forty...
Graham Watkins
3 min read
541 views


Paxton's Tower, a nabob's revenge.
There is a strange looking gothic tower standing high above the Towy valley between Carmarthen and Llandeilo which was built by a...
Graham Watkins
4 min read
229 views


Tŷ Castell - Castle or Cow Shed.
The Elizabethan country house, Nercwys Hall, was built by John Wynn in the 1638. Wynn, a wealthy gentleman left the estate to his son...
Graham Watkins
2 min read
361 views


Why is a lighthouse or is it a clock tower in the middle of a Cardiff boating lake?
"I am just going outside and may be some time.” Captain Lawrence (Titus) Oates 17th March 1912 In 1909, a young naval lieutenant named...
Graham Watkins
6 min read
393 views


Cilwendeg Shell House - Built with profits from a shining light.
When William Trench visited a group of islands off the coast of Anglesey known as The Skerries he came up with a money making idea. The...
Graham Watkins
3 min read
495 views


Crow’s Nest Farm - Is Your Home Really Your Castle?
In 1760, the Prime Minister, William Pitt, stated. ‘The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the force of the Crown. It may...
Graham Watkins
2 min read
215 views


Orielton Banqueting Tower - Doesn't everyone need one?
Once a grand three storey building, Orielton Banqueting Tower, now stands alone and neglected in the south western corner of Wales. The...
Graham Watkins
3 min read
211 views


The Kymin - A folly of voluptuary and gluttony
A painting of Philip Meakins Hardwick, in Monmouthshire Museum, portrays him as a portly gentleman who clearly enjoyed his food. During...
Graham Watkins
4 min read
190 views


Thomas Picton - Welsh Hero or Monster
Thomas Picton - Welsh Hero or Monster; you decide.
Graham Watkins
6 min read
1,157 views


Nantyglo Roundhouses - Riots, masters and men.
In the 19th Century, the South Wales valleys underwent dramatic industrial change. People arrived in their thousands, looking for work...
Graham Watkins
4 min read
290 views


The Hallelujah Obelisk - 'Praise the Lord' but it also means, 'Fools.'
In 1736, landowner Nehemiah Griffiths, who lived near Mold built an obelisk in one of his fields. The stone monument he erected included...
Graham Watkins
3 min read
447 views


Prospect Tower - Bats and a copper bottomed story.
Robert Morris moved from Shropshire to Swansea, in 1724, to work as the manager of Llangyfelach Copper Works. When the proprietor of the...
Graham Watkins
3 min read
234 views


Jersey Marine Tower. Rocky Marciano's Wartime home?
In 1886, the brewer Captain Evan Evans was looking to diversify his business. Brewing beer was profitable but he wanted to expand and...
Graham Watkins
3 min read
882 views


Fort Williamsburg - A toy fort with real cannon.
When in 1549, John Wynn was King Edward VI’s standard bearer the king rewarded him with a gift of Bardsey Island. In the 17th Century,...
Graham Watkins
3 min read
562 views


Castell Gwrych - A monster folly.
In the 19th Century, gothic revival architecture was the height of fashion. The new Houses of Parliament were built in the gothic style...
Graham Watkins
4 min read
329 views


Dry Bridge Lodge
Strangers travelling along a minor road south west of Mostyn are surprised to find themselves driving under a house. The structure, known...
Graham Watkins
3 min read
903 views


Six foot three Mr. Jones slept with his feet sticking out of the window.
Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne when a rather unusual house was built in Conwy. To keep the cost down, the builder wanted a site...
Graham Watkins
2 min read
295 views


So why did Mr. Jones build a funny looking castle?
The practice of erecting a memorial to a loved one is common enough but when William Jones’ wife Elizabeth died in 1787 he felt that...
Graham Watkins
3 min read
491 views
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