Glyndyfrdwy Castle. Pic © 2006 Jeffrey Thomas
Heritage spots across Wales have had a bumper start to 2009 after being awarded £2 million in funding as part of 25th anniversary celebrations for the Welsh Assembly Government’s Historic Environment Service.
The Welsh Cultural Heritage Initiative aims to increase public access to “iconic” landmarks of Welsh culture, heritage and nationhood.
These include a trio of sites associated with Owain Glynwr, the last Welsh Prince of Wales who featured in Shakespearean folklore and inspired an uprising against English rule in the 15th century.
His Denbighshire plot at Glyndyfrdwy and Sycharth manor in Powys will be two of the beneficiaries, as well as Pennal on Gwynedd, the fort from where Glynwr is believed to have written to the King of France declaring his plans for an independent Wales.
Deganwy Castle. Pic © Jonny Swampra
Deganwy Castle in Conwy is an evocative hillside site which has accommodated epic battles through the ages. Destroyed by a Saxon army in 822 AD, it witnessed treachery, invasion and slaughter during Anglo-Welsh hostilities in the Medieval period.
Strata Florida comprises the ruins of a Cistercian Abbey in Powys, tamed by monks after Stone Age hunters had roamed the grounds. The remains of Roman mines can still be seen in the area, and it became a key part of the Welsh agricultural industry after the monastery was obliterated on the orders of Henry VIII during his dispute with the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the 16th century.
The imposing Nevern Castle, a 13th century fort with an imperious view of Pembrokeshire, and Abergwyngregyn, on the north coast of Gwynedd, will also benefit from maintenance and preservation work.
Negotiations with other key locations are ongoing, as part of a year Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones promised would “celebrate the rich diversity of Wales’s historic environment.”
“I’m delighted to be able to announce this funding today, which will make a significant contribution in making some of our iconic sites more accessible to the Welsh public,” he said. “I’m confident people will feel a stronger connection with Wales and our story when visiting these sites. They play a crucial role in giving us a sense of place and purpose.”
“Our history will not always be a comfortable story – we have to remember our castles weren’t planned and built as tourism attractions – but they have a real story behind them which we should all be familiar with and proud of."
