The Miner, The Farmer and The Poet … The Stories of Tal-y-bont

The village of Tal-y-bont can be found about halfway between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth on the Ceredigion coast. With a population of under 1,000, Tal-y-bont is a small but cosy place surrounded by lush green farmland and is but a stone’s throw from the picturesque Dyfi estuary. Yet, its natural beauty is not the only worthy reason for exploring this little …

Secret Tunnels: The Siege of St Andrews Castle

St Andrews Castle was one of the most significant medieval castles in Scotland. It was the home of the Archbishop of St Andrews, and adjacent to the cathedral which served as the ecclesiastical centre of the whole Scottish Kingdom. As such it was destroyed and rebuilt many times during the Wars of Independence as it changed hands between the English …

The Story of a TOP-SECRET Research Facility at Ynyslas

Ynyslas, Welsh for ‘the green island’, is a small coastal village north of Aberystwyth. It can be found wedged between the stretch of beach along Cardigan Bay and the shores of the Dyfi estuary. This spot is a part of the Ynyslas Sand Dunes, themselves a part of the Dyfi National Nature Reserve. As such the area is one of …

A Seaport and a Stronghold … A history of Harwich

The town of Harwich in Essex takes its name from the Old English words here + wic meaning ‘Army-dwelling’ after a Danish army reportedly camped on the site sometime in the 9th century. However, the Domesday Book makes no mention of the town which means that if there was anyone residing in the area shortly after the Norman invasion in …

Sunderland: A Coastal City with a Colourful History

Sunderland Harbour (Credit J. Thomas: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en) Built up around both banks of the River Wear and with an extensive North Sea coastline we find the port city of Sunderland. The modern city is in fact the merging of three separate Anglo-Saxon era settlements: Monkwearmouth, on the northern bank of the river, and Bishopwearmouth and Sunderland to the south. In this …