Friday, May 19, 2017

Five on Friday - Five from Conwy

I missed joining in with last week's Five on Friday as we were away from home for a few days visiting North Wales (see my last post).  It had been some time since we had visited the little walled town of Conwy so we popped in for a day from where we were staying near Porthmadog to rediscover its charms and its wonderful historic buildings.


1.  Conwy Castle - the 13th century castle was built by Master James of St George for King Edward I (1239 - 1307) as one of his fortifications in Wales at a cost of £15,000.  The castle dominates the town which is enclosed by walls of the same period as the castle.  Climbing to the top of its towers will reward you wonderful views of both mountains and sea.

2. Aberconwy House - is a 14th Century Merchant's House which is the only one of its kind in Conwy to survive past the turbulent years of of the Civil Wars in the 17th century.  The room attendant we spoke to told us that the first known and recorded owner of the house was called Evan David.  Apparently he  was sympathetic to the Parliamentary cause even though the castle was in the hands of the Royalists at the time.  In the early 19th century the house was lived in by a Captain Samuel Williams who dealt in slate, copper and lead.  By the mid 19th century the house was a Temperance Hotel and joined to the building next door, both buildings are in the hands of the National Trust. We were told that the rents from the building next door helped with the upkeep of the older property.  

3. Plas Mawr - is an absolute gem.  It has been described as 'the finest Elizabeth townhouse in the Britain' and I wouldn't disagree.  It was built c. 1570 by local landowner Robert Wynn.  On one of the main streets of Conwy its frontage at street level is a gatehouse, behind that is a courtyard and then there are steps up to the main house which as you see from the photo above leads into two other sections of house at different levels,  the building at the back is now an art gallery. There is also a courtyard garden between two parts of the house and a tower room with views over the town rooftops to the castle and the quayside.  I will take you inside in another post as there is so much to see.

4.  Suspension Bridge - is a Grade 1 listed structure and is one of the first road suspension bridges in the world.  Opened in 1826 its architect was ThomasTelford and the engineers Robert Stephenson, William Fairbairn and Eaton Hodgkinson.  You can walk across to the toll house on the other side and see how the toll keeper and his wife lived and worked in a very small space just over 100 years ago.  We were met at the door by the room attendant who had spoken to us much earlier in the day at Aberconwy House as the Toll House and Bridge are cared for by the National Trust.  He was extremely knowledgeable about both places.

5. The Smallest House - can be found on the quayside built against the town walls.  It is 6ft wide and just over 10ft high. Built in the 16th century it was occupied until May 1900.  The last person to live there was fisherman Robert Jones who was 6ft 3ins in height.  Inside is a settle next to a fireplace and up a short ladder is a single bed and beside table.  The house is apparently still owned by the descendants of Robert Jones.

Joining in Five on Friday organised by Tricky and Carly at the FAST blog.  Do click on the link below and visit all the other bloggers who are taking part this week.


http://www.fastblog.es/2017/05/amsterdam-five-on-friday.html

32 comments:

  1. The city looks very pictoresque beside the castle. Amazing bridge and built 200 years ago! Wishing you a lovely weekend Rosie.

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    1. Thanks, Riitta it is a lovely and historic place:)

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  2. Looks like you saw some fantastic sights on your adventure
    Thanks for joining us for Five on Friday
    Have a great weekend :)

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    1. Thanks, Tricky it was a lovely day taking visiting those wonderful buildings:)

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  3. When we were staying in Llandudno we took a day trip by coach and passed by Conwy. I thought that the town with its castle looked like one I would like to visit. Thank you for all the fascinating information and photos of different buildings you visited.

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    1. I'm sure you would enjoy it Linda. We were lucky to be able to use both our NT and EH cards to get in all the buldings, the town is lovely with interesting little shops and the quayside too:)

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  4. I have ALWAYS wanted to visit Wales and I would love to see these amazing houses! Loved the "Smallest House"...so interesting!

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    1. Wales is such a beautful country and has so much to offer visitors:)

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  5. Conwy is lovely, though it's a few years since I've been.

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    1. It was a few years since we were last there so it was great to go back for another visit:)

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  6. What a great place, packed full with so many wonderful places. The small house must have been a tight squeeze for that fisherman, I wonder how many times he bumped his head. 😊

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    1. Poor fisherman must have struggled even on the settle by the fireplace his long legs must have stretch acros the room inside:)

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  7. Beautiful photos! Looks like you had a wonderful time. Love the castle.

    Happy Five on Friday!

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    1. Thanks, Sharon. We had a lovely day wandering between the buildings:)

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  8. A beautiful place for sure! Thanks for sharing. Your photos are pretty and interesting.

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    1. Thanks, Angela glad you enjoyed the photos:)

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  9. It is exciting to me to see such old historic buildings and I look forward to your posts about what you learned about the inside of some of the buildings. I am interested in the current tiny house movement. Here you have shown me an historic tiny home :)

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    1. It is very, very small inside but opposite the quayside aand I expect the occupants spent most of their time outdoors:)

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  10. Great post Rosie and very interesting. I don't think I have been to Conwy since I was little! So many lovely places to visit there and so picturesque. The bridge is impressive and love the tiny house :)

    Thanks so much for your reply to my comment in your last post and for directions to Osprey project. Also interesting to read about the William Clough-Ellis garden - have been to Portmeirion many times but hadn't heard about the other garden. Only stopping one night I think but may have time to visit both ospreys and garden :)

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    1. Conwy is a lovely town. The gardens are just a little further along the road from the Ospreys in Garreg. They are delightful and always a view of the mountains too as you walk aroud the different little garden rooms. Nice cafe too:)

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  11. Always love seeing the photos of such historical places. And here I thought tiny houses were a new trend! Hope you have a great weekend.

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    1. What goes around comes around so the saying goes - I guess there is nothing new, just different or done in a new way. Happy days to you too, I'm sorry I could leave a comment on your post as I'm not on google plus:)

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  12. Thanks for the tour - It looks like such a beautiful town - I've driven past Conwy many times on the way to or from the ferry but have never stopped there. This would make me want to visit.
    Fil @ Fil’s Place

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    1. Well worth a visit if you have time to drop in on your travels:)

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  13. Great photos, looks like you had a great time. As kids we went on Clifton Suspension Bridge. We took the teens over Humber Bridge Lincolnshire, on a church Bank Holiday walk a few years ago now- very windy and exposed. That small house image will fascinate me for a while I'm sure. Teen one is 6' & a few inches, so it definitely sounds small. Have a good week, Cathy x

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    1. We used to live in Lincolnshire so crossed over the Humber Bridge occasionally when going up to the Yorkshire Coast. I've walked across the suspension bridge at Bristol once. Thanks for visiting, Cathy:)

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  14. Love, Love, Love North Wales ( going for a few days in August) love Conwy too! Plas Mawr is a favourite to visit when we go to Conwy. xxx

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    1. Remember visiting Plas Mawr at least 20 years ago so it was great to see all the improvements and conservation of the plaster work and etc. I thought it was wonderful:)

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  15. You've sold it to me, Rosie - I'm going to have to go. Much as I love North Wales, I've never been to Conwy. I would especially like to go if I can have your weather, too. x

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    1. The weather was delightful, it's a lovely, historic little town with much to see:)

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  16. I was there! I loved it! Thanks for bringing back memories, Rosie.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Glad to have brought back some happy memories for you,Amalia. It is a lovely little town:)

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