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TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on DEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 These roots shown here, as well as many of the other images shown have now become intimate friends, photographed and re-photographed, viewpoints and focal lengths of lenses changed. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6185458.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18873570244c7f4aba99495.jpgDEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26618943.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_196177235956bd784772649.jpgBLAEN GLASFFWRD, Elenydd, Cambrain Mountains, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN GLASFFWRD, Elenydd, Cambrain Mountains, Ceredigion 2011 Owned locally and leased out to a local farmer - the house is a hill-farmers resting place, barns are still in agricultural use. Glasffrwd just about visible as you drive up from Strata Florida towards Hafod Newydd. It stands resilient in a clearing with forestry, or felled forestry, surrounding this once rural farmstead. House and outbuildings were all in good condition during my visit in Feb 2011. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/005 https://images.on-this.website/7784_187612362253b3a47936409.jpgGLAN-LLYN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GLAN-LLYN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 A lovely ruin on the banks of Llyn Eiddwen. The day was bright and warm and I had expected little to remain of this property. I wished I had visited decades ago, when there was a roof and the outbuildings were a little more substantial than what they are now. Few details remain, a few windows, a doorway and fireplace. I took a number of photographs, each angle offering something worthwhile. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo17140810.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_144724878250f5845282035.jpgOLD SCHOOL HOUSE, Corris, Meirionydd 2012 Notes on OLD SCHOOL HOUSE, Corris, Meirionydd 2012 Former school house and community building. This building is now very much lost under the foliage. I had to crawl on hand and knee along the path, now a stream, to reach the walls. It is built on a sun-less part of a hillside not car from the main road from Machynlleth to Dolgellau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42233312.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10279351146054c85c3a6cd.jpgPANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Notes on PANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Roadside located but barely visible through the foliage, Pant-Glas on older maps dating from the late 19th century shows the house as one dwelling but once within the mass of foliage it looks more like two separate dwellings; two sets of front doors, no door between the properties. Both dwellings the same size. Perhaps this was once a longhouse and perhaps one of the dwellings had been converted. I do not know but the old maps do not lie. I took a few images, in both parts, but viewpoints were scarce. Half an hour spent. I walked back to car, drove home, arrived back home at 7:30am, still an hour before I started work but already a good mornings work had been done. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/neuadd-fawr-cilycwm-carmarthsnhire-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_158713757049701ecd8b15f.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthsnhire 1996 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 A pack of sheep dogs barked around my car as I pulled into the farmyard that stands beside the decrepit walls of Neuadd Fawr, built on an existing site by a William Davys in the late 18th century. The dogs continued to bark at my heels as I knocked on the farmhouse door and I very nearly ran back to my car. I was pleased I didn’t turn and drive home as I believe I was lucky that day. The dogs calmed and were friendly and the owner, although it was still very early, was happy for me to spend a few hours exploring the house and its grounds. A heavy morning dew soaked my feet and a bleak mist hung around the grounds, occasionally revealing trees, the walls of outbuildings and a walled garden with ivy covering every inch of the stone. The interior was too dangerous to enter. I always take a hard helmet with me but it felt that at any moment the entire house would tumble down around me. It seemed well beyond repair then. It’s walls, stone and mortar were damp and sodden and the roof was fruitlessly attempting to shelter the inside from any further deterioration of the rot therein. Some 7 years later I drove by again. I parked the car, stood on tiptoe, peering over the hedgerow, and across the field. Neuadd Fawr still stood, resilient, with the wind ever blowing through its rooms. I felt somehow nostalgic and relieved. I didn’t like the thought that someone may purchase, demolish, or even rebuild, such a house. What chance to reclaim its history and character? Then again perhaps these days nothing is beyond repair and I’ve heard it is, once again, on the market. The estate contains (now restored) lodge houses, a walled garden and a marvellous twin door stable block. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2080765445498bd5cc5fbb4.jpg[/img] Neuadd Fawr 1996 NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6185386.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18372279304c7f4a57c2478.jpgCERRIGLLWYDION, Cambrian Mountain's, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CERRIGLLWYDION, Cambrian Mountain's, Ceredigion 2010 A long difficult walk. I parked the car at Teifi Pools and walked to Claerwen farm. My last visit, 20 years ago, I had found Claerwen farmhouse empty. Now inhabited. The I carried on to Nantybeddau farm house, also inhabited and then up over, cross country to the Cerrrigllwydion lakes and the small corrugated iron and stone cottage. A fishing retreat? Not ruined. I followed the ancient Monk's Trod footpath (used by the Monks of Strata Florida in Pontrhydyfendigaid) back to Teifi Pools. It should have been a beautiful walk but it was difficult going. The path has been churned up by motorbikes and 4x4's so badly that although it had not rained much for the previous 6 weeks the track was almost impassable by foot. Long areas of up to 60 foot of track had become deep canals, unpassable for even the 4x4's which initally caused the damage. The areas around the track very damp and very boggy. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23585390.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_49388481154e9ff9703334.jpgPONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 Strange to think it has been four years since my last visit especially since I drive along the road from Tregaron to Lampeter almost every day to get to work. The visit today saw the platform cleared of all trees and foliage. An amazing view can be seen over the railway bridge of the platform and milkery. Otherwise my visit was like previous ones; someone silent and dank and damp. I came here to photograph abstractions of peeling paint but took a few extra photographs now new views have opened up. In 2011 I wrote... Notes on PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes. Other railway buildings remain, station storage building as seen here still in agricultural storage use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37041311.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2259521665bfee5d84240a.jpgPalace Theatre, Swansea 2018 Notes on Palace Theatre, Swansea 2018 The Palace Theatre... tall awkwardly shaped and difficult to photograph - mostly due to the usual problems with photographing in busy cities; cars, the proximity of other buildings and street signs! Palace Theatre is no exception. One can see from overhead views on Googleearth that it is triangular in size (the roof also looks to be in good condition) and how this is a natural shape of the theatre/cinema. It is currently surrounded by a high fence and access seems all but impossible. I did not try. Maybe a few years ago I might have. I have seen pictures inside and it is in quite a mess. I would also have not been able to photograph it with my wooden film camera unless I used flash - this is something I very seldom do since I do not like the unnatural look it lends the image. To break in just to take a few colour digital images is not worthwhile, the trouble not worth the result. Nonetheless the thought of what I'd find inside still lingers. As is, the images taken, are, I hope, a slight improvement on my previous efforts. My camera has an array movements but these were not enough to capture the building satisfactory. I was either too close with a wide angle or not far enough away with the standard lens. It might have been nice if I could have elevated myself a little but the other way to do this was to stand on the roof of my car (tempting) or to knock on someone's door and ask to see if I could use their living room for a better viewpoint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23793055.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21438175975511074beab7d.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 The cottages seen here sit on the other side of the Ystwyth at Cwmystwyth mines. I have driven and looked over to these cottages many a time and recall when they used to have windows and doors and roof. I am not sure why I haven't photographed them before having explored Cwmystwyth much over the last twenty five years. Their positioning alone makes them a worthy inclusion. The March morning I arrived was a cold and frosty one but as the sun rose across the opposite hillside I could tell it was to be a glorious and warm day. A few exposes were made, a small traipse with equipment from one cottage to the other and although I was on this hillside for an hour or so, not a single car passed by and I thought how lucky to live in such a relatively unpopulated area and also, with so much abandonment on my doorstep, little wonder I began photographing ruins. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5917251.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17155206054c6794fc3fb21.jpgCWMNEWYDION-UCHAF, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CWMNEWYDION-UCHAF, Ceredigion 2010 A small cottage – empty for a number of years – the slates at the extremes of the roof are beginning to deteriorate. Inside, peering through the dirty windows, the usual garb of the empty cottage; signs of a simple life, well used minimum furniture, a dining table with a plastic table cloth with all the crockery placed on top, teapots, cups, plates etc. A ladies bike with basket in another room, a pew bench, wardrobes and chest of drawers, boxes of bottles. I would have liked to have seen upstairs. A sealed museum of a couple’s life, free from human dust, birds nests nestled on top of electricity boxes, perhaps a TV Licence reminder from 1990’s or a Yellow Pages from 1980’s? Who knows? Random things are always to be found: Piles of Country Life magazine in the service quarters of Rhuppera Castle in Caerphily; the actual deeds of Caermeirch in Pontrhydygroes; diary pages from the 1870’s in Aberglasney in Llangathen; years and years of fertiliser receipts in Dolgor’s at Devil’s Bridge; a chest of travel books at Ceulan Mill in Talybont; a room of cheap chandeliers at Gwynfryn at Llanystumdwy and then there is all of the graffiti scratched in stone and wood, some recent and some ancient; at Pembrey Court in Pembrey and Pencoed Castle at Llanmartin. And then yearly names and dates in Bothy’s in and around the Cambrain Mountains such as at Nant Rhys, Claerddu Cottage and Moel Prysgau. Such things enrich and qualify long walks, searches, explorations and help enclose the memories of visits to properties I may never visit again. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699381.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1428377325e123d9e05beb.jpgPEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on PEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 I have been here before, twice before and both times it was impossible to photograph the house due to trees and foliage and then the house itself covered in ivy. All these trees and foliage have been striped back and chopped down. The ivy removed from the walls. The bare bones of the house revealed and it seemed to me to more imposing than I had remembered. There is no access within the wall now, each access point covered over securely. Not that I minded. With all the foliage gone better views opened themselves up, more images were taken on this short visit, half an hour or so, than the previous two visits when I believe I only took around six or seven images. The walls around the rear are the most interesting, showing where windows were boarded up at the time of the window tax, and different types of material used. It all seems a little hodgepodge but like a comment left on this website a few years ago, what does a photographer know about the structural integrity of a building? As it happens, not a lot! It is apparently possible for this building to be saved but that was almost ten years ago. I wonder how many more decades Pembrey Court can survive without consolidation? it's a remarkable house in a great position. The images taken were sufficient, better than those taken back in 1997 and 2009. Other houses that I visited back then in 1997 have now been cleared and a revisit is required, Drummau house in Birchgrove a case in point as well as Llangennech Park House, both large ruins and much forgotten for many decades. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115463.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2604087784982ae643b5d7.jpgGWRYCH CASTLE, Abergele, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on GWRYCH CASTLE, Abergele, Denbighshire 2005 An eerie, melancholic sight overlooking the Irish Sea. Gwrych is a mock castle built 1819, its history is a short one and after few private owners, was opened up to the public from 1948 until 1985. It has been, as often the case, left to the elements and worse still, the vandals. Once left empty, with security packed up and gone, some local residents set about sealing Gwrych from the weather and the boredom and greed of vandals. But it was a battle they seemed destined to lose: though there has been much talk of restoration, with each winter that passes more and more of the castle is lost. I spent a good afternoon at Gwrych. I had seen many images, recent and old, and had wanted to find the image that captures the atmosphere of a ruined building that a general view can but rarely encapsulate. A large castle, it’s front a quarter of mile in length. My peaceful Sunday afternoon was pierced by occasional shouts and blasts of music caught on the wind. Someone, somewhere within the castle was having some kind of party. I tiptoed around, a little nervous and intrepid, until that is, I reached the entrance and came across another party, a small group of people and a photographer, with a young couple having their portraits taken. Gwrych had become a strange community. No longer witness to class prejudice, and even when officially opened to the public, no longer a tourist haunt. It was an odd afternoon. I am unsure of what the future holds for Gwrych. It is too large, too solid, too castle-like to be ignored and forgotten for much longer. I do not believe I came anywhere close to capturing Gwrych at its best. It was purchased again recently and work has begun to restore and to be used as an hotel. Gwrych Castle 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10739132894b46ebea66ccd.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5396409234b46ebf42c876.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21003657684b46ebfef0204.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10687679964b46ebe109fc3.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16678122054b46ebd81b6f5.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo11499804.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11555554344e27b9dcadf71.jpgPLAS CRWN, Llandewi Velvrey, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on PLAS CRWN, Llandewi Velvrey, Pembrokeshire 2010 Walking up to the driveway, passed the stone gates posts and cast iron gate, it had suddenly occurred to me that I had visited Plas Crwn before. The grounds are immaculately maintained and then, back in 1998 (?) I had decided that if the grounds are so well maintained then surely the house too must no longer be derelict but restored. In 1998 I ‘about turned’ and did not bother to investigate any further. This visit I carried on. If I had walked on a further 100 yards in 1998 I would have seen Plas Crwn as ruin. It is modest in size and somewhat dwarfed by the large array of stables and other buildings at the rear of the house. These have all been sympathetically restored and are occupied. Plas Crwn itself consists of the front façade and the two end ranges with chimneys and two towers survive. The rear has completely collapsed and the basements have all caved in. Plans to renovate the property were submitted in 2005 but I am uncertain of the conclusion of the application. The two corner decorative towers are ivy covered but the castellation design is just about apparent. My entire visit was witnessed by a male peacock who sat watchful, between preening itself and making the trademark loud squawking sound. He sat majestically, as one would expect, forty foot high on one of the towers, the lord of his crumbling estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4641875.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7503065444baf57f05ac90.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 1997 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 1997 A house stood on the site of Bronwydd in the 14th century and was re-built in the 1850’s – mostly now a high pile of rubble; the stone carving, stained glass and mural paintings all long gone except a few Latin motto’s over the Bath stone doorways. Most of its towers, having been vandalised, no longer survive. As the farmer/owner showed me around, the cows stood watching in the field surrounding the high walls. The thick and deep mud underfoot, made the going slow and uneasy. Yet all these tiny details make the searching for a viewpoint which captures a house all the more rewarding. The weather was changeable with the sun appearing and disappearing and I imagine some 10 years since my visit the cows have had a few calves and Bronwydd has lost more of its height and presence: a sad picture and a quickly vanishing one. Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19735962784b51d8b724c0d.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_312845545498bd5e5d5c3a.jpg[/img] BRONWYDD. Llanqynllo. Ceredigion 1997 & 2009 Safai ty ar safle Bronwydd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar ddeg ac fe gafodd ei ailadeiladu yn y 1850au - er nad oes dim yma heddiw ond twmpath o rwbel. Mae'r cerfiadau cerrig, y gwydr lliw a'r murluniau wedi hen ddiflannu heblaw am ychydig o arwyddeiriau Lladin uwchben y drysau o garreg Caerfaddon.. Dychwelais i Fronwydd fis Gorffennaf 2009. Prin yr oedd wedi newid. Mae eiddew'n gorchuddio'r twr ac mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r arysgrifau Lladin wedi dirywio a diflannu am byth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llain-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_725010776569205ed8fcee.jpgLLAIN, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on LLAIN, Ceredigion 2016 Previously visit in the summer of 2010, Llain is little changed. The house was very difficult to photograph back then, due to summer foliage and dappled sunlight. The images taken were poor. It has been a constant reminder to return and amazingly it have taken this long. I know nothing about the house nor the previous occupants. The barns and outbuildings are still in agricultural use. The house it self seems not-too-bad, except for around the rear, half way up the staircase, the stone work has collapsed in to the building, which will soon rot the wood and staircase will collapse. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3626686.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7517644534abf4fb4333c5.jpgLITTLE POOL HALL, Llanvertherine, Monmouthshire 2009 Notes on LITTLE POOL HALL, Llanvertherine, Monmouthshire 2009 Nestled on a gradual decline adjacent to the Offa’s Dyke footpath Little Pool Hall is an untouched gem, untouched by time and equally blessed untouched by vandals. It contains those three essential elements ‘solitary, silent and old’. This medieval house was built sometime in the early 17th century. The bright and hot sun light that shone throughout my visit somehow betrayed the feeling of sadness I experienced whilst exploring the house. The front door was entirely impenetrable due to the summer foliage, however, the side and rear entrances were both wide open. Made up of two storeys and a very large loft are an array of original beams and staircases – bright patches of sunlight beamed through holes in the roof, weeds grew where the rain and light fell on floors. A complete mishmash of rooms on all three floors with beautiful narrow staircases winding in and out of rooms. The upper floors were precarious with holes in the floorboards. I did not venture up the loft – the staircase looked too dangerous and I could see the beams through holes in the ceiling. In bedrooms and bathrooms some traces of human inhabitancy: beds, bedpans, teapots, medicine bottles. Outside, a large barn with beautiful roof beams and also with breeze-block, corrugated iron, brick and every other building material: revealing repair throughout the centuries. A subliminal place and considering its beautiful and incredibly quiet location it is surprising that it has been left to rot for so long. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13052428074b48732630c61.jpg[/img] Barn at Little Pool Hall 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16604954674b4872c4751eb.jpg[/img] Barn at Little Pool Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/teifi-pools-ffair-rhos-ceredig https://images.on-this.website/7784_14434520724be65eb4cf66c.jpgTEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredig, Ffair-rhos, Ceredigion 1999 Notes on TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 1999 A long period without rain and the low water revealed dried and baked mud deposits, crusty when walked upon and full of bird prints and short cuts made by the sheep. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ffos-las-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10730935914c922f78ad719.jpgFFOS LAS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on FFOS LAS, Ceredigion 2010 A large house in a sorry state yet exquisitely positioned on the coast overlooking Cardigan Bay and the Irish Sea. Many outbuildings also ruinous. I had visited here a few years ago and since then some drainage pipes have been laid and some minor scaffoldiing to help support the interior. The interior is a mess with piles of freshly fallen stone sitting against crumbling walls, all with the daylight flooding in. There are also large cracks and holes throughout the structure and it must surely only lead to either total dereliction or a complete rebuild. The farm half a mile towards Morfa Bychan called Cwm Cierw has almost exactly the same layout, design and size of house and outbuildings. There is also evidence of Ffos Las having once been slate clad, at least on its facade. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4605721.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5958550134ba78bce3041d.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 201 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Sometimes I wonder why I do it to myself. After visiting the lamentable walls of Blaen Baglan I then drove towards home but stopped off at Neuadd Fawr. My first and only visit to Neuadd Fawr was on a still but very foggy November day in 1996. The countryside around the village of Cil-y-Cwm is quite beautiful and the road up the farm and mansion happily revealed that the lodge house, very derelict in 1996, had recently and considerately been restored. The same can not be said of the mansion. I was met by the owner / farmer and again, as I recall from my first visit some 14 years ago, was welcomed; amicable and friendly. He explained how his family had purchased the land around the farm and mansion at the turn of century. The house had come with the land and they did not have the 3 million perhaps required to restore the mansion and even if they did have the money, wouldn’t spend it restoring it. And who could blame their or anybodies reluctance, for the job at hand would be heading towards the immeasurable! Although the roof wavers it is intact and the outer walls all look structurally sound. Within, as so often the case, is a jumbled, chaotic mess as one would expect from a any house that has been left abandoned for 60 years. All the above floors have either collapsed or on the precipice. I was warned not enter. I was warned not to enter in 1996 too. I took heed. The photographs showing interior views were taken on the outside looking in. Although in such ramshackle details could be noted; fireplaces and ranges, panelling and plasterwork, built-in-cupboards and ornate grills. I purposely visited Neuadd Fawr before the spring and summer foliage all but obscured the classic Ionic cast iron pillars. Of course all rusting but up close they’re solid and feel indestructible. The façade and east side with lovely narrow balcony are beautifully proportioned with large lower floor windows. It become easy to imagine especially on such a beautiful early spring morning, that sitting in these rooms was lovely with light falling and filling even the dimmest and most sheltered of corners. To the north and rear of the house is a messy jumble of extensions, ruinous with some outer walls caved in. The rear is quite unkempt and messy but by this time, once again, I was totally captivated by the house ad estate. The marvellous twin door stable block was however a horrid shock. It had perhaps suffered more than the house, almost completely roofless, windows all broke and where had those lovely large twin doors gone? The weather was perfect but what I had chosen to photograph was devastating. The vast walled kitchen garden contained a few branchless fruit trees. I have seen pictures of the walled garden at Ruperra Castle – it was a beautiful sight – rows of vegetables carefully planted and monitored by the head gardener and his army of workers. Was Neuadd Fawr the same? Also, to the rear of the house, another walled garden, was this the formal garden? It is now just a field kept neat by grazing and curious sheep. A small summer dwelling is built within this garden (as well as a ‘ty bach’ / toilet). The farmer had spoken about CADW rejecting plans to converting the house into flats and only keeping the façade of house. Neuadd Fawr, listed grade II, can not be demolished but if no consolidation work is carried out it will eventually fall. Should CADW be more willing to compromise such examples? After two hours and using all the film I had with me, I stood staring at Neuadd Fawr. I stood still for about 10 minutes soaking up the warmth of the morning sun. It did not feel like this great house had reached its almost inevitable conclusion of total dereliction. It may have been the optimistic warmth from the sun and thawing me and the frozen ground or it could have been the un-afraid and watchful sheep whilst grazing, close by. It could have been the friendly welcome the owner gave me upon my approach or the peace I felt, the peace of that particular morning whilst walking around these particularly magnificent ruins. In those 10 slow minutes it felt like Neuadd Fawr could be, and would be, eventually saved from the brink of dereliction by the restorer of wealth and good taste. I hope I will be proved right. NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41493326.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18484855115f327178f135a.jpgGLYN DERI, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on GLYN DERI, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Just off the track, Glyn Deri is a slightly sorry site. A modern-ish looking bungalow most likely replaced an older dwelling, all ruinous and empty and abandoned. Signs saying ‘keep out’ on gateway and on house. It looked like the house was boarded up properly and I had no intention of entering but then noticed the front door was open a jar. I entered tentatively and immediately saw the back door opposite ends of the house was also wide open. Inside was a mess, one room the floor had fallen to the foundations (questioning whether this was indeed just a bungalow from the 60’s/70’s and not a renovated older house). Other rooms had bits of furniture, it seemed someone has even slept here at some point with a chair and a den formed with doors and other furniture. It might have given shelter for one night, better than sleeping outside, but hardly a nice place to rest your head; damp, musty, unloved. A few photographs were taken, all outside. The rear was inaccessible due to summer foliage as too a caravan barely visible within the bramble. Outbuildings had relatively recent sign of use but even these were mostly inaccessible. Once cleared of the mess and foliage, this site could easily be renovated back to a loving home once more. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4628037.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3925938694bacd738bd1bf.jpgTHE PULPIT, Empty St Matthews Church at Goginan, Ceredigion 2006 Notes on THE PULPIT, Empty St Matthews Church at Goginan, Ceredigion 2006 An empty church with a wooden floor has excellent acoustics. A small party had recently taken place – a few bottles of beer and disposable barbeque. The pulpit in a corner with an empty bottle of beer, as seen here, on the step was the only piece of furniture left. A careful, slow, quiet and simple exposure of around 30 minutes was made. Y PULPUD. Ealwvs Goainan. Ceredigion 2006 Ceir acwsteg bendigedig mewn eglwys wag a llawr pren. Roedd parti bach newydd gael ei gynnal - ambell i botel gwrw a barbeciw tafladwy. Safai'r pulpud yn y gomel, heb unrhyw gelfi ar ol arno ac eithrio potel wag o gwrw ar y grisiau, fel y gwelir yma. Defnyddiwyd dadleniad gofalus, araf, tawel a syml o tua deng munud ar hugain. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6220214.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8330553304c81dc350d995.jpgFFOS LAS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on FFOS LAS, Ceredigion 2010 A large house in a sorry state yet exquisitely positioned on the coast overlooking Cardigan Bay and the Irish Sea. Many outbuildings also ruinous. I had visited here a few years ago and since then some drainage pipes have been laid and some minor scaffoldiing to help support the interior. The interior is a mess with piles of freshly fallen stone sitting against crumbling walls, all with the daylight flooding in. There are also large cracks and holes throughout the structure and it must surely only lead to either total dereliction or a complete rebuild. The farm half a mile towards Morfa Bychan called Cwm Cierw has almost exactly the same layout, design and size of house and outbuildings. There is also evidence of Ffos Las having once been slate clad, at least on its facade. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22293851.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6537123085406c10d6ce71.jpgTY NEWYDD, Llanddeiniol, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY NEWYDD, Llanddeiniol, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage renovated some time I imagine in 1980's but now ruined and open to the elements. Inside lots of skeletons of birds of prey - too large to be anything other - with wings and feathers attached - all strange and sad. The staircase was gone, no access to upper floor but on tip-toe could see nothing but dust and bird-droppings. The cottage is a shell and a shame to see such waste. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/river-rheidol-ox-bow-lakes https://images.on-this.website/7784_17440740794b93588791d48.jpgRIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on RIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2009 Taken in January 2009 the winter sun light was soft and low in the sky and reflected upon the crusted muddy surfaces. Into The Murky Depths We Tread I came upon these wetland areas whilst cycling home one summers evening. Wetland areas are essential, basically untouched, and serve as irrigation and to filter pollution. The fact that no ones seems to bother to explore them due to their dampness and seemingly unfriendly environment, also allows them to be rich in wildlife. From the road that leads to Cwm Rheidol (about 8 miles from Aberystwyth) entrance through the undergrowth seems almost impossible and impenetrable. When the sun is low, bright splashes of sun light flicker through the thicket and reveal openings. Ducking under the thicket and forcing your way through, and once in amongst the deep mud and dankness, a whole new world is revealed; jungle-like and heavily branched areas, rich in photographic pickings and in some ways universal. These sorts of geographic landscapes are not typical or localised to any one part of the country. If you travel by train anywhere you always pass these oft ignored areas. They can not be built on because the land is unstable, no one walks through them, due to their (supposed) unpleasantness but once you’ve broken through their barriers of branches you enter a world with it’s own micro-atmosphere. The photographs were taken on either Ilford FP4 or Delta 100 5x4inch sheet film using a Wista camera and either a 90mm super-angulon or 135mm symmar lenses. Exposures on a grey day at F22 usually hovered around the 16 second mark and when photographing in sun light at about 1 second. My boots, trouser legs and the tripod feet were covered in thick, dark mud and although the going was slow, the actual area of these wetlands is perhaps only an acre or two in size. I’ve visited and photographed only three or four times but each time the tranquillity and ever changing photographic opportunities due to the water level rising and falling, the ever evolving process of woodlands – new saplings appearing and older trees uprooting - means visiting here has become a constant source of pleasure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/aberthaw-lime-works-vale-of https://images.on-this.website/7784_1130139825f32717747bc8.jpgABERTHAW LIME WORKS, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Notes on ABERTHAW LIME WORKS, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Now restored as a controlled ruin Aberthaw is still a worthwhile visit - the tall walls overlook the sea. The following is taken from Wikipedia: Aberthaw Lime Works is a derelict structure, located on the South Wales coast, between Fontygary Bay and Aberthaw Power Station. The structure is a Grade II Listed Building. The structure is considered a listed building because it is a well preserved structure from an important regional industry. The Aberthaw Lime Works was opened on 22 December 1888, by the Aberthaw Pebble Limestone Company. It was built to utilise the huge number of Limestone Pebbles that had previously been taken inland or been moved by boat. The Lime Works operated until 1926. The Lime works brought a new scale of working to the lime industry which was really just a cottage industry in the area previously. The local limestone and brick structure is still largely intact, although it is missing most of its wooden components. It contains 2 vertical pot draw kilns each holding up to 300 tons each, which could produce up to 40 tons of burnt lime a day. Next to the main structure, there are 2 pot kilns which are also largely intact. These Kilns were built later than the main structure, but also ceased operation in 1926. The lime works were originally served by a tramway, which ran from the direction of Rhoose (east of the lime works). It passed either side of the now demolished winch house. A tramway ramp (again demolished) allowed carts containing pebbles between 3 & 4 inches (100 mm) in diameter to be conveyed to the top of the works and then into the kilns. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23584010.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_127094444454e9aec8eea45.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 A return and a successful visit - so oft times a return visit can wield disappointing results. I came here solely to photograph the abstractions - walls I'd visited a few times before but not for a good few years - around four as it happens. Much to my surprise the railway line and platform had been cleared from the forty years worth of trees and foliage. How sweet it would be if this place, indeed the whole Carmarthen to Aberystwyth railway line, could be reinstated - apparently at a cost of £650 million (so sadly seems unlikely). The milkery is not in such a bad condition considering it has sat idle for forty years. The thick lead paint has begun to beautifully peel and therefore it's too much of a temptation for me to ignore! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40573391.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_994296845de573f0ba283.jpgKINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 Notes on KINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 I parked the car at the hamlet of Llanddewi, beside the road, a cloudy damp day. I walked passed the tiny and attractive church of St David's and along the bridle-path. The tarmac track soon comes to a gated track and to the right the large farmhouse of 'New Hen-Llys farm'. The track from the farm to (old) 'Hen-Llys' is only passable with wellingtons and at that, barely. The divots of years of tyre tread are around a foot deep but that said it has rained a lot recently. I made my way, waddling through the puddles, disturbing the clear water and occasionally trying the banks to see if the mud was easier to navigate than the water. It wasn't. To a gated field, footpath marker, a large field full of sheep and cows - all ignored me, the grass wet and slippery, more mud, more puddles. Another gate, narrow path between two fields more mud, bicycle tread marks, people do come this way and then another gate, stone track and finally to the ruins of Kingshall farm. A large L-shaped farmhouse, built on a square site, a wall completing the L-shape to create a square. Long ruinous, roofless, door-less and window-less, lintels in place, bits of metal laying around, farm plastic sacks, little sign of care. Nonetheless a nice site, sheltered due to trees, a small stream, two pig sty's, the track running alongside the house. Time to breathe here. Set up the camera. A light aircraft overhead. It circles almost directly above me and then disappears over the horizon. I'd had an argument with my partner in the morning. The walk a tonic. The struggle through puddles and mud were the mild hardship, the conversations re-lived, altered, talking to myself, making logic of my actions, trying not to disregard hers. Keeping a level head. I set up the camera and about to take the first image. I think the unseen plane is a tractor engine, the phone rings, I normally have it on silent, I need to take this picture. It's only a plane, not a tractor. I'm not trespassing but neither am I in the mood for conversation. A picture is made. The phone rings again. I don't want to speak. I compose and take another photograph. The plane returns, the phone rings. I ignore both. Both stop and there is silence but there's another sound that I can't quite work out what it is: a low engine murmur almost like birds. It stops and then I see the cloud of starlings rise above me. I take more pictures, nothing spectacular but document the farm as I see fit. When I finish I phone my partner back. She isn't impressed. I can't say I blame her but sometimes we need to stick by our decisions even if they're not right. I walk back the way I came. I had wanted to explore further - to another ruin but it is already 3pm and the dim day is becoming darker. I also haven't eaten or drank anything all day and I feel upset in body and mind. I stop at Hen Llys farm on the way back. It is not ruinous but neither is it lived in. Rendered, single glazed, a long house of sorts - around the rear a pond - probably modern and often frequented by cattle. I make a few exposures, viewpoints are few, the house looks sorry for itself rather than on the verge of dereliction. My phone is ringing again. Too many short and angry phone calls. Everyone argues. Little solace. I think my partner would not have enjoyed this walk anyway. It's been too long, too muddy, too wet. I finish my photographs again and phone her back. Do I love her? Yes, I love her. Not that she has asked me and not that I have told her. That is what it boils down to, mostly. Everything else in this argument is shrapnel and some of it hurts, some of it misses the mark. I have made my peace with myself. The power of walking with the added bonus of a ruin. I do wonder how it is to live with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/chapel-and-chapel-house-bethania https://images.on-this.website/7784_4029393844c9104a137d49.jpgCHAPEL AND CHAPEL HOUSE, Bethania, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CHAPEL AND CHAPEL HOUSE, Bethania, Ceredigion 2010 An impromptu visit and accompanied by a former resident of the Chapel House and who spent most of their childhood there. The house has sadly fallen into disrepair and is reaching the state when some fundamental maintenance work must be carried out. For my companion memories came flooding: …a cold house; an outside ty bach; the vicar after Sunday sermon would call for tea and cake and would often fall asleep in front of the open fire; the children’s’ parties in the graveyard, playing hide and seek behind the grave stones; the narrow patch of land around the car park cultivated for garden use. Her recollections gave the house a human background that many of the properties I have visited have lacked. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32838500.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_137677282959ba19ddf38bc.jpgHENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on HENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Belonging to Swansea University and currently for sale. I have not entered Hendrefiolan but have seen images taken inside by an urban explorer and as expected the building has lost its sense of a domestic dwelling. This is a shame but inevitable whenever a private property is sold to a municipal or academic establishment. Outside tells a different story. The house looks to be in decent condition. Some of the stained glass windows were smashed by vandals a while ago, these windows are now boarded up. There was other prefab type buildings built beside the house but these have been demolished -a large concrete platform is all that remains. The rear of the house is also looking good, perhaps a little forlorn but hopefully the house will soon be sold. My visit was a short one, perhaps an hour or so. Satisfying viewpoints were scarce and this may have encouraged me to take more photographs then I would normally have done, in some vain attempt to capture the house in its true glory with atmosphere to boot! I more or less failed, a few images are satisfactory, but I feel I missed a trick here but perhaps a second visit will rectify this. The stables are currently used as a library. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mynachlog-fawr-ystrad-fflur-pontrhydyfendigaid https://images.on-this.website/7784_5048358804d2c14382c68e.jpgMYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on MYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 (Also known as Great Abbey Farm, Strata Florida). A large house, grade 2 listed (in 1963), nestled in a farming complex and besides the ruined abbey of Strata Florida. The road that runs through the yard is a relatively recent addition and will be, once the house has been restored, re-directed around the barns. Lampeter University have recently purchased the house with plans of consolidation work in process. The house itself seems to be in a good condition but looking a little sorry for itself. The rear roof seems to have been re-roofed recently. The small building on the right hand side was once the kitchen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9590540.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1759252994db16c5610c10.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 A late afternoon re-visit to Neuadd Fawr. As ever a subliminal experience. Neuadd Fawr's size and ruinous state can only impress the casual or eager explorer. The outer walls seem impressively solid but within there is little semblance of rooms nor indeed what those rooms functions once were. This house is a sad sight. It's sheer enormity and dereliction begs so many questions that can be answered simply by oneself: it is too large, too derelict, too far gone to be salvaged. The stable block is also totally ruinous but other outbuildings; stables, diary, kennels are all in a good condition. I do not know if any further trips will be made to Neuadd Fawr. Whenever I have left I have always felt I've missed something, some perfect composition. I have dreamed of this house, wandering through rooms and even photographing parts of it that do not exist. I have photographed it extensively, something I never set out to do (why take fifty photographs when only two or three should suffice?) and perhaps it's this over-exposure and ease of photographic opportunties that is the cause of me feeling I've missed something. Perhaps I expect too much. Perhaps I seek those atmospherics I experienced in my dreams, those atmospherics that do not actually exist. I think for me I should allow Neuadd Fawr to drift away from my consciousness for a good number of years. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/fwng-uchaf-rhandirmwyn-carmarthenshire-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_369906294f341b81ab0fa.jpgFWNG UCHAF, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on FWNG UCHAF, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 With only one sheet of film left I chose the rear of this house to photograph. The frontage is a typical Welsh farmhouse and is painted pink - albeit a much faded pink. The house sits in Frestry Commission land. I am uncertain if owned by the Forestry Commission. It is not ruined, it has been carefully boarded up using metal boards over the already existing wooden boards. It is in a relatively good condition. A holiday home? Or perhaps the Forestry Commission are uncertain what to do with it. Fwng Isaf stands in ruin beside the entrance of the forestry https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8265876.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_238041584d2ea4d500ba5.jpgTY CANOL, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on TY CANOL, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Before you reach the ruined farmstead of Garreglwyd and about 100 foot above the path, there stands the small but well-built farmhouse of Ty Canol. There is a track leading up to the house but few traces of this track remain and gives the impression that this house was built in the 'middle of nowhere' with fantastic views of 'nowhere'. It is true, there are great views from this ruin and it is also true that this was once a secluded spot. The barn attached give an impression of a longhouse but with further inspection it is revealed that it is actually just built very close to the house. Although the house is obviously roofless it remains, to my eye, in a structurally sound condition. The wind blows hard up here (as I discovered) and the seasons can be harsh thus proving the workmanship in building such a house. An excellent account of the builder and owner of Ty Canol can be found at www.hanesybont.co.uk. I made a number of exposures here. I had visited before, some time in 2002, mid-summer on a stifling hot day. Today was much different and due to the wind blowing so hard and rocking the tripod and camera I was forced to compromise with the aperture and shutter speed of my lens so not to cause camera shake and render these images worthless. Like many of these mountian farms, Ty Canol was part of the Nanteos Estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24522059.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3334746845575d788737b8.jpgTRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Not a far walk from the road but a damp one, and fortunately for me between very heavy spring showers. Triael was once a large farmstead, numerous outbuildings mostly in poor state of disrepair, the house itself, barely recognisable except for a brick chimney and some wooden shelves in an alcove, miraculously surviving when the walls have all but fallen into a pile of rubble. Nice pair of circular stone pillars fronting barn. I have come across a number of such pillars and they're always a pleasant surprise when often times the Welsh farmhouse in Ceredigion is practical build rather than aesthetic one. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tyngraig-devils-bridge-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10507907574ca6216e4ec88.jpgTYNGRAIG, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on TYNGRAIG, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2010 Sitting above the small stream 'Nant y Fawnog' and have thus named the house Fawnog. (Thanks to all of those who emailed in to say this house is call 'Tyngraig'). Recently unroofed and within signs of fire. This tiny cottage is barely visible from the Devil's Bridge to Aberystwyth road. Curious sheep watched and bleated loudly. I made a few exposures and left this small, peaceful cottage to its inevitable collapse. Demolished early 2011. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8208856.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3810933974d296e95d651f.jpgPENGLAIS FACH, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PENGLAIS FACH, Ceredigion 2010 A ruined farmhouse and barns on the golf course in Aberystwyth overlooking the Irish Sea. I have been contacted by various people if I knew about this house. It stands completely isolated in the centre of the golf course, not even boarded up or fenced off. Inside doors hang off hinges, windows smashed with ivy pouring in, the floors covered in debris, internal walls with huge holes, wallpaper hanging off revealing brightly covered walls beneath. All quite depressing and will probably be set alight one day by the visits from nightly youths who come to sit around the 1950's fireplace and drink beer. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/industrial-faade-shoreham-east-sussex https://images.on-this.website/7784_9788576694c185da2289ad.jpgINDUSTRIAL FAÇADE, Shoreham, East Sussex 2007 Notes on INDUSTRIAL FAÇADE, Shoreham, East Sussex 2007 AN EXHIBITION OF BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS SHOWING ARCHITECTURE IN BRIGHTON & HOVE: These photographs document buildings around the Brighton and Hove area, some forgotten, some overlooked, whilst others dim in our memories. This exhibition will hopefully remind people that there are many fine buildings in this small but built up area. I have tried to avoid the much-documented Regency and Victorian architecture and instead focussed on the commercial, industrial, municipal and religious buildings. These images act as both a simple documental record and as a personal appreciation, which hopefully evokes some emotional response from the viewer. I have attempted wherever possible to photograph a building showing only its façade, isolated from its surroundings to give some suggestion of what the initial architectural drawings must have looked like. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13460855.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1647390644eb63fcf2ec4f.jpgPEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2008 Notes on PEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2008 I worked as a postman in Hove between 2008 - 2010 and i walked passed this wall every day on my 'round'. It became a friend in some ways just a tree might become a friend on a familiar walk. Sometimes i give it an acknowledging nod, other times i'd pass it by without a word. Between 2005 and 2010 I have lived in Brighton, with many and as frequent as possible trips to Wales to photograph mansions and landscape. During my time in Brighton I have on some level felt somewhat starved from the open land that mid Wales has in abundance and, therefore, also photographing. I have however all but completed a project of Brighton architecture, architecture that I found pleasing to my eye rather than follow any strict period or style, and these images were exhibited at Brighton Museum in the winter of 2008/2009. I have also photographed abstractions found anywhere from walls in busy streets or in empty buildings. I do not necessarily consider my Brighton abstractions wholly successful but have included them here because although I do not consider them on a par with earlier abstractions they must somehow, hopefully, offer some personal progression in this chosen field. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9231300.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3792156414d92bf45199ad.jpgLLETHR, Bawdy, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on LLETHR, Bawdy, Pembrokeshire 2011 A large farmhouse, grade 2 listed and falling into an ever perilous condition. My visit was a dissappointing one. I had set up the camera when the side door of the house had opened, much to my surprise, and someone came out. Someone lives in the lower part of the house. When I asked the owner, who lives in a bungalow on the site, whether I could take a few photographs, he asked me, without doubt, to leave. I left. These few images were taken using a digital compact camera and nonetheless give a fair impression of Llethr. Many of the outbuildings have been converted into dwellings. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13426333.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20045461744eaf9ca6f3035.jpgMAES Y BEUDY, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on MAES Y BEUDY, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2011 Walking along the stone lined path to Maes y beudy on this windy afternoon it becomes something other than another path to another ruin. The wind blows the trees in a slow motion, with the branches swaying in a harmonious union with the westerly wind. The outside walls of Maes y beudy look unremarkable and modern but behind these rendered and grey walls there lays a small and lovely peasant longhouse – the windows are all irregular and the rooms within are small but strangely numerous! Once the house and outbuildings explored I ventured around the rear of the property, a small orchard with rotting fruit, and an open window, large and no longer protecting the house and judging by the mess within has not protected this lovely little cottage for many a year. Inside is a mess. The house was obviously abandoned with its contents in place. A calendar with the date March 1983 lay in the living room. Was this when Maes y beudy was abandoned? Possibly. The furniture inside is all stripped from its panelling, its drawers or chairs stripped from their coverings. A tiny, tiny kitchen filled with pots, pans and unrecognizable tins and slug eaten packaging. The upstairs filled with clothing, bundled into damp and rotting masses. The floorboards are beginning to rot due to small holes letting the water in through the roof. The fireplaces have been ripped out, books are strewn, carpets like sponge, mattresses soggy and a mould, dampness filling the rooms, the air, the walls and all their contents. I tread with care, set the camera up and expose film. Long exposures of around 16 minutes allow me to unravel the nervousness of entering dangerous and empty properties. 16 minutes is long enough to alter ones opinion of a house. Maes y beudy is a lovely little property in a beautiful location with views of the church and hamlet of Ysbyty Ystwyth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4958778.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14957028414be661fb42a60.jpgPEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2008 Notes on PEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2008 I worked as a postman in Hove between 2008 - 2010 and i walked passed this wall every day on my 'round'. It became a friend in some ways just a tree might become a friend on a familiar walk. Sometimes i give it an acknowledging nod, other times i'd pass it by without a word. Between 2005 and 2010 I have lived in Brighton, with many and as frequent as possible trips to Wales to photograph mansions and landscape. During my time in Brighton I have on some level felt somewhat starved from the open land that mid Wales has in abundance and, therefore, also photographing. I have however all but completed a project of Brighton architecture, architecture that I found pleasing to my eye rather than follow any strict period or style, and these images were exhibited at Brighton Museum in the winter of 2008/2009. I have also photographed abstractions found anywhere from walls in busy streets or in empty buildings. I do not necessarily consider my Brighton abstractions wholly successful but have included them here because although I do not consider them on a par with earlier abstractions they must somehow, hopefully, offer some personal progression in this chosen field. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8387348.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5974522514d3daec176746.jpgCAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2011 The day after, a day of, constant and heavy rain. Caermeirch is a damp place on the driest of summer days. Water pumps out from the ground. Patches of land in front and to the side of the house are large puddles, deep enough to warrant wellingtons. The house itself has been empty, by my reckoning, for at least twenty years. I once slept in the front room, 10 years ago, cold on the slate floor wrapped in a sleeping bag and having dreams of crows flying down the chimney and filling the room with dark shadows of winds beating at breakneck speed. The walls are damp inside. Flag stone floors are cold to the touch. Various bits of debris fill the downstairs rooms; jam jars, coils of barbed wire, boxes and the kitchen filled with old kettles, pots and pans. Upstairs the three bedrooms are littered with worn, moth-eaten clothing, empty bottles of pills and medicines. Outbuildings are plentiful and are in various states; some in use, some with holes in the roof; some repaired whilst others let in the rain. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8244988.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_571130734d2c14444d704.jpgMYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on MYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 (Also known as Great Abbey Farm, Strata Florida). A large house, grade 2 listed (in 1963), nestled in a farming complex and besides the ruined abbey of Strata Florida. The road that runs through the yard is a relatively recent addition and will be, once the house has been restored, re-directed around the barns. Lampeter University have recently purchased the house with plans of consolidation work in process. The house itself seems to be in a good condition but looking a little sorry for itself. The rear roof seems to have been re-roofed recently. The small building on the right hand side was once the kitchen. Barns are from the mid-19th century. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9590548.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14273332324db16c5a256a4.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 A late afternoon re-visit to Neuadd Fawr. As ever a subliminal experience. Neuadd Fawr's size and ruinous state can only impress the casual or eager explorer. The outer walls seem impressively solid but within there is little semblance of rooms nor indeed what those rooms functions once were. This house is a sad sight. It's sheer enormity and dereliction begs so many questions that can be answered simply by oneself: it is too large, too derelict, too far gone to be salvaged. The stable block is also totally ruinous but other outbuildings; stables, diary, kennels are all in a good condition. I do not know if any further trips will be made to Neuadd Fawr. Whenever I have left I have always felt I've missed something, some perfect composition. I have dreamed of this house, wandering through rooms and even photographing parts of it that do not exist. I have photographed it extensively, something I never set out to do (why take fifty photographs when only two or three should suffice?) and perhaps it's this over-exposure and ease of photographic opportunties that is the cause of me feeling I've missed something. Perhaps I expect too much. Perhaps I seek those atmospherics I experienced in my dreams, those atmospherics that do not actually exist. I think for me I should allow Neuadd Fawr to drift away from my consciousness for a good number of years. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img351 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1012042057536e57ff3648a.jpgMAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on OUTBUILDING AT MAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Thanks to Luke Thomas who emailed to tell me about this property. Luke mentioned that the farm was once was one of the better when his grandmother was alive (whom delivered newspapers there). He also mentioned 'she told me the tenants retired and the son became a Dr to the Queen and the buildings became abandoned and derelict over time'. At the entrance there's a new gate, with cast within the name Maes Gwenllian. An odd thing for a ruin. The path then wends long for quarter of a mile and to the outbuildings, all ruinous and to the house itself - the façade all but covered in low hanging branches. The roof collapsed, the floors within much the same, few remnants remain and the cows have made the wandering around a very messy and muddy affair. Of course I wear my wellington boots and almost loose them if I stand still for too long. A few pleasing exposures were made, the first for a while, long exposures of around four minutes, enough to note the tranquillity and clean air. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img467 https://images.on-this.website/7784_155477653153b3ae4b772ae.jpgMAES-LLYN, Bethania, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on MAES-LLYN, Bethania, Ceredigion 2014 Small and wonderful cottage, with porch afterthought giving an already odd looking cottage, an even stranger appearance. Just north of lake Eiddwen. The door was open and I entered. I checked two room and then heard a noise coming from the third. A ewe and its lamb stood watching me, ready to pounce. I stepped back and off they went, legs flying, full panic mode. Inside was sheep muck and little else. The staircase was broken and upstairs inaccessible. I went back outside and took a few photographs. I returned back inside after ten minutes and somehow the two sheep had found a way back in without me noticing. Again, they fled and no doubt waited for me to leave again. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789121.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10660133044bcaac66c6fb7.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 This image shows a pub sign with a large crack in the centre. Taken in Nottingham city centre one could say it illustrates how plentiful such abstractions are in city centre’s throughout the UK. The centre black mass, although just a black hole, becomes itself a physical form and this ‘nothing’ area becomes the most influential part of the photograph. In 1995 I moved to Nottingham to study photography at Nottingham Trent University. For the next three years I almost solely photographed walls (with a few trips to Wales photographing mansions). Nottingham proved to be a city with rich photographic pickings providing many dirty walls with fragments of posters and peeling paint. Many of these images were taken in Forest Fields, St Annes, Radford and along Mansfield Road. Inspired by the work of Aaron Siskind. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4953022.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1136311624be513ce617a9.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/aberpergwm-glyn-neath-west-glamorgan https://images.on-this.website/7784_5265727564982a059ddf2f.jpgABERPERGWM, Glyn Neath, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on ABERPERGWM, Glyn Neath, West Glamorgan 1997 I recently visited this house (build 1560 on a former site) again and was shocked by what I saw. So much had fallen in just 6 years. This property, still owned by the Coal Board, lies beside a housing estate and with no security and with public footpaths circling the house, is an easy target for vandals. Very little remains and what does is all but invisible in the undergrowth. Much vandalised and surprisingly, considering its state and location, yet to be demolished, but it can only be a matter of time. A fine wooden door/gateway lies in a pile with bramble coils wrapping themselves around the rotten joins and two medieval windows in the 1980's were discovered in the collapsing masonry. For further information on Aberpergwm a good starting point would be the excellent book by Elizabeth F. Belcham 'About Aberpergwm : the home of the Williams family in the Vale of Neath, Glamorgan'. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1613994104b652b1087326.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7027307804b652af59d2ef.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6571323394b652b3076e06.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9783296354b652adb1e718.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13083728.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5957024694e86a53696810.jpgESGAIR FFOSFUDR, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ESGAIR FFOSFUDR, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2011 A mile or so from Bwlchystyllen (see previous property) stands, albeit oddly positioned deep within a bank, Esgair Ffosfudr. Barely. A small stream ran not six feet from the front door and has obviously become blocked under the long grass. It bubbles over, running in front of the entrance and into the outbuildings. The ground around the house is sodden with foot and equipment sinking under their own weight. The far wall of the house, as seen here, as collapsed, revealing the upstairs bedroom with a cast iron bed still in situ. All very damp and I imagine this was once a much loved, much cared for, small-holding – now on the brink of total collapse. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32838494.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_105268626759ba197a6e7eb.jpgHENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on HENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Belonging to Swansea University and currently for sale. I have not entered Hendrefiolan but have seen images taken inside by an urban explorer and as expected the building has lost its sense of a domestic dwelling. This is a shame but inevitable whenever a private property is sold to a municipal or academic establishment. Outside tells a different story. The house looks to be in decent condition. Some of the stained glass windows were smashed by vandals a while ago, these windows are now boarded up. There was other prefab type buildings built beside the house but these have been demolished -a large concrete platform is all that remains. The rear of the house is also looking good, perhaps a little forlorn but hopefully the house will soon be sold. My visit was a short one, perhaps an hour or so. Satisfying viewpoints were scarce and this may have encouraged me to take more photographs then I would normally have done, in some vain attempt to capture the house in its true glory with atmosphere to boot! I more or less failed, a few images are satisfactory, but I feel I missed a trick here but perhaps a second visit will rectify this. The stables are currently used as a library. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo21673168.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17559100053b8f347a03c2.jpgHENGWM HOUSE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on HENGWM HOUSE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 I do not know how many more farmhouses there are to discover in Ceredigion but I expect a very good many. Each have their own pleasures, their own individual nuances and each have their own memories etched into my life. This lovely little property is hidden away and I can only guess, been empty for many a long year. Only a few exposures were made, maybe I could have taken more, but four seemed the maximum necessary. The morning had changed from cloudless skies to overcast, a few minutes after the visit the clouds did indeed release their outpour and I took much comfort walking away knowing that I had captured a few simple exposures. There is no great skill in taking photographs. I merely put the camera on a tripod, focus and make the exposure. My visit here was brief, maybe fifteen minutes, and I was on my way again. Yet, by the same token, although brief, I only need to view these images to recall a whole host of feelings and therefore emotions. The simple act of photography can be seen as a useful tool for keeping our memories alive. I did not venture inside the house but peering through the windows I saw it had been used as storage for small bits of farm machinery and tools. I wonder, as ever, who lived here? A large hole was beginning to appear rear of house where the wall had crumbled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3626470.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21193974584abf47464546f.jpgGWDIG / GOODIG, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on GWDIG / GOODIG, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire 2009 Once again an early 4am start, leaving my house at Cwmystwyth and driving south through Lampeter and beyond Carmarthen towards Llanelli. I had driven by Gwdig a few times before. It stands solemn but in a great location, high on a hillside overlooking Burry Port and the Burry Estuary. Even from below on the main road to Llanelli it is apparent the house is both large and derelict. The hand painted word ‘HOTEL’ stands loudly on its decrepit walls. It is uncertain when built but a date stone was found on a front wall dated 1701 (although this is thought to be when it was restored or re-built – a house stood at this location before then). See http://www.llanelli-history.co.uk/houses_goodig.htm for further information. Up close the house is in a very sad state of disrepair. The upper floors have all collapsed with the staircase a chaotic mess of wood. Some wooden panelling on the walls can be seen, oddly appearing in good order in amongst the mess and disarray within. There are also wooden shutters on the window frames and some panes in tact though mostly broken. It was still relatively dark when I set the camera up and the first few exposures were taken before sunrise. Long exposures of around 16 minutes were used and these give the images a stillness that equals to the calmness of this fine Indian summer morning. As the light began to creep across the house and the darkness faded, the shadows began to be less deep, the birds began their daily chorus and one could not help but be moved by the sorrowful pile that this house had become. Originally a farm, then enlarged to four storeys and considered a ‘Plas’. It was used as a hotel but burnt down in the 1980’s and has remained derelict ever since. There is the usual collection of disused farm machinery lying redundant and rusting and appears untouched by the vandal. Outbuildings are all ruined with empty caravans, cars and an empty lodge(?) near to the main house with similar false beams. It is currently unlisted but was once a fine looking house but since little is known or cared about I can only imagine that Gwdig will eventually be demolished or will just collapse on its own accord in the passing years. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7574575044b3e31611b511.jpg[/img] Gwdig at sun up 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7769223174b3e31ad4c58e.jpg[/img] Gwdig 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2556080844b3e31eb742c0.jpg[/img] Gwdig at sun rise 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3016403604b3e3234d27dc.jpg[/img] Gwdig 2009 GWDIG / GOODIG. Porth Tywyn, Sir Gaerfyrddin 2009 Saif Gwdig yn ddwys ddifrif mewn ileoliad gwych, fry ar ben bryn uwchben Porth Tywyn ac aber Afon Llwchwr. Hyd yn oed o'r ffordd fawr i Lanelli mae'n amlwg bod y ty'n fawr ac yn anghyfannedd. Mae'r gair 'HOTEL' wedi ei beintio a Haw mewn llythrennau mawr ar ei waliau adfeiliedig. Ni wyddys pryd y cafodd ei godi ond darganfuwyd carreg ar un o'r waliau a'r dyddiad 1701 ami (er y credir mai'r dyddiad y cafodd ei adfer neu'i ailgodi yw hwn - arferai ty sefyll yn y safle hwn cyn hynny). Yn agos mae'n amlwg bod y ty mewn cyflwr truenus. Mae'r lloriau uchaf wedi mynd a'u pen iddynt ac mae'r grisiau'n llanast anniben o bren. Mae rhai o'r panelau pren i'w gweld ar y waliau o hyd, ac yn rhyfedd ddigon maent mewn cyflwr da yng nghanol y llanast a'r anhrefn sydd y tu mewn i'r ty. Mae caeadau pren ar y ffenestri, y rhan fwyaf ohonynt wedi torri. Llosgwyd y ty'n ulw yn y 1980au ac mae wedi bod yn wag ers hynny. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8100866.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16937292544d14f0638b802.jpgWOODEN BARN, Elan Valley, Rhadnorshire 2010 Notes on WOODEN BARN, Elan Valley, Rhadnorshire 2010 Standing above and with great views of the Penygarreg Reservoir and Dam this small collection of buildings, mainly stone and this long wooden barn, sit nestled in a small hollow. I was uncertain if one of the stone buildings that stand adjacent to this wooden barn was infact once a cottage. I could however make out no chimney and I would presume any dwelling, even if just a shephards dwelling would have a chimney. As you can see in this photograph the roof has caved in with all the small slates still attached. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34374849.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4595918445abb9bd3f3933.jpgGELLI GALED, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on GELLI GALED, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Six years since my last visit and the roof has fallen into the house. The outbuildings have all fared little better. It will not be long before the whole site is little more than a large pile of rocks. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29922950.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_28470229058592aa3047e0.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8265872.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5866744964d2ea4cbe0974.jpgTY CANOL, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on TY CANOL, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Before you reach the ruined farmstead of Garreglwyd and about 100 foot above the path, there stands the small but well-built farmhouse of Ty Canol. There is a track leading up to the house but few traces of this track remain and gives the impression that this house was built in the 'middle of nowhere' with fantastic views of 'nowhere'. It is true, there are great views from this ruin and it is also true that this was once a secluded spot. The barn attached give an impression of a longhouse but with further inspection it is revealed that it is actually just built very close to the house. Although the house is obviously roofless it remains, to my eye, in a structurally sound condition. The wind blows hard up here (as I discovered) and the seasons can be harsh thus proving the workmanship in building such a house. An excellent account of the builder and owner of Ty Canol can be found at www.hanesybont.co.uk. I made a number of exposures here. I had visited before, some time in 2002, mid-summer on a stifling hot day. Today was much different and due to the wind blowing so hard and rocking the tripod and camera I was forced to compromise with the aperture and shutter speed of my lens so not to cause camera shake and render these images worthless. Like many of these mountian farms, Ty Canol was part of the Nanteos Estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8054382.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1229845394d0db9f8d340b.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 2010 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tai-unos-pontrhydyfendigaid-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9214743604ea25b92e734b.jpgPEN-CWM (TY-UNNOS), Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN-CWM (TY-UNNOS), Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not kow the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2! As you can see both are very similar in design and also in their ruinous state. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32838497.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_101907690459ba19a87a8c2.jpgHENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on HENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Belonging to Swansea University and currently for sale. I have not entered Hendrefiolan but have seen images taken inside by an urban explorer and as expected the building has lost its sense of a domestic dwelling. This is a shame but inevitable whenever a private property is sold to a municipal or academic establishment. Outside tells a different story. The house looks to be in decent condition. Some of the stained glass windows were smashed by vandals a while ago, these windows are now boarded up. There was other prefab type buildings built beside the house but these have been demolished -a large concrete platform is all that remains. The rear of the house is also looking good, perhaps a little forlorn but hopefully the house will soon be sold. My visit was a short one, perhaps an hour or so. Satisfying viewpoints were scarce and this may have encouraged me to take more photographs then I would normally have done, in some vain attempt to capture the house in its true glory with atmosphere to boot! I more or less failed, a few images are satisfactory, but I feel I missed a trick here but perhaps a second visit will rectify this. The stables are currently used as a library. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23266537.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18472177815495d188d423d.jpgHAFOD, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on HAFOD, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2014 I sometimes drive passed Hafod on my way to work and since it had been five years since my last visit and the dashes of view between the foliage showed the house and grounds looking overgrown I decided to stop early one December morning. The ground was frozen hard, the air cold and blue-like. The brambles and weeds were higher than eye level and the post-box was brimming with damp, slug eaten, weather-eaten mail. Restoration had stopped. The house though was still in a very good state and one can hope that the owners are planning to return soon. Hafod is, for me, an odd house. Its three storey's are not as imposing as one may think and it feels like its trying to be something it's not. I think it may also be fair to say that its location is all a little closed in and overgrown. Perhaps this is unjust and once the foliage is cut back, the lawn restored, it could make a lovely family home. I hope so. I took a few exposures before sun-up and was pleased to get back to the car and made my way to work. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img468 https://images.on-this.website/7784_149650409853b3ae6ee5216.jpgMAES-LLYN, Bethania, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on MAES-LLYN, Bethania, Ceredigion 2014 Small and wonderful cottage, with porch afterthought giving an already odd looking cottage, an even stranger appearance. Just north of lake Eiddwen. The door was open and I entered. I checked two room and then heard a noise coming from the third. A ewe and its lamb stood watching me, ready to pounce. I stepped back and off they went, legs flying, full panic mode. Inside was sheep muck and little else. The staircase was broken and upstairs inaccessible. I went back outside and took a few photographs. I returned back inside after ten minutes and somehow the two sheep had found a way back in without me noticing. Again, they fled and no doubt waited for me to leave again. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/fen-onwyn-bont-newydd-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_11514802184cb53fe40ef83.jpgFEN ONWYN, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on FEN ONWYN, Ceredigion 2010 First impressions can be misleading but the overwhelming feeling I experienced on this cold September day was one of bleakness and unkind of spirit. It does lay empty although it seems as if some consolidation work has been done on the ground around the house. The house itself doesn’t look like it’s in too bad of condition. There are no large holes in the roof, peering through the windows it doesn’t look too damp. A rear window was unlocked and swung open with ease but I declined the offer to enter and explore within. Various remnants of the previous occupy littered the house, grounds and outbuildings. Two motorbikes rusting, a wheelchair, computers, video players and an outbuilding revealing, once you open the heavily carpet acting as a door, a peculiar array of useless, once useful, items. On the front window sill a beer bottle with its bottom half filled with stale beer and the top half filled with flies. Perhaps it comes as no surprise by the unfriendly aura I experienced at this house. It is beautifully located with good views and will, one day soon, hopefully be rescued from dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23523869.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_133369849554dc4f913c228.jpgTRAFLE UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRAFLE UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Thank you to Barry Parks for telling me about this house - which he visited in mid 1970's with possibility of restoring - he also said the postman used to walk from the road to this and Trafle (Isaf?), which must be a fair two mile round trip. The other Trafle was restored but Uchaf, as seen here, is in a very ruinous state and sits quietly in a shaded grove, beside a stream. Other outbuildings also ruinous. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ammunitions-shed-cerrig-gwynion-rhayaderrhaedr https://images.on-this.website/7784_7700787304bcaac79868de.jpgAMMUNITIONS SHED, CERRIG GWYNION, Rhayader/Rhaedr, Powys 1995 Notes on AMMUNITIONS METAL SHED, Old Stone Quarry, Rhayader/Rhaedr, Powys 1995 Taken at the CERRIG GWYNION QUARRY, Rhayader, Powys. This image shows an all metal ammunitions building. The metal had rusted and cracked, creating an almost aerial view. Seeking abstractions in rural mid Wales can at times prove difficult but also when a suitable wall is found, rewarding. Fortunately, there are many ruined houses, farms and industrial buildings which may not always be easy to enter. When possible they often contain walls covered in blistered paint or peeled wallpaper. Often there is very little natural light and since I do not use flash photography exposures can vary from a few seconds up to a few hours. These long exposures allow me to become acquainted with these empty properties, their crumbling and damp walls and whilst the film is exposed to the subject I can settle into the moment and become calm within the buildings atmosphere. The crazied metal work stressed from exposure to the elements offered a birds-eye type view. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4618435.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17674651454baa22ba17d3b.jpgGELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on GELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2010 I arrived at the Italianate mansion of Gellideg in near darkness, the imposing height forming a black mass in amongst the tress and although the trees were barren of foliage they were still covered in rampant ivy and therefore obscuring a proper view of the house. Gellideg’s life has been a short lived one. It was built in 1852 by William Wesley Jenkins and then the lead was removed by the family and sold in the 1950’s and with the proceeds a smaller house was designed and built close by (sharing the same name and now serving as a Bed & Breakfast). The morning slowly broke with the birdsong, naying horses and moaning cows from the farm nearby. It had been a cold night but gave way to a bright and cheerful March morning. The house was untouched by vandal and appeared to be in a structurally good condition. Inside there are few clues to the layout of the house and although the cellars were open I declined the invitation to explore. Also to be noted that the origins of a former house are easily distinguished within which aids to the confusion of layout. Large stables still in agricultural use are just a few hundred yards away as well as a small oval boating lake. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9862794.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19033139444dc51a677a3bc.jpgRHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on RHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 A few miles from Llyn Brianne Reservior, a surprisingly large mine workings called Nantymwyn which ceased production in the early 20th century. I visited early March 2003 and again in November 2008. Many former mining buildings scatter the grey heaps. A large cement mixing(?) building stands on cement stilts and a high tower and finishing mill. Back in 2003 after I had wandered around for a hour or two, further down the hillside, I thought I could hear a motor of some description labouring. Due to a slight breeze I had slight trouble locating the precise source of the sound. Just below a small pile of rubble sat a small pond thick with frogspawn and around the pond, leaving by the scores were large frogs (or toads) chirping and croaking like many small engines! An unexpected pleasure! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/claerddu-cottage-teifi-pools-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_12838183374b90a2c481723.jpgCLAERDDU COTTAGE, Teifi Pools, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on CLAERDDU COTTAGE, Teifi Pools, Ceredigion 1994 A tiny and remote house overlooking the Teifi Pools. I've visited here numerous times from 1990. It is small, with two small rooms upstairs and two small downstairs with an additional kitchen tacked on at the rear. There is something very comforting about his property whether it is the modesty or homely feel of the tiny cottage I can not say. I once wanted to live here, in solitude, beside the small stream overlooking the lakes of Teifi Pools. I believe this is now a Bothy, no doubt a welcome sight for those walkers of the Cambrian Mountains. I am sure this cottage made up the final few images of the well respected motion picture 'Sleep furiously' - images made long before my visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/parc-farmstead-nr-pantycraf-blaencaron https://images.on-this.website/7784_10669489544eaac08f6aec4.jpgPARC FARMSTEAD, Nr Pantycraf, Blaencaron, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PARC FARMSTEAD, Nr Pantycraf, Blaencaron, Ceredigion 2011 A small long house that looks long neglected. Yet a dirty caravan stood in a field adjacent and other signs that someone had once put in planning to restore. A check on the Ceredigion Planning Map confirmed this but planning was denied (why?) and it would seem all has been abandoned. There is no road to this property and it is very isolated. The house lays untouched but the once occupier had begun to cultivate a field beside the house. This was my good fortune, rows of raspberry plants were left unattended, many had gone black and were over but on this early October morning there was still enough to enjoy a surprised feast. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9922644.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18818222454dc808de6a160.jpgPEN-LAN UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN-LAN UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 With no obvious track or road leading up to the walls of Pen-lan Uchaf means it has been left alone by the casual and bored vandal. I am unsure how long it has been left empty - it might be 10 years, it could be 30. All the doors and windows were boarded up and there was little point in seeing if there was any access within (it would have been too dark to photograph anyhow since I never use flash for these black and white images). Best let the house and it's secrets in peace. Due to its secluded spot this house exudes an air of calmness. The sheep had fluttered away as I approached and the cows too had fled but naturally for them they had to return. Their curiosity beating their fear of this stranger. I enjoyed their company and the hour spent at Pen-lan Uchaf was a pleasent one. If anyone knows anything of this house then please do leave a comment. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/caermeirch-hafod-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7113465164d3daed0b1f0e.jpgCAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2011 The day after, a day of, constant and heavy rain. Caermeirch is a damp place on the driest of summer days. Water pumps out from the ground. Patches of land in front and to the side of the house are large puddles, deep enough to warrant wellingtons. The house itself has been empty, by my reckoning, for at least twenty years. I once slept in the front room, 10 years ago, cold on the slate floor wrapped in a sleeping bag and having dreams of crows flying down the chimney and filling the room with dark shadows of winds beating at breakneck speed. The walls are damp inside. Flag stone floors are cold to the touch. Various bits of debris fill the downstairs rooms; jam jars, coils of barbed wire, boxes and the kitchen filled with old kettles, pots and pans. Upstairs the three bedrooms are littered with worn, moth-eaten clothing, empty bottles of pills and medicines. Outbuildings are plentiful and are in various states; some in use, some with holes in the roof; some repaired whilst others let in the rain. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo30019131.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_90562137558763c2389cc0.jpgDANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on DANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Long ruinous - at least fifteen years - recently sold for £100,000 after the Australian owners were forced to sell by Swansea Council. Nothing has yet been done to consolidate the ruins, except last year the fire brigade dismantled the roof partially after an arson attack. Built 1880 and was last used as an employment centre. My visit was on a bleak Sunday afternoon with a handheld 5x4 inch camera and fast film, nonetheless due to the dimness of the day, I had to push my film speed from 400asa to 1600asa resulting in grainy negatives. Another visit will be made at a later date. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41503443.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9422212625f365a76d190c.jpgABERTHAW LIME WORKS, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Notes on ABERTHAW LIME WORKS, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Now restored as a controlled ruin Aberthaw is still a worthwhile visit - the tall walls overlook the sea. The following is taken from Wikipedia: Aberthaw Lime Works is a derelict structure, located on the South Wales coast, between Fontygary Bay and Aberthaw Power Station. The structure is a Grade II Listed Building. The structure is considered a listed building because it is a well preserved structure from an important regional industry. The Aberthaw Lime Works was opened on 22 December 1888, by the Aberthaw Pebble Limestone Company. It was built to utilise the huge number of Limestone Pebbles that had previously been taken inland or been moved by boat. The Lime Works operated until 1926. The Lime works brought a new scale of working to the lime industry which was really just a cottage industry in the area previously. The local limestone and brick structure is still largely intact, although it is missing most of its wooden components. It contains 2 vertical pot draw kilns each holding up to 300 tons each, which could produce up to 40 tons of burnt lime a day. Next to the main structure, there are 2 pot kilns which are also largely intact. These Kilns were built later than the main structure, but also ceased operation in 1926. The lime works were originally served by a tramway, which ran from the direction of Rhoose (east of the lime works). It passed either side of the now demolished winch house. A tramway ramp (again demolished) allowed carts containing pebbles between 3 & 4 inches (100 mm) in diameter to be conveyed to the top of the works and then into the kilns. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hendrefiolan-house-swansea-2017 https://images.on-this.website/7784_165050352259ba1954f27b9.jpgHENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on HENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Belonging to Swansea University and currently for sale. I have not entered Hendrefiolan but have seen images taken inside by an urban explorer and as expected the building has lost its sense of a domestic dwelling. This is a shame but inevitable whenever a private property is sold to a municipal or academic establishment. Outside tells a different story. The house looks to be in decent condition. Some of the stained glass windows were smashed by vandals a while ago, these windows are now boarded up. There was other prefab type buildings built beside the house but these have been demolished -a large concrete platform is all that remains. The rear of the house is also looking good, perhaps a little forlorn but hopefully the house will soon be sold. My visit was a short one, perhaps an hour or so. Satisfying viewpoints were scarce and this may have encouraged me to take more photographs then I would normally have done, in some vain attempt to capture the house in its true glory with atmosphere to boot! I more or less failed, a few images are satisfactory, but I feel I missed a trick here but perhaps a second visit will rectify this. The stables are currently used as a library. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18186073.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_162367475551ab1dea73aee.jpgLLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on LLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2010 For the twenty odd years I have been driving past this house I have always expected to see piles of building material ready for the consolidation, the repair, the decoration and the modernisation to commence. It has never happened. Instead I have seen the slates from the roof removed, a gable end and chimney collapse, all the inner panelling removed and the floors rot and fall in. It breaks your heart. One of my favourite abstract photographs was taken upstairs on the landing in this house in 2003 and all subsequent visits I have sought out this wall even if I know that the wall has gone. It’s an odd thing being sentimental over an inner wooden wall but sentimental is what I feel! Anyone who drives from Abermagwr to Pontrhydygroes knows this house, as it stands over looking the road with a long line of outbuildings – commonly enough in a far better state of repair than the house itself. I know not whom occupied the house last and if it played a part in the Trisant mines or has been solely an agricultural property but either way it will be a great loss if it crumbles, perhaps inevitability, back into the ground. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34641044.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6974256355ae0d019e50bc.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42009645.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5538531445f8fda2414e4a.jpgTY GWYN, Rhyd-Y-Fro, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on TY GWYN, Rhyd-Y-Fro, Pontardawe 2020 I parked in a layby on the edge of a suburban area of Rhy-Y-Fro… hardly a city itself and more or less attached to Pontardawe. I walked fifty yards, followed a footpath down to a stream and small arched stone bridge, over this and through forestry. So far, so good. The path split, I took the muddier and steeper path, often the case, and quickly reached the walls of the house. A vast area to the left of the house was filled with Japanese Knotweed. It looked a brilliant yellow in the autumnal day, cloudy itself but bright enough to illuminate the knotweed. More knotweed grows beside the front of the house, a shame since the house is currently on the market. The house seemed much ruined and possibly for many years, nonetheless as with each site visited one picks up on the atmospherics and I can confirm this was a lovely calm place. Although only a ten minute walk from my car I honestly felt alone and miles from anywhere or anyone, that is except for a field of horses who were not interested in me in particular but nonetheless kept an eye open. Only six sheets of film were exposed for the only reason that I only had six sheets of film with me. I perhaps could have used a few more but left after half an hour believing I’d taken everything I needed to take and any extra would not have added anything to my remembrance of the place. I do hope the house and the accompanying land is purchased. It’s a lovely site with good views and mature trees. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pembrey-cwrt-pembrey-carmarthenshire-1997 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1349371580498535ceec7e4.jpgPEMBREY CWRT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 1997 Notes on PEMBREY CWRT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 1997 A late 16th or early 17th century farm house - although a property has stood on the site since 1361. Bought by farmers and by the 1950’s the empty house became ruinous and since then derelict. Now a damp dark overgrown roofless shell: much vandalised, with walls full of cracks. My visit was brief but one could not believe that Pembrey Courts' future was an optimistic one what with ivy penetrating the stone walls and kids lighting fires and demolishing whatever they could. And who could blame them? By whose example would they follow if a property is left unloved and uncared for? A trust has been sent up for Court/Cwrt farmhouse and as of March 2006 they are preparing a proposition to apply for a place on the BBC’s ‘Restoration’ program, in which various domestic, industrial and public buildings that are in a process of neglect are voted for with a sum of money going towards the winner with the intention of restoring. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6035117994abf4b398c541.jpg[/img] Pembrey Court, Carmarthenshire 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20670043564abf4b75e8c27.jpg[/img] Pembrey Court, Carmarthenshire 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_243856674abf4bda8c671.jpg[/img] Pembrey Court, Carmarthenshire 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769433.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8627474134a31eca12ae0a.jpgCANDLESTON CASTLE, Merthyr Mawr, Glamorgan 2009 Notes on CANDLESTON CASTLE, Merthyr Mawr, Glamorgan 2009 I visited Candleston Castle and maze-like sand dunes of Merthyr Mawr (otherwise known, justifiably as ‘The Warren’) in 2003. Back then it was a crumbling ruin all but lost in the summer overgrowth and I did not bother making any exposures. It appears now that it has been consolidated as a ruin – it stands adjacent to the car park for the sand dunes and as, throughout the years, been an easy target for vandals. It is a small 14th century fortified domestic castle/manor house with a castellated wall surrounding the house - the wall is struggling against the encroachment of foliage and is all but hidden in the summer months. There is a large stone 14th century fireplace openly on view on the first floor and there was once a 13th century tower but there is no obvious evidence of this now. My first visit in 2003 was mixed. Vandals had built fires against the walls, grafitti was sprayed on its walls and it had become a small dumping ground. However, Candleston sits in a spectacular setting (although much of its land is now covered in sand) and in the winter, whilst the trees are barren, a good view can be had from a 100 foot high sand dunes that towers beside it. Candleston Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16512601444b49844d57e4d.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10007078404b49834fa3be2.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20387252704b4984ae6f433.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10673262.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_338814474df8e175aa783.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Recently purchased, fenced off. The walls of Hafodunos veiled with scaffolding. A new chapter thus thankfully begins. The ongoing thought was that this house should never have found itself in this state. The arsonist who set fire to this great house in the fall of October 2004 was caught and imprisoned. Perhaps a more fitting punishment would have been for him to help with the consolidation of this property; emptying these high walls from their fallen masonry; the bricks, stone and ornate plaster. The high walls have now been emptied from this litter, albeit precious litter since Hafodunos is grade 1 listed. My trip, as ever, was a brief one. In 2005 I had taken a number of images of this forlorn and overgrown ruin. I did not do it justice. And once again I feel some kind of disappointment with the finished prints. The grounds and gardens are also in the process of restoration and it would be incredible to see all this restored. But still that nagging thought; that this house should never have found itself in this poor and shallowed state. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115454.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9026076544982a03831608.jpgISCOED, Ferryside, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on ISCOED, Ferryside, Carmarthenshire 1996 After searching for ruined houses, often unsuccessfully, on a hot Spring day, tired from driving and asking for numerous directions, I approached Iscoed late in the afternoon. It glowed through the hedgerows, about half a mile from the roadside: a Georgian red brick block mansion overlooking Carmarthen bay. It was built in 1772 for a Sir William Mansel. The owner was pleased I took interest in the house, he had renovated one wing of the service quarters and seemed to genuinely care about Iscoed to which fate has dealt kind and unkind hands. It briefly served as Council Flats after WW2 but after listing status was refused in the late 1950’s, permission to demolish was granted but miraculously the house survived, outliving the owner who wished to demolish. As seen here: it still remains a viable option for restoration. There is a small swimming pool in the courtyard between the two wings at the rear. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9793395714b629750f2078.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15921105454b62976b23369.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7088372774b6297364b48d.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13266399224b629718dfefc.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12713585354b6296e5c084f.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_83284134b62970342605.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9572765844b38886b5fafa.jpg[/img] Iscoed Interior (swimming pool?) 1996 The link below will lead you to the external site and show recent images of Iscoed http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=13785 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34133787.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20637284135a8b339bd3487.jpgDORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 Notes on DORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 The walk from Upper Cwmtwrch is perhaps only 2 miles and half of that along the old railway line that led from the mines. Before you reach the bridge that crosses the river Twrch a footpath ascends up a steep slope and then to the boggy uplands. It is here, following occasional footpath markers, you find first the ruined farmstead, Pen-yr-Wern (see previous pictures) and then about half a miles further the farm, Dorwen, as seen here much ruinous. Beyond Dorwen there are miles of wild hills, the foot of the Black Mountains stretch out inviting. I ventured no further than Dorwen and its outbuildings. The rear and one gable end has collapsed and no doubt much the rest will follow shortly. On the other side of the valley a small, low shepherds dwelling, two gable ends and no middle. I had intended to cross the river but decided instead of revisit Pen-yr-Wern. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36927135.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15553761215beb3e781173d.jpgSCOTT'S PIT, Swansea 2018 Notes on SCOTT'S PIT, Swansea 2018 A controlled ruin but a worth visit nonetheless. Scott's Pit was built 1817 - 1824 but the extraction of coal was short lived and had completely closed by 1838. The site stands on the edge of a residential area with the constant sound of the M4 running only a stones throw away. This image was taken using a 100 year old lens, a Kodak Anastigmat 170mm and gave an excellent result. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/trawsnant-llyn-brianne-carmarthenshire-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6532048554c5e540a8468d.jpgTRAWSNANT, Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on TRAWSNANT, Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2010 The drive from Tregaron and up over the Abergwesyn mountain road has become a familiar one over the years. I can remember family outings whilst in my early teenage years and being shocked that there were such remote places in the world. It seems very much less remote now and quickly glancing at an Ordnance Survey map reveals remote farms, sheepfolds, water courses, field enclosures and other signs of previous uses of these seemingly barren hills. Trawsnant and its outbuildings (not ruined but in agricultural use) is beautifully located, a few hundred yards yet well hidden from the road that wends itself slowly around the perimeter of the large reservoir. It is a little larger (higher and longer) than the traditional and commonplace farm houses of the area with the front doorway arched. There is little to see within except vacant chimney places and holes where floor and ceiling beams once crossed. It is just a stones throw away from the reservoir but was no doubt built before the flooding of the valley in the early 1970’s (the water supplies Swansea). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699379.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15661082775e1242956180f.jpgPEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on PEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 I have been here before, twice before and both times it was impossible to photograph the house due to trees and foliage and then the house itself covered in ivy. All these trees and foliage have been striped back and chopped down. The ivy removed from the walls. The bare bones of the house revealed and it seemed to me to more imposing than I had remembered. There is no access within the wall now, each access point covered over securely. Not that I minded. With all the foliage gone better views opened themselves up, more images were taken on this short visit, half an hour or so, than the previous two visits when I believe I only took around six or seven images. The walls around the rear are the most interesting, showing where windows were boarded up at the time of the window tax, and different types of material used. It all seems a little hodgepodge but like a comment left on this website a few years ago, what does a photographer know about the structural integrity of a building? As it happens, not a lot! It is apparently possible for this building to be saved but that was almost ten years ago. I wonder how many more decades Pembrey Court can survive without consolidation? it's a remarkable house in a great position. The images taken were sufficient, better than those taken back in 1997 and 2009. Other houses that I visited back then in 1997 have now been cleared and a revisit is required, Drummau house in Birchgrove a case in point as well as Llangennech Park House, both large ruins and much forgotten for many decades. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699380.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17526981065e123d9d9e2a5.jpgPEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on PEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 I have been here before, twice before and both times it was impossible to photograph the house due to trees and foliage and then the house itself covered in ivy. All these trees and foliage have been striped back and chopped down. The ivy removed from the walls. The bare bones of the house revealed and it seemed to me to more imposing than I had remembered. There is no access within the wall now, each access point covered over securely. Not that I minded. With all the foliage gone better views opened themselves up, more images were taken on this short visit, half an hour or so, than the previous two visits when I believe I only took around six or seven images. The walls around the rear are the most interesting, showing where windows were boarded up at the time of the window tax, and different types of material used. It all seems a little hodgepodge but like a comment left on this website a few years ago, what does a photographer know about the structural integrity of a building? As it happens, not a lot! It is apparently possible for this building to be saved but that was almost ten years ago. I wonder how many more decades Pembrey Court can survive without consolidation? it's a remarkable house in a great position. The images taken were sufficient, better than those taken back in 1997 and 2009. Other houses that I visited back then in 1997 have now been cleared and a revisit is required, Drummau house in Birchgrove a case in point as well as Llangennech Park House, both large ruins and much forgotten for many decades. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img371 https://images.on-this.website/7784_735530471537465bf048b2.jpgPOST BACH, Synod Inn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on POST BACH, Synod Inn, Ceredigion 2014 I am not entirely sure but I believe this was last used as a farm shop and pub and closed relatively recently. The main road once passed right in front of the shop, on a sharp bend, but recent road improvements means this now sits on a crossroads hardly ever used. My visit was early morning and very foggy. The house seems in good condition and so far well-preserved. It is set to be auctioned end of May 2014, so I doubt it will remain empty much longer. Was this once a farm house? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9590522.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7703273044db16c48e63b2.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 A late afternoon re-visit to Neuadd Fawr. As ever a subliminal experience. Neuadd Fawr's size and ruinous state can only impress the casual or eager explorer. The outer walls seem impressively solid but within there is little semblance of rooms nor indeed what those rooms functions once were. This house is a sad sight. It's sheer enormity and dereliction begs so many questions that can be answered simply by oneself: it is too large, too derelict, too far gone to be salvaged. The stable block is also totally ruinous but other outbuildings; stables, diary, kennels are all in a good condition. I do not know if any further trips will be made to Neuadd Fawr. Whenever I have left I have always felt I've missed something, some perfect composition. I have dreamed of this house, wandering through rooms and even photographing parts of it that do not exist. I have photographed it extensively, something I never set out to do (why take fifty photographs when only two or three should suffice?) and perhaps it's this over-exposure and ease of photographic opportunties that is the cause of me feeling I've missed something. Perhaps I expect too much. Perhaps I seek those atmospherics I experienced in my dreams, those atmospherics that do not actually exist. I think for me I should allow Neuadd Fawr to drift away from my consciousness for a good number of years. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41424033.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3494243595f2a753ea56f3.jpgCEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had known of this house since it was first put on the market a couple of years ago. The pictures of the estate agent website show a roofless ruin, the grounds cleared of foliage. In those two years a lot of foliage had grown back and my visit, mid-summer, made it all but impossible to get to the front door. Only a few exposures were made. This is an 18th century manor house (according to the sales burb) and the house is larger than most farmhouses and has an interesting array of outbuildings. The arched doorways had appeal, as does the full height rear part of the house, a somewhat odd looking square extension most likely a rear doorway but inaccessible. The rear is also windowless other than the large arch. I wonder if this had something to do with the historical window tax (introduced in 1696 until 1851)? Outbuildings around the rear, again mostly inaccessible. A lovely site and a lovely house which takes only a little imagination, but a whole heap of money, to return to its former glory. According to ‘Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families’ by Francis Jones (ISBN 0906972027), Cefn Cethin was still being lived in when the book was published in 1987. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41424034.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2205151265f2a753f29524.jpgCEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had known of this house since it was first put on the market a couple of years ago. The pictures of the estate agent website show a roofless ruin, the grounds cleared of foliage. In those two years a lot of foliage had grown back and my visit, mid-summer, made it all but impossible to get to the front door. Only a few exposures were made. This is an 18th century manor house (according to the sales burb) and the house is larger than most farmhouses and has an interesting array of outbuildings. The arched doorways had appeal, as does the full height rear part of the house, a somewhat odd looking square extension most likely a rear doorway but inaccessible. The rear is also windowless other than the large arch. I wonder if this had something to do with the historical window tax (introduced in 1696 until 1851)? Outbuildings around the rear, again mostly inaccessible. A lovely site and a lovely house which takes only a little imagination, but a whole heap of money, to return to its former glory. According to ‘Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families’ by Francis Jones (ISBN 0906972027), Cefn Cethin was still being lived in when the book was published in 1987. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39375003.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14721434225d4bd8535ef02.jpgABSTRACTION at LLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Notes on ABSTRACTION at LLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Llanerch House (possibly also known as Craig y Parcau) – long ruined, suffered a fire in 2006 – another building was also on the site, foundations remains – uncertain what this building was or if indeed this was Llanerch House. The house shown here was though a care home when last occupied – judging by the house and stables it was obviously built as a private residence originally. It is much ruined now, as these photographs testify. My visit was one hot Thursday afternoon beginning of August. The car was parked by the entrance and a short walk to the house. There was a deflated blow-up sex doll on the pathway leading to the house - the house is a well-known place for local vandals and kids. I wondered if I'd be finding anyone there myself. But no, my visit was uninterrupted. The roof has all but collapsed. The walls within are in a poor state, the house is by and by falling down. The stables around the rear are in a slightly better state, much graffiti and litter. A few exposures were made – I only had eight sheets of film – I had a taste for abstract images so after as many/as few outside images of the building were taken I focused my camera in the peeling paintwork inside the stables. One of the rooms had recently been used as a toilet and stank but as luck will have it this room had the richest abstract pickings. I held my breath, gagged and waited for my two minutes exposure to pass. A few more images and then the half hour visit had come to an end. My daughter was with me and commented that this had been one of the more interesting ruins I’d made her visit of recent times. This was a compliment and I did realise it was mostly industrial visits of late and the odd rural farm. I cannot seem to find much on the history of Llanerch House and if anyone knows ore then please do leave a comment below. It is well situated with easy reach of Bridgend and it is somewhat surprising that the site has been left to decay to such a state. I would imagine in the short term the remains will be demolished and something new built since it is prime location. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40573392.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3020992675de573f13df7e.jpgKINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 Notes on KINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 I parked the car at the hamlet of Llanddewi, beside the road, a cloudy damp day. I walked passed the tiny and attractive church of St David's and along the bridle-path. The tarmac track soon comes to a gated track and to the right the large farmhouse of 'New Hen-Llys farm'. The track from the farm to (old) 'Hen-Llys' is only passable with wellingtons and at that, barely. The divots of years of tyre tread are around a foot deep but that said it has rained a lot recently. I made my way, waddling through the puddles, disturbing the clear water and occasionally trying the banks to see if the mud was easier to navigate than the water. It wasn't. To a gated field, footpath marker, a large field full of sheep and cows - all ignored me, the grass wet and slippery, more mud, more puddles. Another gate, narrow path between two fields more mud, bicycle tread marks, people do come this way and then another gate, stone track and finally to the ruins of Kingshall farm. A large L-shaped farmhouse, built on a square site, a wall completing the L-shape to create a square. Long ruinous, roofless, door-less and window-less, lintels in place, bits of metal laying around, farm plastic sacks, little sign of care. Nonetheless a nice site, sheltered due to trees, a small stream, two pig sty's, the track running alongside the house. Time to breathe here. Set up the camera. A light aircraft overhead. It circles almost directly above me and then disappears over the horizon. I'd had an argument with my partner in the morning. The walk a tonic. The struggle through puddles and mud were the mild hardship, the conversations re-lived, altered, talking to myself, making logic of my actions, trying not to disregard hers. Keeping a level head. I set up the camera and about to take the first image. I think the unseen plane is a tractor engine, the phone rings, I normally have it on silent, I need to take this picture. It's only a plane, not a tractor. I'm not trespassing but neither am I in the mood for conversation. A picture is made. The phone rings again. I don't want to speak. I compose and take another photograph. The plane returns, the phone rings. I ignore both. Both stop and there is silence but there's another sound that I can't quite work out what it is: a low engine murmur almost like birds. It stops and then I see the cloud of starlings rise above me. I take more pictures, nothing spectacular but document the farm as I see fit. When I finish I phone my partner back. She isn't impressed. I can't say I blame her but sometimes we need to stick by our decisions even if they're not right. I walk back the way I came. I had wanted to explore further - to another ruin but it is already 3pm and the dim day is becoming darker. I also haven't eaten or drank anything all day and I feel upset in body and mind. I stop at Hen Llys farm on the way back. It is not ruinous but neither is it lived in. Rendered, single glazed, a long house of sorts - around the rear a pond - probably modern and often frequented by cattle. I make a few exposures, viewpoints are few, the house looks sorry for itself rather than on the verge of dereliction. My phone is ringing again. Too many short and angry phone calls. Everyone argues. Little solace. I think my partner would not have enjoyed this walk anyway. It's been too long, too muddy, too wet. I finish my photographs again and phone her back. Do I love her? Yes, I love her. Not that she has asked me and not that I have told her. That is what it boils down to, mostly. Everything else in this argument is shrapnel and some of it hurts, some of it misses the mark. I have made my peace with myself. The power of walking with the added bonus of a ruin. I do wonder how it is to live with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/trewern-fach-llwynpiod-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_119124747055eda43f8d6b8.jpgTREWERN FACH, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TREWERN FACH, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Surrounded by trees in the middle of a field, Trewern Fach is easily missed. As seen here, roofless and without much architectural detail remaining, it still retains its two storeys. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4496178.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18734122064b90a2650379f.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tree-abstraction-rhayader-powys-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19127321994be65ea6b78d3.jpgTREE ABSTRACTION, Rhayader, Powys 1996 Notes on TREE ABSTRACTION, Rhayader, Powys 1996 Bark had been freshly stripped from this tree revealing odd looking patterns and a smooth surface. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4594617.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12303895194ba652370ecc8.jpgBLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 Notes on BLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 I left my flat in Brighton at 1am and drove along the empty motorways to South Wales and reached Blaen Baglan in the false dawn. The air was cold and crisp and it felt good to feel the soft ground underfoot. I wandered around the house in near darkness for half an hour, selecting viewpoints and compositions, judging which lenses to use and waiting for the dawn. I had been here before, almost 15 years ago and knew what to expect. My expectations were not to be trusted. I had somehow imagined Blaen Baglan to be in much the same state 15 years down the line. It is, in my eyes, at the very precipice of total collapse and perhaps due to that is a far sadder sight to behold than that of other lost houses in the region. Sadder than the magnificent Neuadd Fawr which I visited after Blaen Baglan, sadder than Edwinsford which I visited a few days later. All the lower doors and windows are boarded up with metal shutters. First inspection I presumed that the house was still in some kind of agricultural storage use. I felt relieved the lower floors were still in a water tight condition but further investigation showed the entire west side of the house had collapsed and the view within was a chaotic jumble of stone and beams. Blaen Baglan felt truly lost. I must however backtrack. My first visit to Blaen Baglan had been in 1997 and was a hurried affair. I was told the owner who lived in the bungalow next to the house did not appreciate casual sightseers. He was not there on my first visit and who knows, perhaps a private man and didn’t like the idea of strangers spoiling his otherwise secluded existence. Perhaps, he himself, loved the ruined house and considered it his own private pleasure. As it happens the bungalow next to the house also appeared to be empty although the vegetable garden beside it well tended. I photographed Blaen Baglan quickly and moved on. I was in no such hurry on this occasion. The bungalow beside it was roofless and a burnt out shell. Broken slates covered every inch of floor within and cracked loudly underfoot alerting the sheepdogs that spent their nights in the farm building close-by of my presence. Inside the bungalow the walls were covered in peeling and blistered paint, just the type of subject matter I search endlessly for whilst living in cities and towns. I did, unable to completely resist, make a few exposures of the walls of the bungalow but it was, after all, Blaen Baglan that I had come to visit, perhaps for the last time. It had fallen into alarming disrepair and although the dirty white washed façade appeared to be remarkably intact I was disappointed to find all that lay behind. Almost all interior details are lost in the piles of rubble and wood; the wooden panelling, the rear three storey staircase all lost and barely visible at the decayed core. A very depressing site and absolutely desperate for attention. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769119.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11401548084a31da7ba2650.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8756115024b46e465d5b10.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (potting sheds and greenhouses – all overgrown and ruined) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21403426514b46e4beecb57.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (potting sheds and greenhouses – all overgrown and ruined) For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo11969388.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1650937374e42657b6c651.jpgNEUADD FACH, Builth Wells, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on NEUADD FACH, Builth Wells, Radnorshire 2011 A peasent 16th century longhouse, dwelling and animal byre all under the same roof (cruck roof can be best seen in the byre). Inside is dark and tiny with newspaper used as wallpaper, painted over and now peeling revealing layered histories of newpaper print. Bats in the upstairs. Large fireplace and lookig up the chimney light pours down and into the fireplace. Grade 2 listed and recently sold at auction this property deserves the respect that accompanies a listed building and has hopefully secured its immediate future. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/061 https://images.on-this.website/7784_176549089454d7a27d0c1ba.jpgABSTRACTION at FRON FELIN, Chancery, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION at FRON FELIN, Chancery, Ceredigion 2015 A very nice negative to print from, good contrast, sharp, well exposed and shows the peeling paint work in a ruined farmhouse. Practically this took much shifting around, it was taken in the hallway, and there was little room for me, the tripod and camera. I was using a 150mm process lens, without a shutter and this posed two problems; the first being I needed more room to extend the bellows and the second was the lens had no shutter so I was forced to use the ancient art of removing the lens cap to make the exposure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26433071.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_804509164569205e8013ba.jpgLLAIN, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on LLAIN, Ceredigion 2016 Previously visit in the summer of 2010, Llain is little changed. The house was very difficult to photograph back then, due to summer foliage and dappled sunlight. The images taken were poor. It has been a constant reminder to return and amazingly it have taken this long. I know nothing about the house nor the previous occupants. The barns and outbuildings are still in agricultural use. The house it self seems not-too-bad, except for around the rear, half way up the staircase, the stone work has collapsed in to the building, which will soon rot the wood and staircase will collapse. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/neuadd-fawr-cil-y-cwm https://images.on-this.website/7784_2459244214ba6521eb500e.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Sometimes I wonder why I do it to myself. After visiting the lamentable walls of Blaen Baglan I then drove towards home but stopped off at Neuadd Fawr. My first and only visit to Neuadd Fawr was on a still but very foggy November day in 1996. The countryside around the village of Cil-y-Cwm is quite beautiful and the road up the farm and mansion happily revealed that the lodge house, very derelict in 1996, had recently and considerately been restored. The same can not be said of the mansion. I was met by the owner / farmer and again, as I recall from my first visit some 14 years ago, was welcomed; amicable and friendly. He explained how his family had purchased the land around the farm and mansion at the turn of century. The house had come with the land and they did not have the 3 million perhaps required to restore the mansion and even if they did have the money, wouldn’t spend it restoring it. And who could blame their or anybodies reluctance, for the job at hand would be heading towards the immeasurable! Although the roof wavers it is intact and the outer walls all look structurally sound. Within, as so often the case, is a jumbled, chaotic mess as one would expect from a any house that has been left abandoned for 60 years. All the above floors have either collapsed or on the precipice. I was warned not enter. I was warned not to enter in 1996 too. I took heed. The photographs showing interior views were taken on the outside looking in. Although in such ramshackle details could be noted; fireplaces and ranges, panelling and plasterwork, built-in-cupboards and ornate grills. I purposely visited Neuadd Fawr before the spring and summer foliage all but obscured the classic Ionic cast iron pillars. Of course all rusting but up close they’re solid and feel indestructible. The façade and east side with lovely narrow balcony are beautifully proportioned with large lower floor windows. It become easy to imagine especially on such a beautiful early spring morning, that sitting in these rooms was lovely with light falling and filling even the dimmest and most sheltered of corners. To the north and rear of the house is a messy jumble of extensions, ruinous with some outer walls caved in. The rear is quite unkempt and messy but by this time, once again, I was totally captivated by the house ad estate. The marvellous twin door stable block was however a horrid shock. It had perhaps suffered more than the house, almost completely roofless, windows all broke and where had those lovely large twin doors gone? The weather was perfect but what I had chosen to photograph was devastating. The vast walled kitchen garden contained a few branchless fruit trees. I have seen pictures of the walled garden at Ruperra Castle – it was a beautiful sight – rows of vegetables carefully planted and monitored by the head gardener and his army of workers. Was Neuadd Fawr the same? Also, to the rear of the house, another walled garden, was this the formal garden? It is now just a field kept neat by grazing and curious sheep. A small summer dwelling is built within this garden (as well as a ‘ty bach’ / toilet). The farmer had spoken about CADW rejecting plans to converting the house into flats and only keeping the façade of house. Neuadd Fawr, listed grade II, can not be demolished but if no consolidation work is carried out it will eventually fall. Should CADW be more willing to compromise such examples? After two hours and using all the film I had with me, I stood staring at Neuadd Fawr. I stood still for about 10 minutes soaking up the warmth of the morning sun. It did not feel like this great house had reached its almost inevitable conclusion of total dereliction. It may have been the optimistic warmth from the sun and thawing me and the frozen ground or it could have been the un-afraid and watchful sheep whilst grazing, close by. It could have been the friendly welcome the owner gave me upon my approach or the peace I felt, the peace of that particular morning whilst walking around these particularly magnificent ruins. In those 10 slow minutes it felt like Neuadd Fawr could be, and would be, eventually saved from the brink of dereliction by the restorer of wealth and good taste. I hope I will be proved right. NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050793.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_962308314f250eb02a8e4.jpgPARAGON TOWER, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Notes on PARAGON TOWER, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Not so much a tower than a hunting lodge but not so much a hunting lodge than a folly. Built early 1800's (from an internet search). It is basically a circular building with a large chimney in the centre. All four evenly shaped and sized rooms have doorways and a corridor, of sorts, running through them all. A few other ruins dotted around and extensions, I presume a kitchen to the right-hand side when facing the house. It is situated high on a hillside (why build a tower anywhere else!) and the wind rattles fast causing the trees to sway and the leaves to blow. A lovely little place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32838502.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20685475959ba19fceb72d.jpgHENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on HENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Belonging to Swansea University and currently for sale. I have not entered Hendrefiolan but have seen images taken inside by an urban explorer and as expected the building has lost its sense of a domestic dwelling. This is a shame but inevitable whenever a private property is sold to a municipal or academic establishment. Outside tells a different story. The house looks to be in decent condition. Some of the stained glass windows were smashed by vandals a while ago, these windows are now boarded up. There was other prefab type buildings built beside the house but these have been demolished -a large concrete platform is all that remains. The rear of the house is also looking good, perhaps a little forlorn but hopefully the house will soon be sold. My visit was a short one, perhaps an hour or so. Satisfying viewpoints were scarce and this may have encouraged me to take more photographs then I would normally have done, in some vain attempt to capture the house in its true glory with atmosphere to boot! I more or less failed, a few images are satisfactory, but I feel I missed a trick here but perhaps a second visit will rectify this. The stables are currently used as a library. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5917248.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14291446054c6794e89d10a.jpgTRAWSNANT, Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on TRAWSNANT, Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2010 The drive from Tregaron and up over the Abergwesyn mountain road has become a familiar one over the years. I can remember family outings whilst in my early teenage years and being shocked that there were such remote places in the world. It seems very much less remote now and quickly glancing at an Ordnance Survey map reveals remote farms, sheepfolds, water courses, field enclosures and other signs of previous uses of these seemingly barren hills. Trawsnant and its outbuildings (not ruined but in agricultural use) is beautifully located, a few hundred yards yet well hidden from the road that wends itself slowly around the perimeter of the large reservoir. It is a little larger (higher and longer) than the traditional and commonplace farm houses of the area with the front doorway arched. There is little to see within except vacant chimney places and holes where floor and ceiling beams once crossed. It is just a stones throw away from the reservoir but was no doubt built before the flooding of the valley in the early 1970’s (the water supplies Swansea). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14359207.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9629828634f61a8c867382.jpgDERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on DERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2012 An ornate bridge, once one of the main driveways up to the country house of Derry Ormond (demolished 1956) now stands a little forlorn and once formed part of three ponds which sat at the foot of the once great house. The bridge these days carries no visitors, by horse and cart nor motor car and serves no purpose except perhaps to move livestock from one field to another. My visit was early on a cloudy morn and I was accompanied by birdsong and the babbling brook of the stream Nant Dyfel. Due to the slow rising dawn long exposures of around 6 minutes were used which caused some blurring of the leaves blowing in the wind and the flow of the stream. Above the bridge are ornate iron gates rusting and hanging off their posts and a view can be stolen of Derry Ormond tower. Much high stone work can be easily viewed which obviously created the pond and the flow of water could be contained and controlled. The bridge was once ridged with white marble but this has mostly fallen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8054390.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15177626354d0dba0b061cd.jpgWOODEN BARN, Elan Valley, Rhadnorshire 2010 Notes on WOODEN BARN, Elan Valley, Rhadnorshire 2010 Standing above and with great views of the Penygarreg Reservoir and Dam this small collection of buildings, mainly stone and this long wooden barn, sit nestled in a small hollow. I was uncertain if one of the stone buildings that stand adjacent to this wooden barn was infact once a cottage. I could however make out no chimney and I would presume any dwelling, even if just a shephards dwelling would have a chimney. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41112238.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10188150255e709ab7be883.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2081201.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_104296960749731df68f9d9.jpgBRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2005 Notes on BRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2005 Almost invisible under the ever-encroaching rhododendron, Brynkir was once a large mansion house, at its core 16th and 17th century. From 1811 heirs onward were requested to build further ranges, thus when one wing became uninhabitable they would vacate and accommodate the newly built block – hence a messy mass of extensions and wings. There is a fantastic photograph of Brynkir in Thomas Lloyds’ ‘Lost Houses of Wales’ which gives you some indication of the mass and tangle of rooms. I’m afraid to say that much of what is shown in that photograph has gone but there are clues in the stonework that this was, to the unknown eye, a large country house. Alas, it now stands damp, low-lying, crumbling and with but a few traces that ever a large house stood. Brambles snatch at your clothes and ferns sodden the foot and the dampness rises up the trouser leg. Water clings mercilessly to each plant and with each passing glance a body makes transports the water onto the traveller. This, somehow, adds to the experience of visiting old buildings and once home and dry, one can sit before a stove and recap with joy the days soggy outing! A gothic tower, dated 1821 and six storeys high, stands in the grounds and has been restored into a holiday home from a shell. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3368332654b3886c4d9b6b.jpg[/img] Brynkir 2003 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8998916124b3886ff17a6b.jpg[/img] Brynkir 2003 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2120039.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_71350211498535c8d4436.jpgBRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2005 Notes on BRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2005 Almost invisible under the ever-encroaching rhododendron, Brynkir was once a large mansion house, at its core 16th and 17th century. From 1811 heirs onward were requested to build further ranges, thus when one wing became uninhabitable they would vacate and accommodate the newly built block – hence a messy mass of extensions and wings. There is a fantastic photograph of Brynkir in Thomas Lloyds’ ‘Lost Houses of Wales’ which gives you some indication of the mass and tangle of rooms. I’m afraid to say that much of what is shown in that photograph has gone but there are clues in the stonework that this was, to the unknown eye, a large country house. Alas, it now stands damp, low-lying, crumbling and with but a few traces that ever a large house stood. Brambles snatch at your clothes and ferns sodden the foot and the dampness rises up the trouser leg. Water clings mercilessly to each plant and with each passing glance a body makes transports the water onto the traveller. This, somehow, adds to the experience of visiting old buildings and once home and dry, one can sit before a stove and recap with joy the days soggy outing! A gothic tower, dated 1821 and six storeys high, stands in the grounds and has been restored into a holiday home from a shell. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19539943134b3886ab99fc6.jpg[/img] Brynkir Tower 2003 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/notes-on-horeb-brickworks-llanelli https://images.on-this.website/7784_19707931045fc900c769665.jpgNotes on HOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli (revisited Winter 2020) I am not Notes on HOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli (revisited Winter 2020) I am not sure how I missed these brick-works before but they’re easily found along the cycle path from Horeb to Lliedi Reservoirs. Well camouflage in the summer foliage but if visiting look for the huge tower and you know you’re in the right place. The brickworks are in a fairly good condition, the entrance is somewhat caved in but the basic structure seems sound. Nature has however reclaimed around the perimeter. Within was dark, I had chosen a very wet morning to visit, late June, heavy rain, the foliage not helping with lighting up the interior. Beer cans aplenty within but the site perhaps not as vandalized as it would be if it was located elsewhere. Horeb is a far distance from anywhere and parking is a challenge. I had forgotten to put a SD card into my digital camera to take colour snapshots. I was annoyed with myself, usually so fastidious before I go out photographing. I needn't have worried. I had my smartphone and the pictures it took were of a good enough quality. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo20156544.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_164138517152c5388975788.jpgLLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Notes on LLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Llantrithyd Place is a long ruined 16th century manor house. I visited on Boxing Day 2013. The morning was cold and sunny and the soft winter light made photographing the house a pleasure. I had not set out to visit the house but was driving to photograph the interior of a church in Flemingston. This was an unexpected pleasure. A wander around the ruins offered many different viewpoints and I was generally spoilt for choice of images to capture. I was however restrained by lack of film, only having 10 sheets with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/thomas-dylan-caitlin https://images.on-this.website/7784_647904535533bd07fc33a2.jpgThomas Dylan - Caitlin, Llaugharne Notes on Thomas Dylan - Caitlin Of course this shows Caitlin's side of the white cross. The cross stands humble and almost beacon-esque in the sloping graveyard. I sat watching the view below until I saw two people looking towards me, who had obviously also made a mini-pilgrimage - but for different reasons no doubt, or perhaps not. From Winter 2012 through to Spriing 2014 I visited graveyards throughout the length and breadth of Wales. Many hours were spent searching for particular gravestones, of poet's, well known and not so well known. A few were not found, mostly they were. The project was difficult not due the hours searching but more so to finding an ordinary gravestone in a wild graveyard. So often other viewpoints of other gravestones would have made an excellent photographic record but I was forced to settle, even compromise, with my brief. Frustrating as it was, it was also made the more rewarding, my eye was forced to work harder. Fortunately these peaceful places helped with keeping the mind free of distractions. Here are a few of the images published in the book. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22235002.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12431173615400227d2e699.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9861636.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20193130024dc4f077c41e3.jpgCILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Standing and overlooking Newcastle Emlyn and on the banks of the wending river Teifi, Cilgwyn House was once an important estate and owned huge areas of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. Although there is little recorded pictured evidence, a house has stood at this site during the 18th century, possibly earlier. The Cilgwyn we see today was built in 1870. Old photographs of the house reveal a lead turret over the main entrance but this was replaced since causing structural damage and in my opinion the entrance, also lacking its porch, has become somewhat overwhelmingly ordinary. That said the house is large, 17 bedrooms and feels like a solid block of stone. One gets a feeling that this house was built resolute and with resilience. As you can see from these photographs it is beginning to fall into disrepair and those slow but sure ivy coils are creeping between the thinnest of cracks and gaining purchase. There's large stables around the rear and other extensions (at some point the house was a hotel) but all is looking tired and windswept. The mature oaks and freshly mowed lawns can not hide the fact that Cilgwyn needs some care and money poured into it. It is currently for sale. My visit was brief and after a spring of glorious sunshine I found this particular morning devoid of that early morning soft hue that I had been recently waking to. The greyness drab and uninspiring yet seemed appropriate for the task at hand; that is to photograph Cilgwyn sympathetically and with respect. Not all the images are successful – I only had 10 sheets of film and due to the height of the house and the relatively narrow angles of view offered I was somewhat forced into certain viewpoints. But so be it – every house has a different feel and each must be approached differently. Although not all the images were successful there is enough in them to satisfy me. I left Cilgwyn thinking that my next visit should see a much happier house, perhaps not with freshly mowed lawns but with the ivy cut back, the ridge tiles replaced and the windows replaced/repaired. One can hope. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/022 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16144008975406eca5cf8fb.jpgGRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Empty and forlorn, Graig-ddu-isaf has been left to decay slowly for a number of years. Peeking inside saw the usual bits of furniture and farm machinery. All seems quite depressing and damp on first inspection but beyond the decay there is a pleasant air about the place. It is quiet and tranquil, I felt miles from anywhere, even if the track to the house is just a short walk from road. A number of exposures were made, perhaps the most successful being the image of the corrugated toilet, a familiar sight in these parts, around the side of the house - with make-shift toilet pan included. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/004 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19194090595400226c73762.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwm-elan-houses-elan-valley https://images.on-this.website/7784_16375632445b60b78c1e10b.jpgCWM ELAN HOUSES, Elan Valley 2018 Notes on HOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2018 (notes below from 2010) Nestled in a quiet valley between the high lands and the reservoirs and ancient broadleaf woodlands the Cwm Elan mines are a worthy experience not just for its solitary atmosphere but also its historical interest. It sits 1000ft over looking the Garreg-ddu reservoir. The only sounds one can hear are the babbling brook, the bleating sheep and the sweeping and singing birds. The two ruined houses which stand beside one another are a stark contrast in style and colour. I believe the stone house was home to the manager of the mine when lead was discovered at the site in 1796 (and was mined until 1877). Much of the mining equipment and indeed buildings have or are slowly vanishing as the years pass. The red brick house was built by the Birmingham Corporation Waterworks for one of its estate workers and is now in agricultural storage use (although my last visit a few years ago access inside was easy and very little remained since it was used by the sheep as shelter!). The ferns had yet to fully burst open and last years crunched underfoot. When fully grown at the height of summer these ferns cover much of the fields and hills around the mine and are chest high (and also a fertile breeding ground for sheep ticks). My visit on this occasion was humid but cloudy but after a few hours, towards the end of my visit, the sun returned with strength and lit up the spring greenery and the red brick building with pure delight. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050434.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15957797624f25082e6f440.jpgCRUG at WAUN MAENLLWYD, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on CRUG at WAUN MAENLLWYD, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Two buildings stand opposite one another inside a cluster of mature hard woods. One of the buildings is still in agricultural use but the other, which I believed to be the human habituated dwelling, has collapsed revealing a small ingle nook fire place. The corrugated iron roof has also collapsed, the roof beams, irregular and upon them old crows nests, no doubt helping in part, due to their large size and weight, with the roofs collapse. For further information on this property and many others in the Llanddewi-Briefi area please read 'Struggle for survival in the Cardiganshire hills' - Alan & Sally Leech https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38577026.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5929079955cf0dec1cbfd1.jpgTROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on ABSTRACTION at TROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Inside the mill, a plain rubble and concrete wall, otherwise uninteresting but with the sun skimming the surface bringing out texture, shade and ultimately some beauty. I had not expected much to be seen here but was pleasantly surprised. Visited on a quiet Friday afternoon with only the sound of the river, insects and birds to be heard. There were no internal details or machinery left inside but enough to have a sense of a working place. The foliage had yet to properly take hold of the site (or had been cut back relatively recently) and exposures could still be made. A stone trough stood against the bank, apparently to collect water seeping/dripping from the rock. The building on the path was possibly the mill-house, adjoined at a right angle to the mill. The mill had been roofed until quite recently with corrugated iron but after it fell in removed from the site. Evidence of drying kiln to side of mill – with three flue-type structures – I only saw two but the CADW report mentions three – I should have looked a little more carefully. A warm and pleasant afternoon without seeing another soul. Troserch wood is a pleasant place to wander around, there’s pathways leading all around and other areas worth visiting. There’s a few mine workings, fenced off these days, and modern wooden structures throughout the woods – although the large grass-roofed covered structure was about to be take down due to it being unsafe. Another ruin, ivy covered, just a field away, was seen but not visited. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/capel-salem-bonymaen-swansea-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_21222177165a8b3394b380b.jpgCAPEL SALEM, BONYMAEN, SWANSEA 2018 Notes on CAPEL SALEM, BONYMAEN, SWANSEA 2018 Shell of chapel, destroyed by fire and standing beside Capel Salem. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13620452.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19366205034ecc9b2f562d2.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 I am uncertain of the success of this particular image. It shows a doorframe against a concrete wall with little pieces of peeled paint. These pieces of peeled paint are only a couple of inches across and show different types of paint and the effect the years of weather has had upon them. Compositionally, this image does not quite work for me but I have added it to the website to see if it improves with age! A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images (images of the actual building can be seen in the 'Other Welsh Ruins' gallery) and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes due to the dimness within and the deep rain clouds outside. The walls within had been exposed to 40 years of dampness and the thick paint work was peeling throughout. The textures and patterns formed therein were some of the better I'd seen for many a year. These images were all taken using a 150mm Xenar lens - not optimised for macro photography yet the negative are absolutely pin-sharp and are a joy to view and then print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22293862.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2726963615406c13ec7714.jpgPENBANC, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on PENBANC, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 A house hidden behind trees and bushes, not long empty but rapidly deteriorating - overgrown and dark and lowly, the front rendered and characterless but around the back (or what I presume was once the front) is a stone porch and stoned-up doorway giving clues that this was once, perhaps, a peasant longhouse. Barns and other outbuildings also present in varies degrees of dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bronwydd-gate-house-llangynllo-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_7395162964e82ba6f3ce83.jpgBRONWYDD GATE HOUSE, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BRONWYDD GATE HOUSE, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 A small two storied hexagon gate house although ruined remains in a reasonably good state, as too are the gate posts but surely some work will be needed soon if these are to be preserved. Difficult to photograph because most of the gate house is lost beneath the summer foliage but can just be seen on the left hand side of this image. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32838498.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3242843559ba19bd13676.jpgHENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on HENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Belonging to Swansea University and currently for sale. I have not entered Hendrefiolan but have seen images taken inside by an urban explorer and as expected the building has lost its sense of a domestic dwelling. This is a shame but inevitable whenever a private property is sold to a municipal or academic establishment. Outside tells a different story. The house looks to be in decent condition. Some of the stained glass windows were smashed by vandals a while ago, these windows are now boarded up. There was other prefab type buildings built beside the house but these have been demolished -a large concrete platform is all that remains. The rear of the house is also looking good, perhaps a little forlorn but hopefully the house will soon be sold. My visit was a short one, perhaps an hour or so. Satisfying viewpoints were scarce and this may have encouraged me to take more photographs then I would normally have done, in some vain attempt to capture the house in its true glory with atmosphere to boot! I more or less failed, a few images are satisfactory, but I feel I missed a trick here but perhaps a second visit will rectify this. The stables are currently used as a library. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/glyn-deri-glanaman-carmarthenshire-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10669715655f3271787b5b9.jpgGLYN DERI, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on GLYN DERI, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Just off the track, Glyn Deri is a slightly sorry site. A modern-ish looking bungalow most likely replaced an older dwelling, all ruinous and empty and abandoned. Signs saying ‘keep out’ on gateway and on house. It looked like the house was boarded up properly and I had no intention of entering but then noticed the front door was open a jar. I entered tentatively and immediately saw the back door opposite ends of the house was also wide open. Inside was a mess, one room the floor had fallen to the foundations (questioning whether this was indeed just a bungalow from the 60’s/70’s and not a renovated older house). Other rooms had bits of furniture, it seemed someone has even slept here at some point with a chair and a den formed with doors and other furniture. It might have given shelter for one night, better than sleeping outside, but hardly a nice place to rest your head; damp, musty, unloved. A few photographs were taken, all outside. The rear was inaccessible due to summer foliage as too a caravan barely visible within the bramble. Outbuildings had relatively recent sign of use but even these were mostly inaccessible. Once cleared of the mess and foliage, this site could easily be renovated back to a loving home once more. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4953030.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18933029034be51625dac22.jpgTEIFI POOLS, Ffair-rhos, Ceredigion 1993 notes on TEIFI POOLS, Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 1994 An early successful 5x4inch photograph using front tilt so the fore and back ground are all in focus. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/williams-william-caledfryn https://images.on-this.website/7784_1771938161533bd0d6cba73.jpgWilliams William - Caledfryn, Groes-wen 2014 Notes on Williams William - Caledfryn One of the last gravestone visited and at last a face! The sun was bright and I was forced to photograph towards the light. This was fortunate since it helped to highlight the tiny strands of cobwebs that had formed across the face. From Winter 2012 through to Spriing 2014 I visited graveyards throughout the length and breadth of Wales. Many hours were spent searching for particular gravestones, of poet's, well known and not so well known. A few were not found, mostly they were. The project was difficult not due the hours searching but more so to finding an ordinary gravestone in a wild graveyard. So often other viewpoints of other gravestones would have made an excellent photographic record but I was forced to settle, even compromise, with my brief. Frustrating as it was, it was also made the more rewarding, my eye was forced to work harder. Fortunately these peaceful places helped with keeping the mind free of distractions. Here are a few of the images published in the book. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4948742.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16854376994be3b0dd651c3.jpgNASH POINT, Glamorgan 2009 Notes on NASH POINT, Glamorgan 2009 Unfortunately I had mis- timed my visit to South Wales in March 2009. The sunrise was early at around 5.30am but low tide was approximately at mid day and midnight. It would be preferable to have sunrise and low-tide at the same time. Nonetheless these images of rock formations and bedrock are good examples of dramatic lighting techniques. A full morning was spent here and many of these images were used without a tripod, by merely resting the camera carefully on the ground and weighing it down so there was as little movement as possible when loading/removing darkslides and exposing the film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4633190.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16749932694bae1edc89a5d.jpgPENYGARREG RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Powys 2004 Notes on PENYGARREG RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Powys 2004 Cwm Elan is a spectacular place. I know some locals find it a little too picturesque but I have no qualms and am happy to wander the lengths of it lakes and spy former workings all day. This particular image was taken before sunrise on a frosty February morning. An exposure of 16 minutes was used and this has caused the fast moving clouds to record as a blur on the print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bont-elan-corner-of-graig https://images.on-this.website/7784_6818165814bae1f0aeb47b.jpgBONT ELAN, Corner of Graig Goch Reservior, Rhayader 2009 Notes on BONT ELAN, Corner of Graig Goch Reservior, Rhayader 2009 Deserving of a re-take this image is successful on it own right but I believe it would be all the more dramatic if the sun was reflecting brightly in the majority of the water other than the small narrow stream that flows from the Elan Mountain stream. Nonetheless this image has much to commend it; the softness of light and gentle tonality, the high viewpoint in which it was taken reminds me of the aerial art photographer William Garnett and I must confess it was with his eye that I pre-visualised this image. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/meandering-river-elan-bont-elan https://images.on-this.website/7784_9124340904bae1f2c6adfc.jpgMEANDERING RIVER ELAN, Bont Elan, Rhayader, Powys 2009 Notes on MEANDERING RIVER ELAN, Bont Elan, Rhayader, Powys 2009 I have waited approximately over two years from visualising and actually finding the right time and conditions to take this image. I usually shy away from grand vista views but this meandering river has always been close to my heart. I had to wait to high summer when the sun set as far west as possible and as to reflect against the bends of this unusually high meandering river. I also had to wait for a summer day, with a few clouds (too many and it the sun would not reflect, too little and there would be little interest in the upper part of the image) and not to photograph too late in the day since the sun would be shining directly into the lens and would possibly give flare and no detail at all in the sky area. The drive from my parents house at Hafod is half an hour and fortunately I had timed it to perfection. The day was nearing it’s end and there was no one around, tourists and locals at home eating their dinner, even the sheep seemed to sense that the day was drawing to a close and remained static laying across the warm tarmac oblivious (and quite rightly so) to traffic. A number of exposures were made using a variety of lenses (135mm and 180mm on a 5x4inch camera). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-abstraction-shoreham-west-sussex https://images.on-this.website/7784_16986357344eb63fcabc882.jpgWALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 Notes on WALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 A number of images here were taken at the majestic and ruined cement works between Shoreham and Upper Beeding, West Sussex. I passed these buildings every day for a year in 2007 when I worked at Small Dole. I have made a number of exposures of the buildings themselves but found far more rewarding the weathered and graffiti walls inside. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4343067.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20389996394b66eecf3b832.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s Lost Houses of Wales, it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. When I visited it had reached the peak of dereliction. The roof long gone, the cellars caved in, only the shell remained and although still magnificent, the house in its entirety is a true gothic-horror-three-story mansion. The wind blew the patchy cloud cover over the house and revealed an unpredictable view – one minute soft and graceful, the next dark and foreboding. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9876484074b46dedf49e26.jpg[/img] Tegfynydd 2009 TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hengwm-house-lledrod-ceredigion-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_121737330053b8f3435f1d0.jpgHENGWM HOUSE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on HENGWM HOUSE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 I do not know how many more farmhouses there are to discover in Ceredigion but I expect a very good many. Each have their own pleasures, their own individual nuances and each have their own memories etched into my life. This lovely little property is hidden away and I can only guess, been empty for many a long year. Only a few exposures were made, maybe I could have taken more, but four seemed the maximum necessary. The morning had changed from cloudless skies to overcast, a few minutes after the visit the clouds did indeed release their outpour and I took much comfort walking away knowing that I had captured a few simple exposures. There is no great skill in taking photographs. I merely put the camera on a tripod, focus and make the exposure. My visit here was brief, maybe fifteen minutes, and I was on my way again. Yet, by the same token, although brief, I only need to view these images to recall a whole host of feelings and therefore emotions. The simple act of photography can be seen as a useful tool for keeping our memories alive. I did not venture inside the house but peering through the windows I saw it had been used as storage for small bits of farm machinery and tools. I wonder, as ever, who lived here? A large hole was beginning to appear rear of house where the wall had crumbled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37330077.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15568618785c53e76a764f8.jpgLLWYN CELYN, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on LLWYN CELYN, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 After visiting another ruin, Cwm-Cwta, a mile or so away, I thought I would try to see if anything remained of Llwyn Celyn. There seemed nothing to see on Google Earth and my O/S map is 20 years old now and only showed an empty box or two at right angles. I was not going to bother. My first walk had been a little arduous and I had further visits planned for the day. I was pleased I convinced myself to take a look and much surprised. I always seem to need to convince myself these days that it is worth the effort to walk that extra mile. I tell myself that it is unlikely I’ll ever walk these footpaths again. That is sometimes and sometimes not the case. Llwyn Celyn sits in a small wooden area and has much to admire. The house, I imagine, has only lost its roof in the last ten or fifteen years or so. It’s solidly built and more unusually has fared better than the outbuildings around it. I rested here a good half hour. There is always unease within me when I haven’t photographed for a long time; it’s mixture of anticipation, nerves of meeting irate landowners, and the fact that I simply haven’t bothered for such a long time that is there even a need for me to carry on documenting these houses? A few exposures were made. I felt the old sense of good return. I was absorbed in my task, whilst the fog swept around the trees, the damp ground underfoot, the smell of the forest, of rotten fallen wood, of dew, of wet leaf and muddy stream. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22365166.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1929733438540f2e9964aa5.jpgPENBANC, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on PENBANC, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 This shows an outbuilding - possibly once a cottage or dairy which stands adjacent at a right angle to Penbanc. A house hidden behind trees and bushes, not long empty but rapidly deteriorating - overgrown and dark and lowly, the front rendered and characterless but around the back (or what I presume was once the front) is a stone porch and stoned-up doorway giving clues that this was once, perhaps, a peasant longhouse. Barns and other outbuildings also present in varies degrees of dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41424038.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16659729555f2a7541987fe.jpgCEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had known of this house since it was first put on the market a couple of years ago. The pictures of the estate agent website show a roofless ruin, the grounds cleared of foliage. In those two years a lot of foliage had grown back and my visit, mid-summer, made it all but impossible to get to the front door. Only a few exposures were made. This is an 18th century manor house (according to the sales burb) and the house is larger than most farmhouses and has an interesting array of outbuildings. The arched doorways had appeal, as does the full height rear part of the house, a somewhat odd looking square extension most likely a rear doorway but inaccessible. The rear is also windowless other than the large arch. I wonder if this had something to do with the historical window tax (introduced in 1696 until 1851)? Outbuildings around the rear, again mostly inaccessible. A lovely site and a lovely house which takes only a little imagination, but a whole heap of money, to return to its former glory. According to ‘Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families’ by Francis Jones (ISBN 0906972027), Cefn Cethin was still being lived in when the book was published in 1987. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4296049.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7270822284b5bf03244c8b.jpgTALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on TALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Only a half hour drive from Gwynfryn House to the mining community of Talysarn and the Nantlle Valley. It did not take long to find the ruined villa of Talysarn Hall. I first came across the vast array of outbuildings. I presumed that these were indeed the house converted into showers for the working miners but once past these and walked through the castellated arch I soon became aware of what a jewel this Victorian hall once was. The house itself is somewhat plain with three stories and a basement. The centre front bay slightly protrudes and also has a small porch. It is roofless and with no obvious discernable features within. It is nothing but a heavily graffiti’d shell, overgrown and seemingly heading silently and sadly into total collapse. I made a few exposures of the house which stands lost behind heavy foliage and with huge piles of waste from the quarries behind. I was however somewhat confused and struggled to distinguish between what was once a mansion and its grounds with that of the ever encroaching mine workings. Long driveways lead away from the house with high stone walls, one of these at the rear of the house appeared to be now a stream, an outlet from the mining days or had the driveway become a causality from the recent heavy rain. A strange bridge that led nowhere spans this stream and beyond that a small array of walled enclosures. Down below the washrooms (once stables and kennels?) another such driveway led to a further collection of buildings – built haphazardly upon one another with a narrow passageway leading upstairs and around a corner and into a room without a doorway. Further along again, next to some rendered stone pillars, a small gothic looking chapel or folly(?)sits low and dark in amongst the deep rotting leaves with the canopy of large oaks, beeches and chestnuts all but blocking out the light. The driveway wends out to another two stone pillars and a very large lodge house. I would estimate larger than Talysarn Hall itself, with large rear extensions. Dampness clung to everything. Although this house with its confusing and abundant collection of outbuildings appear, judging by the litter and graffiti, to be visited often by bored kids and vandals, there is much to appreciate here and there is an atmosphere of rural abandonment and loss. My visit at 9am was undisturbed. The greyness of the hills were broken with greenery and recreational pathways now thread though the workings often revealing ruined buildings and big pits in the ground, now lakes, that hint and sometimes loudly announce that this was once a large mine workings. These dangerous pools are a favourite haunt of many divers. Leaving Talysarn Hall I saw the large cracks in the walls of the castellated stable entrance and I was reminded that this house and its many buildings are on borrowed time. Even the extensive mine workings at Nantlle, once a barren, industrialized large mine now feels like parkland with footpaths wending in and out of the quarries, lakes and slag piles. Footpaths that were once roads and railway lines (bringing the men into the hillsides and the waste and precious copper ore out) are now used by mountain bikers, dog walkers and hikers. I spent three hours at Talysarn. After three hours under dark canopy and the damp heavy leaves composting underfoot it was a relief to get back into the open air and brightness of the day. I left Talysarn excited but also mystified. For me the house and location was sublime. It felt like it has had a varied and interesting history (although only built in Victorian(?) times – I’ve found very little information on the house so if anyone knows please do get in touch. I believe it was also known as Plas Dorothea). I could not truly find my bearings with the layout of the outbuildings; I can only imagine they were heavily transformed from domestic service quarters and stables to industrial uses, showers and administration buildings. Yet one can still imagine this estate to be, once more, a substantial and beautiful country house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13708902974b3f80bc69c09.jpg[/img] Talysarn Hall 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15561299124b3f829f5b053.jpg[/img] Talysarn Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41253153.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14437929915f043c125ede9.jpgTY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Notes on TY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Roadside location but forgotten and slowly crumbling. Ty'r Bryn is almost completely hidden by trees and the rear almost impenetrable. I spent just a few minutes here, took a few unsatisfactory images but before leaving I thought I should check out the large corrugated barns beside the house. They were in a poor state but there was a sense i should record them within as abstractions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3085299575406ec9b7a75d.jpgGRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Empty and forlorn, Graig-ddu-isaf has been left to decay slowly for a number of years. Peeking inside saw the usual bits of furniture and farm machinery. All seems quite depressing and damp on first inspection but beyond the decay there is a pleasant air about the place. It is quiet and tranquil, I felt miles from anywhere, even if the track to the house is just a short walk from road. A number of exposures were made, perhaps the most successful being the image of the corrugated toilet, a familiar sight in these parts, around the side of the house - with make-shift toilet pan included. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14118146.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19308740254f33bfb6b6912.jpgCYNNANT, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on CYNNANT, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 This rural farmstead has been ruined for some years judging by the state of the property. The facade was once painted yellow, this yellow has faded and worn and in the late afternoon, on this winters day, glowed with warmth and resilience. The large windows downstairs have gone, the porch and doorway crumbling, the staircase fallen and slates have fallen off the roof. A sorry state, poor Cynnant, lays in. South facing and the track leading from the road no more than a footpath, Cynnant seems miles from anywhere. I missed the footpath that weaved through the forestry and leads down to the house. Instead I carried on along the Forestry Commission track. There was little to no snow when I started my walk. The ground was frozen solid but going was easy. By the time I had walked through the forestry and by my calculations (I knew I’d somehow missed the proper footpath) by the time I was parallel with the house I was traipsing through six inches of snow. Animal tracks were abundant, the only other tracks, looking behind me, were mine. I slid down through the forestry and came, almost tumbling, alongside the stream, the Cynnant Fawr and then followed the Cynnant Fawr half a mile downstream to the house. This isn’t the preferred way to reach Cynnant when there’s a footpath leading right up to it. But it was a beautiful day and sometimes a longer walk makes the reward of such a property just that little bit extra special. Cynnant is, as it happens, a special place. Its isolation, its’ well proportioned windows and fine outbuildings all leave the visitor with ideals of restoration and then setting up home. This was once home. Around the rear, in the garden, metal fences protect trees from livestock and the outbuildings, all still in some agricultural use, are still in good condition. The house itself, albeit without windows and doors, appears structurally sound. This must have been an idyllic place to live. Once. I wondered, as I walked away, just how many other great properties lay abandoned, sitting beside a rushing stream, south facing, isolated, complimentary to the landscape around, in the Cambrian Mountains that I’ve yet to discover. I imagine many. I walked back to my car quite content with my walk but also a little saddened by this ruin. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bryn-meinog-school-house-llanddewi https://images.on-this.website/7784_123375528950ec7e558d3f9.jpgBRYN MEINOG SCHOOL HOUSE, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on BRYN MEINOG SCHOOL HOUSE, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Built by the owners of the farmhouse Bryn Meinog, this school and chapel house has been derelict for many decades but due to it's rural location has thus far escaped the vandals. Beautifully located and built within a stone wall enclosure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rhys-edward-prosser https://images.on-this.website/7784_651853997533bd4ffccdcf.jpgRhys Edward Prosser, Aberystwyth 2013 Notes on Rhys Edward Prosser A long search in a large graveyard (and I'd been given directions). The relatively simple designed gravestone was a challenge not only to find but to record in a pictorial manner. The camera was rested on the side of the grave, a wide angle lens used, and framed the art deco gravestone behind. All these elements helped form these inanimate objects into mono-lithic style buildings - reminiscent to the set designs used in Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis'. From Winter 2012 through to Spriing 2014 I visited graveyards throughout the length and breadth of Wales. Many hours were spent searching for particular gravestones, of poet's, well known and not so well known. A few were not found, mostly they were. The project was difficult not due the hours searching but more so to finding an ordinary gravestone in a wild graveyard. So often other viewpoints of other gravestones would have made an excellent photographic record but I was forced to settle, even compromise, with my brief. Frustrating as it was, it was also made the more rewarding, my eye was forced to work harder. Fortunately these peaceful places helped with keeping the mind free of distractions. Here are a few of the images published in the book. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gelli-galed-crynant-west-glamorgan https://images.on-this.website/7784_9698516454f5cdd873ca34.jpgGELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on GELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Between the months of December and the end of March are my favourite months to photograph. To visit Gelli-Galed on this March day provides the evidence. Other than a few conifers, all the leaves that cling steadfast to all the million of tiny branches have all fallen and decomposed back into the soil to form more soil. All those million of tiny branches; the minor bones of a tree or bush are there to capture onto film. The day of my visit was cloudy. The grey rendered walls of the house; the grey wall of stone of the many outbuildings; the greyness of the ground, the tired foliage; the browned bramble that rose some 6 foot high and covered huge swathes of ground around the properties seen here - All is recorded in a uniform tone of grey upon the film surface and seemed a fitting tribute to this once fine farmstead. Built in the 17th century and standing high on a hillside overlooking the village of Crynant, Gelli-Gared has a remarkable range of buildings all surrounded by a wall enclosure. Within the main house, the fabric of the building is revealed. The plaster is soft and covered in graffiti (‘Alan was here 1999’). A multi-textured sight: A-frames sagging under the weight of a damp roof and the sodden window lintels warping under the pressure of heavy damp walls. The yearly cycle of weeds filling empty spaces; clinging and poking through mortar, gaining purchase, strangling beams, pulling down window frames; a battle they shall one day win - not that the plants know of their future victory, it is a destructive by-product of a greater battle they wage, that of survival. And of all the things one could write about this spectacular enclosed farmstead? The brambles. What can be said? That they have 'spread like wildfire’ or they are 'rife in their uncontrolled corruption’? Without tool or weapon, man is ineffectual, entrance is futile. They defend this crumbled property simply and effectively. I decided to photograph from a safe distance. Their barbs rip clothing, rip skin and I wanted to walk back down into the village of Crynant like I had been merely taking a peaceful walk around the countryside of the Crynant Forest. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tynbwlch-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16079434475a8bec945c21e.jpgTYNBWLCH, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on TYNBWLCH, CEREDIGION 2015 House not derelict and these outbuildings still in use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4627990.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18917786994bacd2a05b045.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Sometimes I wonder why I do it to myself. After visiting the lamentable walls of Blaen Baglan I then drove towards home but stopped off at Neuadd Fawr. My first and only visit to Neuadd Fawr was on a still but very foggy November day in 1996. The countryside around the village of Cil-y-Cwm is quite beautiful and the road up the farm and mansion happily revealed that the lodge house, very derelict in 1996, had recently and considerately been restored. The same can not be said of the mansion. I was met by the owner / farmer and again, as I recall from my first visit some 14 years ago, was welcomed; amicable and friendly. He explained how his family had purchased the land around the farm and mansion at the turn of century. The house had come with the land and they did not have the 3 million perhaps required to restore the mansion and even if they did have the money, wouldn’t spend it restoring it. And who could blame their or anybodies reluctance, for the job at hand would be heading towards the immeasurable! Although the roof wavers it is intact and the outer walls all look structurally sound. Within, as so often the case, is a jumbled, chaotic mess as one would expect from a any house that has been left abandoned for 60 years. All the above floors have either collapsed or on the precipice. I was warned not enter. I was warned not to enter in 1996 too. I took heed. The photographs showing interior views were taken on the outside looking in. Although in such ramshackle details could be noted; fireplaces and ranges, panelling and plasterwork, built-in-cupboards and ornate grills. I purposely visited Neuadd Fawr before the spring and summer foliage all but obscured the classic Ionic cast iron pillars. Of course all rusting but up close they’re solid and feel indestructible. The façade and east side with lovely narrow balcony are beautifully proportioned with large lower floor windows. It become easy to imagine especially on such a beautiful early spring morning, that sitting in these rooms was lovely with light falling and filling even the dimmest and most sheltered of corners. To the north and rear of the house is a messy jumble of extensions, ruinous with some outer walls caved in. The rear is quite unkempt and messy but by this time, once again, I was totally captivated by the house ad estate. The marvellous twin door stable block was however a horrid shock. It had perhaps suffered more than the house, almost completely roofless, windows all broke and where had those lovely large twin doors gone? The weather was perfect but what I had chosen to photograph was devastating. The vast walled kitchen garden contained a few branchless fruit trees. I have seen pictures of the walled garden at Ruperra Castle – it was a beautiful sight – rows of vegetables carefully planted and monitored by the head gardener and his army of workers. Was Neuadd Fawr the same? Also, to the rear of the house, another walled garden, was this the formal garden? It is now just a field kept neat by grazing and curious sheep. A small summer dwelling is built within this garden (as well as a ‘ty bach’ / toilet). The farmer had spoken about CADW rejecting plans to converting the house into flats and only keeping the façade of house. Neuadd Fawr, listed grade II, can not be demolished but if no consolidation work is carried out it will eventually fall. Should CADW be more willing to compromise such examples? After two hours and using all the film I had with me, I stood staring at Neuadd Fawr. I stood still for about 10 minutes soaking up the warmth of the morning sun. It did not feel like this great house had reached its almost inevitable conclusion of total dereliction. It may have been the optimistic warmth from the sun and thawing me and the frozen ground or it could have been the un-afraid and watchful sheep whilst grazing, close by. It could have been the friendly welcome the owner gave me upon my approach or the peace I felt, the peace of that particular morning whilst walking around these particularly magnificent ruins. In those 10 slow minutes it felt like Neuadd Fawr could be, and would be, eventually saved from the brink of dereliction by the restorer of wealth and good taste. I hope I will be proved right. NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bury-lodge-trefenter-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1748049968557742ee2f93c.jpgBURY LODGE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BURY LODGE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage, whose name mystifies, much ruined therein, upstairs all fallen, stairs collapsed, full of junk; furniture, bicycles, ovens, books and more books in one of the railway carriages - a private library - damp and pilfered. The cottage needs to be gutted and shown some care. Roadside location. The morning promised rain and ultimately delivered. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/roberts-lynette https://images.on-this.website/7784_1660120856533bd57e21d78.jpgRoberts Lynette, Llan-y-bri Notes on Roberts Lynette Upon the entering the churchyard on a windy and wet day, this was the first grave stone I came upon - this lucky feat was never repeated. A simple exposure was made, the wind strong enough to blow the Scot's Pine violently behind. From Winter 2012 through to Spriing 2014 I visited graveyards throughout the length and breadth of Wales. Many hours were spent searching for particular gravestones, of poet's, well known and not so well known. A few were not found, mostly they were. The project was difficult not due the hours searching but more so to finding an ordinary gravestone in a wild graveyard. So often other viewpoints of other gravestones would have made an excellent photographic record but I was forced to settle, even compromise, with my brief. Frustrating as it was, it was also made the more rewarding, my eye was forced to work harder. Fortunately these peaceful places helped with keeping the mind free of distractions. Here are a few of the images published in the book. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23585387.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_27466793954e9ff91befa4.jpgALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 A four year gap and all that has changed are the brambles which almost tower over the house. Some corrugated iron sheets have come away from the roof and a few wooden planks also rotted and fallen. Surely I will be surprised one day and find someone has bought this and begun restoration once again... I wrote in 2011... A peasant longhouse, possibly 17th century, with a corrugated roof but now much ruined. Sold in 2008 (?) with planning permission to restore building and convert barns (also ruinous) to dwelling status but it seems now abandoned. All damp and depressing on this breezy and wet day. The entrance doorway wall has completely collapsed and the house, with this entire outer wall missing, has a strange look about it, with the interior on full view. Unfortunately the inside is in a poor state with the small upper floor unsafe. Most unusual is the ground floor is on two levels with a couple of steps leading up to the once living room area. A large caravan also sits in the grounds, also slowly rotting away and deserted. Some work had been done to one of the outbuildings at Allt-ddu, with some walls consolidated and some concrete block walls built and a concrete floor put in but all in all the whole place has a sense of abandonment. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14359206.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2971546894f61a85c8787b.jpgDERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on DERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2012 An ornate bridge, once one of the main driveways up to the country house of Derry Ormond (demolished 1956) now stands a little forlorn and once formed part of three ponds which sat at the foot of the once great house. The bridge these days carries no visitors, by horse and cart nor motor car and serves no purpose except perhaps to move livestock from one field to another. My visit was early on a cloudy morn and I was accompanied by birdsong and the babbling brook of the stream Nant Dyfel. Due to the slow rising dawn long exposures of around 6 minutes were used which caused some blurring of the leaves blowing in the wind and the flow of the stream. Above the bridge are ornate iron gates rusting and hanging off their posts and a view can be stolen of Derry Ormond tower. Much high stone work can be easily viewed which obviously created the pond and the flow of water could be contained and controlled. The bridge was once ridged with white marble but this has mostly fallen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13426347.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16410555854eaf9e5813b39.jpgMAES Y BEUDY, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on MAES Y BEUDY, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2011 Walking along the stone lined path to Maes y beudy on this windy afternoon it becomes something other than another path to another ruin. The wind blows the trees in a slow motion, with the branches swaying in a harmonious union with the westerly wind. The outside walls of Maes y beudy look unremarkable and modern but behind these rendered and grey walls there lays a small and lovely peasant longhouse – the windows are all irregular and the rooms within are small but strangely numerous! Once the house and outbuildings explored I ventured around the rear of the property, a small orchard with rotting fruit, and an open window, large and no longer protecting the house and judging by the mess within has not protected this lovely little cottage for many a year. Inside is a mess. The house was obviously abandoned with its contents in place. A calendar with the date March 1983 lay in the living room. Was this when Maes y beudy was abandoned? Possibly. The furniture inside is all stripped from its panelling, its drawers or chairs stripped from their coverings. A tiny, tiny kitchen filled with pots, pans and unrecognizable tins and slug eaten packaging. The upstairs filled with clothing, bundled into damp and rotting masses. The floorboards are beginning to rot due to small holes letting the water in through the roof. The fireplaces have been ripped out, books are strewn, carpets like sponge, mattresses soggy and a mould, dampness filling the rooms, the air, the walls and all their contents. I tread with care, set the camera up and expose film. Long exposures of around 16 minutes allow me to unravel the nervousness of entering dangerous and empty properties. 16 minutes is long enough to alter ones opinion of a house. Maes y beudy is a lovely little property in a beautiful location with views of the church and hamlet of Ysbyty Ystwyth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4641901.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20170490244baf5b70b70d9.jpgBLAENGADER, Abermad, Ceredigion 2001 Notes on BLAENGADER, Abermad, Ceredigion 2001 Two farmhouses seemingly built against each other, I was told of this property at an exhibition opening – it had stood empty for a few years and nature had begun to reclaim: a sapling peeped out of the chimney pots. Damp, gloomy and eerie, I made a few exposures and carried on my way with wonder. What would become of Blaengader? Had it been forgotten? If only 5 miles or so from Aberystwyth why hadn’t it been bought and restored? I drove by again a few years later and the house and outbuildings were almost unrecognizable with extensive renovation and new porch with portico. I did not consider it sympathetic in character but herein lies a common paradox for me: after a visit to a derelict and decaying property and estate I find it hard to imagine a house restored and lived in once again, a kind of selfishness overwhelms the sensibilities. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13582830.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6532817184ec75df86e739.jpgBLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 My first visit here was in 1991 – back then I had only just taken up photography and every weekend I would load myself up with camera and equipment and go exploring. Often, not always, I simply wandered around with no specific destination, merely walked from the road into the Cambrian Mountains and just followed my nose to wherever looked interesting. I followed streams and naturally gravitated towards ruins or sheepfolds. Exploring the Myherin forest back then was a frustrating and confusing experience. I did not know my way around the many miles of forestry track – it could be slow going, sometimes going in circles and with only snatches of views gained from gaps in the trees. Blaen Myherin was a welcome view – it stands 5 miles from the main road and stands at the head of the valley. It seemed very secluded during my first visit and in many ways it is yet, also, it is surrounded by wind farm turbines and in the middle of a working forest whose tracks are sometimes used for motor sport rally. The house spends most of its time in a solitary isolation but every now and again it is in the midst of a roar of noise and always accompanied with that thin and wavering un-melodic hum from the wind turbine blades continuously filling this sometime peaceful valley. The house, as one can see in the photographs, is in a very poor state with the roof and one gable end collapsed. The long, 100 foot barn beside the house is also looking structurally poor and is no longer in use. Inside is littered with debris and many names have been carved into the wooden stable walls. The house was last lived in the late 1960’s. What would the owners think of the house now? My trip was a pleasant one nonetheless. I had cycled to the house and made a number of exposures – simple, uncomplicated and rewarding. The ground around the house is very damp, I followed the sheep tracks through the hidden deep troughs of muddy waters and set up the camera. Blaen Myherin will shortly be nothing more than a pile of stone. How sad to think the wind turbines will out-survive this once much loved farmhouse. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34133784.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17775005655a8b3390e54aa.jpgDANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2018 Notes on DANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2018 Long ruinous - at least fifteen years - recently sold for £100,000 after the Australian owners were forced to sell by Swansea Council. Nothing has yet been done to consolidate the ruins, except last year the fire brigade dismantled the roof partially after an arson attack. Built 1880 and was last used as an employment centre. This recent visit was made two days before the house was to be auctioned off again - this time with a starting price at £70,000. No access was possible within and to be honest, I felt there was little to be gained by entering. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img349 https://images.on-this.website/7784_804242805536e57b9a3a81.jpgMAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on MAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Thanks to Luke Thomas who emailed to tell me about this property. Luke mentioned that the farm was once was one of the better when his grandmother was alive (whom delivered newspapers there). He also mentioned 'she told me the tenants retired and the son became a Dr to the Queen and the buildings became abandoned and derelict over time'. At the entrance there's a new gate, with cast within the name Maes Gwenllian. An odd thing for a ruin. The path then wends long for quarter of a mile and to the outbuildings, all ruinous and to the house itself - the façade all but covered in low hanging branches. The roof collapsed, the floors within much the same, few remnants remain and the cows have made the wandering around a very messy and muddy affair. Of course I wear my wellington boots and almost loose them if I stand still for too long. A few pleasing exposures were made, the first for a while, long exposures of around four minutes, enough to note the tranquillity and clean air. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115453.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8038251545fedecee226ae.jpgBERTHOLEY, Llantrisant, Gwent 1997 Notes on BERTHOLEY, Llantrisant, Gwent 1997 (restored 1999) Bertholey is situated in a quiet park with wonderful views over a loop in the river Usk. It was rebuilt circa 1790 - the cause of the initial dereliction in 1905 as often the case, a fire. A relative of the owner, drunk, accidentally set fire to the house. It had been left a shell since then. In its present state, with the mid-range collapsed, one wonders how much longer Bertholey will be allowed to stand. A house attached to a rear wing is still inhabited - a strange set up considering the vulnerability of the property. With an intricate wrought iron fence and gate surrounding the house and the lawn neatly kept, respectably so by sheep and cows, it was not impossible to imagine Bertholey as a fine building of some stature in its heyday. A number of exposures were made but i struggled to find the true essence of the house - it lacked the mysteriousness of many ruins but of course this could be down to my own personal feelings on that day, or even the weather. I have only recently discovered that the house was beautifully restored a year after this image was taken. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12111664134b6296aac18b8.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9051898714b6296c4bee71.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8270837134b629691ce286.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13582881.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14712643354ec75f2252e8d.jpgBLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 My first visit here was in 1991 – back then I had only just taken up photography and every weekend I would load myself up with camera and equipment and go exploring. Often, not always, I simply wandered around with no specific destination, merely walked from the road into the Cambrian Mountains and just followed my nose to wherever looked interesting. I followed streams and naturally gravitated towards ruins or sheepfolds. Exploring the Myherin forest back then was a frustrating and confusing experience. I did not know my way around the many miles of forestry track – it could be slow going, sometimes going in circles and with only snatches of views gained from gaps in the trees. Blaen Myherin was a welcome view – it stands 5 miles from the main road and stands at the head of the valley. It seemed very secluded during my first visit and in many ways it is yet, also, it is surrounded by wind farm turbines and in the middle of a working forest whose tracks are sometimes used for motor sport rally. The house spends most of its time in a solitary isolation but every now and again it is in the midst of a roar of noise and always accompanied with that thin and wavering un-melodic hum from the wind turbine blades continuously filling this sometime peaceful valley. The house, as one can see in the photographs, is in a very poor state with the roof and one gable end collapsed. The long, 100 foot barn beside the house is also looking structurally poor and is no longer in use. Inside is littered with debris and many names have been carved into the wooden stable walls. The house was last lived in the late 1960’s. What would the owners think of the house now? My trip was a pleasant one nonetheless. I had cycled to the house and made a number of exposures – simple, uncomplicated and rewarding. The ground around the house is very damp, I followed the sheep tracks through the hidden deep troughs of muddy waters and set up the camera. Blaen Myherin will shortly be nothing more than a pile of stone. How sad to think the wind turbines will out-survive this once much loved farmhouse. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13385632.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13918403454eaabe5308fd7.jpgPARC FARMSTEAD, Nr Pantycraf, Blaencaron, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PARC FARMSTEAD, Nr Pantycraf, Blaencaron, Ceredigion 2011 A small long house that looks long neglected. Yet a dirty caravan stood in a field adjacent and other signs that someone had once put in planning to restore. A check on the Ceredigion Planning Map confirmed this but planning was denied (why?) and it would seem all has been abandoned. There is no road to this property and it is very isolated. The house lays untouched but the once occupier had begun to cultivate a field beside the house. This was my good fortune, rows of raspberry plants were left unattended, many had gone black and were over but on this early October morning there was still enough to enjoy a surprised feast. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img392 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1234409715378e284a3bb2.jpgCWAREL UCHAF, Pont Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on CWAREL UCHAF, Pont Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2014 Partially an early 18th century cottage, once thatched but now with a corrugated roof. Currently for sale, after recent restoration seemed to have stopped. Cottage very similar to those at Llanerchaeron. A few exposures made in my five minute visit, a local farmer passed by in his discovery and opened the door to have a stare. He must have tired quickly for after a few seconds he was gone. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24167746.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_173326139554cc58b77071.jpgFFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 A small house built facing a bank, a shame since there's a lovely view of Llanerchaeron Mansion a few yards away. The house has been gutted and ready for restoration - this unfortunately has ceased and is now open to the elements - although the roof looks to be in a good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13445807.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8778975064eb37ea95440a.jpgHIRNANT, Ponterwyd, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on OUTBUILDING, HIRNANT, Ponterwyd, Ceredigion 2011 A large corrugated iron Dutch barn - was still in agricultural use quite recently. The house is not ruined, for sale, but in dire need of not only modernization but also structural work - one gable end is bulging quite alarmingly but this possibly may just be dampness behind the render and thus is coming away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8054384.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7177316654d0db9fd9c76c.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 2010 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19527954.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16725249405254289cec301.jpgBERTHDOMLED STABLES, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on BERTHDOMLED STABLES, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2013 A public footpath passes the actual house of Berthdomled (occupied and not ruined!) and the stables stand beside it, almost dwarfing the house. The stables form a courtyard and contain a cow shed, pigsties, boiler house, barn and outward facing cart sheds. All are in various states of disrepair but are still in some agricultural use. A few exposures were made but are slightly underexposed. This maybe because of the difficulty of finding the correct exposure due to the lifting dawn and also this batch of film (Kodak tmax100) is also approximately 15 years past its use-by date. The current price of film determines such measures. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24530643.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19991391195577d574c89ea.jpgBRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Standing isolated and high, the morning of my visit was silent, with just a trace of wind and the odd bleat from the sheep. The track to the house was dry until the last corner, then much waterlogged, I trundled through the muddy water and to the sunlit façade. The house has nearly reached the peak of dereliction; before the roof has fallen, before the water has collapsed the ceiling, before all this comes tumbling in. It can happen over years or during one particular bad storm. A chimney is missing, a few slates, no glass in the windows, the door held together by bailing twine; a familiar sight. A few exposures were made, although it was early the sky was a deep blue, the moon hung not so high in the sky and the sun was also low, almost blindingly bright. Fifteen minutes later I was walking back along the track and to the car wondering if I should have ventured inside, wondering if I'd made the best of my visit. No way of knowing until the negatives are developed. The house, if unsold, unrepaired, will probably be roofless in a year or two. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41112241.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10951207725e709ab932ac0.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo7042784.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7948592314cb740b77e21a.jpgCLAERDDU COTTAGE, Teifi Pools, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on CLAERDDU COTTAGE, Teifi Pools, Ceredigion 1994 A tiny and remote house overlooking the Teifi Pools. I've visited here numerous times from 1990. It is small, with two small rooms upstairs and two small downstairs with an additional kitchen tacked on at the rear. There is something very comforting about his property whether it is the modesty or homely feel of the tiny cottage I can not say. I once wanted to live here, in solitude, beside the small stream overlooking the lakes of Teifi Pools. I believe this is now a Bothy, no doubt a welcome sight for those walkers of the Cambrian Mountains. I am sure this cottage made up the final few images of the well respected motion picture 'Sleep furiously' - images made long before my visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6471404.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12484998334c9104af7a27a.jpgCHAPEL AND CHAPEL HOUSE, Bethania, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CHAPEL AND CHAPEL HOUSE, Bethania, Ceredigion 2010 An impromptu visit and accompanied by a former resident of the Chapel House and who spent most of their childhood there. The house has sadly fallen into disrepair and is reaching the state when some fundamental maintenance work must be carried out. For my companion memories came flooding: …a cold house; an outside ty bach; the vicar after Sunday sermon would call for tea and cake and would often fall asleep in front of the open fire; the children’s’ parties in the graveyard, playing hide and seek behind the grave stones; the narrow patch of land around the car park cultivated for garden use. Her recollections gave the house a human background that many of the properties I have visited have lacked. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12358168.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16235410874e57e4d226cdb.jpgFOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on FOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 2011 After fourteen years since my last visit I had wondered what to find at Foxhall. I knew it was unlikely that since empty for literally centuries that most of its high walls would remain. And thus it proved. Only standing beside these walls does one have a sense of their height. And once inside the overgrown ruins the same can also be said as one cranes the neck to spy wooden lintels bending under the strain and fireplaces that perhaps never hosted any fires. Much of the ivy that covered the stone has been cut away -apparently at the request of Cadw - and fourteen years later it quickly becomes apparent that Foxhall is a house of many large windows - with the left hand bay entirely opened up intending on giving fantastic panoramic views. Many of the stone mullion windows remain - some mysteriously half filled with stone and many also now collapsing under the yearly strain of the Welsh winters. Trees with abundant fruit lay along its front walls and the sheep gently graze. It could be said that normal service resumes at Foxhall - and if it was ever lived in, which seems unlikely, then Foxhall has most likely spent its entire long life in this fashion; merely a monument watching over the country life of this part of Denbighshire. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-marchant-ffair-rhos-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_5554537524c6ab9b9059c0.jpgBLAEN MARCHANT, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on BLAEN MARCHANT, Ceredigion 2010 Familiarity has diminished the uneasy air this small valley has often bestowed upon me. Blaen Marchant is easily accessible, the rear window has been broken. The front door held on by string, inside a cooker, tables, chairs, benches, stools and a few kitchenwares. Asbestos, cement floor, iron coming apart at the base where it meets the cement floor all leads one to think Blaen Marchant may soon be letting the rains flood in and begin its disruptive progression. The thin walls must have let any heat within out. Who lived here? Who lived here? Previous visits I found a cot, boxes of childrens clothes and toys, all left, on the floor, in various poses. All unnerving. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6220220.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1251218784c81dc43e1d20.jpgFFOS LAS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on FFOS LAS, Ceredigion 2010 A large house in a sorry state yet exquisitely positioned on the coast overlooking Cardigan Bay and the Irish Sea. Many outbuildings also ruinous. I had visited here a few years ago and since then some drainage pipes have been laid and some minor scaffoldiing to help support the interior. The interior is a mess with piles of freshly fallen stone sitting against crumbling walls, all with the daylight flooding in. There are also large cracks and holes throughout the structure and it must surely only lead to either total dereliction or a complete rebuild. The farm half a mile towards Morfa Bychan called Cwm Cierw has almost exactly the same layout, design and size of house and outbuildings. There is also evidence of Ffos Las having once been slate clad, at least on its facade. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475616.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7524152664b8bc70675e65.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41489488.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15131883595f3144b78777e.jpgALLT-Y-FRAN-FACH, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on Allt-Y-Fran-Fach, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 A short track from Troserch Woods car park leads to the ivy covered ruins of Allt-Y-Fran-Fach. Access near impossible with almost shoulder height foliage but fortunately there was not many bramble, so it was easy, albeit slow and I got a good soaking, to trample down the weeds and nettle. Inside much ruinous, as seen here, internal wall of ‘Llangennech’ bricks had collapsed. It is always a pleasant return when you pick up a brick to see where it had been made… I often wished I collected bricks from around Wales but I have enough to carry and besides even if ruinous and broken, a brick does not belong to me and would be considered theft. A few exposures were made outside too, viewpoints were scarce, the foliage again had to be trampled to get far away enough from the house. A single height barn stands right behind the house and I noted from older maps that they show the house and barn joined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32838501.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_162594386259ba19ec5ca09.jpgHENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on HENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Belonging to Swansea University and currently for sale. I have not entered Hendrefiolan but have seen images taken inside by an urban explorer and as expected the building has lost its sense of a domestic dwelling. This is a shame but inevitable whenever a private property is sold to a municipal or academic establishment. Outside tells a different story. The house looks to be in decent condition. Some of the stained glass windows were smashed by vandals a while ago, these windows are now boarded up. There was other prefab type buildings built beside the house but these have been demolished -a large concrete platform is all that remains. The rear of the house is also looking good, perhaps a little forlorn but hopefully the house will soon be sold. My visit was a short one, perhaps an hour or so. Satisfying viewpoints were scarce and this may have encouraged me to take more photographs then I would normally have done, in some vain attempt to capture the house in its true glory with atmosphere to boot! I more or less failed, a few images are satisfactory, but I feel I missed a trick here but perhaps a second visit will rectify this. The stables are currently used as a library. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24530644.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4294124075577d579b175a.jpgBRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Standing isolated and high, the morning of my visit was silent, with just a trace of wind and the odd bleat from the sheep. The track to the house was dry until the last corner, then much waterlogged, I trundled through the muddy water and to the sunlit façade. The house has nearly reached the peak of dereliction; before the roof has fallen, before the water has collapsed the ceiling, before all this comes tumbling in. It can happen over years or during one particular bad storm. A chimney is missing, a few slates, no glass in the windows, the door held together by bailing twine; a familiar sight. A few exposures were made, although it was early the sky was a deep blue, the moon hung not so high in the sky and the sun was also low, almost blindingly bright. Fifteen minutes later I was walking back along the track and to the car wondering if I should have ventured inside, wondering if I'd made the best of my visit. No way of knowing until the negatives are developed. The house, if unsold, unrepaired, will probably be roofless in a year or two. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33968013.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18728294395a67021ac7ae4.jpgLLWYN YR YN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Notes on LLWYN YR YN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Whilst visiting another ruin, a hundred yards away, I spied the chimney of this house. So rare it is to find ruins so close together! Llwyn-Yr-Yn is much ruined, the whole front facade has fallen and has been cleared of fallen rock/masonry. Much alike its neighbour Cyllie farm, it has a plastic fence around its perimeter - perhaps sign of intention that this will soon be restored or sold as is. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33968011.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10343935775a670217378df.jpgLLWYN YR YN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Notes on LLWYN YR YN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Whilst visiting another ruin, a hundred yards away, I spied the chimney of this house. So rare it is to find ruins so close together! Llwyn-Yr-Yn is much ruined, the whole front facade has fallen and has been cleared of fallen rock/masonry. Much alike its neighbour Cyllie farm, it has a plastic fence around its perimeter - perhaps sign of intention that this will soon be restored or sold as is. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475593.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15617092404b8bc6a9e36cf.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37330076.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7878812765c53e7697c345.jpgLLWYN CELYN, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on LLWYN CELYN, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 After visiting another ruin, Cwm-Cwta, a mile or so away, I thought I would try to see if anything remained of Llwyn Celyn. There seemed nothing to see on Google Earth and my O/S map is 20 years old now and only showed an empty box or two at right angles. I was not going to bother. My first walk had been a little arduous and I had further visits planned for the day. I was pleased I convinced myself to take a look and much surprised. I always seem to need to convince myself these days that it is worth the effort to walk that extra mile. I tell myself that it is unlikely I’ll ever walk these footpaths again. That is sometimes and sometimes not the case. Llwyn Celyn sits in a small wooden area and has much to admire. The house, I imagine, has only lost its roof in the last ten or fifteen years or so. It’s solidly built and more unusually has fared better than the outbuildings around it. I rested here a good half hour. There is always unease within me when I haven’t photographed for a long time; it’s mixture of anticipation, nerves of meeting irate landowners, and the fact that I simply haven’t bothered for such a long time that is there even a need for me to carry on documenting these houses? A few exposures were made. I felt the old sense of good return. I was absorbed in my task, whilst the fog swept around the trees, the damp ground underfoot, the smell of the forest, of rotten fallen wood, of dew, of wet leaf and muddy stream. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40479126.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14651622255dd7934b5bbcf.jpgABSTRACTION, Swansea 2019 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Swansea 2019 Taken on Swansea Kingsway road, in the middle of town, one lunchtime from work. I had seen these badly closed shutters of an old shop front on a drive through town to work previously. Normally any street photography I keep to early mornings but I hadn’t taken any photographs for a while and I begin to get grumpy with everything around me if I don’t do something about that. So lunchtime it was, right outside a few bus stops. I had expected a group of people but for the two minutes I stood there, wooden camera on tripod, fumbling with light meter and lens settings barely a person walked by. I felt oddly nervous, conspicuous and somehow managed to drop the lens I wanted to use. A dented lens but the glass was fine. Two sheets of film were used, two minutes passed, the cold wind blew through me and before I knew it was walking back to my work to eat my lunch with the grumpiness receding and the excitement of photographing once again. I’ve spoken before about these months of inactivity and each time, almost every single time, it is the abstractions I must photograph first before I can think about visiting ruins. I do not know why this is, I do not know what it says about me, I do not know what this triggers but immediately I’m pulling out my notes and lists of sights to visit, digging out the O/S maps and planning jaunts around and about, planning family walks with a ruin somewhere along the pathways. And so it begins, an eager search for unknown ruins, footpaths and any historical facts I can find out about a building. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rhosyrhiw-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20232291374c7f4a9a33c49.jpgRHOSYRHIW, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on RHOSYRHIW, Ceredigion 2010 I parked at the entrance and whilst walking down the track towards the house I wondered what I would find. My last visit in 2004 the house seemd run down and felt like nothing more than a seldom visited holiday home. It appears in 2010 that much consolidation work has been done - at the rear of the house the ground cleared revealing the foundations and the house seems to be in generally good structural condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13985068.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17467347654f152c812c1fe.jpgBEUDIAU, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BEUDIAU, Ceredigion 2009 On the back road to the Falcondale Hotel just outside Lampeter sits this farm house, situated on a bank high above the high hedged B-road that runs beside it. The front view shows very little of interest other than that is apparent that it has been abandoned. This unremarkable view is transformed when one sees the large chimney sitting at the rear. It is somewhat oddly positioned and challenges not only the scale of the property but also its overall aesthetic appeal hence its inclusion on this website. The morning of my visit was one of those cool Autumnal days that had forecast as mild with rain but had in fact been bright and cold. The dew hung heavy on the grass and dampened the sides and edges of all the farm machinery left in front of the property. There was also some small outbuildings, one with an appealing arched entrance. Furniture was stored up in the loft of one of the outbuildings but all looked beyond use or repair. The house itself has the first few signs of dereliction; a few slates missing, windows either broken or boarded up, a large plotted plant stands outside as high as the front door. Peering through the letterbox reveals the usual uncarpeted staircase, bare floorboards, torn net curtains, peeling wallpaper and blistered paintwork. The house has wonderful views and due to its close approximation to the busy market town of Lampeter would make an excellent family home. If left to deteriorate any further then dereliction threatens. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13582867.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4829145994ec75ebb59bf9.jpgBLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 My first visit here was in 1991 – back then I had only just taken up photography and every weekend I would load myself up with camera and equipment and go exploring. Often, not always, I simply wandered around with no specific destination, merely walked from the road into the Cambrian Mountains and just followed my nose to wherever looked interesting. I followed streams and naturally gravitated towards ruins or sheepfolds. Exploring the Myherin forest back then was a frustrating and confusing experience. I did not know my way around the many miles of forestry track – it could be slow going, sometimes going in circles and with only snatches of views gained from gaps in the trees. Blaen Myherin was a welcome view – it stands 5 miles from the main road and stands at the head of the valley. It seemed very secluded during my first visit and in many ways it is yet, also, it is surrounded by wind farm turbines and in the middle of a working forest whose tracks are sometimes used for motor sport rally. The house spends most of its time in a solitary isolation but every now and again it is in the midst of a roar of noise and always accompanied with that thin and wavering un-melodic hum from the wind turbine blades continuously filling this sometime peaceful valley. The house, as one can see in the photographs, is in a very poor state with the roof and one gable end collapsed. The long, 100 foot barn beside the house is also looking structurally poor and is no longer in use. Inside is littered with debris and many names have been carved into the wooden stable walls. The house was last lived in the late 1960’s. What would the owners think of the house now? My trip was a pleasant one nonetheless. I had cycled to the house and made a number of exposures – simple, uncomplicated and rewarding. The ground around the house is very damp, I followed the sheep tracks through the hidden deep troughs of muddy waters and set up the camera. Blaen Myherin will shortly be nothing more than a pile of stone. How sad to think the wind turbines will out-survive this once much loved farmhouse. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24536186.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_301017734557925df38229.jpgGLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage - one forgets how small the rooms are compared to todays houses, no room to swing a cat, but easier to keep warm - and can be seen from the road but the footpath I took started nowhere but eventually met up with the straight track to the house. Inside are ovens, rusty white-goods, worthless and dirty and other bits of... things... doors and window frames, bits of broken furniture, pots and pans et al... Outside the house looks to be in a good general order, the morning sun shone brightly, my spirits were high, cows had done their best to make the going around the house almost impossible without sinking a foot deep and losing footing (and indeed wellingtons) and although my visit here was over within twenty minutes, it was certainly pleasant enough and one hopes the house to find an owner/buyer, small as it may be. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37371409.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10187222145c6073cbaa8ca.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 A second visit in six months and in January when the foliage is stripped bare and the remains of the ruins are better viewed. The house was abandoned in 1824 – almost two hundred years ago – and at that time the sea would have made its way up stream and it is proposed Scotsborough House would have had a docking bay for boats delivering goods (not dissimilar to Boulston House). The land around the house has silted up now and this has become a haven for wildlife. The house itself is a sad site but perhaps we should be grateful there is still something to see. Viewpoints come easily for me on this morning. I think I can say I photographed the house better than my first visit – which admittedly was in the drizzle and I was somewhat hurried. Today an hour or so was spent at the site – a barbed wire fence surround the ruins with signs saying ‘No trespassing, dangerous ruins’ – a potential gravestone signature. The porch showed an internal arched doorway blocked up and further clues around the house give hint at other arched doorways. This had been a substantial building in its time. It’s a shame the ruins could not be consolidated as I am sure visitors to Tenby would love to explore the town other than the beach and shops. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-lan-uchaf-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7797220244dc808cf27043.jpgPEN-LAN UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN-LAN UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 With no obvious track or road leading up to the walls of Pen-lan Uchaf means it has been left alone by the casual and bored vandal. I am unsure how long it has been left empty - it might be 10 years, it could be 30. All the doors and windows were boarded up and there was little point in seeing if there was any access within (it would have been too dark to photograph anyhow since I never use flash for these black and white images). Best let the house and it's secrets in peace. Due to its secluded spot this house exudes an air of calmness. The sheep had fluttered away as I approached and the cows too had fled but naturally for them they had to return. Their curiosity beating their fear of this stranger. I enjoyed their company and the hour spent at Pen-lan Uchaf was a pleasent one. If anyone knows anything of this house then please do leave a comment. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13060776.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19275764304e84278453101.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Perhaps the most successful image of the visit to the abandoned milk factory and the last image taken. This piece of paintwork, curled up upon itself is around 7 foot high on the wall and some slow and delicate camera movements were used to capture it whilst keeping the lens and film plane level. It was worth the slow set up and also the long exposure of 12 minutes. Alone, the rolled up paintwork looked a little lost but I included some brickwork on the left hand side of the image to add to the balance of the composition. I believe this was the right thing to do. A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images (images of the actual building can be seen in the 'Other Welsh Ruins' gallery) and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes due to the dimness within and the deep rain clouds outside. The walls within had been exposed to 40 years of dampness and the thick paint work was peeling throughout. The textures and patterns formed therein were some of the better I'd seen for many a year. These images were all taken using a 150mm Xenar lens - not optimised for macro photography yet the negative are absolutely pin-sharp and are a joy to view and then print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12510864.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6217357074e606bc6bef23.jpgCEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2011 An unexpected visit and also of note some items have disappeared notably many, many spools of wool and possibly some baskets. The stuffed heron remains. The bulk of the machines survive, the atmospherics, as ever, survive. The morning of my visit was cloudy with drizzle and little light entered the mill - exposures of 90 minutes were used (a three to six hour exposure would have been preferable) and thus, one has to question the argument of film v digital. A digital image could have been taken in a fraction of the time and therefore more exposures could have been made. My love of traditional film photography is however too strong, too imbedded to alter my current course. At this moment. Abandoned in 1959 one get the feeling that the workers just downed tools and left everything just as one witnesses it today. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmnewydion-uchaf-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11206813594c6794f64a340.jpgCWMNEWYDION-UCHAF, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CWMNEWYDION-UCHAF, Ceredigion 2010 A small cottage – empty for a number of years – the slates at the extremes of the roof are beginning to deteriorate. Inside, peering through the dirty windows, the usual garb of the empty cottage; signs of a simple life, well used minimum furniture, a dining table with a plastic table cloth with all the crockery placed on top, teapots, cups, plates etc. A ladies bike with basket in another room, a pew bench, wardrobes and chest of drawers, boxes of bottles. I would have liked to have seen upstairs. A sealed museum of a couple’s life, free from human dust, birds nests nestled on top of electricity boxes, perhaps a TV Licence reminder from 1990’s or a Yellow Pages from 1980’s? Who knows? Random things are always to be found: Piles of Country Life magazine in the service quarters of Rhuppera Castle in Caerphily; the actual deeds of Caermeirch in Pontrhydygroes; diary pages from the 1870’s in Aberglasney in Llangathen; years and years of fertiliser receipts in Dolgor’s at Devil’s Bridge; a chest of travel books at Ceulan Mill in Talybont; a room of cheap chandeliers at Gwynfryn at Llanystumdwy and then there is all of the graffiti scratched in stone and wood, some recent and some ancient; at Pembrey Court in Pembrey and Pencoed Castle at Llanmartin. And then yearly names and dates in Bothy’s in and around the Cambrain Mountains such as at Nant Rhys, Claerddu Cottage and Moel Prysgau. Such things enrich and qualify long walks, searches, explorations and help enclose the memories of visits to properties I may never visit again. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37371419.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11346219055c6073df6ae42.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 A second visit in six months and in January when the foliage is stripped bare and the remains of the ruins are better viewed. The house was abandoned in 1824 – almost two hundred years ago – and at that time the sea would have made its way up stream and it is proposed Scotsborough House would have had a docking bay for boats delivering goods (not dissimilar to Boulston House). The land around the house has silted up now and this has become a haven for wildlife. The house itself is a sad site but perhaps we should be grateful there is still something to see. Viewpoints come easily for me on this morning. I think I can say I photographed the house better than my first visit – which admittedly was in the drizzle and I was somewhat hurried. Today an hour or so was spent at the site – a barbed wire fence surround the ruins with signs saying ‘No trespassing, dangerous ruins’ – a potential gravestone signature. The porch showed an internal arched doorway blocked up and further clues around the house give hint at other arched doorways. This had been a substantial building in its time. It’s a shame the ruins could not be consolidated as I am sure visitors to Tenby would love to explore the town other than the beach and shops. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13323064.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9156249434ea25e356494b.jpgBLAEN GORFFEN, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN GORFFEN, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 High, exposed and dramatic. Blaen Gorffen was, on this day, a blustery but delightful site. The wind did indeed blow hard and the sky thickened with dark cloud but the rain held off. The sheep scattered as I approached the house and outbuildings. Views opened up over Tregaron Bog and across towards Pontrhydyfendigaid and Ystrad Meurig. I made some slow careful exposures and enjoyed, devoured the views (why snatch when stationary?). The house and outbuildings look the worse for wear. The house all but fallen with the last slates just beginning to complete this desolate picture. A cast iron bed acted as a doorway and to halt any intruder into the house. But what was there to see within? A pile of rubble and stone and two fireplaces. I resisted the temptation to cross the cast iron bed threshold. A pig pen sits down beside the back of the stream that runs in front of the house, roofless and ruined. Some of the extensive outbuildings are still in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40708410.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17137891655e138415b21d2.jpgPOPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Notes on POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Recently put on the market with planning for housing on the grounds, one feels the urbanization around the property is already intrusive but if it helps to keep this lovely building from further deterioration then housing is the lesser of two evils. The property is reached by a gated entrance on the edge of the village Pontlliw. There is no need to open the gate as access can be found simply by walking beside the gatepost. There's a small bricked ruined lodge to the right, small and roofless but the structure itself seems sound. I parked the car here and walked along the meandering driveway. I could hear some kid kicking a ball against a garage door in one of the backyards of the houses built alongside the road and parallel to the driveway. I immediately noticed a CCTV camera on a pole and a small light suddenly coming on as I passed. I did not mind. I was after all trespassing but also knew I had no intention of causing any damage or entering the property. I also knew the house to be in a good structural condition, empty rather than derelict but definitely in need of some re-consolidation, the white wooden veranda is in a very poor state and some of it missing. I wondered since I'd triggered the CCTV if someone would appear asking me to leave. No-one came. A few images were taken, just general views, any foliage around the property had been cleared and due to the good condition of the house I wondered if it even needed to be documented. But why by-pass such an opportunity? This had been an impromptu visit, I had just returned from a walk to visit a number of ruins but discovered a public footpath had been (illegally?) closed with a high barb-wired fence and warnings of loose dogs and about 6 or 7 sheep skulls tied to the gate. I could have found a way to enter but decided that the ruins I was intending to visit were probably not worth a dog bite and goodness knows what else... so I walked back the way I had come, to the car, a mile or so with a heavy backpack. Driving back I remembered this house, 'Poplar's' I'd seen for sale on Zoopla and had passed the entrance early on. Although it was Saturday morning, bright daylight, I was determined not to waste my morning and parked at the entrance in full view. I am pleased I did. My visit, brief, perhaps half an hour saw me shoot around 10 sheets of film, nothing spectacular but perfunctionary. As is often the case. The house is large and long. The stables are also ruined, and stand half way along the driveway. These I did enter and are in good condition and could continue to be used as stables if desired. I am uncertain if the stables are grade 2 listed (as the house is) so could be possibly demolished. There are images on the web which show the house inside - it looks shabby and needs a lot of decorating and modernizing but I'm sure someone will turn this into a wonderful home once again. I believe planning consent consists of turning the house into dual occupancy. I expect this time next year the whole complex will be mostly finished, polished and Poplar's will experience another chapter in it's life. The following has been taken from British Listed Buildings website and gives a detailed description of the house: Constructed c1890 by a local industrialist Friedrich William Dahne and originally called Friedrichsruh. Dahne is believed to be Austrian. He is recorded as advertising for a ‘Working Housekeeper’ in October 1899 and the house and grounds are first shown on the 2nd ed OS map of 1900. It is referred to as an ‘Attractive modern country mansion’ on its sale in 1913, by which point F Dahne had presumably died as the house was occupied ( October 1914) by Friedrich’s son David. By the mid C20 it had been renamed The Poplars. The design of The Poplars has been attributed to Glendinning Moxham (1865-1946) an architect active in South Wales and resident in Swansea. Moxham published Country Homes & Cottages in 1910 illustrated with his own designs of built and proposed houses. In it he outlines his stylistic preferences for white painted roughcast walls and half timbering rather than exposed local stone, and red tiles used for walls and roofs. Internally oak is used for principal joinery elements (stair, beams, doors and panelling) with the remainder painted. He also puts forward ideas on plan types, with practical plans with deep windows preferred over an attractive elevation. Moxham designed the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery (1909), banks, hospitals and markets and other buildings throughout Wales. Glen Hir on Gower Road (1900-1910) designed with a French influence of shutters and swept roofs has been attributed to Moxham. Moxham was responsible for the Old English style Bristol Channel Yacht Club (1904) on Mumble s Road. Swiss or Alpine styles had been used in the Swansea area during the C19 with the Swiss Cottage in Singleton Park constructed in 1826 and the Old Rectory in Llanmadoc village (1876-77) by the Rev J D Davies. Detached house in Alpine Chalet style. Red brick with stone dressings, plinth and ground floor cill band. Decorative timberwork painted white. Slate roofs, half hipped with lead rolled hips and deep projecting eaves and moulded rafter ends. Tall brick stacks, decorative ridge tiles and finials. Segmental headed 6-light casement windows, ground floor with 2 upper lights. Rectangular ‘C’ plan arranged N E-SW on a gently sloping site. Long 2 storey garden range facing SE, gabled 2 storey end wings at NE and SW ends linked by single storey block enclosing what may have once been an internal courtyard, closed off by an entrance screen wall). Tower in S corner with decorative finial and slating breaking through roof of 2 storey ranges. Entrance elevation to SW dominated by large full height projecting 2 tier timber veranda on brick plinth, wrapping round at first floor to left hand elevation. Gabled end of the garden wing breaking forward. Moulded posts with bracing, arched on the ground floor and shorter on the first floor with incised and scalloped detailing. Posts irregularly spaced to the left but grouped into 3 bays on the garden wing gable with wider central bay. First floor projects and is supported by corbels. Enclosing low close boarded panels to ground and first floor with pierced decoration with the same applied as gable boarding. Behind 3 windows to the garden wing, central retains stained glass with Alpine folklore scenes in central panels with text below and surrounded by floral designs. Doors in outer bays on the ground floors, 3 windows to the end wing, central bay French doors with leaded glass with oval stained glass cartouches of females. Tiled floor up steps on the ground floor, timber boarded on first floor. Elevation to NW with gable ends of 2 end wings with shallow timber verandah as before but close to façade and more decorative than functional. 2 window to NE end wing, SW end wing with 5 windows to ground floor and 4 to first floor, irregularly spaced. Single storey range in between with wide central door and flanking windows. NE elevation, single window to return of end wing, blind door to ground floor. Projecting lean-to 2 store block on garden range, window in right return, door in left return, blocked door and low opening in main face. Garden elevation of 5 paired window bays (10 windows), projecting stacks in between the 2nd and 3rd pair (reduced) and 4th and 5th. First floor cill band and projecting cills to ground floor windows. Left hand windows to ground floor blind with small lean-to structure to right. Modern entrance porch added in 4th bay with boarded door. Interior retains original layout substantially intact with doors, skirtings etc surviving. Main entrance from SW front retains large entrance hall with single flight oak stairs with moulded newell, balusters and handrail. Raised and fielded 4-panel doors with veneered panels, door surrounds. Full height panelling, fireplace on left hand wall removed and tiled over. Tiled floor. Below stairs cupboard. Listed for its special architectural interest as a late C19 house of exceptional style and quality, retaining its original character and designed (probably) by a prominent Swansea architect. A good physical reflection of the movement of successful industrialists into this part of Swansea, with its design and touches of detail reflecting the background of its original owner. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-aberfrrwd-ceredigion-2006 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7868047314bcaac7fc309b.jpgWALL, Aberfrrwd, Ceredigion 2006 Notes on WALL, Aberfrrwd, Ceredigion 2006 Seeking abstractions in rural mid Wales can at times prove difficult but also when a suitable wall is found, rewarding. Fortunately, there are many ruined houses, farms and industrial buildings which may not always be easy to enter. When possible they often contain walls covered in blistered paint or peeled wallpaper. Often there is very little natural light and since I do not use flash photography exposures can vary from a few seconds up to a few hours. These long exposures allow me to become acquainted with these empty properties, their crumbling and damp walls and whilst the film is exposed to the subject I can settle into the moment and become calm within the buildings atmosphere. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22235003.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9190060735400227feaf44.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42009641.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20292702905f8fda226fede.jpgDUNRAVEN CASTLE, Southerndown, Bridgend 2020 Notes on DUNRAVEN CASTLE, Southerndown, Bridgend 2020 A managed mansion estate, the clifftop mansion/castle was demolished, like so many in the early sixties (1963) but there’s plenty here to see; a well maintained and very large walled garden, the photograph here shows a folly built within the walled garden. The house platform remains too, with some surprisingly high walls and bricked up windows. The arch, as seen here, was also saved from demolition. There is also a fantastic gatehouse in a poor state but not photographed on this occasion. The castle once overlooked Dunraven Bay which is a popular beach with sand a glorious rock formation within the high cliff walls. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tre-faes-uchaf-bethania-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_20579501565575b01027fa9.jpgTRE-FAES-UCHAF, Bethania, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRE-FAES-UCHAF, Bethania, Ceredigion 2015 Not a ruin but long empty, the first signs of decay beginning to appear; young saplings, broken windows, broken door frame, broken slates. Varies bits of debris lying around, the young nettles sharp with sting, sheep bleating in surrounding fields. The house is large, as too is the barn adjacent. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo11746960.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17292537834e36952acea26.jpgLOWER GOITRE, Llanfaredd, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on LOWER GOITRE, Llanfaredd, Radnorshire 2011 Timber framed and clad in corrugated iron sheeting with a brick chimney and stone foundations, Lower Goitre is an unlikely sight with it's zinc colour, standing imposing in amongst the greenery on a steep hilly bank above a small stream. I peered through the downstair windows and all appeared tidy and basic within with a few benches, tables and chairs and the other usual farming debris you expect to find within a locked and roofed ruin. The window frames are rotting though and although I had presumed this building was built in brick throughout, it becomes easy to see with closer inspection that the house is just a wooden frame. One can only image the noise when rain or indeed hail fell upon every inch of this house. If anyone has any information on who lived here and when it was built and then abandoned please do get in touch. Thanks to Stuart Fry for sending directions to find this hidden gem. See 'links' page to read Stuart's blog. Upper Goitre is also ruinous and stand half a mile above this property althoguh very little remains and was not photographed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/systerne-sisters-house-minwear-forest https://images.on-this.website/7784_23620393249f32ad1d15d4.jpgSYSTERNE / SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear Forest, Canaston, Pembrokeshire 200 The SYSTERNE / SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear Forest, Canaston, Pembrokeshire 2009 A large (60ft?) corn barn with large porch, no windows only arrow slots, 12th century and also a large complex of smaller buildings all ruinous and overgrown. A large mansion house was supposed to have stood in this small complex of buildings, the ruins dating from 15th - 17th century. Many walls and buildings litter this wooded area and i was unsure where this house would have stood, which incidently was supposedly also used as a hospital. All set in beautiful ancient woodland no more than a stones throw away from the tidal river Cleddau. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19168788024b34afac9cc3d.jpg[/img] Unknown building, Systerne House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_160320659549d8655153557.jpg[/img] Systerne or Sister's House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17902081304b7523f3edf23.jpg[/img] Systerne or Sister's House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7177993134b7523a770b03.jpg[/img] Systerne or Sister's House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1539934404b7523475ab68.jpg[/img] Systerne or Sister's House 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5834419.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8717185464c5e4ec5b0574.jpgHAROLDSTON HOUSE, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on HAROLDSTON HOUSE, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire 2010 I reached Haroldston at 7am. The sun was quickly rising in the sky and the morning was turning from a blue and frosty dawn into a bright and very warm day. Haroldston was very easy to find, the sun painted the tops of the trees and the ivy covered tower with a warm orange hue. I had seen recent pictures of Haroldston and knew the ruins were scattered and that I would not be visiting one of the true ruined treasures of Wales. It was however still a very pleasant surprise. It’s true that the ruins are fragmented but there is much to see here, thanks partly to the resident sheep keeping the grounds from becoming overgrown and obscuring the low walls. One sheep performed repeatedly by standing on its two hind legs reaching the young spring leaves from a lime tree. Haroldston was once one of the most important gentry houses in Pembrokeshire and was built by the Harold family in the 13th century. It was much modernised and enlarged between the 15th and 17th centuries. It fell into disrepair by the end of the 18th century and became ruinous thereafter. Ruinous except for the tower (named ‘The Stewards Tower’) which remained inhabited until the late 19th century. One must wonder how that occupier must have felt, living in a tower amongst a very large crumbling mansion. This picture becomes easy to visualise! It also explains why the tower has remained in relatively good condition (compared to the rest of the site) with stone steps still partially offering access up to the first corner of the tower. The house is beautifully situated to the south of Haverfordwest with good views looking east although now looks upon a modern housing estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4508205.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11647824844b936b059a2b8.jpgEMPTY RAILWAY CAFE, Aber-Ffrwd, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on EMPTY RAILWAY CAFE, Aber-Ffrwd, Ceredigion 2004 I used to work in Aberystwyth and on occasion cycled the 16 miles from my home at Hafod. It is, more or less, a stead descent to Aberystywth from Hafod. Cycling home is another matter, especially with the added weight and cumbersome size of camera bag and tripod. This building, an empty shell, was once a tea rooms and acted as a half way stop for the narrow gauge Devil's Bridge railway. As the motor car became more popular and roads improved less people used the railway and this small tea room closed. For me it also served as a half way stop on my way home and a few exposures were made. It has now been totally demolished, the aesbestos removed and I believe planning for a new property has been approved. TY GWAG. Aber-Ffrwd. Ceredigion 2004 Yr oeddwn yn arfer gweithio yn Aberystwyth ac weithiau yr oeddwn yn seiclo 16 milltir o’m cartref yn yr Hafod. Mae’n fwy neu lai i lawr rhiw bob cam i Aberystwyth o’r Hafod. Mae seiclo adref yn fater arall, yn enwedig gyda phwysau ychwanegol y camera a’r treipod. Mae’r adeilad hwn, sef cragen wag, yn le i orffwys hanner ffordd, mae’n sefyll ar byst - hanner ffordd i fyny’r rhiw fwyaf serth, uwch ben Aber-ffrwd ac yn union islaw’r liinell reilffordd fach. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6471400.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21228985984c9104a732c0f.jpgCHAPEL AND CHAPEL HOUSE, Bethania, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CHAPEL AND CHAPEL HOUSE, Bethania, Ceredigion 2010 An impromptu visit and accompanied by a former resident of the Chapel House and who spent most of their childhood there. The house has sadly fallen into disrepair and is reaching the state when some fundamental maintenance work must be carried out. For my companion memories came flooding: …a cold house; an outside ty bach; the vicar after Sunday sermon would call for tea and cake and would often fall asleep in front of the open fire; the children’s’ parties in the graveyard, playing hide and seek behind the grave stones; the narrow patch of land around the car park cultivated for garden use. Her recollections gave the house a human background that many of the properties I have visited have lacked. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9430294.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10753760384da5495f4858b.jpgGELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on GELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2011 On an early Spring afternoon, another visit to the Italianate Mansion of Gellideg. Without a map we wondered if we would be able to find Gellideg but from the road, out of the small village of Llandyfaelog, the occasional view can be snatched. We therefore made our way slowly towards the wooded area high upon a hillside where we thought we'd spotted the house. And true to our searching eyes we found this magnificent house surrounded by woodland, rhododendrom and wild garlic. A number of exposures were made, easily found and almost casually taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6471408.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16464089634c9104b99184b.jpgDERRY ORMOND TOWER, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DERRY ORMOND TOWER, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2010 Standing high upon a hillside above the hamlet of Betws Bledrws, Derry Ormond Tower was built in 1837 by the owner of Derry Ormond House (demolished in the 1950's) and is based on an upturned canon. My morning here, only my second visit ever, surprising since I have driven passed this momument since my school days, was a beautiful experience. As so often the case, a soft night mist lingered along the river Teifi in the valley below and the sun burst through the low cloud as the morning began to break. There is no finer time of day than sun rise and this particular valley often exhibits a momentous beauty. The opening of the tower has been continuously blocked and re-opened throughout the decades. The tower was apparently badly damaged during the 1970's and restored. The concrete blockade had a hole large enough to fit through but I declined the offer, being a little uneasy with heights, and I was also uncertain if the stone steps leading upwards were safe. I have since been told that it is indeed possible to climb to the top. I restricted my visit to sticking my head through the hole and peering upward! Photographically, a tower has limitations. I have attempted to photograph it to the best of my abilities. I believe I read somewhere that Derry Ormond Tower was built on common ground, without planning permission, which was finally granted some 40 years after it was built. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10098166.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13684190474dd3685b3f3ae.jpgTHE SYSTERNE HOUSE/SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on THE SYSTERNE HOUSE/SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear, Pembrokeshire 2011 A return to the Sister's House and all those hidden ruins within its fenced grounds. My previous visit had been early spring a few years ago and I was surprised by the thickness of undergrowth. Nettles swayed three foot high and the canopy of tree cover caused exposures of around 16 seconds on a bright but cloudy afternoon. Classed as an Ancient Monument one can not help but feel that this complex of ruins, with some uncertainty of theses buildings purpose (a hospice for female pilgrims?), needs some loving care, the stone work must have suffered dreadfully over the last few harsh winters and one would have thought CADW would demand some sort of consolidation work on these important buildings. As it is they all stand, and will surely crumble and tumble, unprotected from the elements. This medieval village does however offer the explorer much delight and pleasure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2080931.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7325547484972c96fcd679.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2005 Ruperra Castle, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2005 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables - now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term it's survival seems more secure. Ruperra Castle 2004 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6379186774b51d817473e1.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11426962264b51d7f99734a.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2080933.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5679455244972c97eb14a0.jpgLLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2005 Notes on LLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2005 Late May, early morning, a heavy drizzle blew around me as I walked along the over-formed yet revealing pathway, over a tumbled bridge and a gentle stream towards the ruins of Llanstinan House. I was unsure what remained, so often the case very little, perhaps a few tell-tale signs; a pile of rocks, a crater forming a pond due to demolition or a new bungalow sharing a demolished mansions name. However, as i walked along the winding path occasional views were partially snatched through the wilderness of exotic trees and common overgrowth and on to the large ruins of Llanstinan House. Once proud with its terraced garden, now all tangled and overgrown, Llanstinan crumbles damp and dark. A small square pillared portico dated 1905 opens into the house, a high four storeys as well as a basement (all caved in). The rear walls are slate clad with ivy ripping apart the slates and mortar and as ever, water dripping from high above. The walled stables and service wings are all ruined, damp and unfriendly. The house was built on an old site in 1680 and throughout its life has been continually altered but eventually was burnt down in the 1940’s. I spent a number of hours at Llanstinan, surprised by its size and although relatively close proximity to a village, untouched by vandals. A fascinating, mysterious place. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20730592714b6e5ad2be9ea.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20772903704b6e5b28ee9ad.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4997223334b6e5b7b27bfe.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 TY LLANSTINAN. Llanstinan, Aberqwaun. Sir Benfro 2005 & 2009 Yn gynnar un bore ar ddiwedd mis Mai a glaw man trwm yn chwythu o'm hamgylch, cerddais ar hyd hen Iwybr a oedd yn llawn llystyfiant tuag at adfeilion dirgel a chyfareddol Ty Llanstinan. Ar un adeg, roedd gan Dy Llanstinan ardd deras odidog (mae rhes hir o balmwydd yn dal i sefyll wrth ymyl y ty), ond erbyn heddiw mae wedi tyfu'n wyllt. Mae'r Ty Llanstinan llaith a thywyll bellach yn adfeilio. Colofnau portico sy'n eich croesawu i'r ty. Mae pedwar llawr i'r ty ynghyd ag islawr (pob un wedi mynd a'i ben iddo). Gorchuddiwyd y waliau cefn a llechi ond bellach mae iorwg yn rhwygo'r llechi o'r morter. Hefyd, mae'r dwr yn diferu i lawr. Mae pob un o'r waliau o amgylch y stablau a'r esgyll gwasanaethu yn llaith, yn anghynnes ac wedi eu difetha'n llwyr. Adeiladwyd y ty ar hen safle yn 1680 a thros y blynyddoedd, cafodd ei newid yn rheolaidd. Yn y pendraw, llosgodd y ty yn yr 1940au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41424041.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4256654515f2a759c96ba6.jpgCEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had known of this house since it was first put on the market a couple of years ago. The pictures of the estate agent website show a roofless ruin, the grounds cleared of foliage. In those two years a lot of foliage had grown back and my visit, mid-summer, made it all but impossible to get to the front door. Only a few exposures were made. This is an 18th century manor house (according to the sales burb) and the house is larger than most farmhouses and has an interesting array of outbuildings. The arched doorways had appeal, as does the full height rear part of the house, a somewhat odd looking square extension most likely a rear doorway but inaccessible. The rear is also windowless other than the large arch. I wonder if this had something to do with the historical window tax (introduced in 1696 until 1851)? Outbuildings around the rear, again mostly inaccessible. A lovely site and a lovely house which takes only a little imagination, but a whole heap of money, to return to its former glory. According to ‘Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families’ by Francis Jones (ISBN 0906972027), Cefn Cethin was still being lived in when the book was published in 1987. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/nant-rhys-bothy-radnorshire-2001 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19936272585411ed059d754.jpgNANT RHYS BOTHY, Radnorshire 2001 Notes on NANT RHYS BOTHY, Radnorshire 2001 Not strictly a ruin but a well-equipped bothy and I believe well-used these days. Taken on 35mm camera. Photograph not for sale. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img399 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7681581985378e05077eca.jpgPENDRE, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on PENDRE, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 A small cottage on the edge of the village Alltwalis. I recall someone living here not so long ago – five/ten years? The cottage is just about visible from the main road as you pass down towards the village – a quick glimpse and then the flash of a wonky chimney pot and then it’s all hedge and one is left wondering whether it was empty or just a little run-down. I can confirm it is empty! And ruinous. A window was broken and I slipped in through to the living room to have a look about. Two rooms, no upstairs, outside toilet, a simple life. I question whether I do remember someone living here, living so simply in the 20th/21st century? Now I am not so sure. There is little here, no room to swing a cat, not much outside space to grow anything, surely this thus called simple life would indeed be one of poverty too and not lived so simply by choice? I chewed upon some wild garlic, always a pleasure in spring, always abundant it seems besides ruins as I pondered life here. There wasn’t even space to park a car (the stupid photographer surmised). Who lived here? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4359657.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19857083494b6bd29df230c.jpgLLEWENI STABLES & COACH HOUSE, Henllan, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on LLEWENI STABLES & COACH HOUSE, Henllan, Denbighshire 2005 (mansion long demolished) A huge red brick Georgian stable block in decay, the original Lleweni house was built in 16th century and was demolished 1816-18. The re-built Lleweni survives. According to Thomas Lloyd in his book The Lost Houses of Wales, it was demolished by Colonel William Hughes for no better reason than that his wife thought it would be bad for her health and his mother thought the rooms were too big! Demolition he later regretted: it is said that afterwards, when all was done, he sat down in the ruins and cried. Lleweni’s sheer size was stunning, an L shape (with further extensions to form a T), the two arms of the thirteen bays are each sectioned with gothic towers and turrets and built around a massive medieval hall. In 1997, the stables and coach house were derelict and wet. It was mid-summer and the bracken and brambles neck high. One could barely get close to its walls. Once inside, masonry littered the ground and beams balanced precariously from floors above. Bird nests lay empty in high alcoves and cobwebs hung damp from doorways and corners. The roof had various holes and after an unexpected visit in 2005, with a protective fence around its circumference, the holes in the roof had enlarged thus threatening potential collapse. It was, again, on the market but thus far remains unsold. These barns have now been restored as housing. Please click on the link below to see a photograph: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1161756 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1984407074b73b51e0f3ab.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8426261164b73b53c6c2e2.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19531600594b73b55c58f87.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18628391644b73b573a686d.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7196236954b73b59681e0e.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16905480974b73b5b75d464.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5755738014b3887b0f36dd.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1494628297498ed33ab4c33.jpg[/img] Lleweni Stables 2005 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2078548.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5428521254971f4e44ac9f.jpgGREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2005 Notes on GREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2005 Gutted by fire though not neglect, in the late 1990's, Great Frampton remains a hollow shell supported with scaffolding. The famous astronomer, Nathaniel Pigott, stayed at Frampton during the 1770's and erected an observatory. The name Framptonis thought to have evolved from Francton an English knight, Adam De Francton, who killed Llewelyn, the last Prince of Wales. Great Frampton, set in a wild park, also encompasses a walled garden. The large adjoining service wings are also ruined however. I arrived at about 5am after a two and a half hour drive. An early start allows me to, at least attempt, visit as many properties in a day before the light fades or my eyes begin to flicker and flirt with a downward immobility. As I pulled up alongside the house a farmer pulled away in the opposite direction, uninterested in me parking in front of his barns. The morning dew soddened my shoes almost immediately whilst I wandered around the grounds, seeking viewpoints and setting up my camera. Everywhere seemed still and the ground was carpeted with tiny cobwebs and a few birds few from eaves to tree. It was a serene scene and after the long drive a pleasant beginning to the day. Great Frampton 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20290543444b498fe39359e.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4496174.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20208475754b90a239bf034.jpgCLAERDDU COTTAGE, Teifi Pools, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on CLAERDDU COTTAGE, Teifi Pools, Ceredigion 1994 Oh, what a place! A tiny and remote house overlooking the Teifi Pools. I've visited here numerous times from 1990. It is small, with two small rooms upstairs and two small downstairs with an additional kitchen tacked on at the rear. There is something very comforting about his property whether it is the modesty or homely feel of the tiny cottage I can not say. I once wanted to live here, in solitude, beside the small stream overlooking the lakes of Teifi Pools. I believe this is now a Bothy, no doubt a welcome sight for those walkers of the Cambrian Mountains. I am sure this cottage made up the final few images of the well respected motion picture 'Sleep furiously' - images made long before my visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/peeling-paint-empty-cottage-lampeter https://images.on-this.website/7784_9899881754bcaaec0e9bd3.jpgPEELING PAINT, Empty Cottage, Lampeter 2000 Notes on PEELING PAINT, Empty Cottage, Lampeter 2000 These jaggered and piercing lines that ran through the paint and plaster on an empty cottage between Newcastle Emlyn and Lampeter were a challenge to photograph successfully. There was very little light and the wall itself was so cracked and crazied I barely knew where to start. I knew I could get a successful image from the wall but I just couldn't seem to compose it in the ground glass. Eventually this image was taken. I took a number but most were either out of focus or not exposed long enough. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5763268.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9514397184c55bdfac84f9.jpgLLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 Notes on LLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 I reached Llwyn Ynn at sun up after a two mile walk that zigzagged along footpaths and bridle paths and then through a long narrow wooded area. The sweet aroma of wild garlic permeated through the morning air. It was already warm when I reached the 18th century stone gate posts that stand, without their iron gates, before an empty patch of elevated ground where once the grand mansion of Llwyn Ynn stood. The great house, built in the 17th century was demolished like so many in the 1950’s after no buyer could be found. The steps leading up to where the entrance of the house once would have stood remain, indeed a galleried platform remains, and it is easy with the aid of old photographs to place the house in this walled area. Of the great house only one wall remains and thereon evidence of a very large fireplace (and a smaller one on the floor above). This wall is attached to the ruined service quarters. It is these service quarters that are the reason for my visit today and they do not disappoint. Beneath the two fireplaces there is a basement entrance that leads into the cottages that once gapped the space between the house and the service quarters. Inside all was quiet, all was dark and once my eyes and ears adjusted I could hear and see three sheep chewing, laying in a large ruinous room. They ceased their chewing as I came into view but did not rise from their sitting positions. There was a short stand-off. I was blocking their only exit. They watched me intently and seemed intent on not moving until I did. I took a few photographs. I then moved to allow their safe passage and that they did but in a typical rather hurried sheep fashion! Internally the service quarters are a mess. The staircase has collapsed and although the floors above are intact they looked paper thin and any attempt to explore, however tempting, would inevitably end up with a foot through a floor board. Holes are also prevalent in the side walls exposing beam and brick and the dim interior. At the rear a mass of extensions which appear in relative sound structural condition and access to the upper floors is possible. Again, all exposed to the weather and the livestock. The stone mullion windows are mainly in an excellent condition but naturally the wooden framed windows are rotting. The house stands on a small bluff and sits before a gentle stream called the Afon Hesbin (which flows further upstream into the river Clwyd). Including the stone buildings at the rear of the timber framed service quarters it quickly becomes apparent that Llwyn Ynn could easily accommodate a large family. The house needs extensive restoration and re-build and personally I do not hold onto much belief that the house will survive much longer if no consolidation work is carried out. I am uncertain, because I felt it unnecessary to venture, but I believe access to the cellars of the original great house may be possible. I however had no great desire to find out. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475580.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20319345604b8bc64e429c0.jpgCEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on CEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Once within the dimly lit ground floor, Ceulan Mill appears, as ones eyes adjust, an impregnable building with imposing machinery filling all three storeys to the brim with large heavy machinery, looms, and weaving frames, large wicker baskets of withered cones of wool. Ceulan Mill was closed in the 1950’s and it feels like very little has changed within and without the stone walls since then. On the first floor, only three small windows allowing the sun light in, the floor space is heavy with solid machinery. It is dark and when surrounded with such heavy machinery crammed so close together it is also unnerving. The dimness makes the focussing of the camera difficult; I use a small touch to set the shutter speeds and aperture. A forty-minute exposure was used with these first initial exposures. A long wait for a photographer and gives me time to make notes. I feel calm and the still atmosphere helps me to relax. Outside I hear a babbling brook, birds singing, the day is bright, warm and spring-like. These rusty dinosaurs within this mill no longer creak, groan, growl. They’re silent and still, their only movement is that of their slow corrosion. My eyes have long since grown accustomed to the dimness. The machinery is splendid – wheels, cogs, belts, gears, pulley’s, springs, rods, rollers, spinners, presses, chains, oil, wool, spanners, wrenches, dust and cobwebs. A stuffed heron lays on the ground on the first floor and also; a metal chest full of 19th & 20th century books (on Stalin, India, Arithmetic, Philosophy, Chemistry, Law, Communism, worker’s rights and how to better oneself!). More large baskets, clamps, drawing desks, broken chairs, tables, chests, all stand on an uneven floor and under a sagging ceiling. The sun poured through the open windows on the first floor, flooding tiny areas and here the exposures were much shorter, usually around 4 - 16 minutes. Four hours was spend making around ten exposures onto sheet film. The slow process of photographing in such dark places makes the finishing images so much more satisfying. MELIN CEULAN. Tal-v-bont. Ceredigion 2009 Ar Ian afon Ceulan saif Melin Ceulan, a fu unwaith yn brysur a llewyrchus. Wrth i'r llygaid ymgynefino a lled-dywyllwch y llawr gwaelod daw Melin Ceulan i'r golwg, yn adeilad cadarn gyda pheiriannau mawreddog, gwyddiau, fframiau gwehyddu a basgedi mawr o wlan yn llenwi'r tri llawr at y to. Caeodd y felin yn y 1950au a bu iddi aros yn wag ers hynny. Mae'n dywyll, ac ynghanol yr holl beirianwaith trwm sydd wedi'i wthio benben a'i gilydd, ceir hefyd deimlad o anesmwythyd. Yn y tywyllwch mae'n anodd ffocysu'r camera; rhoddaf gyffyrddiad ysgafn i osod cyflymder y caead a lledu'r agorfa. Defnyddiwyd dadleniad o bedwar deg pum munud gyda'r lluniau cychwynnol hyn. Hir ymaros i'r ffotograffydd, a chyfle i mi ysgrifennu nodiadau. Teimlaf dawelwch, ac mae'r awyrgylch llonydd help i mi ymlacio. Y tu allan clywaf furmur y nant a thrydar yr adar, megis diwmod braf a chynnes o wanwyn. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2120042.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2116594452498535db94f88.jpgGREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2005 Notes on GREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2005 Gutted by fire though not neglect, in the late 1990's, Great Frampton remains a hollow shell supported with scaffolding. The famous astronomer, Nathaniel Pigott, stayed at Frampton during the 1770's and erected an observatory. The name Framptonis thought to have evolved from Francton an English knight, Adam De Francton, who killed Llewelyn, the last Prince of Wales. Great Frampton, set in a wild park, also encompasses a walled garden. The large adjoining service wings are also ruined however. I arrived at about 5am after a two and a half hour drive. An early start allows me to, at least attempt, visit as many properties in a day before the light fades or my eyes begin to flicker and flirt with a downward immobility. As I pulled up alongside the house a farmer pulled away in the opposite direction, uninterested in me parking in front of his barns. The morning dew soddened my shoes almost immediately whilst I wandered around the grounds, seeking viewpoints and setting up my camera. Everywhere seemed still and the ground was carpeted with tiny cobwebs and a few birds few from eaves to tree. It was a serene scene and after the long drive a pleasant beginning to the day. Great Frampton 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3261765514b498e65762e6.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3203756104b498f33c7322.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4508176.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3494104644b9358815d3dc.jpgRIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on RIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2009 Taken in January 2009 the winter sun light was soft and low in the sky and reflected upon the crusted muddy surfaces. Into The Murky Depths We Tread I came upon these wetland areas whilst cycling home one summers evening. Wetland areas are essential, basically untouched, and serve as irrigation and to filter pollution. The fact that no ones seems to bother to explore them due to their dampness and seemingly unfriendly environment, also allows them to be rich in wildlife. From the road that leads to Cwm Rheidol (about 8 miles from Aberystwyth) entrance through the undergrowth seems almost impossible and impenetrable. When the sun is low, bright splashes of sun light flicker through the thicket and reveal openings. Ducking under the thicket and forcing your way through, and once in amongst the deep mud and dankness, a whole new world is revealed; jungle-like and heavily branched areas, rich in photographic pickings and in some ways universal. These sorts of geographic landscapes are not typical or localised to any one part of the country. If you travel by train anywhere you always pass these oft ignored areas. They can not be built on because the land is unstable, no one walks through them, due to their (supposed) unpleasantness but once you’ve broken through their barriers of branches you enter a world with it’s own micro-atmosphere. The photographs were taken on either Ilford FP4 or Delta 100 5x4inch sheet film using a Wista camera and either a 90mm super-angulon or 135mm symmar lenses. Exposures on a grey day at F22 usually hovered around the 16 second mark and when photographing in sun light at about 1 second. My boots, trouser legs and the tripod feet were covered in thick, dark mud and although the going was slow, the actual area of these wetlands is perhaps only an acre or two in size. I’ve visited and photographed only three or four times but each time the tranquillity and ever changing photographic opportunities due to the water level rising and falling, the ever evolving process of woodlands – new saplings appearing and older trees uprooting - means visiting here has become a constant source of pleasure. YSTUMLLYN. Cwm Rheidol. Ceredigion 2003 - 2006 Deuthum ar draws y gwlypdir hwn wrth feicio gartref un noson o haf. Mae ardaloedd o wlypdir yn hanfodol. Ar y cyfan, nid oes neb wedi ei gyffwrdd ac mae'n gweithredu fel system ddyfrhau ac mae'n hidlo'r llygredd . Mae'r ffaith nad oes fawr neb yn eu harchwilio oherwydd eu lleithder a'u hamgylchedd yn golygu eu bod yn gyfoethog o ran bywyd gwyllt. O'r ffordd sy'n arwain at Gwm Rheidol (tua 8 milltir o Aberystwyth), ymddengys bod yr isdyfiant yn anhreiddiadwy. Pan fo'r haul yn isel, gwelir goleuadau llachar yr haul drwy'r dryslwyn. Unwaith y byddwch yng nghanol y mwd dwfn a'r gwiybaniaeth, agorir eich llygaid i fyd newydd. Dyma ardal sy'n debyg i jyngl I lawn canghennau Ardal sy'n gyfoethog at ddibenion tynnu lluniau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41493324.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9087459165f368df771716.jpgABERTHAW LIME WORKS, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Notes on ABERTHAW LIME WORKS, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Now restored as a controlled ruin Aberthaw is still a worthwhile visit - the tall walls overlook the sea. The following is taken from Wikipedia: Aberthaw Lime Works is a derelict structure, located on the South Wales coast, between Fontygary Bay and Aberthaw Power Station. The structure is a Grade II Listed Building. The structure is considered a listed building because it is a well preserved structure from an important regional industry. The Aberthaw Lime Works was opened on 22 December 1888, by the Aberthaw Pebble Limestone Company. It was built to utilise the huge number of Limestone Pebbles that had previously been taken inland or been moved by boat. The Lime Works operated until 1926. The Lime works brought a new scale of working to the lime industry which was really just a cottage industry in the area previously. The local limestone and brick structure is still largely intact, although it is missing most of its wooden components. It contains 2 vertical pot draw kilns each holding up to 300 tons each, which could produce up to 40 tons of burnt lime a day. Next to the main structure, there are 2 pot kilns which are also largely intact. These Kilns were built later than the main structure, but also ceased operation in 1926. The lime works were originally served by a tramway, which ran from the direction of Rhoose (east of the lime works). It passed either side of the now demolished winch house. A tramway ramp (again demolished) allowed carts containing pebbles between 3 & 4 inches (100 mm) in diameter to be conveyed to the top of the works and then into the kilns. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-cottage-stags-head-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_3738582365493421ba8956.jpgCANADA, Stag’s Head, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on CANADA, Stag’s Head, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage built of mud, stone and brick and much dilapidated. It stands in a low position and perhaps if the trees in front of it hadn’t had the chance to grow so high it would have once had a good view. At present however all is dim and lowly. I wonder how long empty, it’s in a relatively good condition although there is a hole forming at the rear. Inside is very basic, nothing much of note but a fairly recent empty beer bottle. Partition walls have been taken down and all is left is one large room, upstairs also taken down, striped of beam and panel. Cottage sits beside a seldom used footpath and there was no doubt in my mind that this little gem will surely never be salvaged or lived in again. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34530358.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15575768385ad2fe2773f39.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ynys-las-ceredigion-2002 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11239093134c1db498ecd5d.jpgYNYS LAS, Ceredigion 2002 Notes on YNYS LAS, Ceredigion 2002 Looking up towards the estuary early morning during low tide these dramatic images were taken using a 6x6cm twin lens reflex camera. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076460.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_378159848497069166799d.jpgISCOED, Ferryside, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on ISCOED, Ferryside, Carmarthenshire 1996 After searching for ruined houses, often unsuccessfully, on a hot Spring day, tired from driving and asking for numerous directions, I approached Iscoed late in the afternoon. It glowed through the hedgerows, about half a mile from the roadside: a Georgian red brick block mansion overlooking Carmarthen bay. It was built in 1772 for a Sir William Mansel. The owner was pleased I took interest in the house, he had renovated one wing of the service quarters and seemed to genuinely care about Iscoed to which fate has dealt kind and unkind hands. It briefly served as Council Flats after WW2 but after listing status was refused in the late 1950’s, permission to demolish was granted but miraculously the house survived, outliving the owner who wished to demolish. As seen here: it still remains a viable option for restoration. There is a small swimming pool in the courtyard between the two wings at the rear. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9793395714b629750f2078.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15921105454b62976b23369.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7088372774b6297364b48d.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13266399224b629718dfefc.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12713585354b6296e5c084f.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_83284134b62970342605.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9572765844b38886b5fafa.jpg[/img] Iscoed Interior (swimming pool?) 1996 The link below will lead you to the external site and show recent images of Iscoed http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=13785 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llantrithyd-place-llantrithyd-glamorgan-2013 https://images.on-this.website/7784_115579675152c5379f8f9c6.jpgLLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Notes on LLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Llantrithyd Place is a long ruined 16th century manor house. I visited on Boxing Day 2013. The morning was cold and sunny and the soft winter light made photographing the house a pleasure. I had not set out to visit the house but was driving to photograph the interior of a church in Flemingston. This was an unexpected pleasure. A wander around the ruins offered many different viewpoints and I was generally spoilt for choice of images to capture. I was however restrained by lack of film, only having 10 sheets with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo7026540.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21471146814cb53fe8ec29e.jpgFEN ONWYN, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on FEN ONWYN, Ceredigion 2010 First impressions can be misleading but the overwhelming feeling I experienced on this cold September day was one of bleakness and unkind of spirit. It does lay empty although it seems as if some consolidation work has been done on the ground around the house. The house itself doesn’t look like it’s in too bad of condition. There are no large holes in the roof, peering through the windows it doesn’t look too damp. A rear window was unlocked and swung open with ease but I declined the offer to enter and explore within. Various remnants of the previous occupy littered the house, grounds and outbuildings. Two motorbikes rusting, a wheelchair, computers, video players and an outbuilding revealing, once you open the heavily carpet acting as a door, a peculiar array of useless, once useful, items. On the front window sill a beer bottle with its bottom half filled with stale beer and the top half filled with flies. Perhaps it comes as no surprise by the unfriendly aura I experienced at this house. It is beautifully located with good views and will, one day soon, hopefully be rescued from dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8387352.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6280531094d3daec6ec1a9.jpgCAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2011 The day after, a day of, constant and heavy rain. Caermeirch is a damp place on the driest of summer days. Water pumps out from the ground. Patches of land in front and to the side of the house are large puddles, deep enough to warrant wellingtons. The house itself has been empty, by my reckoning, for at least twenty years. I once slept in the front room, 10 years ago, cold on the slate floor wrapped in a sleeping bag and having dreams of crows flying down the chimney and filling the room with dark shadows of winds beating at breakneck speed. The walls are damp inside. Flag stone floors are cold to the touch. Various bits of debris fill the downstairs rooms; jam jars, coils of barbed wire, boxes and the kitchen filled with old kettles, pots and pans. Upstairs the three bedrooms are littered with worn, moth-eaten clothing, empty bottles of pills and medicines. Outbuildings are plentiful and are in various states; some in use, some with holes in the roof; some repaired whilst others let in the rain. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/varteg-isaf-crynant-neath-port https://images.on-this.website/7784_10117293045fe1ae97e8298.jpgVARTEG ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on VARTEG ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Somewhat oddly, Varteg Isaf stands higher than Varteg Uchaf, a stones throw away across a field. Both are derelict and ruinous as seen here. Isaf has a roof, albeit a rusting corrugated affair. The house stands windswept and on my December morning it was chilly but dry. Tracks lead up to the house and a little further wind turbines. Great views... a few images taken, as seen here mostly from a similar viewpoint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llain-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16489552694d2027e3d3c14.jpgLLAIN, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on LLAIN, Ceredigion 2010 A small house with a few outbuildings, some stone, some brick but all becoming increasingly derelict. Surprisingly little touched by the vandal although sits beside housing and a caravan site (although the house is almost entirely camoufaged by the vegetation). The day I paid a visit was a bright late summer afternoon and the sun flickered through the undergrowth. It was a difficult condition to photograph in black and white and therefore, as you can see by the results, little detail can be made out. I will return when the light is flat and casting no bright highlights and neither deep shadow. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9430326.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5585222034da54eb84daf9.jpgLLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on LLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2011 Another trip to this old house - we had not intended to pay this house a visit but we had the time and the energy after a long day of mansion visiting and decided it would be worthwhile. It was. Although it was also very brief - only one exposure made and successfully so in the late afternoon sunlight. Five years ago I could not have seen this house, with this rear side slate clad, from this view due to the overgrowth and high trees. These have now been cleared and from this spot, on the once terraced garden, a fine view showing the height and size of this house. Oddly enough the entrance is around the other side (see other photographs), north facing and without a view. Hopefully this house will become a 'controlled ruin' with the stables already undergoing restoration. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/horeb-chapel-llanelli-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16564791755efb38d2bffc4.jpgHOREB CHAPEL, Llanelli 2020 Notes on HOREB CHAPEL, Llanelli 2020 I arrived early on a late June Saturday morning. The forecast had been for rain and the forecast proved correct. I parked half a mile from the chapel simply because there was nowhere to park along the narrow road that runs through Horeb. I had been told the door of the chapel was open but it was firmly locked. There was a side window broken but with already being soaked and with a bad knee this weekend I decided not to enter. All the images were taken beneath tree cover and true to form, the rain stopped almost immediately after I had packed away the camera. I do not know but expect the chapel will eventually be sold and converted like so many are into a home/flats. It is still in an excellent structural condition as far as my untrained eye could see. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4051674.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18715151434b1246a16a8b4.jpgDERI ODWYN, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on DERI ODWYN, Ceredigion 2009 A large L-shaped farmstead laying about a mile from the cottage where I lived when I first moved to Wales with my parents in 1982 – I can see my first home from across the valley. Deri Odwyn is a long, mostly roofless house that has been left empty for decades and sits with its rear beside the road from Tyncelyn to Stag’s Head. The forecast had been predicted as wet but I woke in the morning to find the sun peering through the grey clouds, I decided to go out and take some photographs. The early morning sun had a warm coloured hue, it shone upon the windows of the house and seemed to give this ruined house a savaged but ethereal feel. I made a few exposures before a dark heavy shower blanketed the valley opposite and made its way in my direction. Cows shifted foot to foot in a large modern cow shed beside the house and dogs barked constantly during my visit and watched me from a distance; not particularly bothered by my whereabouts but neither allowing me to be totally despondent to them. After 20 minutes I had packed up my camera and walked back to the car. As much of this house is roofless one can imagine that it will slowly but surely tumble. The roofed part is inaccessible, the windows and doors intact and locked. Perhaps signs of the last tenants remain but the windows were opaque with cobwebs and dirt. Perhaps best to leave this house, its history and its charms, to decay with the passage of time. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2080941.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15056597944972c9af3aa33.jpgABERPERGWM, Glyn Neath, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on ABERPERGWM, Glyn Neath, West Glamorgan 1997 I recently visited this house (build 1560 on a former site) again and was shocked by what I saw. So much had fallen in just 6 years. This property, still owned by the Coal Board, lies beside a housing estate and with no security and with public footpaths circling the house, is an easy target for vandals. Very little remains and what does is all but invisible in the undergrowth. Much vandalised and surprisingly, considering its state and location, yet to be demolished, but it can only be a matter of time. A fine wooden door/gateway lies in a pile with bramble coils wrapping themselves around the rotten joins and two medieval windows were recently discovered in the collapsing masonry. For further information on Aberpergwm a good starting point would be the excellent book by Elizabeth F. Belcham 'About Aberpergwm : the home of the Williams family in the Vale of Neath, Glamorgan'. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1613994104b652b1087326.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7027307804b652af59d2ef.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6571323394b652b3076e06.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9783296354b652adb1e718.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115457.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12455697304982a0528d1a3.jpgABERPERGWM, Glyn Neath, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on ABERPERGWM, Glyn Neath, West Glamorgan 1997 I recently visited this house (build 1560 on a former site) again and was shocked by what I saw. So much had fallen in just 6 years. This property, still owned by the Coal Board, lies beside a housing estate and with no security and with public footpaths circling the house, is an easy target for vandals. Very little remains and what does is all but invisible in the undergrowth. Much vandalised and surprisingly, considering its state and location, yet to be demolished, but it can only be a matter of time. A fine wooden door/gateway lies in a pile with bramble coils wrapping themselves around the rotten joins and two medieval windows were recently discovered in the collapsing masonry. For further information on Aberpergwm a good starting point would be the excellent book by Elizabeth F. Belcham 'About Aberpergwm : the home of the Williams family in the Vale of Neath, Glamorgan'. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1613994104b652b1087326.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7027307804b652af59d2ef.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6571323394b652b3076e06.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9783296354b652adb1e718.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094532.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17485969404979613854dcc.jpgABERPERGWM, Glyn Neath, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on ABERPERGWM, Glyn Neath, West Glamorgan 1997 I recently visited this house (build 1560 on a former site) again and was shocked by what I saw. So much had fallen in just 6 years. This property, still owned by the Coal Board, lies beside a housing estate and with no security and with public footpaths circling the house, is an easy target for vandals. Very little remains and what does is all but invisible in the undergrowth. Much vandalised and surprisingly, considering its state and location, yet to be demolished, but it can only be a matter of time. A fine wooden door/gateway lies in a pile with bramble coils wrapping themselves around the rotten joins and two medieval windows were recently discovered in the collapsing masonry. For further information on Aberpergwm a good starting point would be the excellent book by Elizabeth F. Belcham 'About Aberpergwm : the home of the Williams family in the Vale of Neath, Glamorgan'. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1613994104b652b1087326.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7027307804b652af59d2ef.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6571323394b652b3076e06.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9783296354b652adb1e718.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24417055.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_845823873556b1ac696471.jpgYNYS-FELEN, Llanfihangel Ystrad, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on YNYS-FELEN, Llanfihangel Ystrad, Ceredigion 2015 Noted on Coflein website as a vernacular medieval hall, one of the last six in Ceredigion (with only two in Carmarthenshire) and with many photographs too I was somewhat saddened to see that the roof had long caved in. Thatched with corrugated iron, the crug beams all fallen inward made any visits within the building all but impossible. Once the owner had put a plastic tarpaulin over the whole roof but this had at some point been swept off and as is inevitable, the house became a ruin. Apparently lived in until 1954 - rubble and cob hall with brick and stone extension built at a right angle to form an L shape. The doorways were very low, the windows small. My visit was brief, for much that there was to photograph wasn't exactly photogenic but the chimney proved the main viewpoint, so I generally worked around that. A sad sight. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19527912.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1055620065525428345b7bb.jpgBERTHDOMLED STABLES, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on BERTHDOMLED STABLES, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2013 A public footpath passes the actual house of Berthdomled (occupied and not ruined!) and the stables stand beside it, almost dwarfing the house. The stables form a courtyard and contain a cow shed, pigsties, boiler house, barn and outward facing cart sheds. All are in various states of disrepair but are still in some agricultural use. A few exposures were made but are slightly underexposed. This maybe because of the difficulty of finding the correct exposure due to the lifting dawn and also this batch of film (Kodak tmax100) is also approximately 15 years past its use-by date. The current price of film determines such measures.. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rosebush-quarry-pembrokeshire-2013 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1575803062523c886823e4b.jpgROSEBUSH QUARRY, Pembrokeshire 2013 Notes on ROSEBUSH QUARRY, Pembrokeshire 2013 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115459.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1576665584982a06131bc5.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 1997 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 1997 At its core this is a small medieval castle, enlarged and grandiose, but after 1750s the house began its slow decline with much work left incomplete and further restoration abandoned after a fire in the mid 1950s. Many uses have been proposed, even a theme park, but it remains ever derelict but not yet beyond repair. It is made up of a vast range of rooms and extensions but Pencoed was a surprising find, not due to its size or castle/house-like features but more due to its prime location and the fact it is empty, unused and quickly deteriorating. Large gate house stands imposing before the house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12635944674b652b57d8701.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13049495244b652b8a139bf.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20227156304b652b70b02d5.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5844078104b652ba8ba0ab.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6852916394b652bc2c3ede.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10098178.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7330159364dd3687d5e45b.jpgDERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2011 An ornate bridge, once one of the main driveways up to the country house of Derry Ormond (demolished 1956) now stands a little forlorn and once formed part of three ponds which sat at the foot of the once great house. The bridge these days carries no visitors, by horse and cart nor motor car and serves no purpose except perhaps to move livestock from one field to another. My visit was early on a cloudy morn and I was accompanied by birdsong and the babbling brook of the stream Nant Dyfel. Due to the slow rising dawn long exposures of around 6 minutes were used which caused some blurring of the leaves blowing in the wind and the flow of the stream. Above the bridge are ornate iron gates rusting and hanging off their posts and a view can be stolen of Derry Ormond tower. Much high stone work can be easily viewed which obviously created the pond and the flow of water could be contained and controlled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-bryn-rhyg-outbuilding-stags https://images.on-this.website/7784_24259723751aa0f33e02ea.jpgPEN-BRYN-RHYG (outbuilding), Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on PEN-BRYN-RHYG, Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 A house not close to anywhere particular. The road up is narrow and could barely be called a road. I came here before, last year, but heard a dog barking and presumed the house was not derelict. It is not strictly derelict, just inhabited and access is only by permission. The farmhouse and outbuildings stand before a small pond. Japanese knotweed has reached here and with the brambles made reaching the front of the house impossible even without summer foliage blocking the way. A little forlorn, a few images were taken and then I left to let the foliage to wend it's way around stone and mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8054388.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5213585914d0dba0715585.jpgWOODEN BARN, Elan Valley, Rhadnorshire 2010 Notes on WOODEN BARN, Elan Valley, Rhadnorshire 2010 Standing above and with great views of the Penygarreg Reservoir and Dam this small collection of buildings, mainly stone and this long wooden barn, sit nestled in a small hollow. I was uncertain if one of the stone buildings that stand adjacent to this wooden barn was infact once a cottage. I could however make out no chimney and I would presume any dwelling, even if just a shephards dwelling would have a chimney. As you can see in this photograph the roof has caved in with all the small slates still attached. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34008638.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8104199765a748501cde21.jpgPEN YR WERN, Brecknock 2018 Notes on PEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Remarkable farmhouse and outbuildings all sitting in a shallow hollow surrounded by hardwood and boggy land. I had scanned the maps and GoogleEarth beforehand and concluded the house had been demolished. Google-earth showed nothing but a group of trees so was delighted when I traipsed along the invisible footpath through fields of soggy ground to this aforementioned group of trees. Within seconds I fell in love this silent little site. A few slates remain on the long barn with arrow slits (to help air circulate) but otherwise all other buildings are long empty and ruinous. Lines of trees lead in and out of the site around the rear to the side, again not explicitly apparent on GoogleEarth. Sometimes, most times, a walk is the only way to explore and find such ruins. I know nothing of the history of Pen-yr-wern so any information would be appreciated... apparently sold to the coal board in the 1960's and left abandoned ever since... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4639906.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11100878724baf105587d08.jpgFOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 Notes on FOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 Foxhall Newydd was built circa 1592 (though a date of 1608 appears over one of the fireplaces) by John Panton of Denbigh, whose main ambition seemed to have been a desire to outshine the efforts put into the nearby hall of Old Foxhall. However, he went bankrupt, ironically forcing him to sell what he had built to the Lloyds, whose home he had hoped to eclipse. New Foxhall was never completed and once Panton had removed the roof and all the fittings within, it has, for over 400 years, remained a shell. The day I visited Foxhall was a bright but cloudy day and perhaps unlikely for a photographer, my preferred weather conditions. A bright sun can deepen shadows to black and bleach highlights to white. Foxhall looks out of place. It sits, as it has for hundreds of years, and seemingly very slowly losing it’s imposing height. Because it has been empty for so long it appears to lack any interest to the destructive eye of the vandal and with that solitary fact probably means it will remain in its present state for centuries to come. The house that stands today was supposedly to be just one wing and was to form a giant H plan. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12405790.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2433942794e5b3cb963e7c.jpgGWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire 1997 Notes on GWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire 1997 Abandoned in the 1950’s, dramatic and openly isolated high on Denbigh Moors, Gwylfa Hiraethog can be spied whilst driving passed the Sportmans’ Arms Inn. The walk up to Gwylfa Hiraethog isn’t a particularly long one but greets as it does a bleak and barren setting as ever I have come across. Approaching the house you begin to have some realisation of the reality of living in such a location. The November afternoon I visited, the wind blew hard and cold and I expect the wind has blown hard and cold every day and night since. There were limited photographic possibilities other than the vandalized, sorrowful pile of rubble but there was also a small solitary tree – wind swept, short and twisted: the type a carpenter passes without kind acknowledgement. I read recently that even this windswept tree has fallen along with much of what you can see of the house in these images. Gwylfa Hiraethog is said to have been the highest inhabited house in Wales and to have the widest views of any other house in Britain. The former war Prime Minister Lloyd George addressed a large crowd here from the balcony just after it was built (1908 –11). It is easy to imagine this scene and presume Lloyd George had a voice equal or as great as the winds that blow across the moors. A mobile phone mast now sits most un-appropriately beside the rendered stone walls. One has to smile. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10233324074b73b1a49a6b9.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4347013494b73b1d233a1a.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18360098144b3887cc25f48.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11656702184b73b20941c1b.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20709779164b73b1f3c3c28.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8044029384b73b221f0614.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1878695954b73b239c0a14.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8348630.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14155344974d3a772a57c0d.jpgPANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2011 Overlooking the Hafod Estate, and almost in view of the mansion site itself, I can only imagine it must have been a sobering experience witnessing from these bleak hills the carriages coming to and fro from Hafod Mansion. Perhaps only a mile, as the crow flies, from the mansion stands the ruined farmstead of Pantyffynnon. It sits on a ledge between two mountian streams Nant Ffin and Nant Seran. It has long been ruined and I myself have been walking passed this ruin for aorund twenty years. Little changes quickly; saplings grow tall and strong, inner walls tumble, the wooden fireplace has rotted away. Today a drizzle falls. The ground is very wet and this makes the going slow. Yet like all good things this makes my visit to Pantyffynnon all the more rewarding. A small wooded area that surrounds the River Seran somehow helps with visualising what life must have been like up here, into high lands over Pontrhydygroes in the late 19th century; washing the dirty laundry, spending the winter months keeping the livestock close-by and the games the children would play. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14330602.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15240557584f5dab99de8bd.jpgTY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on TY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 This house, on the Neath Road, Tonna, was the victim of a fire some years back. It was built circa 1700's as a private residence (there’s an excellent photograph of it on the 'Royal Commssion on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales' website) and then latterly as a ladies seminary. Nature, perhaps as in God, saw fit to reduce and return this house, its grounds, back to the earth. Today, the façade has all but crumbled away. The red brick structure, built in the 1920’s, glowed in the afternoon, early spring, sunlight. This red brick section seemed well built and salvageable, what a shame it felt more of an industrial addition rather than an aesthetic one. The main house looks as if it has imploded. The cellars filled in with rubble, broken furniture, white goods. I think a potholer could have unrivalled access if a potholer did indeed fancy a different kind of danger, with a more human kind of view and the destructive force of nature. The outer walls, although remain high on three sides, have all but gone on the frontage. This façade stands only a few yards away from the road. And whilst walking along the road and following the stone wall that stands around it perimeter, one cannot but wonder why this house, so openly accessible, has not seen greater vandalism. Is it because it offers the vandal nothing new? Have all the rooms within been explored and trashed, tagged with graffiti and the windows smashed? Well, actually no, peering in through the ground stair windows it would appear relatively untouched. Is it too well known, to the locals, to bother to cast a bored eye upon? I do not know. It was new to me. I have known of this property for many a year but have chosen, although not exclusively, to photograph more rural properties. The empty houses in towns and cities (of Wales) is a whole new project. This one already feels like a lifelong endeavour. This house, on Neath Road, Tonna, has reached the end of its life. It does not seem worth salvaging. Restoration seems unlikely. It is beyond repair. It left me thinking that demolition then a complete re-build would be the preferred path to follow. That is, if I were a property developer, or builder, or architect (but perhaps a gradual restoration for the historian). In its prime this was an attractive, well-proportioned property. Although my visit was a short one, only a few short hours were spent searching for viewpoints and exposing a few sheets of film, it was still a worthwhile visit. Within the grounds, other smaller ruined buildings too, their former use indistinguishable but I presume once were stables and service quarters. All overgrown with mature hardwoods, a prominent monkey puzzle and rampant rhododendrons. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25475759.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_74144983555edac7b03018.jpgTAN-Y-RALLT (revisit), Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TAN-Y-RALLT (revisit), Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 A successful image but difficult to compose/focus due to the dimness of the house. Taken in the living room, shows wallpaper fallen from the ceiling that had draped across a door. The only light came from the front door and a dirty window. An exposure of one hour at F32. I was worried that there was a slight breeze and it would cause the paper to move in the wind and therefore render blur on the final image. Fortunately my long wait was worthwhile and once developed I saw I had been lucky. The house is little changed since my visit last year - very messy, a small stream runs down the back of the bank behind the house and through the foundations and flows along the hallway and out the back door. Poor house. Previously I wrote: A nice surprise - I drive along the road from Llangeitho to Talsarn quite often and saw this footpath leading up to the hills. A quick internet search on Ceredigion town planning showed a house with no other access than this path. Before work one morning I decided to go and visit. Half a mile from the road this house stood, on first inspection made of concrete blocks but quickly I realise that this was a modernisation - probably undertook some time in the 1980's. The rest of the outside shows stone and brick and I wondered if the cement blocks were put up in place of cob/mud(?). Inside is damp and dark and water ran through the back of the house and out the front door - the mud covered the tiled hall floor. The small pantry/kitchen still had many food jars untouched - I checked a brown sauce bottle - best before 1991 - was this when the house was deserted? Making exposures was difficult - the foliage before the house seemed impenetrable but after wrestling with some thick and long and quite resilient bramble branches I managed to get the camera set up for two exposures (as seen here). There was little else to photograph - maybe come back on a winter's day when more view should open up. Small [i]ty bach[/i] stands in a dip in front of the house - outbuildings no longer in use and filled with junk. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ty-canol-elenydd-pontrhydyfendigaid-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_7502307094d2ea4e27dc80.jpgTY CANOL, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on TY CANOL, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Before you reach the ruined farmstead of Garreglwyd and about 100 foot above the path, there stands the small but well-built farmhouse of Ty Canol. There is a track leading up to the house but few traces of this track remain and gives the impression that this house was built in the 'middle of nowhere' with fantastic views of 'nowhere'. It is true, there are great views from this ruin and it is also true that this was once a secluded spot. The barn attached give an impression of a longhouse but with further inspection it is revealed that it is actually just built very close to the house. Although the house is obviously roofless it remains, to my eye, in a structurally sound condition. The wind blows hard up here (as I discovered) and the seasons can be harsh thus proving the workmanship in building such a house. An excellent account of the builder and owner of Ty Canol can be found at www.hanesybont.co.uk. I made a number of exposures here. I had visited before, some time in 2002, mid-summer on a stifling hot day. Today was much different and due to the wind blowing so hard and rocking the tripod and camera I was forced to compromise with the aperture and shutter speed of my lens so not to cause camera shake and render these images worthless. Like many of these mountian farms, Ty Canol was part of the Nanteos Estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38373151.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14207551005cdd0a93a3d58.jpgYSTRAD OWEN, Neath Port Talbot 201 Notes on YSTRAD OWEN, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Not a long walk but steep and I was a little stiff after a mornings walking to another house (actually found in process of restoration). Ystrad Owen is perched side of a hill, perhaps not as long ruinous as it makes one believe. The Scot’s Pine can be seen as the path ascends and the ruins are separated by the track. Both house and outbuildings are roofless and much ruinous but there’s a good sense of place here; a view, an openness which can be sheltered from, if need be, by this morning’s breeze. It was from these ruins two other properties could be spied and which led to my next walk, of Penybanc, a strange and alluring place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38178722.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16492151215ccd5e9a5d12f.jpgMINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 Notes on MINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 High on the wooded hillside along the river Tawe at Ystalyfera are these mining ruins. They are much ruined and show only small signs of what must have been once a thriving area. The car was parked in a small car park alongside the river at Godre'r Garth and crossing a footbridge. On the other side there's a sad memorial for the men who lost their lives in Gleision Colliery mining disaster of 2011 - only a short stones throw away. I walked along the cycle path and then followed a steep muddy path up into the hills. It is here the these two buildings stand, a few hundred yards from each other, mostly only their bare bone walls still standing. A few exposures were made. It was a cloudy but bright day. The day was quiet, no cars could be heard, nor the river down below. I could hear voices high in the hills above, of children larking around. But they were far enough not to worry, my peace wouldn't be destroyed! Not that I'd have minded. A pleasant hour was spent, the viewpoints limited by the gradient of the hill and the position of the buildings. I'd love to have explored further. I'm sure there's other buildings, or remnants of buildings, lost in the forestry showing signs of our recently lost heritage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38178726.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18936118155ccd5e9dccbbe.jpgMINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 Notes on MINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 High on the wooded hillside along the river Tawe at Ystalyfera are these mining ruins. They are much ruined and show only small signs of what must have been once a thriving area. The car was parked in a small car park alongside the river at Godre'r Garth and crossing a footbridge. On the other side there's a sad memorial for the men who lost their lives in Gleision Colliery mining disaster of 2011 - only a short stones throw away. I walked along the cycle path and then followed a steep muddy path up into the hills. It is here the these two buildings stand, a few hundred yards from each other, mostly only their bare bone walls still standing. A few exposures were made. It was a cloudy but bright day. The day was quiet, no cars could be heard, nor the river down below. I could hear voices high in the hills above, of children larking around. But they were far enough not to worry, my peace wouldn't be destroyed! Not that I'd have minded. A pleasant hour was spent, the viewpoints limited by the gradient of the hill and the position of the buildings. I'd love to have explored further. I'm sure there's other buildings, or remnants of buildings, lost in the forestry showing signs of our recently lost heritage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2080940.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1829555334972c9a92730d.jpgBERTHOLEY, Llantrisant, Gwent 1997 Notes on BERTHOLEY, Llantrisant, Gwent 1997 (restored 1999) Bertholey is situated in a quiet park with wonderful views over a loop in the river Usk. It was rebuilt circa 1790 - the cause of the initial dereliction in 1905 as often the case, a fire. A relative of the owner, drunk, accidentally set fire to the house. It had been left a shell since then. In its present state, with the mid-range collapsed, one wonders how much longer Bertholey will be allowed to stand. A house attached to a rear wing is still inhabited - a strange set up considering the vulnerability of the property. With an intricate wrought iron fence and gate surrounding the house and the lawn neatly kept, respectably so by sheep and cows, it was not impossible to imagine Bertholey as a fine building of some stature in its heyday. A number of exposures were made but i struggled to find the true essence of the house - it lacked the mysteriousness of many ruins but of course this could be down to my own personal feelings on that day, or even the weather. I have only recently discovered that the house was beautifully restored a year after this image was taken. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12111664134b6296aac18b8.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9051898714b6296c4bee71.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8270837134b629691ce286.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36756941.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10508868905bd2162f15196.jpgPEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 Notes on PEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 A short damp walk and quickly whilst exploring it becomes apparent this farm was the victim of a fire. Inside is much ruinous and blackened. Outside a few possession scattered. A long barn with arrow-slot vents hint at an older property than what I first imagined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37041310.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4297016935bfee5d7a5774.jpgPalace Theatre, Swansea 2018 Notes on Palace Theatre, Swansea 2018 The Palace Theatre... tall awkwardly shaped and difficult to photograph - mostly due to the usual problems with photographing in busy cities; cars, the proximity of other buildings and street signs! Palace Theatre is no exception. One can see from overhead views on Googleearth that it is triangular in size (the roof also looks to be in good condition) and how this is a natural shape of the theatre/cinema. It is currently surrounded by a high fence and access seems all but impossible. I did not try. Maybe a few years ago I might have. I have seen pictures inside and it is in quite a mess. I would also have not been able to photograph it with my wooden film camera unless I used flash - this is something I very seldom do since I do not like the unnatural look it lends the image. To break in just to take a few colour digital images is not worthwhile, the trouble not worth the result. Nonetheless the thought of what I'd find inside still lingers. As is, the images taken, are, I hope, a slight improvement on my previous efforts. My camera has an array movements but these were not enough to capture the building satisfactory. I was either too close with a wide angle or not far enough away with the standard lens. It might have been nice if I could have elevated myself a little but the other way to do this was to stand on the roof of my car (tempting) or to knock on someone's door and ask to see if I could use their living room for a better viewpoint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40784015.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6970490615e295fe21aaa6.jpgTRE-FYNYDD, Burry Port 2020 Notes on TRE-FYNYDD, Burry Port 2020 I parked in a lay-by beside the ruined house of Bigyn on the the mountain road between Pembrey and Pen-y-Mynydd. Bigyn is so overgrown it didn’t seem possible to photograph, so I didn’t bother. It had forecast to be dry but fine drizzle blew around and then would stop for awhile and then sudden downfalls of heavy rain for a few minutes. The pattern continued. I walked down the public footpath nearly as far as the farm Ty Newydd but then cut across a stream and a field of young trees and a lot of bramble. A tractor lay in this field and obviously hadn’t moved for at least ten years. More brambles. There was an easier route but a sign said ‘trespassers would be prosecuted’. The brambles were higher than me and irregular how they fell. Some were brown and old but their barbs still sharp. Only once home did I begin pulling out the little sharp needle from fingers and feet! My hands were bleeding and there and sore. Poor me! The house was reached, partially roofed, unlike so many of the farms I visit. Inside was a mess, fallen beams, fallen floors and a fallen staircase. There was no access upstairs and barely access around the lower rooms. The sky was dark outside and even my digital camera struggled with handheld shots inside the house. A few snapshots were taken, slight camera blur and then I used my large wooden camera for more serious work, tripod mounted of course. Exposures of 4 – 32 seconds were used (at F22), long for a mid-day exposure, and testifies just how dim the light was. Another band of rain was heading in. I took as many pictures as possible and packed up my camera – somewhat depressed by the weather, the house, the afternoon. The rain fell on the filter of the lens, I removed the filter and tried to clean/dry it but I had nothing to clean it with except my t-shirt. I dropped the filter into mud. Nevermind. I’ll clean it when home. Rain fell onto the glass of the lens. I tried the best to wipe it with my sleeve but it just smudged the rain water around. The finished images may be slightly blurred where the rain landed on the lens. So be it. It tells part of the story. I walked back a different way, across a field and over a hedge, I hasten to add the fence I stepped over was only three feet high, no damage done and then back to the public footpath and back to the car by which time the rain had begun to fall hard again. Once home everything taken from the camera bag and placed on a table by a radiator. It gets an hour to dry and air before being put away again. The lens was properly cleaned and is pristine again. The small barbs of bramble are removed, two on the soles of my feet and numerous on my fingers and knuckles. The brambles are the worst. I had to turn back at one point because I found myself in a whole sea of bramble and knew to carry on would only take longer than going back and to find a different route – which I did and saved myself some time and effort. I could have done without the trouble with the bramble, it lengthened the time to reach the house which meant I would have missed the rain storm which would have allowed me to settle more within the atmosphere of the house and landscape. The pictures won’t tell this. The pictures will just show a dilapidated house with a few raindrops present in the final image. Neither will the final images show or give any insight on who lived here last and why they left. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196118.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18715567715fe1ae9e1848b.jpgVARTEG UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on VARTEG UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Its close neighbour, Varteg Isaf, as been semi-preserved by a rusty corrugated roof. No such luck for Varteg Uchaf, as seen here, open to the elements and over looking the hills of the parishes of Neath Port Talbot. The walk up to this and Varteg Isaf is easy, just a forestry track and on the morning of my visit it was silent. The low mist clung to the valley below following the river as it does. Varteg Uchaf has fine views, the visit put me in good spirits and I felt the images represent that to some degree. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/024 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2137455065f90000772ff9.jpgGRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Empty and forlorn, Graig-ddu-isaf has been left to decay slowly for a number of years. Peeking inside saw the usual bits of furniture and farm machinery. All seems quite depressing and damp on first inspection but beyond the decay there is a pleasant air about the place. It is quiet and tranquil, I felt miles from anywhere, even if the track to the house is just a short walk from road. A number of exposures were made, perhaps the most successful being the image of the corrugated toilet, a familiar sight in these parts, around the side of the house - with make-shift toilet pan included. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058634.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10278527684a62ce1a5213c.jpgHAFOD, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on HAFOD, Nandcwnlle, Ceredigion 2009 Three storeys high, built late 18th century and as discovered in the pages of ‘Forgotten Welsh Houses’ by Michael Tree and Mark Baker – and not by my eager and searching eye (surprising since I’ve lived near and used this road numerous times in the last 20 years!). I parked in the lay-by and walked up to the house. It was early, around 5:30am. A large caravan sat in the grounds as well as lots of visual clues the house was in the process of restoration. No windows were broken, no slates missing, no doors hanging from their frames, no signs of graffiti or vandalism. The ground around the house had been cleared and the house looked in generally good condition. I did not attempt to gain entry or peer through the windows. I was pleased the house and grounds seemed to show the beginnings of careful and considerate repair and I was also glad I was able to photograph it before it was all fully restored. A gentle drizzle blew, like mist and the long grass dampened my trousers. I set up my camera was walked around the house and made a few exposures. The house felt as ease in its setting, nestled between two ‘B roads’ but also remote and in part of the country I am most familiar with. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14970685914b594db26b679.jpg[/img] Hafod, Llangeitho 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15794972434b594e013436c.jpg[/img] Hafod, Llangeitho 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17716070574b594e488ba5c.jpg[/img] Hafod, Llangeitho 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-house-cwmtwrch-brecknock-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16413338655a759f7595c2e.jpgGELLIAU, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 Notes on GELLIAU, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 A much ruinous, but beautifully positioned small holding, with narrow walled entrance (driveway) leading towards and away from the property. All ruinous and overgrown but must have once been a delightful place to live. Old fruit trees still bearing withered fruit in January. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8341472.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9326605794d3926fdc2d95.jpgPANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2011 Overlooking the Hafod Estate, and almost in view of the mansion site itself, I can only imagine it must have been a sobering experience witnessing from these bleak hills the carriages coming to and fro from Hafod Mansion. Perhaps only a mile, as the crow flies, from the mansion stands the ruined farmstead of Pantyffynnon. It sits on a ledge between two mountian streams Nant Ffin and Nant Seran. It has long been ruined and I myself have been walking passed this ruin for aorund twenty years. Little changes quickly; saplings grow tall and strong, inner walls tumble, the wooden fireplace has rotted away. Today a drizzle falls. The ground is very wet and this makes the going slow. Yet like all good things this makes my visit to Pantyffynnon all the more rewarding. A small wooded area that surrounds the River Seran somehow helps with visualising what life must have been like up here, into high lands over Pontrhydygroes in the late 19th century; washing the dirty laundry, spending the winter months keeping the livestock close-by and the games the children would play. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22365164.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1897117125540f2e909889a.jpgESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on ESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 A large house, long ruined with large barns adjacent and still in agricultural use. The footpath from the road keeps the house from view but within minutes you see a clump of Scot’s Pine and you know exactly where you will find the house. One of Scot’s Pine had fallen recently and smashed into the rear. Most of the roof, indeed façade, had come down and the house is mostly a shell. Clues of the rooms remain, fireplaces, lintels, building materials and as I wandered around I wished I’d visited ten or fifteen years previously. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/aberglasney-great-hall-carmarthenshire-1994 https://images.on-this.website/7784_213456074451ab1dd404bbb.jpgABERGLASNEY GREAT HALL, Carmarthenshire 1994 Notes on ABERGLASNEY GREAT HALL, Carmarthenshire 1994 Scanned into the computer as a last resort! This shows the great hall as you first enter the house. Glare from the sun caused fogging on the film hence the poor quality. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41095823.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_915241295e6e8db00855b.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4626408.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2852277894bac5d8552bd3.jpgEDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on EDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 There is something vastly poetic and romantic regarding the grieving walls of Edwinsford. The blue morning hue hung soft and silent and I too trod soft and silent amongst the rubble and remaining walls. It felt impossible to utter a sound, if so, the atmospherics would shatter into something ordinary. The ground was frozen underfoot and thin layers of ice formed over the tyre tracks and puddles made by the sharp manoeuvres of diggers and tippers. The heavy machinery sat like silent dinosaurs in front of the house, like guards, rested from disposing unidentifiable rubble and clearing piles of debris. Never anything less than a subliminal experience one can not help but wonder why it has taken so long for anyone to come to the rescue of this unusual house that has been begging for some love for over 50 years. A house of many periods and styles, each individual yet the individual parts do not, as seen at other properties, detract from the overall aesthetics. It adds only character in the case of Edwinsford. The white washed square structure, built around a large chimney, has collapsed around the rear (wooden panelling can be seen on the walls within) and this internal view gives an excellent view of how this square structure of the house was built. At the rear there’s a small courtyard, ivy entwined around stone work, but the majority of the internal structure is a void shell revealing a few structural and dividing walls and high chimneys. The owner has cleared the piles debris and an inkling of how the house must have felt can be experienced. It would be very easy to fall in love with Edwinsford. The owners / restorers need congratulating at visualising the view from a mountaintop when they are only a small part way up. I personally can barely comprehend the task at hand. The only sound I heard during my visit was the morning birdsong; particularly the sweet song from the blackbird and also the cackle of those intelligent crows and the flow of the river Cothi. It becomes easy to recall the joy of Edwinsford, as home, as seen in old photographs and postcards; neatly maintained grounds, well dressed occupants, windows and door left open in the summer months, daffodils bobbling about on a spring morning. The wealth of full bloom sits juxtaposed to the poverty of crumbling stone and dissolved mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094527.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_116763399149796116a1ef4.jpgBLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on BLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 1997 A very derelict, very early 17th century house situated high above the Baglan suburb, a couple of miles north of Port Talbot. The owner at the time appeared to care little for the house and was apparently a man of some temper. I was told he lived beside the house in a small modern cottage. I stood at the front door, wide eyed and then youthful, and I knocked on the cottage door with apprehension but noted the curtains were pulled and although the garden was well maintained the cottage too lay empty with rips in the net curtains and a small sapling growing in a drain. I imagine i made a few relieved sighs and then a made few quick exposures of the exterior of Blaen Baglan and I was on my way again. I can and do sympathise with owners of these mansions - the time, effort and finance of restoring such properties must be enormous. Even wishing to contain the dereliction is a major project and not one to enter lightly. The roof of Blaen Baglan, although mainly slate-less, had begun to waver and I suspect since I took these images has come down. A date stone mounted above the doorway was long gone. An intriguing but sorrowful pile. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19957884b652a6ef05de.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16095407124b652a9ea99b1.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1950710864b652abf9d3bf.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196121.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13292034335fe1ae9f6761b.jpgVARTEG ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on VARTEG ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Somewhat oddly, Varteg Isaf stands higher than Varteg Uchaf, a stones throw away across a field. Both are derelict and ruinous as seen here. Isaf has a roof, albeit a rusting corrugated affair. The house stands windswept and on my December morning it was chilly but dry. Tracks lead up to the house and a little further wind turbines. Great views... a few images taken, as seen here mostly from a similar viewpoint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13464819.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7901291984eb6b5f19c04f.jpgWALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 Notes on WALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 Peeling paint, graffiti and a strong morning sun light beaming through the doorway of this empty building adds to the dramatic nature of this image. All the ingredients one can hope for but nonetheless there is something that doesn't sit right with me. Those peaks of shadow may well work better if the image is turned horizontal. A number of images here were taken at the majestic and ruined cement works between Shoreham and Upper Beeding, West Sussex. I passed these buildings every day for a year in 2007 when I worked at Small Dole. I have made a number of exposures of the buildings themselves but found far more rewarding the weathered and graffiti walls inside. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475637.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11280718184b8bc75e065c8.jpgCUB SCOUT HUTS, Devil's Bridge 2005 Notes on CUB SCOUT HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2005 There must be around 15 of these small wooden huts, all painted green and white and were once a summer home for cub scouts. All are damp and rotting with doors and windows hanging from their frames, brambles weaving and prising apart the wooden slats from the walls. CABANAU CYBIAU, Pontarfvnach. Ceredigion 2005 Mae’n rhaid bod oddeutu 15 o’rcabanau bychain pren hyn, i gyd wedi’u peintio yn wyrdd a gwyn ac unwaith roeddent yn dy haf i gybiau sgowtiaid. Mae’r cyfan wedi eu gadael i ddirywio dros y 10 mlynedd ddiwethaf ac maent yn llaith ac yn pydru gyda drysau a ffenestri yn hongian o’u fframiau, mieri yn gweu drwy ‘r slatiau pren ac yn eu tynnu i ffwrdd o’r waliau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22365162.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_975018455540f2e8ad7487.jpgESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on ESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 A large house, long ruined with large barns adjacent and still in agricultural use. The footpath from the road keeps the house from view but within minutes you see a clump of Scot’s Pine and you know exactly where you will find the house. One of Scot’s Pine had fallen recently and smashed into the rear. Most of the roof, indeed façade, had come down and the house is mostly a shell. Clues of the rooms remain, fireplaces, lintels, building materials and as I wandered around I wished I’d visited ten or fifteen years previously. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo35752930.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14961291505b60b78d61a94.jpgCWM ELAN HOUSES, Elan Valley 2018 Notes on HOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2018 (notes below from 2010) Nestled in a quiet valley between the high lands and the reservoirs and ancient broadleaf woodlands the Cwm Elan mines are a worthy experience not just for its solitary atmosphere but also its historical interest. It sits 1000ft over looking the Garreg-ddu reservoir. The only sounds one can hear are the babbling brook, the bleating sheep and the sweeping and singing birds. The two ruined houses which stand beside one another are a stark contrast in style and colour. I believe the stone house was home to the manager of the mine when lead was discovered at the site in 1796 (and was mined until 1877). Much of the mining equipment and indeed buildings have or are slowly vanishing as the years pass. The red brick house was built by the Birmingham Corporation Waterworks for one of its estate workers and is now in agricultural storage use (although my last visit a few years ago access inside was easy and very little remained since it was used by the sheep as shelter!). The ferns had yet to fully burst open and last years crunched underfoot. When fully grown at the height of summer these ferns cover much of the fields and hills around the mine and are chest high (and also a fertile breeding ground for sheep ticks). My visit on this occasion was humid but cloudy but after a few hours, towards the end of my visit, the sun returned with strength and lit up the spring greenery and the red brick building with pure delight. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34641039.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12851322095ae0d010d0bee.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26618942.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_159719001256bd784451bfa.jpgBLAEN GLASFFWRD, Elenydd, Cambrain Mountains, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN GLASFFWRD, Elenydd, Cambrain Mountains, Ceredigion 2011 Owned locally and leased out to a local farmer - the house is a hill-farmers resting place, barns are still in agricultural use. Glasffrwd just about visible as you drive up from Strata Florida towards Hafod Newydd. It stands resilient in a clearing with forestry, or felled forestry, surrounding this once rural farmstead. House and outbuildings were all in good condition during my visit in Feb 2011. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38577237.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12291705175cf119b969b2f.jpgABSTRACTION at TROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on ABSTRACTION at TROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Inside the mill, a plain rubble and concrete wall, otherwise uninteresting but with the sun skimming the surface bringing out texture, shade and ultimately some beauty. I had not expected much to be seen here but was pleasantly surprised. Visited on a quiet Friday afternoon with only the sound of the river, insects and birds to be heard. There were no internal details or machinery left inside but enough to have a sense of a working place. The foliage had yet to properly take hold of the site (or had been cut back relatively recently) and exposures could still be made. A stone trough stood against the bank, apparently to collect water seeping/dripping from the rock. The building on the path was possibly the mill-house, adjoined at a right angle to the mill. The mill had been roofed until quite recently with corrugated iron but after it fell in removed from the site. Evidence of drying kiln to side of mill – with three flue-type structures – I only saw two but the CADW report mentions three – I should have looked a little more carefully. A warm and pleasant afternoon without seeing another soul. Troserch wood is a pleasant place to wander around, there’s pathways leading all around and other areas worth visiting. There’s a few mine workings, fenced off these days, and modern wooden structures throughout the woods – although the large grass-roofed covered structure was about to be take down due to it being unsafe. Another ruin, ivy covered, just a field away, was seen but not visited. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41492458.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_720962665f31984923c37.jpgALLT-Y-FRAN-FACH, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on ALLT-Y-FRAN-FACH, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 A short track from Troserch Woods car park leads to the ivy covered ruins of Allt-Y-Fran-Fach. Access near impossible with almost shoulder height foliage but fortunately there was not many bramble, so it was easy, albeit slow and I got a good soaking, to trample down the weeds and nettle. Inside much ruinous, as seen here, internal wall of ‘Llangennech’ bricks had collapsed. It is always a pleasant return when you pick up a brick to see where it had been made… I often wished I collected bricks from around Wales but I have enough to carry and besides even if ruinous and broken, a brick does not belong to me and would be considered theft. A few exposures were made outside too, viewpoints were scarce, the foliage again had to be trampled to get far away enough from the house. A single height barn stands right behind the house and I noted from older maps that they show the house and barn joined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13985067.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12744162314f152c74dce15.jpgABERDUHONW, Builth Wells, Breconshire 2009 Notes on ABERDUHONW, Builth Wells, Breconshire 2009 I had driven past this property many times, noting it appeared abandoned, in the last few years but never had any film loaded. This time the house was my destination and I had film loaded! As decribed in ‘Powis: The Buildings of Wales’ by Richard Halsam: ‘Behind the 19th century front is a 17th century staircase’. I did not attempt to gain entry so was unable to view the interior. Aberduhonw is a large farmhouse with a very large, and often seen in mid Wales, sloping rear roof. Net curtains in the dirty windows were threadbare and the house has begun to look on the verge of decay. I do not know what it is like within – the grounds were too overgrown to get close to the house and peer through the windows and it would have probably been too dark to see much anyhow. Behind the house is a small cottage also empty. A sheep dog tied up outside by one of the outbuildings barked whenever I came into view and I became very conscious of his and my intrusion in an otherwise quiet morning. I made a few exposures and walked around the generous buildings and attractive arched barns before making my way to Crickhowell to re-visit the ruined house in the Black Mountains called The Hermitage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/eglwys-newydd-hafod-ceredigion-1989 https://images.on-this.website/7784_863217634be65ebd684f8.jpgEGLWYS NEWYDD, Hafod, Ceredigion 1989 Notes on EGLWYS NEWYDD, Hafod, Ceredigion 1989 An infra-red, 35mm image, taken low down with a 19mm lens. I would just like to point out that Hafod Church is not a ruin! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26433155.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_454765541569227ec57eb5.jpgFFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2016 A revisit to this house. I took only a few sheets of film with me on my first visit and I wanted to take a few interior shots. Little of course has changed in a year, still open to the elements, the roof seems to have sagged a little but there was a tranquillity to the house and the morning of my visit. The walls within are either plastered with peeling layers of wallpaper or wooden panelled. It's all a little dusty, a little dirty, a little still. This could make a lovely little house and one hopes it will be re-sold and restored. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4359658.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5584893844b6bd2a364e18.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 1997 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 1997 At its core this is a small medieval castle, enlarged and grandiose, but after 1750s the house began its slow decline with much work left incomplete and further restoration abandoned after a fire in the mid 1950s. Many uses have been proposed, even a theme park, but it remains ever derelict but not yet beyond repair. It is made up of a vast range of rooms and extensions but Pencoed was a surprising find, not due to its size or castle/house-like features but more due to its prime location and the fact it is empty, unused and quickly deteriorating. Large gate house stands imposing before the house. This image shows the once fine windows unguarded, twisted and distorted. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12635944674b652b57d8701.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13049495244b652b8a139bf.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20227156304b652b70b02d5.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5844078104b652ba8ba0ab.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6852916394b652bc2c3ede.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34530514.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6949022345ad30201e0274.jpgABSTRACTIONS AT HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Notes on ABSTRACTIONS AT HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/coed-cyw-uchaf-sylen-llanelli https://images.on-this.website/7784_12539523935efb02d90b909.jpgCOED CYW UCHAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on COED CYW UCHAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 A good sized farmhouse with large opposing chimneys but obviously long ruined. On a public footpath but it takes a little negotiating to follow the path with barb wire over gate and gate post, no stiles to climb. A herd of cows came to visit me too, always curious and always serene, and I wondered if it would alert the farmer/owner who’d I’d been warned was not fond of anyone showing any interest in this house. I figured as long as I stayed to the public footpath then there’d be no trouble and besides it is the owners house and there’s no reason why anybody should have any interest in it; to each their own. Barns roofless and ruined and the whole place with grand views towards the Loughor Estuary. A lovely site, serene and silent and such a great shame that it will fall before long. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41241773.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13734665615efb02dbe1c05.jpgYSTODWEN ISAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on YSTODWEN ISAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Set just off the road, large barns beside still in agricultural use but the house, as seen here, roofless and ruined. A shame since nicely located and site has good vibes. I parked the car outside early one June morning and took a gate or two. The ground was firm although I image cows were not so long treading up the ground. A few quick images taken. I set the camera up quick, a set routine, all fingers and eyes and the horizon leveled in the viewfinder. Within a minute a photograph is taken. It takes a lot less with a digital camera but a minute with large format is quick. Ystodwen stands well back from the road, there’s a low set of stone outbuildings set at a right angle to the front, even a few panes of glass in the window frames. The rear of the house shows a large chimney and the rear not rendered giving a little more texture and evidence of the rubble stone walls. The grass around the house is short. The mist was beginning to drop. The Scot’s Pine always looking good in the mist. I wonder how many decades the house has laid empty? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24522054.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15236245555575d780d9849.jpgTRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Not a far walk from the road but a damp one, and fortunately for me between very heavy spring showers. Triael was once a large farmstead, numerous outbuildings mostly in poor state of disrepair, the house itself, barely recognisable except for a brick chimney and some wooden shelves in an alcove, miraculously surviving when the walls have all but fallen into a pile of rubble. Nice pair of circular stone pillars fronting barn. I have come across a number of such pillars and they're always a pleasant surprise when often times the Welsh farmhouse in Ceredigion is practical build rather than aesthetic one. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29922942.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17659692558592a961aa40.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37330075.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16076596645c53e76870484.jpgLLWYN CELYN, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on LLWYN CELYN, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 After visiting another ruin, Cwm-Cwta, a mile or so away, I thought I would try to see if anything remained of Llwyn Celyn. There seemed nothing to see on Google Earth and my O/S map is 20 years old now and only showed an empty box or two at right angles. I was not going to bother. My first walk had been a little arduous and I had further visits planned for the day. I was pleased I convinced myself to take a look and much surprised. I always seem to need to convince myself these days that it is worth the effort to walk that extra mile. I tell myself that it is unlikely I’ll ever walk these footpaths again. That is sometimes and sometimes not the case. Llwyn Celyn sits in a small wooden area and has much to admire. The house, I imagine, has only lost its roof in the last ten or fifteen years or so. It’s solidly built and more unusually has fared better than the outbuildings around it. I rested here a good half hour. There is always unease within me when I haven’t photographed for a long time; it’s mixture of anticipation, nerves of meeting irate landowners, and the fact that I simply haven’t bothered for such a long time that is there even a need for me to carry on documenting these houses? A few exposures were made. I felt the old sense of good return. I was absorbed in my task, whilst the fog swept around the trees, the damp ground underfoot, the smell of the forest, of rotten fallen wood, of dew, of wet leaf and muddy stream. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2125074.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12238135054986d6f4049c0.jpgPEMBREY CWRT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 1997 Notes on PEMBREY CWRT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 1998 A late 16th or early 17th century farm house - although a property has stood on the site since 1361. Bought by farmers and by the 1950’s the empty house became ruinous and since then derelict. Now a damp dark overgrown roofless shell: much vandalised, with walls full of cracks. My visit was brief but one could not believe that Pembrey Courts' future was an optimistic one what with ivy penetrating the stone walls and kids lighting fires and demolishing whatever they could. And who could blame them? By whose example would they follow if a property is left unloved and uncared for? A trust has been sent up for Court/Cwrt farmhouse and as of March 2006 they are preparing a proposition to apply for a place on the BBC’s ‘Restoration’ program, in which various domestic, industrial and public buildings that are in a process of neglect are voted for with a sum of money going towards the winner with the intention of restoring. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_243856674abf4bda8c671.jpg[/img] PEMBREY CWRT, Carmarthenshire 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo30019128.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_189347845258763c127d8a3.jpgDANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on DANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Long ruinous - at least fifteen years - recently sold for £100,000 after the Australian owners were forced to sell by Swansea Council. Nothing has yet been done to consolidate the ruins, except last year the fire brigade dismantled the roof partially after an arson attack. Built 1880 and was last used as an employment centre. My visit was on a bleak Sunday afternoon with a handheld 5x4 inch camera and fast film, nonetheless due to the dimness of the day, I had to push my film speed from 400asa to 1600asa resulting in grainy negatives. Another visit will be made at a later date. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8087424.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5289167984d11b3ecbd5fa.jpgBRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on BRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Ruins of an 18th Century farmhouse which now sit in the perimeter of a private race course. It will not be long before the roof falls and judging the state of the structural walls these too will soon tumble. There's a marvellous twin entrance stable block behind the house which has had a metal roof recently erected, so at least this will remain upright. This property has wonderful views over towards Strata Florida Abbey and the surrounding hills. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13460860.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16387658764eb641946b5e8.jpgWALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 Notes on WALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 A frustrating image - paintwork, graffiti, smoke damage giving a strong visual display of contrast but the actual compositional elements are not completely successful. A number of images here were taken at the majestic and ruined cement works between Shoreham and Upper Beeding, West Sussex. I passed these buildings every day for a year in 2007 when I worked at Small Dole. I have made a number of exposures of the buildings themselves but found far more rewarding the weathered and graffiti walls inside. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14359205.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8904289004f61a7f1de396.jpgLLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2012 A return to Llanfechen before spring, when the foliage freed views and the size of the house could be fully appreciated. I like this house. I like its position; the scale and the years it has been empty. The morning fog had yet to truly rise and the fog makes the visualization of the scene in black and white much easier. The muted colours are simple and much closer to a black and white print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29922939.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_118477527658592a91e8213.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8087432.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20664918674d11b3fe2da3f.jpgBRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on BRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Ruins of an 18th Century farmhouse which now sit in the perimeter of a private race course. It will not be long before the roof falls and judging the state of the structural walls these too will soon tumble. There's a marvellous twin entrance stable block behind the house which has had a metal roof recently erected, so at least this will remain upright. This property has wonderful views over towards Strata Florida Abbey and the surrounding hills. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gwrych-castle-abergele-denbighshire-2005 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1453762644982ae7621276.jpgGWRYCH CASTLE, Abergele, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on GWRYCH CASTLE, Abergele, Denbighshire 2005 An eerie, melancholic sight overlooking the Irish Sea. Gwrych is a mock castle built 1819, its history is a short one and after few private owners, was opened up to the public from 1948 until 1985. It has been, as often the case, left to the elements and worse still, the vandals. Once left empty, with security packed up and gone, some local residents set about sealing Gwrych from the weather and the boredom and greed of vandals. But it was a battle they seemed destined to lose: though there has been much talk of restoration, with each winter that passes more and more of the castle is lost. I spent a good afternoon at Gwrych. I had seen many images, recent and old, and had wanted to find the image that captures the atmosphere of a ruined building that a general view can but rarely encapsulate. A large castle, it’s front a quarter of mile in length. My peaceful Sunday afternoon was pierced by occasional shouts and blasts of music caught on the wind. Someone, somewhere within the castle was having some kind of party. I tiptoed around, a little nervous and intrepid, until that is, I reached the entrance and came across another party, a small group of people and a photographer, with a young couple having their portraits taken. Gwrych had become a strange community. No longer witness to class prejudice, and even when officially opened to the public, no longer a tourist haunt. It was an odd afternoon. I am unsure of what the future holds for Gwrych. It is too large, too solid, too castle-like to be ignored and forgotten for much longer. I do not believe I came anywhere close to capturing Gwrych at its best. It was purchased again recently and work has begun to restore and to be used as an hotel. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18736920624b3863d3a6faf.jpg[/img] Gwrych Castle 2004 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5834914.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15338476014c5e7af6cb640.jpgHOUSES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 20 Notes on HOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Nestled in a quiet valley between the high lands and the reservoirs and ancient broadleaf woodlands the Cwm Elan mines are a worthy experience not just for its solitary atmosphere but also its historical interest. It sits 1000ft over looking the Garreg-ddu reservoir. The only sounds one can hear are the babbling brook, the bleating sheep and the sweeping and singing birds. The two ruined houses which stand beside one another are a stark contrast in style and colour. I believe the stone house was home to the manager of the mine when lead was discovered at the site in 1796 (and was mined until 1877). Much of the mining equipment and indeed buildings have or are slowly vanishing as the years pass. The red brick house was built by the Birmingham Corporation Waterworks for one of its estate workers and is now in agricultural storage use (although my last visit a few years ago access inside was easy and very little remained since it was used by the sheep as shelter!). The ferns had yet to fully burst open and last years crunched underfoot. When fully grown at the height of summer these ferns cover much of the fields and hills around the mine and are chest high (and also a fertile breeding ground for sheep ticks). My visit on this occasion was humid but cloudy but after a few hours, towards the end of my visit, the sun returned with strength and lit up the spring greenery and the red brick building with pure delight. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5834428.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14787126824c5e4f056ef74.jpgMOUNTON CHAPEL, Canaston Woods, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on MOUNTON CHAPEL, Canaston Woods, Pembrokeshire 2010 Originally a 13th century chapel but restored in the 18th and 19th centuries, it is very ruinous with the roof half collapsed and the other half in a very precarious state. I squeezed through the high security fence that surrounds this small chapel in the middle of a field. I was not going to enter but the fence had already been breached and I was pleased I did. Inside there was the usual clutter and masonry of an abandoned, and partly fallen, property laying on the ground. Graffiti was scratched into the soft damp plaster on the walls – names and dates, some of which dated back twenty years, all part of the chapels’ recent history. Some areas of brightly coloured paint on corbels and small wall alcoves, framed in blue and red paintwork. These small areas of colour gave hint at a once beautifully decorated chapel. Outside just off centre to the entrance is a large five foot square large foundation stone. I was uncertain of its purpose. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5917258.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14079999584c67952db7615.jpgCEUNANT GENERATING STATION, Trisant, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CEUNANT GENERATING STATION, Trisant, Ceredigion 2010 Over the last twenty years I have visited and photographed this hydro power station many times but never satisfactory. I knew not what this building was until this visit where there is an information board at the sight (and also a passage in the ‘Pevsner Building of Wales’ series of books - see ‘Bibliography’ in main menu bar). It was built in 1898 a Belgium company hoping to revive the local mining industry. It employed over 270 men (apparently many Italian’s) but was a short-lived attempt as the mine closed down five years later. Much of the equipment was either sold or was removed over the intervening years. All that remains now is this large high walled, cathedral-like shell whose grounds are kept in order by the grazing sheep. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41426099.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_909495375f2c0e4b179ed.jpgBRUNANT, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on BRUNANT, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had seen a photograph of Brunant taken a few year ago and knew the footpath led straight alongside side it. I almost walked by but saw a chimney surrounded by trees. The footpath had been diverted, the old footpath posts were now surrounded by bramble and other foliage. I wandered around the enclosure trying to find a way to the walls of the house and eventually climbed a fence and made my way through bramble. I was sodden, thigh high, by the time I made it the twenty feet to the house. I nearly did not bother but as always if I hadn’t I’d have been in regret. Within the four walls of the house there was no bramble or foliage so I could move around freely. A few images taken. I then attempted to climb the bank at the front of the house. It was tricky but a few more images taken. So sad to see a ruin so enclosed by foliage. Perhaps the winter months would be kinder to the casual traveller, perhaps not. Perhaps it is fitting for the house to be hidden away and forgotten about indefinitely. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5883905.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16451168584c63070f6dc8b.jpgHOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 20 Notes on HOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Nestled in a quiet valley between the high lands and the reservoirs and ancient broadleaf woodlands the Cwm Elan mines are a worthy experience not just for its solitary atmosphere but also its historical interest. It sits 1000ft over looking the Garreg-ddu reservoir. The only sounds one can hear are the babbling brook, the bleating sheep and the sweeping and singing birds. The two ruined houses which stand beside one another are a stark contrast in style and colour. I believe the stone house was home to the manager of the mine when lead was discovered at the site in 1796 (and was mined until 1877). Much of the mining equipment and indeed buildings have or are slowly vanishing as the years pass. The red brick house was built by the Birmingham Corporation Waterworks for one of its estate workers and is now in agricultural storage use (although my last visit a few years ago access inside was easy and very little remained since it was used by the sheep as shelter!). The ferns had yet to fully burst open and last years crunched underfoot. When fully grown at the height of summer these ferns cover much of the fields and hills around the mine and are chest high (and also a fertile breeding ground for sheep ticks). My visit on this occasion was humid but cloudy but after a few hours, towards the end of my visit, the sun returned with strength and lit up the spring greenery and the red brick building with pure delight. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34696304.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18103255615ae9e8e8450f7.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 - 2018 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 - 2018 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076270.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_211332975249701eddd9b8d.jpgISCOED, Ferryside, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on ISCOED, Ferryside, Carmarthenshire 1996 After searching for ruined houses, often unsuccessfully, on a hot Spring day, tired from driving and asking for numerous directions, I approached Iscoed late in the afternoon. It glowed through the hedgerows, about half a mile from the roadside: a Georgian red brick block mansion overlooking Carmarthen bay. It was built in 1772 for a Sir William Mansel. The owner was pleased I took interest in the house, he had renovated one wing of the service quarters and seemed to genuinely care about Iscoed to which fate has dealt kind and unkind hands. It briefly served as Council Flats after WW2 but after listing status was refused in the late 1950’s, permission to demolish was granted but miraculously the house survived, outliving the owner who wished to demolish. As seen here: it still remains a viable option for restoration. There is a small swimming pool in the courtyard between the two wings at the rear. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9793395714b629750f2078.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15921105454b62976b23369.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7088372774b6297364b48d.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13266399224b629718dfefc.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12713585354b6296e5c084f.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_83284134b62970342605.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9572765844b38886b5fafa.jpg[/img] Iscoed Interior (swimming pool?) 1996 The link below will lead you to the external site and show recent images of Iscoed http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=13785 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-devils-bridge-ceredigion-2004 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12997872564bcaac82ed8b1.jpgWALL, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on WALL, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2004 This is one of my favourite images. It was taken in an empty caravan and shows a wall covered in peeling wallpaper and further surfaces beyond the wallpaper. Although printed lightly to reveal the textures of the wall it was taken in very dim conditions. An exposure of 45 minutes was used and judging by the negative it should have been longer, perhaps closer to the 2 hour mark. I recall almost every photograph I have taken. This is an exception because I recall this even clearer than almost every other photograph. The view from under the darkcloth was very dim. Focussing took about five minutes, the top folded piece of wallpaper was a few centimetres protruding and with a very short depth of field meant I had focus carefully to be sure the whole scene was in focus. The floor of the caravan was also rotten. I cold move but very carefully in case the tripod legs move and the whole image would have recorded as a blur. PAPUR WAL YN PLICIO. Pontarfynach. Ceredigion 2004 Ar brydiau, gorchwyl anodd yw chwilio am haniaethau yng nghefn gwlad canolbarth Cymru ond wrth ddod o hyd i wal addas, mae'n brofiad gwerth chweil. Wrth Iwc, ceir digonedd o hen adfeilion, ffermdai ac adeiladau diwydiannol a allai ddatgelu waliau fel hon. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058645.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2826079704a62ce5e0c375.jpgMOUNT GERNOS, Maesllyn, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on MOUNT GERNOS, Maesllyn, Ceredigion 2009 Only a mile or two away from the ruins of Bronwydd is another large house, all but vanished, Mount Gernos. I had visited it in 1998 but did not consider it worthy of photographing - something i would have regretted if, on this summers morning in 2009, i would have found those two towers had also been demolished since then. A couple of exposures were made – although I only had two sheets of film remaining - but so little remains of Mount Gernos (a great photograph can be seen in Tom Lloyd’s ‘Lost Houses of Wales’) that I did not need any more film. All that does remain are two bath stone windows, two storeys high in a field, beside Gernos farm and the patchwork of barns, outbuildings and new bungalows. One wonders when the rest of the house was demolished why this pair of windows were left. They make both a sad and proud monument but surely it would have been much simplier to demolish the whole house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1621561451498bd5fbd2f65.jpg[/img] Mount Gernos 1998 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24519306.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13177335295575b02a80ad4.jpgTRE-FAES-UCHAF, Bethania, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRE-FAES-UCHAF, Bethania, Ceredigion 2015 Not a ruin but long empty, the first signs of decay beginning to appear; young saplings, broken windows, broken door frame, broken slates. Varies bits of debris lying around, the young nettles sharp with sting, sheep bleating in surrounding fields. The house is large, as too is the barn adjacent. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8341474.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5975421794d39270284627.jpgPANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2011 Overlooking the Hafod Estate, and almost in view of the mansion site itself, I can only imagine it must have been a sobering experience witnessing from these bleak hills the carriages coming to and fro from Hafod Mansion. Perhaps only a mile, as the crow flies, from the mansion stands the ruined farmstead of Pantyffynnon. It sits on a ledge between two mountian streams Nant Ffin and Nant Seran. It has long been ruined and I myself have been walking passed this ruin for aorund twenty years. Little changes quickly; saplings grow tall and strong, inner walls tumble, the wooden fireplace has rotted away. Today a drizzle falls. The ground is very wet and this makes the going slow. Yet like all good things this makes my visit to Pantyffynnon all the more rewarding. A small wooded area that surrounds the River Seran somehow helps with visualising what life must have been like up here, into high lands over Pontrhydygroes in the late 19th century; washing the dirty laundry, spending the winter months keeping the livestock close-by and the games the children would play. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9026808.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7368812784d838e1161e93.jpgFRON GOCH, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on FRON GOCH, Ceredigion 2011 Tooked away in a quiet valley between Stratta Florida and Ffair Rhos. Fron Goch is in a flagging condition. I believe the house is still used as a rest place for the farmer (there are plenty of outbuildings in agricultural use) but it's condition looks sorrowful, damp and uncared for. It sits in a lovely position with wonderful views and although very remote would suit a family. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37371411.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11687159445c6073cd6958e.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 A second visit in six months and in January when the foliage is stripped bare and the remains of the ruins are better viewed. The house was abandoned in 1824 – almost two hundred years ago – and at that time the sea would have made its way up stream and it is proposed Scotsborough House would have had a docking bay for boats delivering goods (not dissimilar to Boulston House). The land around the house has silted up now and this has become a haven for wildlife. The house itself is a sad site but perhaps we should be grateful there is still something to see. Viewpoints come easily for me on this morning. I think I can say I photographed the house better than my first visit – which admittedly was in the drizzle and I was somewhat hurried. Today an hour or so was spent at the site – a barbed wire fence surround the ruins with signs saying ‘No trespassing, dangerous ruins’ – a potential gravestone signature. The porch showed an internal arched doorway blocked up and further clues around the house give hint at other arched doorways. This had been a substantial building in its time. It’s a shame the ruins could not be consolidated as I am sure visitors to Tenby would love to explore the town other than the beach and shops. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23259006.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_92841579554934238315cb.jpgCANADA, Stag’s Head, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on CANADA, Stag’s Head, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage built of mud, stone and brick and much dilapidated. It stands in a low position and perhaps if the trees in front of it hadn’t had the chance to grow so high it would have once had a good view. At present however all is dim and lowly. I wonder how long empty, it’s in a relatively good condition although there is a hole forming at the rear. Inside is very basic, nothing much of note but a fairly recent empty beer bottle. Partition walls have been taken down and all is left is one large room, upstairs also taken down, striped of beam and panel. Cottage sits beside a seldom used footpath and there was no doubt in my mind that this little gem will surely never be salvaged or lived in again. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8244996.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7717443924d2c1454efaaf.jpgMYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on MYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 (Also known as Great Abbey Farm, Strata Florida). A large house, grade 2 listed (in 1963), nestled in a farming complex and besides the ruined abbey of Strata Florida. The road that runs through the yard is a relatively recent addition and will be, once the house has been restored, re-directed around the barns. Lampeter University have recently purchased the house with plans of consolidation work in process. The house itself seems to be in a good condition but looking a little sorry for itself. The rear roof seems to have been re-roofed recently. The small building on the right hand side was once the kitchen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23793053.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_440894062551107442c4d6.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 The cottages seen here sit on the other side of the Ystwyth at Cwmystwyth mines. I have driven and looked over to these cottages many a time and recall when they used to have windows and doors and roof. I am not sure why I haven't photographed them before having explored Cwmystwyth much over the last twenty five years. Their positioning alone makes them a worthy inclusion. The March morning I arrived was a cold and frosty one but as the sun rose across the opposite hillside I could tell it was to be a glorious and warm day. A few exposes were made, a small traipse with equipment from one cottage to the other and although I was on this hillside for an hour or so, not a single car passed by and I thought how lucky to live in such a relatively unpopulated area and also, with so much abandonment on my doorstep, little wonder I began photographing ruins. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42233315.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8257059336054c85d9f3d3.jpgTADMORE, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Notes on TADMORE, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 With Lockdown nearing an end and travel restricted to a 5 mile radius, I broke the rules and travelled 6 miles, possibly a little less since I didn't drive all the way my GPS suggested but parked the car in a layby and walked a half mile to the first of two ruins. The first visited was Tadmore, a high house but much ruined, the front façade had completely collapsed and there was no view to be had of the whole front of the house due to foliage. There is however plenty to see here and it was a perfect place to visit after such a hiatus due to the pandemic. The morning was quiet, birdsong and little else to keep me company. There were plenty of rabbit or possible badger holes around the side of the house and also, although I did not venture to find it, an old mine shaft. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4605720.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15597637564ba78bc906c8a.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 201 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Sometimes I wonder why I do it to myself. After visiting the lamentable walls of Blaen Baglan I then drove towards home but stopped off at Neuadd Fawr. My first and only visit to Neuadd Fawr was on a still but very foggy November day in 1996. The countryside around the village of Cil-y-Cwm is quite beautiful and the road up the farm and mansion happily revealed that the lodge house, very derelict in 1996, had recently and considerately been restored. The same can not be said of the mansion. I was met by the owner / farmer and again, as I recall from my first visit some 14 years ago, was welcomed; amicable and friendly. He explained how his family had purchased the land around the farm and mansion at the turn of century. The house had come with the land and they did not have the 3 million perhaps required to restore the mansion and even if they did have the money, wouldn’t spend it restoring it. And who could blame their or anybodies reluctance, for the job at hand would be heading towards the immeasurable! Although the roof wavers it is intact and the outer walls all look structurally sound. Within, as so often the case, is a jumbled, chaotic mess as one would expect from a any house that has been left abandoned for 60 years. All the above floors have either collapsed or on the precipice. I was warned not enter. I was warned not to enter in 1996 too. I took heed. The photographs showing interior views were taken on the outside looking in. Although in such ramshackle details could be noted; fireplaces and ranges, panelling and plasterwork, built-in-cupboards and ornate grills. I purposely visited Neuadd Fawr before the spring and summer foliage all but obscured the classic Ionic cast iron pillars. Of course all rusting but up close they’re solid and feel indestructible. The façade and east side with lovely narrow balcony are beautifully proportioned with large lower floor windows. It become easy to imagine especially on such a beautiful early spring morning, that sitting in these rooms was lovely with light falling and filling even the dimmest and most sheltered of corners. To the north and rear of the house is a messy jumble of extensions, ruinous with some outer walls caved in. The rear is quite unkempt and messy but by this time, once again, I was totally captivated by the house ad estate. The marvellous twin door stable block was however a horrid shock. It had perhaps suffered more than the house, almost completely roofless, windows all broke and where had those lovely large twin doors gone? The weather was perfect but what I had chosen to photograph was devastating. The vast walled kitchen garden contained a few branchless fruit trees. I have seen pictures of the walled garden at Ruperra Castle – it was a beautiful sight – rows of vegetables carefully planted and monitored by the head gardener and his army of workers. Was Neuadd Fawr the same? Also, to the rear of the house, another walled garden, was this the formal garden? It is now just a field kept neat by grazing and curious sheep. A small summer dwelling is built within this garden (as well as a ‘ty bach’ / toilet). The farmer had spoken about CADW rejecting plans to converting the house into flats and only keeping the façade of house. Neuadd Fawr, listed grade II, can not be demolished but if no consolidation work is carried out it will eventually fall. Should CADW be more willing to compromise such examples? After two hours and using all the film I had with me, I stood staring at Neuadd Fawr. I stood still for about 10 minutes soaking up the warmth of the morning sun. It did not feel like this great house had reached its almost inevitable conclusion of total dereliction. It may have been the optimistic warmth from the sun and thawing me and the frozen ground or it could have been the un-afraid and watchful sheep whilst grazing, close by. It could have been the friendly welcome the owner gave me upon my approach or the peace I felt, the peace of that particular morning whilst walking around these particularly magnificent ruins. In those 10 slow minutes it felt like Neuadd Fawr could be, and would be, eventually saved from the brink of dereliction by the restorer of wealth and good taste. I hope I will be proved right. NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10098170.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4231874674dd36864eaf53.jpgTHE SYSTERNE HOUSE/SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on THE SYSTERNE HOUSE/SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear, Pembrokeshire 2011 A return to the Sister's House and all those hidden ruins within its fenced grounds. My previous visit had been early spring a few years ago and I was surprised by the thickness of undergrowth. Nettles swayed three foot high and the canopy of tree cover caused exposures of around 16 seconds on a bright but cloudy afternoon. Classed as an Ancient Monument one can not help but feel that this complex of ruins, with some uncertainty of theses buildings purpose (a hospice for female pilgrims?), needs some loving care, the stone work must have suffered dreadfully over the last few harsh winters and one would have thought CADW would demand some sort of consolidation work on these important buildings. As it is they all stand, and will surely crumble and tumble, unprotected from the elements. This medieval village does however offer the explorer much delight and pleasure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9590500.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7362417924db16c3aa9e68.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 A late afternoon re-visit to Neuadd Fawr. As ever a subliminal experience. Neuadd Fawr's size and ruinous state can only impress the casual or eager explorer. The outer walls seem impressively solid but within there is little semblance of rooms nor indeed what those rooms functions once were. This house is a sad sight. It's sheer enormity and dereliction begs so many questions that can be answered simply by oneself: it is too large, too derelict, too far gone to be salvaged. The stable block is also totally ruinous but other outbuildings; stables, diary, kennels are all in a good condition. I do not know if any further trips will be made to Neuadd Fawr. Whenever I have left I have always felt I've missed something, some perfect composition. I have dreamed of this house, wandering through rooms and even photographing parts of it that do not exist. I have photographed it extensively, something I never set out to do (why take fifty photographs when only two or three should suffice?) and perhaps it's this over-exposure and ease of photographic opportunties that is the cause of me feeling I've missed something. Perhaps I expect too much. Perhaps I seek those atmospherics I experienced in my dreams, those atmospherics that do not actually exist. I think for me I should allow Neuadd Fawr to drift away from my consciousness for a good number of years. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42233316.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9002105086054c85db481c.jpgTADMORE, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Notes on TADMORE, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 With Lockdown nearing an end and travel restricted to a 5 mile radius, I broke the rules and travelled 6 miles, possibly a little less since I didn't drive all the way my GPS suggested but parked the car in a layby and walked a half mile to the first of two ruins. The first visited was Tadmore, a high house but much ruined, the front façade had completely collapsed and there was no view to be had of the whole front of the house due to foliage. There is however plenty to see here and it was a perfect place to visit after such a hiatus due to the pandemic. The morning was quiet, birdsong and little else to keep me company. There were plenty of rabbit or possible badger holes around the side of the house and also, although I did not venture to find it, an old mine shaft. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050848.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17234274534f25109685815.jpgNotes on ALLT HOUSE, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Notes on Notes on ALLT HOUSE, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Surrounded by dead bracken and high on a hillside only a stones throw away from the Paragon Tower, the Allt House, a well-fitted name, stands forlorn yet stoic over looking the Talybont-on-Usk valley. A high narrow house with extensions fallen. The front door is at the rear of the building and this left the builder to fit a huge window on the front and then to allow not only a lot of light into this little house but to also give the occupants a truely panaromic view. I'd love to see photographs of teh house before dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9951930.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16170009844dca2c784e917.jpgDERWEN BEDWEN, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DERWEN BEDWEN, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 A few months ago someone emailed me with this information about this partially collapsed cob building which I had presumed to be only used as an agricultural store: 'The "unknown farm building with cob walls!" is called "Derwen Bedwen". It stands by the road between Cnwch-coch and Llanfihangel y creuddin, and was last lived in by a woman named "Marged Lizzie" untill the late sixty's. She had two or three nasty dogs that always chased us as we walked past on the way home from school!' If anyone has any further information on Marged Lizzie please do get in touch! This tiny house is in a poor state - the clom walls are collapsing and presumably the other end collapsed years ago since it is open-ended and is in agricultural use. Inside the 'residential' end is used as a store for the usual bits of junk. If this was indeed once a home for Marged Lizzie I presume the chimney was at the collapsed end? Do any photographs survive? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769170.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11696663154a31e419e53f4.jpgGREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2009 Notes on GREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2009 A return, 4 years after my first visit, 5:30 in the evening, a quiet place, walking along the short path, watched by Jacob sheep and curious cows, to Great Frampton. The nettles leading up the house are waist high, large dead tree trunks, branchless and as barren as the empty shell of the house lay around the grounds like monuments. Within, again, one can not be in wonder if the walls, windows and doors are held up not by mortar but by the maze of scaffolding. The barns and outbuildings, although not damaged by the fire that made Great Frampton derelict in 1990, are victims of vandals and lack of maintenance, all sad and depressing and in a very poor state. A narrow side staircase intact rises to the top of the three storeys of the house, was this the staircase that lead to Pigotts observatory? Great Frampton is supposedly owned by a dentist(?) and Charlotte Church was said to be interested in purchasing and restoring the house a few ago. It is not difficult to imagine this house as a family home once again. It is situated close to, but still very secluded, to Llantwit Major and therefore to close to Cardiff. Great Frampton 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5570599534b498ec0c9a6b.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3261765514b498e65762e6.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42233313.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16271880536054c85ce7ed7.jpgTADMORE, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Notes on TADMORE, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 With Lockdown nearing an end and travel restricted to a 5 mile radius, I broke the rules and travelled 6 miles, possibly a little less since I didn't drive all the way my GPS suggested but parked the car in a layby and walked a half mile to the first of two ruins. The first visited was Tadmore, a high house but much ruined, the front façade had completely collapsed and there was no view to be had of the whole front of the house due to foliage. There is however plenty to see here and it was a perfect place to visit after such a hiatus due to the pandemic. The morning was quiet, birdsong and little else to keep me company. There were plenty of rabbit or possible badger holes around the side of the house and also, although I did not venture to find it, an old mine shaft. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/broken-window-banc-esgair-mwn https://images.on-this.website/7784_6074382614b90a24ccc28a.jpgBroken Window, BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2009 This was taken inside the corrugated iron building at the mines. There's little of interest within, some debris of metal workings but the real reason for entering is to find temporary rest-bite from the piercing winds that always seem to blow at this exposed site. A bleak and desolate place. A jumble of machinery and other red coloured rusty mechanics, some dating from the mid 1900's, blotting the landscape and resilient in the wind and rain. An eerie place and a little further up the hillside two large open mining shafts which at some point had served as a general farmyard junk pit and filled with car parts, corrugated iron and many other unrecognisable and tangled metal. Historically, Esgair Mwn, was a place of hard work and strife, one such episode involving a gang and a gun is recorded in Bethan Hughes' book on Peterwell mansion and its notorious owner Lloyd Herbert. There has been a mine at this sight for over 300 years but finally came to an end in 1966. I was also told that there was a brave sole miner during the 1980's. I wonder if this is true and one also wonders what kind of life it must have been. BANC ESGAIR MWN. Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 2005 & 2009 Lie diffaith a llwm. Amrywiaeth o beirianwaith a moduron wedi rhydu yn blith draphlith o amgylch y He, rhai ohonynt yn dyddio'n ol i ganol yr ugeinfed ganrif, yn ddolur i'r llygad ond yn gadarn yn erbyn y gwynt a'r glaw. Lie annaearol yw hwn, ac wrth ddringo ychydig yn uwch ar y llechwedd ceir dwy siafft gloddio fawr agored, a fu ar un adeg yn dwll ar gyfer pob math o sbwriel fferm, ac felly maent yn llawn ceir, tun rhychiog a phentyrrau dryslyd o fetel sy'n amhosib dyfalu beth ydynt. Yn hanesyddol bu cryn ddiwydrwydd ac ymryson yn Esgair Mwn, a bu i Bethan Hughes gofnodi un achlysur yn ymwneud a gang a dryll yn ei chyfrol Peterwell sydd yn ofrhain hanes ystad Ffynnonbedr a'i pherchennog drwg-enwog Lloyd Herbert. Bu mwynglawdd yma am dros 300 mlynedd, ond daeth y gwaith i ben ym 1966. Clywais son y bu mwynwr yn gweithio yno ar ei ben ei hun am gyfnod byr yn y 1980au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5834421.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5175553594c5e4ed6a7774.jpgHAROLDSTON HOUSE, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on HAROLDSTON HOUSE, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire 2010 I reached Haroldston at 7am. The sun was quickly rising in the sky and the morning was turning from a blue and frosty dawn into a bright and very warm day. Haroldston was very easy to find, the sun painted the tops of the trees and the ivy covered tower with a warm orange hue. I had seen recent pictures of Haroldston and knew the ruins were scattered and that I would not be visiting one of the true ruined treasures of Wales. It was however still a very pleasant surprise. It’s true that the ruins are fragmented but there is much to see here, thanks partly to the resident sheep keeping the grounds from becoming overgrown and obscuring the low walls. One sheep performed repeatedly by standing on its two hind legs reaching the young spring leaves from a lime tree. Haroldston was once one of the most important gentry houses in Pembrokeshire and was built by the Harold family in the 13th century. It was much modernised and enlarged between the 15th and 17th centuries. It fell into disrepair by the end of the 18th century and became ruinous thereafter. Ruinous except for the tower (named ‘The Stewards Tower’) which remained inhabited until the late 19th century. One must wonder how that occupier must have felt, living in a tower amongst a very large crumbling mansion. This picture becomes easy to visualise! It also explains why the tower has remained in relatively good condition (compared to the rest of the site) with stone steps still partially offering access up to the first corner of the tower. The house is beautifully situated to the south of Haverfordwest with good views looking east although now looks upon a modern housing estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/crug-at-waun-maenllwyd-llanddewi https://images.on-this.website/7784_4441768234f2508a82ea94.jpgCRUG at WAUN MAENLLWYD, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on CRUG at WAUN MAENLLWYD, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Two buildings stand opposite one another inside a cluster of mature hard woods. One of the buildings is still in agricultural use but the other, which I believed to be the human habituated dwelling, has collapsed revealing a small ingle nook fire place. The corrugated iron roof has also collapsed, the roof beams, irregular and upon them old crows nests, no doubt helping in part, due to their large size and weight, with the roofs collapse. For further information on this property and many others in the Llanddewi-Briefi area please read 'Struggle for survival in the Cardiganshire hills' - Alan & Sally Leech https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2464732.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_131572598349f32ae2de55a.jpgSYSTERNE / SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear Forest, Canaston, Pembrokeshire 200 The SYSTERNE / SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear Forest, Canaston, Pembrokeshire 2009 A large (60ft?) corn barn with large porch, no windows only arrow slots, 12th century and also a large complex of smaller buildings all ruinous and overgrown. A large mansion house was supposed to have stood in this small complex of buildings, the ruins dating from 15th - 17th century. Many walls and buildings litter this wooded area and i was unsure where this house would have stood, which incidently was supposedly also used as a hospital. All set in beautiful ancient woodland no more than a stones throw away from the tidal river Cleddau. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4867888674b34b657403b1.jpg[/img] Systerne House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13719486194b34af75890c5.jpg[/img] Systerne House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19168788024b34afac9cc3d.jpg[/img] Unknown building, Systerne House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_160320659549d8655153557.jpg[/img] Systerne or Sister's House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17902081304b7523f3edf23.jpg[/img] Systerne or Sister's House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7177993134b7523a770b03.jpg[/img] Systerne or Sister's House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1539934404b7523475ab68.jpg[/img] Systerne or Sister's House 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12358162.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8287153694e57e4c82dfde.jpgFOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on FOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 2011 After fourteen years since my last visit I had wondered what to find at Foxhall. I knew it was unlikely that since empty for literally centuries that most of its high walls would remain. And thus it proved. Only standing beside these walls does one have a sense of their height. And once inside the overgrown ruins the same can also be said as one cranes the neck to spy wooden lintels bending under the strain and fireplaces that perhaps never hosted any fires. Much of the ivy that covered the stone has been cut away -apparently at the request of Cadw - and fourteen years later it quickly becomes apparent that Foxhall is a house of many large windows - with the left hand bay entirely opened up intending on giving fantastic panoramic views. Many of the stone mullion windows remain - some mysteriously half filled with stone and many also now collapsing under the yearly strain of the Welsh winters. Trees with abundant fruit lay along its front walls and the sheep gently graze. It could be said that normal service resumes at Foxhall - and if it was ever lived in, which seems unlikely, then Foxhall has most likely spent its entire long life in this fashion; merely a monument watching over the country life of this part of Denbighshire. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img350 https://images.on-this.website/7784_874839713536e584e5ef1f.jpgMAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on MAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Thanks to Luke Thomas who emailed to tell me about this property. Luke mentioned that the farm was once was one of the better when his grandmother was alive (whom delivered newspapers there). He also mentioned 'she told me the tenants retired and the son became a Dr to the Queen and the buildings became abandoned and derelict over time'. At the entrance there's a new gate, with cast within the name Maes Gwenllian. An odd thing for a ruin. The path then wends long for quarter of a mile and to the outbuildings, all ruinous and to the house itself - the façade all but covered in low hanging branches. The roof collapsed, the floors within much the same, few remnants remain and the cows have made the wandering around a very messy and muddy affair. Of course I wear my wellington boots and almost loose them if I stand still for too long. A few pleasing exposures were made, the first for a while, long exposures of around four minutes, enough to note the tranquillity and clean air. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115465.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11090799794982ae6fba4c2.jpgGWRYCH CASTLE, Abergele, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on GWRYCH CASTLE, Abergele, Denbighshire 2005 An eerie, melancholic sight overlooking the Irish Sea. Gwrych is a mock castle built 1819, its history is a short one and after few private owners, was opened up to the public from 1948 until 1985. It has been, as often the case, left to the elements and worse still, the vandals. Once left empty, with security packed up and gone, some local residents set about sealing Gwrych from the weather and the boredom and greed of vandals. But it was a battle they seemed destined to lose: though there has been much talk of restoration, with each winter that passes more and more of the castle is lost. I spent a good afternoon at Gwrych. I had seen many images, recent and old, and had wanted to find the image that captures the atmosphere of a ruined building that a general view can but rarely encapsulate. A large castle, it’s front a quarter of mile in length. My peaceful Sunday afternoon was pierced by occasional shouts and blasts of music caught on the wind. Someone, somewhere within the castle was having some kind of party. I tiptoed around, a little nervous and intrepid, until that is, I reached the entrance and came across another party, a small group of people and a photographer, with a young couple having their portraits taken. Gwrych had become a strange community. No longer witness to class prejudice, and even when officially opened to the public, no longer a tourist haunt. It was an odd afternoon. I am unsure of what the future holds for Gwrych. It is too large, too solid, too castle-like to be ignored and forgotten for much longer. I do not believe I came anywhere close to capturing Gwrych at its best. It was purchased again recently and work has begun to restore and to be used as an hotel. Gwrych Castle 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10739132894b46ebea66ccd.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5396409234b46ebf42c876.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21003657684b46ebfef0204.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10687679964b46ebe109fc3.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16678122054b46ebd81b6f5.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4639902.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3122412884baf104b5f445.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 1997 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 1997 A house stood on the site of Bronwydd in the 14th century and was re-built in the 1850’s – mostly now a high pile of rubble; the stone carving, stained glass and mural paintings all long gone except a few Latin motto’s over the Bath stone doorways. Most of its towers, having been vandalised, no longer survive. As the farmer/owner showed me around, the cows stood watching in the field surrounding the high walls. The thick and deep mud underfoot, made the going slow and uneasy. Yet all these tiny details make the searching for a viewpoint which captures a house all the more rewarding. The weather was changeable with the sun appearing and disappearing and I imagine some 10 years since my visit the cows have had a few calves and Bronwydd has lost more of its height and presence: a sad picture and a quickly vanishing one. Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19735962784b51d8b724c0d.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_312845545498bd5e5d5c3a.jpg[/img] BRONWYDD. Llanqynllo. Ceredigion 1997 & 2009 Safai ty ar safle Bronwydd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar ddeg ac fe gafodd ei ailadeiladu yn y 1850au - er nad oes dim yma heddiw ond twmpath o rwbel. Mae'r cerfiadau cerrig, y gwydr lliw a'r murluniau wedi hen ddiflannu heblaw am ychydig o arwyddeiriau Lladin uwchben y drysau o garreg Caerfaddon.. Dychwelais i Fronwydd fis Gorffennaf 2009. Prin yr oedd wedi newid. Mae eiddew'n gorchuddio'r twr ac mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r arysgrifau Lladin wedi dirywio a diflannu am byth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/doors-at-lletysynod-new-row https://images.on-this.website/7784_20305155694b8bc76249a71.jpgDOORS AT LLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on DOORS AT LLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2003 A photograph of layers and barriers: two doors, one opening, through the opening a hallway and then a hole in the wall and into the room behind. Although the house still stands the slates have been removed and one of the chimneys' has collapsed. A lovely and quite large farmhouse in a wonderful location with outbuildings but all crumbling. A sad and rapid loss. Notes on LLETYSYNOD, New Row, Ceredigion 2010 For the twenty odd years I have been driving past this house I have always expected to see piles of building material ready for the consolidation, the repair, the decoration and the modernisation to commence. It has never happened. Instead I have seen the slates from the roof removed, a gable end and chimney collapse, all the inner panelling removed and the floors rot and fall in. It breaks your heart. One of my favourite abstract photographs was taken upstairs on the landing in this house in 2003 and all subsequent visits I have sought out this wall even if I know that the wall has gone. It’s an odd thing being sentimental over an inner wooden wall but sentimental is what I feel! Anyone who drives from Abermagwr to Pontrhydygroes knows this house, as it stands over looking the road with a long line of outbuildings – commonly enough in a far better state of repair than the house itself. I know not whom occupied the house last and if it played a part in the Trisant mines or has been solely an agricultural property but either way it will be a great loss if it crumbles, perhaps inevitability, back into the ground. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42233311.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10486026266054c85c2f8bc.jpgPANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Notes on PANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Roadside located but barely visible through the foliage, Pant-Glas on older maps dating from the late 19th century shows the house as one dwelling but once within the mass of foliage it looks more like two separate dwellings; two sets of front doors, no door between the properties. Both dwellings the same size. Perhaps this was once a longhouse and perhaps one of the dwellings had been converted. I do not know but the old maps do not lie. I took a few images, in both parts, but viewpoints were scarce. Half an hour spent. I walked back to car, drove home, arrived back home at 7:30am, still an hour before I started work but already a good mornings work had been done. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12510868.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5932095814e606bcdd15b7.jpgCEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2011 An unexpected visit and also of note some items have disappeared notably many, many spools of wool and possibly some baskets. The stuffed heron remains. The bulk of the machines survive, the atmospherics, as ever, survive. The morning of my visit was cloudy with drizzle and little light entered the mill - exposures of 90 minutes were used (a three to six hour exposure would have been preferable) and thus, one has to question the argument of film v digital. A digital image could have been taken in a fraction of the time and therefore more exposures could have been made. My love of traditional film photography is however too strong, too imbedded to alter my current course. At this moment. Abandoned in 1959 one get the feeling that the workers just downed tools and left everything just as one witnesses it today. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2464731.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_209842712949f32add7bbdc.jpgSYSTERNE / SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear Forest, Canaston, Pembrokeshire 200 The SYSTERNE / SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear Forest, Canaston, Pembrokeshire 2009 A large (60ft?) corn barn with large porch, no windows only arrow slots, 12th century and also a large complex of smaller buildings all ruinous and overgrown. A large mansion house was supposed to have stood in this small complex of buildings, the ruins dating from 15th - 17th century. Many walls and buildings litter this wooded area and i was unsure where this house would have stood, which incidently was supposedly also used as a hospital. All set in beautiful ancient woodland no more than a stones throw away from the tidal river Cleddau. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13719486194b34af75890c5.jpg[/img] Systerne House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19168788024b34afac9cc3d.jpg[/img] Unknown building, Systerne House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_160320659549d8655153557.jpg[/img] Systerne or Sister's House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17902081304b7523f3edf23.jpg[/img] Systerne or Sister's House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7177993134b7523a770b03.jpg[/img] Systerne or Sister's House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1539934404b7523475ab68.jpg[/img] Systerne or Sister's House 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-nantcwnlle-ceredigion-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4934639955495d17d89f8a.jpgHAFOD, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on HAFOD, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2014 I sometimes drive passed Hafod on my way to work and since it had been five years since my last visit and the dashes of view between the foliage showed the house and grounds looking overgrown I decided to stop early one December morning. The ground was frozen hard, the air cold and blue-like. The brambles and weeds were higher than eye level and the post-box was brimming with damp, slug eaten, weather-eaten mail. Restoration had stopped. The house though was still in a very good state and one can hope that the owners are planning to return soon. Hafod is, for me, an odd house. Its three storey's are not as imposing as one may think and it feels like its trying to be something it's not. I think it may also be fair to say that its location is all a little closed in and overgrown. Perhaps this is unjust and once the foliage is cut back, the lawn restored, it could make a lovely family home. I hope so. I took a few exposures before sun-up and was pleased to get back to the car and made my way to work. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475611.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1982774194b8bc6f24e138.jpgRHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 Notes on RHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 A few miles from Llyn Brianne Reservior, a surprisingly large mine workings called Nantymwyn which ceased production in the early 20th century. I visited early March 2003 and again in November 2008. Many former mining buildings scatter the grey heaps. A large cement mixing(?) building stands on cement stilts and a high tower and finishing mill. Back in 2003 after I had wandered around for a hour or two, further down the hillside, I thought I could hear a motor of some description labouring. Due to a slight breeze I had slight trouble locating the precise source of the sound. Just below a small pile of rubble sat a small pond thick with frogspawn and around the pond, leaving by the scores were large frogs (or toads) chirping and croaking like many small engines! An unexpected pleasure! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6785002.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16785495114ca34d15dd19a.jpgCOURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 A remarkable visit. In most instances the mansions I visit are in such a poor state of disrepair that the very layout of the rooms and décor are impossible to determine. Not so at Court. I know not when Court became derelict but it has not fallen into disrepair like so many others, in the 1950’s. Court has not suffered the 60 years of pilfering, or the yearly cycles of the battling elements forcing themselves behind plasterwork, between brick and mortar. The decay here hasn’t quite reached a point where total dereliction would force demolition. It is however true that the roof above the main staircase has begun to let in the rain at an alarming rate. Huge holes have appeared in the ceiling, with large saplings growing and long strands of ivy falling down. This damp area of the house continues all the way down to the basement. It cuts like a knife through a cake. Other rooms, most other rooms, although bare and with some damp, appear to be in a good dry condition. Unfortunately some of the plasterwork has begun to crumble, none as worse as the plaster frieze in the hallway just at the foot of the main staircase and therefore near the dampest areas of the house. The driveway up to the house is no longer in use other than agricultural, and glimpses of the house can be snatched. Court’s rendered façade is peeling and crumbling giving the house a sorrier look of disrepair than perhaps it deserves. Its an imposing house and its wooden portico has all but rotted and collapsed. Inside the house is spacious and although it does not have a large number of rooms, they are all a decent size with the kitchen at the hub of the house. There are the usual signs of dereliction within; old furniture, hearths full of bird nests, rusty kettles and boxes and baskets of knickknacks and ornaments, an empty but dust lined enamelled bath. Also on the site is a walled garden and many outbuildings, mostly renovated although an impressive slate clad barn remains in a derelict state. Photographing Court was a very pleasant experience. Some of the interior images required, since I never use flash photography for the black and white images, exposure times of 16 minutes whilst some of the exterior shots, due to the dimness of the morning also requiring exposure times of between 1 – 8 minutes causing some blurriness of foliage that blew in the wind. A farm stood at this site long before the mansion was built in 1800. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33968446.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16919220715a674515ac473.jpgMORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2018 Notes on MORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2018 Morris castle was built between 1768 and 1774 but unoccupied since 1850 when nearby mining made the building unsafe. It sits on a hill in the middle of a residential area, only recently purchased by the council and as yet little work as begun to make the area visitor friendly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42233307.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1212151626054c85aadc6c.jpgPANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Notes on PANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Roadside located but barely visible through the foliage, Pant-Glas on older maps dating from the late 19th century shows the house as one dwelling but once within the mass of foliage it looks more like two separate dwellings; two sets of front doors, no door between the properties. Both dwellings the same size. Perhaps this was once a longhouse and perhaps one of the dwellings had been converted. I do not know but the old maps do not lie. I took a few images, in both parts, but viewpoints were scarce. Half an hour spent. I walked back to car, drove home, arrived back home at 7:30am, still an hour before I started work but already a good mornings work had been done. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14359201.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4129102474f61a6806e7ec.jpgDERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on DERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2012 An ornate bridge, once one of the main driveways up to the country house of Derry Ormond (demolished 1956) now stands a little forlorn and once formed part of three ponds which sat at the foot of the once great house. The bridge these days carries no visitors, by horse and cart nor motor car and serves no purpose except perhaps to move livestock from one field to another. My visit was early on a cloudy morn and I was accompanied by birdsong and the babbling brook of the stream Nant Dyfel. Due to the slow rising dawn long exposures of around 6 minutes were used which caused some blurring of the leaves blowing in the wind and the flow of the stream. Above the bridge are ornate iron gates rusting and hanging off their posts and a view can be stolen of Derry Ormond tower. Much high stone work can be easily viewed which obviously created the pond and the flow of water could be contained and controlled. The bridge was once ridged with white marble but this has mostly fallen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31679184.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_98048272659466f60dbc4a8.28465018.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 As always I took the bridle path from Ffair Rhos to the mines. It isn't a long walk, perhaps a mile and a half with the mines barely visible until you reach the rubbish filled shafts. I dropped down between the slag heaps and to the little remained mining buildings. As always I wished I'd come here in 1990 when the corrugated building still stood - I wonder if it was demolished the same time as the similar but larger finishing mill at Cwmystwyth. There are superb images of how it looked on the internet and I'll add a link here later. Today I only had around twelve sheets of film and I could have easily taken another twelve. Banc Esgair feels like an island of the past surrounded by fields and farms and holiday homes, none of which https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31679166.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_205185551759466ec8a644b8.88173930.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 As always I took the bridle path from Ffair Rhos to the mines. It isn't a long walk, perhaps a mile and a half with the mines barely visible until you reach the rubbish filled shafts. I dropped down between the slag heaps and to the little remained mining buildings. As always I wished I'd come here in 1990 when the corrugated building still stood - I wonder if it was demolished the same time as the similar but larger finishing mill at Cwmystwyth. There are superb images of how it looked on the internet and I'll add a link here later. Today I only had around twelve sheets of film and I could have easily taken another twelve. Banc Esgair feels like an island of the past surrounded by fields and farms and holiday homes, none of which https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31679162.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14039672659466ec3c39b55.20578678.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 As always I took the bridle path from Ffair Rhos to the mines. It isn't a long walk, perhaps a mile and a half with the mines barely visible until you reach the rubbish filled shafts. I dropped down between the slag heaps and to the little remained mining buildings. As always I wished I'd come here in 1990 when the corrugated building still stood - I wonder if it was demolished the same time as the similar but larger finishing mill at Cwmystwyth. There are superb images of how it looked on the internet and I'll add a link here later. Today I only had around twelve sheets of film and I could have easily taken another twelve. Banc Esgair feels like an island of the past surrounded by fields and farms and holiday homes, none of which https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31679161.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20627216159466ec107b444.95963284.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 As always I took the bridle path from Ffair Rhos to the mines. It isn't a long walk, perhaps a mile and a half with the mines barely visible until you reach the rubbish filled shafts. I dropped down between the slag heaps and to the little remained mining buildings. As always I wished I'd come here in 1990 when the corrugated building still stood - I wonder if it was demolished the same time as the similar but larger finishing mill at Cwmystwyth. There are superb images of how it looked on the internet and I'll add a link here later. Today I only had around twelve sheets of film and I could have easily taken another twelve. Banc Esgair feels like an island of the past surrounded by fields and farms and holiday homes, none of which https://www.welshruins.co.uk/old-school-house-corris-meirionydd https://images.on-this.website/7784_125894625550f583de08667.jpgOLD SCHOOL HOUSE, Corris, Meirionydd 2012 Notes on OLD SCHOOL HOUSE, Corris, Meirionydd 2012 Former school house and community building. This building is now very much lost under the foliage. I had to crawl on hand and knee along the path, now a stream, to reach the walls. It is built on a sun-less part of a hillside not car from the main road from Machynlleth to Dolgellau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13388680.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1600133754eaba2528e9cb.jpgTAI'N COED, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on TAI'N COED, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2011 Two, early 18th century, outbuildings (stable, barn and cart house) in relatively good condition, of stone and chom, facing one another. One gable end, of the lower barn, has fallen in and I believe this is where the house once stood, which on this day was a mass of stone and bramble. Various machinery, including a large freestanding butter churn, all in good condition and kept dry. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-chapel-llangwyryfon-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2322556134f82c997ca974.jpgBLAENWYRE CHAPEL, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on BLAENWYRE CHAPEL, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 On the roadside, with the early morning sun hitting the facade, this little exquisite chapel has been empty and unused for around twenty years. Inside, gone are the pews, the large glass dome light and replaced with a dust, a few dead birds and a stone which has recently been thrown through one of the windows. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769189.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_840651594a31e4498b790.jpgGREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2009 Notes on GREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2009 A return, 4 years after my first visit, 5:30 in the evening, a quiet place, walking along the short path, watched by Jacob sheep and curious cows, to Great Frampton. The nettles leading up the house are waist high, large dead tree trunks, branchless and as barren as the empty shell of the house lay around the grounds like monuments. Within, again, one can not be in wonder if the walls, windows and doors are held up not by mortar but by the maze of scaffolding. The barns and outbuildings, although not damaged by the fire that made Great Frampton derelict in 1990, are victims of vandals and lack of maintenance, all sad and depressing and in a very poor state. A narrow side staircase intact rises to the top of the three storeys of the house, was this the staircase that lead to Pigotts observatory? Great Frampton is supposedly owned by a dentist(?) and Charlotte Church was said to be interested in purchasing and restoring the house a few ago. It is not difficult to imagine this house as a family home once again. It is situated close to, but still very secluded, to Llantwit Major and therefore to close to Cardiff. Great Frampton 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10353209094b498c660ce1d.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12430631934b498d3207996.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26433157.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1399621368569227f5c91e4.jpgFFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2016 A revisit to this house. I took only a few sheets of film with me on my first visit and I wanted to take a few interior shots. Little of course has changed in a year, still open to the elements, the roof seems to have sagged a little but there was a tranquillity to the house and the morning of my visit. The walls within are either plastered with peeling layers of wallpaper or wooden panelled. It's all a little dusty, a little dirty, a little still. This could make a lovely little house and one hopes it will be re-sold and restored. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13322991.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4423201114ea25940c414f.jpgPEN-CNWC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN-CNWC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 A longhouse in a superb location. As so often the case, the barns/byres are in a much better condition that the house. The house, as seen here, is roofless and dividing walls within have all been stripped leaving a long open space. Recently purchased one watches with an enthusiastic eye as this house will hopefully become a family home once again. A simple Ty Bach suspended over a small gullied stream. I wondered who owned and lived here. Does anyone know? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8387360.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8686044514d3daed8cfc23.jpgCAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2011 The day after, a day of, constant and heavy rain. Caermeirch is a damp place on the driest of summer days. Water pumps out from the ground. Patches of land in front and to the side of the house are large puddles, deep enough to warrant wellingtons. The house itself has been empty, by my reckoning, for at least twenty years. I once slept in the front room, 10 years ago, cold on the slate floor wrapped in a sleeping bag and having dreams of crows flying down the chimney and filling the room with dark shadows of winds beating at breakneck speed. The walls are damp inside. Flag stone floors are cold to the touch. Various bits of debris fill the downstairs rooms; jam jars, coils of barbed wire, boxes and the kitchen filled with old kettles, pots and pans. Upstairs the three bedrooms are littered with worn, moth-eaten clothing, empty bottles of pills and medicines. Outbuildings are plentiful and are in various states; some in use, some with holes in the roof; some repaired whilst others let in the rain. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41492459.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20694171805f31984986143.jpgCARMEL CHAPEL, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CARMEL CHAPEL, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Small former chapel, roadside location, misty morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img344 https://images.on-this.website/7784_137939738536e56bf887f0.jpgMAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on MAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Thanks to Luke Thomas who emailed to tell me about this property. Luke mentioned that the farm was once was one of the better when his grandmother was alive (whom delivered newspapers there). He also mentioned 'she told me the tenants retired and the son became a Dr to the Queen and the buildings became abandoned and derelict over time'. At the entrance there's a new gate, with cast within the name Maes Gwenllian. An odd thing for a ruin. The path then wends long for quarter of a mile and to the outbuildings, all ruinous and to the house itself - the façade all but covered in low hanging branches. The roof collapsed, the floors within much the same, few remnants remain and the cows have made the wandering around a very messy and muddy affair. Of course I wear my wellington boots and almost loose them if I stand still for too long. A few pleasing exposures were made, the first for a while, long exposures of around four minutes, enough to note the tranquillity and clean air. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40479125.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4771025205dd7934ad26b8.jpgWATER TREATMENT WORKS, Castell Nos Reservoir, Maerdy 2019 Notes on WATER TREATMENT WORKS, Castell Nos Reservoir, Maerdy 2019 Built 1880's and now ruinous. I had thought this was a mining building at first but a quick internet search, as is so often the case these days, offers detailed information. Sat just beneath the reservoir and along the footpath. A pleasant walk on a Sunday afternoon. Small bridge at site is former tram line for mines - mines now all demolished. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cilmeddu-ysbyty-ystwyth-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14097957334f3957f1a48e3.jpgCILMEDDU, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on CILMEDDU, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 Long ruined and high, remote longhouse overlooking Maenarthur, Pontrhydygroes and Ysbyty Ystwyth. There are numerous ruined buildings on this hillside, their function unknown to me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaengader-abermad-ceredigion-2001 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1262475904baf5b598568f.jpgBLAENGADER, Abermad, Ceredigion 2001 Notes on BLAENGADER, Abermad, Ceredigion 2001 Two farmhouses seemingly built against each other, I was told of this property at an exhibition opening – it had stood empty for a few years and nature had begun to reclaim: a sapling peeped out of the chimney pots. Damp, gloomy and eerie, I made a few exposures and carried on my way with wonder. What would become of Blaengader? Had it been forgotten? If only 5 miles or so from Aberystwyth why hadn’t it been bought and restored? I drove by again a few years later and the house and outbuildings were almost unrecognizable with extensive renovation and new porch with portico. I did not consider it sympathetic in character but herein lies a common paradox for me: after a visit to a derelict and decaying property and estate I find it hard to imagine a house restored and lived in once again, a kind of selfishness overwhelms the sensibilities. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33968012.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18072464965a67021842799.jpgLLWYN YR YN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Notes on LLWYN YR YN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Whilst visiting another ruin, a hundred yards away, I spied the chimney of this house. So rare it is to find ruins so close together! Llwyn-Yr-Yn is much ruined, the whole front facade has fallen and has been cleared of fallen rock/masonry. Much alike its neighbour Cyllie farm, it has a plastic fence around its perimeter - perhaps sign of intention that this will soon be restored or sold as is. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37371413.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16162639545c6073d01ffdd.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 A second visit in six months and in January when the foliage is stripped bare and the remains of the ruins are better viewed. The house was abandoned in 1824 – almost two hundred years ago – and at that time the sea would have made its way up stream and it is proposed Scotsborough House would have had a docking bay for boats delivering goods (not dissimilar to Boulston House). The land around the house has silted up now and this has become a haven for wildlife. The house itself is a sad site but perhaps we should be grateful there is still something to see. Viewpoints come easily for me on this morning. I think I can say I photographed the house better than my first visit – which admittedly was in the drizzle and I was somewhat hurried. Today an hour or so was spent at the site – a barbed wire fence surround the ruins with signs saying ‘No trespassing, dangerous ruins’ – a potential gravestone signature. The porch showed an internal arched doorway blocked up and further clues around the house give hint at other arched doorways. This had been a substantial building in its time. It’s a shame the ruins could not be consolidated as I am sure visitors to Tenby would love to explore the town other than the beach and shops. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4953112.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1801874454be51a73119e0.jpgRHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, CarmarthenPowys 2008 Notes on RHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 A few miles from Llyn Brianne Reservior, a surprisingly large mine workings called Nantymwyn which ceased production in the early 20th century. I visited early March 2003 and again in November 2008. Many former mining buildings scatter the grey heaps. A large cement mixing(?) building stands on cement stilts and a high tower and finishing mill. Back in 2003 after I had wandered around for a hour or two, further down the hillside, I thought I could hear a motor of some description labouring. Due to a slight breeze I had slight trouble locating the precise source of the sound. Just below a small pile of rubble sat a small pond thick with frogspawn and around the pond, leaving by the scores were large frogs (or toads) chirping and croaking like many small engines! An unexpected pleasure! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5917252.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8233260304c679502c1957.jpgCWMNEWYDION-UCHAF, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CWMNEWYDION-UCHAF, Ceredigion 2010 A small cottage – empty for a number of years – the slates at the extremes of the roof are beginning to deteriorate. Inside, peering through the dirty windows, the usual garb of the empty cottage; signs of a simple life, well used minimum furniture, a dining table with a plastic table cloth with all the crockery placed on top, teapots, cups, plates etc. A ladies bike with basket in another room, a pew bench, wardrobes and chest of drawers, boxes of bottles. I would have liked to have seen upstairs. A sealed museum of a couple’s life, free from human dust, birds nests nestled on top of electricity boxes, perhaps a TV Licence reminder from 1990’s or a Yellow Pages from 1980’s? Who knows? Random things are always to be found: Piles of Country Life magazine in the service quarters of Rhuppera Castle in Caerphily; the actual deeds of Caermeirch in Pontrhydygroes; diary pages from the 1870’s in Aberglasney in Llangathen; years and years of fertiliser receipts in Dolgor’s at Devil’s Bridge; a chest of travel books at Ceulan Mill in Talybont; a room of cheap chandeliers at Gwynfryn at Llanystumdwy and then there is all of the graffiti scratched in stone and wood, some recent and some ancient; at Pembrey Court in Pembrey and Pencoed Castle at Llanmartin. And then yearly names and dates in Bothy’s in and around the Cambrain Mountains such as at Nant Rhys, Claerddu Cottage and Moel Prysgau. Such things enrich and qualify long walks, searches, explorations and help enclose the memories of visits to properties I may never visit again. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img362 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6937511405372808e9d259.jpgMAESTEG, Cribyn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on MAESTEG, Cribyn, Ceredigion 2014 Whilst driving to Maesteg I was half listening to the radio and thought I had heard the phrase ‘architects of infinity’ and for some reason this amused me and I said aloud to myself: ‘The Architects of Infinity have forgotten where they had started from’. Many Times to a Ruin: Off the main road and onto a b-class road and then after a few miles onto an unclassified road. This road wends a little while and is in fact a loop road of around 8 miles. Half way a long this road is an entrance and at the entrance an old rusting gate hanging off its hinges and held up with bailing twine. I climb over the gate and walk along the track. There is a line of electricity cables running in the field adjacent and heading in the same direction as the track. There is no cable running from pole to pole. I seek visible signs that no-one has been this way recently; tyre tracks in muddy puddles, footprints and even discarded foot packaging. The track becomes greener, thick grass grows straight and tall and soaks the trousers at the top of the wellingtons. According to the map the track should veer to the right and enter a small wooded area. This is where I am led to believe I will find my ruin. I have checked the Ordnance Survey maps, and saw an ubiquitous rectangle with another long thinner rectangle at a right angle beside it. I am thinking a house and barn. I have also checked GoogleEarth, for all the dislike I claim, I cannot help but wonder at its practicality in searching for ruins. However, in this instance GoogleEarth is of no use, I have peered long and hard at the computer screen and could draw no solid conclusion if the summer foliage of the trees simply disguise the two buildings or they have in actual fact been demolished years ago and the fact I can’t make them out on the computer screen is because they no longer exist. There is really only one way to find out. I plan my journey, make sure all my equipment is working as it should and head out. What joy when you’re in luck! To find a small workers cottage; squat, roof barely clinging on, a large crack one gable end and if fortune carries a little further; an open window, a quick look about and then a small scramble inside, sometimes feet first (my preferred entrance) but occasionally head first and never really knowing for sure what you’re hands might discover. Today feet first, the kitchen with a toilet basin sitting skew whiffed. A wander through the rooms, dead birds, bird shit, broken things. I’ve upset some dust because I cough almost constantly. I am far from any other house but I want to be quiet. A sheep bleats outside and then the horrid sound of a baby crow demanding food, lodged somewhere in the chimney, the gable end with the crack and large gap under the eaves. There’s a lot of daylight coming in into this room. The wall has collapsed and damp runs down the walls all the way through the floorboards (completely rotten) and into the bathroom downstairs. The peeling paint is delicious, it tickles my aesthetic fancy but kneeling down, closing one eye to compose and I see it’s not quite up to scratch (as it were). I resume the search of the rooms. A child’s room; baby wall paper of cartoon tigers and hippos but also a Michael Jackson poster and a car magazine called ‘Fast Fords’ (dated 1994). So this was when the last occupants lived here and they had a child, perhaps no longer a baby but someone whom liked Michael Jackson. Twenty years and the house is near dereliction. I think the last tenants found it cold and damp here. The house is in a lovely position but you can tell that today isn’t the first day for the air to be dusty and damp. These old Welsh houses have little insulation and even a tramp would struggle to find much comfort or warmth here. All the radiators have been ripped out or there had never been any in the first place. I think back to where I was in 1994. I first visited Aberglasney Mansion in 1994. That house is fully restored, this house has begun the quick decline. I find the skeleton remains of a large bird, probably a crow or a pigeon. It had probably found a way in but couldn’t quite work out how to get back out again. I am pleased I do not have this problem. I set the camera up, a slow process focussing in the dim light. It is a simple exposure, taken directly above the birds remains. The bones of the wings and feet are fully stretched out, like it had fallen from a great height and had tried to break its fall by spreading out. An eight minute exposure, time enough to contemplate, time enough to breath. I sit in squat position, knowing I’ll be stiff when I rise. The minutes pass slowly at first but soon reverie takes over and I start thinking back about my journey here and then back further to all ruins visited. I don’t know why I do it sometimes yet it is also addictive and satisfying. Eight minutes has passed and I think for a moment more. Is that it? Any more photographs worth capturing here? I think not. I remove the lens, put the caps back on, unfold the camera, put it carefully away. I zip the zips and push down on the Velcro fasteners. I lower the tripod and climb down the stairs, taking in each step, saying a final farewell to the house. I have been here for no more than forty five minutes but it feels much longer and like every other ruin I’ve ever visited, my visit here has been securely etched onto film and into my memory. The walk back to the car is less worrisome. I will meet no-one I can tell. I will walk along the grassy track and note that my feet had pushed down the long grass on my way here. Dew marks stretch before me. If someone, like myself, wishes to visit and photograph here today, they’d walk along this path and they’d know, by these visible signs that someone had walked along here very recently. Maybe they’d change their mind and turn back. I almost want to make a sign and to leave it somewhere and for it to read; it’s okay, it’s worth a look, come here, look around, go home, save the memories. Once back to the car and the equipment loaded into the trunk I sit at the wheel and scan the map. Where to next? A small chapel house, roadside location, in a church yard. Easy. Not much walking, no trespassing but I know that even if my next visit is easy it will still have the same impact upon me; and for all the good it does me, the silence and stillness of a forgotten home, elsewhere, untouched for some time and careering further to total ruin. Maesteg isn’t all these things. It sits in the corner of a field. You can tell that no one really comes here. Once it was a family home, now it is just an empty house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050807.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8977427364f250f95ea523.jpgPARAGON TOWER, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Notes on PARAGON TOWER, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Not so much a tower than a hunting lodge but not so much a hunting lodge than a folly. Built early 1800's (from an internet search). It is basically a circular building with a large chimney in the centre. All four evenly shaped and sized rooms have doorways and a corridor, of sorts, running through them all. A few other ruins dotted around and extensions, I presume a kitchen to the right-hand side when facing the house. It is situated high on a hillside (why build a tower anywhere else!) and the wind rattles fast causing the trees to sway and the leaves to blow. A lovely little place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/maesgwyn-llywel-brecknock-2013 https://images.on-this.website/7784_175263401551aa0efc760a0.jpgMAESGWYN, Llywel, Brecknock, 2013 Notes on MAESGWYN, Llywel, Brecknock, 2013 This grade two listed farmhouse (and outbuildings) has not been empty long but stands prominent and imposing sitting above the main road between Llandovery and Brecon. It is owned by the nearby farm and the site is protected by security. Judging by a quick tour I would say the house has not been empty for too long but it does need some TLC before further rot sets in. The outbuildings have suffered from some theft recently hence the security on site. A beautiful looking house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo35028354.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10852213595b0d039c299fb.jpgOLD CHURCH, ST CATHARINE'S, Baglan, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on OLD CHURCH, ST CATHARINE'S, Baglan, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Long narrow one-storey church at the rear of the graveyard of St Catharine's Church, Baglan. Now surrounded with high metal fence, overgrown and almost lost within the undergrowth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10673252.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15960277354df8e1678453d.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Recently purchased, fenced off. The walls of Hafodunos veiled with scaffolding. A new chapter thus thankfully begins. The ongoing thought was that this house should never have found itself in this state. The arsonist who set fire to this great house in the fall of October 2004 was caught and imprisoned. Perhaps a more fitting punishment would have been for him to help with the consolidation of this property; emptying these high walls from their fallen masonry; the bricks, stone and ornate plaster. The high walls have now been emptied from this litter, albeit precious litter since Hafodunos is grade 1 listed. My trip, as ever, was a brief one. In 2005 I had taken a number of images of this forlorn and overgrown ruin. I did not do it justice. And once again I feel some kind of disappointment with the finished prints. The grounds and gardens are also in the process of restoration and it would be incredible to see all this restored. But still that nagging thought; that this house should never have found itself in this poor and shallowed state. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12358170.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19320895474e57e4d7704d3.jpgFOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on FOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 2011 After fourteen years since my last visit I had wondered what to find at Foxhall. I knew it was unlikely that since empty for literally centuries that most of its high walls would remain. And thus it proved. Only standing beside these walls does one have a sense of their height. And once inside the overgrown ruins the same can also be said as one cranes the neck to spy wooden lintels bending under the strain and fireplaces that perhaps never hosted any fires. Much of the ivy that covered the stone has been cut away -apparently at the request of Cadw - and fourteen years later it quickly becomes apparent that Foxhall is a house of many large windows - with the left hand bay entirely opened up intending on giving fantastic panoramic views. Many of the stone mullion windows remain - some mysteriously half filled with stone and many also now collapsing under the yearly strain of the Welsh winters. Trees with abundant fruit lay along its front walls and the sheep gently graze. It could be said that normal service resumes at Foxhall - and if it was ever lived in, which seems unlikely, then Foxhall has most likely spent its entire long life in this fashion; merely a monument watching over the country life of this part of Denbighshire. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23585377.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_183905960454e9ff82445c9.jpgALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 A four year gap and all that has changed are the brambles which almost tower over the house. Some corrugated iron sheets have come away from the roof and a few wooden planks also rotted and fallen. Surely I will be surprised one day and find someone has bought this and begun restoration once again... I wrote in 2011... A peasant longhouse, possibly 17th century, with a corrugated roof but now much ruined. Sold in 2008 (?) with planning permission to restore building and convert barns (also ruinous) to dwelling status but it seems now abandoned. All damp and depressing on this breezy and wet day. The entrance doorway wall has completely collapsed and the house, with this entire outer wall missing, has a strange look about it, with the interior on full view. Unfortunately the inside is in a poor state with the small upper floor unsafe. Most unusual is the ground floor is on two levels with a couple of steps leading up to the once living room area. A large caravan also sits in the grounds, also slowly rotting away and deserted. Some work had been done to one of the outbuildings at Allt-ddu, with some walls consolidated and some concrete block walls built and a concrete floor put in but all in all the whole place has a sense of abandonment. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12358164.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21284278654e57e4cd3aa9f.jpgFOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on FOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 2011 After fourteen years since my last visit I had wondered what to find at Foxhall. I knew it was unlikely that since empty for literally centuries that most of its high walls would remain. And thus it proved. Only standing beside these walls does one have a sense of their height. And once inside the overgrown ruins the same can also be said as one cranes the neck to spy wooden lintels bending under the strain and fireplaces that perhaps never hosted any fires. Much of the ivy that covered the stone has been cut away -apparently at the request of Cadw - and fourteen years later it quickly becomes apparent that Foxhall is a house of many large windows - with the left hand bay entirely opened up intending on giving fantastic panoramic views. Many of the stone mullion windows remain - some mysteriously half filled with stone and many also now collapsing under the yearly strain of the Welsh winters. Trees with abundant fruit lay along its front walls and the sheep gently graze. It could be said that normal service resumes at Foxhall - and if it was ever lived in, which seems unlikely, then Foxhall has most likely spent its entire long life in this fashion; merely a monument watching over the country life of this part of Denbighshire. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gwylfa-hiraethog-denbigh-moors-denbighshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_2436640624e5b3cb538216.jpgGWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on GWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire 2011 I re-visited this house in August 2011 and can confirm very little of what is shown in the 1997 photograph remains. The chimneys have collapsed, the upper floor walls have collapsed and all that remains are a few fragments of walls and windows and a pile of stone and brick covering up a fireplace. The telephone mast has now been removed but Hiraethog has lost so much of its height that it is no longer apparent whilst driving on the road below that here once stood an imposing and large hunting lodge albeit for only a short period of time. It has been ruined for longer than it was occupied. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/glan-marchnantceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7740619454c5afeeb4b5d2.jpgGLAN MARCHNANT,Ceredigion 2010 Notes on HOUSE BY BONT GLAN MARCHNANT, Ceredigion 2010 Although a very small mountain stream, the river Marchnant seems to cling along its banks a large number of ruins. I am uncertain of the name of this property. It was more or less box shaped although much of it has collapsed. Adjacent are two very large single storey stables and barn buildings, also ruinous. The white wash can still be seen on the surviving internal walls and presumably this is the rear of the house. My first visit to this house, 6 years ago, the roof was still on. Today the beams lay in a clutter in amongst the stone. Beautifully located. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10523340.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2783614834defae03af7cf.jpgBRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2011 Notes on BRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2011 You sense that everything has come to an end at Brynkir House. The mortar crumbles, the stonework falls into large piles, inner archways have tumbled and the house has a whole has become a confusing jumble. The foilage is rampant with much of the property inaccessable and with considerable surprise considering it's once large size, Brynkir feels it has finally reached the end of it's life. The main three storey part of the house with large dressed blocks of stonework is still impressive but a quick inspection within reveals it's walls are rapidly losing the battle against the elements and no doubt without thanks to the last few bitterly cold winters. I have visted here four times in the last 10 years and with each visit surprise at what little is left of this once large mansion house. That said, it is still worth a visit for the casual searcher of derelict properties. But be warned, the melancholy clings and lingers like the raindrops on the fresh spring bunched bracken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10673266.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6170566914df8e17ac1777.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Recently purchased, fenced off. The walls of Hafodunos veiled with scaffolding. A new chapter thus thankfully begins. The ongoing thought was that this house should never have found itself in this state. The arsonist who set fire to this great house in the fall of October 2004 was caught and imprisoned. Perhaps a more fitting punishment would have been for him to help with the consolidation of this property; emptying these high walls from their fallen masonry; the bricks, stone and ornate plaster. The high walls have now been emptied from this litter, albeit precious litter since Hafodunos is grade 1 listed. My trip, as ever, was a brief one. In 2005 I had taken a number of images of this forlorn and overgrown ruin. I did not do it justice. And once again I feel some kind of disappointment with the finished prints. The grounds and gardens are also in the process of restoration and it would be incredible to see all this restored. But still that nagging thought; that this house should never have found itself in this poor and shallowed state. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9422620.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18849874244da45aad547a3.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 A return to the supposedly demolished Bronwydd. Little does remain save the wonderful tower - the owner/farmer advised not to climb the stone spiral steps that lead to a presumably great view. I did not climb those steps. Instead I set up the camera and tried to successfully photograph the parts of Bronwydd that I'd never photographed before. (Always in the back of my mind that each visit to these mansions will be my last). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llain-cross-inn-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16126690024d2027e94599c.jpgLLAIN, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on LLAIN, Ceredigion 2010 A small house with a few outbuildings, some stone, some brick but all becoming increasingly derelict. Surprisingly little touched by the vandal although sits beside housing and a caravan site (although the house is almost entirely camoufaged by the vegetation). The day I paid a visit was a bright late summer afternoon and the sun flickered through the undergrowth. It was a difficult condition to photograph in black and white and therefore, as you can see by the results, little detail can be made out. I will return when the light is flat and casting no bright highlights and neither deep shadow. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/allt-ddu-pont-llanio-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_19127081694e82b9f60d0d5.jpgALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A peasant longhouse, possibly 17th century, with a corrugated roof but now much ruined. Sold in 2008 (?) with planning permission to restore building and convert barns (also ruinous) to dwelling status but it seems now abandoned. All damp and depressing on this breezy and wet day. The entrance doorway wall has completely collapsed and the house, with this entire outer wall missing, has a strange look about it, with the interior on full view. Unfortunately the inside is in a poor state with the small upper floor unsafe. Most unusual is the ground floor is on two levels with a couple of steps leading up to the once living room area. A large caravan also sits in the grounds, also slowly rotting away and deserted. Some work had been done to one of the outbuildings at Allt-ddu, with some walls consolidated and some concrete block walls built and a concrete floor put in but all in all the whole place has a sense of abandonment. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo11746954.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7623804674e36952223951.jpgLOWER GOITRE, Llanfaredd, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on LOWER GOITRE, Llanfaredd, Radnorshire 2011 Timber framed and clad in corrugated iron sheeting with a brick chimney and stone foundations, Lower Goitre is an unlikely sight with it's zinc colour, standing imposing in amongst the greenery on a steep hilly bank above a small stream. I peered through the downstair windows and all appeared tidy and basic within with a few benches, tables and chairs and the other usual farming debris you expect to find within a locked and roofed ruin. The window frames are rotting though and although I had presumed this building was built in brick throughout, it becomes easy to see with closer inspection that the house is just a wooden frame. One can only image the noise when rain or indeed hail fell upon every inch of this house. If anyone has any information on who lived here and when it was built and then abandoned please do get in touch. Thanks to Stuart Fry for sending directions to find this hidden gem. See 'links' page to read Stuart's blog. Upper Goitre is also ruinous and stand half a mile above this property althoguh very little remains and was not photographed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-cwm-rhos-gelli-gron https://images.on-this.website/7784_172671352555767e95c58d6.jpgPEN-CWM, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PEN-CWM Ty-unnos #2, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 A return to the area and I made an exposure of each property unless so little remained that it was not worthwhile. Hard to imagine that this was once a busy little community. I imagine all the houses were thatched, though all are stone with a few brick chimneys here and there. Only two of the properties were of two storey, the largest of which also had a separate cottage/barn at a right angle behind, no inter-connecting door but interesting nonetheless. The rain lashed down when I reached there and I took shelter for a good ten minutes wondering if, indeed, the rain would stop. It slowed, so I went out, making a few exposures but the horizontal rain was covering my lens with a fine mist. Some of the pictures have been effected and therefore not printed. The rain did at last stop, the sun came out, my fingers were by this time red and raw but the sun soon thawed me and dried my equipment. By the time I returned to my car I was too dry and warm. Previous notes TAI-UNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not know the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2 etc… https://www.welshruins.co.uk/nantystalwen-abergwesyn-mountain-road-brecknockshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_12180745194c8105ecaf400.jpgNANTYSTALWEN, Abergwesyn Mountain Road, Brecknockshire 2010 Notes on NANTYSTALWEN, Abergwesyn Mountain Road, Brecknockshire 2010 An empty longhouse. I had visited some 5 years ago and little had changed. The barns around the house are primarily used for agricultural use. Inside Nantystalwen is dark and damp with puddles formed on the stone flag stones, although with no obvious clue to where all this water had come from. Much wooden panelling throughout, some painted over, some wall papered – all peeling and damp and revealing areas of brightness and colour. The boarded up main entrance door is stain glassed which leads to a small hallway and then up to the most interesting feature, the wooden staircase which leads to the floor above and then again to the large attic space. This is a superior house. A curved wooden and very large inglenook surrounds one of the ground floor fireplaces. Nantystalwen has an interesting history with tales of a murder by poison, undiscovered for two years and the man servant, guilty, who was never found. The river Towy is but a stones throw away and thus explained the swarms of midges that bit and pestered me throughout my visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/prignant-uchaf-devils-bridge-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_16123901694b8e8e8fcc60e.jpgPRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on PRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 1996 A bed sits by a fire. A mass of dried straw lay underfoot. The walls were scorched by smoke. Other walls had holes large enough to walk through. This image, indeed this house, has a special meaning for me. The house is located between Devil's Bridge and Cwmystwyth and stands beside a small forestry commission woodland area on the river Nant Brignant. When I first moved to Hafod in 1989 I used to wander around in the hills and this was an unexpected find. The small farmstead is long ruined although I believe still used as an agricultural store. A shame since it has character and is in a lovely location. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41249156.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20771504825f00b33d3de6b.jpgBERLLAN DYWYLL, Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2020 Notes on BERLLAN DYWYLL, Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2020 Nestled in summer foliage on a bank somewhat lost and impenetrable. The house stands towards the Upper Lliedi Reservoir. Roofless and no doubt characterless within. The morning of my visit, late June, mild and misty and drizzly. I was unable to reach the door, the bramble too high and too wet to be worth the effort, perhaps one more visit during winter but perhaps not. Buildings adjacent in slightly better condition and a trample through high grass, soaked within yards and a stone and a brick building inside concrete cows feeders. Once a farm now swallowed up and lost. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/door-hove-2008 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7505422744be66202697d1.jpgDoor, Hove 2008 Notes on PEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2008 I worked as a postman in Hove between 2008 - 2010 and i walked passed this wall every day on my 'round'. It became a friend in some ways just a tree might become a friend on a familiar walk. Sometimes i give it an acknowledging nod, other times i'd pass it by without a word. Between 2005 and 2010 I have lived in Brighton, with many and as frequent as possible trips to Wales to photograph mansions and landscape. During my time in Brighton I have on some level felt somewhat starved from the open land that mid Wales has in abundance and, therefore, also photographing. I have however all but completed a project of Brighton architecture, architecture that I found pleasing to my eye rather than follow any strict period or style, and these images were exhibited at Brighton Museum in the winter of 2008/2009. I have also photographed abstractions found anywhere from walls in busy streets or in empty buildings. I do not necessarily consider my Brighton abstractions wholly successful but have included them here because although I do not consider them on a par with earlier abstractions they must somehow, hopefully, offer some personal progression in this chosen field. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/schoolhouse-cors-caron-tregaron-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_1109259112569205e010465.jpgSCHOOLHOUSE, Cors Caron, Tregaron, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on SCHOOLHOUSE, Cors Caron, Tregaron, Ceredigion 2016 I wonder how many times I've passed this small building over the years? I would say thousands and take for granted it's being, that it was with some considerable effort I stopped on this day, early January, and actually bothered to capture it onto film. For those who do not know it, it sits right beside the road between Tregaron and Pontrhydyfendigaid. I lowered the tripod and camera so the road itself was obscured by grass, making this image seem that the building is far more remote than what it actually is! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_39843641853b3a455c8045.jpgGLAN-LLYN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GLAN-LLYN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 A lovely ruin on the banks of Llyn Eiddwen. The day was bright and warm and I had expected little to remain of this property. I wished I had visited decades ago, when there was a roof and the outbuildings were a little more substantial than what they are now. Few details remain, a few windows, a doorway and fireplace. I took a number of photographs, each angle offering something worthwhile. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-at-dolgors-farm-devils https://images.on-this.website/7784_5096999624bcaac7cf20e9.jpgWALL AT DOLGOR'S FARM, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2006 Notes on WALL AT DOLGOR'S FARM, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2006 Again, one of my favourite photographs - taken in Dolgor's farmhouse - just outside Devil's Bridge. Very little light reached this part of the hallway yet it was here that the stronger compositions emerged from the fragments of paint work. This was taken early one morning before i went to work - it very nearly made me late - a 16 minutes exposure was used and this negative is an absolute pleasure to print. When these tiny fragments reveal themselves under the red light in the darkroom i feel a thrill - their thin lines begin meeting up, almost like a jigsaw puzzle. PAENT YN PLICIO. Fferm Dolgors. Pontarfvnach. Ceredigion 2003 Mae teimlad cyffyrddol i'r Iluniau hyn o baent yn plicio oddi ar wal ffermdy gwag ger Pontarfynach, a bron na fyddai'n bosibl estyn allan a'u plicio oddi ar y wal. Ychydig iawn o oleuni oedd yn cyrraedd y rhan hon o'r cyntedd, a defnyddiwyd dadleniad o tua phedwar deg pum munud i serio'r deiweddau ar ffilm. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13582883.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4750510794ec75fe7e2655.jpgBLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 My first visit here was in 1991 – back then I had only just taken up photography and every weekend I would load myself up with camera and equipment and go exploring. Often, not always, I simply wandered around with no specific destination, merely walked from the road into the Cambrian Mountains and just followed my nose to wherever looked interesting. I followed streams and naturally gravitated towards ruins or sheepfolds. Exploring the Myherin forest back then was a frustrating and confusing experience. I did not know my way around the many miles of forestry track – it could be slow going, sometimes going in circles and with only snatches of views gained from gaps in the trees. Blaen Myherin was a welcome view – it stands 5 miles from the main road and stands at the head of the valley. It seemed very secluded during my first visit and in many ways it is yet, also, it is surrounded by wind farm turbines and in the middle of a working forest whose tracks are sometimes used for motor sport rally. The house spends most of its time in a solitary isolation but every now and again it is in the midst of a roar of noise and always accompanied with that thin and wavering un-melodic hum from the wind turbine blades continuously filling this sometime peaceful valley. The house, as one can see in the photographs, is in a very poor state with the roof and one gable end collapsed. The long, 100 foot barn beside the house is also looking structurally poor and is no longer in use. Inside is littered with debris and many names have been carved into the wooden stable walls. The house was last lived in the late 1960’s. What would the owners think of the house now? My trip was a pleasant one nonetheless. I had cycled to the house and made a number of exposures – simple, uncomplicated and rewarding. The ground around the house is very damp, I followed the sheep tracks through the hidden deep troughs of muddy waters and set up the camera. Blaen Myherin will shortly be nothing more than a pile of stone. How sad to think the wind turbines will out-survive this once much loved farmhouse. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18174351.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_164671611851aa0f2ddfb63.jpgPEN-BRYN-RHYG, Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on PEN-BRYN-RHYG, Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 A house not close to anywhere particular. The road up is narrow and could barely be called a road. I came here before, last year, but heard a dog barking and presumed the house was not derelict. It is not strictly derelict, just inhabited and access is only by permission. The farmhouse and outbuildings stand before a small pond. Japanese knotweed has reached here and with the brambles made reaching the front of the house impossible even without summer foliage blocking the way. A little forlorn, a few images were taken and then I left to let the foliage to wend it's way around stone and mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38414188.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13679430285ce2e1ea695ce.jpgIVY TOWER, Gnoll Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on IVY TOWER, Gnoll Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I had not parked far from the Ivy Tower, only a few hundred yards but planned beforehand to walk a few miles into the uplands above Clyne to visit a ruined property called Blaencwmbach. Alas, the farmhouse although not finished has been re-roofed with a metal roof, gable ends re-built, new windows and doors put in place. It was not ready to be lived in but neither was it dilapidated enough to be called a ruin. I did not even bother peering through the new but dirty window panes. Before I had even left my home on this morning I had written in the map to turn around, and not to walk on, there was another ruin I had intended to visit, Ystrad Owen. To walk there meant an added two miles, at least, to my journey. I had walked only two miles to Blaencwmbach but my backpack and tripod were heavy, 12kg's, and I had not walked recently (or indeed done any exercise). I was feeling the strain! On the way back I stopped at the Ivy Tower. There is no public access to the site. The footpath that seems to head in its direction does not allow access – as a sign proclaimed – so I did not bother. Instead I took a longer route and found the tower easily. Large rocks and old knurled hardwood lay on the hillside on the way up. The tower itself is in a poor state, laid empty since a fire in 1910 and beyond repair. I feel the ruins could be consolidated and the overgrowth cleared, perhaps evening allowing proper access. A few exposures were made, not wholly satisfying but at least a photograph was taken on an otherwise hard but fruitless mornings walk. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23701725.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_168347313755004f5fe9088.jpgPRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2015 A return and little changed. A little snow on the hills, the first daffodils just about popping up, a cool breeze causing the Scot's Pine to sway and creak... all making this journey, indeed every journey here, special and memorable. There is something about Prignant that speaks to me; it's location, the fact that I used to come here as a young man wandering the hills from Hafod, the sorry state of the house (which is slowly deteriorating each visit). A lovely positioned house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bron-y-berllan-pontrhydyfendigaid-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_16747416384d11b3fa200b8.jpgBRON Y BERLLAN,Ceredigion 2010 Notes on BRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Ruins of an 18th Century farmhouse which now sit in the perimeter of a private race course. It will not be long before the roof falls and judging the state of the structural walls these too will soon tumble. There's a marvellous twin entrance stable block behind the house which has had a metal roof recently erected, so at least this will remain upright. This property has wonderful views over towards Strata Florida Abbey and the surrounding hills. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42233310.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9250280836054c85b847fc.jpgPANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Notes on PANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Roadside located but barely visible through the foliage, Pant-Glas on older maps dating from the late 19th century shows the house as one dwelling but once within the mass of foliage it looks more like two separate dwellings; two sets of front doors, no door between the properties. Both dwellings the same size. Perhaps this was once a longhouse and perhaps one of the dwellings had been converted. I do not know but the old maps do not lie. I took a few images, in both parts, but viewpoints were scarce. Half an hour spent. I walked back to car, drove home, arrived back home at 7:30am, still an hour before I started work but already a good mornings work had been done. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13060728.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3587002044e84247e2469d.jpgPONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes. Other railway buildings remain, station storage building as seen here still in agricultural storage use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41492451.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3959144575f31984613d68.jpgALLT-Y-FRAN-FACH, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on ALLT-Y-FRAN-FACH, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 A short track from Troserch Woods car park leads to the ivy covered ruins of Allt-Y-Fran-Fach. Access near impossible with almost shoulder height foliage but fortunately there was not many bramble, so it was easy, albeit slow and I got a good soaking, to trample down the weeds and nettle. Inside much ruinous, as seen here, internal wall of ‘Llangennech’ bricks had collapsed. It is always a pleasant return when you pick up a brick to see where it had been made… I often wished I collected bricks from around Wales but I have enough to carry and besides even if ruinous and broken, a brick does not belong to me and would be considered theft. A few exposures were made outside too, viewpoints were scarce, the foliage again had to be trampled to get far away enough from the house. A single height barn stands right behind the house and I noted from older maps that they show the house and barn joined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8244992.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19958703404d2c144bf01dc.jpgMYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on MYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 (Also known as Great Abbey Farm, Strata Florida). A large house, grade 2 listed (in 1963), nestled in a farming complex and besides the ruined abbey of Strata Florida. The road that runs through the yard is a relatively recent addition and will be, once the house has been restored, re-directed around the barns. Lampeter University have recently purchased the house with plans of consolidation work in process. The house itself seems to be in a good condition but looking a little sorry for itself. The rear roof seems to have been re-roofed recently. The small building on the right hand side was once the kitchen. Barns are from the mid-19th century. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img348 https://images.on-this.website/7784_530426054536e577d40888.jpgMAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on MAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Thanks to Luke Thomas who emailed to tell me about this property. Luke mentioned that the farm was once was one of the better when his grandmother was alive (whom delivered newspapers there). He also mentioned 'she told me the tenants retired and the son became a Dr to the Queen and the buildings became abandoned and derelict over time'. At the entrance there's a new gate, with cast within the name Maes Gwenllian. An odd thing for a ruin. The path then wends long for quarter of a mile and to the outbuildings, all ruinous and to the house itself - the façade all but covered in low hanging branches. The roof collapsed, the floors within much the same, few remnants remain and the cows have made the wandering around a very messy and muddy affair. Of course I wear my wellington boots and almost loose them if I stand still for too long. A few pleasing exposures were made, the first for a while, long exposures of around four minutes, enough to note the tranquillity and clean air. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23793052.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13160361785511074009d08.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 The cottages seen here sit on the other side of the Ystwyth at Cwmystwyth mines. I have driven and looked over to these cottages many a time and recall when they used to have windows and doors and roof. I am not sure why I haven't photographed them before having explored Cwmystwyth much over the last twenty five years. Their positioning alone makes them a worthy inclusion. The March morning I arrived was a cold and frosty one but as the sun rose across the opposite hillside I could tell it was to be a glorious and warm day. A few exposes were made, a small traipse with equipment from one cottage to the other and although I was on this hillside for an hour or so, not a single car passed by and I thought how lucky to live in such a relatively unpopulated area and also, with so much abandonment on my doorstep, little wonder I began photographing ruins. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41493331.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14453987825f32717b18428.jpgBRYN-SIL, Horton, Gower 2020 Notes on BRYN-SIL, Horton, Gower 2020 I took the long path to the house, by the caravan park near to Horton. I wanted to visit another ruin which was so overgrown that no images were taken. I was also uncertain if Bryn-sil was lived in or indeed even ruined. On Googleearth the house seemed isolated in location with no road leading to it. As it turns out the house has seen a lot of renovation which was from a ruinous cottage. There is a new roof over the bare walls, inside had been built up with stone and brick and there was new lintels over the doors and windows… except there was no doors or windows and access into the house was by simply crossing the threshold. I am uncertain when this work was done but judging by the track/path leading to the house nothing had been done this year. It is beautifully positioned, especially so on the Sunday morning of my visit, a warm, warm day with no clouds. This isn’t my preferred weather for photographing but so few of the images on this website are taken in bright sunlight it actually made a change. I hope Brynsil is restored fully and becomes a home for someone. Remnants of an wood and corrugated outbuilding also on site but lost in the undergrowth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5834426.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13468468524c5e4ef80ef76.jpgMOUNTON CHAPEL, Canaston Woods, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on MOUNTON CHAPEL, Canaston Woods, Pembrokeshire 2010 Originally a 13th century chapel but restored in the 18th and 19th centuries, it is very ruinous with the roof half collapsed and the other half in a very precarious state. I squeezed through the high security fence that surrounds this small chapel in the middle of a field. I was not going to enter but the fence had already been breached and I was pleased I did. Inside there was the usual clutter and masonry of an abandoned, and partly fallen, property laying on the ground. Graffiti was scratched into the soft damp plaster on the walls – names and dates, some of which dated back twenty years, all part of the chapels’ recent history. Some areas of brightly coloured paint on corbels and small wall alcoves, framed in blue and red paintwork. These small areas of colour gave hint at a once beautifully decorated chapel. Outside just off centre to the entrance is a large five foot square large foundation stone. I was uncertain of its purpose. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115456.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20144098084982a04ae6a16.jpgPEMBREY CWRT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 1997 Notes on PEMBREY CWRT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 1997 A late 16th or early 17th century farm house - although a property has stood on the site since 1361. Bought by farmers and by the 1950’s the empty house became ruinous and since then derelict. Now a damp dark overgrown roofless shell: much vandalised, with walls full of cracks. My visit was brief but one could not believe that Pembrey Courts' future was an optimistic one what with ivy penetrating the stone walls and kids lighting fires and demolishing whatever they could. And who could blame them? By whose example would they follow if a property is left unloved and uncared for? A trust has been sent up for Court/Cwrt farmhouse and as of March 2006 they are preparing a proposition to apply for a place on the BBC’s ‘Restoration’ program, in which various domestic, industrial and public buildings that are in a process of neglect are voted for with a sum of money going towards the winner with the intention of restoring. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20670043564abf4b75e8c27.jpg[/img] PEMBREY CWRT, Carmarthenshire 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36756945.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20410260085bd2178ac0b8f.jpgPEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 Notes on PEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 A short damp walk and quickly whilst exploring it becomes apparent this farm was the victim of a fire. Inside is much ruinous and blackened. Outside a few possession scattered. A long barn with arrow-slot vents hint at an older property than what I first imagined. The walls within however were rich in photographic pickings, the paintwork blistered, the brickwork crumbling. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tan-y-rallt-llangeitho-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_858893963545d066f1663a.jpgTAN-Y-RALLT, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TAN-Y-RALLT, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2014 A nice surprise - I drive along the road from Llangeitho to Talsarn quite often and saw this footpath leading up to the hills. A quick internet search on Ceredigion town planning showed a house with no other access than this path. Before work one morning I decided to go and visit. Half a mile from the road this house stood, on first inspection made of concrete blocks but quickly I realise that this was a modernisation - probably undertook some time in the 1980's. The rest of the outside shows stone and brick and I wondered if the cement blocks were put up in place of cob/mud(?). Inside is damp and dark and water ran through the back of the house and out the front door - the mud covered the tiled hall floor. The small pantry/kitchen still had many food jars untouched - I checked a brown sauce bottle - best before 1991 - was this when the house was deserted? Making exposures was difficult - the foliage before the house seemed impenetrable but after wrestling with some thick and long and quite resilient bramble branches I managed to get the camera set up for two exposures (as seen here). There was little else to photograph - maybe come back on a winter's day when more view should open up. Small [i]ty bach[/i] stands in a dip in front of the house - outbuildings no longer in use and filled with junk. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/aaa-001 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20762200355575d77d0b841.jpgTRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Not a far walk from the road but a damp one, and fortunately for me between very heavy spring showers. Triael was once a large farmstead, numerous outbuildings mostly in poor state of disrepair, the house itself, barely recognisable except for a brick chimney and some wooden shelves in an alcove, miraculously surviving when the walls have all but fallen into a pile of rubble. Nice pair of circular stone pillars fronting barn. I have come across a number of such pillars and they're always a pleasant surprise when often times the Welsh farmhouse in Ceredigion is practical build rather than aesthetic one. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pant-glas-bynea-llanelli-2021 https://images.on-this.website/7784_18653755456054c859b621d.jpgPANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Notes on PANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Roadside located but barely visible through the foliage, Pant-Glas on older maps dating from the late 19th century shows the house as one dwelling but once within the mass of foliage it looks more like two separate dwellings; two sets of front doors, no door between the properties. Both dwellings the same size. Perhaps this was once a longhouse and perhaps one of the dwellings had been converted. I do not know but the old maps do not lie. I took a few images, in both parts, but viewpoints were scarce. Half an hour spent. I walked back to car, drove home, arrived back home at 7:30am, still an hour before I started work but already a good mornings work had been done. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076354.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1053405006497053e0c7bd8.jpgFOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 Notes on FOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 Foxhall Newydd was built circa 1592 (though a date of 1608 appears over one of the fireplaces) by John Panton of Denbigh, whose main ambition seemed to have been a desire to outshine the efforts put into the nearby hall of Old Foxhall. However, he went bankrupt, ironically forcing him to sell what he had built to the Lloyds, whose home he had hoped to eclipse. New Foxhall was never completed and once Panton had removed the roof and all the fittings within, it has, for over 400 years, remained a shell. The day I visited Foxhall was a bright but cloudy day and perhaps unlikely for a photographer, my preferred weather conditions. A bright sun can deepen shadows to black and bleach highlights to white. Foxhall looks out of place. It sits, as it has for hundreds of years, and seemingly very slowly losing it’s imposing height. Because it has been empty for so long it appears to lack any interest to the destructive eye of the vandal and with that solitary fact probably means it will remain in its present state for centuries to come. The house that stands today was supposedly to be just one wing and was to form a giant H plan. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16961200754b652bdb36435.jpg[/img] New Foxhall 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10098156.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14880551444dd36843befee.jpgTHE SYSTERNE HOUSE/SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on THE SYSTERNE HOUSE/SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear, Pembrokeshire 2011 A return to the Sister's House and all those hidden ruins within its fenced grounds. My previous visit had been early spring a few years ago and I was surprised by the thickness of undergrowth. Nettles swayed three foot high and the canopy of tree cover caused exposures of around 16 seconds on a bright but cloudy afternoon. Classed as an Ancient Monument one can not help but feel that this complex of ruins, with some uncertainty of theses buildings purpose (a hospice for female pilgrims?), needs some loving care, the stone work must have suffered dreadfully over the last few harsh winters and one would have thought CADW would demand some sort of consolidation work on these important buildings. As it is they all stand, and will surely crumble and tumble, unprotected from the elements. This medieval village does however offer the explorer much delight and pleasure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/drumua-house-birchgrove-west-glamorgan https://images.on-this.website/7784_8179408274972c9c1d43b9.jpgDRUMUA HOUSE, Birchgrove, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on DRUMUA HOUSE, Birchgrove, West Glamorgan 1997 A ruin situated in heavily overgrown parkland just off a main road, entering these grounds was a sobering experience - danger signs hung from every tree along the short driveway. The house was barely visible behind an old oak and very little remained behind the crumbling facade. It was built circa 18th century. It was difficult to find a suitable viewpoint to photograph - I visited mid-summer when the foliage was at its most rampant and also mid-day when the sun was at its brightest. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3550394994b6529d7644fa.jpg[/img] Drumau House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10426750864b6529f5af43e.jpg[/img] Drumau House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8880658184b652a1b11882.jpg[/img] Drumau House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4177178864b652a3fadfd5.jpg[/img] Drumau House 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/nantycae-hafod-pontrhydygroes-ystrad-meurig https://images.on-this.website/7784_10321954014d41979d9846c.jpgNANTYCAE, Hafod, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion 2007 Notes on NANTYCAE, Hafod, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion 2007 Sometimes, when I was growing up, when the Autumn had stripped the foliage away from the wooded areas of Hafod, I could see Nant y Cae from my bedroom window of my parents’ house at Upper Lodge. And sometimes, during the summer months, we could see smoke pouring out from that general direction. Obviously the summer evenings were cool enough to warrant a small fire. Then as they are now. The house was owned by Roger and Linda Hallett. They had lived at Hafod for a good number of decades and knew every inch of the estate, and indeed worked on it clearing areas, creating footpaths. They moved from Hafod in 2006 (?) and the house was empty for a little while before the new occupants moved in. In Remembrance of Roger Hallett I remember once walking through Hafod on a cold grey unfriendly day. It was during the winter months, mid-week and did not expect to see anyone along the path I was walking. I carried my camera and tripod, slung over my shoulders. I had been walking above Hafod and over the Cambrian Mountains over towards Teifi Pools. I often went walking, indeed I called it wandering because I carried with me no map, no definite idea of where I was headed. I walked to wherever looked of interest. I had had a good day and I was in good spirits. I sung. I often sing when out walking. I steal tunes and add my own words. Sometimes, so not to compromise the rhyme, the lyrics can be on the pale shade of ‘moon’ and ‘June’ but I forgive myself of this. I am not about to cut a record. I am alone, out of earshot and I have spent the best part of a whole day without seeing a fellow human being. Almost home and walking along the river Ystwyth that cuts through the Hafod estate and I always begin signing about ‘returning home’. By no means in tune, by no means Shakespeare, by no means a song fit for the Gods. I turn a cragged corner and there sits Roger, smoking a liquorice paper cigarette. He doesn’t comment after I spurt out my apologies for my singing. He is a rugged man, as rugged as the rock he sits upon. We have a short exchange, dare I say of pleasantries (Roger was not known for his pleasantries, and who is to say he was wrong to go through life that way?) and I carry on my way home. This was in 1995. I am uncertain why I remember this encounter. It is not on my list of ‘embarrassing moments never to forget’. Neither is it on my list of ‘conversations that will remain with me until the day I die’. It is, I believe, a visual memory; a man sitting on rock, smoking a roll-up, on a grey day, watching the river, its rise, fall and flow, and Roger lost in his own wending thoughts. Roger has recently died. I have not suddenly begun to think about Roger whenever I walk this stretch of river. I have, ever since that day, thought of him whenever I walk along this stretch of river. Roger Hallett died in January 2011 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img374 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12132299005374f894be119.jpgPENDRE, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on PENDRE, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 A small cottage on the edge of the village Alltwalis. I recall someone living here not so long ago – five/ten years? The cottage is just about visible from the main road as you pass down towards the village – a quick glimpse and then the flash of a wonky chimney pot and then it’s all hedge and one is left wondering whether it was empty or just a little run-down. I can confirm it is empty! And ruinous. A window was broken and I slipped in through to the living room to have a look about. Two rooms, no upstairs, outside toilet, a simple life. I question whether I do remember someone living here, living so simply in the 20th/21st century? Now I am not so sure. There is little here, no room to swing a cat, not much outside space to grow anything, surely this thus called simple life would indeed be one of poverty too and not lived so simply by choice? I chewed upon some wild garlic, always a pleasure in spring, always abundant it seems besides ruins as I pondered life here. There wasn’t even space to park a car (the stupid photographer surmised). Who lived here? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24167743.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1824798477554cc5809ad8c.jpgOLMARCH SCHOOLHOUSE/CHAPEL, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on OLMARCH SCHOOLHOUSE/CHAPEL, Ceredigion 2015 The organ is the notable thing, making this otherwise unremarkable building something worthy of recording - built circa1900 and derelict for twenty odd years(?), old bibles sit covered in cobwebs on rotten benches that stand on the rotten floorboards... a few empty beer bottles and soft sun light streaming through the cobweb windows. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/chicken-farm-rhayader-powys-2003 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19269395214b8bc734b29f3.jpgCHICKEN FARM, Rhayader, Powys 2003 Notes on CHICKEN FARM, Rhayader, Powys 2003 I first visited these caged chicken farms in 2003. Abandoned and ruined farm buildings filled with chicken cages, row upon row. A melancholy place, something clinical and depressing about the buildings and surroundings but nonetheless worthy of photographing. On my return, some five years later many of the buildings had either been demolished or had just fallen. That same clinical and depressing feeling remained and once a few exposures were made I was pleased to be walking back to my car. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13042556.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10910545814e82b92678ab1.jpgALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A peasant longhouse, possibly 17th century, with a corrugated roof but now much ruined. Sold in 2008 (?) with planning permission to restore building and convert barns (also ruinous) to dwelling status but it seems now abandoned. All damp and depressing on this breezy and wet day. The entrance doorway wall has completely collapsed and the house, with this entire outer wall missing, has a strange look about it, with the interior on full view. Unfortunately the inside is in a poor state with the small upper floor unsafe. Most unusual is the ground floor is on two levels with a couple of steps leading up to the once living room area. A large caravan also sits in the grounds, also slowly rotting away and deserted. Some work had been done to one of the outbuildings at Allt-ddu, with some walls consolidated and some concrete block walls built and a concrete floor put in but all in all the whole place has a sense of abandonment. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12955814.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8494950614e7f42b2b3c9b.jpgALLTGOCHMYNYDD, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ALLTGOCHMYNYDD, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 It never ceases to amaze me that Ceredigion, traditionally one of the poorest of counties, has such numerous ruins in such beautiful locations. Properties that tumble yet stubbornly cling on to these steep soggy banks and hillsides. Alltgochmynydd had obviously, relatively recently (five years ago?), found owners who had intended to make this stunning little property as a home. It would appear that they failed. The rear door hangs off its hinges and entry was made easy into the dark interior. Within large slab floor are a few possessions; a small kitchen unit, a few kitchen utensils, a broken chest of drawers, a few bottles, rusting knives, dusty forks. The downstairs is now one open space, the dividing walls all gone and a make-shift staircase leading upstairs. And upstairs a wardrobe on its side and a number of beds, a child’s mattress – all dark, dimly lit, eerie and sad. The floor boards bend under my weight. The floorboards covered in dust, bits of stone and mortar, litter from a neglected building. Two roof skylights allow a small amount of light to trickle in. Outside mid September and the rain falls in a sheet of a million sticks. I set up my camera and focus upon the child’s bed and mattress trailing on the floor. The meter reads F22 at 8 minutes. I know from experience that I will need a much longer exposure in such a dimly lit building. An exposure of 60 minutes is used. I focus the camera by pointing a torch onto the corner of the bed so I can actually see something through the dimness of the ground glass of the camera. I begin the exposure, set my stopwatch and settle within my new home for the next hour. I wander around, squat down, stand up. I look inside the kitchen cupboards, food, gravy granules, cooking oil in jars covered in mould. I look up the chimney, on the mantel piece. All this is done by torch light. I know not what I am looking for. I know not what I expect to find. More kitchen utensils, rusty and dusty. Lots of broken things, bottles, oil lamps, door knobs, under the back door frame lots of screwed up magazine pages blocking up draughts. One piece of newspaper has the date 1973. I do not think this is the last year that someone lived in this house. It has more recent secrets. But how to estimate a date of its last occupants? It is impossible to tell. Outside the rain has ceased. I step out and explore. Crab apples hang heavy on trees around the rear of the property. A stream, small but running fast, bubbles up from under the long grass. It has been a wet September. I walk, gain views and read over my map and plan my next jaunts. The rain begins to come again. A few warning drops and then the deluge. I re-enter Alltgochmynydd and sit down on the cold floor and let the time pass. I wonder if the exposure will be successful. I wonder if it is worth it. I wonder what tiny fraction of ruins throughout Wales I have actually visited. An hour passes. I am glad to leave. I close all the doors more secure than how I found them. Perhaps this house would make a suitable Bothy. If not, then surely it will just fall, year by year, until just a pile of stone. Alltgochmynydd is Grade 2 Listed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32838493.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3880665559ba19679894b.jpgHENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on HENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Belonging to Swansea University and currently for sale. I have not entered Hendrefiolan but have seen images taken inside by an urban explorer and as expected the building has lost its sense of a domestic dwelling. This is a shame but inevitable whenever a private property is sold to a municipal or academic establishment. Outside tells a different story. The house looks to be in decent condition. Some of the stained glass windows were smashed by vandals a while ago, these windows are now boarded up. There was other prefab type buildings built beside the house but these have been demolished -a large concrete platform is all that remains. The rear of the house is also looking good, perhaps a little forlorn but hopefully the house will soon be sold. My visit was a short one, perhaps an hour or so. Satisfying viewpoints were scarce and this may have encouraged me to take more photographs then I would normally have done, in some vain attempt to capture the house in its true glory with atmosphere to boot! I more or less failed, a few images are satisfactory, but I feel I missed a trick here but perhaps a second visit will rectify this. The stables are currently used as a library. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25521868.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_55496609255f438bf2f483.jpgALLT-MAES-RHYG-FACH, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ALLT-MAES-RHYG-FACH, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Small and remote with no road, or indeed path, leading to it - this small cottage peasant longhouse is much ruined. I was uncertain of the original use of main building, if this was merely a barn or had been the house. I believe the large doorway had been made at a latter date. Inside shows remnants of paint work showing the house also had an upstairs and also the traces of an inglenook fireplace. Odd shaped lintel on one outside window - doorway also stoned-up on rear of property. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12320788.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7278896034e550f9cc3775.jpgBOULSTON MANOR CHURCH, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on BOULSTON MANOR CHURCH, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 A remote church and churchyard standing in a small patch of woodland and only accessible by foot stands on the edge of the banks of the Cleddau Estuary. Tall trees reach up and through this roofless church which was abandoned after World War 2. Within many features and carved stone remain, some fragmented and some in remarkable condition - some with the name 'Wogan' easy to read and also a large coat of arms (of the Wogan's) laying against a wall. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cefn-caeau-llangeitho-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_153467480356e3beea671c8.jpgCEFN-CAEAU, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on CEFN-CAEAU, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 A house much ruined, sitting adjacent to Cae-Glas and first came to notice only a short while ago. I used to visit Cae-glas in the mid-1980's where a school friend lived and have no, or little, recollection of this property. A few outbuildings, also much ruined and partically built of clom as seen here. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5801346.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4329911394c5912c7c580a.jpgDOLGORS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DOLGORS, Ceredigion 2010 A small lines of firs run along the muddy and short driveway up the farmstead of Dolgors. No longer can the house be reached by vehicle due to a large concrete barrier and large silo bags. I read in the local paper, The Cambrian News, last year that the copper had been ripped out of an empty property in Devil’s Bridge by thieves. I immediately knew that Dolgor’s, such a spectacular farm house, had been the victim. The house is a large ‘L’ shape, rendered in a miserable grey and has large saplings growing from its chimney’s. I am very fond of this farm house. It has a special atmosphere. A long line of calves, obviously enjoying each others company and exploring the adjacent field together, came to watch over me with their quizzical eyes. They were boisterous and playful but one step in their direction and they fled like a firework. They soon however returned. They watched as I stood beneath a large yew tree and set up my camera. The false dawn was heavy and dim. The morning was grey and the night was reluctant to lift. Long exposures of 32 seconds were required but there was no breeze to cause a blur in the surrounding trees, indeed even the large and sunken silted puddles reflected perfect the grey scenes of the surrounding countryside. All was quiet and grey and another day was beginning that would contribute to Dolgor’s sorry decline. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9231302.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9491699494d92bf4c134dc.jpgLLETHR, Bawdy, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on BARN AT LLETHR, Bawdy, Pembrokeshire 2011 A large farmhouse, grade 2 listed and falling into an ever perilous condition. My visit was a dissappointing one. I had set up the camera when the side door of the house had opened, much to my surprise, and someone came out. Someone lives in the lower part of the house. When I asked the owner, who lives in a bungalow on the site, whether I could take a few photographs, he asked me, without doubt, to leave. I left. These few images were taken using a digital compact camera and nonetheless give a fair impression of Llethr. Many of the outbuildings have been converted into dwellings. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5834420.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16403962854c5e4ece7c575.jpgHAROLDSTON HOUSE, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on HAROLDSTON HOUSE, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire 2010 I reached Haroldston at 7am. The sun was quickly rising in the sky and the morning was turning from a blue and frosty dawn into a bright and very warm day. Haroldston was very easy to find, the sun painted the tops of the trees and the ivy covered tower with a warm orange hue. I had seen recent pictures of Haroldston and knew the ruins were scattered and that I would not be visiting one of the true ruined treasures of Wales. It was however still a very pleasant surprise. It’s true that the ruins are fragmented but there is much to see here, thanks partly to the resident sheep keeping the grounds from becoming overgrown and obscuring the low walls. One sheep performed repeatedly by standing on its two hind legs reaching the young spring leaves from a lime tree. Haroldston was once one of the most important gentry houses in Pembrokeshire and was built by the Harold family in the 13th century. It was much modernised and enlarged between the 15th and 17th centuries. It fell into disrepair by the end of the 18th century and became ruinous thereafter. Ruinous except for the tower (named ‘The Stewards Tower’) which remained inhabited until the late 19th century. One must wonder how that occupier must have felt, living in a tower amongst a very large crumbling mansion. This picture becomes easy to visualise! It also explains why the tower has remained in relatively good condition (compared to the rest of the site) with stone steps still partially offering access up to the first corner of the tower. The house is beautifully situated to the south of Haverfordwest with good views looking east although now looks upon a modern housing estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41356345.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11379125485f2280ea56b1a.jpgPISTYLL LIME WORKS, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL LIME WORKS, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Uncertain what I would find and only half-hearted if anything much at all, I was quietly surprised how much remains at this old industrial site. The tall red brick tower although not viewable from the road, stands very tall (20 metres) and just behind that what I first thought was a railway tunnel was actually the limekilns themselves. The so-called tunnel was actually a bridge-like structure which housed the lime kilns and allowed access to the quarry fifty yards behind. The quarry is now a lake and covered in Bulrush reeds and was a pretty site after walking from the dark limekilns. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/maesglas-abergwesyn-mountain-road-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_1196794904c6ab9a65f3b4.jpgMAESGLAS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on MAESGLAS, Ceredigion 2010 Nestled on a valley side and sheltered by mature hardwoods, Maesglas now stands empty. It has not been empty long but one feels it needs to be lived in soon, if it's to survive another harsh winter. Peering through the windows boxes of toys hint at the last owners life. The outbuildings look as if at some point they had been converted into living accomodation. It would be a shame if this house lays forgotten. True, it is set in a barren landscape. The winters are servere on the Cambrian Mountains. The summers however are subliminal. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42204331.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15960916725ff8459bcca21.jpgMINE TOWER nr CILYBEBYLL, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on MINE TOWER nr CILYBEBYLL, Pontardawe 2020 Stands overlooking former rail line now a cycle track/footpath, the tower itself is in surprisingly good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475635.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13403265264b8bc755e5bdb.jpgRUINED PREFAB, Capel Seion 2000 Notes on RUINED PREFAB, Capel Seion, Ceredigion 2000 I used to drive past this building every day, year after year. I always stole a glance at the house and a tall Monkey Puzzle tree that stood in fromt of it as i sped past, along the long straight road at Capel Seion. It looked from first appearance to be empty but small clues, like bins being left out or the hedges occasionally trimmed provided the eviddence that some one did indeed live there. I believe an elderly couple up until around 1999(?). It was almost impossible to get up close to the house when I visited a year later, the undergrowth blocked the pathway and all but concealed the facade. Only two exposures were made. The undergrowth was eventually cleared and the veranda removed exposing this small vulnerable property until the house itself was also demolished. Today all that is left is a Monkey Puzzle tree looking alone and lost (puzzled?) in a small clearing between two modern houses. PREFFAB. Capel Seion. Ceredigion 2000 Mae’r adeilad parod hwn (a adeiladwyd yn y 1950au?) yn awr wedi ei ddymchwel a’r cyfan sydd ar ol yw’r goeden gas gan fwnci gan edrych yn unig ac yn drist ar ddarn o dir rhwng dau dy modern. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dunraven-castle-southerndown-bridgend-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12979428695f8fda2090430.jpgDUNRAVEN CASTLE, Southerndown, Bridgend 2020 Notes on DUNRAVEN CASTLE, Southerndown, Bridgend 2020 A managed mansion estate, the clifftop mansion/castle was demolished, like so many in the early sixties (1963) but there’s plenty here to see; a well maintained and very large walled garden, the photograph here shows a folly built within the walled garden. The house platform remains too, with some surprisingly high walls and bricked up windows. The arch, as seen here, was also saved from demolition. There is also a fantastic gatehouse in a poor state but not photographed on this occasion. The castle once overlooked Dunraven Bay which is a popular beach with sand a glorious rock formation within the high cliff walls. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769172.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_405822204a31e41e25ffd.jpgGREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2009 Notes on GREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2009 A return, 4 years after my first visit, 5:30 in the evening, a quiet place, walking along the short path, watched by Jacob sheep and curious cows, to Great Frampton. The nettles leading up the house are waist high, large dead tree trunks, branchless and as barren as the empty shell of the house lay around the grounds like monuments. Within, again, one can not be in wonder if the walls, windows and doors are held up not by mortar but by the maze of scaffolding. The barns and outbuildings, although not damaged by the fire that made Great Frampton derelict in 1990, are victims of vandals and lack of maintenance, all sad and depressing and in a very poor state. A narrow side staircase intact rises to the top of the three storeys of the house, was this the staircase that lead to Pigotts observatory? Great Frampton is supposedly owned by a dentist(?) and Charlotte Church was said to be interested in purchasing and restoring the house a few ago. It is not difficult to imagine this house as a family home once again. It is situated close to, but still very secluded, to Llantwit Major and therefore to close to Cardiff. Great Frampton 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20290543444b498fe39359e.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12430631934b498d3207996.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13426332.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12366960404eaf9c3bbf251.jpgMAES Y BEUDY, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on MAES Y BEUDY, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2011 Walking along the stone lined path to Maes y beudy on this windy afternoon it becomes something other than another path to another ruin. The wind blows the trees in a slow motion, with the branches swaying in a harmonious union with the westerly wind. The outside walls of Maes y beudy look unremarkable and modern but behind these rendered and grey walls there lays a small and lovely peasant longhouse – the windows are all irregular and the rooms within are small but strangely numerous! Once the house and outbuildings explored I ventured around the rear of the property, a small orchard with rotting fruit, and an open window, large and no longer protecting the house and judging by the mess within has not protected this lovely little cottage for many a year. Inside is a mess. The house was obviously abandoned with its contents in place. A calendar with the date March 1983 lay in the living room. Was this when Maes y beudy was abandoned? Possibly. The furniture inside is all stripped from its panelling, its drawers or chairs stripped from their coverings. A tiny, tiny kitchen filled with pots, pans and unrecognizable tins and slug eaten packaging. The upstairs filled with clothing, bundled into damp and rotting masses. The floorboards are beginning to rot due to small holes letting the water in through the roof. The fireplaces have been ripped out, books are strewn, carpets like sponge, mattresses soggy and a mould, dampness filling the rooms, the air, the walls and all their contents. I tread with care, set the camera up and expose film. Long exposures of around 16 minutes allow me to unravel the nervousness of entering dangerous and empty properties. 16 minutes is long enough to alter ones opinion of a house. Maes y beudy is a lovely little property in a beautiful location with views of the church and hamlet of Ysbyty Ystwyth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/734 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3921066375517fb339eabe.jpgABSTRACTION, Henllan, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Henllan, Ceredigion 2015 I was told of this house, Penbont, whilst visiting the gatehouse of Bronwydd mansion. I had only a few sheets of film remaining and due to the position of the house, it was almost impossible to get exterior shots. Instead I focussed upon interior abstractions as seen here. The house is large, four to five bedrooms and all vandalised and with furniture tossed around. All was also damp and mouldy, unfriendly and it took a little while to come accustomed to my surroundings. The house also stands right on a road, so the traffic roars by almost constantly, destroying any concentration and contemplation. With the remaining sheets I made my exposures of peeling paint. You might argue I should have tried to find compositions of the upside down rooms but the peeling paint was too much of an allure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4633213.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9292382054bae1f32d464b.jpgNASH POINT, Glamorgan 2009 Notes on NASH POINT, Glamorgan 2009 Unfortunately I had mis- timed my visit to South Wales in March 2009. The sunrise was early at around 5.30am but low tide was approximately at mid day and midnight. It would be preferable to have sunrise and low-tide at the same time. Nonetheless these images of rock formations and bedrock are good examples of dramatic lighting techniques. A full morning was spent here and many of these images were used without a tripod, by merely resting the camera carefully on the ground and weighing it down so there was as little movement as possible when loading/removing darkslides and exposing the film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34628006.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16516686715ade3430209a5.jpgBLAENGWRACH FARM, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on BLAENGWRACH FARM, Neath Port Talbot 2018 I approached this ruin from the right footpath but discovered a bridge I had intended to cross had been fenced across and was inaccessible. An hour and half later rambling through bramble and nettle, I reached the walls of the house.The house has a relatively new metal roof, preserving the house and rightly so. Cadw site description: C19 cowhouse and stable, limewashed rubble construction with metal sheet roof over stable only. Roof over cowhouse missing. The front is distinctive for its five semicircular-arched openings with carefully dressed stone voussoirs; these openings are cambered on the inner side. The left hand gable end has unusual lancet opening to the stable loft. Rear of cowhouse has 2 small vent loops and 2 inserted windows. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13020322.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12905127904e8168f0037b2.jpgPEN-CNWC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN-CNWC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 A longhouse in a superb location. As so often the case, the barns/byres are in a much better condition that the house. The house, as seen here, is roofless and dividing walls within have all been stripped leaving a long open space. Recently purchased one watches with an enthusiastic eye as this house will hopefully become a family home once again. A simple Ty Bach suspended over a small gullied stream. I wondered who owned and lived here. Does anyone know? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41356344.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21019182955f2280e9b46bf.jpgPISTYLL LIME WORKS, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL LIME WORKS, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Uncertain what I would find and only half-hearted if anything much at all, I was quietly surprised how much remains at this old industrial site. The tall red brick tower although not viewable from the road, stands very tall (20 metres) and just behind that what I first thought was a railway tunnel was actually the limekilns themselves. The so-called tunnel was actually a bridge-like structure which housed the lime kilns and allowed access to the quarry fifty yards behind. The quarry is now a lake and covered in Bulrush reeds and was a pretty site after walking from the dark limekilns. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penygarreg-reservior-elan-valley-powys https://images.on-this.website/7784_16437193084bc170f7ba6b5.jpgGARREG-DDU RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 1996 Notes on GARREG-DDU RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 1996 This is generally a basic landscape picture but I like it for its composition and particularly for the positioning of the trees. One is upright on one side, on the other side one is leaning, whilst in the centre one has snapped with a piece of it laying at its feet. A companion piece follows next in the gallery. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38414998.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15611969415ce2ed7cbc691.jpgIVY TOWER, Gnoll Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on IVY TOWER, Gnoll Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I had not parked far from the Ivy Tower, only a few hundred yards but planned beforehand to walk a few miles into the uplands above Clyne to visit a ruined property called Blaencwmbach. Alas, the farmhouse although not finished has been re-roofed with a metal roof, gable ends re-built, new windows and doors put in place. It was not ready to be lived in but neither was it dilapidated enough to be called a ruin. I did not even bother peering through the new but dirty window panes. Before I had even left my home on this morning I had written in the map to turn around, and not to walk on, there was another ruin I had intended to visit, Ystrad Owen. To walk there meant an added two miles, at least, to my journey. I had walked only two miles to Blaencwmbach but my backpack and tripod were heavy, 12kg's, and I had not walked recently (or indeed done any exercise). I was feeling the strain! On the way back I stopped at the Ivy Tower. There is no public access to the site. The footpath that seems to head in its direction does not allow access – as a sign proclaimed – so I did not bother. Instead I took a longer route and found the tower easily. Large rocks and old knurled hardwood lay on the hillside on the way up. The tower itself is in a poor state, laid empty since a fire in 1910 and beyond repair. I feel the ruins could be consolidated and the overgrowth cleared, perhaps evening allowing proper access. A few exposures were made, not wholly satisfying but at least a photograph was taken on an otherwise hard but fruitless mornings walk. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37330078.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7307885325c53e76b62c23.jpgLLWYN CELYN, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on LLWYN CELYN, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 After visiting another ruin, Cwm-Cwta, a mile or so away, I thought I would try to see if anything remained of Llwyn Celyn. There seemed nothing to see on Google Earth and my O/S map is 20 years old now and only showed an empty box or two at right angles. I was not going to bother. My first walk had been a little arduous and I had further visits planned for the day. I was pleased I convinced myself to take a look and much surprised. I always seem to need to convince myself these days that it is worth the effort to walk that extra mile. I tell myself that it is unlikely I’ll ever walk these footpaths again. That is sometimes and sometimes not the case. Llwyn Celyn sits in a small wooden area and has much to admire. The house, I imagine, has only lost its roof in the last ten or fifteen years or so. It’s solidly built and more unusually has fared better than the outbuildings around it. I rested here a good half hour. There is always unease within me when I haven’t photographed for a long time; it’s mixture of anticipation, nerves of meeting irate landowners, and the fact that I simply haven’t bothered for such a long time that is there even a need for me to carry on documenting these houses? A few exposures were made. I felt the old sense of good return. I was absorbed in my task, whilst the fog swept around the trees, the damp ground underfoot, the smell of the forest, of rotten fallen wood, of dew, of wet leaf and muddy stream. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12954782.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_182976304e7f40a3167e7.jpgNEUADD FACH, Nant-y-Moch, Ceredigon 2011 Notes on NEUADD FACH & HENGWM-ANNEDD, Nant-y-Moch, Ceredigon 2011 Two houses just a stones throw from one another. Neuadd Fach actually stands in Powys (Montgomeryshire) and Hengwm-Annedd across the river Hengwm stands in Ceredigion. An emotional day visiting the ancient hills around Nant-y-Moch – the village of Nant-y-Moch was drowned by the building of the reservoir – most of the farmsteads and cottages were abandoned early 1960’s. Photographs and stories of these hills farmers can be found in the 2005 publication by Erwyd Howells’ ‘Good Men and True’ (ISBN 0-9551736-0-4) Little remains of Neuadd Fawr – the roof finally caving in about ten years ago – one chimney remains and a solitary tree beside the house – This valley once full of life and thickly wooded with Birch is now become an open and empty landscape – the land wet and boggy. Little too remains of Henwgm. The heavy rain, and true to the name 'Nant-y-Moch', made the river Hengwm too deep, too fast flowing to cross. There was once a foot bridge but that has long gone. I was forced to photograph the house from across the river. Hengwm-Annedd was abandoned in 1935. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076258.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1145179249701a6c7fa4e.jpgGREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2005 Notes on GREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2005 Gutted by fire though not neglect, in the late 1990's, Great Frampton remains a hollow shell supported with scaffolding. The famous astronomer, Nathaniel Pigott, stayed at Frampton during the 1770's and erected an observatory. The name Framptonis thought to have evolved from Francton an English knight, Adam De Francton, who killed Llewelyn, the last Prince of Wales. Great Frampton, set in a wild park, also encompasses a walled garden. The large adjoining service wings are also ruined however. I arrived at about 5am after a two and a half hour drive. An early start allows me to, at least attempt, visit as many properties in a day before the light fades or my eyes begin to flicker and flirt with a downward immobility. As I pulled up alongside the house a farmer pulled away in the opposite direction, uninterested in me parking in front of his barns. The morning dew soddened my shoes almost immediately whilst I wandered around the grounds, seeking viewpoints and setting up my camera. Everywhere seemed still and the ground was carpeted with tiny cobwebs and a few birds few from eaves to tree. It was a serene scene and after the long drive a pleasant beginning to the day. This view of the weathered tree trunk sits comfortably with the textures of the dirty side wall. Great Frampton 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10353209094b498c660ce1d.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5570599534b498ec0c9a6b.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38373150.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13592908635cdd0a9331274.jpgYSTRAD OWEN, Neath Port Talbot 201 Notes on YSTRAD OWEN, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Not a long walk but steep and I was a little stiff after a mornings walking to another house (actually found in process of restoration). Ystrad Owen is perched side of a hill, perhaps not as long ruinous as it makes one believe. The Scot’s Pine can be seen as the path ascends and the ruins are separated by the track. Both house and outbuildings are roofless and much ruinous but there’s a good sense of place here; a view, an openness which can be sheltered from, if need be, by this morning’s breeze. It was from these ruins two other properties could be spied and which led to my next walk, of Penybanc, a strange and alluring place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24522057.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3231576215575d7849f754.jpgTRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Not a far walk from the road but a damp one, and fortunately for me between very heavy spring showers. Triael was once a large farmstead, numerous outbuildings mostly in poor state of disrepair, the house itself, barely recognisable except for a brick chimney and some wooden shelves in an alcove, miraculously surviving when the walls have all but fallen into a pile of rubble. Nice pair of circular stone pillars fronting barn. I have come across a number of such pillars and they're always a pleasant surprise when often times the Welsh farmhouse in Ceredigion is practical build rather than aesthetic one. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-teifi-pools-ffair-rhos https://images.on-this.website/7784_9009763924eb63e4a73077.jpgWALL, Teifi Pools, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2001 Notes on WALL, Teifi Pools, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2001 On a reservior wall, black paint for some reason had been splashed on this wall - odd because these lakes are very rural. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penglais-fach-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12647995774d296e9accf17.jpgPENGLAIS FACH, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PENGLAIS FACH, Ceredigion 2010 A ruined farmhouse and barns on the golf course in Aberystwyth overlooking the Irish Sea. I have been contacted by various people if I knew about this house. It stands completely isolated in the centre of the golf course, not even boarded up or fenced off. Inside doors hang off hinges, windows smashed with ivy pouring in, the floors covered in debris, internal walls with huge holes, wallpaper hanging off revealing brightly covered walls beneath. All quite depressing and will probably be set alight one day by the visits from nightly youths who come to sit around the 1950's fireplace and drink beer. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29922944.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3212906558592a998a52c.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24522119.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5326571645575d8c13d5d1.jpgTRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Not a far walk from the road but a damp one, and fortunately for me between very heavy spring showers. Triael was once a large farmstead, numerous outbuildings mostly in poor state of disrepair, the house itself, barely recognisable except for a brick chimney and some wooden shelves in an alcove, miraculously surviving when the walls have all but fallen into a pile of rubble. Nice pair of circular stone pillars fronting barn. I have come across a number of such pillars and they're always a pleasant surprise when often times the Welsh farmhouse in Ceredigion is practical build rather than aesthetic one. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penbanc-swyddffynnon-ceredigion-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12883892925406c11553960.jpgPENBANC, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on PENBANC, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 A house hidden behind trees and bushes, not long empty but rapidly deteriorating - overgrown and dark and lowly, the front rendered and characterless but around the back (or what I presume was once the front) is a stone porch and stoned-up doorway giving clues that this was once, perhaps, a peasant longhouse. Barns and other outbuildings also present in varies degrees of dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24520365.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7862074275575b814d0dd1.jpgTRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Not a far walk from the road but a damp one, and fortunately for me between very heavy spring showers. Triael was once a large farmstead, numerous outbuildings mostly in poor state of disrepair, the house itself, barely recognisable except for a brick chimney and some wooden shelves in an alcove, miraculously surviving when the walls have all but fallen into a pile of rubble. Nice pair of circular stone pillars fronting barn. I have come across a number of such pillars and they're always a pleasant surprise when often times the Welsh farmhouse in Ceredigion is practical build rather than aesthetic one. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26620316.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_135487450956be0fb135083.jpgGWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on GWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2016 A return, a revisit and a little easier to photograph the house, although the windows and doors are still impregnable, but from afar it is possible to see that there are brambles growing inside the window frames, which surely must mean that internally the house is damp, the stone work possibly damaged. Seems a waste but who knows the reasons why many of these houses are left abandoned, sometimes completely understandable, other times with disbelief. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24519311.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16853670685575b03149902.jpgLLYSWEN MILL & WORKSHOP, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLYSWEN MILL & WORKSHOP, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 After living in Aberaeron for a few years and only just finding this was a pleasant surprise. Of course, the old car was the main attraction, and that old familiar smell of dampness, humus, engine oil and springtime! A few exposures were made, all lasting eight minutes or so, the highlights of the sky outside burnt out and a little flare on the lens but nonetheless, all good. I wonder if this was indeed once a mill? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo7026534.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5802669034cb53fda507bc.jpgLLWYN-LL-WYD, Ceredigion 2010 Note on LLWYN-LL-WYD, Ceredigion 2010 I had driven past this house many times and although in an excellent condition it has always had an air of abandonment about it. In fine exterior condition and feels only recently un-occupied. The house itself is typical of the Cardiganshire home and has extensive outbuildings, all in agricultural use but also in need of some basic general maintenance. Peering through the windows of the house there was some furniture, a laid carpet and very little else. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34628002.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10267824055ade342b96e94.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Blurred edges are the fence surrounding these buildings. I decided to leave them, and not crop, since they are part of the experience. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34530346.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12772009155ad2fe00b8c1b.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/broken-tree-hafod-pontrhydygroes-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_2526779194f82be1e46c9e.jpgBROKEN TREE, Hafod, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on BROKEN TREE, Hafod, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 A tree struck by lightning a few years ago, downstream on the Hafod estate. The trunk is split almost perfect in half, horizontally, reveals the slowly worn interior and lifeforce of the tree. A simple exposure showing the trunk, the collapsed section (which mysteriously lays behind the untouched half of the trunk) and some low sunlight sprinkling brightly on the river Ystywth in the background. A simple but pleasing image. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/parry-williams-th https://images.on-this.website/7784_1869167933533bd4959bfb9.jpgParry-Williams TH, Beddgelert 2013 Notes on Parry-Williams TH A strong image. A gravestone is, after all, just a gravestone. Sometimes I was fortunate in that the relevant poet's family thought it justified to build something a little more than the average sized stone. This pillar was imposing and therefore I attempted to match it. A number of images were taken, but this one worked the best. From Winter 2012 through to Spriing 2014 I visited graveyards throughout the length and breadth of Wales. Many hours were spent searching for particular gravestones, of poet's, well known and not so well known. A few were not found, mostly they were. The project was difficult not due the hours searching but more so to finding an ordinary gravestone in a wild graveyard. So often other viewpoints of other gravestones would have made an excellent photographic record but I was forced to settle, even compromise, with my brief. Frustrating as it was, it was also made the more rewarding, my eye was forced to work harder. Fortunately these peaceful places helped with keeping the mind free of distractions. Here are a few of the images published in the book. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41356518.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18437723875f22bea29ea57.jpgGARN, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on GARN, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Hidden away within a shallow group of trees Garn feels both long lost but perhaps not quite as long lost as first imagined. I crossed two or three fields, the first field had an oddly position three arched doored stable (see next set of images). The edge of the final field had a narrow hedged pathway, most likely the driveway to the ruined farmstead itself but now only passable for one person at a time. The house sits low within the group of trees, roofless, mostly featureless. I could work out if this had a staircase rising with the chimney, quite possibly but equally possibly not! Around the rear are a number of outbuildings, well-built but time is slowly eating away at their structural integrity. The building immediately to the rear had a rounded corner and signs of a more recent mortar repair. I am untrained. I could not tell if this rounded corner had been built originally this way or had been repaired and rounded off at a later date. The other outbuildings were all overgrown and in poor state. A number of images were taken all around the house. Long exposures of up to 30 seconds. The light hitting the subject slowly reaching the sensitive film. On the map another possible ruin just a field away, Tir-Ifan but when I reached the spot where the house should have stood I could not find it. I think it had been demolished or it was out of sight within the wooded area which was covered in high and impassable brambles. It is my belief the house has gone judging by how perfectly flat the ground was where I thought the house should have stood. Garn however still stands and my visit of around half an hour was calming and quiet. I sometimes do not fully appreciate my time at these sites. I am often preoccupied with capturing the best image possible rather than fully soak up the atmosphere. This is a shame since I believe if I could marry the atmosphere with the scientific aspects of capturing an image on film then I feel I would do my subject matter a greater service; that of respect and that would hopefully have a positive impact in the images I documented onto film. Garn was a reminder that I should not rush, I should look harder, heighten my senses and then think about capturing what I see (and feel) on to film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769180.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14867874804a31e4349fe64.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 After visiting Ruperra Castle, a short journey down the M4 to Llanmartin and to the ruins of Pencoed Castle. I had heard it had been re-sold in 2006 and wondered if any progress had been made on its consolidation and restoration. Sadly not. From memory, my first visit in 1997, very little seemed to have changed at Pencoed Castle. Caravans and other farm machinery no longer littered the front lawn but other than that, it remained, seemingly, ever resilient to time and decay. Of course no building can remain solid without the due care and maintenance. Peering through the windows one could see the make-shift wooden scaffolding; beams holding lintels, timbers holding beams. One such covered metal frame was loose. I entered without effort or force and walked the great halls and dusty stone staircases. Stone fireplaces stood without heat and scaffolding kept the floors above barely intact. That said, 12 years after my first visit, Pencoed seems to be in an astonishing condition (to my untrained eye) since it has been left empty since the 1950/60's(?). These days the only occupants of Pencoed Castle are the birds – rooks tending attentively to their demanding young and making such a racket in comparison to the gentle and soft coo-ing of the pigeons. The birds weave in and out of the windows – nearly all smashed and the metal frames twisted – inside stone steps lead up to floorless rooms, dusty but seemingly dry. On the first floor long planks lead from doorway to doorway, the second floor padlocked. Although padlocked, I did not feel the need to venture further. Pencoed, long yet slim, remains a mysterious place – barren within and without, one feels the house has had a long and varied history. Twelve years since my first visit, Pencoed still felt ancient and any ideals of modernization would feel wrong and building against the spiritual grain. Perhaps some houses are better left simply as they are; empty, dry and content. The gatehouse, surrounding walls, barns and dovecote all crumble, slowly without human interference or indeed need, in ruin. Yet again, an easy thought to have in a brief and distant visit. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1732999174b51e381efd6c.jpg[/img] Walkng toward Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15306766534b51e3db5a7af.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19357660874b51e447351d0.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13526894934b51e49d9969d.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058677.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17149025075fef530fb6fbc.jpgTHE HERMITAGE, Near Llanbedr, Breconshire 2009 Notes on THE HERMITAGE, Near Llanbedr, Breconshire 2009 Leaving Crickhowell and up towards the Black Mountains of the Brecon Beacons, The Hermitage is reached by a single lane, high hedged road that wends seven miles until it reaches a gated track. Just below, beyond the stream, in a heavily wooded valley lays The Hermitage. I had visited once before in May 2005 and had wanted my next visit to be during the winter months when the grass would not be thigh high; when the brambles would not catch your clothes; when the nettles and thistles would not cut and burn your legs and more importantly, when the house would not be obscured by the unrestrained summer foliage. Fortunately what does remain of the house is not completely drowned in all this thriving greenery. The simple bridge that once stood beside the house has long collapsed but further upstream is a ford which grants access to the walls and the two large and high chimneys of the house. The low cellars are all caved in and the window and door lintels have all collapsed but there are still clues within the bare stone walls of the layout of the house. Fireplaces are evident in the ground and upper floor. Also a few pages on I’ve also included the only photograph I’ve found of the Hermitage intact. I can not remember which book this was copied from or when the photograph was taken, so if anyone knows please do get it touch. As in the first visit I found this house to be a calming experience. The house is in a very secluded part of Wales and the stream, the birds and the wind blowing through the trees is the only sound one can hear. A romantic and beguiling place. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8792946184b594aa70711c.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19761795104b594b49761e2.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7568063184b594be07a26b.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19528002.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6700931465254290d86614.jpgBERTHDOMLED STABLES, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on BERTHDOMLED STABLES, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2013 A public footpath passes the actual house of Berthdomled (occupied and not ruined!) and the stables stand beside it, almost dwarfing the house. The stables form a courtyard and contain a cow shed, pigsties, boiler house, barn and outward facing cart sheds. All are in various states of disrepair but are still in some agricultural use. A few exposures were made but are slightly underexposed. This maybe because of the difficulty of finding the correct exposure due to the lifting dawn and also this batch of film (Kodak tmax100) is also approximately 15 years past its use-by date. The current price of film determines such measures. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wooden-barn-elan-valley-rhadnorshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_8426550704d14f05f52261.jpgWOODEN BARN, Elan Valley, Rhadnorshire 2010 Notes on WOODEN BARN, Elan Valley, Rhadnorshire 2010 Standing above and with great views of the Penygarreg Reservoir and Dam this small collection of buildings, mainly stone and this long wooden barn, sit nestled in a small hollow. I was uncertain if one of the stone buildings that stand adjacent to this wooden barn was infact once a cottage. I could however make out no chimney and I would presume any dwelling, even if just a shephards dwelling would have a chimney. As you can see in this photograph the roof has caved in with all the small slates still attached. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34696303.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10641114045ae9e8e749377.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5801355.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7667575414c5912da6e1b5.jpgDOLGORS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DOLGORS, Ceredigion 2010 A small lines of firs run along the muddy and short driveway up the farmstead of Dolgors. No longer can the house be reached by vehicle due to a large concrete barrier and large silo bags. I read in the local paper, The Cambrian News, last year that the copper had been ripped out of an empty property in Devil’s Bridge by thieves. I immediately knew that Dolgor’s, such a spectacular farm house, had been the victim. The house is a large ‘L’ shape, rendered in a miserable grey and has large saplings growing from its chimney’s. I am very fond of this farm house. It has a special atmosphere. A long line of calves, obviously enjoying each others company and exploring the adjacent field together, came to watch over me with their quizzical eyes. They were boisterous and playful but one step in their direction and they fled like a firework. They soon however returned. They watched as I stood beneath a large yew tree and set up my camera. The false dawn was heavy and dim. The morning was grey and the night was reluctant to lift. Long exposures of 32 seconds were required but there was no breeze to cause a blur in the surrounding trees, indeed even the large and sunken silted puddles reflected perfect the grey scenes of the surrounding countryside. All was quiet and grey and another day was beginning that would contribute to Dolgor’s sorry decline. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25890726.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_38488501556224efabb7e3.jpgABSTRACTION, Brighton 2007 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Brighton 2007 I have recently re-discovered a box of old negatives from 2007 of abstractions taken in Brighton. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42109927.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15115245275fc900d5b7309.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontardawe 2020 This was not my destination, my destination was another ruined house but I was unable to reach due to being with my partner who refused to cross a somewhat boggy valley bottom and stream. I did not mind because I had seen this quarter of a mile away. My partner waited in the car and I trampled across the boggy land, tufts of wet high grass. The house is much ruined. A few exposures made. The morning was bright and cold with little heat from the sun. But the sun was still welcome. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36927131.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12121588145beb3e74c0a11.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/court-cwrt-llanychaer-pembrokeshire-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4448920304ca34d1a09bb5.jpgCOURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 A remarkable visit. In most instances the mansions I visit are in such a poor state of disrepair that the very layout of the rooms and décor are impossible to determine. Not so at Court. I know not when Court became derelict but it has not fallen into disrepair like so many others, in the 1950’s. Court has not suffered the 60 years of pilfering, or the yearly cycles of the battling elements forcing themselves behind plasterwork, between brick and mortar. The decay here hasn’t quite reached a point where total dereliction would force demolition. It is however true that the roof above the main staircase has begun to let in the rain at an alarming rate. Huge holes have appeared in the ceiling, with large saplings growing and long strands of ivy falling down. This damp area of the house continues all the way down to the basement. It cuts like a knife through a cake. Other rooms, most other rooms, although bare and with some damp, appear to be in a good dry condition. Unfortunately some of the plasterwork has begun to crumble, none as worse as the plaster frieze in the hallway just at the foot of the main staircase and therefore near the dampest areas of the house. The driveway up to the house is no longer in use other than agricultural, and glimpses of the house can be snatched. Court’s rendered façade is peeling and crumbling giving the house a sorrier look of disrepair than perhaps it deserves. Its an imposing house and its wooden portico has all but rotted and collapsed. Inside the house is spacious and although it does not have a large number of rooms, they are all a decent size with the kitchen at the hub of the house. There are the usual signs of dereliction within; old furniture, hearths full of bird nests, rusty kettles and boxes and baskets of knickknacks and ornaments, an empty but dust lined enamelled bath. Also on the site is a walled garden and many outbuildings, mostly renovated although an impressive slate clad barn remains in a derelict state. Photographing Court was a very pleasant experience. Some of the interior images required, since I never use flash photography for the black and white images, exposure times of 16 minutes whilst some of the exterior shots, due to the dimness of the morning also requiring exposure times of between 1 – 8 minutes causing some blurriness of foliage that blew in the wind. A farm stood at this site long before the mansion was built in 1800. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13460856.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12078589404eb63fd53d980.jpgWALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 Notes on WALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 A number of images here were taken at the majestic and ruined cement works between Shoreham and Upper Beeding, West Sussex. I passed these buildings every day for a year in 2007 when I worked at Small Dole. I have made a number of exposures of the buildings themselves but found far more rewarding the weathered and graffiti walls inside. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22293861.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10083175675406c13306bd0.jpgTY NEWYDD, Llanddeiniol, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY NEWYDD, Llanddeiniol, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage renovated some time I imagine in 1980's but now ruined and open to the elements. Inside lots of skeletons of birds of prey - too large to be anything other - with wings and feathers attached - all strange and sad. The staircase was gone, no access to upper floor but on tip-toe could see nothing but dust and bird-droppings. The cottage is a shell and a shame to see such waste. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13460865.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8258411324eb641afdebb7.jpgWALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 Notes on WALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 A number of images here were taken at the majestic and ruined cement works between Shoreham and Upper Beeding, West Sussex. I passed these buildings every day for a year in 2007 when I worked at Small Dole. I have made a number of exposures of the buildings themselves but found far more rewarding the weathered and graffiti walls inside. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-at-llain-cross-inn https://images.on-this.website/7784_10687426205692038258c45.jpgABSTRACTION AT LLAIN, Cross Inn, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT LLAIN, Cross Inn, Ceredigion 2016 Six years after my first visit. The foliage in front of the house almost completely obscured the house in pictures I took in summer of 2010. Dappled sunlight did not help either, as pretty as it was. My return today, January, was cloudy and drizzly. No fear of the sun ruining any viewpoints! Again, the rear window was the way in and after exploring the house, little changed in six years, I set the camera upstairs pointing from the landing to the bedroom wall you can see here. A relatively long exposure of 16 minutes, and the negative is a little thin, so would have probably could have done with a 45 minute exposure. Nonetheless, a successful image. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/001 https://images.on-this.website/7784_95748004753b3a471ebce3.jpgBRYN EIDDWEN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on BRYN EIDDWEN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 A few metres before you come to Glan-llyn, this ruin stands, hidden from view from the row of trees between it and lake of Eiddwen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050817.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4285476394f251013b2e0b.jpgNotes on ALLT HOUSE, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Notes on Notes on ALLT HOUSE, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Surrounded by dead bracken and high on a hillside only a stones throw away from the Paragon Tower, the Allt House, a well-fitted name, stands forlorn yet stoic over looking the Talybont-on-Usk valley. A high narrow house with extensions fallen. The front door is at the rear of the building and this left the builder to fit a huge window on the front and then to allow not only a lot of light into this little house but to also give the occupants a truely panaromic view. I'd love to see photographs of teh house before dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38414191.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13487040785ce2e1eb9b98d.jpgABSTRACTION, Swansea 2019 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Swansea 2019 I find it hard to walk anywhere without searching for such abstractions. I visit towns, landscapes, ruins or just walking down a residential street I seek such subjects. This image and its sister is actually something of a cheat. This is the recycling bin of a house my partner and I are renovating. The house itself, now all the walls have been stripped of their plaster, have also revealed interesting walls - of which will be shown here at a later date. And of this number 79? It shows a peeled plastic number, a small bird, sunlight, shade, bubbles in the number, scratches and scars, highlights and shadows. It contains everything a good image should; substance. It also shows a recycling bin. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38438112.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4529296315ce6eb030930a.jpgABSTRACTION, Swansea 2019 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Swansea 2019 Black mortar wall in a house I am renovating - the scratches were probably made when the house was built in the 1930's and a few chips from a hammer and screwdriver as recent as two weeks ago (May 2019)... A successful image? Probably not. Worthy of the other abstractions on this site? Again, probably not. I can't even say I enjoyed taking the picture. My mystery of pattern was old in my minds eye. I had worked on this wall. It brings pain, not joy! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mounton-chapel-canaston-woods-pembrokeshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_16936957084c5e4efed202e.jpgMOUNTON CHAPEL, Canaston Woods, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on MOUNTON CHAPEL, Canaston Woods, Pembrokeshire 2010 Originally a 13th century chapel but restored in the 18th and 19th centuries, it is very ruinous with the roof half collapsed and the other half in a very precarious state. I squeezed through the high security fence that surrounds this small chapel in the middle of a field. I was not going to enter but the fence had already been breached and I was pleased I did. Inside there was the usual clutter and masonry of an abandoned, and partly fallen, property laying on the ground. Graffiti was scratched into the soft damp plaster on the walls – names and dates, some of which dated back twenty years, all part of the chapels’ recent history. Some areas of brightly coloured paint on corbels and small wall alcoves, framed in blue and red paintwork. These small areas of colour gave hint at a once beautifully decorated chapel. Outside just off centre to the entrance is a large five foot square large foundation stone. I was uncertain of its purpose. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/barn-at-tyn-gelli-penbontrhydybeddau https://images.on-this.website/7784_7775934784e4c09bf52840.jpgBARN AT TY'N GELLI,Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BARN, TY'N GELLI, Ceredigion 2011 On a morning heavy with rain the shelter offered by this poor property was welcome - as it was for two slightly mummified sheep carcases that lay in the living room once upon a time. (see previous images) The roof leaks water at the rear of the house and I did not venture upstairs due to the staircase damp and rotten with holes in each step. This handbag sat in the window downstairs in the lving room, hard and brittle and of little use to anyone.(see previous images). This barn was also looking sorry for itself and stands directly opposite the house. No images were taken of the house due to it being largely lost beneath the undergrowth. A return in the winter months will have to be made. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rhos-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4222236074c5912a0ccbf9.jpgRHOS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on RHOS, Ceredigion 2010 What an utterly delightful house and a stunning location. I had been here a number of times before but, and shamefully, the cost of film has always meant I have been too economical with what I photographed and also my interests have changed. It has only recently occurred to me that these old farmhouses and cottages have their place in the architectural history and heritage of Wales. With this in mind I have been revisited some of the ruins I know of and when before I only photographed them quickly using a compact camera I have now decided to seek out a strong composition from sometimes barely distinguished walls obscured with foliage and hanging tree branches. I have named this house Marchnant after the stream and forest it stands in, I could find no name on the O/S map but will endeavour to find out its original name. A traditional longhouse in a low stone enclosure with mature hardwoods (beeches and sycamores), forming a rectangle at the front of the house. Inside are very few discernable features but the size of the chimney suggests a bread oven at least with the possibility of a seated area with an alcove (although this chimney has partially collapsed). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/notes-on-pen-yr-wern https://images.on-this.website/7784_2508126375a670211ca790.jpgNotes on PEN YR WERN, Brecknock 2018 Notes on PEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Remarkable farmhouse and outbuildings all sitting in a shallow hollow surrounded by hardwood and boggy land. I had scanned the maps and GoogleEarth beforehand and concluded the house had been demolished. Google-earth showed nothing but a group of trees so was delighted when I traipsed along the invisible footpath through fields of soggy ground to this aforementioned group of trees. Within seconds I fell in love this silent little site. A few slates remain on the long barn with arrow slits (to help air circulate) but otherwise all other buildings are long empty and ruinous. Lines of trees lead in and out of the site around the rear to the side, again not explicitly apparent on GoogleEarth. Sometimes, most times, a walk is the only way to explore and find such ruins. I know nothing of the history of Pen-yr-wern so any information would be appreciated.... apparently sold to the coal board in the 1960's and left abandoned ever since... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050717.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12731078274f250dce84092.jpgBLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 My first visit here was in 1991 – back then I had only just taken up photography and every weekend I would load myself up with camera and equipment and go exploring. Often, not always, I simply wandered around with no specific destination, merely walked from the road into the Cambrian Mountains and just followed my nose to wherever looked interesting. I followed streams and naturally gravitated towards ruins or sheepfolds. Exploring the Myherin forest back then was a frustrating and confusing experience. I did not know my way around the many miles of forestry track – it could be slow going, sometimes going in circles and with only snatches of views gained from gaps in the trees. Blaen Myherin was a welcome view – it stands 5 miles from the main road and stands at the head of the valley. It seemed very secluded during my first visit and in many ways it is yet, also, it is surrounded by wind farm turbines and in the middle of a working forest whose tracks are sometimes used for motor sport rally. The house spends most of its time in a solitary isolation but every now and again it is in the midst of a roar of noise and always accompanied with that thin and wavering un-melodic hum from the wind turbine blades continuously filling this sometime peaceful valley. The house, as one can see in the photographs, is in a very poor state with the roof and one gable end collapsed. The long, 100 foot barn beside the house is also looking structurally poor and is no longer in use. Inside is littered with debris and many names have been carved into the wooden stable walls. The house was last lived in the late 1960’s. What would the owners think of the house now? My trip was a pleasant one nonetheless. I had cycled to the house and made a number of exposures – simple, uncomplicated and rewarding. The ground around the house is very damp, I followed the sheep tracks through the hidden deep troughs of muddy waters and set up the camera. Blaen Myherin will shortly be nothing more than a pile of stone. How sad to think the wind turbines will out-survive this once much loved farmhouse. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115469.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16197909274982ae8df2a27.jpgGREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2005 Notes on GREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2005 Gutted by fire though not neglect, in the late 1990's, Great Frampton remains a hollow shell supported with scaffolding. The famous astronomer, Nathaniel Pigott, stayed at Frampton during the 1770's and erected an observatory. The name Framptonis thought to have evolved from Francton an English knight, Adam De Francton, who killed Llewelyn, the last Prince of Wales. Great Frampton, set in a wild park, also encompasses a walled garden. The large adjoining service wings are also ruined however. I arrived at about 5am after a two and a half hour drive. An early start allows me to, at least attempt, visit as many properties in a day before the light fades or my eyes begin to flicker and flirt with a downward immobility. As I pulled up alongside the house a farmer pulled away in the opposite direction, uninterested in me parking in front of his barns. The morning dew soddened my shoes almost immediately whilst I wandered around the grounds, seeking viewpoints and setting up my camera. Everywhere seemed still and the ground was carpeted with tiny cobwebs and a few birds few from eaves to tree. It was a serene scene and after the long drive a pleasant beginning to the day. Great Frampton 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18487032804b498c093fc1b.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13410498684b498ba7ebb25.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/jumping-sheep-llyn-teifi-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_17245473364c2ae36d8cae8.jpgJUMPING SHEEP, Llyn Teifi, Ceredigion 1990 Notes on JUMPING SHEEP, Llyn Teifi, Ceredigion 1990 An early image taken on 35mm film and using a high grain film. A long row of sheep began jumping across this stream and it took a number of missed opportunites before I managed to capture one of the sheep in mid-air. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cardigan-bay-at-aberaeron-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_519315445488a4729e7a2.jpgCARDIGAN BAY at ABERAERON, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on CARDIGAN BAY at ABERAERON, Ceredigion 2014 Taken before sunrise and purposely so that the cloud cover and water appeared as a gentle blur. An exposure of 4 minutes meant the cloud was recorded as a blur as it passed by overhead. The water too has a silky soft smoothness to it and a simple exposure of sea and sky was given a little something extra. The morning woke up after this was taken and I packed up camera and headed off to work. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31658647.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2863832515942dea1cb6333.79924063.jpgBRITON FERRY IRONWORKS, ENGINE HOUSE, Neath Port Talbot 2017 Notes on BRITON FERRY IRONWORKS, ENGINE HOUSE, Neath Port Talbot 2017 An imposing building, one end completely open to the elements and within a vast empty space with minimum graffiti and rubbish. A few horses grazed on the field around, above the M4 flyover, the river Neath just behind the building. A somewhat depressing site, wasteland and most industrial buildings lain flat. A caravan park sits a stones throw away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5834458.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4590980164c5e54023aac9.jpgPENYGWERNYDD ISAF, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PENYGWERNYDD ISAF, Ceredigion 2010 Just for a split second, whilst driving from New Row towards Abermagwr, a house can be spied just below the former mines at Trisant. Although half a mile away it has the air of an empty house – something I always eagerly seek whilst driving, walking or cycling around mid Wales. The walk up to its doors does not take long and it becomes obvious that this house has either not been left empty for all that many years or else it has just not been visited much, or indeed at all, by vandals. My first visit was, I believe, in 2003 and very little seems to have changed since then. There is little within except a few pieces of furniture and although it seems very damp inside it appears to be in generally good health. Some of the windows have however broken and the floor boards beneath them rotted but other than that I can not see why this house needs to stand empty. A long line of stone outbuildings, some ruined, stand adjacent. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/monkey-puzzle-dacre-cement-works https://images.on-this.website/7784_2094326584c185db1e78b6.jpgMONKEY PUZZLE, Dacre Cement Works, Shoreham, East Sussex 2007 Notes on MONKEY PUZZLE, Dacre Cement Works, Shoreham, East Sussex 2007 AN EXHIBITION OF BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS SHOWING ARCHITECTURE IN BRIGHTON & HOVE: These photographs document buildings around the Brighton and Hove area, some forgotten, some overlooked, whilst others dim in our memories. This exhibition will hopefully remind people that there are many fine buildings in this small but built up area. I have tried to avoid the much-documented Regency and Victorian architecture and instead focussed on the commercial, industrial, municipal and religious buildings. These images act as both a simple documental record and as a personal appreciation, which hopefully evokes some emotional response from the viewer. I have attempted wherever possible to photograph a building showing only its façade, isolated from its surroundings to give some suggestion of what the initial architectural drawings must have looked like. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26843513.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_156349130256e2f429ceb70.jpgTANYBWLCH, Llwynpiod, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on TANYBWLCH, Llwynpiod, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Low cottage, few discernible features; lintels, fireplace and windows and door holes, corner of house built deeply into bank. Barely legible beneath tree and foliage, Tanybwlch is now little more than four walls. Planning permission had been submitted in the 1970's but obviously nothing had come from it. A caravan sat beside it, a dirty mattress and an empty bottle of vodka, long empty but signs of someone who thought maybe they could make a go of things. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/025 https://images.on-this.website/7784_18110724945488a47b1174e.jpgLLANIO BRIDGE & WATER TANK, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LLANIO BRIDGE & WATER TANK, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 There was something immensely pleasing about using this metal ladder to read the track bed of the disused railway line at Llanio. The water tank is large and still filled with a rust coloured water. The track bed under the bridge is filled with very deep muddy water and due to the foliage viewpoints were limited but my little visit here was a pleasant one. I had known of this water tank beforehand but always forgot to visit whenever I went to the derelict milkery beside Llanio Halt. The platform is all still there and with the aid of old photographs it's relatively easy to turn the clock back forty years and see this site as a busy and bustling place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-farmstead-aber-brecknock-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_5188626685b0d03923d552.jpgNEUADD-WEN, Aber, Brecknock 2018 Notes on NEUADD-WEN, Aber, Brecknock 2018 A sort walk from the tarmac C-road, a group of buildings, derelict but signs of restoration visible. Interesting within, wall buttress and spiraled staircase with fireplace under the buttress. Up the stairs and first floor of the 'cottage' (or was this the barn beforehand?). Alterations and restorations throughout, here and there, all doors open and therefore open to the elements but all in a good clean condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38438116.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19029708655ce6eb0608a24.jpgPEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2019 Notes on PEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2019 Remarkable farmhouse and outbuildings all sitting in a shallow hollow surrounded by hardwood and boggy land. I had scanned the maps and GoogleEarth beforehand and concluded the house had been demolished. Google-earth showed nothing but a group of trees so was delighted when I traipsed along the invisible footpath through fields of soggy ground to this aforementioned group of trees. Within seconds I fell in love this silent little site. A few slates remain on the long barn with arrow slits (to help air circulate) but otherwise all other buildings are long empty and ruinous. Lines of trees lead in and out of the site around the rear to the side, again not explicitly apparent on GoogleEarth. Sometimes, most times, a walk is the only way to explore and find such ruins. I know nothing of the history of Pen-yr-wern so any information would be appreciated.... apparently sold to the coal board in the 1960's and left abandoned ever since... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42233314.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9066375006054c85cf39f3.jpgTADMORE, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Notes on TADMORE, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 With Lockdown nearing an end and travel restricted to a 5 mile radius, I broke the rules and travelled 6 miles, possibly a little less since I didn't drive all the way my GPS suggested but parked the car in a layby and walked a half mile to the first of two ruins. The first visited was Tadmore, a high house but much ruined, the front façade had completely collapsed and there was no view to be had of the whole front of the house due to foliage. There is however plenty to see here and it was a perfect place to visit after such a hiatus due to the pandemic. The morning was quiet, birdsong and little else to keep me company. There were plenty of rabbit or possible badger holes around the side of the house and also, although I did not venture to find it, an old mine shaft. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/prignant-uchaf-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12811688624ba7a0acd13e9.jpgPRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2010 Isolated with no proper road, Prignant Uchaf is a favourite location of mine – the only sound to be heard are the birds, sheep, wind and the small stream, the Brignant... and the occasional jet fighter plane. The house has slowly been in decline over the twenty years I have been visiting (every 4 years or so). The staircase has now completely collapsed so no access to the two rooms above and the floors above also have all but collasped due to the hole in the roof as seen in this photograph. A cast iron bed sits beside the fireplace on the ground floor. I photographed this very scene in 1996 and very little has changed. That photograph taken in 1996 is a notoriously difficult negative to print due to the contrast. I decided a re-take was required, especially since little had in fact changed all that much. This new image has proved a success and also with the added attraction of three old shoes (three individual, no pairs!) all old, worn and warped by the leather becoming damp and drying. Although isolated Brignant stands beside Forestry Commission land and on this visit was dwarfed by the 30 foot piles of freshly felled pine, sweet scented; my singularly favourite scent and one I closely associate home with. Brignant stands before a small clutter of hardwoods and has a special atmosphere. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penbont-henllan-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_989668936552e18447efe2.jpgPENBONT, Henllan, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PENBONT, Henllan, Ceredigion 2015 Much vandalised house - not so long empty - judging by the letters on the floor by front door, perhaps less than ten years. Also a very surprising large house - four/five bedrooms - one end has hole in roof and ceiling has collapsed. Rooms piled high with furniture and other debris - all quite depressing and wasteful. Access is through an open side door and I certainly was not the first to enter - an utter waste and needs some urgent work to make weather and vandal-proof. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rhandirmwyn-mines-nant-y-bai https://images.on-this.website/7784_17037040564b8bc6ea04a2d.jpgRHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 Notes on RHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 A few miles from Llyn Brianne Reservior, a surprisingly large mine workings called Nantymwyn which ceased production in the early 20th century. I visited early March 2003 and again in November 2008. Many former mining buildings scatter the grey heaps. A large cement mixing(?) building stands on cement stilts and a high tower and finishing mill. Back in 2003 after I had wandered around for a hour or two, further down the hillside, I thought I could hear a motor of some description labouring. Due to a slight breeze I had slight trouble locating the precise source of the sound. Just below a small pile of rubble sat a small pond thick with frogspawn and around the pond, leaving by the scores were large frogs (or toads) chirping and croaking like many small engines! An unexpected pleasure! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6882490.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21430620954caae106e798f.jpgTREFENTER CHAPEL & CHAPEL HOUSE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on TREFENTER CHAPEL & CHAPEL HOUSE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2010 A few hundred yards from the small village of Trefenter and down a dead end lane stands the chapel and chapel house. The front view of the house, chapel and vestry mislead the onlooker into believing that the buildings are all in a fine state of repair. Further examination reveal a sorrier picture. The chapel within, in the top right hand corner, has a huge hole and dampness. Debris litters the pews beneath. It does however appear the chapel is still in use, I imagine the congregation alternate each Sunday with other local chapels. The Vestry, locked, also appeared to be in regular use. The chapel house however was in a sad state. The front view offered the opinion that a lick of paint would liven up the building but around the rear, standing in the cemetery, revealed a sorrier picture. Many slates had come off and no doubt within one would find the ceilings and floors to be damp and possibly hole ridden and dangerous. What’s to be done? Communities do not have the money to restore the chapel let alone consolidate and modernize the chapel house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/evans-jones-albert-cynan https://images.on-this.website/7784_1116362889533bd1e157fbd.jpgEvans Jones Albert - Cynan, Anglesey 2013 Notes on Evans Jones Albert - Cynan A small church and graveyard on an island on the Menai Strait. A simple exposure, my options were limited. The day was bright, uninspiring. A small dog yapped at me for five minutes before the owner wandered up, apologising. After I made the exposure I sat for a few minutes thinking if I could improve upon this image. I could have moved the pot of flowers but to what advancement? A few minutes later another dog sniffing me. I rose and went back home. From Winter 2012 through to Spriing 2014 I visited graveyards throughout the length and breadth of Wales. Many hours were spent searching for particular gravestones, of poet's, well known and not so well known. A few were not found, mostly they were. The project was difficult not due the hours searching but more so to finding an ordinary gravestone in a wild graveyard. So often other viewpoints of other gravestones would have made an excellent photographic record but I was forced to settle, even compromise, with my brief. Frustrating as it was, it was also made the more rewarding, my eye was forced to work harder. Fortunately these peaceful places helped with keeping the mind free of distractions. Here are a few of the images published in the book. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13060724.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6153767814e8423ab49be8.jpgPONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes. Other railway buildings remain, station storage building as seen here still in agricultural storage use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llawhaden-house-llawhaden-pembrokeshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13517838954dd3684d6d724.jpgLLAWHADEN HOUSE, Llawhaden, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on LLAWHADEN HOUSE, Llawhaden, Pembrokeshire 2011 A fine house, sadly destroyed by fire in 2000, sits centrally in the small village of Llawhaden and overlooking the ruins of Llawhaden Castle. The village setting is pretty and well-maintained and Llawhaden house sits uncomfortable in it's dilapidated and ruinous state. At the core a medieval dwelling and it is also reported that Oliver Cromwell stayed here. Around the rear there is also a granary, stables, dovecote and also a walled garden (over the road) – all overgrown and unfriendly. My visit was brief, on a Saturday afternoon, bright and breezy and due to the high fence I only took a few photographs and did not venture within the fenced area. The property has been purchased with plans to restore in the immediate future. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38438119.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2491130615ce6eb0782725.jpgTYN-YR-HEOL, Tonna, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on TYN-YR-HEOL, Tonna, Neath Port Talbot 2019 A re-visit – the first visit was in 2012 – when access was simply walking through the empty gateway and up the driveway. The entrances have since been boarded up and fefnced off but the wall around the house is not high and can be climbed with ease. My daughter and I jumped up and over. The house, I saw online, is currently set to be auctioned in June 2019 with a start price of £85,000. The house is Grade 2 listed and is, in all purposes, a complete unsalvageable ruin. The façade has almost totally collapsed since 2012, the semi-circle porch laying within the nettle and bramble – speaking of which the brambles almost cover the whole area making most of the house inaccessible and unpleasant to even try to navigate. Inside is a mess of rubble and beams and I wondered since it is Grade 2 listed what can be hoped to be achieved by the next owner of such a house. Again, it has come onto the market far, far too late. There is a lot of land here though and I am certain a developer can make good use of it. Would I be sad to see Tynyrheol demolished? Probably not. Old photographs show a lovely proportioned house without the odd brick extension. A fox hissed at me whilst treading through the undergrowth around the rear of the house, three or four fox cubs stumbled over each other to escape me. They were gone in an instant and I didn’t see them again. Once again, as in 2012, viewpoints were difficult to come by, restricted by the bramble. I tore my coat but didn’t care. Some bramble tore my skin, barely a graze. I trample through the bramble hoping to improve upon the 2012 pictures. I reach a few yards and then set up the camera. Nothing is ever perfect. The sun is too low directly in view. A tree is standing exactly where I wish to place the tripod. These are complaints but are not really complaints. I’ve learnt to accept a site as I find it, make best wit what I am offered, be satisfied with myself that I came here, took out the camera and documented whatever it is I’ve come to visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23793051.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19348576855511073c32538.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 The cottages seen here sit on the other side of the Ystwyth at Cwmystwyth mines. I have driven and looked over to these cottages many a time and recall when they used to have windows and doors and roof. I am not sure why I haven't photographed them before having explored Cwmystwyth much over the last twenty five years. Their positioning alone makes them a worthy inclusion. The March morning I arrived was a cold and frosty one but as the sun rose across the opposite hillside I could tell it was to be a glorious and warm day. A few exposes were made, a small traipse with equipment from one cottage to the other and although I was on this hillside for an hour or so, not a single car passed by and I thought how lucky to live in such a relatively unpopulated area and also, with so much abandonment on my doorstep, little wonder I began photographing ruins. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34530350.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16038059105ad2fe0e1459a.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37330081.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4410149395c53e76d79797.jpgCWM-CWTA, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on CWM-CWTA, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 A walk along the Cothi and then up a bank, across a field, visibility almost down to zero due to fog. The house sits on the side of a valley and has recently been re-roofed. Inside is just a shell and I did not bother to enter. The outbuildings are also much dilapidated and ruinous. It would seem the owners have some intention of restoration or at least put it on the market. My visit was brief, the first of this new year, and although only a few images were taken it is always a relief to get things going. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38577023.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19049577955cf0dec0885ea.jpgTROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on TROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 I had not expected much to be seen here but was pleasantly surprised. Visited on a quiet Friday afternoon with only the sound of the river, insects and birds to be heard. There were no internal details or machinery left inside but enough to have a sense of a working place. The foliage had yet to properly take hold of the site (or had been cut back relatively recently) and exposures could still be made. A stone trough stood against the bank, apparently to collect water seeping/dripping from the rock. The building on the path was possibly the mill-house, adjoined at a right angle to the mill. The mill had been roofed until quite recently with corrugated iron but after it fell in removed from the site. Evidence of drying kiln to side of mill – with three flue-type structures – I only saw two but the CADW report mentions three – I should have looked a little more carefully. A warm and pleasant afternoon without seeing another soul. Troserch wood is a pleasant place to wander around, there’s pathways leading all around and other areas worth visiting. There’s a few mine workings, fenced off these days, and modern wooden structures throughout the woods – although the large grass-roofed covered structure was about to be take down due to it being unsafe. Another ruin, ivy covered, just a field away, was seen but not visited. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25890718.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_128376094356224af7c7983.jpgGWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2015 Impregnable due to foliage, I tried to find a way to the walls of the house, or to at least find a viewpoint worthy of exposing a sheet of film but mostly gave up. A mountain of foliage blocks both view and explorer - a long house, positioned high mid valley, outbuildings mostly ruined, roof still good but access impossible on the September day I visited. Gwrthwynt-isaf, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2015 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38577019.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17948880345cf0debeb5840.jpgPENYBONT MILL, Trelech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on PENYBONT MILL, Trelech, Carmarthenshire 2019 I had seen a CADW report on this mill and knew back in 2012 that there were still machinery left inside and took a gamble and an hour’s drive and found it was all still in place including an iron pit wheel, stone-nut and pair of mill-stones – moss covered, heavy-looking, motionlessly stoic. The building itself was little to look at, a few high walls and smaller rooms adjoining but little detail, roofless, stone, mortar, moss. A rusty truck also sat sinking near to the entrance – this of course was photographed too – Penybont mill is a calming place, at least on my visit, just a hundred yards or so from the road but felt miles from anywhere. A fair hour was spent, viewpoints were sparse but I did what I could and appreciated the visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/beech-tree-at-lluest-aber https://images.on-this.website/7784_2091222164c5912b4c485c.jpgBEECH TREE AT LLUEST ABER CANOL, Elan Valley, Rhadnorshire 2010 Notes on BEECH TREE AT LLUEST ABER CANOL, Elan Valley, Rhadnorshire 2010 I had all but forgotten about a small and ruined property called Lluest Aber Canol and whilst driving by after a visit to the Cwm Elan Mines I made a spontaneous visit. My last visit was in 2001 and since then the A frames and wooden beams had come down exposing the small house, with its three chimneys to the elements. The most impressive feature of this small property is however not the house or its location but a mature beech tree,a s seen in this photograph, in the field behind the house. Solitary yet spectacular in its barren setting, the leaves blew in slow motion in the high breeze suggesting the bulk of the tree pulsating against the skyline. A narrow but well formed sheep path led from the house to under the sheltering tree. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23975228.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_206126943552e1652d60ff.jpgLLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2015 Notes on LLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2015 An impromptu visit on a lovely early spring morning, primarily to visit the beech tree just rear of property. The house further deteriorated and yet again, with each visit of which there have been many of the years, another sheep skull - perhaps it's the same one. My daughter loved the house and wanted to restore it as a summer dwelling. Nice idea but... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24536184.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1518064473557925c4aadc4.jpgGLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage - one forgets how small the rooms are compared to todays houses, no room to swing a cat, but easier to keep warm - and can be seen from the road but the footpath I took started nowhere but eventually met up with the straight track to the house. Inside are ovens, rusty white-goods, worthless and dirty and other bits of... things... doors and window frames, bits of broken furniture, pots and pans et al... Outside the house looks to be in a good general order, the morning sun shone brightly, my spirits were high, cows had done their best to make the going around the house almost impossible without sinking a foot deep and losing footing (and indeed wellingtons) and although my visit here was over within twenty minutes, it was certainly pleasant enough and one hopes the house to find an owner/buyer, small as it may be. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9590492.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14453368554db16c3422684.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 A late afternoon re-visit to Neuadd Fawr. As ever a subliminal experience. Neuadd Fawr's size and ruinous state can only impress the casual or eager explorer. The outer walls seem impressively solid but within there is little semblance of rooms nor indeed what those rooms functions once were. This house is a sad sight. It's sheer enormity and dereliction begs so many questions that can be answered simply by oneself: it is too large, too derelict, too far gone to be salvaged. The stable block is also totally ruinous but other outbuildings; stables, diary, kennels are all in a good condition. I do not know if any further trips will be made to Neuadd Fawr. Whenever I have left I have always felt I've missed something, some perfect composition. I have dreamed of this house, wandering through rooms and even photographing parts of it that do not exist. I have photographed it extensively, something I never set out to do (why take fifty photographs when only two or three should suffice?) and perhaps it's this over-exposure and ease of photographic opportunties that is the cause of me feeling I've missed something. Perhaps I expect too much. Perhaps I seek those atmospherics I experienced in my dreams, those atmospherics that do not actually exist. I think for me I should allow Neuadd Fawr to drift away from my consciousness for a good number of years. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551526.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6330944834f8304276617f.jpgUNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 A building in a poor state and little changed since my first visit 10, 15 years ago. It stands, barely, beneath the high wind turbines that steal this part of Wales from its rugged scenery. Perhaps this building will remain, just as it is, long after the wind turbines have gone? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cynnant-rhandirmwyn-carmarthenshire-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_15636910164f33be0805453.jpgCYNNANT, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on CYNNANT, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 This rural farmstead has been ruined for some years judging by the state of the property. The facade was once painted yellow, this yellow has faded and worn and in the late afternoon, on this winters day, glowed with warmth and resilience. The large windows downstairs have gone, the porch and doorway crumbling, the staircase fallen and slates have fallen off the roof. A sorry state, poor Cynnant, lays in. South facing and the track leading from the road no more than a footpath, Cynnant seems miles from anywhere. I missed the footpath that weaved through the forestry and leads down to the house. Instead I carried on along the Forestry Commission track. There was little to no snow when I started my walk. The ground was frozen solid but going was easy. By the time I had walked through the forestry and by my calculations (I knew I’d somehow missed the proper footpath) by the time I was parallel with the house I was traipsing through six inches of snow. Animal tracks were abundant, the only other tracks, looking behind me, were mine. I slid down through the forestry and came, almost tumbling, alongside the stream, the Cynnant Fawr and then followed the Cynnant Fawr half a mile downstream to the house. This isn’t the preferred way to reach Cynnant when there’s a footpath leading right up to it. But it was a beautiful day and sometimes a longer walk makes the reward of such a property just that little bit extra special. Cynnant is, as it happens, a special place. Its isolation, its’ well proportioned windows and fine outbuildings all leave the visitor with ideals of restoration and then setting up home. This was once home. Around the rear, in the garden, metal fences protect trees from livestock and the outbuildings, all still in some agricultural use, are still in good condition. The house itself, albeit without windows and doors, appears structurally sound. This must have been an idyllic place to live. Once. I wondered, as I walked away, just how many other great properties lay abandoned, sitting beside a rushing stream, south facing, isolated, complimentary to the landscape around, in the Cambrian Mountains that I’ve yet to discover. I imagine many. I walked back to my car quite content with my walk but also a little saddened by this ruin. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/troserch-mill-llangennech-carmarthenshire-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11673765055cf0dec027003.jpgTROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on TROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 I had not expected much to be seen here but was pleasantly surprised. Visited on a quiet Friday afternoon with only the sound of the river, insects and birds to be heard. There were no internal details or machinery left inside but enough to have a sense of a working place. The foliage had yet to properly take hold of the site (or had been cut back relatively recently) and exposures could still be made. A stone trough stood against the bank, apparently to collect water seeping/dripping from the rock. The building on the path was possibly the mill-house, adjoined at a right angle to the mill. The mill had been roofed until quite recently with corrugated iron but after it fell in removed from the site. Evidence of drying kiln to side of mill – with three flue-type structures – I only saw two but the CADW report mentions three – I should have looked a little more carefully. A warm and pleasant afternoon without seeing another soul. Troserch wood is a pleasant place to wander around, there’s pathways leading all around and other areas worth visiting. There’s a few mine workings, fenced off these days, and modern wooden structures throughout the woods – although the large grass-roofed covered structure was about to be take down due to it being unsafe. Another ruin, ivy covered, just a field away, was seen but not visited. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/candleston-castle-merthyr-mawr-glamorgan https://images.on-this.website/7784_4903599974a31ecbe4e457.jpgCANDLESTON CASTLE, Merthyr Mawr, Glamorgan 2009 Notes on CANDLESTON CASTLE, Merthyr Mawr, Glamorgan 2009 I visited Candleston Castle and maze-like sand dunes of Merthyr Mawr (otherwise known, justifiably as ‘The Warren’) in 2003. Back then it was a crumbling ruin all but lost in the summer overgrowth and I did not bother making any exposures. It appears now that it has been consolidated as a ruin – it stands adjacent to the car park for the sand dunes and as, throughout the years, been an easy target for vandals. It is a small 14th century fortified domestic castle/manor house with a castellated wall surrounding the house - the wall is struggling against the encroachment of foliage and is all but hidden in the summer months. There is a large stone 14th century fireplace openly on view on the first floor and there was once a 13th century tower but there is no obvious evidence of this now. My first visit in 2003 was mixed. Vandals had built fires against the walls, grafitti was sprayed on its walls and it had become a small dumping ground. However, Candleston sits in a spectacular setting (although much of its land is now covered in sand) and in the winter, whilst the trees are barren, a good view can be had from a 100 foot high sand dunes that towers beside it. Candleston Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16512601444b49844d57e4d.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10007078404b49834fa3be2.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41493329.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16339999675f32717a41858.jpgBRYN-SIL, Horton, Gower 2020 Notes on BRYN-SIL, Horton, Gower 2020 I took the long path to the house, by the caravan park near to Horton. I wanted to visit another ruin which was so overgrown that no images were taken. I was also uncertain if Bryn-sil was lived in or indeed even ruined. On Googleearth the house seemed isolated in location with no road leading to it. As it turns out the house has seen a lot of renovation which was from a ruinous cottage. There is a new roof over the bare walls, inside had been built up with stone and brick and there was new lintels over the doors and windows… except there was no doors or windows and access into the house was by simply crossing the threshold. I am uncertain when this work was done but judging by the track/path leading to the house nothing had been done this year. It is beautifully positioned, especially so on the Sunday morning of my visit, a warm, warm day with no clouds. This isn’t my preferred weather for photographing but so few of the images on this website are taken in bright sunlight it actually made a change. I hope Brynsil is restored fully and becomes a home for someone. Remnants of an wood and corrugated outbuilding also on site but lost in the undergrowth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9083198.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6142446794d87756b6dfd8.jpgLLANFIHANGEL RHOSTIE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLANFIHANGEL RHOSTIE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 A roofless church a few miles down a dead-end road between Lledrod and Llanilar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstractions-at-hafod-morfa-copperworks https://images.on-this.website/7784_6488308525ad301fde0a74.jpgABSTRACTIONS AT HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Notes on ABSTRACTIONS AT HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img431 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4600482875386d99f1a7c6.jpgTROCELYN, Cefn-Llanio, Tregaron, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TROCELYN, Cefn-Llanio, Tregaron, Ceredigion 2014 A house standing on the corner, and looking quite out of place in this part of Wales, along the main road between Tregaron and Lampeter. Not long empty. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34008840.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7805308125a759f7a1979e.jpgGELLIAU, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 Notes on GELLIAU, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 A much ruinous, but beautifully positioned small holding, with narrow walled entrance (driveway) leading towards and away from the property. All ruinous and overgrown but must have once been a delightful place to live. Old fruit trees still bearing withered fruit in January. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img357-copy https://images.on-this.website/7784_1552017540536f37cdb7147.jpgGREEN CASTLE (CASTELL MOEL), Llangain, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on GREEN CASTLE (CASTELL MOEL), Llangain, Carmarthenshire 2014 A 15th century castle, reputedly a mansion house, long ruined (since late 16th century) and stands on a hill overlooking river Twyi. The spring greens had begun to spread and finding suitable viewpoints was a challenge. The bluebells, now over, made climbing the small hill ridiculously hazardous, especially with 20 kilos of camera equipment on my back, has each foot slipped and I felt myself lose ground, rather than gain. But that said, a nice place, just above the main road from Carmarthen to Llanstephan. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/glan-cothi-stables-pont-ar https://images.on-this.website/7784_10670988384c8648f293d5d.jpgGLAN-COTHI STABLES, Pont-ar-Gothi, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on GLAN-COTHI STABLES, Pont-ar-Gothi, Carmarthenshire 2010 The large house of Glan-Cothi has gone. Demolished some time between 2003 and 2007(?). Many clues are left; a tree lined driveway, an ornate iron gateway and these ruinous stables. On the site of the house are modern agricultural buildings obviously a much more practical solution to a large, damp, unwanted and expensive house. The stables were piled high with furniture, all damp and rotting and/or broken. All totally worthless. In another more recent outbuilding were the remanants of the last owners life. Piled high were clothes, boots, bags, ornaments, nick-nacks, boxes of spilled possessions and also old photographs laying in puddles, the slugs eating the coating off destroying the faces permanently. Glan-Cothi is an intensely sorrowful site. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34696301.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19653089515ae9e8e477478.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699376.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_410465115e123d9ab87a2.jpgPEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on PEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 I have been here before, twice before and both times it was impossible to photograph the house due to trees and foliage and then the house itself covered in ivy. All these trees and foliage have been striped back and chopped down. The ivy removed from the walls. The bare bones of the house revealed and it seemed to me to more imposing than I had remembered. There is no access within the wall now, each access point covered over securely. Not that I minded. With all the foliage gone better views opened themselves up, more images were taken on this short visit, half an hour or so, than the previous two visits when I believe I only took around six or seven images. The walls around the rear are the most interesting, showing where windows were boarded up at the time of the window tax, and different types of material used. It all seems a little hodgepodge but like a comment left on this website a few years ago, what does a photographer know about the structural integrity of a building? As it happens, not a lot! It is apparently possible for this building to be saved but that was almost ten years ago. I wonder how many more decades Pembrey Court can survive without consolidation? it's a remarkable house in a great position. The images taken were sufficient, better than those taken back in 1997 and 2009. Other houses that I visited back then in 1997 have now been cleared and a revisit is required, Drummau house in Birchgrove a case in point as well as Llangennech Park House, both large ruins and much forgotten for many decades. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42109924.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21207025445fc901031110f.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontardawe 2020 This was not my destination, my destination was another ruined house but I was unable to reach due to being with my partner who refused to cross a somewhat boggy valley bottom and stream. I did not mind because I had seen this quarter of a mile away. My partner waited in the car and I trampled across the boggy land, tufts of wet high grass. The house is much ruined. A few exposures made. The morning was bright and cold with little heat from the sun. But the sun was still welcome. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18178850.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_180650094051aa48ed181bc.jpgTYNYLONE, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2011 Note on TYNYLONE, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2011 Standing on a hillside between Stags Head and Llangeitho this ruined farm has been in decay for many years. The front section of the roof has fallen, with the rear wavering and it can only be a matter of time before this too falls. Within, each room can still be distinguished but the ceiling beams sag heavy and piles of stone have fallen where walls have collapsed. Lots of dead cars and farm machinery lays around completing this particular picture of decay. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6882476.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15376017744caae0f004d6a.jpgNotes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 A remarkable visit. In most instances the mansions I visit are in such a poor state of disrepair that the very layout of the rooms and décor are impossible to determine. Not so at Court. I know not when Court became derelict but it has not fallen into disrepair like so many others, in the 1950’s. Court has not suffered the 60 years of pilfering, or the yearly cycles of the battling elements forcing themselves behind plasterwork, between brick and mortar. The decay here hasn’t quite reached a point where total dereliction would force demolition. It is however true that the roof above the main staircase has begun to let in the rain at an alarming rate. Huge holes have appeared in the ceiling, with large saplings growing and long strands of ivy falling down. This damp area of the house continues all the way down to the basement. It cuts like a knife through a cake. Other rooms, most other rooms, although bare and with some damp, appear to be in a good dry condition. Unfortunately some of the plasterwork has begun to crumble, none as worse as the plaster frieze in the hallway just at the foot of the main staircase and therefore near the dampest areas of the house. The driveway up to the house is no longer in use other than agricultural, and glimpses of the house can be snatched. Court’s rendered façade is peeling and crumbling giving the house a sorrier look of disrepair than perhaps it deserves. Its an imposing house and its wooden portico has all but rotted and collapsed. Inside the house is spacious and although it does not have a large number of rooms, they are all a decent size with the kitchen at the hub of the house. There are the usual signs of dereliction within; old furniture, hearths full of bird nests, rusty kettles and boxes and baskets of knickknacks and ornaments, an empty but dust lined enamelled bath. Also on the site is a walled garden and many outbuildings, mostly renovated although an impressive slate clad barn remains in a derelict state. Photographing Court was a very pleasant experience. Some of the interior images required, since I never use flash photography for the black and white images, exposure times of 16 minutes whilst some of the exterior shots, due to the dimness of the morning also requiring exposure times of between 1 – 8 minutes causing some blurriness of foliage that blew in the wind. A farm stood at this site long before the mansion was built in 1800. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41493330.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4895590055f32717aa0e63.jpgBRYN-SIL, Horton, Gower 2020 Notes on BRYN-SIL, Horton, Gower 2020 I took the long path to the house, by the caravan park near to Horton. I wanted to visit another ruin which was so overgrown that no images were taken. I was also uncertain if Bryn-sil was lived in or indeed even ruined. On Googleearth the house seemed isolated in location with no road leading to it. As it turns out the house has seen a lot of renovation which was from a ruinous cottage. There is a new roof over the bare walls, inside had been built up with stone and brick and there was new lintels over the doors and windows… except there was no doors or windows and access into the house was by simply crossing the threshold. I am uncertain when this work was done but judging by the track/path leading to the house nothing had been done this year. It is beautifully positioned, especially so on the Sunday morning of my visit, a warm, warm day with no clouds. This isn’t my preferred weather for photographing but so few of the images on this website are taken in bright sunlight it actually made a change. I hope Brynsil is restored fully and becomes a home for someone. Remnants of an wood and corrugated outbuilding also on site but lost in the undergrowth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34135519.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17746197335a8bec8477e4b.jpgDRAENLLWYN-DU, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on DRAENLLWYN-DU, CEREDIGION 2015 House in some disrepair but not derelict. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26439910.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_36224468656934539e718f.jpgFFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2016 A revisit to this house. I took only a few sheets of film with me on my first visit and I wanted to take a few interior shots. Little of course has changed in a year, still open to the elements, the roof seems to have sagged a little but there was a tranquillity to the house and the morning of my visit. The walls within are either plastered with peeling layers of wallpaper or wooden panelled. It's all a little dusty, a little dirty, a little still. This could make a lovely little house and one hopes it will be re-sold and restored. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38577027.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12970961785cf0dec23a16a.jpgTROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on ABSTRACTION at TROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Inside the mill, a plain rubble and concrete wall, otherwise uninteresting but with the sun skimming the surface bringing out texture, shade and ultimately some beauty. I had not expected much to be seen here but was pleasantly surprised. Visited on a quiet Friday afternoon with only the sound of the river, insects and birds to be heard. There were no internal details or machinery left inside but enough to have a sense of a working place. The foliage had yet to properly take hold of the site (or had been cut back relatively recently) and exposures could still be made. A stone trough stood against the bank, apparently to collect water seeping/dripping from the rock. The building on the path was possibly the mill-house, adjoined at a right angle to the mill. The mill had been roofed until quite recently with corrugated iron but after it fell in removed from the site. Evidence of drying kiln to side of mill – with three flue-type structures – I only saw two but the CADW report mentions three – I should have looked a little more carefully. A warm and pleasant afternoon without seeing another soul. Troserch wood is a pleasant place to wander around, there’s pathways leading all around and other areas worth visiting. There’s a few mine workings, fenced off these days, and modern wooden structures throughout the woods – although the large grass-roofed covered structure was about to be take down due to it being unsafe. Another ruin, ivy covered, just a field away, was seen but not visited. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24530640.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10394784445577d5611f149.jpgBRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Standing isolated and high, the morning of my visit was silent, with just a trace of wind and the odd bleat from the sheep. The track to the house was dry until the last corner, then much waterlogged, I trundled through the muddy water and to the sunlit façade. The house has nearly reached the peak of dereliction; before the roof has fallen, before the water has collapsed the ceiling, before all this comes tumbling in. It can happen over years or during one particular bad storm. A chimney is missing, a few slates, no glass in the windows, the door held together by bailing twine; a familiar sight. A few exposures were made, although it was early the sky was a deep blue, the moon hung not so high in the sky and the sun was also low, almost blindingly bright. Fifteen minutes later I was walking back along the track and to the car wondering if I should have ventured inside, wondering if I'd made the best of my visit. No way of knowing until the negatives are developed. The house, if unsold, unrepaired, will probably be roofless in a year or two. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769431.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9436476264a31ec95dc50c.jpgCANDLESTON CASTLE, Merthyr Mawr, Glamorgan 2009 Notes on CANDLESTON CASTLE, Merthyr Mawr, Glamorgan 2009 I visited Candleston Castle and maze-like sand dunes of Merthyr Mawr (otherwise known, justifiably as ‘The Warren’) in 2003. Back then it was a crumbling ruin all but lost in the summer overgrowth and I did not bother making any exposures. It appears now that it has been consolidated as a ruin – it stands adjacent to the car park for the sand dunes and as, throughout the years, been an easy target for vandals. It is a small 14th century fortified domestic castle/manor house with a castellated wall surrounding the house - the wall is struggling against the encroachment of foliage and is all but hidden in the summer months. There is a large stone 14th century fireplace openly on view on the first floor and there was once a 13th century tower but there is no obvious evidence of this now. My first visit in 2003 was mixed. Vandals had built fires against the walls, grafitti was sprayed on its walls and it had become a small dumping ground. However, Candleston sits in a spectacular setting (although much of its land is now covered in sand) and in the winter, whilst the trees are barren, a good view can be had from a 100 foot high sand dunes that towers beside it. Candleston Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7476648324b4983f7c28f1.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6227276424b4984fcc1d71.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769432.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1771264364a31ec9ca61bb.jpgCANDLESTON CASTLE, Merthyr Mawr, Glamorgan 2009 Notes on CANDLESTON CASTLE, Merthyr Mawr, Glamorgan 2009 I visited Candleston Castle and maze-like sand dunes of Merthyr Mawr (otherwise known, justifiably as ‘The Warren’) in 2003. Back then it was a crumbling ruin all but lost in the summer overgrowth and I did not bother making any exposures. It appears now that it has been consolidated as a ruin – it stands adjacent to the car park for the sand dunes and as, throughout the years, been an easy target for vandals. It is a small 14th century fortified domestic castle/manor house with a castellated wall surrounding the house - the wall is struggling against the encroachment of foliage and is all but hidden in the summer months. There is a large stone 14th century fireplace openly on view on the first floor and there was once a 13th century tower but there is no obvious evidence of this now. My first visit in 2003 was mixed. Vandals had built fires against the walls, grafitti was sprayed on its walls and it had become a small dumping ground. However, Candleston sits in a spectacular setting (although much of its land is now covered in sand) and in the winter, whilst the trees are barren, a good view can be had from a 100 foot high sand dunes that towers beside it. Candleston Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7476648324b4983f7c28f1.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6227276424b4984fcc1d71.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/drumau-house-birchgrove-west-glamorgan https://images.on-this.website/7784_5461159264972c9cd49be4.jpgDRUMAU HOUSE, Birchgrove, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on DRUMUA HOUSE, Birchgrove, West Glamorgan 1997 A ruin situated in heavily overgrown parkland just off a main road, entering these grounds was a sobering experience - danger signs hung from every tree along the short driveway. The house was barely visible behind an old oak and very little remained behind the crumbling facade. It was built circa 18th century. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3550394994b6529d7644fa.jpg[/img] Drumau House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10426750864b6529f5af43e.jpg[/img] Drumau House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8880658184b652a1b11882.jpg[/img] Drumau House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4177178864b652a3fadfd5.jpg[/img] Drumau House 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14119887.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12478033394f34198e741d9.jpgNANT GOCH, Llandeusant, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on NANT GOCH, Llandeusant, Carmarthenshire 2012 A house standing ruined high on a hillside on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. The house stands on a footpath and the walk up from the hamlet of Llandeusant is a pleasant one. The path seems to be once a driveway, trees either side shelter the walker from either rain or a summers harsh sun light. Today I had neither. Today the ground was frozen solid with some snow refusing to hinder nor indeed thaw and the sun shone brightly but any warm it offered was welcomed. The house, as seen here, is roofless and is now just a shell. Fragments of outbuildings remain, some hidden in deep shadow whilst other parts in bright sunlight, bringing out the textured stonework and mortar and causing me to run my hands over its rough texture. Beautifully located and seemingly content in its ruinous state. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/scotsborough-house-tenby-pembrokeshire-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4522758975b60b78e119b2.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby, Pembrokeshire 2018 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby, Pembrokeshire 2018 Abandoned in 1824 due to a smallpox outbreak and lain ruinous ever since. Surprisingly, for a house that’s been left to the elements for almost two hundred years there’s much to see at Scotsborough. I parked on the B-road next to the gated entrance – two farm gates padlocked together – risking the owner/farmer would not be requiring access on this Saturday morning – the trackway was muddy but I saw no recent tyre treads from tractor or quad bike. I figured I was safe parking my car where it was. I should also mention it was raining hard, I was on a tight schedule, my daughter was with me but my partner refused to leave the car! The walk down the track was short, maybe only 75 yards, and the high walls sat in light woodland. I only had a few sheets of film with me, so I set about exploring and taking a few shots. I knew I would return as soon as I had arrived, a winter visit would be required, when the tree branches are skeleton and the day overcast but dry! As ever prepared, my unsuitable footwear was sodden (as were my daughters) but I can say fairly this was a spontaneous visit on my birthday. According to the web, also known as Scotsborough Castle, and was probably built late 14th or early 15th century. Before the marsh land was reclaimed beside it, the river Rhydeg was an inlet to the sea, and it was likely there was a docking bay close to the house. Wandering around the ruins it becomes obvious that at times the ground around the house has been cleared, saplings have grown but the trees are not overly mature. Perhaps unsurprising, given its close proximity to Tenby, within some of the walls, bottles of beer were found, local youths gravitating to secluded areas, small campfires blackened stone and earth. Quite a solitary visit, my daughter quietly taking photographs, calling excitedly if she saw something worthy of viewing. I thought; chip off the old shoulder. Twenty minutes later we were heading back to the car, drenched but satisfied with our short visit and the mind curious about the history of the house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23259003.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3241156245493422f6003a.jpgCANADA, Stag’s Head, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on CANADA, Stag’s Head, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage built of mud, stone and brick and much dilapidated. It stands in a low position and perhaps if the trees in front of it hadn’t had the chance to grow so high it would have once had a good view. At present however all is dim and lowly. I wonder how long empty, it’s in a relatively good condition although there is a hole forming at the rear. Inside is very basic, nothing much of note but a fairly recent empty beer bottle. Partition walls have been taken down and all is left is one large room, upstairs also taken down, striped of beam and panel. Cottage sits beside a seldom used footpath and there was no doubt in my mind that this little gem will surely never be salvaged or lived in again. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6471406.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17859334314c9104b3942ff.jpgCHAPEL AND CHAPEL HOUSE, Bethania, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CHAPEL AND CHAPEL HOUSE, Bethania, Ceredigion 2010 An impromptu visit and accompanied by a former resident of the Chapel House and who spent most of their childhood there. The house has sadly fallen into disrepair and is reaching the state when some fundamental maintenance work must be carried out. For my companion memories came flooding: …a cold house; an outside ty bach; the vicar after Sunday sermon would call for tea and cake and would often fall asleep in front of the open fire; the children’s’ parties in the graveyard, playing hide and seek behind the grave stones; the narrow patch of land around the car park cultivated for garden use. Her recollections gave the house a human background that many of the properties I have visited have lacked. The chapel itself also looked a little sad, it’s painted outer layer dirty and peeling. However, by peering through the window within, the chapel with its galleried seating upper floor, seemed to be in a good condition and fully functional, thankfully. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-llangwyryfon-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_5497284524f82fe2e8eda7.jpgUNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 I suspect the same builder was responsible for the few farmsteads and barns built in and around the wind farm at Llangwyryfon. The same build quality is evident throughout the ruins that litter this bleak hill. This longhouse is no exception and part of the joy photographing is not just the general view but also of the stonework within. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/great-milton-newport-gwent-2005 https://images.on-this.website/7784_127936888549731cbfc35c7.jpgGREAT MILTON, Newport, Gwent 2005 Notes on GREAT MILTON, Newport, Gwent 2005 In a quiet roadside location and a very short distance from Newport in Gwent, Great Milton is an unexpected pleasure. Built 16th century, of limestone rubble, this is a farmhouse laid out in an L shape with mullion windows, two storeys and an attic. After much discussion of renovation a few years back it now stands in a perilous state: boarded up and crumbling. The interior remains un-modernised with flagged stone floors and a collapsing wooden spiral staircase. The gardens, small and unkempt are also in need of restoration. Great Milton [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1394667904b51d7143652b.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9951920.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16248535364dca2c5fe07c4.jpgCOB/CLOM BUILDING, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on COB/CLOM BUILDING, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 An interesting building. On the outside a typical looking corrugated iron barn albeit with a tiled roof. Yet within those metal walls reveal a cob building, much collapsed but with windows on two floors. I can only conclude that this was once a house and has it began to collapse the owner/farmer covered/preserved the building with metal sheeting. I could see no sign of a chimney but one end had completely falled and was open to the elements. Anyone have any idea what this building was? Or indeed who lived here and if there are any photographs? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34628009.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7428072005ade343329368.jpgBLAENGWRACH FARM, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on BLAENGWRACH FARM, Neath Port Talbot 2018 I approached this ruin from the right footpath but discovered a bridge I had intended to cross had been fenced across and was inaccessible. An hour and half later rambling through bramble and nettle, I reached the walls of the house.The house has a relatively new metal roof, preserving the house and rightly so. Cadw site description: C19 cowhouse and stable, limewashed rubble construction with metal sheet roof over stable only. Roof over cowhouse missing. The front is distinctive for its five semicircular-arched openings with carefully dressed stone voussoirs; these openings are cambered on the inner side. The left hand gable end has unusual lancet opening to the stable loft. Rear of cowhouse has 2 small vent loops and 2 inserted windows. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23214529.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13624354375489e1e84407f.jpgLLANIO BRIDGE & WATER TANK, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on FADED PAINTED NUMBERS ON LLANIO BRIDGE & WATER TANK, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 There was something immensely pleasing about using this metal ladder to read the track bed of the disused railway line at Llanio. The water tank is large and still filled with a rust coloured water. The track bed under the bridge is filled with very deep muddy water and due to the foliage viewpoints were limited but my little visit here was a pleasant one. I had known of this water tank beforehand but always forgot to visit whenever I went to the derelict milkery beside Llanio Halt. The platform is all still there and with the aid of old photographs it's relatively easy to turn the clock back forty years and see this site as a busy and bustling place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8010682.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17399891964d08502f2c191.jpgCERRIG GWYNION QUARRY, Rhayader, Powys 2000 Notes on CERRIG GWYNION QUARRY, Rhayader, Powys 2000 An abandoned stone quarry just a few miles from Rhayader. The landscape severely scarred is haunting and lunar-esque. The large rocks in the centre of the picture are around 5 foot high. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19544568.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_35239388952584e66aac15.jpgMIN Y AFON, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on MIN Y AFON, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 I am not entirely sure if this is the correct name of this house – it stands down a small lane beside the newly erected Llanerchaeron corrugated train waiting room, on the disused railway line. The house is in a poor state but the land around the rear has been cleared so obviously, one hopes, consolidation work will soon begin. I also expect this is owned by National Trust but could be wrong – any info gratefully received. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img366 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7171554735373c98b4cd14.jpgTY'N Y SWYDD, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY'N Y SWYDD, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2014 * Destroyed by fire, the same week photographed * A well-known sight for those travelling between Tregaron and Aberystwyth. Ty’n y swydd stands on a sharp bend on the main road and has been empty for a number of years. The white washed walls looked clean on the bright spring mid-day visit. The outbuildings across the road seem still in some agricultural use. It’s a shame that some use couldn’t be made of the house too. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41426097.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18370377545f2c0e4a1899d.jpgCWM GARENIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CWM GARENIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had seen this property on a estate agent website and looked worth visiting, especially since it was on a public footpath. The house is in a terrible state, the roof barely clinging on and will most likely fall in the near to distant future. I did not venture inside, just peering through the window was enough to put me off. Listed with a lot of land, might be a temptation for someone but a lot of work is required to bring this sorry house back to a living standard. A few images taken, nothing which grabbed the imagination, but recorded if only for prosperity's sake. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img334 https://images.on-this.website/7784_662295530536e2ae2626b8.jpgTY'N Y FFORDD, Silian, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY'N Y FFORDD, Silian, Ceredigion 2014 Roadside location, house seems empty from the front (curtains always closed, garden overgrown) but rear view shows adjacent property occupied and house simply stands guard. Grey rendered, uninspiring, unwelcoming, needs a lick o' paint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34696300.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4726189575ae9e8e35f7fa.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penglais-fachceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8338488804d296e879d7db.jpgPENGLAIS FACH,Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PENGLAIS FACH, Ceredigion 2010 A ruined farmhouse and barns on the golf course in Aberystwyth overlooking the Irish Sea. I have been contacted by various people if I knew about this house. It stands completely isolated in the centre of the golf course, not even boarded up or fenced off. Inside doors hang off hinges, windows smashed with ivy pouring in, the floors covered in debris, internal walls with huge holes, wallpaper hanging off revealing brightly covered walls beneath. All quite depressing and will probably be set alight one day by the visits from nightly youths who come to sit around the 1950's fireplace and drink beer. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/notes-on-penrheol-cwmcerdinen-swansea https://images.on-this.website/7784_8677966545e295fe11b372.jpgNotes on PENRHEOL, Cwmcerdinen, Swansea Bay 2020 Notes on PENRHEOL, Cwmcerdinen 2020 Quiet roadside location and I had presumed vacant but a number of caravans around rear of property and signs of occupancy (in caravans). Strange little place, maybe subject of fire or perhaps just neglect hence dereliction, now most likely used as storage and/or for livestock shelter. I did not enter the property but just took a couple of photographs after a long walk searching for another ruin. The sun was bright and even before I develop the negatives i expect the finished images will suffer to some degree with flare. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8208850.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1490756094d296e8c5dbf4.jpgPRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2010 Isolated with no proper road, Prignant Uchaf is a favourite location of mine – the only sound to be heard are the birds, sheep, wind and the small stream, the Brignant... and the occasional jet fighter plane. The house has slowly been in decline over the twenty years I have been visiting (every 4 years or so). The staircase has now completely collapsed so no access to the two rooms above and the floors above also have all but collasped due to the hole in the roof as seen in this photograph. A cast iron bed sits beside the fireplace on the ground floor. I photographed this very scene in 1996 and very little has changed. That photograph taken in 1996 is a notoriously difficult negative to print due to the contrast. I decided a re-take was required, especially since little had in fact changed all that much. This new image has proved a success and also with the added attraction of three old shoes (three individual, no pairs!) all old, worn and warped by the leather becoming damp and drying. Although isolated Brignant stands beside Forestry Commission land and on this visit was dwarfed by the 30 foot piles of freshly felled pine, sweet scented; my singularly favourite scent and one I closely associate home with. Brignant stands before a small clutter of hardwoods and has a special atmosphere. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pelham-institute-building-brighton-east https://images.on-this.website/7784_19221429524c185dd436244.jpgPELHAM INSTITUTE BUILDING, Brighton, East Sussex 2008 Notes on PELHAM INSTITUTE BUILDING, Brighton, East Sussex 2008 AN EXHIBITION OF BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS SHOWING ARCHITECTURE IN BRIGHTON & HOVE: These photographs document buildings around the Brighton and Hove area, some forgotten, some overlooked, whilst others dim in our memories. This exhibition will hopefully remind people that there are many fine buildings in this small but built up area. I have tried to avoid the much-documented Regency and Victorian architecture and instead focussed on the commercial, industrial, municipal and religious buildings. These images act as both a simple documental record and as a personal appreciation, which hopefully evokes some emotional response from the viewer. I have attempted wherever possible to photograph a building showing only its façade, isolated from its surroundings to give some suggestion of what the initial architectural drawings must have looked like. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/berllan-dywyll-lliedi-reservoir-llanelli https://images.on-this.website/7784_8699738265efb02da544cf.jpgBERLLAN DYWYLL, Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2020 Notes on BERLLAN DYWYLL, Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2020 Nestled in summer foliage on a bank somewhat lost and impenetrable. The house stands towards the Upper Lliedi Reservoir. Roofless and no doubt characterless within. The morning of my visit, late June, mild and misty and drizzly. I was unable to reach the door, the bramble too high and too wet to be worth the effort, perhaps one more visit during winter but perhaps not. Buildings adjacent in slightly better condition and a trample through high grass, soaked within yards and a stone and a brick building inside concrete cows feeders. Once a farm now swallowed up and lost. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-bryn-rhyg-stags-head https://images.on-this.website/7784_142281831951aa0f03355f4.jpgPEN-BRYN-RHYG, Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on PEN-BRYN-RHYG, Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 A house not close to anywhere particular. The road up is narrow and could barely be called a road. I came here before, last year, but heard a dog barking and presumed the house was not derelict. It is not strictly derelict, just inhabited and access is only by permission. The farmhouse and outbuildings stand before a small pond. Japanese knotweed has reached here and with the brambles made reaching the front of the house impossible even without summer foliage blocking the way. A little forlorn, a few images were taken and then I left to let the foliage to wend it's way around stone and mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23808604.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12132054735513b12587b2f.jpgCWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 2015 Each visit and one feels Cwmystwyth Mines are a little more decimated, the height of the buildings just that little lower than previous visits. One cannot help also but lament the removal of the large corrugated finishing mill and indeed, the flattening of the other buildings by the council some time in the late 1990's. An opportunity missed, one feels, when you consider the interest in the mining heritage of Wales. I came here on this visit to photograph the cottages on the opposite side of the valley. The opposite of the valley was cold, the ground solid with frost, the sun yet to reach. I was happy to cross the river and wander around the heaps and ruins. The sun brought warmth and also a few photographic possibilities. The images here show varies views of the mines and the buildings thereon. Much is gone, much barely recognisable after so many years of neglect. This site used to be a tipping ground, mostly it seemed for old cars and vans - there is only one rusting car remaining which is lodged down a hole. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41492456.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11873146645f31984847af8.jpgPISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Along a footpath/track and you soon come to the farmstead, large and spread out of Pistyll North. The house itself looks long ruinous, two mature tree trunks cut within the walls evidence the house has long been empty and ruinous. A new metal roof protects the solid walls. A large fireplace inside the extended section was in very poor condition – the extended section a somewhat odd looking intrusion of the main structure of the house, most likely a later addition(?). There were sheep inside when I visited, they left, I entered, I expected the floor to be foot deep in droppings and smelly but it was not, it was dry and a comfort from the rain outside. I wondered why the name of the house was half Welsh/half English. At home I searched on older maps and it seems the house has been called by the same spelling for at least a hundred years. A long stone barn, partially collapsed at the front, stands facing the house at a slight angle. Other barns and outbuildings are scattered around. There’s a lot to see and because of the position of the buildings in relation with other buildings viewpoints/compositions are found easily. The site is for sale currently and it is truly exceptional. It needs a little insight but the general aura of the place is one of positively. My visit was short, forty five minutes or so… exposures were quite long inside the house at around 6 minutes. There was a constant drizzle even if the forecast had been dry. There was no sound of traffic. No sound of farm machinery or even a dog barking somewhere someplace of. Even the birds seemed a little shy of the drizzle and judging by the birds in my garden, town birds aren’t much bothered by the rain and I doubt countryside ones aren’t either. The sheep however were bleating. They had seen me, followed me with their eyes as I walked along the track, and knew most likely and instantly that they did not know me. Yet still they bleated, neither in distress or in hope of food. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gelli-lysged-upper-lliedi-reservior https://images.on-this.website/7784_8328875995c8a1854136bf.jpgGELLI LYSGED, Upper Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2019 Notes on GELLI LYSGED, Upper Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2019 Little remains and a fair sized farmhouse long ruined. Only one gable end remains with a mature tree internally growing against it the chimney. The grey rendered walls are cracked with thick ivy trunks running vertical, pulling the render off and causing further damage. Outbuildings and barns are also much ruinous. Sheep watched me from the adjacent field. They were content for ten minutes and then without movement from me suddenly fleeing to a neighbouring field. It was around 3pm, weekday afternoon, very overcast but no signs of rain. The world around me carried on yet I felt contained in a private timezone oblivious to misery and joy and chaos and life. I was only a few miles from Llanelli but rural Llanelli reminded me of my home in Ceredigion, the landscape much similar, especially for some reason in winter when all is cold, damp, solemn. It was comforting. A few exposures were made but not many viewpoints offered themselves with any satisfaction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39374996.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12868517785d4bd732642e0.jpgLLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Notes on LLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Llanerch House (possibly also known as Craig y Parcau) – long ruined, suffered a fire in 2006 – another building was also on the site, foundations remains – uncertain what this building was or if indeed this was Llanerch House. The house shown here was though a care home when last occupied – judging by the house and stables it was obviously built as a private residence originally. It is much ruined now, as these photographs testify. My visit was one hot Thursday afternoon beginning of August. The car was parked by the entrance and a short walk to the house. There was a deflated blow-up sex doll on the pathway leading to the house - the house is a well-known place for local vandals and kids. I wondered if I'd be finding anyone there myself. But no, my visit was uninterrupted. The roof has all but collapsed. The walls within are in a poor state, the house is by and by falling down. The stables around the rear are in a slightly better state, much graffiti and litter. A few exposures were made – I only had eight sheets of film – I had a taste for abstract images so after as many/as few outside images of the building were taken I focused my camera in the peeling paintwork inside the stables. One of the rooms had recently been used as a toilet and stank but as luck will have it this room had the richest abstract pickings. I held my breath, gagged and waited for my two minutes exposure to pass. A few more images and then the half hour visit had come to an end. My daughter was with me and commented that this had been one of the more interesting ruins I’d made her visit of recent times. This was a compliment and I did realise it was mostly industrial visits of late and the odd rural farm. I cannot seem to find much on the history of Llanerch House and if anyone knows ore then please do leave a comment below. It is well situated with easy reach of Bridgend and it is somewhat surprising that the site has been left to decay to such a state. I would imagine in the short term the remains will be demolished and something new built since it is prime location. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13042568.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12743297484e82b9833df10.jpgALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A peasant longhouse, possibly 17th century, with a corrugated roof but now much ruined. Sold in 2008 (?) with planning permission to restore building and convert barns (also ruinous) to dwelling status but it seems now abandoned. All damp and depressing on this breezy and wet day. The entrance doorway wall has completely collapsed and the house, with this entire outer wall missing, has a strange look about it, with the interior on full view. Unfortunately the inside is in a poor state with the small upper floor unsafe. Most unusual is the ground floor is on two levels with a couple of steps leading up to the once living room area. A large caravan also sits in the grounds, also slowly rotting away and deserted. Some work had been done to one of the outbuildings at Allt-ddu, with some walls consolidated and some concrete block walls built and a concrete floor put in but all in all the whole place has a sense of abandonment. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo11969374.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11852944284e426571aee5a.jpgNEUADD FACH, Builth Wells, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on NEUADD FACH, Builth Wells, Radnorshire 2011 A peasent 16th century longhouse, dwelling and animal byre all under the same roof (cruck roof can be best seen in the byre). Inside is dark and tiny with newspaper used as wallpaper, painted over and now peeling revealing layered histories of newpaper print. Bats in the upstairs. Large fireplace and lookig up the chimney light pours down and into the fireplace. Grade 2 listed and recently sold at auction this property deserves the respect that accompanies a listed building and has hopefully secured its immediate future. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13385647.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6114776204eaac03d56495.jpgPEBYLL, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEBYLL, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2011 Currently (Oct 2011) on the market for £55,000 this old house has been in long neglect and the former occupants belongings fill each room with fallen stone work and beams. This debris is dark, sodden and I thought twice before declining to enter. Photographically it was a challenge to capture this cottage, a high stone wall stands only 10 feet away and to photograph the facade straight on was impossible. Climbing the wall was a possibility but the overhanging trees would have obscured much of the house. My visit was a quiet one. The house stands just outside the village of Llanddewi and on this week day morn the only soound to be heard was the occasional crow and the leaves bustling in the breeze. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gellideg-llandyfaelog-carmarthenshire-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17191732694baa22c62a4fc.jpgGELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on GELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2010 I arrived at the Italianate mansion of Gellideg in near darkness, the imposing height forming a black mass in amongst the tress and although the trees were barren of foliage they were still covered in rampant ivy and therefore obscuring a proper view of the house. Gellideg’s life has been a short lived one. It was built in 1852 by William Wesley Jenkins and then the lead was removed by the family and sold in the 1950’s and with the proceeds a smaller house was designed and built close by (sharing the same name and now serving as a Bed & Breakfast). The morning slowly broke with the birdsong, naying horses and moaning cows from the farm nearby. It had been a cold night but gave way to a bright and cheerful March morning. The house was untouched by vandal and appeared to be in a structurally good condition. Inside there are few clues to the layout of the house and although the cellars were open I declined the invitation to explore. Also to be noted that the origins of a former house are easily distinguished within which aids to the confusion of layout. Large stables still in agricultural use are just a few hundred yards away as well as a small oval boating lake. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo7026546.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6881477004cb53ff5e1e7e.jpgLLWYN-LL-WYD, Ceredigion 2010 Note on LLWYN-LL-WYD, Ceredigion 2010 I had driven past this house many times and although in an excellent condition it has always had an air of abandonment about it. In fine exterior condition and feels only recently un-occupied. The house itself is typical of the Cardiganshire home and has extensive outbuildings, all in agricultural use but also in need of some basic general maintenance. Peering through the windows of the house there was some furniture, a laid carpet and very little else. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39374995.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1800314845d4bd7315aee8.jpgLLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Notes on LLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Llanerch House (possibly also known as Craig y Parcau) – long ruined, suffered a fire in 2006 – another building was also on the site, foundations remains – uncertain what this building was or if indeed this was Llanerch House. The house shown here was though a care home when last occupied – judging by the house and stables it was obviously built as a private residence originally. It is much ruined now, as these photographs testify. My visit was one hot Thursday afternoon beginning of August. The car was parked by the entrance and a short walk to the house. There was a deflated blow-up sex doll on the pathway leading to the house - the house is a well-known place for local vandals and kids. I wondered if I'd be finding anyone there myself. But no, my visit was uninterrupted. The roof has all but collapsed. The walls within are in a poor state, the house is by and by falling down. The stables around the rear are in a slightly better state, much graffiti and litter. A few exposures were made – I only had eight sheets of film – I had a taste for abstract images so after as many/as few outside images of the building were taken I focused my camera in the peeling paintwork inside the stables. One of the rooms had recently been used as a toilet and stank but as luck will have it this room had the richest abstract pickings. I held my breath, gagged and waited for my two minutes exposure to pass. A few more images and then the half hour visit had come to an end. My daughter was with me and commented that this had been one of the more interesting ruins I’d made her visit of recent times. This was a compliment and I did realise it was mostly industrial visits of late and the odd rural farm. I cannot seem to find much on the history of Llanerch House and if anyone knows ore then please do leave a comment below. It is well situated with easy reach of Bridgend and it is somewhat surprising that the site has been left to decay to such a state. I would imagine in the short term the remains will be demolished and something new built since it is prime location. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/troed-nr-aberystwyth-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2868793684f6f5b6e98e53.jpgTROED **** ****, Nr Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on TROED **** ****, Nr Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 A house, not ruined but neither lived in, stands along the single lane track that runs from Cwm Rheidol up to Ystumtuen. The house has been boarded up with wire mess over the window but this has not prevented some of the windows being smashed with stones. (The name of property has been removed at the request of the owner who is worried vandals may search for it on the internet and further damage the property). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12358174.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9076772624e57e4dcac126.jpgFOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on FOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 2011 After fourteen years since my last visit I had wondered what to find at Foxhall. I knew it was unlikely that since empty for literally centuries that most of its high walls would remain. And thus it proved. Only standing beside these walls does one have a sense of their height. And once inside the overgrown ruins the same can also be said as one cranes the neck to spy wooden lintels bending under the strain and fireplaces that perhaps never hosted any fires. Much of the ivy that covered the stone has been cut away -apparently at the request of Cadw - and fourteen years later it quickly becomes apparent that Foxhall is a house of many large windows - with the left hand bay entirely opened up intending on giving fantastic panoramic views. Many of the stone mullion windows remain - some mysteriously half filled with stone and many also now collapsing under the yearly strain of the Welsh winters. Trees with abundant fruit lay along its front walls and the sheep gently graze. It could be said that normal service resumes at Foxhall - and if it was ever lived in, which seems unlikely, then Foxhall has most likely spent its entire long life in this fashion; merely a monument watching over the country life of this part of Denbighshire. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pebyll-llanddewi-brefi-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19209890044eaabf560330b.jpgPEBYLL, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEBYLL, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2011 Currently (Oct 2011) on the market for £55,000 this old house has been in long neglect and the former occupants belongings fill each room with fallen stone work and beams. This debris is dark, sodden and I thought twice before declining to enter. Photographically it was a challenge to capture this cottage, a high stone wall stands only 10 feet away and to photograph the facade straight on was impossible. Climbing the wall was a possibility but the overhanging trees would have obscured much of the house. My visit was a quiet one. The house stands just outside the village of Llanddewi and on this week day morn the only soound to be heard was the occasional crow and the leaves bustling in the breeze. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dorwen-cwmtwrch-brecknock-2018-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17094544565a759f77c0190.jpgDORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 2018 Notes on DORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 The walk from Upper Cwmtwrch is perhaps only 2 miles and half of that along the old railway line that led from the mines. Before you reach the bridge that crosses the river Twrch a footpath ascends up a steep slope and then to the boggy uplands. It is here, following occasional footpath markers, you find first the ruined farmstead, Pen-yr-Wern (see previous pictures) and then about half a miles further the farm, Dorwen, as seen here much ruinous. Beyond Dorwen there are miles of wild hills, the foot of the Black Mountains stretch out inviting. I ventured no further than Dorwen and its outbuildings. The rear and one gable end has collapsed and no doubt much the rest will follow shortly. On the other side of the valley a small, low shepherds dwelling, two gable ends and no middle. I had intended to cross the river but decided instead of revisit Pen-yr-Wern. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/houses-mines-at-cwm-elan https://images.on-this.website/7784_14065530134c63071854347.jpgHOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 20 Notes on HOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Nestled in a quiet valley between the high lands and the reservoirs and ancient broadleaf woodlands the Cwm Elan mines are a worthy experience not just for its solitary atmosphere but also its historical interest. It sits 1000ft over looking the Garreg-ddu reservoir. The only sounds one can hear are the babbling brook, the bleating sheep and the sweeping and singing birds. The two ruined houses which stand beside one another are a stark contrast in style and colour. I believe the stone house was home to the manager of the mine when lead was discovered at the site in 1796 (and was mined until 1877). Much of the mining equipment and indeed buildings have or are slowly vanishing as the years pass. The red brick house was built by the Birmingham Corporation Waterworks for one of its estate workers and is now in agricultural storage use (although my last visit a few years ago access inside was easy and very little remained since it was used by the sheep as shelter!). The ferns had yet to fully burst open and last years crunched underfoot. When fully grown at the height of summer these ferns cover much of the fields and hills around the mine and are chest high (and also a fertile breeding ground for sheep ticks). My visit on this occasion was humid but cloudy but after a few hours, towards the end of my visit, the sun returned with strength and lit up the spring greenery and the red brick building with pure delight. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img217 https://images.on-this.website/7784_915843344534791320e480.jpgCEUNANT MINE, Ceredigion 1999 Notes on CEUNANT MINE, Ceredigion 1999 A long exposure, trees blowing in the wind, a small patch of white plastered wall in the centre giving the eye something to focus upon. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39375000.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14128747275d4bd7352f3d8.jpgLLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Notes on LLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Llanerch House (possibly also known as Craig y Parcau) – long ruined, suffered a fire in 2006 – another building was also on the site, foundations remains – uncertain what this building was or if indeed this was Llanerch House. The house shown here was though a care home when last occupied – judging by the house and stables it was obviously built as a private residence originally. It is much ruined now, as these photographs testify. My visit was one hot Thursday afternoon beginning of August. The car was parked by the entrance and a short walk to the house. There was a deflated blow-up sex doll on the pathway leading to the house - the house is a well-known place for local vandals and kids. I wondered if I'd be finding anyone there myself. But no, my visit was uninterrupted. The roof has all but collapsed. The walls within are in a poor state, the house is by and by falling down. The stables around the rear are in a slightly better state, much graffiti and litter. A few exposures were made – I only had eight sheets of film – I had a taste for abstract images so after as many/as few outside images of the building were taken I focused my camera in the peeling paintwork inside the stables. One of the rooms had recently been used as a toilet and stank but as luck will have it this room had the richest abstract pickings. I held my breath, gagged and waited for my two minutes exposure to pass. A few more images and then the half hour visit had come to an end. My daughter was with me and commented that this had been one of the more interesting ruins I’d made her visit of recent times. This was a compliment and I did realise it was mostly industrial visits of late and the odd rural farm. I cannot seem to find much on the history of Llanerch House and if anyone knows ore then please do leave a comment below. It is well situated with easy reach of Bridgend and it is somewhat surprising that the site has been left to decay to such a state. I would imagine in the short term the remains will be demolished and something new built since it is prime location. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mud-at-teifi-pools-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_6934903514f152c940a87f.jpgMUD AT TEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 1999 Notes on TEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 1999 In the summer time, when the waters have receded slightly, the floor of the lakes at Teifi Pools leave a hardened layer - crusted by the sunlight. But once stepped upon, as seen here with these sheep tracks, the foot (or in this case the hoof!) sinks - not deeply - into the rich dark mud. This image shows just that, at sunrise and works well as a simple landscape abstraction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41426095.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15311743955f2c0e491ab0d.jpgCWM GARENIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CWM GARENIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had seen this property on a estate agent website and looked worth visiting, especially since it was on a public footpath. The house is in a terrible state, the roof barely clinging on and will most likely fall in the near to distant future. I did not venture inside, just peering through the window was enough to put me off. Listed with a lot of land, might be a temptation for someone but a lot of work is required to bring this sorry house back to a living standard. A few images taken, nothing which grabbed the imagination, but recorded if only for prosperity's sake. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058687.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2379048624a62d5b78334e.jpgLITTLE POOL HALL, Llanvertherine, Monmouthshire 2009 Notes on LITTLE POOL HALL, Llanvertherine, Monmouthshire 2009 Nestled on a gradual decline adjacent to the Offa’s Dyke footpath Little Pool Hall is an untouched gem, untouched by time and equally blessed untouched by vandals. It contains those three essential elements ‘solitary, silent and old’. This medieval house was built sometime in the early 17th century. The bright and hot sun light that shone throughout my visit somehow betrayed the feeling of sadness I experienced whilst exploring the house. The front door was entirely impenetrable due to the summer foliage, however, the side and rear entrances were both wide open. Made up of two storeys and a very large loft are an array of original beams and staircases – bright patches of sunlight beamed through holes in the roof, weeds grew where the rain and light fell on floors. A complete mishmash of rooms on all three floors with beautiful narrow staircases winding in and out of rooms. The upper floors were precarious with holes in the floorboards. I did not venture up the loft – the staircase looked too dangerous and I could see the beams through holes in the ceiling. In bedrooms and bathrooms some traces of human inhabitancy: beds, bedpans, teapots, medicine bottles. Outside, a large barn with beautiful roof beams and also with breeze-block, corrugated iron, brick and every other building material: revealing repair throughout the centuries. A subliminal place and considering its beautiful and incredibly quiet location it is surprising that it has been left to rot for so long. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6078602644b4872752f621.jpg[/img] Interior of Little Pool Hall 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15854769324b4870ededab3.jpg[/img] Interior of Little Pool Hall 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16725143604b4871361da34.jpg[/img] Interior of Little Pool Hall 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13191436084b4871805a5e4.jpg[/img] Interior of Little Pool Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ystodwen-isaf-sylen-llanelli-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2167388985efb02d9d7fd1.jpgYSTODWEN ISAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on YSTODWEN ISAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Set just off the road, large barns beside still in agricultural use but the house, as seen here, roofless and ruined. A shame since nicely located and site has good vibes. I parked the car outside early one June morning and took a gate or two. The ground was firm although I image cows were not so long treading up the ground. A few quick images taken. I set the camera up quick, a set routine, all fingers and eyes and the horizon leveled in the viewfinder. Within a minute a photograph is taken. It takes a lot less with a digital camera but a minute with large format is quick. Ystodwen stands well back from the road, there’s a low set of stone outbuildings set at a right angle to the front, even a few panes of glass in the window frames. The rear of the house shows a large chimney and the rear not rendered giving a little more texture and evidence of the rubble stone walls. The grass around the house is short. The mist was beginning to drop. The Scot’s Pine always looking good in the mist. I wonder how many decades the house has laid empty? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13071226.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14138933194e855b1d74f9b.jpgTYNYLONE, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2011 Note on TYNYLONE, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2011 Standing on a hillside between Stags Head and Llangeitho this ruined farm has been in decay for many years. The front section of the roof has fallen, with the rear wavering and it can only be a matter of time before this too falls. Within, each room can still be distinguished but the ceiling beams sag heavy and piles of stone have fallen where walls have collapsed. Lots of dead cars and farm machinery lays around completing this particular picture of decay. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12101586.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12566137004e49646f9d4a4.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2011 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2011 On the market but as yet unsold, Ruperra mid summer is overgrown with rampant foliage. Reaching the walls hands, legs and face are scratched by bramble and nettles head high. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12599330.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9893031374e65bd506eac2.jpgORFA DDU, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ORFA DDU, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 A small cottage, empty and used as a store and sits contently beside a B-road. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo43405529.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_130034012360f6f09d5c6cd.jpgRHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Notes on RHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Large farmstead long ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/the-hermitage-grwyne-valley-nr https://images.on-this.website/7784_14790492774971f495a7baf.jpgTHE HERMITAGE, Grwyne Valley, nr Abergavenny, Brecknockshire 2004 Note on THE HERMITAGE, Grwyne Valley, nr Abergavenny, Brecknockshire 2004 After a wet day spent in Hereford and whilst driving to Abergavenny I remembered the Hermitage, a small villa south of the Black Mountains, built early 19th century supposedly by John MacNamara of Llangoed, for his mistress. The former was a notable, but by no means a noble character. It was still intact in 1913 but when the Forestry Commission took it over it fell into disrepair. I had a map and drove up the high-hedged road from Crickhowell until it turned to narrowed track and came to an gated end just before a lovely bridge. I parked the car and found the Hermitage relatively easily: very remote, the cellars caved in and fair in size and location. A small steam ran beside the house, considerably deepened by the torrential rain. I spent about an hour exploring the house and grounds, myself and equipment thoroughly soaked but made a few successful exposures. The Hermitage made an otherwise ordinary day something a little special. There isn’t anything particularly special about what remains: a few high stone walls, but the house, knowing it was built for a mistress, held its secrets and contained therein its own micro-atmosphere. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_682053874b594afcf2ca2.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20475814944b594c282717b.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmnewydion-canol-outbuilding-longhouse-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_19036660954c5912bb87d48.jpgCWMNEWYDION-CANOL, (outbuilding? Longhouse?), Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CWMNEWYDION-CANOL, (outbuilding? Longhouse?), Ceredigion 2010 A large and long farm building standing in the deep valley just over the road from the attractive house of Cwm Newydion Canol on the road between Pontrhydygroes and Abermagwr. I believe the two storey part of the building was once inhabited – a chimney at the rear and with a small cluster of extensions. The sun was rising behind the hill and house and it proved difficult to form a composition without the brightness blinding and causing flair. However I found a narrow strip of shade from an electricity pole and an exposure was made. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39374999.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11680444205d4bd734c9aac.jpgLLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Notes on LLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Llanerch House (possibly also known as Craig y Parcau) – long ruined, suffered a fire in 2006 – another building was also on the site, foundations remains – uncertain what this building was or if indeed this was Llanerch House. The house shown here was though a care home when last occupied – judging by the house and stables it was obviously built as a private residence originally. It is much ruined now, as these photographs testify. My visit was one hot Thursday afternoon beginning of August. The car was parked by the entrance and a short walk to the house. There was a deflated blow-up sex doll on the pathway leading to the house - the house is a well-known place for local vandals and kids. I wondered if I'd be finding anyone there myself. But no, my visit was uninterrupted. The roof has all but collapsed. The walls within are in a poor state, the house is by and by falling down. The stables around the rear are in a slightly better state, much graffiti and litter. A few exposures were made – I only had eight sheets of film – I had a taste for abstract images so after as many/as few outside images of the building were taken I focused my camera in the peeling paintwork inside the stables. One of the rooms had recently been used as a toilet and stank but as luck will have it this room had the richest abstract pickings. I held my breath, gagged and waited for my two minutes exposure to pass. A few more images and then the half hour visit had come to an end. My daughter was with me and commented that this had been one of the more interesting ruins I’d made her visit of recent times. This was a compliment and I did realise it was mostly industrial visits of late and the odd rural farm. I cannot seem to find much on the history of Llanerch House and if anyone knows ore then please do leave a comment below. It is well situated with easy reach of Bridgend and it is somewhat surprising that the site has been left to decay to such a state. I would imagine in the short term the remains will be demolished and something new built since it is prime location. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4958671.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3301301964be65eaab991a.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1996 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4496177.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5761002214b90a260a9127.jpgRHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2003 Notes on RHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2003 This image shows the large cement tank - it is printed with harsh contrast in response to the harshness and bleakness of these mine workings. A few miles from Llyn Brianne Reservior, a surprisingly large mine workings called Nantymwyn which ceased production in the early 20th century. I visited early March 2003 and again in November 2008. Many former mining buildings scatter the grey heaps. A large cement mixing(?) building stands on cement stilts and a high tower and finishing mill. Back in 2003 after I had wandered around for a hour or two, further down the hillside, I thought I could hear a motor of some description labouring. Due to a slight breeze I had slight trouble locating the precise source of the sound. Just below a small pile of rubble sat a small pond thick with frogspawn and around the pond, leaving by the scores were large frogs (or toads) chirping and croaking like many small engines! An unexpected pleasure! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/057 https://images.on-this.website/7784_135139549753b4457b661fb.jpgBARN AND WINDFARM, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on BARN AND WINDFARM, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 After visiting a few ruined properties up this dead end road, I was returning home and saw this scene. Only two sheets of negative were left and I quickly set up the camera hoping the sheep wouldn't trot off. They did the opposite, seeing if I had anything for them. I didn't, except for the infamy of being caught onto a silver gelatine film base. A pleasing and simple image. I had wanted to capture the turbine without the blurring but unfortunately I was in too much of a hurry to alter shutter speeds and apertures. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/poster-residue-aberystwyth-ceredigion-2004 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6032903824bcaacbb08694.jpgPOSTER RESIDUE, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on POSTER RESIDUE, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2004 Seeking abstractions in rural mid Wales can at times prove difficult but also when a suitable wall is found, rewarding. Fortunately, there are many ruined houses, farms and industrial buildings which may not always be easy to enter. When possible they often contain walls covered in blistered paint or peeled wallpaper. Often there is very little natural light and since I do not use flash photography exposures can vary from a few seconds up to a few hours. These long exposures allow me to become acquainted with these empty properties, their crumbling and damp walls and whilst the film is exposed to the subject I can settle into the moment and become calm within the buildings atmosphere. Poster remnants, posters removed leaving the areas where tape had been used to attach the posters. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dolgors-rhos-y-gell-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_1021844594c591b271afee.jpgDOLGORS, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on PEELING PAINT AT DOLGORS, Ceredigion 2003 Again, one of my favourite photographs - taken in Dolgor's farmhouse - just outside Devil's Bridge. Very little light reached this part of the hallway yet it was here that the stronger compositions emerged from the fragments of paint work. This was taken early one morning before i went to work - it very nearly made me late - a 16 minutes exposure was used and this negative is an absolute pleasure to print. When these tiny fragments reveal themselves under the red light in the darkroom I feel a thrill - their thin lines begin meeting up, almost like a jigsaw puzzle. PAENT YN PLICIO. Fferm Dolgors. Pontarfvnach. Ceredigion 2003 Mae teimlad cyffyrddol i'r Iluniau hyn o baent yn plicio oddi ar wal ffermdy gwag ger Pontarfynach, a bron na fyddai'n bosibl estyn allan a'u plicio oddi ar y wal. Ychydig iawn o oleuni oedd yn cyrraedd y rhan hon o'r cyntedd, a defnyddiwyd dadleniad o tua phedwar deg pum munud i serio'r deiweddau ar ffilm. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34641046.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13206290115ae0d01e70b4e.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/the-bedroom-dolgors-farm-devils https://images.on-this.website/7784_11823426564ba78bf48b4d6.jpgTHE BEDROOM, Dolgor's Farm, Ceredigion 2006 Notes on THE BEDROOM, Dolgor's Farm, Ceredigion 2006 A long exposure, allowing my eyes to adjust to the room, a bedroom and a feeling of a former life. Piles of moth eaten clothes lay in the wardrobes, a small wooden clock sat veiled in cobwebs on the window sill. Family portraits hung tilted on the walls revealing cleaner, richer coloured wallpaper behind. In this particular house around 15 swifts lay dead on the floor. They had found way into the house but obviously not a way out. All this adds atmosphere. I remain silent throughout my visit and quickly vacate the premises and walk home content, if not a little moved and matured by my labours. YR YSTAFELL WELY. Fferm Dolgors. Pontarfvnach. Ceredigion 2006 Dadleniad hir a chyfle felly i'm llygaid ymgynefino a lled-dywyllwch y ty; ystafell wely a theimlad o fywyd a fu. Llenwir y cypyrddau a phentyrrau o ddillad carpiog, a gwelaf gloc bach pren yn we pry' cop i gyd ar y sil ffenestr. Mae portreadau teuluol yn hongian yn gam ar y waliau, yn datgelu papur wal glanach, mwy lliwgar y tu ol iddynt. Yn y ty hwn gorwedda oddeutu pymtheg o wenoliaid duon yn gelain ar y llawr. Llwyddasant i ddod i mewn i'r ty, ond yn amlwg doedd dim ffordd iddynt fynd allan. Ni wnaf yr un smic o swn yn yr holl amser a dreuliaf yn y ty, a heb lawer o oedi rwy'n gadael yr adeilad ac yn dychwelyd adref yn fodlon, er bod fy ngwaith wedi fy nghyffroi a'm haeddfedu rhywsut. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38414999.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12124521445ce2ed7d51d46.jpgIVY TOWER, Gnoll Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on IVY TOWER, Gnoll Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I had not parked far from the Ivy Tower, only a few hundred yards but planned beforehand to walk a few miles into the uplands above Clyne to visit a ruined property called Blaencwmbach. Alas, the farmhouse although not finished has been re-roofed with a metal roof, gable ends re-built, new windows and doors put in place. It was not ready to be lived in but neither was it dilapidated enough to be called a ruin. I did not even bother peering through the new but dirty window panes. Before I had even left my home on this morning I had written in the map to turn around, and not to walk on, there was another ruin I had intended to visit, Ystrad Owen. To walk there meant an added two miles, at least, to my journey. I had walked only two miles to Blaencwmbach but my backpack and tripod were heavy, 12kg's, and I had not walked recently (or indeed done any exercise). I was feeling the strain! On the way back I stopped at the Ivy Tower. There is no public access to the site. The footpath that seems to head in its direction does not allow access – as a sign proclaimed – so I did not bother. Instead I took a longer route and found the tower easily. Large rocks and old knurled hardwood lay on the hillside on the way up. The tower itself is in a poor state, laid empty since a fire in 1910 and beyond repair. I feel the ruins could be consolidated and the overgrowth cleared, perhaps evening allowing proper access. A few exposures were made, not wholly satisfying but at least a photograph was taken on an otherwise hard but fruitless mornings walk. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ty-newydd-llanddeiniol-ceredigion-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2427052355406c1095a37e.jpgTY NEWYDD, Llanddeiniol, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY NEWYDD, Llanddeiniol, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage renovated some time I imagine in 1980's but now ruined and open to the elements. Inside lots of skeletons of birds of prey - too large to be anything other - with wings and feathers attached - all strange and sad. The staircase was gone, no access to upper floor but on tip-toe could see nothing but dust and bird-droppings. The cottage is a shell and a shame to see such waste. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ystrad-owen-clyne-neath-port https://images.on-this.website/7784_9134175865cdd0a9902951.jpgYSTRAD OWEN, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on YSTRAD OWEN, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Not a long walk but steep and I was a little stiff after a mornings walking to another house (actually found in process of restoration). Ystrad Owen is perched side of a hill, perhaps not as long ruinous as it makes one believe. The Scot’s Pine can be seen as the path ascends and the ruins are separated by the track. Both house and outbuildings are roofless and much ruinous but there’s a good sense of place here; a view, an openness which can be sheltered from, if need be, by this morning’s breeze. It was from these ruins two other properties could be spied and which led to my next walk, of Penybanc, a strange and alluring place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-at-pont-llanio-milk https://images.on-this.website/7784_10689642224e842702644c7.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images (images of the actual building can be seen in the 'Other Welsh Ruins' gallery) and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes due to the dimness within and the deep rain clouds outside. The walls within had been exposed to 40 years of dampness and the thick paint work was peeling throughout. The textures and patterns formed therein were some of the better I'd seen for many a year. These images were all taken using a 150mm Xenar lens - not optimised for macro photography yet the negative are absolutely pin-sharp and are a joy to view and then print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14120099.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2965723154f341e0bb162c.jpgUNKNOWN HOUSE, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN HOUSE, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2012 I know not this area of Wales very well and naturally whenever I drive around the small country lanes I keep one eye open for any ruins along the way that may well be worth photographing. This house would not have been visible from the road mid summer when the bushes and trees in the field where this house modestly sits due to full bloom. It sits quietly on the edge of a field and remains in a good structurally sound condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8311554.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17910658864d353b350820f.jpgTAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 An interesting site, Tan-y-Foel is in a poor state with it's roof all but fallen. I sought an interior image but little remained inside other than some very damp beams and other indistinguishable debris so decided against crawling through rotten windows onto rotten floorboards. I had cycled from Tregaron to visit Tan-y-Foel. There had been a frost. I was out of breath and hot when I reached the footpath that leads up to the house. It was 11:30am. The house sits besides a disused quarry and a small wooded area. This sheltered the house from the rising sun. The light in this small alcove of farm and farm buildings was cool and soft. I often prefer to photograph a building on a cloudy, overcast day. However, this, it has to be said, is my preferred condition with the subject sheltered from the bright sun light. I made a number of exposures. I was limited to only 8 sheets of film, of which I used only 7. The images here are somewhat similar and show the property taken at the number of angles that were possible. For me they all work. There was little room around the rear garden due to the overgrowth of brambles. The collection of stone barns, corrugated barns were chockablock with used and disused farm machinery; bags upon bags of farming litter and rubbish. All very interesting but also disturbing seeing such a mess; sitting before a ruined house, in a prime location just a few miles out of the university town of Lampeter. Surely a use could have been found for this property? A far greater and comprehensive view of this farmhouse and it's barns can be seen at www.derelictmiscellany.org.uk by clciking on the link below: http://derelictmisc.org.uk/tanyfoel.html https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38373149.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15514736365cdd0a92b032b.jpgYSTRAD OWEN, Neath Port Talbot 201 Notes on YSTRAD OWEN, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Not a long walk but steep and I was a little stiff after a mornings walking to another house (actually found in process of restoration). Ystrad Owen is perched side of a hill, perhaps not as long ruinous as it makes one believe. The Scot’s Pine can be seen as the path ascends and the ruins are separated by the track. Both house and outbuildings are roofless and much ruinous but there’s a good sense of place here; a view, an openness which can be sheltered from, if need be, by this morning’s breeze. It was from these ruins two other properties could be spied and which led to my next walk, of Penybanc, a strange and alluring place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8387358.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_808736274d3daed482eb0.jpgCAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2011 The day after, a day of, constant and heavy rain. Caermeirch is a damp place on the driest of summer days. Water pumps out from the ground. Patches of land in front and to the side of the house are large puddles, deep enough to warrant wellingtons. The house itself has been empty, by my reckoning, for at least twenty years. I once slept in the front room, 10 years ago, cold on the slate floor wrapped in a sleeping bag and having dreams of crows flying down the chimney and filling the room with dark shadows of winds beating at breakneck speed. The walls are damp inside. Flag stone floors are cold to the touch. Various bits of debris fill the downstairs rooms; jam jars, coils of barbed wire, boxes and the kitchen filled with old kettles, pots and pans. Upstairs the three bedrooms are littered with worn, moth-eaten clothing, empty bottles of pills and medicines. Outbuildings are plentiful and are in various states; some in use, some with holes in the roof; some repaired whilst others let in the rain. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cae-glas-isaf-llangeitho-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_167100836256e3bd113f137.jpgCEFN-CAEAU, Llangeitho, Ceredigion Notes on CEFN-CAEAU, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 A house much ruined, sitting adjacent to Cae-Glas and first came to notice only a short while ago. I used to visit Cae-glas in the mid-1980's where a school friend lived and have no, or little, recollection of this property. A few outbuildings, also much ruined and partically built of clom as seen here. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37371408.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18278601235c6073cb3ecd2.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 A second visit in six months and in January when the foliage is stripped bare and the remains of the ruins are better viewed. The house was abandoned in 1824 – almost two hundred years ago – and at that time the sea would have made its way up stream and it is proposed Scotsborough House would have had a docking bay for boats delivering goods (not dissimilar to Boulston House). The land around the house has silted up now and this has become a haven for wildlife. The house itself is a sad site but perhaps we should be grateful there is still something to see. Viewpoints come easily for me on this morning. I think I can say I photographed the house better than my first visit – which admittedly was in the drizzle and I was somewhat hurried. Today an hour or so was spent at the site – a barbed wire fence surround the ruins with signs saying ‘No trespassing, dangerous ruins’ – a potential gravestone signature. The porch showed an internal arched doorway blocked up and further clues around the house give hint at other arched doorways. This had been a substantial building in its time. It’s a shame the ruins could not be consolidated as I am sure visitors to Tenby would love to explore the town other than the beach and shops. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmystwyth-lead-mines-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_431725744d0dba0269467.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 2010 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img338 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16927030425367cf4a1f1fc.jpgMIN Y AFON, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on OUTBUILDING, MIN Y AFON, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2014 I am not entirely sure if this is the correct name of this house – it stands down a small lane beside the newly erected Llanerchaeron corrugated train waiting room, on the disused railway line. The house is in a poor state but the land around the rear has been cleared so obviously, one hopes, consolidation work will soon begin. I also expect this is owned by National Trust but could be wrong – any info gratefully received. Return to house, little had changed since the last time I'd visited - this corrugated building was in fact a stable, dilapidated and sorrowful but worth an exposure nonetheless. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-cottage-pontrhydygroes-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8997998824f8300b764a26.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 I have walked passed this small cottage many times over the last twenty years. Today I decided I should photograph. The window frames remain and it stands high overlookingthe lower end of the Hafod estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-adam-eve-garden-pontrhydygroes https://images.on-this.website/7784_531661038498535d5a909c.jpgHAFOD (Adam & Eve Garden) Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1995 Notes on HAFOD (ruins, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1996 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. Hafod was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired 'Peacocks in Paradise' by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot stone of the monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/notes-on-allt-house-llansantffraed https://images.on-this.website/7784_8973697424f2509173e2db.jpgNotes on ALLT HOUSE, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Notes on Notes on ALLT HOUSE, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Surrounded by dead bracken and high on a hillside only a stones throw away from the Paragon Tower, the Allt House, a well-fitted name, stands forlorn yet stoic over looking the Talybont-on-Usk valley. A high narrow house with extensions fallen. The front door is at the rear of the building and this left the builder to fit a huge window on the front and then to allow not only a lot of light into this little house but to also give the occupants a truely panaromic view. I'd love to see photographs of teh house before dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gwrthwynt-isaf-talsarn-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_214417797256be0f9bc67ba.jpgGWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on GWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2016 A return, a revisit and a little easier to photograph the house, although the windows and doors are still impregnable, but from afar it is possible to see that there are brambles growing inside the window frames, which surely must mean that internally the house is damp, the stone work possibly damaged. Seems a waste but who knows the reasons why many of these houses are left abandoned, sometimes completely understandable, other times with disbelief. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/deri-odwyn-llwynpiod-near-tregaron https://images.on-this.website/7784_528192874baf57e68a0ca.jpgDERI ODWYN, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on DERI ODWYN, Ceredigion 2009 A large L-shaped farmstead laying about a mile from the cottage where I lived when I first moved to Wales with my parents in 1982 – I can see my first home from across the valley. Deri Odwyn is a long, mostly roofless house that has been left empty for decades and sits with its rear beside the road from Tyncelyn to Stag’s Head. The forecast had been predicted as wet but I woke in the morning to find the sun peering through the grey clouds, I decided to go out and take some photographs. The early morning sun had a warm coloured hue, it shone upon the windows of the house and seemed to give this ruined house a savaged but ethereal feel. I made a few exposures before a dark heavy shower blanketed the valley opposite and made its way in my direction. Cows shifted foot to foot in a large modern cow shed beside the house and dogs barked constantly during my visit and watched me from a distance; not particularly bothered by my whereabouts but neither allowing me to be totally despondent to them. After 20 minutes I had packed up my camera and walked back to the car. As much of this house is roofless one can imagine that it will slowly but surely tumble. The roofed part is inaccessible, the windows and doors intact and locked. Perhaps signs of the last tenants remain but the windows were opaque with cobwebs and dirt. Perhaps best to leave this house, its history and its charms, to decay with the passage of time. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/garn-llandybie-carmarthenshire-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16316752755f22be9eb70d0.jpgGARN, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on GARN, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Hidden away within a shallow group of trees Garn feels both long lost but perhaps not quite as long lost as first imagined. I crossed two or three fields, the first field had an oddly position three arched doored stable (see next set of images). The edge of the final field had a narrow hedged pathway, most likely the driveway to the ruined farmstead itself but now only passable for one person at a time. The house sits low within the group of trees, roofless, mostly featureless. I could work out if this had a staircase rising with the chimney, quite possibly but equally possibly not! Around the rear are a number of outbuildings, well-built but time is slowly eating away at their structural integrity. The building immediately to the rear had a rounded corner and signs of a more recent mortar repair. I am untrained. I could not tell if this rounded corner had been built originally this way or had been repaired and rounded off at a later date. The other outbuildings were all overgrown and in poor state. A number of images were taken all around the house. Long exposures of up to 30 seconds. The light hitting the subject slowly reaching the sensitive film. On the map another possible ruin just a field away, Tir-Ifan but when I reached the spot where the house should have stood I could not find it. I think it had been demolished or it was out of sight within the wooded area which was covered in high and impassable brambles. It is my belief the house has gone judging by how perfectly flat the ground was where I thought the house should have stood. Garn however still stands and my visit of around half an hour was calming and quiet. I sometimes do not fully appreciate my time at these sites. I am often preoccupied with capturing the best image possible rather than fully soak up the atmosphere. This is a shame since I believe if I could marry the atmosphere with the scientific aspects of capturing an image on film then I feel I would do my subject matter a greater service; that of respect and that would hopefully have a positive impact in the images I documented onto film. Garn was a reminder that I should not rush, I should look harder, heighten my senses and then think about capturing what I see (and feel) on to film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwm-garenig-glanaman-carmarthenshire-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_5678124655f2c0e482ea88.jpgCWM GARENIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CWM GARENIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had seen this property on a estate agent website and looked worth visiting, especially since it was on a public footpath. The house is in a terrible state, the roof barely clinging on and will most likely fall in the near to distant future. I did not venture inside, just peering through the window was enough to put me off. Listed with a lot of land, might be a temptation for someone but a lot of work is required to bring this sorry house back to a living standard. A few images taken, nothing which grabbed the imagination, but recorded if only for prosperity's sake. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14330597.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19053358244f5daa478971c.jpgDERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on DERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2012 An ornate bridge, once one of the main driveways up to the country house of Derry Ormond (demolished 1956) now stands a little forlorn and once formed part of three ponds which sat at the foot of the once great house. The bridge these days carries no visitors, by horse and cart nor motor car and serves no purpose except perhaps to move livestock from one field to another. My visit was early on a cloudy morn and I was accompanied by birdsong and the babbling brook of the stream Nant Dyfel. Due to the slow rising dawn long exposures of around 6 minutes were used which caused some blurring of the leaves blowing in the wind and the flow of the stream. Above the bridge are ornate iron gates rusting and hanging off their posts and a view can be stolen of Derry Ormond tower. Much high stone work can be easily viewed which obviously created the pond and the flow of water could be contained and controlled. The bridge was once ridged with white marble but this has mostly fallen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36756946.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17232641935bd2178bf2d84.jpgPEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 Notes on PEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 A short damp walk and quickly whilst exploring it becomes apparent this farm was the victim of a fire. Inside is much ruinous and blackened. Outside a few possession scattered. A long barn with arrow-slot vents hint at an older property than what I first imagined. The walls within however were rich in photographic pickings, the paintwork blistered, the brickwork crumbling. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hengwm-annedd-nant-y-moch https://images.on-this.website/7784_10646054424e7f41171fc57.jpgHENGWM-ANNEDD, Nant-y-Moch, Ceredigon 2011 Notes on NEUADD FACH & HENGWM-ANNEDD, Nant-y-Moch, Ceredigon 2011 Two houses just a stones throw from one another. Neuadd Fach actually stands in Powys (Montgomeryshire) and Hengwm-Annedd across the river Hengwm stands in Ceredigion. An emotional day visiting the ancient hills around Nant-y-Moch – the village of Nant-y-Moch was drowned by the building of the reservoir – most of the farmsteads and cottages were abandoned early 1960’s. Photographs and stories of these hills farmers can be found in the 2005 publication by Erwyd Howells’ ‘Good Men and True’ (ISBN 0-9551736-0-4) Little remains of Neuadd Fawr – the roof finally caving in about ten years ago – one chimney remains and a solitary tree beside the house – This valley once full of life and thickly wooded with Birch is now become an open and empty landscape – the land wet and boggy. Little too remains of Henwgm. The heavy rain, and true to the name 'Nant-y-Moch', made the river Hengwm too deep, too fast flowing to cross. There was once a foot bridge but that has long gone. I was forced to photograph the house from across the river. Hengwm-Annedd was abandoned in 1935. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/059 https://images.on-this.website/7784_139847209454d7a28a2279f.jpgPANT-AFALLEN, Pontsaeson, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PANT-AFALLEN, Pontsaeson, Ceredigion 2015 Only a stones throw from the b-road, I crossed a field, following a public right of way, uncertain if I'd find anything within the small gathering of trees in a dip just over the horizon. The house stood, looking in reasonably good condition, with cement block restoration within the doorway and a rendered front. The roof too, also in a relatively good condition - it seemed Pant-afallen (Pantfallen) has not been empty for so long. However, the windows and doors have all gone and inside was dark and gloomy with furniture rotting black and damp with mould. I did not bother to enter. The staircase also rotten. Barns also all ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24536185.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_961394294557925ccb24c6.jpgGLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage - one forgets how small the rooms are compared to todays houses, no room to swing a cat, but easier to keep warm - and can be seen from the road but the footpath I took started nowhere but eventually met up with the straight track to the house. Inside are ovens, rusty white-goods, worthless and dirty and other bits of... things... doors and window frames, bits of broken furniture, pots and pans et al... Outside the house looks to be in a good general order, the morning sun shone brightly, my spirits were high, cows had done their best to make the going around the house almost impossible without sinking a foot deep and losing footing (and indeed wellingtons) and although my visit here was over within twenty minutes, it was certainly pleasant enough and one hopes the house to find an owner/buyer, small as it may be. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37371412.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17374166315c6073cf5a5a1.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 A second visit in six months and in January when the foliage is stripped bare and the remains of the ruins are better viewed. The house was abandoned in 1824 – almost two hundred years ago – and at that time the sea would have made its way up stream and it is proposed Scotsborough House would have had a docking bay for boats delivering goods (not dissimilar to Boulston House). The land around the house has silted up now and this has become a haven for wildlife. The house itself is a sad site but perhaps we should be grateful there is still something to see. Viewpoints come easily for me on this morning. I think I can say I photographed the house better than my first visit – which admittedly was in the drizzle and I was somewhat hurried. Today an hour or so was spent at the site – a barbed wire fence surround the ruins with signs saying ‘No trespassing, dangerous ruins’ – a potential gravestone signature. The porch showed an internal arched doorway blocked up and further clues around the house give hint at other arched doorways. This had been a substantial building in its time. It’s a shame the ruins could not be consolidated as I am sure visitors to Tenby would love to explore the town other than the beach and shops. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41493328.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20207970845f327179c60c2.jpgBRYN-SIL, Horton, Gower 2020 Notes on BRYN-SIL, Horton, Gower 2020 I took the long path to the house, by the caravan park near to Horton. I wanted to visit another ruin which was so overgrown that no images were taken. I was also uncertain if Bryn-sil was lived in or indeed even ruined. On Googleearth the house seemed isolated in location with no road leading to it. As it turns out the house has seen a lot of renovation which was from a ruinous cottage. There is a new roof over the bare walls, inside had been built up with stone and brick and there was new lintels over the doors and windows… except there was no doors or windows and access into the house was by simply crossing the threshold. I am uncertain when this work was done but judging by the track/path leading to the house nothing had been done this year. It is beautifully positioned, especially so on the Sunday morning of my visit, a warm, warm day with no clouds. This isn’t my preferred weather for photographing but so few of the images on this website are taken in bright sunlight it actually made a change. I hope Brynsil is restored fully and becomes a home for someone. Remnants of an wood and corrugated outbuilding also on site but lost in the undergrowth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33968008.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10697212255a67020e88362.jpgPEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Notes on PEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Remarkable farmhouse and outbuildings all sitting in a shallow hollow surrounded by hardwood and boggy land. I had scanned the maps and GoogleEarth beforehand and concluded the house had been demolished. Google-earth showed nothing but a group of trees so was delighted when I traipsed along the invisible footpath through fields of soggy ground to this aforementioned group of trees. Within seconds I fell in love this silent little site. A few slates remain on the long barn with arrow slits (to help air circulate) but otherwise all other buildings are long empty and ruinous. Lines of trees lead in and out of the site around the rear to the side, again not explicitly apparent on GoogleEarth. Sometimes, most times, a walk is the only way to explore and find such ruins. I know nothing of the history of Pen-yr-wern so any information would be appreciated.... apparently sold to the coal board in the 1960's and left abandoned ever since... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10098168.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15508924764dd3685fc9525.jpgTHE SYSTERNE HOUSE/SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on THE SYSTERNE HOUSE/SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear, Pembrokeshire 2011 A return to the Sister's House and all those hidden ruins within its fenced grounds. My previous visit had been early spring a few years ago and I was surprised by the thickness of undergrowth. Nettles swayed three foot high and the canopy of tree cover caused exposures of around 16 seconds on a bright but cloudy afternoon. Classed as an Ancient Monument one can not help but feel that this complex of ruins, with some uncertainty of theses buildings purpose (a hospice for female pilgrims?), needs some loving care, the stone work must have suffered dreadfully over the last few harsh winters and one would have thought CADW would demand some sort of consolidation work on these important buildings. As it is they all stand, and will surely crumble and tumble, unprotected from the elements. This medieval village does however offer the explorer much delight and pleasure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8087422.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18337133554d11b3e7a02f1.jpgBRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on BRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Ruins of an 18th Century farmhouse which now sit in the perimeter of a private race course. It will not be long before the roof falls and judging the state of the structural walls these too will soon tumble. There's a marvellous twin entrance stable block behind the house which has had a metal roof recently erected, so at least this will remain upright. This property has wonderful views over towards Strata Florida Abbey and the surrounding hills. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/maes-llyn-bethania-ceredigion-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_210685873653bc45a6071b7.jpgMAES-LLYN, Bethania, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on MAES-LLYN, Bethania, Ceredigion 2014 Small and wonderful cottage, with porch afterthought giving an already odd looking cottage, an even stranger appearance. Just north of lake Eiddwen. The door was open and I entered. I checked two room and then heard a noise coming from the third. A ewe and its lamb stood watching me, ready to pounce. I stepped back and off they went, legs flying, full panic mode. Inside was sheep muck and little else. The staircase was broken and upstairs inaccessible. I went back outside and took a few photographs. I returned back inside after ten minutes and somehow the two sheep had found a way back in without me noticing. Again, they fled and no doubt waited for me to leave again. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/013 https://images.on-this.website/7784_98803428053b3a46997067.jpgGLAN-LLYN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GLAN-LLYN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 A lovely ruin on the banks of Llyn Eiddwen. The day was bright and warm and I had expected little to remain of this property. I wished I had visited decades ago, when there was a roof and the outbuildings were a little more substantial than what they are now. Few details remain, a few windows, a doorway and fireplace. I took a number of photographs, each angle offering something worthwhile. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26620318.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1625411956be0fb62296a.jpgGWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on GWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2016 A return, a revisit and a little easier to photograph the house, although the windows and doors are still impregnable, but from afar it is possible to see that there are brambles growing inside the window frames, which surely must mean that internally the house is damp, the stone work possibly damaged. Seems a waste but who knows the reasons why many of these houses are left abandoned, sometimes completely understandable, other times with disbelief. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14140770.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7377063474f39591c8ef48.jpgCILMEDDU, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on CILMEDDU, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 Long ruined and high, remote longhouse overlooking Maenarthur, Pontrhydygroes and Ysbyty Ystwyth. There are numerous ruined buildings on this hillside, their function unknown to me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-at-tai-unos-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_4662686634ea25d4517fe5.jpgABSTRACTION AT TAI-UNOS, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT TAI-UNOS, Ceredigion 2011 Inside a small cottage, the plaster on a rear wall shows smoke damage and paterns emerge thereon in the plaster work. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41492452.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11524626225f31984682cc1.jpgPISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Along a footpath/track and you soon come to the farmstead, large and spread out of Pistyll North. The house itself looks long ruinous, two mature tree trunks cut within the walls evidence the house has long been empty and ruinous. A new metal roof protects the solid walls. A large fireplace inside the extended section was in very poor condition – the extended section a somewhat odd looking intrusion of the main structure of the house, most likely a later addition(?). There were sheep inside when I visited, they left, I entered, I expected the floor to be foot deep in droppings and smelly but it was not, it was dry and a comfort from the rain outside. I wondered why the name of the house was half Welsh/half English. At home I searched on older maps and it seems the house has been called by the same spelling for at least a hundred years. A long stone barn, partially collapsed at the front, stands facing the house at a slight angle. Other barns and outbuildings are scattered around. There’s a lot to see and because of the position of the buildings in relation with other buildings viewpoints/compositions are found easily. The site is for sale currently and it is truly exceptional. It needs a little insight but the general aura of the place is one of positively. My visit was short, forty five minutes or so… exposures were quite long inside the house at around 6 minutes. There was a constant drizzle even if the forecast had been dry. There was no sound of traffic. No sound of farm machinery or even a dog barking somewhere someplace of. Even the birds seemed a little shy of the drizzle and judging by the birds in my garden, town birds aren’t much bothered by the rain and I doubt countryside ones aren’t either. The sheep however were bleating. They had seen me, followed me with their eyes as I walked along the track, and knew most likely and instantly that they did not know me. Yet still they bleated, neither in distress or in hope of food. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19528042.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19188633025254296fcd04c.jpgBERTHDOMLED STABLES, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on BERTHDOMLED STABLES, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2013 A public footpath passes the actual house of Berthdomled (occupied and not ruined!) and the stables stand beside it, almost dwarfing the house. The stables form a courtyard and contain a cow shed, pigsties, boiler house, barn and outward facing cart sheds. All are in various states of disrepair but are still in some agricultural use. A few exposures were made but are slightly underexposed. This maybe because of the difficulty of finding the correct exposure due to the lifting dawn and also this batch of film (Kodak tmax100) is also approximately 15 years past its use-by date. The current price of film determines such measures.. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llethr-bawdy-pembrokeshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10848593224d92bf55ac6ac.jpgLLETHR, Bawdy, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on LLETHR, Bawdy, Pembrokeshire 2011 A large farmhouse, grade 2 listed and falling into an ever perilous condition. My visit was a dissappointing one. I had set up the camera when the side door of the house had opened, much to my surprise, and someone came out. Someone lives in the lower part of the house. When I asked the owner, who lives in a bungalow on the site, whether I could take a few photographs, he asked me, without doubt, to leave. I left. These few images were taken using a digital compact camera and nonetheless give a fair impression of Llethr. Many of the outbuildings have been converted into dwellings. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551492.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7446936424f83027b6fd6a.jpgUNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 I suspect the same builder was responsible for the few farmsteads and barns built in and around the wind farm at Llangwyryfon. The same build quality is evident throughout the ruins that litter this bleak hill. This longhouse is no exception and part of the joy photographing is not just the general view but also of the stonework within. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-nandcwnlle-ceredigion-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_5076103114a62ce13c641d.jpgHAFOD, Nandcwnlle, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on HAFOD, Nandcwnlle, Ceredigion 2009 Three storeys high, built late 18th century and as discovered in the pages of ‘Forgotten Welsh Houses’ by Michael Tree and Mark Baker – and not by my eager and searching eye (surprising since I’ve lived near and used this road numerous times in the last 20 years!). I parked in the lay-by and walked up to the house. It was early, around 5:30am. A large caravan sat in the grounds as well as lots of visual clues the house was in the process of restoration. No windows were broken, no slates missing, no doors hanging from their frames, no signs of graffiti or vandalism. The ground around the house had been cleared and the house looked in generally good condition. I did not attempt to gain entry or peer through the windows. I was pleased the house and grounds seemed to show the beginnings of careful and considerate repair and I was also glad I was able to photograph it before it was all fully restored. A gentle drizzle blew, like mist and the long grass dampened my trousers. I set up my camera was walked around the house and made a few exposures. The house felt as ease in its setting, nestled between two ‘B roads’ but also remote and in part of the country I am most familiar with. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14970685914b594db26b679.jpg[/img] Hafod, Llangeitho 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15794972434b594e013436c.jpg[/img] Hafod, Llangeitho 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17716070574b594e488ba5c.jpg[/img] Hafod, Llangeitho 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42008062.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5615789275f8ed65b478d7.jpgTY GWYN, Rhyd-Y-Fro, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on TY GWYN, Rhyd-Y-Fro, Pontardawe 2020 I parked in a layby on the edge of a suburban area of Rhy-Y-Fro… hardly a city itself and more or less attached to Pontardawe. I walked fifty yards, followed a footpath down to a stream and small arched stone bridge, over this and through forestry. So far, so good. The path split, I took the muddier and steeper path, often the case, and quickly reached the walls of the house. A vast area to the left of the house was filled with Japanese Knotweed. It looked a brilliant yellow in the autumnal day, cloudy itself but bright enough to illuminate the knotweed. More knotweed grows beside the front of the house, a shame since the house is currently on the market. The house seemed much ruined and possibly for many years, nonetheless as with each site visited one picks up on the atmospherics and I can confirm this was a lovely calm place. Although only a ten minute walk from my car I honestly felt alone and miles from anywhere or anyone, that is except for a field of horses who were not interested in me in particular but nonetheless kept an eye open. Only six sheets of film were exposed for the only reason that I only had six sheets of film with me. I perhaps could have used a few more but left after half an hour believing I’d taken everything I needed to take and any extra would not have added anything to my remembrance of the place. I do hope the house and the accompanying land is purchased. It’s a lovely site with good views and mature trees. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10098164.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9716488114dd3685591d6b.jpgLLAWHADEN HOUSE, Llawhaden, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on LLAWHADEN HOUSE, Llawhaden, Pembrokeshire 2011 A fine house, sadly destroyed by fire in 2000, sits centrally in the small village of Llawhaden and overlooking the ruins of Llawhaden Castle. The village setting is pretty and well-maintained and Llawhaden house sits uncomfortable in it's dilapidated and ruinous state. At the core a medieval dwelling and it is also reported that Oliver Cromwell stayed here. Around the rear there is also a granary, stables, dovecote and also a walled garden (over the road) – all overgrown and unfriendly. My visit was brief, on a Saturday afternoon, bright and breezy and due to the high fence I only took a few photographs and did not venture within the fenced area. The property has been purchased with plans to restore in the immediate future. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115468.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3120685804982ae868b028.jpgMALPAS COURT, Newport, Gwent 2005 Notes on MALPAS COURT, Newport, Gwent 2005 Malpas Court stands foreboding on the edge of suburban Newport and although surrounded by a secure high wire fence, it only takes a few minutes to find an obliging hole offering access to the walls of the house. Malpas Court as viewed from the road, with its high chimneys, rugged sandstone and occasional dressed bath stone, looks an impenetrable fortress but once inside the fence the planks covering the windows are little defence to the determined intruder. Built in the 1830s it seems lost and out of place in its modern urban location, like some haunted mansion that only a few brave souls dare to go near. The builder, a Thomas Prothero, of mean character (according to legend), reputedly offered a sum of £500 to help build Malpas church on the condition it would be built closer to his home. On hearing his request refused he then halved his proposed sum to £250. A notorious and a much reviled man and with some kind of karmic fortune and irony considering the owners mean spirited past, his house was used in the 1970s and 80s as a community centre. Malpas Court is currently under restoration by the local council, it's use yet to be agreed. Malpas Court 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9648525634b46eb0039fcf.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6376261204b46eb13bac9c.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16786942094b46eb2169746.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12900156353b3a450e5cfa.jpgGLAN-LLYN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GLAN-LLYN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 A lovely ruin on the banks of Llyn Eiddwen. The day was bright and warm and I had expected little to remain of this property. I wished I had visited decades ago, when there was a roof and the outbuildings were a little more substantial than what they are now. Few details remain, a few windows, a doorway and fireplace. I took a number of photographs, each angle offering something worthwhile. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-cwm-ty-unnos-pontrhydyfendigaid https://images.on-this.website/7784_7121145684ea25be167de7.jpgPEN-CWM (TY-UNNOS), Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN-CWM (TY-UNNOS), Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not kow the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2! As you can see both are very similar in design and also in their ruinous state. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076465.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17878502344970693319ac5.jpgBLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on BLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 1997 A very derelict, very early 17th century house situated high above the Baglan suburb, a couple of miles north of Port Talbot. The owner at the time appeared to care little for the house and was apparently a man of some temper. I was told he lived beside the house in a small modern cottage. I stood at the front door, wide eyed and then youthful, and I knocked on the cottage door with apprehension but noted the curtains were pulled and although the garden was well maintained the cottage too lay empty with rips in the net curtains and a small sapling growing in a drain. I imagine i made a few relieved sighs and then a made few quick exposures of the exterior of Blaen Baglan and I was on my way again. I can and do sympathise with owners of these mansions - the time, effort and finance of restoring such properties must be enormous. Even wishing to contain the dereliction is a major project and not one to enter lightly. The roof of Blaen Baglan, although mainly slate-less, had begun to waver and I suspect since I took these images has come down. A date stone mounted above the doorway was long gone. An intriguing but sorrowful pile. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19957884b652a6ef05de.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16095407124b652a9ea99b1.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1950710864b652abf9d3bf.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/paragon-tower-llansantffraed-brecknock-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9111791214f250e41429fd.jpgPARAGON TOWER, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Notes on PARAGON TOWER, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Not so much a tower than a hunting lodge but not so much a hunting lodge than a folly. Built early 1800's (from an internet search). It is basically a circular building with a large chimney in the centre. All four evenly shaped and sized rooms have doorways and a corridor, of sorts, running through them all. A few other ruins dotted around and extensions, I presume a kitchen to the right-hand side when facing the house. It is situated high on a hillside (why build a tower anywhere else!) and the wind rattles fast causing the trees to sway and the leaves to blow. A lovely little place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-lan-uchaf-abermagwr-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_12873318654dc808d968c03.jpgPEN-LAN UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN-LAN UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 With no obvious track or road leading up to the walls of Pen-lan Uchaf means it has been left alone by the casual and bored vandal. I am unsure how long it has been left empty - it might be 10 years, it could be 30. All the doors and windows were boarded up and there was little point in seeing if there was any access within (it would have been too dark to photograph anyhow since I never use flash for these black and white images). Best let the house and it's secrets in peace. Due to its secluded spot this house exudes an air of calmness. The sheep had fluttered away as I approached and the cows too had fled but naturally for them they had to return. Their curiosity beating their fear of this stranger. I enjoyed their company and the hour spent at Pen-lan Uchaf was a pleasent one. If anyone knows anything of this house then please do leave a comment. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41424037.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6506352235f2a75408de36.jpgCEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had known of this house since it was first put on the market a couple of years ago. The pictures of the estate agent website show a roofless ruin, the grounds cleared of foliage. In those two years a lot of foliage had grown back and my visit, mid-summer, made it all but impossible to get to the front door. Only a few exposures were made. This is an 18th century manor house (according to the sales burb) and the house is larger than most farmhouses and has an interesting array of outbuildings. The arched doorways had appeal, as does the full height rear part of the house, a somewhat odd looking square extension most likely a rear doorway but inaccessible. The rear is also windowless other than the large arch. I wonder if this had something to do with the historical window tax (introduced in 1696 until 1851)? Outbuildings around the rear, again mostly inaccessible. A lovely site and a lovely house which takes only a little imagination, but a whole heap of money, to return to its former glory. According to ‘Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families’ by Francis Jones (ISBN 0906972027), Cefn Cethin was still being lived in when the book was published in 1987. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42233309.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19646622726054c85b76755.jpgPANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Notes on PANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Roadside located but barely visible through the foliage, Pant-Glas on older maps dating from the late 19th century shows the house as one dwelling but once within the mass of foliage it looks more like two separate dwellings; two sets of front doors, no door between the properties. Both dwellings the same size. Perhaps this was once a longhouse and perhaps one of the dwellings had been converted. I do not know but the old maps do not lie. I took a few images, in both parts, but viewpoints were scarce. Half an hour spent. I walked back to car, drove home, arrived back home at 7:30am, still an hour before I started work but already a good mornings work had been done. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38438115.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7584611285ce6eb05948f9.jpgPEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2019 Notes on PEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2019 Remarkable farmhouse and outbuildings all sitting in a shallow hollow surrounded by hardwood and boggy land. I had scanned the maps and GoogleEarth beforehand and concluded the house had been demolished. Google-earth showed nothing but a group of trees so was delighted when I traipsed along the invisible footpath through fields of soggy ground to this aforementioned group of trees. Within seconds I fell in love this silent little site. A few slates remain on the long barn with arrow slits (to help air circulate) but otherwise all other buildings are long empty and ruinous. Lines of trees lead in and out of the site around the rear to the side, again not explicitly apparent on GoogleEarth. Sometimes, most times, a walk is the only way to explore and find such ruins. I know nothing of the history of Pen-yr-wern so any information would be appreciated.... apparently sold to the coal board in the 1960's and left abandoned ever since... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34641045.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11630152355ae0d01bb3cd5.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/055 https://images.on-this.website/7784_22822940853b445741ce54.jpgRABBIT AT BYRGWM ISAF, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on RABBIT AT BYRGWM ISAF, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Lowly positioned and I presume long empty - I wonder who lived here in this small dank remote cottage? A footpath alongside sees few walkers. A little further on a dead rabbit was found, outstretched and wet, its glassy eyes giving sign that it had only recently died, perhaps sometime in the morning or the night before. Access within the house was by simply opening the front door, off its hinges. Inside was covered in sheep droppings, the usual birds nest remnants in the fireplace - the staircase completely gone. I peered up past the low ceiling. There was little to see; more empty rooms, all forlorn and lonely. Only a few exposures were made, the darkness of the trees canopy giving an high contrast negative against the bright sunny morning. One can imagine, quite without imagination, how quickly this house will fall. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14118144.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19917046224f33be9ad83bb.jpgCYNNANT, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on CYNNANT, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 This rural farmstead has been ruined for some years judging by the state of the property. The facade was once painted yellow, this yellow has faded and worn and in the late afternoon, on this winters day, glowed with warmth and resilience. The large windows downstairs have gone, the porch and doorway crumbling, the staircase fallen and slates have fallen off the roof. A sorry state, poor Cynnant, lays in. South facing and the track leading from the road no more than a footpath, Cynnant seems miles from anywhere. I missed the footpath that weaved through the forestry and leads down to the house. Instead I carried on along the Forestry Commission track. There was little to no snow when I started my walk. The ground was frozen solid but going was easy. By the time I had walked through the forestry and by my calculations (I knew I’d somehow missed the proper footpath) by the time I was parallel with the house I was traipsing through six inches of snow. Animal tracks were abundant, the only other tracks, looking behind me, were mine. I slid down through the forestry and came, almost tumbling, alongside the stream, the Cynnant Fawr and then followed the Cynnant Fawr half a mile downstream to the house. This isn’t the preferred way to reach Cynnant when there’s a footpath leading right up to it. But it was a beautiful day and sometimes a longer walk makes the reward of such a property just that little bit extra special. Cynnant is, as it happens, a special place. Its isolation, its’ well proportioned windows and fine outbuildings all leave the visitor with ideals of restoration and then setting up home. This was once home. Around the rear, in the garden, metal fences protect trees from livestock and the outbuildings, all still in some agricultural use, are still in good condition. The house itself, albeit without windows and doors, appears structurally sound. This must have been an idyllic place to live. Once. I wondered, as I walked away, just how many other great properties lay abandoned, sitting beside a rushing stream, south facing, isolated, complimentary to the landscape around, in the Cambrian Mountains that I’ve yet to discover. I imagine many. I walked back to my car quite content with my walk but also a little saddened by this ruin. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/varteg-uchaf-crynant-neath-port https://images.on-this.website/7784_1677322545fe1ae9b4fc74.jpgVARTEG UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on VARTEG UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Its close neighbour, Varteg Isaf, as been semi-preserved by a rusty corrugated roof. No such luck for Varteg Uchaf, as seen here, open to the elements and over looking the hills of the parishes of Neath Port Talbot. The walk up to this and Varteg Isaf is easy, just a forestry track and on the morning of my visit it was silent. The low mist clung to the valley below following the river as it does. Varteg Uchaf has fine views, the visit put me in good spirits and I felt the images represent that to some degree. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/foxhall-newydd-henllan-denbighshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8400321534e57e4e14fe54.jpgFOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on FOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 2011 After fourteen years since my last visit I had wondered what to find at Foxhall. I knew it was unlikely that since empty for literally centuries that most of its high walls would remain. And thus it proved. Only standing beside these walls does one have a sense of their height. And once inside the overgrown ruins the same can also be said as one cranes the neck to spy wooden lintels bending under the strain and fireplaces that perhaps never hosted any fires. Much of the ivy that covered the stone has been cut away -apparently at the request of Cadw - and fourteen years later it quickly becomes apparent that Foxhall is a house of many large windows - with the left hand bay entirely opened up intending on giving fantastic panoramic views. Many of the stone mullion windows remain - some mysteriously half filled with stone and many also now collapsing under the yearly strain of the Welsh winters. Trees with abundant fruit lay along its front walls and the sheep gently graze. It could be said that normal service resumes at Foxhall - and if it was ever lived in, which seems unlikely, then Foxhall has most likely spent its entire long life in this fashion; merely a monument watching over the country life of this part of Denbighshire. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13042576.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13701908204e82bb2c4abec.jpgALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A peasant longhouse, possibly 17th century, with a corrugated roof but now much ruined. Sold in 2008 (?) with planning permission to restore building and convert barns (also ruinous) to dwelling status but it seems now abandoned. All damp and depressing on this breezy and wet day. The entrance doorway wall has completely collapsed and the house, with this entire outer wall missing, has a strange look about it, with the interior on full view. Unfortunately the inside is in a poor state with the small upper floor unsafe. Most unusual is the ground floor is on two levels with a couple of steps leading up to the once living room area. A large caravan also sits in the grounds, also slowly rotting away and deserted. Some work had been done to one of the outbuildings at Allt-ddu, with some walls consolidated and some concrete block walls built and a concrete floor put in but all in all the whole place has a sense of abandonment. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gelli-fechan-upper-lliedi-reservoir https://images.on-this.website/7784_3831496965c8a185821cb6.jpgGELLI FECHAN, Upper Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2019 Notes on GELLI FECHAN, Upper Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2019 From the end of the larger higher Upper Lliedi reservoir and ground, naturally is damp from the many little tributaries of the river Lliedi, a path is made along streams, through bracken and bramble and over fence. A field opens out, some taller hardwoods stand, other have fallen or been felled. At the brow a small group of trees and the walls of the Gelli-Fechan can be seen outlined against the sky. A short walk across the field to the walls. A broken entrance stone pillar, some signs of outbuildings, all low and overgrown and of little interest to me today. The house though is small, nestled on a bank, silent and beautifully located. There are little architectural details to focus the camera upon but that matters not, what does matter is the atmosphere, the fact that I did not expect to find anything here at all, possibly at best the outline of a cottage, a pile of rocks and rubble. My luck is in, the fact I wore my wellies fortuitous, since I wouldn't have bee able to get here without them. A few exposures were made, not easy with the trees blocking most views but possible nonetheless and it must be said, again fortuitous since I think the trees were exactly where I'd like them. A few compositions are made, with one eye closed, for all compositions are made with one eye closed. It flattens the perspective just as a camera lens would, a camera lens is indeed a single lens, and we aim to emulate this before a picture is even taken. Once the photographs are taken I head back down the field and try to re-tread my steps over the driest sections of the lower field and then though the thicket of the boundary and back to the path that leads around the reservoir . It is here where I cross another field and scramble through a hedgerow, walk along a cycle lane, former railway line by the looks of it and to the neighbouring ruins of Gelli Lysged https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-morfa-copperworks-swansea-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1851749381585a2ae37f924.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/afon-ystwyth-from-dologau-bridge https://images.on-this.website/7784_1516943414be66209b29f9.jpgAFON YSTWYTH FROM DOLOGAU BRIDGE, Hafod, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on AFON YSTWYTH FROM DOLOGAU BRIDGE, Hafod, Ceredigion 2004 A spontaneous exposure - I have crossed this bridge more times than I can count and was spending an sunday afternoon at Dologau. I wanted a walk, so took my camera, and the sun was reflecting brilliantly from downstream towards the bridge. Of all the times I had crossed the bridge I had never visualised this image! But there it was, on that day, in that moment. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5917245.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15563514244c6794d31eab8.jpgLLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on LLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2010 For the twenty odd years I have been driving past this house I have always expected to see piles of building material ready for the consolidation, the repair, the decoration and the modernisation to commence. It has never happened. Instead I have seen the slates from the roof removed, a gable end and chimney collapse, all the inner panelling removed and the floors rot and fall in. It breaks your heart. One of my favourite abstract photographs was taken upstairs on the landing in this house in 2003 and all subsequent visits I have sought out this wall even if I know that the wall has gone. It’s an odd thing being sentimental over an inner wooden wall but sentimental is what I feel! Anyone who drives from Abermagwr to Pontrhydygroes knows this house, as it stands over looking the road with a long line of outbuildings – commonly enough in a far better state of repair than the house itself. I know not whom occupied the house last and if it played a part in the Trisant mines or has been solely an agricultural property but either way it will be a great loss if it crumbles, perhaps inevitability, back into the ground. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41249150.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4218184655f00b33aab400.jpgHOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 Notes on HOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 I am not sure how I missed these brick-works before but they’re easily found along the cycle path from Horeb to Lliedi Reservoirs. Well camouflage in the summer foliage but if visiting look for the huge tower and you know you’re in the right place. The brickworks are in a fairly good condition, the entrance is somewhat caved in but the basic structure seems sound. Nature has however reclaimed around the perimeter. Within was dark, I had chosen a very wet morning to visit, late June, heavy rain, the foliage not helping with lighting up the interior. Beer cans aplenty within but the site perhaps not as vandalized as it would be if it was located elsewhere. Horeb is a far distance from anywhere and parking is a challenge. I had forgotten to put a SD card into my digital camera to take colour snapshots. I was annoyed with myself, usually so fastidious before I go out photographing. I needn't have worried. I had my smartphone and the pictures it took were of a good enough quality. I think a re-visit to this site once the summer is over. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8341478.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3762587244d39270d3a2d0.jpgPANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2011 Overlooking the Hafod Estate, and almost in view of the mansion site itself, I can only imagine it must have been a sobering experience witnessing from these bleak hills the carriages coming to and fro from Hafod Mansion. Perhaps only a mile, as the crow flies, from the mansion stands the ruined farmstead of Pantyffynnon. It sits on a ledge between two mountian streams Nant Ffin and Nant Seran. It has long been ruined and I myself have been walking passed this ruin for aorund twenty years. Little changes quickly; saplings grow tall and strong, inner walls tumble, the wooden fireplace has rotted away. Today a drizzle falls. The ground is very wet and this makes the going slow. Yet like all good things this makes my visit to Pantyffynnon all the more rewarding. A small wooded area that surrounds the River Seran somehow helps with visualising what life must have been like up here, into high lands over Pontrhydygroes in the late 19th century; washing the dirty laundry, spending the winter months keeping the livestock close-by and the games the children would play. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/allt-y-fanog-pontardawe-neath https://images.on-this.website/7784_5396531105b0d038f4b4a5.jpgALLT-Y-FANOG, Pontardawe, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on ALLT-Y-FANOG, Pontardawe, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Noted for its two stone staircases, my visit found the house much ruined and far too dangerous to enter. A shame since inside was wooden paneled and would have made the walk so much more worthwhile. Nonetheless, no regrets. The house is hidden within the undergrowth, Japanese Knotweed around the rear, the usual late Spring bramble and nettle to the front. Stone outbuilding intact and in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196120.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2798164585fe1ae9eefb82.jpgVARTEG ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on VARTEG ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Somewhat oddly, Varteg Isaf stands higher than Varteg Uchaf, a stones throw away across a field. Both are derelict and ruinous as seen here. Isaf has a roof, albeit a rusting corrugated affair. The house stands windswept and on my December morning it was chilly but dry. Tracks lead up to the house and a little further wind turbines. Great views... a few images taken, as seen here mostly from a similar viewpoint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tadmore-bynea-llanelli-2021 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16843936766054c859aff3d.jpgTADMORE, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Notes on TADMORE, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 With Lockdown nearing an end and travel restricted to a 5 mile radius, I broke the rules and travelled 6 miles, possibly a little less since I didn't drive all the way my GPS suggested but parked the car in a layby and walked a half mile to the first of two ruins. The first visited was Tadmore, a high house but much ruined, the front façade had completely collapsed and there was no view to be had of the whole front of the house due to foliage. There is however plenty to see here and it was a perfect place to visit after such a hiatus due to the pandemic. The morning was quiet, birdsong and little else to keep me company. There were plenty of rabbit or possible badger holes around the side of the house and also, although I did not venture to find it, an old mine shaft. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pant-affallen-pontsaeson-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_152948773854d6f33c850b7.jpgPANT-AFALLEN, Pontsaeson, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PANT-AFALLEN, Pontsaeson, Ceredigion 2015 Only a stones throw from the b-road, I crossed a field, following a public right of way, uncertain if I'd find anything within the small gathering of trees in a dip just over the horizon. The house stood, looking in reasonably good condition, with cement block restoration within the doorway and a rendered front. The roof too, also in a relatively good condition - it seemed Pant-afallen (Pantfallen) has not been empty for so long. However, the windows and doors have all gone and inside was dark and gloomy with furniture rotting black and damp with mould. I did not bother to enter. The staircase also rotten. Barns also all ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo35752928.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8510864945b60b78c8cd84.jpgNEUADD-WEN, Aber, Brecknock 2018 Notes on NEUADD-WEN, Aber, Brecknock 2018 A sort walk from the tarmac C-road, a group of buildings, derelict but signs of restoration visible. Interesting within, wall buttress and spiraled staircase with fireplace under the buttress. Up the stairs and first floor of the 'cottage' (or was this the barn beforehand?). Alterations and restorations throughout, here and there, all doors open and therefore open to the elements but all in a good clean condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-cnwc-cilcennin-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8751138424e816a6b101c3.jpgPEN-CNWC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN-CNWC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 A longhouse in a superb location. As so often the case, the barns/byres are in a much better condition that the house. The house, as seen here, is roofless and dividing walls within have all been stripped leaving a long open space. Recently purchased one watches with an enthusiastic eye as this house will hopefully become a family home once again. A simple Ty Bach suspended over a small gullied stream. I wondered who owned and lived here. Does anyone know? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050879.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13580839464f251122839b2.jpgNotes on ALLT HOUSE, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Notes on Notes on ALLT HOUSE, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Surrounded by dead bracken and high on a hillside only a stones throw away from the Paragon Tower, the Allt House, a well-fitted name, stands forlorn yet stoic over looking the Talybont-on-Usk valley. A high narrow house with extensions fallen. The front door is at the rear of the building and this left the builder to fit a huge window on the front and then to allow not only a lot of light into this little house but to also give the occupants a truely panaromic view. I'd love to see photographs of teh house before dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13323063.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17482486155f9ff7cfdd0ea.jpgLLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Hidden from view and the morning had yet to properly break. I reached the matured grounds of the house Llanfechan in uncertainty. I had been told much remained but also as mentioned in ‘The Lost Houses of Wales’, it was ‘mostly demolished’. I could make out a bulky dark mass in the dim morning light and once beyond the covering of trees, the walls of Llanfechan could easily to reached. And once within those walls, standing in the ruins themselves, it becomes easier still to imagine this was once a rather fine mansion house. The house standing today was built in 1786 and due to fire was already ruined by 1837 and thus remained a ruin all these years since. In the Pevsner Building of Wales guide for Ceredigion it suggests that Llanfechan was designed by John Nash and is comparable to his Llanerchaeron just a few miles away (and it doesn’t take an untrained eye to find these comparisons!). The original full two storeys remain today, the façade and main section of the house. Although the outer is covered almost entirely with foliage and trees and there are a few mature trees within the site, it is generally easily negotiable – one gable end, against a damp and dimly lit bank has large cracks and holes forming with the chimney on the brink on collapsing inward. The morning of my visit the wind blew hard and the overcast day offered little prospect of improving. The wind and the dimness of light meant I required long exposures of around 4 – 16 minutes and this in fact helped me with exposing more of the buildings fabric than would ordinarily be possible. The windswept branches and leaves meant their movement wasn’t properly recorded and was instead recorded as a ‘slight blur’ and thus more stone work was recorded onto the sheet of film inside the camera. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/chicken-farm-rhayader-powys-2008 https://images.on-this.website/7784_21365782774b8bc72cf1dd8.jpgCHICKEN FARM, Rhayader, Powys 2008 Notes on CHICKEN FARM, Rhayader, Powys 2008 I first visited these caged chicken farms in 2003. Abandoned and ruined farm buildings filled with chicken cages, row upon row. A melancholy place, something clinical and depressing about the buildings and surroundings but nonetheless worthy of photographing. On my return, some five years later many of the buildings had either been demolished or had just fallen. That same clinical and depressing feeling remained and once a few exposures were made I was pleased to be walking back to my car. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32838495.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_37522614159ba19871b32e.jpgHENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on HENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Belonging to Swansea University and currently for sale. I have not entered Hendrefiolan but have seen images taken inside by an urban explorer and as expected the building has lost its sense of a domestic dwelling. This is a shame but inevitable whenever a private property is sold to a municipal or academic establishment. Outside tells a different story. The house looks to be in decent condition. Some of the stained glass windows were smashed by vandals a while ago, these windows are now boarded up. There was other prefab type buildings built beside the house but these have been demolished -a large concrete platform is all that remains. The rear of the house is also looking good, perhaps a little forlorn but hopefully the house will soon be sold. My visit was a short one, perhaps an hour or so. Satisfying viewpoints were scarce and this may have encouraged me to take more photographs then I would normally have done, in some vain attempt to capture the house in its true glory with atmosphere to boot! I more or less failed, a few images are satisfactory, but I feel I missed a trick here but perhaps a second visit will rectify this. The stables are currently used as a library. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41426098.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_690470895f2c0e4aa945b.jpgCWM GARENIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CWM GARENIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had seen this property on a estate agent website and looked worth visiting, especially since it was on a public footpath. The house is in a terrible state, the roof barely clinging on and will most likely fall in the near to distant future. I did not venture inside, just peering through the window was enough to put me off. Listed with a lot of land, might be a temptation for someone but a lot of work is required to bring this sorry house back to a living standard. A few images taken, nothing which grabbed the imagination, but recorded if only for prosperity's sake. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196113.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12840206455fe1ae9c1d664.jpgHENLLAN UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on HENLLAN UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 I took a somewhat difficult route up to the ruins of Henllan Uchaf and Henllan Isaf - the two are no more than 50 yards from one another and I wondered if they were built at the same time and possibly by the same family? Henllan Uchaf was a one-storey cottage with a small porch, rendered but all ruinous and access within was impossible due to the brambles. Bits of corrugated tin lay on the ground, most likely it's roof for a number of years. This wasn't a sad place. Someone had also relatively recently had a camp fire here and possibly stayed the night. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/shop-front-brighton-2007 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14223653695621dc69218fd.jpgSHOP FRONT, Brighton 2007 Notes on SHOP FRONT, Brighton 2007 I have approximately 500 negatives of Brighton architecture taken between 2006 - 2009 - this shows a shop front, now long gone, which has been worn and weathered by the sea air and rain. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29922953.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_44295349858592aa76c5a0.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23515795.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_156415755754d9af263e7dc.jpgMAES MYNACH, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on MAES MYNACH, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2015 I fancied a walk and saw on the O/S map that there was a property here but wasn’t too sure if anything would remain. Thankfully it did. A few exposese were made, the wind blew hard and I was worried it may cause the camera set upon the tripod to move but other than a few blurred bracnhes, the photographs came out well… Some of the hardwoods had recently been chopped back… the barns and stables have fared a little better than the house. Maes Mynach seemed to me to be much dilapidated and long ruined and I could find nothing about it on either the internet or in books. Once home I loaded the colour photographs onto the website and the next day received an email – please read on… Dear Paul - I return to your lovely website often, and today''s visit is especially emotional for me. I rented Maes Mynach, Cilcennin from late 1976 to 1981. In those days it was still habitable (electric, water piped in from a spring) and I was young and fit enough to bear the cold, the draughts, the Elsan ... Nice to see my green paint on the back door is still holding up! The landlord, Sylvan Jones, whose farmhouse was down in Talsarn, was very emotionally attached to the place, and would invariably effect repairs, however botched, when slates blew off. Sadly, he died in the yard sometime in the 1980s when his old Fergie tractor overturned and crushed him at Maes Mynach. The house and outbuildings were inherited by daughter and son-in-law: the latter’s first action was to punch out the doors and windows to render the place uninhabitable (although, to be absolutely fair, the blizzard at the end of 1981 that forced my departure had already done a lot of damage). I regard my 5 years in this crumbling and exposed house as a pivotal period in my life, and it still figures in my dreams to this day. It's incredibly sad to see it in this ruinous state ... how I loved this house and my time there. It was once a grange farm connected to Strata Florida Abbey, and the existing building would certainly not have been the first one on the site. It also has intriguing musical links: the early 1970s rock band Heads Hands & Feet (including world-famous guitarist Albert Lee) lived there for a few months in 1973, and the sleeve of their LP Old Soldiers Never Die (1974) has photos taken at the house ... I'm also a musician/songwriter and, oddly enough, am about to release a retrospective CD of songs, some of which were either written at Maes Mynach or are influenced by my time there. So finding your photographs this morning is serendipitous and emotional for me. I have a number of photos of the house taken around 1980/81, plus a couple taken shortly after the 2nd World War, when Sylvan''s elderly spinster aunt lived there with her animals ... Andrew Hawkey. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8087420.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4898459754d11b3e2ad5f2.jpgBRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on BRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Ruins of an 18th Century farmhouse which now sit in the perimeter of a private race course. It will not be long before the roof falls and judging the state of the structural walls these too will soon tumble. There's a marvellous twin entrance stable block behind the house which has had a metal roof recently erected, so at least this will remain upright. This property has wonderful views over towards Strata Florida Abbey and the surrounding hills. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-esgair-isaf-tyncelyn-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_99118030256e51def67168.jpgBLAEN-ESGAIR-ISAF, Tyn'celyn, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BLAEN-ESGAIR-ISAF, Tyn'celyn, Ceredigion 2016 A large house with many outbuildings, all empty and ruinous. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/horeb-welsh-wesleyan-chapel-pontardawe https://images.on-this.website/7784_51491977760f6f09d5cb29.jpgHOREB WELSH WESLEYAN CHAPEL, Pontardawe 2021 Notes on Horeb Welsh Wesleyan Chapel, Pontardawe 2021 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12000196.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20674559834e44191a58fd4.jpgRHUN, Painscastle, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on RHUN, Painscastle, Radnorshire 2011 An old vernacular Radnor farmstead, house and barn both with corrugated iron roof where once would have been thatched. This particular farmstead is in a good condition considering it is but a stones throw away from the road and stands on a pubic footpath. A mish-mash of building materials; stone, timber, brick, corrugated iron all of which adds to the aesthetic appeal. A stunning property - built 17th century? Inside the house the usual farm debris but all appears dry and in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img373 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19679946135374f850a1842.jpgPENDRE, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on PENDRE, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 A small cottage on the edge of the village Alltwalis. I recall someone living here not so long ago – five/ten years? The cottage is just about visible from the main road as you pass down towards the village – a quick glimpse and then the flash of a wonky chimney pot and then it’s all hedge and one is left wondering whether it was empty or just a little run-down. I can confirm it is empty! And ruinous. A window was broken and I slipped in through to the living room to have a look about. Two rooms, no upstairs, outside toilet, a simple life. I question whether I do remember someone living here, living so simply in the 20th/21st century? Now I am not so sure. There is little here, no room to swing a cat, not much outside space to grow anything, surely this thus called simple life would indeed be one of poverty too and not lived so simply by choice? I chewed upon some wild garlic, always a pleasure in spring, always abundant it seems besides ruins as I pondered life here. There wasn’t even space to park a car ([i]the stupid photographer surmised[/i]). Who lived here? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/maes-y-beudy-ysbyty-ystwyth https://images.on-this.website/7784_7742592414eaf9ec9371e5.jpgMAES Y BEUDY, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on MAES Y BEUDY, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2011 Walking along the stone lined path to Maes y beudy on this windy afternoon it becomes something other than another path to another ruin. The wind blows the trees in a slow motion, with the branches swaying in a harmonious union with the westerly wind. The outside walls of Maes y beudy look unremarkable and modern but behind these rendered and grey walls there lays a small and lovely peasant longhouse – the windows are all irregular and the rooms within are small but strangely numerous! Once the house and outbuildings explored I ventured around the rear of the property, a small orchard with rotting fruit, and an open window, large and no longer protecting the house and judging by the mess within has not protected this lovely little cottage for many a year. Inside is a mess. The house was obviously abandoned with its contents in place. A calendar with the date March 1983 lay in the living room. Was this when Maes y beudy was abandoned? Possibly. The furniture inside is all stripped from its panelling, its drawers or chairs stripped from their coverings. A tiny, tiny kitchen filled with pots, pans and unrecognizable tins and slug eaten packaging. The upstairs filled with clothing, bundled into damp and rotting masses. The floorboards are beginning to rot due to small holes letting the water in through the roof. The fireplaces have been ripped out, books are strewn, carpets like sponge, mattresses soggy and a mould, dampness filling the rooms, the air, the walls and all their contents. I tread with care, set the camera up and expose film. Long exposures of around 16 minutes allow me to unravel the nervousness of entering dangerous and empty properties. 16 minutes is long enough to alter ones opinion of a house. Maes y beudy is a lovely little property in a beautiful location with views of the church and hamlet of Ysbyty Ystwyth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-glasffwrd-elenydd-cambrain-mountains https://images.on-this.website/7784_146827656956bd7841201e6.jpgBLAEN GLASFFWRD, Elenydd, Cambrain Mountains, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN GLASFFWRD, Elenydd, Cambrain Mountains, Ceredigion 2011 Owned locally and leased out to a local farmer - the house is a hill-farmers resting place, barns are still in agricultural use. Glasffrwd just about visible as you drive up from Strata Florida towards Hafod Newydd. It stands resilient in a clearing with forestry, or felled forestry, surrounding this once rural farmstead. House and outbuildings were all in good condition during my visit in Feb 2011. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-lan-ystrad-fflur-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_6329143354d838e1d1c012.jpgPEN LAN, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN LAN, Ceredigion 2011 Pen Lan stands, barely, in a beautiful position overlooking the hills towards Teifi Pools. This property, although ruined, looks to be have been well-made, short, squat and solid. Many outbuildings sadly also ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6185404.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18388193424c7f4a6a6a3ab.jpgSMITH COTTAGES, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on SMITH COTTAGES, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion 2010 Empty for at least twenty years and considering these two small cottages sit right on the roadside are basically untouched by vandals. The roof of one has begun to fall into disrepair, again surprising at the resisitance thus far of these small workers cottages since they stand in forestry and the constant attack from branches blwoing in the wind. Inside the usual array of mess, signs of former occupants, TV licence reminders, bottles of dubious liquids, chairs with springs rusting therein. All dark, damp and dingy. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38577025.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3986002405cf0dec15cf90.jpgTROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on TROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 I had not expected much to be seen here but was pleasantly surprised. Visited on a quiet Friday afternoon with only the sound of the river, insects and birds to be heard. There were no internal details or machinery left inside but enough to have a sense of a working place. The foliage had yet to properly take hold of the site (or had been cut back relatively recently) and exposures could still be made. A stone trough stood against the bank, apparently to collect water seeping/dripping from the rock. The building on the path was possibly the mill-house, adjoined at a right angle to the mill. The mill had been roofed until quite recently with corrugated iron but after it fell in removed from the site. Evidence of drying kiln to side of mill – with three flue-type structures – I only saw two but the CADW report mentions three – I should have looked a little more carefully. A warm and pleasant afternoon without seeing another soul. Troserch wood is a pleasant place to wander around, there’s pathways leading all around and other areas worth visiting. There’s a few mine workings, fenced off these days, and modern wooden structures throughout the woods – although the large grass-roofed covered structure was about to be take down due to it being unsafe. Another ruin, ivy covered, just a field away, was seen but not visited. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32944793.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_39559709959c3dea52c024.jpgHENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on HENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Belonging to Swansea University and currently for sale. I have not entered Hendrefiolan but have seen images taken inside by an urban explorer and as expected the building has lost its sense of a domestic dwelling. This is a shame but inevitable whenever a private property is sold to a municipal or academic establishment. Outside tells a different story. The house looks to be in decent condition. Some of the stained glass windows were smashed by vandals a while ago, these windows are now boarded up. There was other prefab type buildings built beside the house but these have been demolished -a large concrete platform is all that remains. The rear of the house is also looking good, perhaps a little forlorn but hopefully the house will soon be sold. My visit was a short one, perhaps an hour or so. Satisfying viewpoints were scarce and this may have encouraged me to take more photographs then I would normally have done, in some vain attempt to capture the house in its true glory with atmosphere to boot! I more or less failed, a few images are satisfactory, but I feel I missed a trick here but perhaps a second visit will rectify this. The stables are currently used as a library. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5814929.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4098689644c5afede4ecb6.jpgRHOS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on RHOS, Ceredigion 2010 Again thus named after the stream and forest it stands beside. A small farm holding with outbuildings – all ruinous – and although the house still has slates on its roof the overall structure is fighting a losing battle against the elements. A huge crack, in some places three inches wide, can be seen running from the entire height of the front and side of the house. The roof is fragile and wavers like an abandoned cobweb. Inside two dead sheep lay, one on its back with it legs pointing skyward (always a strange sight) and the ground floor itself was at least two feet deep solid with sheep droppings, half flooding the walls and doors. A small front enclosure with a low wall and fruit trees gives the property some privacy and shelter from the wind. Alas, this south facing house will be nothing more than a pile of stone in a few years time. Originally called Rhos this property had a name change to Ty Newydd. It was then again changed to Rhos. (thanks to Mair Morgan for this information). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41492457.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17607744955f319848a58ca.jpgALLT-Y-FRAN-FACH, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on ALLT-Y-FRAN-FACH, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 A short track from Troserch Woods car park leads to the ivy covered ruins of Allt-Y-Fran-Fach. Access near impossible with almost shoulder height foliage but fortunately there was not many bramble, so it was easy, albeit slow and I got a good soaking, to trample down the weeds and nettle. Inside much ruinous, as seen here, internal wall of ‘Llangennech’ bricks had collapsed. It is always a pleasant return when you pick up a brick to see where it had been made… I often wished I collected bricks from around Wales but I have enough to carry and besides even if ruinous and broken, a brick does not belong to me and would be considered theft. A few exposures were made outside too, viewpoints were scarce, the foliage again had to be trampled to get far away enough from the house. A single height barn stands right behind the house and I noted from older maps that they show the house and barn joined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/grass-in-snow-hafod-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_688342364be516178488d.jpgGRASS IN SNOW, Hafod, Ceredigion 1994 notes on GRASS IN SNOW, Hafod, Ceredigion 1994 Tonally a very delicate photograph and perhaps the various grades of grey (from the grass blades) may be lost on the computer monitor. Taken at Hafod after six inches of snow - Although nothing but a few blades of grass in the snow this photograph serves as a visual diary of a certain time and place. Sometimes the simpliest and most graphic images, such as this, can convey an atsmosphere of a place rather than grand wide open vista. These simple blades of grass have reproduced, photographically, in various soft grades and tones and make a very pleasing composition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14548666.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_509602154f82bea1c5dfb.jpgROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on ROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2012 South of Teifi Pools, towards Strata Florida Abbey, is this small hillside whihc is littered with rocks and white rock. I have often wanted to photograph this hillside at night, with the marble rock luminous in the moonlight. But today is very bright, very sunny with some cloud cover. These images are not necessarily typical of my usual compositions. I aimed, by adjusting the front tilt of the lens on my camera, to flatten the perspective and attempt to capture the scene in view as one-dimensional as possible. The rugged rocks at the rear help frame the image, with as little of the sky in view as possible. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img298 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20090569595356951823d50.jpgHAFOD, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on HAFOD, Ceredigion 1993 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo20156545.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_199117357752c538e054fbf.jpgLLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Notes on LLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Llantrithyd Place is a long ruined 16th century manor house. I visited on Boxing Day 2013. The morning was cold and sunny and the soft winter light made photographing the house a pleasure. I had not set out to visit the house but was driving to photograph the interior of a church in Flemingston. This was an unexpected pleasure. A wander around the ruins offered many different viewpoints and I was generally spoilt for choice of images to capture. I was however restrained by lack of film, only having 10 sheets with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/empty-railway-cafe-aber-ffrwd https://images.on-this.website/7784_5950749044b8bc741a0ad0.jpgEMPTY RAILWAY CAFE, Aber-Ffrwd 2004 Notes on EMPTY RAILWAY CAFE, Aber-Ffrwd, Ceredigion 2004 I used to work in Aberystwyth and on occasion cycled the 16 miles from my home at Hafod. It is, more or less, a stead descent to Aberystywth from Hafod. Cycling home is another matter, especially with the added weight and cumbersome size of camera bag and tripod. This building, an empty shell, was once a tea rooms and acted as a half way stop for the narrow gauge Devil's Bridge railway. As the motor car became more popular and roads improved less people used the railway and this small tea room closed. For me it also served as a half way stop on my way home and a few exposures were made. It has now been totally demolished, the aesbestos removed and I believe planning for a new property has been approved. TY GWAG. Aber-Ffrwd. Ceredigion 2004 Yr oeddwn yn arfer gweithio yn Aberystwyth ac weithiau yr oeddwn yn seiclo 16 milltir o’m cartref yn yr Hafod. Mae’n fwy neu lai i lawr rhiw bob cam i Aberystwyth o’r Hafod. Mae seiclo adref yn fater arall, yn enwedig gyda phwysau ychwanegol y camera a’r treipod. Mae’r adeilad hwn, sef cragen wag, yn le i orffwys hanner ffordd, mae’n sefyll ar byst - hanner ffordd i fyny’r rhiw fwyaf serth, uwch ben Aber-ffrwd ac yn union islaw’r liinell reilffordd fach. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/glan-marchnant-ysbyty-ystwyth-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_10485176154d26d3862ad69.jpgGLAN MARCHNANT, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on HOUSE BY BONT GLAN MARCHNANT, Ceredigion 2010 Although a very small mountain stream, the river Marchnant seems to cling along its banks a large number of ruins. I am uncertain of the name of this property. It was more or less box shaped although much of it has collapsed. Adjacent are two very large single storey stables and barn buildings, also ruinous. The white wash can still be seen on the surviving internal walls and presumably this is the rear of the house. My first visit to this house, 6 years ago, the roof was still on. Today the beams lay in a clutter in amongst the stone. Beautifully located. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo20156542.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_94774788952c537fa73296.jpgLLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Notes on LLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Llantrithyd Place is a long ruined 16th century manor house. I visited on Boxing Day 2013. The morning was cold and sunny and the soft winter light made photographing the house a pleasure. I had not set out to visit the house but was driving to photograph the interior of a church in Flemingston. This was an unexpected pleasure. A wander around the ruins offered many different viewpoints and I was generally spoilt for choice of images to capture. I was however restrained by lack of film, only having 10 sheets with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img453 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1199813778539365a45ddcd.jpgTY'N Y SWYDD, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY'N Y SWYDD, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2014 * Destroyed by fire, the same week photographed * A well-known sight for those travelling between Tregaron and Aberystwyth. Ty’n y swydd stands on a sharp bend on the main road and has been empty for a number of years. The white washed walls looked clean on the bright spring mid-day visit. The outbuildings across the road seem still in some agricultural use. It’s a shame that some use couldn’t be made of the house too. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penglais-fach-aberystwyth-golf-course https://images.on-this.website/7784_16151535194d296e9fb307a.jpgPENGLAIS FACH, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PENGLAIS FACH, Ceredigion 2010 A ruined farmhouse and barns on the golf course in Aberystwyth overlooking the Irish Sea. I have been contacted by various people if I knew about this house. It stands completely isolated in the centre of the golf course, not even boarded up or fenced off. Inside doors hang off hinges, windows smashed with ivy pouring in, the floors covered in debris, internal walls with huge holes, wallpaper hanging off revealing brightly covered walls beneath. All quite depressing and will probably be set alight one day by the visits from nightly youths who come to sit around the 1950's fireplace and drink beer. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23585383.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_63047511154e9ff8c82a04.jpgPONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 Strange to think it has been four years since my last visit especially since I drive along the road from Tregaron to Lampeter almost every day to get to work. The visit today saw the platform cleared of all trees and foliage. An amazing view can be seen over the railway bridge of the platform and milkery. Otherwise my visit was like previous ones; someone silent and dank and damp. I came here to photograph abstractions of peeling paint but took a few extra photographs now new views have opened up. In 2011 I wrote... Notes on PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes. Other railway buildings remain, station storage building as seen here still in agricultural storage use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6784996.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9152831154ca34d11d4176.jpgCOURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 A remarkable visit. In most instances the mansions I visit are in such a poor state of disrepair that the very layout of the rooms and décor are impossible to determine. Not so at Court. I know not when Court became derelict but it has not fallen into disrepair like so many others, in the 1950’s. Court has not suffered the 60 years of pilfering, or the yearly cycles of the battling elements forcing themselves behind plasterwork, between brick and mortar. The decay here hasn’t quite reached a point where total dereliction would force demolition. It is however true that the roof above the main staircase has begun to let in the rain at an alarming rate. Huge holes have appeared in the ceiling, with large saplings growing and long strands of ivy falling down. This damp area of the house continues all the way down to the basement. It cuts like a knife through a cake. Other rooms, most other rooms, although bare and with some damp, appear to be in a good dry condition. Unfortunately some of the plasterwork has begun to crumble, none as worse as the plaster frieze in the hallway just at the foot of the main staircase and therefore near the dampest areas of the house. The driveway up to the house is no longer in use other than agricultural, and glimpses of the house can be snatched. Court’s rendered façade is peeling and crumbling giving the house a sorrier look of disrepair than perhaps it deserves. Its an imposing house and its wooden portico has all but rotted and collapsed. Inside the house is spacious and although it does not have a large number of rooms, they are all a decent size with the kitchen at the hub of the house. There are the usual signs of dereliction within; old furniture, hearths full of bird nests, rusty kettles and boxes and baskets of knickknacks and ornaments, an empty but dust lined enamelled bath. Also on the site is a walled garden and many outbuildings, mostly renovated although an impressive slate clad barn remains in a derelict state. Photographing Court was a very pleasant experience. Some of the interior images required, since I never use flash photography for the black and white images, exposure times of 16 minutes whilst some of the exterior shots, due to the dimness of the morning also requiring exposure times of between 1 – 8 minutes causing some blurriness of foliage that blew in the wind. A farm stood at this site long before the mansion was built in 1800. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42009643.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17523162995f8fda23407c2.jpgDUNRAVEN CASTLE, Southerndown, Bridgend 2020 Notes on DUNRAVEN CASTLE, Southerndown, Bridgend 2020 A managed mansion estate, the clifftop mansion/castle was demolished, like so many in the early sixties (1963) but there’s plenty here to see; a well maintained and very large walled garden, the photograph here shows a folly built within the walled garden. The house platform remains too, with some surprisingly high walls and bricked up windows. The arch, as seen here, was also saved from demolition. There is also a fantastic gatehouse in a poor state but not photographed on this occasion. The castle once overlooked Dunraven Bay which is a popular beach with sand a glorious rock formation within the high cliff walls. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/henllan-uchaf-crynant-neath-port https://images.on-this.website/7784_10912610755fe1ae99a35da.jpgHENLLAN UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on HENLLAN UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 I took a somewhat difficult route up to the ruins of Henllan Uchaf and Henllan Isaf - the two are no more than 50 yards from one another and I wondered if they were built at the same time and possibly by the same family? Henllan Uchaf was a one-storey cottage with a small porch, rendered but all ruinous and access within was impossible due to the brambles. Bits of corrugated tin lay on the ground, most likely it's roof for a number of years. This wasn't a sad place. Someone had also relatively recently had a camp fire here and possibly stayed the night. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42009642.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4970284215f8fda22d0302.jpgDUNRAVEN CASTLE, Southerndown, Bridgend 2020 Notes on DUNRAVEN CASTLE, Southerndown, Bridgend 2020 A managed mansion estate, the clifftop mansion/castle was demolished, like so many in the early sixties (1963) but there’s plenty here to see; a well maintained and very large walled garden, the photograph here shows a folly built within the walled garden. The house platform remains too, with some surprisingly high walls and bricked up windows. The arch, as seen here, was also saved from demolition. There is also a fantastic gatehouse in a poor state but not photographed on this occasion. The castle once overlooked Dunraven Bay which is a popular beach with sand a glorious rock formation within the high cliff walls. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058678.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7216535734a62d450d4821.jpgTHE HERMITAGE, Near Llanbedr, Breconshire 2009 Notes on THE HERMITAGE, Near Llanbedr, Breconshire 2009 Leaving Crickhowell and up towards the Black Mountains of the Brecon Beacons, The Hermitage is reached by a single lane, high hedged road that wends seven miles until it reaches a gated track. Just below, beyond the stream, in a heavily wooded valley lays The Hermitage. I had visited once before in May 2005 and had wanted my next visit to be during the winter months when the grass would not be thigh high; when the brambles would not catch your clothes; when the nettles and thistles would not cut and burn your legs and more importantly, when the house would not be obscured by the unrestrained summer foliage. Fortunately what does remain of the house is not completely drowned in all this thriving greenery. The simple bridge that once stood beside the house has long collapsed but further upstream is a ford which grants access to the walls and the two large and high chimneys of the house. The low cellars are all caved in and the window and door lintels have all collapsed but there are still clues within the bare stone walls of the layout of the house. Fireplaces are evident in the ground and upper floor. Also a few pages on I’ve also included the only photograph I’ve found of the Hermitage intact. I can not remember which book this was copied from or when the photograph was taken, so if anyone knows please do get it touch. As in the first visit I found this house to be a calming experience. The house is in a very secluded part of Wales and the stream, the birds and the wind blowing through the trees is the only sound one can hear. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4105372814b594a529e5e7.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15159204724b594b973947f.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8792946184b594aa70711c.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34628010.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1303182975ade3435975b1.jpgBLAENGWRACH FARM, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on BLAENGWRACH FARM, Neath Port Talbot 2018 I approached this ruin from the right footpath but discovered a bridge I had intended to cross had been fenced across and was inaccessible. An hour and half later rambling through bramble and nettle, I reached the walls of the house.The house has a relatively new metal roof, preserving the house and rightly so. Cadw site description: C19 cowhouse and stable, limewashed rubble construction with metal sheet roof over stable only. Roof over cowhouse missing. The front is distinctive for its five semicircular-arched openings with carefully dressed stone voussoirs; these openings are cambered on the inner side. The left hand gable end has unusual lancet opening to the stable loft. Rear of cowhouse has 2 small vent loops and 2 inserted windows. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41503448.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19010784735f365a7a107e6.jpgABERTHAW LIME WORKS, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Notes on ABERTHAW LIME WORKS, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Now restored as a controlled ruin Aberthaw is still a worthwhile visit - the tall walls overlook the sea. The following is taken from Wikipedia: Aberthaw Lime Works is a derelict structure, located on the South Wales coast, between Fontygary Bay and Aberthaw Power Station. The structure is a Grade II Listed Building. The structure is considered a listed building because it is a well preserved structure from an important regional industry. The Aberthaw Lime Works was opened on 22 December 1888, by the Aberthaw Pebble Limestone Company. It was built to utilise the huge number of Limestone Pebbles that had previously been taken inland or been moved by boat. The Lime Works operated until 1926. The Lime works brought a new scale of working to the lime industry which was really just a cottage industry in the area previously. The local limestone and brick structure is still largely intact, although it is missing most of its wooden components. It contains 2 vertical pot draw kilns each holding up to 300 tons each, which could produce up to 40 tons of burnt lime a day. Next to the main structure, there are 2 pot kilns which are also largely intact. These Kilns were built later than the main structure, but also ceased operation in 1926. The lime works were originally served by a tramway, which ran from the direction of Rhoose (east of the lime works). It passed either side of the now demolished winch house. A tramway ramp (again demolished) allowed carts containing pebbles between 3 & 4 inches (100 mm) in diameter to be conveyed to the top of the works and then into the kilns. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23774070.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_26552500550fbb45a5f97.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 The cottages seen here sit on the other side of the Ystwyth at Cwmystwyth mines. I have driven and looked over to these cottages many a time and recall when they used to have windows and doors and roof. I am not sure why I haven't photographed them before having explored Cwmystwyth much over the last twenty five years. Their positioning alone makes them a worthy inclusion. The March morning I arrived was a cold and frosty one but as the sun rose across the opposite hillside I could tell it was to be a glorious and warm day. A few exposes were made, a small traipse with equipment from one cottage to the other and although I was on this hillside for an hour or so, not a single car passed by and I thought how lucky to live in such a relatively unpopulated area and also, with so much abandonment on my doorstep, little wonder I began photographing ruins. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699375.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17264413075e123d9a4f67c.jpgPEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on PEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 I have been here before, twice before and both times it was impossible to photograph the house due to trees and foliage and then the house itself covered in ivy. All these trees and foliage have been striped back and chopped down. The ivy removed from the walls. The bare bones of the house revealed and it seemed to me to more imposing than I had remembered. There is no access within the wall now, each access point covered over securely. Not that I minded. With all the foliage gone better views opened themselves up, more images were taken on this short visit, half an hour or so, than the previous two visits when I believe I only took around six or seven images. The walls around the rear are the most interesting, showing where windows were boarded up at the time of the window tax, and different types of material used. It all seems a little hodgepodge but like a comment left on this website a few years ago, what does a photographer know about the structural integrity of a building? As it happens, not a lot! It is apparently possible for this building to be saved but that was almost ten years ago. I wonder how many more decades Pembrey Court can survive without consolidation? it's a remarkable house in a great position. The images taken were sufficient, better than those taken back in 1997 and 2009. Other houses that I visited back then in 1997 have now been cleared and a revisit is required, Drummau house in Birchgrove a case in point as well as Llangennech Park House, both large ruins and much forgotten for many decades. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34008841.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_406407785a759f7b404ab.jpgDORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 Notes on DORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 The walk from Upper Cwmtwrch is perhaps only 2 miles and half of that along the old railway line that led from the mines. Before you reach the bridge that crosses the river Twrch a footpath ascends up a steep slope and then to the boggy uplands. It is here, following occasional footpath markers, you find first the ruined farmstead, Pen-yr-Wern (see previous pictures) and then about half a miles further the farm, Dorwen, as seen here much ruinous. Beyond Dorwen there are miles of wild hills, the foot of the Black Mountains stretch out inviting. I ventured no further than Dorwen and its outbuildings. The rear and one gable end has collapsed and no doubt much the rest will follow shortly. On the other side of the valley a small, low shepherds dwelling, two gable ends and no middle. I had intended to cross the river but decided instead of revisit Pen-yr-Wern. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076355.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_896810681497053e702d22.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 1997 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 1997 At its core this is a small medieval castle, enlarged and grandiose, but after 1750s the house began its slow decline with much work left incomplete and further restoration abandoned after a fire in the mid 1950s. Many uses have been proposed, even a theme park, but it remains ever derelict but not yet beyond repair. It is made up of a vast range of rooms and extensions but Pencoed was a surprising find, not due to its size or castle/house-like features but more due to its prime location and the fact it is empty, unused and quickly deteriorating. Large gate house stands imposing before the house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12635944674b652b57d8701.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13049495244b652b8a139bf.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20227156304b652b70b02d5.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5844078104b652ba8ba0ab.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6852916394b652bc2c3ede.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13060736.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13279176994e8425cc12af9.jpgPONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes. Other railway buildings remain, station storage building as seen here still in agricultural storage use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/brunant-glanaman-carmarthenshire-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_18558384755f2c0e454d376.jpgBRUNANT, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on BRUNANT, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had seen a photograph of Brunant taken a few year ago and knew the footpath led straight alongside side it. I almost walked by but saw a chimney surrounded by trees. The footpath had been diverted, the old footpath posts were now surrounded by bramble and other foliage. I wandered around the enclosure trying to find a way to the walls of the house and eventually climbed a fence and made my way through bramble. I was sodden, thigh high, by the time I made it the twenty feet to the house. I nearly did not bother but as always if I hadn’t I’d have been in regret. Within the four walls of the house there was no bramble or foliage so I could move around freely. A few images taken. I then attempted to climb the bank at the front of the house. It was tricky but a few more images taken. So sad to see a ruin so enclosed by foliage. Perhaps the winter months would be kinder to the casual traveller, perhaps not. Perhaps it is fitting for the house to be hidden away and forgotten about indefinitely. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31679167.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_209555034059466eca352f87.10340183.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 As always I took the bridle path from Ffair Rhos to the mines. It isn't a long walk, perhaps a mile and a half with the mines barely visible until you reach the rubbish filled shafts. I dropped down between the slag heaps and to the little remained mining buildings. As always I wished I'd come here in 1990 when the corrugated building still stood - I wonder if it was demolished the same time as the similar but larger finishing mill at Cwmystwyth. There are superb images of how it looked on the internet and I'll add a link here later. Today I only had around twelve sheets of film and I could have easily taken another twelve. Banc Esgair feels like an island of the past surrounded by fields and farms and holiday homes, none of which https://www.welshruins.co.uk/marchant-ysbyty-ystwyth-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_379974484c59129962fec.jpgRHOS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on RHOS, Ceredigion 2010 What an utterly delightful house and a stunning location. I had been here a number of times before but, and shamefully, the cost of film has always meant I have been too economical with what I photographed and also my interests have changed. It has only recently occurred to me that these old farmhouses and cottages have their place in the architectural history and heritage of Wales. With this in mind I have been revisited some of the ruins I know of and when before I only photographed them quickly using a compact camera I have now decided to seek out a strong composition from sometimes barely distinguished walls obscured with foliage and hanging tree branches. A traditional longhouse in a low stone enclosure with mature hardwoods (beeches and sycamores), forming a rectangle at the front of the house. Inside are very few discernable features but the size of the chimney suggests a bread oven at least with the possibility of a seated area with an alcove (although this chimney has partially collapsed). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624315.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2593252724abf00217a1d6.jpgTALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on TALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Only a half hour drive from Gwynfryn House to the mining community of Talysarn and the Nantlle Valley. It did not take long to find the ruined villa of Talysarn Hall. I first came across the vast array of outbuildings. I presumed that these were indeed the house converted into showers for the working miners but once past these and walked through the castellated arch I soon became aware of what a jewel this Victorian hall once was. The house itself is somewhat plain with three stories and a basement. The centre front bay slightly protrudes and also has a small porch. It is roofless and with no obvious discernable features within. It is nothing but a heavily graffiti’d shell, overgrown and seemingly heading silently and sadly into total collapse. I made a few exposures of the house which stands lost behind heavy foliage and with huge piles of waste from the quarries behind. I was however somewhat confused and struggled to distinguish between what was once a mansion and its grounds with that of the ever encroaching mine workings. Long driveways lead away from the house with high stone walls, one of these at the rear of the house appeared to be now a stream, an outlet from the mining days or had the driveway become a causality from the recent heavy rain. A strange bridge that led nowhere spans this stream and beyond that a small array of walled enclosures. Down below the washrooms (once stables and kennels?) another such driveway led to a further collection of buildings – built haphazardly upon one another with a narrow passageway leading upstairs and around a corner and into a room without a doorway. Further along again, next to some rendered stone pillars, a small gothic looking chapel or folly(?)sits low and dark in amongst the deep rotting leaves with the canopy of large oaks, beeches and chestnuts all but blocking out the light. The driveway wends out to another two stone pillars and a very large lodge house. I would estimate larger than Talysarn Hall itself, with large rear extensions. Dampness clung to everything. Although this house with its confusing and abundant collection of outbuildings appear, judging by the litter and graffiti, to be visited often by bored kids and vandals, there is much to appreciate here and there is an atmosphere of rural abandonment and loss. My visit at 9am was undisturbed. The greyness of the hills were broken with greenery and recreational pathways now thread though the workings often revealing ruined buildings and big pits in the ground, now lakes, that hint and sometimes loudly announce that this was once a large mine workings. These dangerous pools are a favourite haunt of many divers. Leaving Talysarn Hall I saw the large cracks in the walls of the castellated stable entrance and I was reminded that this house and its many buildings are on borrowed time. Even the extensive mine workings at Nantlle, once a barren, industrialized large mine now feels like parkland with footpaths wending in and out of the quarries, lakes and slag piles. Footpaths that were once roads and railway lines (bringing the men into the hillsides and the waste and precious copper ore out) are now used by mountain bikers, dog walkers and hikers. I spent three hours at Talysarn. After three hours under dark canopy and the damp heavy leaves composting underfoot it was a relief to get back into the open air and brightness of the day. I left Talysarn excited but also mystified. For me the house and location was sublime. It felt like it has had a varied and interesting history (although only built in Victorian(?) times – I’ve found very little information on the house so if anyone knows please do get in touch. I believe it was also known as Plas Dorothea). I could not truly find my bearings with the layout of the outbuildings; I can only imagine they were heavily transformed from domestic service quarters and stables to industrial uses, showers and administration buildings. Yet one can still imagine this estate to be, once more, a substantial and beautiful country house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15561299124b3f829f5b053.jpg[/img] Talysarn Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwm-rheidol-ceredigion-1994 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3492173974b90a24fac4a7.jpgCWM RHEIDOL, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on CWM RHEIDOL, Ceredigion 1994 Simple in its graphic telling. Taken looking up and shows a corrugated iron roof part of the mining complex at Cwm Rheidol, all but fallen and masses of black shown in contrast against the featureless sky. This was taken in part response to the work of Aaron Siskind and his work and also an homage to the Abstract Expressionist painter, Franz Kline. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42109926.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14250179235fc900e676bd6.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontardawe 2020 This was not my destination, my destination was another ruined house but I was unable to reach due to being with my partner who refused to cross a somewhat boggy valley bottom and stream. I did not mind because I had seen this quarter of a mile away. My partner waited in the car and I trampled across the boggy land, tufts of wet high grass. The house is much ruined. A few exposures made. The morning was bright and cold with little heat from the sun. But the sun was still welcome. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196119.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10761975995fe1ae9e8767b.jpgVARTEG ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on VARTEG ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Somewhat oddly, Varteg Isaf stands higher than Varteg Uchaf, a stones throw away across a field. Both are derelict and ruinous as seen here. Isaf has a roof, albeit a rusting corrugated affair. The house stands windswept and on my December morning it was chilly but dry. Tracks lead up to the house and a little further wind turbines. Great views... a few images taken, as seen here mostly from a similar viewpoint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094534.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_150734174749796143541ad.jpgMALPAS COURT, Newport, Gwent 2005 Notes on MALPAS COURT, Newport, Gwent 2005 Malpas Court stands foreboding on the edge of suburban Newport and although surrounded by a secure high wire fence, it only takes a few minutes to find an obliging hole offering access to the walls of the house. Malpas Court as viewed from the road, with its high chimneys, rugged sandstone and occasional dressed bath stone, looks an impenetrable fortress but once inside the fence the planks covering the windows are little defence to the determined intruder. Built in the 1830s it seems lost and out of place in its modern urban location, like some haunted mansion that only a few brave souls dare to go near. The builder, a Thomas Prothero, of mean character (according to legend), reputedly offered a sum of £500 to help build Malpas church on the condition it would be built closer to his home. On hearing his request refused he then halved his proposed sum to £250. A notorious and a much reviled man and with some kind of karmic fortune and irony considering the owners mean spirited past, his house was used in the 1970s and 80s as a community centre. Malpas Court is currently under restoration by the local council, it's use yet to be agreed. Malpas Court 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9648525634b46eb0039fcf.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6376261204b46eb13bac9c.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16786942094b46eb2169746.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789141.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11989273634bcaacbe1b6bd.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41241974.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_470279305efb38d46c83e.jpgHOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 Notes on HOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 I am not sure how I missed these brick-works before but they’re easily found along the cycle path from Horeb to Lliedi Reservoirs. Well camouflage in the summer foliage but if visiting look for the huge tower and you know you’re in the right place. The brickworks are in a fairly good condition, the entrance is somewhat caved in but the basic structure seems sound. Nature has however reclaimed around the perimeter. Within was dark, I had chosen a very wet morning to visit, late June, heavy rain, the foliage not helping with lighting up the interior. Beer cans aplenty within but the site perhaps not as vandalized as it would be if it was located elsewhere. Horeb is a far distance from anywhere and parking is a challenge. I had forgotten to put a SD card into my digital camera to take colour snapshots. I was annoyed with myself, usually so fastidious before I go out photographing. I needn't have worried. I had my smartphone and the pictures it took were of a good enough quality. I think a re-visit to this site once the summer is over. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo11746964.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12406310784e36952f9c77d.jpgLOWER GOITRE, Llanfaredd, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on LOWER GOITRE, Llanfaredd, Radnorshire 2011 Timber framed and clad in corrugated iron sheeting with a brick chimney and stone foundations, Lower Goitre is an unlikely sight with it's zinc colour, standing imposing in amongst the greenery on a steep hilly bank above a small stream. I peered through the downstair windows and all appeared tidy and basic within with a few benches, tables and chairs and the other usual farming debris you expect to find within a locked and roofed ruin. The window frames are rotting though and although I had presumed this building was built in brick throughout, it becomes easy to see with closer inspection that the house is just a wooden frame. One can only image the noise when rain or indeed hail fell upon every inch of this house. If anyone has any information on who lived here and when it was built and then abandoned please do get in touch. Thanks to Stuart Fry for sending directions to find this hidden gem. See 'links' page to read Stuart's blog. Upper Goitre is also ruinous and stand half a mile above this property althoguh very little remains and was not photographed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41319194.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12610142255f16c29926fb1.jpgBLAEN MARCHANT, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on BLAEN MARCHANT, Ceredigion 2010 Familiarity has diminished the uneasy air this small valley has often bestowed upon me. Blaen Marchant is easily accessible, the rear window has been broken. The front door held on by string, inside a cooker, tables, chairs, benches, stools and a few kitchenwares. Asbestos, cement floor, iron coming apart at the base where it meets the cement floor all leads one to think Blaen Marchant may soon be letting the rains flood in and begin its disruptive progression. The thin walls must have let any heat within out. Who lived here? Who lived here? Previous visits I found a cot, boxes of childrens clothes and toys, all left, on the floor, in various poses. All unnerving. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img263 https://images.on-this.website/7784_877127948534ebf023aa8c.jpgCLAERWEN FARM, Ceredigion 1991 Notes on CLAERWEN FARM, Ceredigion 1991 A long walk from Teifi Pools, mid-day, mid-summer and hard to believe these images were taken 35 years ago (now being 2026!). The house stands on the border between Ceredigion and Radnorshire and is very isolated. The house at the time was empty. I had hoped to find a window or door open but I believe, if my memory serves me correctly, that the windows were nailed down, the doors well and truly locked. I used a cheap Chinese Seagull Twin Lens Reflex camera with infra-red film and hand held the necessary filter in front of the lens, resulting in a little vignetting - this resulting in the dark skies and light, almost snow-looking, grass. House now renovated and lived in. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo20156543.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_207647662952c538356548a.jpgLLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Notes on LLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Llantrithyd Place is a long ruined 16th century manor house. I visited on Boxing Day 2013. The morning was cold and sunny and the soft winter light made photographing the house a pleasure. I had not set out to visit the house but was driving to photograph the interior of a church in Flemingston. This was an unexpected pleasure. A wander around the ruins offered many different viewpoints and I was generally spoilt for choice of images to capture. I was however restrained by lack of film, only having 10 sheets with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2081200.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_61329767049731cccd36c3.jpgGREAT MILTON, Newport, Gwent 2005 Notes on GREAT MILTON, Newport, Gwent 2005 In a quiet roadside location and a very short distance from Newport in Gwent, Great Milton is an unexpected pleasure. Built 16th century, of limestone rubble, this is a farmhouse laid out in an L shape with mullion windows, two storeys and an attic. After much discussion of renovation a few years back it now stands in a perilous state: boarded up and crumbling. The interior remains un-modernised with flagged stone floors and a collapsing wooden spiral staircase. The gardens, small and unkempt are also in need of restoration. Great Milton [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1394667904b51d7143652b.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551417.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21001868124f82fef5b4973.jpgUNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 I suspect the same builder was responsible for the few farmsteads and barns built in and around the wind farm at Llangwyryfon. The same build quality is evident throughout the ruins that litter this bleak hill. This longhouse is no exception and part of the joy photographing is not just the general view but also of the stonework within. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13060778.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12330112074e8428053ccaf.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A pleasing image of peeled paintwork - the softly toned wall as produced onto film like a soft pencil sketch and exudes a calmness that was only found after an hour or two was spent in this relatively dangerous building. A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images (images of the actual building can be seen in the 'Other Welsh Ruins' gallery) and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes due to the dimness within and the deep rain clouds outside. The walls within had been exposed to 40 years of dampness and the thick paint work was peeling throughout. The textures and patterns formed therein were some of the better I'd seen for many a year. These images were all taken using a 150mm Xenar lens - not optimised for macro photography yet the negative are absolutely pin-sharp and are a joy to view and then print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23208973.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19403883755488a4896238f.jpgLLANIO BRIDGE & WATER TANK, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LLANIO BRIDGE & WATER TANK, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 There was something immensely pleasing about using this metal ladder to read the track bed of the disused railway line at Llanio. The water tank is large and still filled with a rust coloured water. The track bed under the bridge is filled with very deep muddy water and due to the foliage viewpoints were limited but my little visit here was a pleasant one. I had known of this water tank beforehand but always forgot to visit whenever I went to the derelict milkery beside Llanio Halt. The platform is all still there and with the aid of old photographs it's relatively easy to turn the clock back forty years and see this site as a busy and bustling place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mine-buildings-ystalyfera-swansea-valley https://images.on-this.website/7784_16391166605ccd5e98f3bfe.jpgMINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 Notes on MINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 High on the wooded hillside along the river Tawe at Ystalyfera are these mining ruins. They are much ruined and show only small signs of what must have been once a thriving area. The car was parked in a small car park alongside the river at Godre'r Garth and crossing a footbridge. On the other side there's a sad memorial for the men who lost their lives in Gleision Colliery mining disaster of 2011 - only a short stones throw away. I walked along the cycle path and then followed a steep muddy path up into the hills. It is here the these two buildings stand, a few hundred yards from each other, mostly only their bare bone walls still standing. A few exposures were made. It was a cloudy but bright day. The day was quiet, no cars could be heard, nor the river down below. I could hear voices high in the hills above, of children larking around. But they were far enough not to worry, my peace wouldn't be destroyed! Not that I'd have minded. A pleasant hour was spent, the viewpoints limited by the gradient of the hill and the position of the buildings. I'd love to have explored further. I'm sure there's other buildings, or remnants of buildings, lost in the forestry showing signs of our recently lost heritage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/board-aberystwyth-ceredigion-2000 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2840366064eb63e63d72e0.jpgBOARD, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2000 Notes on BOARD, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2000 A notice board with all its notices ripped off revealing a worn board with pieces of paper and staples remaining. Not altogether successful but there is enough information on the image to warrant its inclusion. I have returned to this image many times - printed it differently many times and have concluded that I should now try to live with it. The major problem as I can see is that it was taken with a wide angle lens when I believe a standard or short telephoto lens would have been more appropriate. Unfortunately this would have meant standing in the road and not only annoy drivers but also increasing my own visibility in a moderately busy Sunday morning street. I always attempt to photograph under a cloud of focussed invisibilty when out in towns. Not altogether easily done with a field camera, tripod and black clothe. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14087502.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11470083004f2d389ecb425.jpgLLETTY-DU UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLETTY-DU UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2012 After a break of two months without photographing and wondering if I would ever again, I cast off the shackles of everyday life; houseworks, work and family commitments etc and went off in search for some local ruins. The driveway up to Lletty-du is no longer accessible by car, it is now a footpath and a very muddy one at that. The house is remarkable in the fact that the lower half is build of stone and the upper floor is clom/cob. The roof barely clings onto the A-frame and beams and a vast hole has appeared one gable end. Such a shame but not such a surprise. The outbuilding adjacent has fairly recently lost most of its roof and is also of stone, clob and also brick. A few remnants of human existance lay damp against one wall; a mattress, a toaster, a cheap looking door-less wardrobe and a record player. These items look out of place. One almost expects to see medieval cooking utensils and ancient furniture! This house probably hasn't been empty for as long as it looks. The ground around Lletty-du is so very damp with each foot step sinking a good 6 inches into mud and humus. The house is situated on a hillside and a small stream runs beside it. A calming place and a good start to the day. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/735 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1058274735517fb293e52a.jpgABSTRACTION, Henllan, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Henllan, Ceredigion 2015 I was told of this house, Penbont, whilst visiting the gatehouse of Bronwydd mansion. I had only a few sheets of film remaining and due to the position of the house, it was almost impossible to get exterior shots. Instead I focussed upon interior abstractions as seen here. The house is large, four to five bedrooms and all vandalised and with furniture tossed around. All was also damp and mouldy, unfriendly and it took a little while to come accustomed to my surroundings. The house also stands right on a road, so the traffic roars by almost constantly, destroying any concentration and contemplation. With the remaining sheets I made my exposures of peeling paint. You might argue I should have tried to find compositions of the upside down rooms but the peeling paint was too much of an allure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tanyallt-llangeitho-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_103232255455ec41923a8c2.jpgTANYALLT, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TANYALLT, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 A successful image but difficult to compose/focus due to the dimness of the house. Taken in the living room, shows wallpaper fallen from the ceiling that had draped across a door. The only light came from the front door and a dirty window. An exposure of one hour at F32. I was worried that there was a slight breeze and it would cause the paper to move in the wind and therefore render blur on the final image. Fortunately my long wait was worthwhile and once developed I saw I had been lucky. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/corrugated-iron-mine-building-cwm https://images.on-this.website/7784_5400210254be513c56a648.jpgCORRUGATED IRON MINE BUILDING, Cwm Rheidol, Ceredigion 1995 Notes on CORRUGATED IRON MINE BUILDING, Cwm Rheidol, Ceredigion 1995 Simple in its graphic telling. Taken looking up and shows a corrugated iron roof all but fallen and masses of black shown in contrast against the featureless sky. This was taken in part response to the work of Aaron Siskind and his work, in homage, to the Abstract Expressionist painter, Franz Kline. ADEILAD MWYNGLODDIO. Cwm Rheidol. Ceredigion 1996 Dyma olygfa o do haearn rhychiog ar hen adeilad mwyngloddio yng Nghwm Rheidol sydd bellach wedi'i ddymchwel. Ymddengys bod y trawst sydd yng nghanol y llun wedi rhewi ar agor, ond eto arfin cau i ffurfio ffenestr betryal yn wynebut awyr. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo21666717.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_103494360453b6f8a60e8bc.jpgABSTRACTION, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire 2014 Whilst the family go shopping in Carmarthen I spend my time walking the streets seeking abstractions - with some irony I began taking my very first abstractions in Carmarthen way back in 1994/1995 - twenty years ago. This image shows poster remnants and I was watched by a number of other men waiting for their better-half's outside Marks and Spencer's and Boots on this sunless Sunday morning. I worked quickly, perhaps a little too quickly. I believe there are better abstractions to be found on these walls but I need not worry, I am sure I will have another opportunity soon! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23584009.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_210802490054e9aec436aa4.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 A return and a successful visit - so oft times a return visit can wield disappointing results. I came here solely to photograph the abstractions - walls I'd visited a few times before but not for a good few years - around four as it happens. Much to my surprise the railway line and platform had been cleared from the forty years worth of trees and foliage. How sweet it would be if this place, indeed the whole Carmarthen to Aberystwyth railway line, could be reinstated - apparently at a cost of £650 million (so sadly seems unlikely). The milkery is not in such a bad condition considering it has sat idle for forty years. The thick lead paint has begun to beautifully peel and therefore it's too much of a temptation for me to ignore! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8265874.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8708864714d2ea4d06e3dd.jpgTY CANOL, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on TY CANOL, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Before you reach the ruined farmstead of Garreglwyd and about 100 foot above the path, there stands the small but well-built farmhouse of Ty Canol. There is a track leading up to the house but few traces of this track remain and gives the impression that this house was built in the 'middle of nowhere' with fantastic views of 'nowhere'. It is true, there are great views from this ruin and it is also true that this was once a secluded spot. The barn attached give an impression of a longhouse but with further inspection it is revealed that it is actually just built very close to the house. Although the house is obviously roofless it remains, to my eye, in a structurally sound condition. The wind blows hard up here (as I discovered) and the seasons can be harsh thus proving the workmanship in building such a house. An excellent account of the builder and owner of Ty Canol can be found at www.hanesybont.co.uk. I made a number of exposures here. I had visited before, some time in 2002, mid-summer on a stifling hot day. Today was much different and due to the wind blowing so hard and rocking the tripod and camera I was forced to compromise with the aperture and shutter speed of my lens so not to cause camera shake and render these images worthless. Like many of these mountian farms, Ty Canol was part of the Nanteos Estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23584008.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_75950139854e9aebf6d0e1.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 A return and a successful visit - so oft times a return visit can wield disappointing results. I came here solely to photograph the abstractions - walls I'd visited a few times before but not for a good few years - around four as it happens. Much to my surprise the railway line and platform had been cleared from the forty years worth of trees and foliage. How sweet it would be if this place, indeed the whole Carmarthen to Aberystwyth railway line, could be reinstated - apparently at a cost of £650 million (so sadly seems unlikely). The milkery is not in such a bad condition considering it has sat idle for forty years. The thick lead paint has begun to beautifully peel and therefore it's too much of a temptation for me to ignore! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/neuadd-fawr-cilycwm-carmarthenshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13203077594db16c4e47cc0.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 A late afternoon re-visit to Neuadd Fawr. As ever a subliminal experience. Neuadd Fawr's size and ruinous state can only impress the casual or eager explorer. The outer walls seem impressively solid but within there is little semblance of rooms nor indeed what those rooms functions once were. This house is a sad sight. It's sheer enormity and dereliction begs so many questions that can be answered simply by oneself: it is too large, too derelict, too far gone to be salvaged. The stable block is also totally ruinous but other outbuildings; stables, diary, kennels are all in a good condition. I do not know if any further trips will be made to Neuadd Fawr. Whenever I have left I have always felt I've missed something, some perfect composition. I have dreamed of this house, wandering through rooms and even photographing parts of it that do not exist. I have photographed it extensively, something I never set out to do (why take fifty photographs when only two or three should suffice?) and perhaps it's this over-exposure and ease of photographic opportunties that is the cause of me feeling I've missed something. Perhaps I expect too much. Perhaps I seek those atmospherics I experienced in my dreams, those atmospherics that do not actually exist. I think for me I should allow Neuadd Fawr to drift away from my consciousness for a good number of years. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26433156.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2027621703569227f19fbd0.jpgFFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2016 A revisit to this house. I took only a few sheets of film with me on my first visit and I wanted to take a few interior shots. Little of course has changed in a year, still open to the elements, the roof seems to have sagged a little but there was a tranquillity to the house and the morning of my visit. The walls within are either plastered with peeling layers of wallpaper or wooden panelled. It's all a little dusty, a little dirty, a little still. This could make a lovely little house and one hopes it will be re-sold and restored. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24519309.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8410857915575b02de91d4.jpgLLYSWEN MILL & WORKSHOP, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLYSWEN MILL & WORKSHOP, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 After living in Aberaeron for a few years and only just finding this was a pleasant surprise. Of course, the old car was the main attraction, and that old familiar smell of dampness, humus, engine oil and springtime! A few exposures were made, all lasting eight minutes or so, the highlights of the sky outside burnt out and a little flare on the lens but nonetheless, all good. I wonder if this was indeed once a mill? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img352 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1483121832536f381459bca.jpgGREEN CASTLE (CASTELL MOEL), Llangain, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on GREEN CASTLE (CASTELL MOEL), Llangain, Carmarthenshire 2014 A 15th century castle, reputedly a mansion house, long ruined (since late 16th century) and stands on a hill overlooking river Twyi. The spring greens had begun to spread and finding suitable viewpoints was a challenge. The bluebells, now over, made climbing the small hill ridiculously hazardous, especially with 20 kilos of camera equipment on my back, has each foot slipped and I felt myself lose ground, rather than gain. But that said, a nice place, just above the main road from Carmarthen to Llanstephan. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-at-smith-cottages-pontrhydygroes https://images.on-this.website/7784_11591851785692037a2d4a3.jpgABSTRACTION AT SMITH COTTAGES, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigi NOTES on ABSTRACTION AT SMITH COTTAGES, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion 2016 Taken in the front doorway of one of the cottages - the cottages themselves long, long empty on a roadside location - this abstraction was a luxury compared to many. I was able to control the light hitting the wall by opening or closing the front door as I wished. If I opened it too much the scene lost it's light/shadow contrast and became somewhat flat. If I closed it too much the paper in the centre lost its textural quality. A nice simple abstraction - exposed for about eight minutes - fortunately on a day without breeze. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-wales-2001 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14874177974bcaaedb5a8bf.jpgABSTRACTION, Wales 2001 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Wales 2001 This is a pleasing image for me yet it falls into a very unusual category. I can not remember where it was taken! This may have been taken in a ruined farmstead at the rear of my parents house at Hafod and a few miles from Devil’s Bridge. Of the thousands of photographs I have taken, from a few blades of grass in heavy snowfall to cloud studies I can always remember when and where an image was taken. This is an exception. It is, or more to the point I am, redeemed by its very simple composition. I used to believe that a good abstraction should be able to be viewed from any angle and this is a fine example of that. I have however chosen the angle that I prefer. I do not necessarily believe that an abstraction needs to look like something but this photograph suggests a road leading to some snow capped mountains. I must confess I doubted if this was intentional, unfortunately I can not remember for sure. I do know that it was the simple elements on this worn wall that caught my eye; sparse, still and yet the pencil-looking marks are sweeping and free flowing. It’s location is has no consequence. Update: March 2015 I visited the ruined farmstead Prignant Uchaf and lo and behold, this image was taken there - I re-took the image using a colour digital camera and can be viewed in the news update of that month and year. Mystery solved! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9951928.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7493037394dca2c739137d.jpgDERWEN BEDWEN, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DERWEN BEDWEN, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 A few months ago someone emailed me with this information about this partially collapsed cob building which I had presumed to be only used as an agricultural store: 'The "unknown farm building with cob walls!" is called "Derwen Bedwen". It stands by the road between Cnwch-coch and Llanfihangel y creuddin, and was last lived in by a woman named "Marged Lizzie" untill the late sixty's. She had two or three nasty dogs that always chased us as we walked past on the way home from school!' If anyone has any further information on Marged Lizzie please do get in touch! This tiny house is in a poor state - the clom walls are collapsing and presumably the other end collapsed years ago since it is open-ended and is in agricultural use. Inside the 'residential' end is used as a store for the usual bits of junk. If this was indeed once a home for Marged Lizzie I presume the chimney was at the collapsed end? Do any photographs survive? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23822582.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9736288105517fb3f28f59.jpgABSTRACTION, Henllan, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Henllan, Ceredigion 2015 I was told of this house, Penbont, whilst visiting the gatehouse of Bronwydd mansion. I had only a few sheets of film remaining and due to the position of the house, it was almost impossible to get exterior shots. Instead I focussed upon interior abstractions as seen here. The house is large, four to five bedrooms and all vandalised and with furniture tossed around. All was also damp and mouldy, unfriendly and it took a little while to come accustomed to my surroundings. The house also stands right on a road, so the traffic roars by almost constantly, destroying any concentration and contemplation. With the remaining sheets I made my exposures of peeling paint. You might argue I should have tried to find compositions of the upside down rooms but the peeling paint was too much of an allure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwm-rheidol-ceredigion-1995 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1511538974bcaaed8d7301.jpgCWM RHEIDOL, Ceredigion 1995 Simple in its graphic telling. Taken looking up and shows Notes on CWM RHEIDOL, Ceredigion 1995 A corrugated iron roof all but fallen and masses of black shown in contrast against the featureless sky. This was taken in part response to the work of Aaron Siskind and his work, in homage, to the Abstract Expressionist painter, Franz Kline. Unfortunately this simple structure has now been demolished leaving nothing but a concrete platform. Seeking abstractions in rural mid Wales can at times prove difficult but also when a suitable wall is found, rewarding. Fortunately, there are many ruined houses, farms and industrial buildings which may not always be easy to enter. When possible they often contain walls covered in blistered paint or peeled wallpaper. Often there is very little natural light and since I do not use flash photography exposures can vary from a few seconds up to a few hours. These long exposures allow me to become acquainted with these empty properties, their crumbling and damp walls and whilst the film is exposed to the subject I can settle into the moment and become calm within the buildings atmosphere. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-henllan-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_15293273315517fb3b87f79.jpgABSTRACTION, Henllan, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Henllan, Ceredigion 2015 I was told of this house, Penbont, whilst visiting the gatehouse of Bronwydd mansion. I had only a few sheets of film remaining and due to the position of the house, it was almost impossible to get exterior shots. Instead I focussed upon interior abstractions as seen here. The house is large, four to five bedrooms and all vandalised and with furniture tossed around. All was also damp and mouldy, unfriendly and it took a little while to come accustomed to my surroundings. The house also stands right on a road, so the traffic roars by almost constantly, destroying any concentration and contemplation. With the remaining sheets I made my exposures of peeling paint. You might argue I should have tried to find compositions of the upside down rooms but the peeling paint was too much of an allure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4618436.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12404457454baa22c05007c.jpgGELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on GELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2010 I arrived at the Italianate mansion of Gellideg in near darkness, the imposing height forming a black mass in amongst the tress and although the trees were barren of foliage they were still covered in rampant ivy and therefore obscuring a proper view of the house. Gellideg’s life has been a short lived one. It was built in 1852 by William Wesley Jenkins and then the lead was removed by the family and sold in the 1950’s and with the proceeds a smaller house was designed and built close by (sharing the same name and now serving as a Bed & Breakfast). The morning slowly broke with the birdsong, naying horses and moaning cows from the farm nearby. It had been a cold night but gave way to a bright and cheerful March morning. The house was untouched by vandal and appeared to be in a structurally good condition. Inside there are few clues to the layout of the house and although the cellars were open I declined the invitation to explore. Also to be noted that the origins of a former house are easily distinguished within which aids to the confusion of layout. Large stables still in agricultural use are just a few hundred yards away as well as a small oval boating lake. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13582893.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9390374994ec762b166b1b.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images (images of the actual building can be seen in the 'Other Welsh Ruins' gallery) and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes due to the dimness within and the deep rain clouds outside. The walls within had been exposed to 40 years of dampness and the thick paint work was peeling throughout. The textures and patterns formed therein were some of the better I'd seen for many a year. These images were all taken using a 150mm Xenar lens - not optimised for macro photography yet the negative are absolutely pin-sharp and are a joy to view and then print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/peeling-poster-bristol-2003 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6006700114bcaaee33ee5e.jpgPEELING POSTER, Bristol 2003 Notes on PEELING POSTER, Bristol 2003 What appears to be a simple exposure took three different trips – the same image being re-taken each time due to a very slight breeze which caused the centre piece of torn paper blowing and therefore recording as a blur on the exposed film. I haven’t properly printed this image until recently (Feb 2010). I believe it worthy of re-appraisal. It was taken only a few inches from the ground, the boarded up window was all but covered in a dull and light grey poster – almost lacking in any information due to it being weathered – other posters had been, at some stage, glued on top but these too were either too weathered or were brand new and did not interest me. However parts of the grey posters had begun to peeling away and these peeled pieces added some contrast to the overall greyness of the shop window. I made a number of exposures, this being the most successful. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/outbuilding-at-maes-gwenllian-mynydd https://images.on-this.website/7784_1228115960536e61a76f5ab.jpgOUTBUILDING at MAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on OUTBUILDING at MAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Thanks to Luke Thomas who emailed to tell me about this property. Luke mentioned that the farm was once was one of the better when his grandmother was alive (whom delivered newspapers there). He also mentioned 'she told me the tenants retired and the son became a Dr to the Queen and the buildings became abandoned and derelict over time'. At the entrance there's a new gate, with cast within the name Maes Gwenllian. An odd thing for a ruin. The path then wends long for quarter of a mile and to the outbuildings, all ruinous and to the house itself - the façade all but covered in low hanging branches. The roof collapsed, the floors within much the same, few remnants remain and the cows have made the wandering around a very messy and muddy affair. Of course I wear my wellington boots and almost loose them if I stand still for too long. A few pleasing exposures were made, the first for a while, long exposures of around four minutes, enough to note the tranquillity and clean air. This was taken looking up at an old corrugated iron barn, an easy hand-held image taken with an 6x9 folding camera. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13620477.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3250258644ecc9b9023e19.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Paintwork that has been left to the elements - this piece was beside a large doorway that had been ripped out. The paintwork was thick and thus took the wind, rain, frost and sunlight many years to decompose. A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images (images of the actual building can be seen in the 'Other Welsh Ruins' gallery) and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes due to the dimness within and the deep rain clouds outside. The walls within had been exposed to 40 years of dampness and the thick paint work was peeling throughout. The textures and patterns formed therein were some of the better I'd seen for many a year. These images were all taken using a 150mm Xenar lens - not optimised for macro photography yet the negative are absolutely pin-sharp and are a joy to view and then print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/glanrhos-trefenter-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_247062154557925b9adb2b.jpgGLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage - one forgets how small the rooms are compared to todays houses, no room to swing a cat, but easier to keep warm - and can be seen from the road but the footpath I took started nowhere but eventually met up with the straight track to the house. Inside are ovens, rusty white-goods, worthless and dirty and other bits of... things... doors and window frames, bits of broken furniture, pots and pans et al... Outside the house looks to be in a good general order, the morning sun shone brightly, my spirits were high, cows had done their best to make the going around the house almost impossible without sinking a foot deep and losing footing (and indeed wellingtons) and although my visit here was over within twenty minutes, it was certainly pleasant enough and one hopes the house to find an owner/buyer, small as it may be. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39374998.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15520890315d4bd733b54d9.jpgLLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Notes on LLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Llanerch House (possibly also known as Craig y Parcau) – long ruined, suffered a fire in 2006 – another building was also on the site, foundations remains – uncertain what this building was or if indeed this was Llanerch House. The house shown here was though a care home when last occupied – judging by the house and stables it was obviously built as a private residence originally. It is much ruined now, as these photographs testify. My visit was one hot Thursday afternoon beginning of August. The car was parked by the entrance and a short walk to the house. There was a deflated blow-up sex doll on the pathway leading to the house - the house is a well-known place for local vandals and kids. I wondered if I'd be finding anyone there myself. But no, my visit was uninterrupted. The roof has all but collapsed. The walls within are in a poor state, the house is by and by falling down. The stables around the rear are in a slightly better state, much graffiti and litter. A few exposures were made – I only had eight sheets of film – I had a taste for abstract images so after as many/as few outside images of the building were taken I focused my camera in the peeling paintwork inside the stables. One of the rooms had recently been used as a toilet and stank but as luck will have it this room had the richest abstract pickings. I held my breath, gagged and waited for my two minutes exposure to pass. A few more images and then the half hour visit had come to an end. My daughter was with me and commented that this had been one of the more interesting ruins I’d made her visit of recent times. This was a compliment and I did realise it was mostly industrial visits of late and the odd rural farm. I cannot seem to find much on the history of Llanerch House and if anyone knows ore then please do leave a comment below. It is well situated with easy reach of Bridgend and it is somewhat surprising that the site has been left to decay to such a state. I would imagine in the short term the remains will be demolished and something new built since it is prime location. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39374997.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6582999445d4bd732d4b55.jpgLLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Notes on LLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Llanerch House (possibly also known as Craig y Parcau) – long ruined, suffered a fire in 2006 – another building was also on the site, foundations remains – uncertain what this building was or if indeed this was Llanerch House. The house shown here was though a care home when last occupied – judging by the house and stables it was obviously built as a private residence originally. It is much ruined now, as these photographs testify. My visit was one hot Thursday afternoon beginning of August. The car was parked by the entrance and a short walk to the house. There was a deflated blow-up sex doll on the pathway leading to the house - the house is a well-known place for local vandals and kids. I wondered if I'd be finding anyone there myself. But no, my visit was uninterrupted. The roof has all but collapsed. The walls within are in a poor state, the house is by and by falling down. The stables around the rear are in a slightly better state, much graffiti and litter. A few exposures were made – I only had eight sheets of film – I had a taste for abstract images so after as many/as few outside images of the building were taken I focused my camera in the peeling paintwork inside the stables. One of the rooms had recently been used as a toilet and stank but as luck will have it this room had the richest abstract pickings. I held my breath, gagged and waited for my two minutes exposure to pass. A few more images and then the half hour visit had come to an end. My daughter was with me and commented that this had been one of the more interesting ruins I’d made her visit of recent times. This was a compliment and I did realise it was mostly industrial visits of late and the odd rural farm. I cannot seem to find much on the history of Llanerch House and if anyone knows ore then please do leave a comment below. It is well situated with easy reach of Bridgend and it is somewhat surprising that the site has been left to decay to such a state. I would imagine in the short term the remains will be demolished and something new built since it is prime location. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8387354.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1951193084d3daecbd561e.jpgCAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2011 The day after, a day of, constant and heavy rain. Caermeirch is a damp place on the driest of summer days. Water pumps out from the ground. Patches of land in front and to the side of the house are large puddles, deep enough to warrant wellingtons. The house itself has been empty, by my reckoning, for at least twenty years. I once slept in the front room, 10 years ago, cold on the slate floor wrapped in a sleeping bag and having dreams of crows flying down the chimney and filling the room with dark shadows of winds beating at breakneck speed. The walls are damp inside. Flag stone floors are cold to the touch. Various bits of debris fill the downstairs rooms; jam jars, coils of barbed wire, boxes and the kitchen filled with old kettles, pots and pans. Upstairs the three bedrooms are littered with worn, moth-eaten clothing, empty bottles of pills and medicines. Outbuildings are plentiful and are in various states; some in use, some with holes in the roof; some repaired whilst others let in the rain. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42109932.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2787589115fc8fe2f6a735.jpgNotes on HOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli (revisited Winter 2020) I am not Notes on Notes on HOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli (revisited Winter 2020) I am not sure how I missed these brick-works before but they’re easily found along the cycle path from Horeb to Lliedi Reservoirs. Well camouflage in the summer foliage but if visiting look for the huge tower and you know you’re in the right place. The brickworks are in a fairly good condition, the entrance is somewhat caved in but the basic structure seems sound. Nature has however reclaimed around the perimeter. Within was dark, I had chosen a very wet morning to visit, late June, heavy rain, the foliage not helping with lighting up the interior. Beer cans aplenty within but the site perhaps not as vandalized as it would be if it was located elsewhere. Horeb is a far distance from anywhere and parking is a challenge. I had forgotten to put a SD card into my digital camera to take colour snapshots. I was annoyed with myself, usually so fastidious before I go out photographing. I needn't have worried. I had my smartphone and the pictures it took were of a good enough quality. I think a re-visit to this site once the summer is over. I am not sure how I missed these brick-works before but they’re easily found along the cycle path from Horeb to Lliedi Reservoirs. Well camouflage in the summer foliage but if visiting look for the huge tower and you know you’re in the right place. The brickworks are in a fairly good condition, the entrance is somewhat caved in but the basic structure seems sound. Nature has however reclaimed around the perimeter. Within was dark, I had chosen a very wet morning to visit, late June, heavy rain, the foliage not helping with lighting up the interior. Beer cans aplenty within but the site perhaps not as vandalized as it would be if it was located elsewhere. Horeb is a far distance from anywhere and parking is a challenge. I had forgotten to put a SD card into my digital camera to take colour snapshots. I was annoyed with myself, usually so fastidious before I go out photographing. I needn't have worried. I had my smartphone and the pictures it took were of a good enough quality. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pembrey-court-pembrey-carmarthenshire-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14809979535e123d98a627b.jpgPEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on PEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 I have been here before, twice before and both times it was impossible to photograph the house due to trees and foliage and then the house itself covered in ivy. All these trees and foliage have been striped back and chopped down. The ivy removed from the walls. The bare bones of the house revealed and it seemed to me to more imposing than I had remembered. There is no access within the wall now, each access point covered over securely. Not that I minded. With all the foliage gone better views opened themselves up, more images were taken on this short visit, half an hour or so, than the previous two visits when I believe I only took around six or seven images. The walls around the rear are the most interesting, showing where windows were boarded up at the time of the window tax, and different types of material used. It all seems a little hodgepodge but like a comment left on this website a few years ago, what does a photographer know about the structural integrity of a building? As it happens, not a lot! It is apparently possible for this building to be saved but that was almost ten years ago. I wonder how many more decades Pembrey Court can survive without consolidation? it's a remarkable house in a great position. The images taken were sufficient, better than those taken back in 1997 and 2009. Other houses that I visited back then in 1997 have now been cleared and a revisit is required, Drummau house in Birchgrove a case in point as well as Llangennech Park House, both large ruins and much forgotten for many decades. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/notes-on-lluest-newydd-lledrod https://images.on-this.website/7784_4136400584d84498228e5b.jpgNotes on LLUEST NEWYDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLUEST NEWYDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Empty for many years I only became aware of this red bricked property whilst searching on an estate agents website. It looks a little like a railway cottage but is situated high on the slope of a hillside. The outbuildings although largely intact are not of great quality and would, I presume, be demolished once a buyer pays up the two hundred thousand pound asking price. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9422618.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13065992364da45aa83de52.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 A return to the supposedly demolished Bronwydd. Little does remain save the wonderful tower - the owner/farmer advised not to climb the stone spiral steps that lead to a presumably great view. I did not climb those steps. Instead I set up the camera and tried to successfully photograph the parts of Bronwydd that I'd never photographed before. (Always in the back of my mind that each visit to these mansions will be my last). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33986416.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_211541905a6e040e7e9af.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GROUNDS, Swansea 2018 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GROUNDS, Swansea 2018 Dam & waterfall, long out of use - former ponds and sluice/engine houses all long ruinous. Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23793056.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12394689935511074ed809e.jpgCWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 2015 Each visit and one feels Cwmystwyth Mines are a little more decimated, the height of the buildings just that little lower than previous visits. One cannot help also but lament the removal of the large corrugated finishing mill and indeed, the flattening of the other buildings by the council some time in the late 1990's. An opportunity missed, one feels, when you consider the interest in the mining heritage of Wales. I came here on this visit to photograph the cottages on the opposite side of the valley. The opposite of the valley was cold, the ground solid with frost, the sun yet to reach. I was happy to cross the river and wander around the heaps and ruins. The sun brought warmth and also a few photographic possibilities. The image here, perhaps looks a little overworked but nonetheless, this is actually a straight print from the negative - the sun is blocked, the light harsh and this causes the mass of the wall to record mostly as a black silhouette thanks to a short exposure time. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6214014.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14638691304c8105e8023cf.jpgNANTYSTALWEN, Abergwesyn Mountain Road, Brecknockshire 2010 Notes on NANTYSTALWEN, Abergwesyn Mountain Road, Brecknockshire 2010 An empty longhouse. I had visited some 5 years ago and little had changed. The barns around the house are primarily used for agricultural use. Inside Nantystalwen is dark and damp with puddles formed on the stone flag stones, although with no obvious clue to where all this water had come from. Much wooden panelling throughout, some painted over, some wall papered – all peeling and damp and revealing areas of brightness and colour. The boarded up main entrance door is stain glassed which leads to a small hallway and then up to the most interesting feature, the wooden staircase which leads to the floor above and then again to the large attic space. This is a superior house. A curved wooden and very large inglenook surrounds one of the ground floor fireplaces. Nantystalwen has an interesting history with tales of a murder by poison, undiscovered for two years and the man servant, guilty, who was never found. The river Towy is but a stones throw away and thus explained the swarms of midges that bit and pestered me throughout my visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img356 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1744839230536f37730b231.jpgGREEN CASTLE (CASTELL MOEL), Llangain, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on GREEN CASTLE (CASTELL MOEL), Llangain, Carmarthenshire 2014 A 15th century castle, reputedly a mansion house, long ruined (since late 16th century) and stands on a hill overlooking river Twyi. The spring greens had begun to spread and finding suitable viewpoints was a challenge. The bluebells, now over, made climbing the small hill ridiculously hazardous, especially with 20 kilos of camera equipment on my back, has each foot slipped and I felt myself lose ground, rather than gain. But that said, a nice place, just above the main road from Carmarthen to Llanstephan. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8265870.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12950497774d2ea4c680786.jpgTY CANOL, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on TY CANOL, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Before you reach the ruined farmstead of Garreglwyd and about 100 foot above the path, there stands the small but well-built farmhouse of Ty Canol. There is a track leading up to the house but few traces of this track remain and gives the impression that this house was built in the 'middle of nowhere' with fantastic views of 'nowhere'. It is true, there are great views from this ruin and it is also true that this was once a secluded spot. The barn attached give an impression of a longhouse but with further inspection it is revealed that it is actually just built very close to the house. Although the house is obviously roofless it remains, to my eye, in a structurally sound condition. The wind blows hard up here (as I discovered) and the seasons can be harsh thus proving the workmanship in building such a house. An excellent account of the builder and owner of Ty Canol can be found at www.hanesybont.co.uk. I made a number of exposures here. I had visited before, some time in 2002, mid-summer on a stifling hot day. Today was much different and due to the wind blowing so hard and rocking the tripod and camera I was forced to compromise with the aperture and shutter speed of my lens so not to cause camera shake and render these images worthless. Like many of these mountian farms, Ty Canol was part of the Nanteos Estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25475722.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_86939008755edac0b7220d.jpgBRONCAPEL, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BRONCAPEL, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2015 Just about visible from the road, Broncapel seems to be on the precipice of restoration/rebuild. Planning had been submitted previously and at a guess I'd say this was when the site was cleared. It's in a nice position with views over the valley - and was obviously a large house, possibly a longhouse. The drizzle impeded my visit, tiny raindrops landing on my lens and it was a constant battle to wipe them off, quickly take the photograph and then move to next viewpoint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24530639.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16595739125577d55c5fb8c.jpgBRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Standing isolated and high, the morning of my visit was silent, with just a trace of wind and the odd bleat from the sheep. The track to the house was dry until the last corner, then much waterlogged, I trundled through the muddy water and to the sunlit façade. The house has nearly reached the peak of dereliction; before the roof has fallen, before the water has collapsed the ceiling, before all this comes tumbling in. It can happen over years or during one particular bad storm. A chimney is missing, a few slates, no glass in the windows, the door held together by bailing twine; a familiar sight. A few exposures were made, although it was early the sky was a deep blue, the moon hung not so high in the sky and the sun was also low, almost blindingly bright. Fifteen minutes later I was walking back along the track and to the car wondering if I should have ventured inside, wondering if I'd made the best of my visit. No way of knowing until the negatives are developed. The house, if unsold, unrepaired, will probably be roofless in a year or two. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076461.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10217254734970691c4b1fc.jpgPEMBREY CWRT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 1997 Notes on PEMBREY CWRT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 1997 A late 16th or early 17th century farm house - although a property has stood on the site since 1361. Bought by farmers and by the 1950’s the empty house became ruinous and since then derelict. Now a damp dark overgrown roofless shell: much vandalised, with walls full of cracks. My visit was brief but one could not believe that Pembrey Court's future was an optimistic one what with ivy penetrating the stone walls and kids lighting fires and demolishing whatever they could. And who could blame them? By whose example would they follow if a property is left unloved and uncared for? A trust has been sent up for Court/Cwrt farmhouse and as of March 2006 they are preparing a proposition to apply for a place on the BBC’s ‘Restoration’ program, in which various domestic, industrial and public buildings that are in a process of neglect are voted for with a sum of money going towards the winner with the intention of restoring. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6035117994abf4b398c541.jpg[/img] PEMBREY CWRT, Carmarthenshire 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4496180.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1821529264b90a2c0e89df.jpgCLAERDDU COTTAGE, Teifi Pools, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on CLAERDDU COTTAGE, Teifi Pools, Ceredigion 1994 A tiny and remote house overlooking the Teifi Pools. I've visited here numerous times from 1990. It is small, with two small rooms upstairs and two small downstairs with an additional kitchen tacked on at the rear. There is something very comforting about his property whether it is the modesty or homely feel of the tiny cottage I can not say. I once wanted to live here, in solitude, beside the small stream overlooking the lakes of Teifi Pools. I believe this is now a Bothy, no doubt a welcome sight for those walkers of the Cambrian Mountains. I am sure this cottage made up the final few images of the well respected motion picture 'Sleep furiously' - images made long before my visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4618438.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5490884914baa22d58cfbd.jpgGELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on GELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2010 I arrived at the Italianate mansion of Gellideg in near darkness, the imposing height forming a black mass in amongst the tress and although the trees were barren of foliage they were still covered in rampant ivy and therefore obscuring a proper view of the house. Gellideg’s life has been a short lived one. It was built in 1852 by William Wesley Jenkins and then the lead was removed by the family and sold in the 1950’s and with the proceeds a smaller house was designed and built close by (sharing the same name and now serving as a Bed & Breakfast). The morning slowly broke with the birdsong, naying horses and moaning cows from the farm nearby. It had been a cold night but gave way to a bright and cheerful March morning. The house was untouched by vandal and appeared to be in a structurally good condition. Inside there are few clues to the layout of the house and although the cellars were open I declined the invitation to explore. Also to be noted that the origins of a former house are easily distinguished within which aids to the confusion of layout. Large stables still in agricultural use are just a few hundred yards away as well as a small oval boating lake. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9430288.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18705397844da549515a52e.jpgGELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on GELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2011 On an early Spring afternoon, another visit to the Italianate Mansion of Gellideg. Without a map we wondered if we would be able to find Gellideg but from the road, out of the small village of Llandyfaelog, the occasional view can be snatched. We therefore made our way slowly towards the wooded area high upon a hillside where we thought we'd spotted the house. And true to our searching eyes we found this magnificent house surrounded by woodland, rhododendrom and wild garlic. A number of exposures were made, easily found and almost casually taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13426346.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6533748004eaf9e0108934.jpgMAES Y BEUDY, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CONCRETE OUTBUILDING AT MAES Y BEUDY, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2011 Walking along the stone lined path to Maes y beudy on this windy afternoon it becomes something other than another path to another ruin. The wind blows the trees in a slow motion, with the branches swaying in a harmonious union with the westerly wind. The outside walls of Maes y beudy look unremarkable and modern but behind these rendered and grey walls there lays a small and lovely peasant longhouse – the windows are all irregular and the rooms within are small but strangely numerous! Once the house and outbuildings explored I ventured around the rear of the property, a small orchard with rotting fruit, and an open window, large and no longer protecting the house and judging by the mess within has not protected this lovely little cottage for many a year. Inside is a mess. The house was obviously abandoned with its contents in place. A calendar with the date March 1983 lay in the living room. Was this when Maes y beudy was abandoned? Possibly. The furniture inside is all stripped from its panelling, its drawers or chairs stripped from their coverings. A tiny, tiny kitchen filled with pots, pans and unrecognizable tins and slug eaten packaging. The upstairs filled with clothing, bundled into damp and rotting masses. The floorboards are beginning to rot due to small holes letting the water in through the roof. The fireplaces have been ripped out, books are strewn, carpets like sponge, mattresses soggy and a mould, dampness filling the rooms, the air, the walls and all their contents. I tread with care, set the camera up and expose film. Long exposures of around 16 minutes allow me to unravel the nervousness of entering dangerous and empty properties. 16 minutes is long enough to alter ones opinion of a house. Maes y beudy is a lovely little property in a beautiful location with views of the church and hamlet of Ysbyty Ystwyth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cerrigllwydion-cambrian-mountains-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17387017254c7f4a53af0a6.jpgCERRIGLLWYDION, Cambrian Mountain's, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CERRIGLLWYDION, Cambrian Mountain's, Ceredigion 2010 A long difficult walk. I parked the car at Teifi Pools and walked to Claerwen farm. My last visit, 20 years ago, I had found Claerwen farmhouse empty. Now inhabited. The I carried on to Nantybeddau farm house, also inhabited and then up over, cross country to the Cerrrigllwydion lakes and the small corrugated iron and stone cottage. A fishing retreat? Not ruined. I followed the ancient Monk's Trod footpath (used by the Monks of Strata Florida in Pontrhydyfendigaid) back to Teifi Pools. It should have been a beautiful walk but it was difficult going. The path has been churned up by motorbikes and 4x4's so badly that although it had not rained much for the previous 6 weeks the track was almost impassable by foot. Long areas of up to 60 foot of track had become deep canals, unpassable for even the 4x4's which initally caused the damage. The areas around the track very damp and very boggy. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789158.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2495810134bcaaed052a42.jpgWALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 Notes on WALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 A number of images here were taken at the majestic and ruined cement works between Shoreham and Upper Beeding. I passed these buildings every day for a year in 2007 when I worked at Small Dole. I have made a number of exposures of the buildings themselves but found far more rewarding the weathered and graffiti walls inside. Note on Brighton Abstractions: Between 2005 and 2010 I have lived in Brighton, with many and as frequent as possible, trips to Wales to photograph mansions and landscape. During my time in Brighton I have on some level felt somewhat starved from the open land that mid Wales has in abundance and, therefore, also photographing. I have however all but completed a project of Brighton architecture, architecture that I found pleasing to my eye rather than follow any strict period or style, and these images were exhibited at Brighton Museum in the winter of 2008/2009. I have also photographed abstractions found anywhere from walls in busy streets or in empty buildings. I do not necessarily consider my Brighton abstractions wholly successful but have included them here because although I do not consider them on a par with earlier abstractions they must somehow, hopefully, offer some personal progression in this chosen field. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bryn-garw-lledrod-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9934988675577d55873936.jpgBRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Standing isolated and high, the morning of my visit was silent, with just a trace of wind and the odd bleat from the sheep. The track to the house was dry until the last corner, then much waterlogged, I trundled through the muddy water and to the sunlit façade. The house has nearly reached the peak of dereliction; before the roof has fallen, before the water has collapsed the ceiling, before all this comes tumbling in. It can happen over years or during one particular bad storm. A chimney is missing, a few slates, no glass in the windows, the door held together by bailing twine; a familiar sight. A few exposures were made, although it was early the sky was a deep blue, the moon hung not so high in the sky and the sun was also low, almost blindingly bright. Fifteen minutes later I was walking back along the track and to the car wondering if I should have ventured inside, wondering if I'd made the best of my visit. No way of knowing until the negatives are developed. The house, if unsold, unrepaired, will probably be roofless in a year or two. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llain-new-cross-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_657863840569205d7aa96b.jpgLLAIN, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on LLAIN, Ceredigion 2016 Previously visit in the summer of 2010, Llain is little changed. The house was very difficult to photograph back then, due to summer foliage and dappled sunlight. The images taken were poor. It has been a constant reminder to return and amazingly it have taken this long. I know nothing about the house nor the previous occupants. The barns and outbuildings are still in agricultural use. The house it self seems not-too-bad, except for around the rear, half way up the staircase, the stone work has collapsed in to the building, which will soon rot the wood and staircase will collapse. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tree-trunk-hafod-fields-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_20699860794be65ecad1b38.jpgTREE TRUNK, Hafod Fields, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on TREE TRUNK, Hafod Fields, Ceredigion 1996 A simple composition showing the textured surface of this weathered tree and a deep blue sky. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5801321.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21253054114c5912917361b.jpgCEUNANT GENERATING STATION, Trisant, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CEUNANT GENERATING STATION, Trisant, Ceredigion 2010 Over the last twenty years I have visited and photographed this hydro power station many times but never satisfactory. I knew not what this building was until this visit where there is an information board at the sight (and also a passage in the ‘Pevsner Building of Wales’ series of books - see ‘Bibliography’ in main menu bar). It was built in 1898 a Belgium company hoping to revive the local mining industry. It employed over 270 men (apparently many Italian’s) but was a short-lived attempt as the mine closed down five years later. Much of the equipment was either sold or was removed over the intervening years. All that remains now is this large high walled, cathedral-like shell whose grounds are kept in order by the grazing sheep. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33968445.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12816023235a6745145148d.jpgMORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2018 Notes on MORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2018 Morris castle was built between 1768 and 1774 but unoccupied since 1850 when nearby mining made the building unsafe. It sits on a hill in the middle of a residential area, only recently purchased by the council and as yet little work as begun to make the area visitor friendly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/nant-goch-llandeusant-carmarthenshire-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_81146244f3418b77f9c4.jpgNANT GOCH, Llandeusant, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on NANT GOCH, Llandeusant, Carmarthenshire 2012 A house standing ruined high on a hillside on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. The house stands on a footpath and the walk up from the hamlet of Llandeusant is a pleasant one. The path seems to be once a driveway, trees either side shelter the walker from either rain or a summers harsh sun light. Today I had neither. Today the ground was frozen solid with some snow refusing to hinder nor indeed thaw and the sun shone brightly but any warm it offered was welcomed. The house, as seen here, is roofless and is now just a shell. Fragments of outbuildings remain, some hidden in deep shadow whilst other parts in bright sunlight, bringing out the textured stonework and mortar and causing me to run my hands over its rough texture. Beautifully located and seemingly content in its ruinous state. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-marchant-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8852723044c6ab99f2c4db.jpgBLAEN MARCHANT, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on BLAEN MARCHANT, Ceredigion 2010 Familiarity has diminished the uneasy air this small valley has often bestowed upon me. Blaen Marchant is easily accessible, the rear window has been broken. The front door held on by string, inside a cooker, tables, chairs, benches, stools and a few kitchenwares. Asbestos, cement floor, iron coming apart at the base where it meets the cement floor all leads one to think Blaen Marchant may soon be letting the rains flood in and begin its disruptive progression. The thin walls must have let any heat within out. Who lived here? Who lived here? Previous visits I found a cot, boxes of childrens clothes and toys, all left, on the floor, in various poses. All unnerving. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4051675.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17321660774b1246b453805.jpgBEUDIAU, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BEUDIAU, Ceredigion 2009 On the back road to the Falcondale Hotel just outside Lampeter sits this farm house, situated on a bank high above the high hedged B-road that runs beside it. The front view shows very little of interest other than that is apparent that it has been abandoned. This unremarkable view is transformed when one sees the large chimney sitting at the rear. It is somewhat oddly positioned and challenges not only the scale of the property but also its overall aesthetic appeal hence its inclusion on this website. The morning of my visit was one of those cool Autumnal days that had forecast as mild with rain but had in fact been bright and cold. The dew hung heavy on the grass and dampened the sides and edges of all the farm machinery left in front of the property. There was also some small outbuildings, one with an appealing arched entrance. Furniture was stored up in the loft of one of the outbuildings but all looked beyond use or repair. The house itself has the first few signs of dereliction; a few slates missing, windows either broken or boarded up, a large plotted plant stands outside as high as the front door. Peering through the letterbox reveals the usual uncarpeted staircase, bare floorboards, torn net curtains, peeling wallpaper and blistered paintwork. The house has wonderful views and due to its close approximation to the busy market town of Lampeter would make an excellent family home. If left to deteriorate any further then dereliction threatens. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1758478094b09061d89a4e.jpg[/img] BEUDIAU, Ceredigon 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094535.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_134977968497961497fd33.jpgBERTHOLEY, Llantrisant, Gwent 1997 Notes on BERTHOLEY, Llantrisant, Gwent 1997 (restored 1999) Bertholey is situated in a quiet park with wonderful views over a loop in the river Usk. It was rebuilt circa 1790 - the cause of the initial dereliction in 1905 as often the case, a fire. A relative of the owner, drunk, accidentally set fire to the house. It had been left a shell since then. In its present state, with the mid-range collapsed, one wonders how much longer Bertholey will be allowed to stand. A house attached to a rear wing is still inhabited - a strange set up considering the vulnerability of the property. With an intricate wrought iron fence and gate surrounding the house and the lawn neatly kept, respectably so by sheep and cows, it was not impossible to imagine Bertholey as a fine building of some stature in its heyday. A number of exposures were made but i struggled to find the true essence of the house - it lacked the mysteriousness of many ruins but of course this could be down to my own personal feelings on that day, or even the weather. I have only recently discovered that the house was beautifully restored a year after this image was taken. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12111664134b6296aac18b8.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9051898714b6296c4bee71.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8270837134b629691ce286.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41356517.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6401885375f22bea24edc4.jpgGARN, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on GARN, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Hidden away within a shallow group of trees Garn feels both long lost but perhaps not quite as long lost as first imagined. I crossed two or three fields, the first field had an oddly position three arched doored stable (see next set of images). The edge of the final field had a narrow hedged pathway, most likely the driveway to the ruined farmstead itself but now only passable for one person at a time. The house sits low within the group of trees, roofless, mostly featureless. I could work out if this had a staircase rising with the chimney, quite possibly but equally possibly not! Around the rear are a number of outbuildings, well-built but time is slowly eating away at their structural integrity. The building immediately to the rear had a rounded corner and signs of a more recent mortar repair. I am untrained. I could not tell if this rounded corner had been built originally this way or had been repaired and rounded off at a later date. The other outbuildings were all overgrown and in poor state. A number of images were taken all around the house. Long exposures of up to 30 seconds. The light hitting the subject slowly reaching the sensitive film. On the map another possible ruin just a field away, Tir-Ifan but when I reached the spot where the house should have stood I could not find it. I think it had been demolished or it was out of sight within the wooded area which was covered in high and impassable brambles. It is my belief the house has gone judging by how perfectly flat the ground was where I thought the house should have stood. Garn however still stands and my visit of around half an hour was calming and quiet. I sometimes do not fully appreciate my time at these sites. I am often preoccupied with capturing the best image possible rather than fully soak up the atmosphere. This is a shame since I believe if I could marry the atmosphere with the scientific aspects of capturing an image on film then I feel I would do my subject matter a greater service; that of respect and that would hopefully have a positive impact in the images I documented onto film. Garn was a reminder that I should not rush, I should look harder, heighten my senses and then think about capturing what I see (and feel) on to film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37371414.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1577079375c6073d0b7719.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 A second visit in six months and in January when the foliage is stripped bare and the remains of the ruins are better viewed. The house was abandoned in 1824 – almost two hundred years ago – and at that time the sea would have made its way up stream and it is proposed Scotsborough House would have had a docking bay for boats delivering goods (not dissimilar to Boulston House). The land around the house has silted up now and this has become a haven for wildlife. The house itself is a sad site but perhaps we should be grateful there is still something to see. Viewpoints come easily for me on this morning. I think I can say I photographed the house better than my first visit – which admittedly was in the drizzle and I was somewhat hurried. Today an hour or so was spent at the site – a barbed wire fence surround the ruins with signs saying ‘No trespassing, dangerous ruins’ – a potential gravestone signature. The porch showed an internal arched doorway blocked up and further clues around the house give hint at other arched doorways. This had been a substantial building in its time. It’s a shame the ruins could not be consolidated as I am sure visitors to Tenby would love to explore the town other than the beach and shops. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41249148.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16466643575f00b3397400f.jpgHOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 Notes on HOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 I am not sure how I missed these brick-works before but they’re easily found along the cycle path from Horeb to Lliedi Reservoirs. Well camouflage in the summer foliage but if visiting look for the huge tower and you know you’re in the right place. The brickworks are in a fairly good condition, the entrance is somewhat caved in but the basic structure seems sound. Nature has however reclaimed around the perimeter. Within was dark, I had chosen a very wet morning to visit, late June, heavy rain, the foliage not helping with lighting up the interior. Beer cans aplenty within but the site perhaps not as vandalized as it would be if it was located elsewhere. Horeb is a far distance from anywhere and parking is a challenge. I had forgotten to put a SD card into my digital camera to take colour snapshots. I was annoyed with myself, usually so fastidious before I go out photographing. I needn't have worried. I had my smartphone and the pictures it took were of a good enough quality. I think a re-visit to this site once the summer is over. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196115.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7702627265fe1ae9cdf2b1.jpgVARTEG UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on VARTEG UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Its close neighbour, Varteg Isaf, as been semi-preserved by a rusty corrugated roof. No such luck for Varteg Uchaf, as seen here, open to the elements and over looking the hills of the parishes of Neath Port Talbot. The walk up to this and Varteg Isaf is easy, just a forestry track and on the morning of my visit it was silent. The low mist clung to the valley below following the river as it does. Varteg Uchaf has fine views, the visit put me in good spirits and I felt the images represent that to some degree. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41356338.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7495497675f227994695ad.jpgTHREE ARCHED STABLE/BARN near Glynhir Mansion, Llandybie, Carmarthensh Notes on THREE ARCHED STABLE/BARN near Glynhir Mansion, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 The only idea I could come up with why this building is position so was that perhaps this was once part of another building or the original road leading to Glynhir mansion. As it is, it stands high in a field about 40 meters from the road, somewhat secluded. I have searched on older maps dating back to late 1800’s and the road is still in the same place, the stable still in the same place but with trees adjacent to it. If anyone knows why it is position so then please leave a comment below. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41249149.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19469703045f00b339f0e25.jpgHOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 Notes on HOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 I am not sure how I missed these brick-works before but they’re easily found along the cycle path from Horeb to Lliedi Reservoirs. Well camouflage in the summer foliage but if visiting look for the huge tower and you know you’re in the right place. The brickworks are in a fairly good condition, the entrance is somewhat caved in but the basic structure seems sound. Nature has however reclaimed around the perimeter. Within was dark, I had chosen a very wet morning to visit, late June, heavy rain, the foliage not helping with lighting up the interior. Beer cans aplenty within but the site perhaps not as vandalized as it would be if it was located elsewhere. Horeb is a far distance from anywhere and parking is a challenge. I had forgotten to put a SD card into my digital camera to take colour snapshots. I was annoyed with myself, usually so fastidious before I go out photographing. I needn't have worried. I had my smartphone and the pictures it took were of a good enough quality. I think a re-visit to this site once the summer is over. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41356514.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18989684025f22be9f582af.jpgGARN, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on GARN, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Hidden away within a shallow group of trees Garn feels both long lost but perhaps not quite as long lost as first imagined. I crossed two or three fields, the first field had an oddly position three arched doored stable (see next set of images). The edge of the final field had a narrow hedged pathway, most likely the driveway to the ruined farmstead itself but now only passable for one person at a time. The house sits low within the group of trees, roofless, mostly featureless. I could work out if this had a staircase rising with the chimney, quite possibly but equally possibly not! Around the rear are a number of outbuildings, well-built but time is slowly eating away at their structural integrity. The building immediately to the rear had a rounded corner and signs of a more recent mortar repair. I am untrained. I could not tell if this rounded corner had been built originally this way or had been repaired and rounded off at a later date. The other outbuildings were all overgrown and in poor state. A number of images were taken all around the house. Long exposures of up to 30 seconds. The light hitting the subject slowly reaching the sensitive film. On the map another possible ruin just a field away, Tir-Ifan but when I reached the spot where the house should have stood I could not find it. I think it had been demolished or it was out of sight within the wooded area which was covered in high and impassable brambles. It is my belief the house has gone judging by how perfectly flat the ground was where I thought the house should have stood. Garn however still stands and my visit of around half an hour was calming and quiet. I sometimes do not fully appreciate my time at these sites. I am often preoccupied with capturing the best image possible rather than fully soak up the atmosphere. This is a shame since I believe if I could marry the atmosphere with the scientific aspects of capturing an image on film then I feel I would do my subject matter a greater service; that of respect and that would hopefully have a positive impact in the images I documented onto film. Garn was a reminder that I should not rush, I should look harder, heighten my senses and then think about capturing what I see (and feel) on to film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41241771.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5845026955efb02db282e3.jpgYSTODWEN ISAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on YSTODWEN ISAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Set just off the road, large barns beside still in agricultural use but the house, as seen here, roofless and ruined. A shame since nicely located and site has good vibes. I parked the car outside early one June morning and took a gate or two. The ground was firm although I image cows were not so long treading up the ground. A few quick images taken. I set the camera up quick, a set routine, all fingers and eyes and the horizon leveled in the viewfinder. Within a minute a photograph is taken. It takes a lot less with a digital camera but a minute with large format is quick. Ystodwen stands well back from the road, there’s a low set of stone outbuildings set at a right angle to the front, even a few panes of glass in the window frames. The rear of the house shows a large chimney and the rear not rendered giving a little more texture and evidence of the rubble stone walls. The grass around the house is short. The mist was beginning to drop. The Scot’s Pine always looking good in the mist. I wonder how many decades the house has laid empty? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41356516.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16899960335f22bea169358.jpgGARN, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on GARN, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Hidden away within a shallow group of trees Garn feels both long lost but perhaps not quite as long lost as first imagined. I crossed two or three fields, the first field had an oddly position three arched doored stable (see next set of images). The edge of the final field had a narrow hedged pathway, most likely the driveway to the ruined farmstead itself but now only passable for one person at a time. The house sits low within the group of trees, roofless, mostly featureless. I could work out if this had a staircase rising with the chimney, quite possibly but equally possibly not! Around the rear are a number of outbuildings, well-built but time is slowly eating away at their structural integrity. The building immediately to the rear had a rounded corner and signs of a more recent mortar repair. I am untrained. I could not tell if this rounded corner had been built originally this way or had been repaired and rounded off at a later date. The other outbuildings were all overgrown and in poor state. A number of images were taken all around the house. Long exposures of up to 30 seconds. The light hitting the subject slowly reaching the sensitive film. On the map another possible ruin just a field away, Tir-Ifan but when I reached the spot where the house should have stood I could not find it. I think it had been demolished or it was out of sight within the wooded area which was covered in high and impassable brambles. It is my belief the house has gone judging by how perfectly flat the ground was where I thought the house should have stood. Garn however still stands and my visit of around half an hour was calming and quiet. I sometimes do not fully appreciate my time at these sites. I am often preoccupied with capturing the best image possible rather than fully soak up the atmosphere. This is a shame since I believe if I could marry the atmosphere with the scientific aspects of capturing an image on film then I feel I would do my subject matter a greater service; that of respect and that would hopefully have a positive impact in the images I documented onto film. Garn was a reminder that I should not rush, I should look harder, heighten my senses and then think about capturing what I see (and feel) on to film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41319195.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13673078915f16c29a2bc47.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 A return to the supposedly demolished Bronwydd. Little does remain save the wonderful tower - the owner/farmer advised not to climb the stone spiral steps that lead to a presumably great view. I did not climb those steps. Instead I set up the camera and tried to successfully photograph the parts of Bronwydd that I'd never photographed before. (Always in the back of my mind that each visit to these mansions will be my last). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaengwrach-farm-neath-port-talbot https://images.on-this.website/7784_4208386675ade342d2a817.jpgBLAENGWRACH FARM, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on BLAENGWRACH FARM, Neath Port Talbot 2018 I approached this ruin from the right footpath but discovered a bridge I had intended to cross had been fenced across and was inaccessible. An hour and half later rambling through bramble and nettle, I reached the walls of the house.The house has a relatively new metal roof, preserving the house and rightly so. Cadw site description: C19 cowhouse and stable, limewashed rubble construction with metal sheet roof over stable only. Roof over cowhouse missing. The front is distinctive for its five semicircular-arched openings with carefully dressed stone voussoirs; these openings are cambered on the inner side. The left hand gable end has unusual lancet opening to the stable loft. Rear of cowhouse has 2 small vent loops and 2 inserted windows. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34628008.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10483485385ade343253e6c.jpgBLAENGWRACH FARM, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on BLAENGWRACH FARM, Neath Port Talbot 2018 I approached this ruin from the right footpath but discovered a bridge I had intended to cross had been fenced across and was inaccessible. An hour and half later rambling through bramble and nettle, I reached the walls of the house.The house has a relatively new metal roof, preserving the house and rightly so. Cadw site description: C19 cowhouse and stable, limewashed rubble construction with metal sheet roof over stable only. Roof over cowhouse missing. The front is distinctive for its five semicircular-arched openings with carefully dressed stone voussoirs; these openings are cambered on the inner side. The left hand gable end has unusual lancet opening to the stable loft. Rear of cowhouse has 2 small vent loops and 2 inserted windows. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41356515.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3163914305f22bea06fd1f.jpgGARN, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on GARN, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Hidden away within a shallow group of trees Garn feels both long lost but perhaps not quite as long lost as first imagined. I crossed two or three fields, the first field had an oddly position three arched doored stable (see next set of images). The edge of the final field had a narrow hedged pathway, most likely the driveway to the ruined farmstead itself but now only passable for one person at a time. The house sits low within the group of trees, roofless, mostly featureless. I could work out if this had a staircase rising with the chimney, quite possibly but equally possibly not! Around the rear are a number of outbuildings, well-built but time is slowly eating away at their structural integrity. The building immediately to the rear had a rounded corner and signs of a more recent mortar repair. I am untrained. I could not tell if this rounded corner had been built originally this way or had been repaired and rounded off at a later date. The other outbuildings were all overgrown and in poor state. A number of images were taken all around the house. Long exposures of up to 30 seconds. The light hitting the subject slowly reaching the sensitive film. On the map another possible ruin just a field away, Tir-Ifan but when I reached the spot where the house should have stood I could not find it. I think it had been demolished or it was out of sight within the wooded area which was covered in high and impassable brambles. It is my belief the house has gone judging by how perfectly flat the ground was where I thought the house should have stood. Garn however still stands and my visit of around half an hour was calming and quiet. I sometimes do not fully appreciate my time at these sites. I am often preoccupied with capturing the best image possible rather than fully soak up the atmosphere. This is a shame since I believe if I could marry the atmosphere with the scientific aspects of capturing an image on film then I feel I would do my subject matter a greater service; that of respect and that would hopefully have a positive impact in the images I documented onto film. Garn was a reminder that I should not rush, I should look harder, heighten my senses and then think about capturing what I see (and feel) on to film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34530513.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16715479385ad301ff7fe51.jpgABSTRACTIONS AT HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Notes on ABSTRACTIONS AT HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8244990.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2497742664d2c1448041c3.jpgMYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on MYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 (Also known as Great Abbey Farm, Strata Florida). A large house, grade 2 listed (in 1963), nestled in a farming complex and besides the ruined abbey of Strata Florida. The road that runs through the yard is a relatively recent addition and will be, once the house has been restored, re-directed around the barns. Lampeter University have recently purchased the house with plans of consolidation work in process. The house itself seems to be in a good condition but looking a little sorry for itself. The rear roof seems to have been re-roofed recently. The small building on the right hand side was once the kitchen. Barns are from the mid-19th century. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/banc-esgair-mywn-ffair-rhos https://images.on-this.website/7784_205568553594625d7d6b168.38458659.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 As always I took the bridle path from Ffair Rhos to the mines. It isn't a long walk, perhaps a mile and a half with the mines barely visible until you reach the rubbish filled shafts. I dropped down between the slag heaps and to the little remained mining buildings. As always I wished I'd come here in 1990 when the corrugated building still stood - I wonder if it was demolished the same time as the similar but larger finishing mill at Cwmystwyth. There are superb images of how it looked on the internet and I'll add a link here later. Today I only had around twelve sheets of film and I could have easily taken another twelve. Banc Esgair feels like an island of the past surrounded by fields and farms and holiday homes, none of which seem to realize what a precious little jewel the mine is. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/triael-bont-goch-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16409667455575b810a3b21.jpgTRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRIAEL, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2015 Not a far walk from the road but a damp one, and fortunately for me between very heavy spring showers. Triael was once a large farmstead, numerous outbuildings mostly in poor state of disrepair, the house itself, barely recognisable except for a brick chimney and some wooden shelves in an alcove, miraculously surviving when the walls have all but fallen into a pile of rubble. Nice pair of circular stone pillars fronting barn. I have come across a number of such pillars and they're always a pleasant surprise when often times the Welsh farmhouse in Ceredigion is practical build rather than aesthetic one. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34641040.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20549284445ae0d011649cd.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tain-coed-nantcwnlle-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4164869564eaba245a685b.jpgTAI'N COED, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on TAI'N COED, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2011 Two, early 18th century, outbuildings (stable, barn and cart house) in relatively good condition, of stone and chom, facing one another. One gable end, of the lower barn, has fallen in and I believe this is where the house once stood, which on this day was a mass of stone and bramble. Various machinery, including a large freestanding butter churn, all in good condition and kept dry. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-hove-east-sussex-2008 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7566050684d4197952850c.jpgABSTRACTION, Hove, East Sussex 2008 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Hove, East Sussex 2008 I worked as a postman in Hove between 2008 - 2010 and i walked passed this wall every day on my 'round'. It became a friend in some ways just a tree might become a friend on a familiar walk. Sometimes i give it an acknowledging nod, other times i'd pass it by without a word. Between 2005 and 2010 I lived in Brighton, with many and as frequent as possible trips to Wales to photograph mansions and landscape. During my time in Brighton I have on some level felt somewhat starved from the open land that mid Wales has in abundance and, therefore, also photographing. I have however all but completed a project of Brighton architecture, architecture that I found pleasing to my eye rather than follow any strict period or style, and these images were exhibited at Brighton Museum in the winter of 2008/2009. I have also photographed abstractions found anywhere from walls in busy streets or in empty buildings. I do not necessarily consider my Brighton abstractions wholly successful but have included them here because although I do not consider them on a par with earlier abstractions they must somehow, hopefully, offer some personal progression in this chosen field. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/neuadd-fach-nant-y-moch https://images.on-this.website/7784_1682502584e7f402d2e6e5.jpgNEUADD FACH, Nant-y-Moch, Ceredigon 2011 Notes on NEUADD FACH & HENGWM-ANNEDD, Nant-y-Moch, Ceredigon 2011 Two houses just a stones throw from one another. Neuadd Fach actually stands in Powys (Montgomeryshire) and Hengwm-Annedd across the river Hengwm stands in Ceredigion. An emotional day visiting the ancient hills around Nant-y-Moch – the village of Nant-y-Moch was drowned by the building of the reservoir – most of the farmsteads and cottages were abandoned early 1960’s. Photographs and stories of these hills farmers can be found in the 2005 publication by Erwyd Howells’ ‘Good Men and True’ (ISBN 0-9551736-0-4) Little remains of Neuadd Fawr – the roof finally caving in about ten years ago – one chimney remains and a solitary tree beside the house – This valley once full of life and thickly wooded with Birch is now become an open and empty landscape – the land wet and boggy. Little too remains of Henwgm. The heavy rain, and true to the name 'Nant-y-Moch', made the river Hengwm too deep, too fast flowing to cross. There was once a foot bridge but that has long gone. I was forced to photograph the house from across the river. Hengwm-Annedd was abandoned in 1935. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6220218.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2839721484c81dc4003f0e.jpgFFOS LAS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on FFOS LAS, Ceredigion 2010 A large house in a sorry state yet exquisitely positioned on the coast overlooking Cardigan Bay and the Irish Sea. Many outbuildings also ruinous. I had visited here a few years ago and since then some drainage pipes have been laid and some minor scaffoldiing to help support the interior. The interior is a mess with piles of freshly fallen stone sitting against crumbling walls, all with the daylight flooding in. There are also large cracks and holes throughout the structure and it must surely only lead to either total dereliction or a complete rebuild. The farm half a mile towards Morfa Bychan called Cwm Cierw has almost exactly the same layout, design and size of house and outbuildings. There is also evidence of Ffos Las having once been slate clad, at least on its facade. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2078546.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10898049574971f4d677796.jpgGWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire Notes on GWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire 1997 Abandoned in the 1950’s, dramatic and openly isolated high on Denbigh Moors, Gwylfa Hiraethog can be spied whilst driving passed the Sportmans’ Arms Inn. The walk up to Gwylfa Hiraethog isn’t a particularly long one but greets as it does a bleak and barren setting as ever I have come across. Approaching the house you begin to have some realisation of the reality of living in such a location. The November afternoon I visited, the wind blew hard and cold and I expect the wind has blown hard and cold every day and night since. There were limited photographic possibilities other than the vandalized, sorrowful pile of rubble but there was also a small solitary tree – wind swept, short and twisted: the type a carpenter passes without kind acknowledgement. I read recently that even this windswept tree has fallen along with much of what you can see of the house in these images. Gwylfa Hiraethog is said to have been the highest inhabited house in Wales and to have the widest views of any other house in Britain. The former war Prime Minister Lloyd George addressed a large crowd here from the balcony just after it was built (1908 –11). It is easy to imagine this scene and presume Lloyd George had a voice equal or as great as the winds that blow across the moors. A mobile phone mast now sits most un-appropriately beside the rendered stone walls. One has to smile. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10233324074b73b1a49a6b9.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4347013494b73b1d233a1a.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18360098144b3887cc25f48.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11656702184b73b20941c1b.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20709779164b73b1f3c3c28.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8044029384b73b221f0614.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1878695954b73b239c0a14.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8348632.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4271187724d3a772ec55aa.jpgPANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2011 Overlooking the Hafod Estate, and almost in view of the mansion site itself, I can only imagine it must have been a sobering experience witnessing from these bleak hills the carriages coming to and fro from Hafod Mansion. Perhaps only a mile, as the crow flies, from the mansion stands the ruined farmstead of Pantyffynnon. It sits on a ledge between two mountian streams Nant Ffin and Nant Seran. It has long been ruined and I myself have been walking passed this ruin for aorund twenty years. Little changes quickly; saplings grow tall and strong, inner walls tumble, the wooden fireplace has rotted away. Today a drizzle falls. The ground is very wet and this makes the going slow. Yet like all good things this makes my visit to Pantyffynnon all the more rewarding. A small wooded area that surrounds the River Seran somehow helps with visualising what life must have been like up here, into high lands over Pontrhydygroes in the late 19th century; washing the dirty laundry, spending the winter months keeping the livestock close-by and the games the children would play. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13385642.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11519003394eaabfcfd93e4.jpgPEBYLL, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEBYLL, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2011 Currently (Oct 2011) on the market for £55,000 this old house has been in long neglect and the former occupants belongings fill each room with fallen stone work and beams. This debris is dark, sodden and I thought twice before declining to enter. Photographically it was a challenge to capture this cottage, a high stone wall stands only 10 feet away and to photograph the facade straight on was impossible. Climbing the wall was a possibility but the overhanging trees would have obscured much of the house. My visit was a quiet one. The house stands just outside the village of Llanddewi and on this week day morn the only soound to be heard was the occasional crow and the leaves bustling in the breeze. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789145.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1598172904bcaacc92a467.jpgWALL, Carmarthen 1995 Notes on WALL, Carmarthen 1995 This was taken in the carpark in the large tesco grounds at Carmarthen and is one of the very first abstractions i took with the work of Aaron Siskind in mind. It shows a bitumen type surface which has been weathered and begun to peel off its cement surface. There's also some man made grafitti scratched into the velvety surface. A very pleasing image. In 1995 I discovered the work of Aaron Siskind and Harry Callahan. I was particularly impressed with the way Siskind flattened the perspective of his photographs and focussed his camera at confusing parts of a wall. Yet within Siskind’s chaotic images lay an ordered and a simple array of compositional https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24647393.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18811605945583b88b6f03e.jpgTYN RHOS, Bwlchllan, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TYN RHOS, Bwlchllan, Ceredigion 2015 The house of Tyn Rhos has now all but gone, just the shallow foundations remain – it occupied until 1965. Thanks to Delyth Morgan (whose father lived here last)for this photograph https://www.flickr.com/photos/delythmorgans/431628021/ What remains are extensive and large barns and stables – all ruinous but still worthy of photographing. The footpath towards the site also had a simple and seemingly (but not), well groomed tree – so I took a picture of that too! Another link Delyth sent shows that the occupies of Tyn Rhos, John and Elizabeth Jones and their five children, moved to Ohio and set up a chapel there and called that Tyn Rhos too. Quite remarkable. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/danbert-house-swansea-2017 https://images.on-this.website/7784_140983949058763c0d659dc.jpgDANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on DANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Long ruinous - at least fifteen years - recently sold for £100,000 after the Australian owners were forced to sell by Swansea Council. Nothing has yet been done to consolidate the ruins, except last year the fire brigade dismantled the roof partially after an arson attack. Built 1880 and was last used as an employment centre. My visit was on a bleak Sunday afternoon with a handheld 5x4 inch camera and fast film, nonetheless due to the dimness of the day, I had to push my film speed from 400asa to 1600asa resulting in grainy negatives. Another visit will be made at a later date. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050525.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6234851244f250a1c1c97a.jpgNotes on LLETTY-DU UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLETTY-DU UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2012 After a break of two months without photographing and wondering if I would ever again, I cast off the shackles of everyday life; houseworks, work and family commitments etc and went off in search for some local ruins. The driveway up to Lletty-du is no longer accessible by car, it is now a footpath and a very muddy one at that. The house is remarkable in the fact that the lower half is build of stone and the upper floor is clom/cob. The roof barely clings onto the A-frame and beams and a vast hole has appeared one gable end. Such a shame but not such a surprise. The outbuilding adjacent has fairly recently lost most of its roof and is also of stone, clob and also brick. A few remnants of human existance lay damp against one wall; a mattress, a toaster, a cheap looking door-less wardrobe and a record player. These items look out of place. One almost expects to see medieval cooking utensils and ancient furniture! This house probably hasn't been empty for as long as it looks. The ground around Lletty-du is so very damp with each foot step sinking a good 6 inches into mud and humus. The house is situated on a hillside and a small stream runs beside it. A calming place and a good start to the day. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26620312.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_88943422556be0fa25307b.jpgGWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on GWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2016 A return, a revisit and a little easier to photograph the house, although the windows and doors are still impregnable, but from afar it is possible to see that there are brambles growing inside the window frames, which surely must mean that internally the house is damp, the stone work possibly damaged. Seems a waste but who knows the reasons why many of these houses are left abandoned, sometimes completely understandable, other times with disbelief. This shows a Standard 10, last taxed in March 1977, sitting slowly rusting in the corrugated shed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/barn-cwm-rheidol-ceredigion-2004 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19195948944b8bc748d39a1.jpgBARN, Cwm Rheidol, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on BARN, Cwmrheidol, Ceredigion 2004 A quite large wooden, brick and corrugated iron building alongside the road from Aberystywth towards Cwm Rheidol. It's patchwork facade suggests the builder used whatever materials were at hand and gives this barn a odd but appealing aesthetic feel. SIED HAEARN RHYCHIOG. Cwm Rheidol, Ceredigion 2005 Adeilad mawr o bren, brics a thun wrth ymyl y ffordd tuag at Gwm Rheidol. Mae'r wyneb clytwaith yn awgrymu i'r adeiladwr ddefnyddio pa bynnag ddefnyddiau oedd ger Haw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24536183.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_730011969557925c0f2ee4.jpgGLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage - one forgets how small the rooms are compared to todays houses, no room to swing a cat, but easier to keep warm - and can be seen from the road but the footpath I took started nowhere but eventually met up with the straight track to the house. Inside are ovens, rusty white-goods, worthless and dirty and other bits of... things... doors and window frames, bits of broken furniture, pots and pans et al... Outside the house looks to be in a good general order, the morning sun shone brightly, my spirits were high, cows had done their best to make the going around the house almost impossible without sinking a foot deep and losing footing (and indeed wellingtons) and although my visit here was over within twenty minutes, it was certainly pleasant enough and one hopes the house to find an owner/buyer, small as it may be. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-nottingham-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16784141964d0850f58047a.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1996 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1996 This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13020326.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3338781694e8169b2070f9.jpgPEN-CNWC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN-CNWC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 A longhouse in a superb location. As so often the case, the barns/byres are in a much better condition that the house. The house, as seen here, is roofless and dividing walls within have all been stripped leaving a long open space. Recently purchased one watches with an enthusiastic eye as this house will hopefully become a family home once again. A simple Ty Bach suspended over a small gullied stream. I wondered who owned and lived here. Does anyone know? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14118141.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19992191744f33bd5fba1a9.jpgCYNNANT, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on CYNNANT, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 This rural farmstead has been ruined for some years judging by the state of the property. The facade was once painted yellow, this yellow has faded and worn and in the late afternoon, on this winters day, glowed with warmth and resilience. The large windows downstairs have gone, the porch and doorway crumbling, the staircase fallen and slates have fallen off the roof. A sorry state, poor Cynnant, lays in. South facing and the track leading from the road no more than a footpath, Cynnant seems miles from anywhere. I missed the footpath that weaved through the forestry and leads down to the house. Instead I carried on along the Forestry Commission track. There was little to no snow when I started my walk. The ground was frozen solid but going was easy. By the time I had walked through the forestry and by my calculations (I knew I’d somehow missed the proper footpath) by the time I was parallel with the house I was traipsing through six inches of snow. Animal tracks were abundant, the only other tracks, looking behind me, were mine. I slid down through the forestry and came, almost tumbling, alongside the stream, the Cynnant Fawr and then followed the Cynnant Fawr half a mile downstream to the house. This isn’t the preferred way to reach Cynnant when there’s a footpath leading right up to it. But it was a beautiful day and sometimes a longer walk makes the reward of such a property just that little bit extra special. Cynnant is, as it happens, a special place. Its isolation, its’ well proportioned windows and fine outbuildings all leave the visitor with ideals of restoration and then setting up home. This was once home. Around the rear, in the garden, metal fences protect trees from livestock and the outbuildings, all still in some agricultural use, are still in good condition. The house itself, albeit without windows and doors, appears structurally sound. This must have been an idyllic place to live. Once. I wondered, as I walked away, just how many other great properties lay abandoned, sitting beside a rushing stream, south facing, isolated, complimentary to the landscape around, in the Cambrian Mountains that I’ve yet to discover. I imagine many. I walked back to my car quite content with my walk but also a little saddened by this ruin. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13604571.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16430142574eca04c7c1149.jpgDOLWEN, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DOLWEN, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Standing in the centre of hte Myherin Forest is Dolwen - it has stood empty for a number of years now, its last use a bothy but now structurally in an ever increasing ruinous state. Large cracks are appearing one gable end and holes in the roof have begun to rot the house within. Inside the colourfully painted walls and staircase are a stark contrast to the obvious decay. All the windows are boarded up - all except the rear door which had been kicked down and this was where I gained entry - leaving many rooms in total darkness. And in these dark rooms a large fireplace with fallen bird nests, sofas, chairs, tables and beds. All unwelcoming and if left untouched this house will soon become another roofless, damp shell. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23585380.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7973725454e9ff86c073c.jpgALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ALLT-DDU, Pont Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 A four year gap and all that has changed are the brambles which almost tower over the house. Some corrugated iron sheets have come away from the roof and a few wooden planks also rotted and fallen. Surely I will be surprised one day and find someone has bought this and begun restoration once again... I wrote in 2011... A peasant longhouse, possibly 17th century, with a corrugated roof but now much ruined. Sold in 2008 (?) with planning permission to restore building and convert barns (also ruinous) to dwelling status but it seems now abandoned. All damp and depressing on this breezy and wet day. The entrance doorway wall has completely collapsed and the house, with this entire outer wall missing, has a strange look about it, with the interior on full view. Unfortunately the inside is in a poor state with the small upper floor unsafe. Most unusual is the ground floor is on two levels with a couple of steps leading up to the once living room area. A large caravan also sits in the grounds, also slowly rotting away and deserted. Some work had been done to one of the outbuildings at Allt-ddu, with some walls consolidated and some concrete block walls built and a concrete floor put in but all in all the whole place has a sense of abandonment. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33617520.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18829696105a13ee7544cf0.jpgMYNYDD-DU, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 Notes on MYNYDD-DU, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 Lovely located in a dingle beside a stream. The house stands hidden from view but on a public footpath, hence most likely it's poor state. Upstairs treacherous, downstairs faired little better. Interesting array of extensions around the rear. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5834915.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18250948014c5e7afce38a5.jpgHOUSES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 20 Notes on HOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Nestled in a quiet valley between the high lands and the reservoirs and ancient broadleaf woodlands the Cwm Elan mines are a worthy experience not just for its solitary atmosphere but also its historical interest. It sits 1000ft over looking the Garreg-ddu reservoir. The only sounds one can hear are the babbling brook, the bleating sheep and the sweeping and singing birds. The two ruined houses which stand beside one another are a stark contrast in style and colour. I believe the stone house was home to the manager of the mine when lead was discovered at the site in 1796 (and was mined until 1877). Much of the mining equipment and indeed buildings have or are slowly vanishing as the years pass. The red brick house was built by the Birmingham Corporation Waterworks for one of its estate workers and is now in agricultural storage use (although my last visit a few years ago access inside was easy and very little remained since it was used by the sheep as shelter!). The ferns had yet to fully burst open and last years crunched underfoot. When fully grown at the height of summer these ferns cover much of the fields and hills around the mine and are chest high (and also a fertile breeding ground for sheep ticks). My visit on this occasion was humid but cloudy but after a few hours, towards the end of my visit, the sun returned with strength and lit up the spring greenery and the red brick building with pure delight. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29922957.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_168712148358592aad3cc03.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4639810.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7846204434baf0de632958.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 After visiting Ruperra Castle, a short journey down the M4 to Llanmartin and to the ruins of Pencoed Castle. I had heard it had been re-sold in 2006 and wondered if any progress had been made on its consolidation and restoration. Sadly not. From memory, my first visit in 1997, very little seemed to have changed at Pencoed Castle. Caravans and other farm machinery no longer littered the front lawn but other than that, it remained, seemingly, ever resilient to time and decay. Of course no building can remain solid without the due care and maintenance. Peering through the windows one could see the make-shift wooden scaffolding; beams holding lintels, timbers holding beams. One such covered metal frame was loose. I entered without effort or force and walked the great halls and dusty stone staircases. Stone fireplaces stood without heat and scaffolding kept the floors above barely intact. That said, 12 years after my first visit, Pencoed seems to be in an astonishing condition (to my untrained eye) since it has been left empty since the 1950/60's(?). These days the only occupants of Pencoed Castle are the birds – rooks tending attentively to their demanding young and making such a racket in comparison to the gentle and soft coo-ing of the pigeons. The birds weave in and out of the windows – nearly all smashed and the metal frames twisted – inside stone steps lead up to floorless rooms, dusty but seemingly dry. On the first floor long planks lead from doorway to doorway, the second floor padlocked. Although padlocked, I did not feel the need to venture further. Pencoed, long yet slim, remains a mysterious place – barren within and without, one feels the house has had a long and varied history. Twelve years since my first visit, Pencoed still felt ancient and any ideals of modernization would feel wrong and building against the spiritual grain. Perhaps some houses are better left simply as they are; empty, dry and content. The gatehouse, surrounding walls, barns and dovecote all crumble, slowly without human interference or indeed need, in ruin. Yet again, an easy thought to have in a brief and distant visit. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1732999174b51e381efd6c.jpg[/img] Walkng toward Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15306766534b51e3db5a7af.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19357660874b51e447351d0.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13526894934b51e49d9969d.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10165185534b51e4ecdbe78.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10316959534b51e53012294.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1411879034b51e585a6200.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13512590304b51e64c2674a.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8665784994b51e6a8a4cdd.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13938143424b51e71b7be04.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3717130084b51e7a58d113.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3284888654b51e800a061c.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_413243024b51e86081042.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076276.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_99491832549701f03c03df.jpgBERTHOLEY, Llantrisant, Gwent 1997 Notes on BERTHOLEY, Llantrisant, Gwent 1997 (restored 1999) Bertholey is situated in a quiet park with wonderful views over a loop in the river Usk. It was rebuilt circa 1790 - the cause of the initial dereliction in 1905 as often the case, a fire. A relative of the owner, drunk, accidentally set fire to the house. It had been left a shell since then. In its present state, with the mid-range collapsed, one wonders how much longer Bertholey will be allowed to stand. A house attached to a rear wing is still inhabited - a strange set up considering the vulnerability of the property. With an intricate wrought iron fence and gate surrounding the house and the lawn neatly kept, respectably so by sheep and cows, it was not impossible to imagine Bertholey as a fine building of some stature in its heyday. A number of exposures were made but i struggled to find the true essence of the house - it lacked the mysteriousness of many ruins but of course this could be down to my own personal feelings on that day, or even the weather. The most successful image was this one, with a bare tree more or less smack bang in the centre of the frame obscuring the mid range (although collasped). I have only recently discovered that the house was beautifully restored a year after this image was taken. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12111664134b6296aac18b8.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9051898714b6296c4bee71.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8270837134b629691ce286.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34008842.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6224838865a759f7c47738.jpgDORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 Notes on DORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 The walk from Upper Cwmtwrch is perhaps only 2 miles and half of that along the old railway line that led from the mines. Before you reach the bridge that crosses the river Twrch a footpath ascends up a steep slope and then to the boggy uplands. It is here, following occasional footpath markers, you find first the ruined farmstead, Pen-yr-Wern (see previous pictures) and then about half a miles further the farm, Dorwen, as seen here much ruinous. Beyond Dorwen there are miles of wild hills, the foot of the Black Mountains stretch out inviting. I ventured no further than Dorwen and its outbuildings. The rear and one gable end has collapsed and no doubt much the rest will follow shortly. On the other side of the valley a small, low shepherds dwelling, two gable ends and no middle. I had intended to cross the river but decided instead of revisit Pen-yr-Wern. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/lewis-howell-elvet-elfed https://images.on-this.website/7784_1242403100533bd444b7d34.jpgLewis Howell Elvet - Elfed, Blaen-y-coed 2013 Notes on Lewis Howell Elvet - Elfed A small chapel graveyard, the grave quick to find. The mist and rain also quick to arrive and part. I photographed this image very quickly, allowing the rain (almost impossible to stop it) to land on the lens, hence the smudge marks on the image - and all the better for it. From Winter 2012 through to Spriing 2014 I visited graveyards throughout the length and breadth of Wales. Many hours were spent searching for particular gravestones, of poet's, well known and not so well known. A few were not found, mostly they were. The project was difficult not due the hours searching but more so to finding an ordinary gravestone in a wild graveyard. So often other viewpoints of other gravestones would have made an excellent photographic record but I was forced to settle, even compromise, with my brief. Frustrating as it was, it was also made the more rewarding, my eye was forced to work harder. Fortunately these peaceful places helped with keeping the mind free of distractions. Here are a few of the images published in the book. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9562912.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2316525224dae73d3013ca.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 A late afternoon re-visit to Neuadd Fawr. As ever a subliminal experience. Neuadd Fawr's size and ruinous state can only impress the casual or eager explorer. The outer walls seem impressively solid but within there is little semblance of rooms nor indeed what those rooms functions once were. This house is a sad sight. It's sheer enormity and dereliction begs so many questions that can be answered simply by oneself: it is too large, too derelict, too far gone to be salvaged. The stable block is also totally ruinous but other outbuildings, stables, kennels are all in a good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ruined-prefab-capel-seion-2000 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13165592954b8bc75160077.jpgRUINED PREFAB, Capel Seion 2000 Notes on RUINED PREFAB, Capel Seion, Ceredigion 2000 I used to drive past this building every day, year after year. I always stole a glance at the house and a tall Monkey Puzzle tree that stood in fromt of it as i sped past, along the long straight road at Capel Seion. It looked from first appearance to be empty but small clues, like bins being left out or the hedges occasionally trimmed provided the eviddence that some one did indeed live there. I believe an elderly couple up until around 1999(?). It was almost impossible to get up close to the house when I visited a year later, the undergrowth blocked the pathway and all but concealed the facade. Only two exposures were made. The undergrowth was eventually cleared and the veranda removed exposing this small vulnerable property until the house itself was also demolished. Today all that is left is a Monkey Puzzle tree looking alone and lost (puzzled?) in a small clearing between two modern houses. PREFFAB. Capel Seion. Ceredigion 2000 Mae’r adeilad parod hwn (a adeiladwyd yn y 1950au?) yn awr wedi ei ddymchwel a’r cyfan sydd ar ol yw’r goeden gas gan fwnci gan edrych yn unig ac yn drist ar ddarn o dir rhwng dau dy modern. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penllergaer-mansion-grounds-swansea-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16861228855a6745118a4d6.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GROUNDS, Swansea 2018 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GROUNDS, Swansea 2018 Dam & waterfall, long out of use - former ponds and sluice/engine houses all long ruinous. Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23208969.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6201615035488a481475f1.jpgLLANIO BRIDGE & WATER TANK, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LLANIO BRIDGE & WATER TANK, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 There was something immensely pleasing about using this metal ladder to read the track bed of the disused railway line at Llanio. The water tank is large and still filled with a rust coloured water. The track bed under the bridge is filled with very deep muddy water and due to the foliage viewpoints were limited but my little visit here was a pleasant one. I had known of this water tank beforehand but always forgot to visit whenever I went to the derelict milkery beside Llanio Halt. The platform is all still there and with the aid of old photographs it's relatively easy to turn the clock back forty years and see this site as a busy and bustling place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29922948.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_161785624458592a9e0b65a.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/lluest-aberceithon-elan-valley-radnorshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_18104741054c7f4a4fe676c.jpgLLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2010 Notes on LLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2010 A spontaneous visit - a small cottage with three chimneys and a long low byre attached with a chimney. Stone with random repairs(?) of red brick throughout the interior. A sorry state. Most remarkable feature however is a mature beach tree standing in the corner of an adjacent field; solitary yet spectacular, with a narrow well trodden sheep path leading up to it. A picture of the beach tree can be viewed in the 'Welsh Landscapes' gallery. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/iscoed-ferryside-carmarthenshire-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17745530994982a03e147f5.jpgISCOED, Ferryside, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on ISCOED, Ferryside, Carmarthenshire 1996 After searching for ruined houses, often unsuccessfully, on a hot Spring day, tired from driving and asking for numerous directions, I approached Iscoed late in the afternoon. It glowed through the hedgerows, about half a mile from the roadside: a Georgian red brick block mansion overlooking Carmarthen bay. It was built in 1772 for a Sir William Mansel. The owner was pleased I took interest in the house, he had renovated one wing of the service quarters and seemed to genuinely care about Iscoed to which fate has dealt kind and unkind hands. It briefly served as Council Flats after WW2 but after listing status was refused in the late 1950’s, permission to demolish was granted but miraculously the house survived, outliving the owner who wished to demolish. As seen here: it still remains a viable option for restoration. There is a small swimming pool in the courtyard between the two wings at the rear. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9793395714b629750f2078.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15921105454b62976b23369.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7088372774b6297364b48d.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13266399224b629718dfefc.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12713585354b6296e5c084f.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_83284134b62970342605.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9572765844b38886b5fafa.jpg[/img] Iscoed Interior (swimming pool?) 1996 The link below will lead you to the external site and show recent images of Iscoed http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=13785 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dolwen-devils-bridge-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_15005983764eca044d9250c.jpgDOLWEN, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DOLWEN, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Standing in the centre of hte Myherin Forest is Dolwen - it has stood empty for a number of years now, its last use a bothy but now structurally in an ever increasing ruinous state. Large cracks are appearing one gable end and holes in the roof have begun to rot the house within. Inside the colourfully painted walls and staircase are a stark contrast to the obvious decay. All the windows are boarded up - all except the rear door which had been kicked down and this was where I gained entry - leaving many rooms in total darkness. And in these dark rooms a large fireplace with fallen bird nests, sofas, chairs, tables and beds. All unwelcoming and if left untouched this house will soon become another roofless, damp shell. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31658648.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1242865875942dea2f350b4.06740147.jpgBRITON FERRY IRONWORKS, ENGINE HOUSE, Neath Port Talbot 2017 Notes on BRITON FERRY IRONWORKS, ENGINE HOUSE, Neath Port Talbot 2017 An imposing building, one end completely open to the elements and within a vast empty space with minimum graffiti and rubbish. A few horses grazed on the field around, above the M4 flyover, the river Neath just behind the building. A somewhat depressing site, wasteland and most industrial buildings lain flat. A caravan park sits a stones throw away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32838496.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_167461895859ba199c7ff9f.jpgHENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on HENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Belonging to Swansea University and currently for sale. I have not entered Hendrefiolan but have seen images taken inside by an urban explorer and as expected the building has lost its sense of a domestic dwelling. This is a shame but inevitable whenever a private property is sold to a municipal or academic establishment. Outside tells a different story. The house looks to be in decent condition. Some of the stained glass windows were smashed by vandals a while ago, these windows are now boarded up. There was other prefab type buildings built beside the house but these have been demolished -a large concrete platform is all that remains. The rear of the house is also looking good, perhaps a little forlorn but hopefully the house will soon be sold. My visit was a short one, perhaps an hour or so. Satisfying viewpoints were scarce and this may have encouraged me to take more photographs then I would normally have done, in some vain attempt to capture the house in its true glory with atmosphere to boot! I more or less failed, a few images are satisfactory, but I feel I missed a trick here but perhaps a second visit will rectify this. The stables are currently used as a library. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41424035.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15674490835f2a753f9e429.jpgCEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had known of this house since it was first put on the market a couple of years ago. The pictures of the estate agent website show a roofless ruin, the grounds cleared of foliage. In those two years a lot of foliage had grown back and my visit, mid-summer, made it all but impossible to get to the front door. Only a few exposures were made. This is an 18th century manor house (according to the sales burb) and the house is larger than most farmhouses and has an interesting array of outbuildings. The arched doorways had appeal, as does the full height rear part of the house, a somewhat odd looking square extension most likely a rear doorway but inaccessible. The rear is also windowless other than the large arch. I wonder if this had something to do with the historical window tax (introduced in 1696 until 1851)? Outbuildings around the rear, again mostly inaccessible. A lovely site and a lovely house which takes only a little imagination, but a whole heap of money, to return to its former glory. According to ‘Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families’ by Francis Jones (ISBN 0906972027), Cefn Cethin was still being lived in when the book was published in 1987. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24530641.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13692102685577d56b954ab.jpgBRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Standing isolated and high, the morning of my visit was silent, with just a trace of wind and the odd bleat from the sheep. The track to the house was dry until the last corner, then much waterlogged, I trundled through the muddy water and to the sunlit façade. The house has nearly reached the peak of dereliction; before the roof has fallen, before the water has collapsed the ceiling, before all this comes tumbling in. It can happen over years or during one particular bad storm. A chimney is missing, a few slates, no glass in the windows, the door held together by bailing twine; a familiar sight. A few exposures were made, although it was early the sky was a deep blue, the moon hung not so high in the sky and the sun was also low, almost blindingly bright. Fifteen minutes later I was walking back along the track and to the car wondering if I should have ventured inside, wondering if I'd made the best of my visit. No way of knowing until the negatives are developed. The house, if unsold, unrepaired, will probably be roofless in a year or two. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2078544.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14686795434971f4cd3f73f.jpgTHE HERMITAGE, Grwyne Valley, nr Abergavenny, Brecknockshire 2004 Note on THE HERMITAGE, Grwyne Valley, nr Abergavenny, Brecknockshire 2004 After a wet day spent in Hereford and whilst driving to Abergavenny I remembered the Hermitage, a small villa south of the Black Mountains, built early 19th century supposedly by John MacNamara of Llangoed, for his mistress. The former was a notable, but by no means a noble character. It was still intact in 1913 but when the Forestry Commission took it over it fell into disrepair. I had a map and drove up the high-hedged road from Crickhowell until it turned to narrowed track and came to an gated end just before a lovely bridge. I parked the car and found the Hermitage relatively easily: very remote, the cellars caved in and fair in size and location. A small steam ran beside the house, considerably deepened by the torrential rain. I spent about an hour exploring the house and grounds, myself and equipment thoroughly soaked but made a few successful exposures. The Hermitage made an otherwise ordinary day something a little special. There isn’t anything particularly special about what remains: a few high stone walls, but the house, knowing it was built for a mistress, held its secrets and contained therein its own micro-atmosphere. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_682053874b594afcf2ca2.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20475814944b594c282717b.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13060780.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14256396824e84289a69323.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 The piece of textured paint work seen here is the size of the rugby ball but appears much smaller here. I have returned to this spot just four weeks after this was taken and it has shrunken somewhat since then. I did not retake since this would not have added anything to this image. A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images (images of the actual building can be seen in the 'Other Welsh Ruins' gallery) and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes due to the dimness within and the deep rain clouds outside. The walls within had been exposed to 40 years of dampness and the thick paint work was peeling throughout. The textures and patterns formed therein were some of the better I'd seen for many a year. These images were all taken using a 150mm Xenar lens - not optimised for macro photography yet the negative are absolutely pin-sharp and are a joy to view and then print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14330598.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10566732574f5daab5e3633.jpgDERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on DERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2012 An ornate bridge, once one of the main driveways up to the country house of Derry Ormond (demolished 1956) now stands a little forlorn and once formed part of three ponds which sat at the foot of the once great house. The bridge these days carries no visitors, by horse and cart nor motor car and serves no purpose except perhaps to move livestock from one field to another. My visit was early on a cloudy morn and I was accompanied by birdsong and the babbling brook of the stream Nant Dyfel. Due to the slow rising dawn long exposures of around 6 minutes were used which caused some blurring of the leaves blowing in the wind and the flow of the stream. Above the bridge are ornate iron gates rusting and hanging off their posts and a view can be stolen of Derry Ormond tower. Much high stone work can be easily viewed which obviously created the pond and the flow of water could be contained and controlled. The bridge was once ridged with white marble but this has mostly fallen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/060 https://images.on-this.website/7784_107738145754d7a27754aaa.jpgABSTRACTION at FRON FELIN, Chancery, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION at FRON FELIN, Chancery, Ceredigion 2015 A very nice negative to print from, good contrast, sharp, well exposed and shows the peeling paint work in a ruined farmhouse. Practically this took much shifting around, it was taken in the hallway, and there was little room for me, the tripod and camera. I was using a 150mm process lens, without a shutter and this posed two problems; the first being I needed more room to extend the bellows and the second was the lens had no shutter so I was forced to use the ancient art of removing the lens cap to make the exposure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gelli-fechan-upper-lliedi-reservior https://images.on-this.website/7784_15858393895c8a1856a8f31.jpgGELLI FECHAN, Upper Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2019 Notes on GELLI FECHAN, Upper Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2019 From the end of the larger higher Upper Lliedi reservoir and ground, naturally is damp from the many little tributaries of the river Lliedi, a path is made along streams, through bracken and bramble and over fence. A field opens out, some taller hardwoods stand, other have fallen or been felled. At the brow a small group of trees and the walls of the Gelli-Fechan can be seen outlined against the sky. A short walk across the field to the walls. A broken entrance stone pillar, some signs of outbuildings, all low and overgrown and of little interest to me today. The house though is small, nestled on a bank, silent and beautifully located. There are little architectural details to focus the camera upon but that matters not, what does matter is the atmosphere, the fact that I did not expect to find anything here at all, possibly at best the outline of a cottage, a pile of rocks and rubble. My luck is in, the fact I wore my wellies fortuitous, since I wouldn't have bee able to get here without them. A few exposures were made, not easy with the trees blocking most views but possible nonetheless and it must be said, again fortuitous since I think the trees were exactly where I'd like them. A few compositions are made, with one eye closed, for all compositions are made with one eye closed. It flattens the perspective just as a camera lens would, a camera lens is indeed a single lens, and we aim to emulate this before a picture is even taken. Once the photographs are taken I head back down the field and try to re-tread my steps over the driest sections of the lower field and then though the thicket of the boundary and back to the path that leads around the reservoir . It is here where I cross another field and scramble through a hedgerow, walk along a cycle lane, former railway line by the looks of it and to the neighbouring ruins of Gelli Lysged https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25890724.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_192123899456224ef29f49d.jpgABSTRACTION, Brighton 2007 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Brighton 2007 I have recently re-discovered a box of old negatives from 2007 of abstractions taken in Brighton. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/door-wall-nottingham-1998 https://images.on-this.website/7784_21322220824eb643303ea5f.jpgDOOR & WALL, Nottingham 1998 Notes on DOOR & WALL, Nottingham 1998 Within this empty house, in amongst the debris vandals had left after smashing up all the windows, the toilets, sinks and spraying graffiti on the walls this door lay on it's side, almost untouched. A long exposure of around 16 minutes was used and this image is a simple study of blocks of information with a flattened composition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penllergaer-mansion-gardens-swansea-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_128512927758592a8daec34.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Notes on LODGE HOUSE at PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. A few ruins of lodge houses also remain along the carriage path and also this ruined house, difficult to reach due to the foliage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13323066.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21411602594ea25f2e380a8.jpgLLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Hidden from view and the morning had yet to properly break. I reached the matured grounds of the house Llanfechan in uncertainty. I had been told much remained but also as mentioned in ‘The Lost Houses of Wales’, it was ‘mostly demolished’. I could make out a bulky dark mass in the dim morning light and once beyond the covering of trees, the walls of Llanfechan could easily to reached. And once within those walls, standing in the ruins themselves, it becomes easier still to imagine this was once a rather fine mansion house. The house standing today was built in 1786 and due to fire was already ruined by 1837 and thus remained a ruin all these years since. In the Pevsner Building of Wales guide for Ceredigion it suggests that Llanfechan was designed by John Nash and is comparable to his Llanerchaeron just a few miles away (and it doesn’t take an untrained eye to find these comparisons!). The original full two storeys remain today, the façade and main section of the house. Although the outer is covered almost entirely with foliage and trees and there are a few mature trees within the site, it is generally easily negotiable – one gable end, against a damp and dimly lit bank has large cracks and holes forming with the chimney on the brink on collapsing inward. The morning of my visit the wind blew hard and the overcast day offered little prospect of improving. The wind and the dimness of light meant I required long exposures of around 4 – 16 minutes and this in fact helped me with exposing more of the buildings fabric than would ordinarily be possible. The windswept branches and leaves meant their movement wasn’t properly recorded and was instead recorded as a ‘slight blur’ and thus more stone work was recorded onto the sheet of film inside the camera. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/derwen-bedwen-llanfihangel-y-creuddyn https://images.on-this.website/7784_7184724364dca2c69d717a.jpgDERWEN BEDWEN, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DERWEN BEDWEN, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 A few months ago someone emailed me with this information about this partially collapsed cob building which I had presumed to be only used as an agricultural store: 'The "unknown farm building with cob walls!" is called "Derwen Bedwen". It stands by the road between Cnwch-coch and Llanfihangel y creuddin, and was last lived in by a woman named "Marged Lizzie" untill the late sixty's. She had two or three nasty dogs that always chased us as we walked past on the way home from school!' If anyone has any further information on Marged Lizzie please do get in touch! This tiny house is in a poor state - the clom walls are collapsing and presumably the other end collapsed years ago since it is open-ended and is in agricultural use. Inside the 'residential' end is used as a store for the usual bits of junk. If this was indeed once a home for Marged Lizzie I presume the chimney was at the collapsed end? Do any photographs survive? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/glyn-siling-penllergaer-swansea-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20345458225a6e040fd968b.jpgGLYN SILING, Penllergaer, Swansea 2018 Notes on GLYN SILING, Penllergaer, Swansea 2018 After examining O/S maps, GoogleEarth and Swansea councils' planning maps I had finally determined that more than likely Glyn Siling had been demolished. I went walking and managed somehow to walk right passed the remains. I can blame the muddy tracks for missing the house, tractors/felling machinery had obviously been used relatively recently - the track down to the house was, at first, a stream (but this must have been a flooded original entrance) and then the stream turns to exceptionally muddy track. What remains of the house area are many low walls but also reveal what must have been a fair number of outbuildings. Mostly surrounded by pine forestation but also, once, must have been a lovely site. Any old photographs or information of the house would be appreciated. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bowen-euros https://images.on-this.website/7784_285507758533bd13737a48.jpgBowen Euros, Wrexham 2013 Notes on Euros Bowen A huge graveyard and there was no-one at home in the offices at the entrance. I was therefore alone with my daughter wandering around, searching. One becomes adept at scanning names of faded stones. We searched, at a very rough estimation, around a thousand or so gravestones. But to no avail. I had seen this leaning Christ figure beforehand. Part of me was disappointed not finding the grave, another part of me felt justified since we had spent an hour or two searching fruitlessly. The wind picked up slightly as I set the camera upon tripod, the leaves blew around the ground. Everything seemed in place. A photograph was made, the camera packed up. On the way back we kept looking at the names on the stones (it's a habit difficult to break, even to this day) and if I'd seen the correct grave then I would most likely have set up the camera again and taken an image. But would it have been as good as this one? But what about the brief? The poet's name on the piece of paper was not the same as the name on this Christ-stone. Can a poet's grave that isn't a poet's grave still be a poet's grave? I didn't mind. I don't think Euros Bowen would have minded. I had interpreted a fruitless search with the back of a man's head. He's still there now. From Winter 2012 through to Spriing 2014 I visited graveyards throughout the length and breadth of Wales. Many hours were spent searching for particular gravestones, of poet's, well known and not so well known. A few were not found, mostly they were. The project was difficult not due the hours searching but more so to finding an ordinary gravestone in a wild graveyard. So often other viewpoints of other gravestones would have made an excellent photographic record but I was forced to settle, even compromise, with my brief. Frustrating as it was, it was also made the more rewarding, my eye was forced to work harder. Fortunately these peaceful places helped with keeping the mind free of distractions. Here are a few of the images published in the book. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tyn-gelliceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12503422624e4c041c911f2.jpgTY'N GELLI,Ceredigion 2011 Notes on TY'N GELLI, Ceredigion 2011 On a morning heavy with rain the shelter offered by this poor property was welcome - as it was for two slightly mummified sheep carcases that lay in the living room once upon a time. (see previous image) The roof leaks water at the rear of the house and I did not venture upstairs due to the staircase damp and rotten with holes in each step. This handbag sat in the window downstairs in the living room, hard and brittle and of little use to anyone. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-yr-wern-cwmtwrch-brecknockshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_8622017195a67020d790c2.jpgPEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Notes on PEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Remarkable farmhouse and outbuildings all sitting in a shallow hollow surrounded by hardwood and boggy land. I had scanned the maps and GoogleEarth beforehand and concluded the house had been demolished. Google-earth showed nothing but a group of trees so was delighted when I traipsed along the invisible footpath through fields of soggy ground to this aforementioned group of trees. Within seconds I fell in love this silent little site. A few slates remain on the long barn with arrow slits (to help air circulate) but otherwise all other buildings are long empty and ruinous. Lines of trees lead in and out of the site around the rear to the side, again not explicitly apparent on GoogleEarth. Sometimes, most times, a walk is the only way to explore and find such ruins. I know nothing of the history of Pen-yr-wern so any information would be appreciated.... apparently sold to the coal board in the 1960's and left abandoned ever since... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-bristol-avon-2003 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16067204124eb63e5f8f0e1.jpgWALL, Bristol, Avon 2003 Notes on WALL, Bristol, Avon 2003 I lived in Bristol for a few months in 2003 with my partner - when she moved back to Wales I was left in Bristol living in a hostel for a week and working my notice in a Jessops photographic shop until I could return to her in Wales. I spent the day working but then in the evenings I'd go out photographing, then i'd find a late night cafe and write down my feelings whilst I was out photographing trying to combat any loneliness. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5801349.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9652945174c5912ce23957.jpgDOLGORS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DOLGORS, Ceredigion 2010 A small lines of firs run along the muddy and short driveway up the farmstead of Dolgors. No longer can the house be reached by vehicle due to a large concrete barrier and large silo bags. I read in the local paper, The Cambrian News, last year that the copper had been ripped out of an empty property in Devil’s Bridge by thieves. I immediately knew that Dolgor’s, such a spectacular farm house, had been the victim. The house is a large ‘L’ shape, rendered in a miserable grey and has large saplings growing from its chimney’s. I am very fond of this farm house. It has a special atmosphere. A long line of calves, obviously enjoying each others company and exploring the adjacent field together, came to watch over me with their quizzical eyes. They were boisterous and playful but one step in their direction and they fled like a firework. They soon however returned. They watched as I stood beneath a large yew tree and set up my camera. The false dawn was heavy and dim. The morning was grey and the night was reluctant to lift. Long exposures of 32 seconds were required but there was no breeze to cause a blur in the surrounding trees, indeed even the large and sunken silted puddles reflected perfect the grey scenes of the surrounding countryside. All was quiet and grey and another day was beginning that would contribute to Dolgor’s sorry decline. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bertholey-llantrisant-gwent-1997 https://images.on-this.website/7784_18261906945fef52ce6dfb9.jpgBERTHOLEY, Llantrisant, Gwent 1997 Notes on BERTHOLEY, Llantrisant, Gwent 1997 (restored 1999) Bertholey is situated in a quiet park with wonderful views over a loop in the river Usk. It was rebuilt circa 1790 - the cause of the initial dereliction in 1905 as often the case, a fire. A relative of the owner, drunk, accidentally set fire to the house. It had been left a shell since then. In its present state, with the mid-range collapsed, one wonders how much longer Bertholey will be allowed to stand. A house attached to a rear wing is still inhabited - a strange set up considering the vulnerability of the property. With an intricate wrought iron fence and gate surrounding the house and the lawn neatly kept, respectably so by sheep and cows, it was not impossible to imagine Bertholey as a fine building of some stature in its heyday. A number of exposures were made but i struggled to find the true essence of the house - it lacked the mysteriousness of many ruins but of course this could be down to my own personal feelings on that day, or even the weather. I have only recently discovered that the house was beautifully restored a year after this image was taken. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12111664134b6296aac18b8.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9051898714b6296c4bee71.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8270837134b629691ce286.jpg[/img] Bertholey 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dolgors-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17018974864c5912d432af3.jpgDOLGORS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DOLGORS, Ceredigion 2010 A small lines of firs run along the muddy and short driveway up the farmstead of Dolgors. No longer can the house be reached by vehicle due to a large concrete barrier and large silo bags. I read in the local paper, The Cambrian News, last year that the copper had been ripped out of an empty property in Devil’s Bridge by thieves. I immediately knew that Dolgor’s, such a spectacular farm house, had been the victim. The house is a large ‘L’ shape, rendered in a miserable grey and has large saplings growing from its chimney’s. I am very fond of this farm house. It has a special atmosphere. A long line of calves, obviously enjoying each others company and exploring the adjacent field together, came to watch over me with their quizzical eyes. They were boisterous and playful but one step in their direction and they fled like a firework. They soon however returned. They watched as I stood beneath a large yew tree and set up my camera. The false dawn was heavy and dim. The morning was grey and the night was reluctant to lift. Long exposures of 32 seconds were required but there was no breeze to cause a blur in the surrounding trees, indeed even the large and sunken silted puddles reflected perfect the grey scenes of the surrounding countryside. All was quiet and grey and another day was beginning that would contribute to Dolgor’s sorry decline. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/boulston-manor-church-uzmaston-pembrokeshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_17711590354e550f0eebd20.jpgBOULSTON MANOR CHURCH, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on BOULSTON MANOR CHURCH, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 A remote church and churchyard standing in a small patch of woodland and only accessible by foot stands on the edge of the banks of the Cleddau Estuary. Tall trees reach up and through this roofless church which was abandoned after World War 2. Within many features and carved stone remain, some fragmented and some in remarkable condition - some with the name 'Wogan' easy to read and also a large coat of arms (of the Wogan's) laying against a wall. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafodunos-llangernwy-denbighshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9893092054df8e15c6db93.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Recently purchased, fenced off. The walls of Hafodunos veiled with scaffolding. A new chapter thus thankfully begins. The ongoing thought was that this house should never have found itself in this state. The arsonist who set fire to this great house in the fall of October 2004 was caught and imprisoned. Perhaps a more fitting punishment would have been for him to help with the consolidation of this property; emptying these high walls from their fallen masonry; the bricks, stone and ornate plaster. The high walls have now been emptied from this litter, albeit precious litter since Hafodunos is grade 1 listed. My trip, as ever, was a brief one. In 2005 I had taken a number of images of this forlorn and overgrown ruin. I did not do it justice. And once again I feel some kind of disappointment with the finished prints. The grounds and gardens are also in the process of restoration and it would be incredible to see all this restored. But still that nagging thought; that this house should never have found itself in this poor and shallowed state. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42109931.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3474002755fc900b8066fc.jpgNotes on HOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli (revisited Winter 2020) I am not Notes on HOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli (revisited Winter 2020) I am not sure how I missed these brick-works before but they’re easily found along the cycle path from Horeb to Lliedi Reservoirs. Well camouflage in the summer foliage but if visiting look for the huge tower and you know you’re in the right place. The brickworks are in a fairly good condition, the entrance is somewhat caved in but the basic structure seems sound. Nature has however reclaimed around the perimeter. Within was dark, I had chosen a very wet morning to visit, late June, heavy rain, the foliage not helping with lighting up the interior. Beer cans aplenty within but the site perhaps not as vandalized as it would be if it was located elsewhere. Horeb is a far distance from anywhere and parking is a challenge. I had forgotten to put a SD card into my digital camera to take colour snapshots. I was annoyed with myself, usually so fastidious before I go out photographing. I needn't have worried. I had my smartphone and the pictures it took were of a good enough quality. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tynylone-llangeitho-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6660069254e855c715b02b.jpgTYNYLONE, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2011 Note on TYNYLONE, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2011 Standing on a hillside between Stags Head and Llangeitho this ruined farm has been in decay for many years. The front section of the roof has fallen, with the rear wavering and it can only be a matter of time before this too falls. Within, each room can still be distinguished but the ceiling beams sag heavy and piles of stone have fallen where walls have collapsed. Lots of dead cars and farm machinery lays around completing this particular picture of decay. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42233308.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20908401406054c85ab589c.jpgPANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Notes on PANT-GLAS, Bynea, Llanelli 2021 Roadside located but barely visible through the foliage, Pant-Glas on older maps dating from the late 19th century shows the house as one dwelling but once within the mass of foliage it looks more like two separate dwellings; two sets of front doors, no door between the properties. Both dwellings the same size. Perhaps this was once a longhouse and perhaps one of the dwellings had been converted. I do not know but the old maps do not lie. I took a few images, in both parts, but viewpoints were scarce. Half an hour spent. I walked back to car, drove home, arrived back home at 7:30am, still an hour before I started work but already a good mornings work had been done. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196112.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12930213255fe1ae9bac8f2.jpgVARTEG UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on VARTEG UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Its close neighbour, Varteg Isaf, as been semi-preserved by a rusty corrugated roof. No such luck for Varteg Uchaf, as seen here, open to the elements and over looking the hills of the parishes of Neath Port Talbot. The walk up to this and Varteg Isaf is easy, just a forestry track and on the morning of my visit it was silent. The low mist clung to the valley below following the river as it does. Varteg Uchaf has fine views, the visit put me in good spirits and I felt the images represent that to some degree. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26433065.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7855025785692037e8b82f.jpgABSTRACTION AT SMITH COTTAGES, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigi NOTES on ABSTRACTION AT SMITH COTTAGES, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion 2016 Taken in the once tiny kitchen of Smith Cottages - the room was relatively light and an exposure of around 4 minutes was used. It shows layers of wallpaper, all amazingly dry but peeling due to the cottage being empty for at least three decades. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ystrad-owen-neath-port-talbot https://images.on-this.website/7784_3289553805cdd0a9235eaf.jpgYSTRAD OWEN, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on YSTRAD OWEN, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Not a long walk but steep and I was a little stiff after a mornings walking to another house (actually found in process of restoration). Ystrad Owen is perched side of a hill, perhaps not as long ruinous as it makes one believe. The Scot’s Pine can be seen as the path ascends and the ruins are separated by the track. Both house and outbuildings are roofless and much ruinous but there’s a good sense of place here; a view, an openness which can be sheltered from, if need be, by this morning’s breeze. It was from these ruins two other properties could be spied and which led to my next walk, of Penybanc, a strange and alluring place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/006 https://images.on-this.website/7784_83471581253b3a47cdf8cb.jpgFEN ONWYN (revisited), Ceredigion Notes on FEN ONWYN (revisited), Ceredigion 2014 I was walking past, a few sheets of film remained and heading for my car. I hadn’t even realized I would be walking past. I, of course, stopped and had a quick look around. I knew the house was for sale but that must have been two or three years ago. It would appear it was still unsold. The place had, however, been cleared up a little. Most of the debris from the barns, including the motorbike, had gone. Someone had recently kicked a hole in the front door. There were also a few ornaments on a front window sill. I took a few photographs and left. I don’t much like this house. It’s somehow foreboding and too barren for my tastes https://www.welshruins.co.uk/lletysynod-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12373285744c67953490c56.jpgLLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on LLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2010 For the twenty odd years I have been driving past this house I have always expected to see piles of building material ready for the consolidation, the repair, the decoration and the modernisation to commence. It has never happened. Instead I have seen the slates from the roof removed, a gable end and chimney collapse, all the inner panelling removed and the floors rot and fall in. It breaks your heart. One of my favourite abstract photographs was taken upstairs on the landing in this house in 2003 and all subsequent visits I have sought out this wall even if I know that the wall has gone. It’s an odd thing being sentimental over an inner wooden wall but sentimental is what I feel! Anyone who drives from Abermagwr to Pontrhydygroes knows this house, as it stands over looking the road with a long line of outbuildings – commonly enough in a far better state of repair than the house itself. I know not whom occupied the house last and if it played a part in the Trisant mines or has been solely an agricultural property but either way it will be a great loss if it crumbles, perhaps inevitability, back into the ground. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/jones-david-james-gwenallt https://images.on-this.website/7784_986747007533bd3f511f6a.jpgJones David James - Gwenallt, Aberystwyth 2012 Notes on Jones David James - Gwenallt One of the first images made and one in the rain. the gravestone as easy to find, thanks to Damian telling me beforehand, and a simple exposure was made - wide angle lens, low down. I have made a rain shade for my camera for days like this. It's a bit shabby these days and needs remodelling. It keeps the rain off but also falls off easily in the gentlest of breezes. My daughter can be seen in the centre of the frame blurred slightly due to the long exposure (approx. 4 minutes). I enjoy at times photographing in the rain. It is a pain but I know a drop or two will land on the lens and show up on the finished image not unlike glare from the sun. From Winter 2012 through to Spriing 2014 I visited graveyards throughout the length and breadth of Wales. Many hours were spent searching for particular gravestones, of poet's, well known and not so well known. A few were not found, mostly they were. The project was difficult not due the hours searching but more so to finding an ordinary gravestone in a wild graveyard. So often other viewpoints of other gravestones would have made an excellent photographic record but I was forced to settle, even compromise, with my brief. Frustrating as it was, it was also made the more rewarding, my eye was forced to work harder. Fortunately these peaceful places helped with keeping the mind free of distractions. Here are a few of the images published in the book. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/trefenter-chapel-chapel-house-trefenter https://images.on-this.website/7784_20182188924caae110c7160.jpgTREFENTER CHAPEL & CHAPEL HOUSE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on TREFENTER CHAPEL & CHAPEL HOUSE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2010 A few hundred yards from the small village of Trefenter and down a dead end lane stands the chapel and chapel house. The front view of the house, chapel and vestry mislead the onlooker into believing that the buildings are all in a fine state of repair. Further examination reveal a sorrier picture. The chapel within, in the top right hand corner, has a huge hole and dampness. Debris litters the pews beneath. It does however appear the chapel is still in use, I imagine the congregation alternate each Sunday with other local chapels. The Vestry, locked, also appeared to be in regular use. The chapel house however was in a sad state. The front view offered the opinion that a lick of paint would liven up the building but around the rear, standing in the cemetery, revealed a sorrier picture. Many slates had come off and no doubt within one would find the ceilings and floors to be damp and possibly hole ridden and dangerous. What’s to be done? Communities do not have the money to restore the chapel let alone consolidate and modernize the chapel house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/beudiau-lampeter-ceredigion-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3222014044b1246bfe5b99.jpgBEUDIAU, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BEUDIAU, Ceredigion 2009 On the back road to the Falcondale Hotel just outside Lampeter sits this farm house, situated on a bank high above the high hedged B-road that runs beside it. The front view shows very little of interest other than that is apparent that it has been abandoned. This unremarkable view is transformed when one sees the large chimney sitting at the rear. It is somewhat oddly positioned and challenges not only the scale of the property but also its overall aesthetic appeal hence its inclusion on this website. The morning of my visit was one of those cool Autumnal days that had forecast as mild with rain but had in fact been bright and cold. The dew hung heavy on the grass and dampened the sides and edges of all the farm machinery left in front of the property. There was also some small outbuildings, one with an appealing arched entrance. Furniture was stored up in the loft of one of the outbuildings but all looked beyond use or repair. The house itself has the first few signs of dereliction; a few slates missing, windows either broken or boarded up, a large plotted plant stands outside as high as the front door. Peering through the letterbox reveals the usual uncarpeted staircase, bare floorboards, torn net curtains, peeling wallpaper and blistered paintwork. The house has wonderful views and due to its close approximation to the busy market town of Lampeter would make an excellent family home. If left to deteriorate any further then dereliction threatens. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/notes-on-ceulan-mill-talybont https://images.on-this.website/7784_15054980344e742f9c07d19.jpgNotes on CEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on CEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2004 Once within the dimly lit ground floor, Ceulan Mill appears, as ones eyes adjust, an impregnable building with imposing machinery filling all three storeys to the brim with large heavy machinery, looms, and weaving frames, large wicker baskets of withered cones of wool. Ceulan Mill was closed in the 1950’s and it feels like very little has changed within and without the stone walls since then. On the first floor, only three small windows allowing the sun light in, the floor space is heavy with solid machinery. It is dark and when surrounded with such heavy machinery crammed so close together it is also unnerving. The dimness makes the focussing of the camera difficult; I use a small touch to set the shutter speeds and aperture. A forty-minute exposure was used with these first initial exposures. A long wait for a photographer and gives me time to make notes. I feel calm and the still atmosphere helps me to relax. Outside I hear a babbling brook, birds singing, the day is bright, warm and spring-like. These rusty dinosaurs within this mill no longer creak, groan, growl. They’re silent and still, their only movement is that of their slow corrosion. My eyes have long since grown accustomed to the dimness. The machinery is splendid – wheels, cogs, belts, gears, pulley’s, springs, rods, rollers, spinners, presses, chains, oil, wool, spanners, wrenches, dust and cobwebs. A stuffed heron lays on the ground on the first floor and also; a metal chest full of 19th & 20th century books (on Stalin, India, Arithmetic, Philosophy, Chemistry, Law, Communism, worker’s rights and how to better oneself!). More large baskets, clamps, drawing desks, broken chairs, tables, chests, all stand on an uneven floor and under a sagging ceiling. The sun poured through the open windows on the first floor, flooding tiny areas and here the exposures were much shorter, usually around 4 - 16 minutes. Four hours was spend making around ten exposures onto sheet film. The slow process of photographing in such dark places makes the finishing images so much more satisfying. MELIN CEULAN. Tal-v-bont. Ceredigion 2004 Ar Ian afon Ceulan saif Melin Ceulan, a fu unwaith yn brysur a llewyrchus. Wrth i'r llygaid ymgynefino a lled-dywyllwch y llawr gwaelod daw Melin Ceulan i'r golwg, yn adeilad cadarn gyda pheiriannau mawreddog, gwyddiau, fframiau gwehyddu a basgedi mawr o wlan yn llenwi'r tri llawr at y to. Caeodd y felin yn y 1950au a bu iddi aros yn wag ers hynny. Mae'n dywyll, ac ynghanol yr holl beirianwaith trwm sydd wedi'i wthio benben a'i gilydd, ceir hefyd deimlad o anesmwythyd. Yn y tywyllwch mae'n anodd ffocysu'r camera; rhoddaf gyffyrddiad ysgafn i osod cyflymder y caead a lledu'r agorfa. Defnyddiwyd dadleniad o bedwar deg pum munud gyda'r lluniau cychwynnol hyn. Hir ymaros i'r ffotograffydd, a chyfle i mi ysgrifennu nodiadau. Teimlaf dawelwch, ac mae'r awyrgylch llonydd help i mi ymlacio. Y tu allan clywaf furmur y nant a thrydar yr adar, megis diwmod braf a chynnes o wanwyn. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/smith-cottages-pontrhydygroes-ystrad-meurig https://images.on-this.website/7784_782492444c7f4a665845e.jpgSMITH COTTAGES, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on SMITH COTTAGES, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion 2010 Empty for at least twenty years and considering these two small cottages sit right on the roadside are basically untouched by vandals. The roof of one has begun to fall into disrepair, again surprising at the resisitance thus far of these small workers cottages since they stand in forestry and the constant attack from branches blwoing in the wind. Inside the usual array of mess, signs of former occupants, TV licence reminders, bottles of dubious liquids, chairs with springs rusting therein. All dark, damp and dingy. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cynnant-rhandirmwyn-camarthenshire-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4438538714f32d97883a49.jpgCYNNANT, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on CYNNANT, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 This rural farmstead has been ruined for some years judging by the state of the property. The facade was once painted yellow, this yellow has faded and worn and in the late afternoon, on this winters day, glowed with warmth and resilience. The large windows downstairs have gone, the porch and doorway crumbling, the staircase fallen and slates have fallen off the roof. A sorry state, poor Cynnant, lays in. South facing and the track leading from the road no more than a footpath, Cynnant seems miles from anywhere. I missed the footpath that weaved through the forestry and leads down to the house. Instead I carried on along the Forestry Commission track. There was little to no snow when I started my walk. The ground was frozen solid but going was easy. By the time I had walked through the forestry and by my calculations (I knew I’d somehow missed the proper footpath) by the time I was parallel with the house I was traipsing through six inches of snow. Animal tracks were abundant, the only other tracks, looking behind me, were mine. I slid down through the forestry and came, almost tumbling, alongside the stream, the Cynnant Fawr and then followed the Cynnant Fawr half a mile downstream to the house. This isn’t the preferred way to reach Cynnant when there’s a footpath leading right up to it. But it was a beautiful day and sometimes a longer walk makes the reward of such a property just that little bit extra special. Cynnant is, as it happens, a special place. Its isolation, its’ well proportioned windows and fine outbuildings all leave the visitor with ideals of restoration and then setting up home. This was once home. Around the rear, in the garden, metal fences protect trees from livestock and the outbuildings, all still in some agricultural use, are still in good condition. The house itself, albeit without windows and doors, appears structurally sound. This must have been an idyllic place to live. Once. I wondered, as I walked away, just how many other great properties lay abandoned, sitting beside a rushing stream, south facing, isolated, complimentary to the landscape around, in the Cambrian Mountains that I’ve yet to discover. I imagine many. I walked back to my car quite content with my walk but also a little saddened by this ruin. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llanerchaeron-near-aberaeron-ceredigion-1990 https://images.on-this.website/7784_21467317505411ed1f1d895.jpgLLANERCHAERON, Near Aberaeron, Ceredigion 1990 Notes on LLANERCHAERON, Near Aberaeron, Ceredigion 1990 The house of Llanerchaeron, a few miles east of Aberaeron - now owned by the National Trust. When this image was taken I believe the NT had just purchased the house and had an open day/craft fair to celebrate. This image was recently found whilst searching through some old 35mm negatives and shows the house ivy covered and a little worse for wear. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penygwernydd-isaf-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7127919834c6794da28888.jpgPENYGWERNYDD ISAF, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PENYGWERNYDD ISAF, Ceredigion 2010 Just for a split second, whilst driving from New Row towards Abermagwr, a house can be spied just below the former mines at Trisant. Although half a mile away it has the air of an empty house – something I always eagerly seek whilst driving, walking or cycling around mid Wales. The walk up to its doors does not take long and it becomes obvious that this house has either not been left empty for all that many years or else it has just not been visited much, or indeed at all, by vandals. My first visit was, I believe, in 2003 and very little seems to have changed since then. There is little within except a few pieces of furniture and although it seems very damp inside it appears to be in generally good health. Some of the windows have however broken and the floor boards beneath them rotted but other than that I can not see why this house needs to stand empty. A long line of stone outbuildings, some ruined, stand adjacent. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41460498.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1484345655f2ffa5dca4c1.jpgPISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Along a footpath/track and you soon come to the farmstead, large and spread out of Pistyll North. The house itself looks long ruinous, two mature tree trunks cut within the walls evidence the house has long been empty and ruinous. A new metal roof protects the solid walls. A large fireplace inside the extended section was in very poor condition – the extended section a somewhat odd looking intrusion of the main structure of the house, most likely a later addition(?). There were sheep inside when I visited, they left, I entered, I expected the floor to be foot deep in droppings and smelly but it was not, it was dry and a comfort from the rain outside. I wondered why the name of the house was half Welsh/half English. At home I searched on older maps and it seems the house has been called by the same spelling for at least a hundred years. A long stone barn, partially collapsed at the front, stands facing the house at a slight angle. Other barns and outbuildings are scattered around. There’s a lot to see and because of the position of the buildings in relation with other buildings viewpoints/compositions are found easily. The site is for sale currently and it is truly exceptional. It needs a little insight but the general aura of the place is one of positively. My visit was short, forty five minutes or so… exposures were quite long inside the house at around 6 minutes. There was a constant drizzle even if the forecast had been dry. There was no sound of traffic. No sound of farm machinery or even a dog barking somewhere someplace of. Even the birds seemed a little shy of the drizzle and judging by the birds in my garden, town birds aren’t much bothered by the rain and I doubt countryside ones aren’t either. The sheep however were bleating. They had seen me, followed me with their eyes as I walked along the track, and knew most likely and instantly that they did not know me. Yet still they bleated, neither in distress or in hope of food. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bronwydd-llangynllo-ceredigion-1997 https://images.on-this.website/7784_18940045704baf105082576.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 1997 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 1997 A house stood on the site of Bronwydd in the 14th century and was re-built in the 1850’s – mostly now a high pile of rubble; the stone carving, stained glass and mural paintings all long gone except a few Latin motto’s over the Bath stone doorways. Most of its towers, having been vandalised, no longer survive. As the farmer/owner showed me around, the cows stood watching in the field surrounding the high walls. The thick and deep mud underfoot, made the going slow and uneasy. Yet all these tiny details make the searching for a viewpoint which captures a house all the more rewarding. The weather was changeable with the sun appearing and disappearing and I imagine some 10 years since my visit the cows have had a few calves and Bronwydd has lost more of its height and presence: a sad picture and a quickly vanishing one. Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19735962784b51d8b724c0d.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_312845545498bd5e5d5c3a.jpg[/img] BRONWYDD. Llanqynllo. Ceredigion 1997 & 2009 Safai ty ar safle Bronwydd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar ddeg ac fe gafodd ei ailadeiladu yn y 1850au - er nad oes dim yma heddiw ond twmpath o rwbel. Mae'r cerfiadau cerrig, y gwydr lliw a'r murluniau wedi hen ddiflannu heblaw am ychydig o arwyddeiriau Lladin uwchben y drysau o garreg Caerfaddon.. Dychwelais i Fronwydd fis Gorffennaf 2009. Prin yr oedd wedi newid. Mae eiddew'n gorchuddio'r twr ac mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r arysgrifau Lladin wedi dirywio a diflannu am byth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8311544.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_969000604d353b1eb2fa8.jpgTAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 An interesting site, Tan-y-Foel is in a poor state with it's roof all but fallen. I sought an interior image but little remained inside other than some very damp beams and other indistinguishable debris so decided against crawling through rotten windows onto rotten floorboards. I had cycled from Tregaron to visit Tan-y-Foel. There had been a frost. I was out of breath and hot when I reached the footpath that leads up to the house. It was 11:30am. The house sits besides a disused quarry and a small wooded area. This sheltered the house from the rising sun. The light in this small alcove of farm and farm buildings was cool and soft. I often prefer to photograph a building on a cloudy, overcast day. However, this, it has to be said, is my preferred condition with the subject sheltered from the bright sun light. I made a number of exposures. I was limited to only 8 sheets of film, of which I used only 7. The images here are somewhat similar and show the property taken at the number of angles that were possible. For me they all work. There was little room around the rear garden due to the overgrowth of brambles. The collection of stone barns, corrugated barns were chockablock with used and disused farm machinery; bags upon bags of farming litter and rubbish. All very interesting but also disturbing seeing such a mess; sitting before a ruined house, in a prime location just a few miles out of the university town of Lampeter. Surely a use could have been found for this property? A far greater and comprehensive view of this farmhouse and it's barns can be seen at www.derelictmiscellany.org.uk by clciking on the link below: http://derelictmisc.org.uk/tanyfoel.html https://www.welshruins.co.uk/046 https://images.on-this.website/7784_692756373541327f1f1c1f.jpgCLAERDDU COTTAGE, Teifi Pools, Ceredigion 1989 Notes on CLAERDDU COTTAGE, Teifi Pools, Ceredigion 1990 I had only just passed my driving test in 1990 and often I drove to Teifi Pools to lose myself in the hills and lakes. This small cottage was always a highlight and I recall my utter amazement at finding such a building built in such a place! My first visit saw me climbing through one of the small windows and listening out for any farmers. No-one came and little did I know then that this is/was owned by Welsh Water. Even back in 1990 there were a hundred or so names scrawled and scratched upon the wooden interior walls. I added mine and I imagine it's still there, somewhere amongst the clutter of names. As a 19 year old I wanted to live here. I can't say I've much changed my mind since then.. given half a chance... Photograph is slightly out of focus and taken on a 35mm camera. Image not for sale due to quality of finished print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37371406.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15942032065c6073c954c61.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 A second visit in six months and in January when the foliage is stripped bare and the remains of the ruins are better viewed. The house was abandoned in 1824 – almost two hundred years ago – and at that time the sea would have made its way up stream and it is proposed Scotsborough House would have had a docking bay for boats delivering goods (not dissimilar to Boulston House). The land around the house has silted up now and this has become a haven for wildlife. The house itself is a sad site but perhaps we should be grateful there is still something to see. Viewpoints come easily for me on this morning. I think I can say I photographed the house better than my first visit – which admittedly was in the drizzle and I was somewhat hurried. Today an hour or so was spent at the site – a barbed wire fence surround the ruins with signs saying ‘No trespassing, dangerous ruins’ – a potential gravestone signature. The porch showed an internal arched doorway blocked up and further clues around the house give hint at other arched doorways. This had been a substantial building in its time. It’s a shame the ruins could not be consolidated as I am sure visitors to Tenby would love to explore the town other than the beach and shops. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196117.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17881894625fe1ae9dadada.jpgVARTEG UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on VARTEG UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Its close neighbour, Varteg Isaf, as been semi-preserved by a rusty corrugated roof. No such luck for Varteg Uchaf, as seen here, open to the elements and over looking the hills of the parishes of Neath Port Talbot. The walk up to this and Varteg Isaf is easy, just a forestry track and on the morning of my visit it was silent. The low mist clung to the valley below following the river as it does. Varteg Uchaf has fine views, the visit put me in good spirits and I felt the images represent that to some degree. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789136.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17148501404bcaacae5d7eb.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31675729.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1911009293594625da53ded2.34783486.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 As always I took the bridle path from Ffair Rhos to the mines. It isn't a long walk, perhaps a mile and a half with the mines barely visible until you reach the rubbish filled shafts. I dropped down between the slag heaps and to the little remained mining buildings. As always I wished I'd come here in 1990 when the corrugated building still stood - I wonder if it was demolished the same time as the similar but larger finishing mill at Cwmystwyth. There are superb images of how it looked on the internet and I'll add a link here later. Today I only had around twelve sheets of film and I could have easily taken another twelve. Banc Esgair feels like an island of the past surrounded by fields and farms and holiday homes, none of which https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ffos-las-morfa-bychan-aberystywth https://images.on-this.website/7784_16239232334c922f6aadcaf.jpgFFOS LAS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on FFOS LAS, Ceredigion 2010 A large house in a sorry state yet exquisitely positioned on the coast overlooking Cardigan Bay and the Irish Sea. Many outbuildings also ruinous. I had visited here a few years ago and since then some drainage pipes have been laid and some minor scaffoldiing to help support the interior. The interior is a mess with piles of freshly fallen stone sitting against crumbling walls, all with the daylight flooding in. There are also large cracks and holes throughout the structure and it must surely only lead to either total dereliction or a complete rebuild. The farm half a mile towards Morfa Bychan called Cwm Cierw has almost exactly the same layout, design and size of house and outbuildings. There is also evidence of Ffos Las having once been slate clad, at least on its facade. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/henwgm-house-lledrod-ceredigion-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_96796863653b8f33f309fb.jpgHENGWM HOUSE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on HENGWM HOUSE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 I do not know how many more farmhouses there are to discover in Ceredigion but I expect a very good many. Each have their own pleasures, their own individual nuances and each have their own memories etched into my life. This lovely little property is hidden away and I can only guess, been empty for many a long year. Only a few exposures were made, maybe I could have taken more, but four seemed the maximum necessary. The morning had changed from cloudless skies to overcast, a few minutes after the visit the clouds did indeed release their outpour and I took much comfort walking away knowing that I had captured a few simple exposures. There is no great skill in taking photographs. I merely put the camera on a tripod, focus and make the exposure. My visit here was brief, maybe fifteen minutes, and I was on my way again. Yet, by the same token, although brief, I only need to view these images to recall a whole host of feelings and therefore emotions. The simple act of photography can be seen as a useful tool for keeping our memories alive. I did not venture inside the house but peering through the windows I saw it had been used as storage for small bits of farm machinery and tools. I wonder, as ever, who lived here? A large hole was beginning to appear rear of house where the wall had crumbled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/the-pulpit-empty-st-matthews https://images.on-this.website/7784_21096446874bae22fe0262e.jpgTHE PULPIT, Empty St Matthews, Church at Goginan, Ceredigion 2006 Notes on THE PULPIT, Empty St Matthews Church at Goginan, Ceredigion 2006 An empty church with a wooden floor has excellent acoustics. A small party had recently taken place – a few bottles of beer and disposable barbeque. The pulpit in a corner with an empty bottle of beer, as seen here, on the step was the only piece of furniture left. A careful, slow, quiet and simple exposure of around 30 minutes was made. Y PULPUD. Ealwvs Goainan. Ceredigion 2006 Ceir acwsteg bendigedig mewn eglwys wag a llawr pren. Roedd parti bach newydd gael ei gynnal - ambell i botel gwrw a barbeciw tafladwy. Safai'r pulpud yn y gomel, heb unrhyw gelfi ar ol arno ac eithrio potel wag o gwrw ar y grisiau, fel y gwelir yma. Defnyddiwyd dadleniad gofalus, araf, tawel a syml o tua deng munud ar hugain. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6214020.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8120403194c8105f5d3099.jpgNANTYSTALWEN, Abergwesyn Mountain Road, Brecknockshire 2010 Notes on NANTYSTALWEN, Abergwesyn Mountain Road, Brecknockshire 2010 An empty longhouse. I had visited some 5 years ago and little had changed. The barns around the house are primarily used for agricultural use. Inside Nantystalwen is dark and damp with puddles formed on the stone flag stones, although with no obvious clue to where all this water had come from. Much wooden panelling throughout, some painted over, some wall papered – all peeling and damp and revealing areas of brightness and colour. The boarded up main entrance door is stain glassed which leads to a small hallway and then up to the most interesting feature, the wooden staircase which leads to the floor above and then again to the large attic space. This is a superior house. A curved wooden and very large inglenook surrounds one of the ground floor fireplaces. Nantystalwen has an interesting history with tales of a murder by poison, undiscovered for two years and the man servant, guilty, who was never found. The river Towy is but a stones throw away and thus explained the swarms of midges that bit and pestered me throughout my visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6485234.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8071407414c922f7c83780.jpgDERRY ORMOND TOWER, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DERRY ORMOND TOWER, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2010 Standing high upon a hillside above the hamlet of Betws Bledrws, Derry Ormond Tower was built in 1837 by the owner of Derry Ormond House (demolished in the 1950's) and is based on an upturned canon. My morning here, only my second visit ever, surprising since I have driven passed this momument since my school days, was a beautiful experience. As so often the case, a soft night mist lingered along the river Teifi in the valley below and the sun burst through the low cloud as the morning began to break. There is no finer time of day than sun rise and this particular valley often exhibits a momentous beauty. The opening of the tower has been continuously blocked and re-opened throughout the decades. The tower was apparently badly damaged during the 1970's and restored. The concrete blockade had a hole large enough to fit through but I declined the offer, being a little uneasy with heights, and I was also uncertain if the stone steps leading upwards were safe. I have since been told that it is indeed possible to climb to the top. I restricted my visit to sticking my head through the hole and peering upward! Photographically, a tower has limitations. I have attempted to photograph it to the best of my abilities. I believe I read somewhere that Derry Ormond Tower was built on common ground, without planning permission, which was finally granted some 40 years after it was built. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39375001.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_415704235d4bd77b63194.jpgLLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Notes on LLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Llanerch House (possibly also known as Craig y Parcau) – long ruined, suffered a fire in 2006 – another building was also on the site, foundations remains – uncertain what this building was or if indeed this was Llanerch House. The house shown here was though a care home when last occupied – judging by the house and stables it was obviously built as a private residence originally. It is much ruined now, as these photographs testify. My visit was one hot Thursday afternoon beginning of August. The car was parked by the entrance and a short walk to the house. There was a deflated blow-up sex doll on the pathway leading to the house - the house is a well-known place for local vandals and kids. I wondered if I'd be finding anyone there myself. But no, my visit was uninterrupted. The roof has all but collapsed. The walls within are in a poor state, the house is by and by falling down. The stables around the rear are in a slightly better state, much graffiti and litter. A few exposures were made – I only had eight sheets of film – I had a taste for abstract images so after as many/as few outside images of the building were taken I focused my camera in the peeling paintwork inside the stables. One of the rooms had recently been used as a toilet and stank but as luck will have it this room had the richest abstract pickings. I held my breath, gagged and waited for my two minutes exposure to pass. A few more images and then the half hour visit had come to an end. My daughter was with me and commented that this had been one of the more interesting ruins I’d made her visit of recent times. This was a compliment and I did realise it was mostly industrial visits of late and the odd rural farm. I cannot seem to find much on the history of Llanerch House and if anyone knows ore then please do leave a comment below. It is well situated with easy reach of Bridgend and it is somewhat surprising that the site has been left to decay to such a state. I would imagine in the short term the remains will be demolished and something new built since it is prime location. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094528.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15151269944979611faeb5a.jpgGREAT MILTON, Newport, Gwent 2005 Notes on GREAT MILTON, Newport, Gwent 2005 In a quiet roadside location and a very short distance from Newport in Gwent, Great Milton is an unexpected pleasure. Built 16th century, of limestone rubble, this is a farmhouse laid out in an L shape with mullion windows, two storeys and an attic. After much discussion of renovation a few years back it now stands in a perilous state: boarded up and crumbling. The interior remains un-modernised with flagged stone floors and a collapsing wooden spiral staircase. The gardens, small and unkempt are also in need of restoration. Great Milton [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1394667904b51d7143652b.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bryn-sil-horton-gower-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13068340445f327176c9a2c.jpgBRYN-SIL, Horton, Gower 2020 Notes on BRYN-SIL, Horton, Gower 2020 I took the long path to the house, by the caravan park near to Horton. I wanted to visit another ruin which was so overgrown that no images were taken. I was also uncertain if Bryn-sil was lived in or indeed even ruined. On Googleearth the house seemed isolated in location with no road leading to it. As it turns out the house has seen a lot of renovation which was from a ruinous cottage. There is a new roof over the bare walls, inside had been built up with stone and brick and there was new lintels over the doors and windows… except there was no doors or windows and access into the house was by simply crossing the threshold. I am uncertain when this work was done but judging by the track/path leading to the house nothing had been done this year. It is beautifully positioned, especially so on the Sunday morning of my visit, a warm, warm day with no clouds. This isn’t my preferred weather for photographing but so few of the images on this website are taken in bright sunlight it actually made a change. I hope Brynsil is restored fully and becomes a home for someone. Remnants of an wood and corrugated outbuilding also on site but lost in the undergrowth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4496183.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13342874604b90a45b5a066.jpgCWM RHEIDOL, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on CWM RHEIDOL, Ceredigion 1994 This building has now been demolished save for its concrete foundation. This image is simple in its graphic telling. Taken looking up and shows a corrugated iron roof, part of the mining complex at Cwm Rheidol, all but fallen and masses of black shown in contrast against the featureless sky. The beam at the centre of the image seems frozen in an 'open' position yet ever ready to close and form a rectangle window up to the sky. This was taken in part response to the work of Aaron Siskind and his work and also an homage to the Abstract Expressionist painter, Franz Kline. ADEILAD MWYNGLODDIO. Cwm Rheidol. Ceredigion 1996 Dyma olygfa o do haearn rhychiog ar hen adeilad mwyngloddio yng Nghwm Rheidol sydd bellach wedi'i ddymchwel. Ymddengys bod y trawst sydd yng nghanol y llun wedi rhewi ar agor, ond eto arfin cau i ffurfio ffenestr betryal yn wynebut awyr. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/maesglas-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_159401504c6ab9acec427.jpgMAESGLAS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on MAESGLAS, Ceredigion 2010 Nestled on a valley side and sheltered by mature hardwoods, Maesglas now stands empty. It has not been empty long but one feels it needs to be lived in soon, if it's to survive another harsh winter. Peering through the windows boxes of toys hint at the last owners life. The outbuildings look as if at some point they had been converted into living accomodation. It would be a shame if this house lays forgotten. True, it is set in a barren landscape. The winters are servere on the Cambrian Mountains. The summers however are subliminal. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24417054.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_829604697556b1ac14881a.jpgYNYS-FELEN, Llanfihangel Ystrad, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on YNYS-FELEN, Llanfihangel Ystrad, Ceredigion 2015 Noted on Coflein website as a vernacular medieval hall, one of the last six in Ceredigion (with only two in Carmarthenshire) and with many photographs too I was somewhat saddened to see that the roof had long caved in. Thatched with corrugated iron, the crug beams all fallen inward made any visits within the building all but impossible. Once the owner had put a plastic tarpaulin over the whole roof but this had at some point been swept off and as is inevitable, the house became a ruin. Apparently lived in until 1954 - rubble and cob hall with brick and stone extension built at a right angle to form an L shape. The doorways were very low, the windows small. My visit was brief, for much that there was to photograph wasn't exactly photogenic but the chimney proved the main viewpoint, so I generally worked around that. A sad sight. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img266 https://images.on-this.website/7784_787238421534ebe78f3580.jpgCLAERWEN FARM, Ceredigion 1991 Notes on CLAERWEN FARM, Ceredigion 1991 A long walk from Teifi Pools, mid-day, mid-summer and hard to believe these images were taken 35 years ago (now being 2026!). The house stands on the border between Ceredigion and Radnorshire and is very isolated. The house at the time was empty. I had hoped to find a window or door open but I believe, if my memory serves me correctly, that the windows were nailed down, the doors well and truly locked. I used a cheap Chinese Seagull Twin Lens Reflex camera with infra-red film and hand held the necessary filter in front of the lens, resulting in a little vignetting - this resulting in the dark skies and light, almost snow-looking, grass. House now renovated and lived in. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8401228.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14034730904d3fc8cc8eaf9.jpgLLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on LLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2010 For the twenty odd years I have been driving past this house I have always expected to see piles of building material ready for the consolidation, the repair, the decoration and the modernisation to commence. It has never happened. Instead I have seen the slates from the roof removed, a gable end and chimney collapse, all the inner panelling removed and the floors rot and fall in. It breaks your heart. One of my favourite abstract photographs was taken upstairs on the landing in this house in 2003 and all subsequent visits I have sought out this wall even if I know that the wall has gone. It’s an odd thing being sentimental over an inner wooden wall but sentimental is what I feel! Anyone who drives from Abermagwr to Pontrhydygroes knows this house, as it stands over looking the road with a long line of outbuildings – commonly enough in a far better state of repair than the house itself. I know not whom occupied the house last and if it played a part in the Trisant mines or has been solely an agricultural property but either way it will be a great loss if it crumbles, perhaps inevitability, back into the ground. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-baglan-overlooking-baglan-nr https://images.on-this.website/7784_59556846449701ee80d822.jpgBLAEN BAGLAN, overlooking Baglan, Nr Port Talbot, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on BLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 1997 A very derelict, very early 17th century house situated high above the Baglan suburb, a couple of miles north of Port Talbot. The owner at the time appeared to care little for the house and was apparently a man of some temper. I was told he lived beside the house in a small modern cottage. I stood at the front door, wide eyed and then youthful, and I knocked on the cottage door with apprehension but noted the curtains were pulled and although the garden was well maintained the cottage too lay empty with rips in the net curtains and a small sapling growing in a drain. I imagine i made a few relieved sighs and then a made few quick exposures of the exterior of Blaen Baglan and I was on my way again. I can and do sympathise with owners of these mansions - the time, effort and finance of restoring such properties must be enormous. Even wishing to contain the dereliction is a major project and not one to enter lightly. The roof of Blaen Baglan, although mainly slate-less, had begun to waver and I suspect since I took these images has come down. A date stone mounted above the doorway was long gone. An intriguing but sorrowful pile. This is the most successful of the images taken at Blaen Baglan although does not do justice to the relatively large size of the house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19957884b652a6ef05de.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16095407124b652a9ea99b1.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1950710864b652abf9d3bf.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32944792.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_203438959459c3de8e4952a.jpgHENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on HENDREFIOLAN HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Belonging to Swansea University and currently for sale. I have not entered Hendrefiolan but have seen images taken inside by an urban explorer and as expected the building has lost its sense of a domestic dwelling. This is a shame but inevitable whenever a private property is sold to a municipal or academic establishment. Outside tells a different story. The house looks to be in decent condition. Some of the stained glass windows were smashed by vandals a while ago, these windows are now boarded up. There was other prefab type buildings built beside the house but these have been demolished -a large concrete platform is all that remains. The rear of the house is also looking good, perhaps a little forlorn but hopefully the house will soon be sold. My visit was a short one, perhaps an hour or so. Satisfying viewpoints were scarce and this may have encouraged me to take more photographs then I would normally have done, in some vain attempt to capture the house in its true glory with atmosphere to boot! I more or less failed, a few images are satisfactory, but I feel I missed a trick here but perhaps a second visit will rectify this. The stables are currently used as a library. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14320574.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2048981464f5cdaf0a0412.jpgGELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on GELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Between the months of December and the end of March are my favourite months to photograph. To visit Gelli-Galed on this March day provides the evidence. Other than a few conifers, all the leaves that cling steadfast to all the million of tiny branches have all fallen and decomposed back into the soil to form more soil. All those million of tiny branches; the minor bones of a tree or bush are there to capture onto film. The day of my visit was cloudy. The grey rendered walls of the house; the grey wall of stone of the many outbuildings; the greyness of the ground, the tired foliage; the browned bramble that rose some 6 foot high and covered huge swathes of ground around the properties seen here - All is recorded in a uniform tone of grey upon the film surface and seemed a fitting tribute to this once fine farmstead. Built in the 17th century and standing high on a hillside overlooking the village of Crynant, Gelli-Gared has a remarkable range of buildings all surrounded by a wall enclosure. Within the main house, the fabric of the building is revealed. The plaster is soft and covered in graffiti (‘Alan was here 1999’). A multi-textured sight: A-frames sagging under the weight of a damp roof and the sodden window lintels warping under the pressure of heavy damp walls. The yearly cycle of weeds filling empty spaces; clinging and poking through mortar, gaining purchase, strangling beams, pulling down window frames; a battle they shall one day win - not that the plants know of their future victory, it is a destructive by-product of a greater battle they wage, that of survival. And of all the things one could write about this spectacular enclosed farmstead? The brambles. What can be said? That they have 'spread like wildfire’ or they are 'rife in their uncontrolled corruption’? Without tool or weapon, man is ineffectual, entrance is futile. They defend this crumbled property simply and effectively. I decided to photograph from a safe distance. Their barbs rip clothing, rip skin and I wanted to walk back down into the village of Crynant like I had been merely taking a peaceful walk around the countryside of the Crynant Forest. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10098162.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11569330824dd36851b7412.jpgLLAWHADEN HOUSE, Llawhaden, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on LLAWHADEN HOUSE, Llawhaden, Pembrokeshire 2011 A fine house, sadly destroyed by fire in 2000, sits centrally in the small village of Llawhaden and overlooking the ruins of Llawhaden Castle. The village setting is pretty and well-maintained and Llawhaden house sits uncomfortable in it's dilapidated and ruinous state. At the core a medieval dwelling and it is also reported that Oliver Cromwell stayed here. Around the rear there is also a granary, stables, dovecote and also a walled garden (over the road) – all overgrown and unfriendly. My visit was brief, on a Saturday afternoon, bright and breezy and due to the high fence I only took a few photographs and did not venture within the fenced area. The property has been purchased with plans to restore in the immediate future. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5834424.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10512210204c5e4ee99c3d7.jpgHAROLDSTON HOUSE, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on HAROLDSTON HOUSE, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire 2010 I reached Haroldston at 7am. The sun was quickly rising in the sky and the morning was turning from a blue and frosty dawn into a bright and very warm day. Haroldston was very easy to find, the sun painted the tops of the trees and the ivy covered tower with a warm orange hue. I had seen recent pictures of Haroldston and knew the ruins were scattered and that I would not be visiting one of the true ruined treasures of Wales. It was however still a very pleasant surprise. It’s true that the ruins are fragmented but there is much to see here, thanks partly to the resident sheep keeping the grounds from becoming overgrown and obscuring the low walls. One sheep performed repeatedly by standing on its two hind legs reaching the young spring leaves from a lime tree. Haroldston was once one of the most important gentry houses in Pembrokeshire and was built by the Harold family in the 13th century. It was much modernised and enlarged between the 15th and 17th centuries. It fell into disrepair by the end of the 18th century and became ruinous thereafter. Ruinous except for the tower (named ‘The Stewards Tower’) which remained inhabited until the late 19th century. One must wonder how that occupier must have felt, living in a tower amongst a very large crumbling mansion. This picture becomes easy to visualise! It also explains why the tower has remained in relatively good condition (compared to the rest of the site) with stone steps still partially offering access up to the first corner of the tower. The house is beautifully situated to the south of Haverfordwest with good views looking east although now looks upon a modern housing estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/haroldston-house-haverfordwest-pembrokeshire-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10427284644c5e4f0ba1bcb.jpgHAROLDSTON HOUSE, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on HAROLDSTON HOUSE, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire 2010 I reached Haroldston at 7am. The sun was quickly rising in the sky and the morning was turning from a blue and frosty dawn into a bright and very warm day. Haroldston was very easy to find, the sun painted the tops of the trees and the ivy covered tower with a warm orange hue. I had seen recent pictures of Haroldston and knew the ruins were scattered and that I would not be visiting one of the true ruined treasures of Wales. It was however still a very pleasant surprise. It’s true that the ruins are fragmented but there is much to see here, thanks partly to the resident sheep keeping the grounds from becoming overgrown and obscuring the low walls. One sheep performed repeatedly by standing on its two hind legs reaching the young spring leaves from a lime tree. Haroldston was once one of the most important gentry houses in Pembrokeshire and was built by the Harold family in the 13th century. It was much modernised and enlarged between the 15th and 17th centuries. It fell into disrepair by the end of the 18th century and became ruinous thereafter. Ruinous except for the tower (named ‘The Stewards Tower’) which remained inhabited until the late 19th century. One must wonder how that occupier must have felt, living in a tower amongst a very large crumbling mansion. This picture becomes easy to visualise! It also explains why the tower has remained in relatively good condition (compared to the rest of the site) with stone steps still partially offering access up to the first corner of the tower. The house is beautifully situated to the south of Haverfordwest with good views looking east although now looks upon a modern housing estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-at-gwrthwynt-isaf-talsarn https://images.on-this.website/7784_42966538956224b0db2925.jpgABSTRACTION AT GWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2015 Impregnable due to foliage, I tried to find a way to the walls of the house, or to at least find a viewpoint worthy of exposing a sheet of film but mostly gave up. A mountain of foliage blocks both view and explorer - a long house, positioned high mid valley, outbuildings mostly ruined, roof still good but access impossible on the September day I visited. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cobclom-building-llanfihangel-y-creuddyn https://images.on-this.website/7784_13273700434dca2c64dcfd8.jpgCOB/CLOM BUILDING, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on COB/CLOM BUILDING, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 An interesting building. On the outside a typical looking corrugated iron barn albeit with a tiled roof. Yet within those metal walls reveal a cob building, much collapsed but with windows on two floors. I can only conclude that this was once a house and has it began to collapse the owner/farmer covered/preserved the building with metal sheeting. I could see no sign of a chimney but one end had completely falled and was open to the elements. Anyone have any idea what this building was? Or indeed who lived here and if there are any photographs? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/three-arched-stablebarn-near-glynhir https://images.on-this.website/7784_21220167335f2279925fe8e.jpgTHREE ARCHED STABLE/BARN near Glynhir Mansion, Llandybie, Carmarthensh Notes on THREE ARCHED STABLE/BARN near Glynhir Mansion, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 The only idea I could come up with why this building is position so was that perhaps this was once part of another building or the original road leading to Glynhir mansion. As it is, it stands high in a field about 40 meters from the road, somewhat secluded. I have searched on older maps dating back to late 1800’s and the road is still in the same place, the stable still in the same place but with trees adjacent to it. If anyone knows why it is position so then please leave a comment below. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14118147.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18056656414f33c034e0420.jpgCYNNANT, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on CYNNANT, Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire 2012 This rural farmstead has been ruined for some years judging by the state of the property. The facade was once painted yellow, this yellow has faded and worn and in the late afternoon, on this winters day, glowed with warmth and resilience. The large windows downstairs have gone, the porch and doorway crumbling, the staircase fallen and slates have fallen off the roof. A sorry state, poor Cynnant, lays in. South facing and the track leading from the road no more than a footpath, Cynnant seems miles from anywhere. I missed the footpath that weaved through the forestry and leads down to the house. Instead I carried on along the Forestry Commission track. There was little to no snow when I started my walk. The ground was frozen solid but going was easy. By the time I had walked through the forestry and by my calculations (I knew I’d somehow missed the proper footpath) by the time I was parallel with the house I was traipsing through six inches of snow. Animal tracks were abundant, the only other tracks, looking behind me, were mine. I slid down through the forestry and came, almost tumbling, alongside the stream, the Cynnant Fawr and then followed the Cynnant Fawr half a mile downstream to the house. This isn’t the preferred way to reach Cynnant when there’s a footpath leading right up to it. But it was a beautiful day and sometimes a longer walk makes the reward of such a property just that little bit extra special. Cynnant is, as it happens, a special place. Its isolation, its’ well proportioned windows and fine outbuildings all leave the visitor with ideals of restoration and then setting up home. This was once home. Around the rear, in the garden, metal fences protect trees from livestock and the outbuildings, all still in some agricultural use, are still in good condition. The house itself, albeit without windows and doors, appears structurally sound. This must have been an idyllic place to live. Once. I wondered, as I walked away, just how many other great properties lay abandoned, sitting beside a rushing stream, south facing, isolated, complimentary to the landscape around, in the Cambrian Mountains that I’ve yet to discover. I imagine many. I walked back to my car quite content with my walk but also a little saddened by this ruin. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dolcarne-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3789085364cb53fed5a240.jpgDOLCARNE, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DOLCARNE, Ceredigion 2010 A few tell-tale signs that this house is un-occupied; the untended grounds, the house in need of some basic maintenance and that instinctive feeling one gets when one walks up to the front door. Dolcarne is situated just outside Ponterwyd on the road that leads up to Nant-y-Moch reservior. Peering through the windows reveals empty rooms and flag stone floors. The window panes are damp and are beginning to seriously rot. Who owns this house? Why such a sad state of disrepair? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/lower-goitre-llanfaredd-radnorshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4012747134e36952678b18.jpgLOWER GOITRE, Llanfaredd, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on LOWER GOITRE, Llanfaredd, Radnorshire 2011 Timber framed and clad in corrugated iron sheeting with a brick chimney and stone foundations, Lower Goitre is an unlikely sight with it's zinc colour, standing imposing in amongst the greenery on a steep hilly bank above a small stream. I peered through the downstair windows and all appeared tidy and basic within with a few benches, tables and chairs and the other usual farming debris you expect to find within a locked and roofed ruin. The window frames are rotting though and although I had presumed this building was built in brick throughout, it becomes easy to see with closer inspection that the house is just a wooden frame. One can only image the noise when rain or indeed hail fell upon every inch of this house. If anyone has any information on who lived here and when it was built and then abandoned please do get in touch. Thanks to Stuart Fry for sending directions to find this hidden gem. See 'links' page to read Stuart's blog. Upper Goitre is also ruinous and stand half a mile above this property althoguh very little remains and was not photographed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pantyffynnon-hafod-pont-rhyd-y https://images.on-this.website/7784_3487695714b8e8e8c4f1e6.jpgPANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2000 Situated in seclusion without even a track leading to it, Notes on PANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2000 Pantyffynnon sits between Store House and Bwlchgwallter woods on the Hafod estate. A cottage fair of size has been empty for many a year. The roof was much intact when I firt visited over twenty years ago and it is the roof that makes, at least for me, this image interesting. The roof of course has now fallen and is laid out in chaotic fashion over the ground, every step small slats of timber and twigs crunched underfoot. Saplings have grown in height within the walls and Pantyffynnon has become equal to many other indistinguisable ruins around to the west of Coed Bwlchgwallter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dorwen-cwmtwrch-brecknock-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10677019265a759f78e0e2e.jpgDORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 Notes on DORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 The walk from Upper Cwmtwrch is perhaps only 2 miles and half of that along the old railway line that led from the mines. Before you reach the bridge that crosses the river Twrch a footpath ascends up a steep slope and then to the boggy uplands. It is here, following occasional footpath markers, you find first the ruined farmstead, Pen-yr-Wern (see previous pictures) and then about half a miles further the farm, Dorwen, as seen here much ruinous. Beyond Dorwen there are miles of wild hills, the foot of the Black Mountains stretch out inviting. I ventured no further than Dorwen and its outbuildings. The rear and one gable end has collapsed and no doubt much the rest will follow shortly. On the other side of the valley a small, low shepherds dwelling, two gable ends and no middle. I had intended to cross the river but decided instead of revisit Pen-yr-Wern. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8010698.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20086039764d08513225009.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1996 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1996 This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26433073.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_783304192569205f155eb0.jpgABSTRACTION AT SMITH COTTAGES, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigi NOTES on ABSTRACTION AT SMITH COTTAGES, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion 2016 Taken in the once tiny kitchen of Smith Cottages - the room was relatively light and an exposure of around 4 minutes was used. It shows layers of wallpaper, all amazingly dry but peeling due to the cottage being empty for at least three decades. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37371410.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5622564315c6073ccee588.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 A second visit in six months and in January when the foliage is stripped bare and the remains of the ruins are better viewed. The house was abandoned in 1824 – almost two hundred years ago – and at that time the sea would have made its way up stream and it is proposed Scotsborough House would have had a docking bay for boats delivering goods (not dissimilar to Boulston House). The land around the house has silted up now and this has become a haven for wildlife. The house itself is a sad site but perhaps we should be grateful there is still something to see. Viewpoints come easily for me on this morning. I think I can say I photographed the house better than my first visit – which admittedly was in the drizzle and I was somewhat hurried. Today an hour or so was spent at the site – a barbed wire fence surround the ruins with signs saying ‘No trespassing, dangerous ruins’ – a potential gravestone signature. The porch showed an internal arched doorway blocked up and further clues around the house give hint at other arched doorways. This had been a substantial building in its time. It’s a shame the ruins could not be consolidated as I am sure visitors to Tenby would love to explore the town other than the beach and shops. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/lletysynod-new-row-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7807704284c5912c220043.jpgLLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on LLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2010 For the twenty odd years I have been driving past this house I have always expected to see piles of building material ready for the consolidation, the repair, the decoration and the modernisation to commence. It has never happened. Instead I have seen the slates from the roof removed, a gable end and chimney collapse, all the inner panelling removed and the floors rot and fall in. It breaks your heart. One of my favourite abstract photographs was taken upstairs on the landing in this house in 2003 and all subsequent visits I have sought out this wall even if I know that the wall has gone. It’s an odd thing being sentimental over an inner wooden wall but sentimental is what I feel! Anyone who drives from Abermagwr to Pontrhydygroes knows this house, as it stands over looking the road with a long line of outbuildings – commonly enough in a far better state of repair than the house itself. I know not whom occupied the house last and if it played a part in the Trisant mines or has been solely an agricultural property but either way it will be a great loss if it crumbles, perhaps inevitability, back into the ground. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ty-gwyn-rhyd-y-fro https://images.on-this.website/7784_11295580045f8ed659cb58b.jpgTY GWYN, Rhyd-Y-Fro, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on TY GWYN, Rhyd-Y-Fro, Pontardawe 2020 I parked in a layby on the edge of a suburban area of Rhy-Y-Fro… hardly a city itself and more or less attached to Pontardawe. I walked fifty yards, followed a footpath down to a stream and small arched stone bridge, over this and through forestry. So far, so good. The path split, I took the muddier and steeper path, often the case, and quickly reached the walls of the house. A vast area to the left of the house was filled with Japanese Knotweed. It looked a brilliant yellow in the autumnal day, cloudy itself but bright enough to illuminate the knotweed. More knotweed grows beside the front of the house, a shame since the house is currently on the market. The house seemed much ruined and possibly for many years, nonetheless as with each site visited one picks up on the atmospherics and I can confirm this was a lovely calm place. Although only a ten minute walk from my car I honestly felt alone and miles from anywhere or anyone, that is except for a field of horses who were not interested in me in particular but nonetheless kept an eye open. Only six sheets of film were exposed for the only reason that I only had six sheets of film with me. I perhaps could have used a few more but left after half an hour believing I’d taken everything I needed to take and any extra would not have added anything to my remembrance of the place. I do hope the house and the accompanying land is purchased. It’s a lovely site with good views and mature trees. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/palace-theatre-swansea-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8615205885bfee5d6dfd2c.jpgPalace Theatre, Swansea 2018 Notes on Palace Theatre, Swansea 2018 The Palace Theatre... tall awkwardly shaped and difficult to photograph - mostly due to the usual problems with photographing in busy cities; cars, the proximity of other buildings and street signs! Palace Theatre is no exception. One can see from overhead views on Googleearth that it is triangular in size (the roof also looks to be in good condition) and how this is a natural shape of the theatre/cinema. It is currently surrounded by a high fence and access seems all but impossible. I did not try. Maybe a few years ago I might have. I have seen pictures inside and it is in quite a mess. I would also have not been able to photograph it with my wooden film camera unless I used flash - this is something I very seldom do since I do not like the unnatural look it lends the image. To break in just to take a few colour digital images is not worthwhile, the trouble not worth the result. Nonetheless the thought of what I'd find inside still lingers. As is, the images taken, are, I hope, a slight improvement on my previous efforts. My camera has an array movements but these were not enough to capture the building satisfactory. I was either too close with a wide angle or not far enough away with the standard lens. It might have been nice if I could have elevated myself a little but the other way to do this was to stand on the roof of my car (tempting) or to knock on someone's door and ask to see if I could use their living room for a better viewpoint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cefn-cethin-trapp-carmarthenshire-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_5253685235f2a753d66446.jpgCEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had known of this house since it was first put on the market a couple of years ago. The pictures of the estate agent website show a roofless ruin, the grounds cleared of foliage. In those two years a lot of foliage had grown back and my visit, mid-summer, made it all but impossible to get to the front door. Only a few exposures were made. This is an 18th century manor house (according to the sales burb) and the house is larger than most farmhouses and has an interesting array of outbuildings. The arched doorways had appeal, as does the full height rear part of the house, a somewhat odd looking square extension most likely a rear doorway but inaccessible. The rear is also windowless other than the large arch. I wonder if this had something to do with the historical window tax (introduced in 1696 until 1851)? Outbuildings around the rear, again mostly inaccessible. A lovely site and a lovely house which takes only a little imagination, but a whole heap of money, to return to its former glory. According to ‘Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families’ by Francis Jones (ISBN 0906972027), Cefn Cethin was still being lived in when the book was published in 1987. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38178724.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19415252725ccd5e9b4f68f.jpgMINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 Notes on MINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 High on the wooded hillside along the river Tawe at Ystalyfera are these mining ruins. They are much ruined and show only small signs of what must have been once a thriving area. The car was parked in a small car park alongside the river at Godre'r Garth and crossing a footbridge. On the other side there's a sad memorial for the men who lost their lives in Gleision Colliery mining disaster of 2011 - only a short stones throw away. I walked along the cycle path and then followed a steep muddy path up into the hills. It is here the these two buildings stand, a few hundred yards from each other, mostly only their bare bone walls still standing. A few exposures were made. It was a cloudy but bright day. The day was quiet, no cars could be heard, nor the river down below. I could hear voices high in the hills above, of children larking around. But they were far enough not to worry, my peace wouldn't be destroyed! Not that I'd have minded. A pleasant hour was spent, the viewpoints limited by the gradient of the hill and the position of the buildings. I'd love to have explored further. I'm sure there's other buildings, or remnants of buildings, lost in the forestry showing signs of our recently lost heritage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38178720.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_672891565ccd5e9979804.jpgMINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 Notes on MINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 High on the wooded hillside along the river Tawe at Ystalyfera are these mining ruins. They are much ruined and show only small signs of what must have been once a thriving area. The car was parked in a small car park alongside the river at Godre'r Garth and crossing a footbridge. On the other side there's a sad memorial for the men who lost their lives in Gleision Colliery mining disaster of 2011 - only a short stones throw away. I walked along the cycle path and then followed a steep muddy path up into the hills. It is here the these two buildings stand, a few hundred yards from each other, mostly only their bare bone walls still standing. A few exposures were made. It was a cloudy but bright day. The day was quiet, no cars could be heard, nor the river down below. I could hear voices high in the hills above, of children larking around. But they were far enough not to worry, my peace wouldn't be destroyed! Not that I'd have minded. A pleasant hour was spent, the viewpoints limited by the gradient of the hill and the position of the buildings. I'd love to have explored further. I'm sure there's other buildings, or remnants of buildings, lost in the forestry showing signs of our recently lost heritage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2120032.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1183673522498535913afda.jpgBLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on BLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 1997 A very derelict, very early 17th century house situated high above the Baglan suburb, a couple of miles north of Port Talbot. The owner at the time appeared to care little for the house and was apparently a man of some temper. I was told he lived beside the house in a small modern cottage. I stood at the front door, wide eyed and then youthful, and I knocked on the cottage door with apprehension but noted the curtains were pulled and although the garden was well maintained the cottage too lay empty with rips in the net curtains and a small sapling growing in a drain. I imagine i made a few relieved sighs and then a made few quick exposures of the exterior of Blaen Baglan and I was on my way again. I can and do sympathise with owners of these mansions - the time, effort and finance of restoring such properties must be enormous. Even wishing to contain the dereliction is a major project and not one to enter lightly. The roof of Blaen Baglan, although mainly slate-less, had begun to waver and I suspect since I took these images has come down. A date stone mounted above the doorway was long gone. An intriguing but sorrowful pile. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19957884b652a6ef05de.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16095407124b652a9ea99b1.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1950710864b652abf9d3bf.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-nantcwnlle-ceredigion-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7702012134a62ce505ac87.jpgHAFOD, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on HAFOD, Nandcwnlle, Ceredigion 2009 Three storeys high, built late 18th century and as discovered in the pages of ‘Forgotten Welsh Houses’ by Michael Tree and Mark Baker – and not by my eager and searching eye (surprising since I’ve lived near and used this road numerous times in the last 20 years!). I parked in the lay-by and walked up to the house. It was early, around 5:30am. A large caravan sat in the grounds as well as lots of visual clues the house was in the process of restoration. No windows were broken, no slates missing, no doors hanging from their frames, no signs of graffiti or vandalism. The ground around the house had been cleared and the house looked in generally good condition. I did not attempt to gain entry or peer through the windows. I was pleased the house and grounds seemed to show the beginnings of careful and considerate repair and I was also glad I was able to photograph it before it was all fully restored. A gentle drizzle blew, like mist and the long grass dampened my trousers. I set up my camera was walked around the house and made a few exposures. The house felt as ease in its setting, nestled between two ‘B roads’ but also remote and in part of the country I am most familiar with. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14970685914b594db26b679.jpg[/img] Hafod, Llangeitho 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15794972434b594e013436c.jpg[/img] Hafod, Llangeitho 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17716070574b594e488ba5c.jpg[/img] Hafod, Llangeitho 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34008640.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3615598745a748506858c6.jpgPEN YR WERN, Brecknock 2018 Notes on PEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Remarkable farmhouse and outbuildings all sitting in a shallow hollow surrounded by hardwood and boggy land. I had scanned the maps and GoogleEarth beforehand and concluded the house had been demolished. Google-earth showed nothing but a group of trees so was delighted when I traipsed along the invisible footpath through fields of soggy ground to this aforementioned group of trees. Within seconds I fell in love this silent little site. A few slates remain on the long barn with arrow slits (to help air circulate) but otherwise all other buildings are long empty and ruinous. Lines of trees lead in and out of the site around the rear to the side, again not explicitly apparent on GoogleEarth. Sometimes, most times, a walk is the only way to explore and find such ruins. I know nothing of the history of Pen-yr-wern so any information would be appreciated... apparently sold to the coal board in the 1960's and left abandoned ever since... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tan-y-bwlch-aberystwyth-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_15200254614d0850735c6c5.jpgTAN Y BWLCH, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on TAN Y BWLCH, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2004 Salt deposits on the rock bed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-carmarthen-1995 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3280784154bcaaca3e92fe.jpgWALL, Carmarthen 1995 Notes on WALL, Carmarthen 1995 This was taken in the car park in the large Tesco grounds at Carmarthen and is one of the very first abstractions i took with the work of Aaron Siskind in mind. It shows a bitumen type surface which has been weathered and begun to peel off from its cement surface. There's also some man-made graffiti scratched into the velvety surface. In 1995 I discovered the work of Aaron Siskind and Harry Callahan. I was particularly impressed with the way Siskind flattened the perspective of his photographs and focussed his camera at confusing parts of a wall. Yet within Siskind’s chaotic images lay an ordered and a simple array of compositional rules. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-mansion-pontrhydygroes-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8673089224f829c1c75fa3.jpgHAFOD MANSION, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on HAFOD MANSION, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 At the very least, a pile of rubble but at the very best, at least, within that pile of rubble, pieces of large dressed stone. This piece seen at the forefront on the image has recently been sandblasted. I felt a little cheated. If all the pieces were sandblasted then would this be being true to the ruins? I took the image. It was a peaceful Sunday morning. The composition was obvious but still I took the picture. This particular pile of rubble has had most of its more interesting dressed stone taken over the last sixty years and most of the trees that have gained root over that time have also been cut back. This pile of rubble is slowly being manicured into a tidier, more acceptable, pile of rubble but a pile of rubble it remains. The stables can be seen at the rear. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penygwernydd-isaf-trisant-mines-new https://images.on-this.website/7784_1516661914c5e53fb26cee.jpgPENYGWERNYDD ISAF, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PENYGWERNYDD ISAF, Ceredigion 2010 Just for a split second, whilst driving from New Row towards Abermagwr, a house can be spied just below the former mines at Trisant. Although half a mile away it has the air of an empty house – something I always eagerly seek whilst driving, walking or cycling around mid Wales. The walk up to its doors does not take long and it becomes obvious that this house has either not been left empty for all that many years or else it has just not been visited much, or indeed at all, by vandals. My first visit was, I believe, in 2003 and very little seems to have changed since then. There is little within except a few pieces of furniture and although it seems very damp inside it appears to be in generally good health. Some of the windows have however broken and the floor boards beneath them rotted but other than that I can not see why this house needs to stand empty. A long line of stone outbuildings, some ruined, stand adjacent. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cub-scout-huts-devils-bridge https://images.on-this.website/7784_12921358514bae230951048.jpgCUB SCOUT HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CUB SCOUT HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2010 There must be around 15 of these small wooden huts, all painted green and white and were once a summer home for cub scouts. All are damp and rotting with doors and windows hanging from their frames, brambles weaving and prising apart the wooden slats from the walls. This visit was a spontaneous one - I had no intention of returning here for many more years. The complex has naturally deteriorated further since my last visit two years ago, most of the wooden huts are now very damp and in various states of collapse. The brambles rips at your clothes as you make your way and the whole experience is an unpleasant one. This image, although no necessarily in evident in this scan, works because of the flattening of the perspective and also the patterns formed by the telegraph wires above the building. CABANAU CYBIAU, Pontarfvnach. Ceredigion 2005 Mae’n rhaid bod oddeutu 15 o’rcabanau bychain pren hyn, i gyd wedi’u peintio yn wyrdd a gwyn ac unwaith roeddent yn dy haf i gybiau sgowtiaid. Mae’r cyfan wedi eu gadael i ddirywio dros y 10 mlynedd ddiwethaf ac maent yn llaith ac yn pydru gyda drysau a ffenestri yn hongian o’u fframiau, mieri yn gweu drwy ‘r slatiau pren ac yn eu tynnu i ffwrdd o’r waliau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/plas-crwn-llandewi-velvrey-pembrokeshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_5336145064c55ccc653007.jpgPLAS CRWN, Llandewi Velvrey, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on PLAS CRWN, Llandewi Velvrey, Pembrokeshire 2010 Walking up to the driveway, passed the stone gates posts and cast iron gate, it had suddenly occurred to me that I had visited Plas Crwn before. The grounds are immaculately maintained and then, back in 1998 (?) I had decided that if the grounds are so well maintained then surely the house too must no longer be derelict but restored. In 1998 I ‘about turned’ and did not bother to investigate any further. This visit I carried on. If I had walked on a further 100 yards in 1998 I would have seen Plas Crwn as ruin. It is modest in size and somewhat dwarfed by the large array of stables and other buildings at the rear of the house. These have all been sympathetically restored and are occupied. Plas Crwn itself consists of the front façade and the two end ranges with chimneys and two towers survive. The rear has completely collapsed and the basements have all caved in. Plans to renovate the property were submitted in 2005 but I am uncertain of the conclusion of the application. The two corner decorative towers are ivy covered but the castellation design is just about apparent. My entire visit was witnessed by a male peacock who sat watchful, between preening itself and making the trademark loud squawking sound. He sat majestically, as one would expect, forty foot high on one of the towers, the lord of his crumbling estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dead-sheep-at-teifi-pools https://images.on-this.website/7784_18235409754bc17102ae48d.jpgDEAD SHEEP AT TEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on DEAD SHEEP AT TEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 1993 A bloated sheep floating in amongst the lillies and grasses in one of the lakes at Teifi Pools. The breeze blew across the lake and due to the fact I was using a red and a polarizing filter to cut down reflections and increase contrast, meant a long exposure of around 8 seconds was required. Of the six images taken this was the only one where the body of the sheep did not record blurred. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tanybwlch-llwynpiod-llangeitho-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_111879517456e2f3e88caf0.jpgTANYBWLCH, Llwynpiod, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on TANYBWLCH, Llwynpiod, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Low cottage, few discernible features; lintels, fireplace and windows and door holes, corner of house built deeply into bank. Barely legible beneath tree and foliage, Tanybwlch is now little more than four walls. Planning permission had been submitted in the 1970's but obviously nothing had come from it. A caravan sat beside it, a dirty mattress and an empty bottle of vodka, long empty but signs of someone who thought maybe they could make a go of things. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abandoned-van-cwmystwyth-mines-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_120365474356224ad49b83e.jpgABANDONED VAN, Cwmystwyth Mines, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on ABANDONED VAN, Cwmystwyth Mines, Ceredigion 1994 Abandoned and set on fire, this van stayed at Cwmystwyth a little while before the council came and took it away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5917260.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18115785564c67953ae33c0.jpgHOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 20 Notes on HOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Nestled in a quiet valley between the high lands and the reservoirs and ancient broadleaf woodlands the Cwm Elan mines are a worthy experience not just for its solitary atmosphere but also its historical interest. It sits 1000ft over looking the Garreg-ddu reservoir. The only sounds one can hear are the babbling brook, the bleating sheep and the sweeping and singing birds. The two ruined houses which stand beside one another are a stark contrast in style and colour. I believe the stone house was home to the manager of the mine when lead was discovered at the site in 1796 (and was mined until 1877). Much of the mining equipment and indeed buildings have or are slowly vanishing as the years pass. The red brick house was built by the Birmingham Corporation Waterworks for one of its estate workers and is now in agricultural storage use (although my last visit a few years ago access inside was easy and very little remained since it was used by the sheep as shelter!). The ferns had yet to fully burst open and last years crunched underfoot. When fully grown at the height of summer these ferns cover much of the fields and hills around the mine and are chest high (and also a fertile breeding ground for sheep ticks). My visit on this occasion was humid but cloudy but after a few hours, towards the end of my visit, the sun returned with strength and lit up the spring greenery and the red brick building with pure delight. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penrheol-cwmcerdinen-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20407798825e2a99d193057.jpgPENRHEOL, Cwmcerdinen 2020 Notes on PENRHEOL, Cwmcerdinen 2020 Quiet roadside location and I had presumed vacant but a number of caravans around rear of property and signs of occupancy (in caravans). Strange little place, maybe subject of fire or perhaps just neglect hence dereliction, now most likely used as storage and/or for livestock shelter. I did not enter the property but just took a couple of photographs after a long walk searching for another ruin. The sun was bright and even before I develop the negatives i expect the finished images will suffer to some degree with flare. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4359655.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20716753174b6bd2935f515.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2009 I had heard that Bronwydd had all but gone, demolished by the owner/farmer since my last visit in 1996. I was surprised to find that very little had changed. Some of the ornate arches with Latin inscriptions had fallen but considering it had been 13 years I believe Bronwydd still has much to offer the casual visitor. A border collie came bounding over and accompanied me during my visit demanding I throw stones. Another dog barked constantly somewhere in the farm yard above. As I approached the house the cows and calves fled and the sheep huddled in corners of fields. The most prominent part of Bronwydd is the large high tower, completely ivy covered and resilient. The remnants of fireplaces, doorways, staircases and plastered corners can be seen when looking up from the inside. Foolishly I forgot also to see if the spiral staircase to the narrow rounded tower that projects up beside the large ivy covered tower was still accessible. I’m not sure I would have had the courage to walk up it anyway. A few decorative blocks of plasterwork lay here and there in amongst the rubble and stone. Although I only spent half an hour at Bronwydd I spent a further two hours attempting to dig my car of the mud I had decided to park it in! [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_312845545498bd5e5d5c3a.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14637335094a693b5d1666f.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9156197234b5961bda7cc2.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18635850294b595fa4283c9.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13462290774b3887ff84ddd.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5865035494b596057f17e0.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14505653094b5960a7413ee.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17816598244b596167aea23.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7376366104b59600452e57.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 BRONWYDD. Llanqynllo. Ceredigion 1997 & 2009 Safai ty ar safle Bronwydd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar ddeg ac fe gafodd ei ailadeiladu yn y 1850au - er nad oes dim yma heddiw ond twmpath o rwbel. Mae'r cerfiadau cerrig, y gwydr lliw a'r murluniau wedi hen ddiflannu heblaw am ychydig o arwyddeiriau Lladin uwchben y drysau o garreg Caerfaddon.. Dychwelais i Fronwydd fis Gorffennaf 2009. Prin yr oedd wedi newid. Mae eiddew'n gorchuddio'r twr ac mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r arysgrifau Lladin wedi dirywio a diflannu am byth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/056 https://images.on-this.website/7784_78358717053b4457856140.jpgBYRGWM ISAF, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on BYRGWM ISAF, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Lowly positioned and I presume long empty - I wonder who lived here in this small dank remote cottage? A footpath alongside sees few walkers. A little further on a dead rabbit was found, outstretched and wet, its glassy eyes giving sign that it had only recently died, perhaps sometime in the morning or the night before. Access within the house was by simply opening the front door, off its hinges. Inside was covered in sheep droppings, the usual birds nest remnants in the fireplace - the staircase completely gone. I peered up past the low ceiling. There was little to see; more empty rooms, all forlorn and lonely. Only a few exposures were made, the darkness of the trees canopy giving an high contrast negative against the bright sunny morning. One can imagine, quite without imagination, how quickly this house will fall. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5781518.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12766790764c56fd06f20c0.jpgPLAS CRWN, Llandewi Velvrey, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on PLAS CRWN, Llandewi Velvrey, Pembrokeshire 2010 Walking up to the driveway, passed the stone gates posts and cast iron gate, it had suddenly occurred to me that I had visited Plas Crwn before. The grounds are immaculately maintained and then, back in 1998 (?) I had decided that if the grounds are so well maintained then surely the house too must no longer be derelict but restored. In 1998 I ‘about turned’ and did not bother to investigate any further. This visit I carried on. If I had walked on a further 100 yards in 1998 I would have seen Plas Crwn as ruin. It is modest in size and somewhat dwarfed by the large array of stables and other buildings at the rear of the house. These have all been sympathetically restored and are occupied. Plas Crwn itself consists of the front façade and the two end ranges with chimneys and two towers survive. The rear has completely collapsed and the basements have all caved in. Plans to renovate the property were submitted in 2005 but I am uncertain of the conclusion of the application. The two corner decorative towers are ivy covered but the castellation design is just about apparent. My entire visit was witnessed by a male peacock who sat watchful, between preening itself and making the trademark loud squawking sound. He sat majestically, as one would expect, forty foot high on one of the towers, the lord of his crumbling estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4051676.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3128804144b1246b811081.jpgBEUDIAU, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BEUDIAU, Ceredigion 2009 On the back road to the Falcondale Hotel just outside Lampeter sits this farm house, situated on a bank high above the high hedged B-road that runs beside it. The front view shows very little of interest other than that is apparent that it has been abandoned. This unremarkable view is transformed when one sees the large chimney sitting at the rear. It is somewhat oddly positioned and challenges not only the scale of the property but also its overall aesthetic appeal hence its inclusion on this website. The morning of my visit was one of those cool Autumnal days that had forecast as mild with rain but had in fact been bright and cold. The dew hung heavy on the grass and dampened the sides and edges of all the farm machinery left in front of the property. There was also some small outbuildings, one with an appealing arched entrance. Furniture was stored up in the loft of one of the outbuildings but all looked beyond use or repair. The house itself has the first few signs of dereliction; a few slates missing, windows either broken or boarded up, a large plotted plant stands outside as high as the front door. Peering through the letterbox reveals the usual uncarpeted staircase, bare floorboards, torn net curtains, peeling wallpaper and blistered paintwork. The house has wonderful views and due to its close approximation to the busy market town of Lampeter would make an excellent family home. If left to deteriorate any further then dereliction threatens. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13419424954b0905d7b8033.jpg[/img] BEUDIAU, Ceredigon 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42008063.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5603762455f8ed65bcabb0.jpgTY GWYN, Rhyd-Y-Fro, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on TY GWYN, Rhyd-Y-Fro, Pontardawe 2020 I parked in a layby on the edge of a suburban area of Rhy-Y-Fro… hardly a city itself and more or less attached to Pontardawe. I walked fifty yards, followed a footpath down to a stream and small arched stone bridge, over this and through forestry. So far, so good. The path split, I took the muddier and steeper path, often the case, and quickly reached the walls of the house. A vast area to the left of the house was filled with Japanese Knotweed. It looked a brilliant yellow in the autumnal day, cloudy itself but bright enough to illuminate the knotweed. More knotweed grows beside the front of the house, a shame since the house is currently on the market. The house seemed much ruined and possibly for many years, nonetheless as with each site visited one picks up on the atmospherics and I can confirm this was a lovely calm place. Although only a ten minute walk from my car I honestly felt alone and miles from anywhere or anyone, that is except for a field of horses who were not interested in me in particular but nonetheless kept an eye open. Only six sheets of film were exposed for the only reason that I only had six sheets of film with me. I perhaps could have used a few more but left after half an hour believing I’d taken everything I needed to take and any extra would not have added anything to my remembrance of the place. I do hope the house and the accompanying land is purchased. It’s a lovely site with good views and mature trees. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23808605.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10837967785513b1298bd01.jpgCWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 2015 Each visit and one feels Cwmystwyth Mines are a little more decimated, the height of the buildings just that little lower than previous visits. One cannot help also but lament the removal of the large corrugated finishing mill and indeed, the flattening of the other buildings by the council some time in the late 1990's. An opportunity missed, one feels, when you consider the interest in the mining heritage of Wales. I came here on this visit to photograph the cottages on the opposite side of the valley. The opposite of the valley was cold, the ground solid with frost, the sun yet to reach. I was happy to cross the river and wander around the heaps and ruins. The sun brought warmth and also a few photographic possibilities. The images here show varies views of the mines and the buildings thereon. Much is gone, much barely recognisable after so many years of neglect. This site used to be a tipping ground, mostly it seemed for old cars and vans - there is only one rusting car remaining which is lodged down a hole. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-baglan-baglan-neath-port https://images.on-this.website/7784_9153356025946708bda23f6.32974592.jpgBLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, Neath Port Talbot 2017 Notes on BLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, Neath Port Talbot 2017 Little changed and definitely not for the better. The small burnt out shell of the bungalow has now been restored and makes an odd contrast between the ruin and the new. A short visit, heavy mist, little more to say. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475608.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10348018144b8bc6e658985.jpgRHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 Notes on RHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 A few miles from Llyn Brianne Reservior, a surprisingly large mine workings called Nantymwyn which ceased production in the early 20th century. I visited early March 2003 and again in November 2008. Many former mining buildings scatter the grey heaps. A large cement mixing(?) building stands on cement stilts and a high tower and finishing mill. Back in 2003 after I had wandered around for a hour or two, further down the hillside, I thought I could hear a motor of some description labouring. Due to a slight breeze I had slight trouble locating the precise source of the sound. Just below a small pile of rubble sat a small pond thick with frogspawn and around the pond, leaving by the scores were large frogs (or toads) chirping and croaking like many small engines! An unexpected pleasure! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26446197.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9921709095694a58e229eb.jpgMYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on MYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 This image shows the remnants of a horse pulley, still very much intact. A revisit to this house - there was once talk of renovating this site into a museum - it would be a fantastic site but I have seen little change since the 2011 visit. A few slates seem to have fallen off the roof but mostly it's all in a relatively good condition. (Also known as Great Abbey Farm, Strata Florida). A large house, grade 2 listed (in 1963), nestled in a farming complex and besides the ruined abbey of Strata Florida. The road that runs through the yard is a relatively recent addition and will be, once the house has been restored, re-directed around the barns. Lampeter University have recently purchased the house with plans of consolidation work in process. The house itself seems to be in a good condition but looking a little sorry for itself. The rear roof seems to have been re-roofed recently. The small building on the right hand side was once the kitchen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tyn-rhos-bwlchllan-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13991459615583b88677907.jpgTYN RHOS, Bwlchllan, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TYN RHOS, Bwlchllan, Ceredigion 2015 The house of Tyn Rhos has now all but gone, just the shallow foundations remain – it occupied until 1965. Thanks to Delyth Morgan (whose father lived here last)for this photograph https://www.flickr.com/photos/delythmorgans/431628021/ What remains are extensive and large barns and stables – all ruinous but still worthy of photographing. The footpath towards the site also had a simple and seemingly (but not), well groomed tree – so I took a picture of that too! Another link Delyth sent shows that the occupies of Tyn Rhos, John and Elizabeth Jones and their five children, moved to Ohio and set up a chapel there and called that Tyn Rhos too. Quite remarkable. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/house-by-bont-glan-marchnant https://images.on-this.website/7784_103380914c67950a3067a.jpgHOUSE BY BONT GLAN MARCHNANT, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on HOUSE BY BONT GLAN MARCHNANT, Ceredigion 2010 Although a very small mountain stream, the river Marchnant seems to cling along its banks a large number of ruins. I am uncertain of the name of this property. It was more or less box shaped although much of it has collapsed. Adjacent are two very large single storey stables and barn buildings, also ruinous. The white wash can still be seen on the surviving internal walls and presumably this is the rear of the house. My first visit to this house, 6 years ago, the roof was still on. Today the beams lay in a clutter in amongst the stone. Beautifully located. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-swansea-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19037541605ce2e1eae35a0.jpgABSTRACTION, Swansea 2019 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Swansea 2019 I find it hard to walk anywhere without searching for such abstractions. I visit towns, landscapes, ruins or just walking down a residential street I seek such subjects. This image and its sister is actually something of a cheat. This is the recycling bin of a house my partner and I are renovating. The house itself, now all the walls have been stripped of their plaster, have also revealed interesting walls - of which will be shown here at a later date. And of this number 79? It shows a peeled plastic number, a small bird, sunlight, shade, bubbles in the number, scratches and scars, highlights and shadows. It contains everything a good image should; substance. It also shows a recycling bin. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/danbert-house-swansea-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8015252305a8b338f836b4.jpgDANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2018 Notes on DANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2018 Long ruinous - at least fifteen years - recently sold for £100,000 after the Australian owners were forced to sell by Swansea Council. Nothing has yet been done to consolidate the ruins, except last year the fire brigade dismantled the roof partially after an arson attack. Built 1880 and was last used as an employment centre. This recent visit was made two days before the house was to be auctioned off again - this time with a starting price at £70,000. No access was possible within and to be honest, I felt there was little to be gained by entering. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llain-cross-inn-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_912786415569205f48a650.jpgLLAIN, Ceredigion 2016 ABSTRACTION AT LLAIN, Ceredigion 2016 Six years after my first visit. The foliage in front of the house almost completely obscured the house in pictures I took in summer of 2010. Dappled sunlight did not help either, as pretty as it was. My return today, January, was cloudy and drizzly. No fear of the sun ruining any viewpoints! Again, the rear window was the way in and after exploring the house, little changed in six years, I set the camera upstairs pointing from the landing to the bedroom wall you can see here. A relatively long exposure of 16 minutes, and the negative is a little thin, so would have probably could have done with a 45 minute exposure. Nonetheless, a successful image. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mount-gernos-maesllyn-ceredigion-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20593276704a62ce634851a.jpgMOUNT GERNOS, Maesllyn, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on MOUNT GERNOS, Maesllyn, Ceredigion 2009 Only a mile or two away from the ruins of Bronwydd is another large house, all but vanished, Mount Gernos. I had visited it in 1998 but did not consider it worthy of photographing - something i would have regretted if, on this summers morning in 2009, i would have found those two towers had also been demolished since then. A couple of exposures were made – although I only had two sheets of film remaining - but so little remains of Mount Gernos (a great photograph can be seen in Tom Lloyd’s ‘Lost Houses of Wales’) that I did not need any more film. All that does remain are two bath stone windows, two storeys high in a field, beside Gernos farm and the patchwork of barns, outbuildings and new bungalows. One wonders when the rest of the house was demolished why this pair of windows were left. They make both a sad and proud monument but surely it would have been much simplier to demolish the whole house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7519666174a693c2bc42a3.jpg[/img] Mount Gernos 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/prignant-uchafceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16838469334ba7a0b1e68e5.jpgPRIGNANT UCHAF,Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2010 Isolated with no proper road, Prignant Uchaf is a favourite location of mine – the only sound to be heard are the birds, sheep, wind and the small stream, the Brignant... and the occasional jet fighter plane. The house has slowly been in decline over the twenty years I have been visiting (every 4 years or so). The staircase has now completely collapsed so no access to the two rooms above and the floors above also have all but collasped due to the hole in the roof as seen in this photograph. A cast iron bed sits beside the fireplace on the ground floor. I photographed this very scene in 1996 and very little has changed. That photograph taken in 1996 is a notoriously difficult negative to print due to the contrast. I decided a re-take was required, especially since little had in fact changed all that much. This new image has proved a success and also with the added attraction of three old shoes (three individual, no pairs!) all old, worn and warped by the leather becoming damp and drying. Although isolated Brignant stands beside Forestry Commission land and on this visit was dwarfed by the 30 foot piles of freshly felled pine, sweet scented; my singularly favourite scent and one I closely associate home with. Brignant stands before a small clutter of hardwoods and has a special atmosphere. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img469 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20357959353b3adf1b5efb.jpgABSTRACTION AT FEN ONWYN (revisited), Bont-Newydd, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT FEN ONWYN (revisited), Bont-Newydd, Ceredigion 2014 I was walking past, a few sheets of film remained and heading for my car. I hadn’t even realized I would be walking past. I, of course, stopped and had a quick look around. I knew the house was for sale but that must have been two or three years ago. It would appear it was still unsold. The place had, however, been cleared up a little. Most of the debris from the barns, including the motorbike, had gone. Someone had recently kicked a hole in the front door. There were also a few ornaments on a front window sill. I took a few photographs and left. I don’t much like this house. It’s somehow foreboding and too barren for my tastes. This image shows the front door, tiny flakes of paint crumbling off, exposed to all weathers, all year around. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-cwmystwyth-mines-ceredigion-1994 https://images.on-this.website/7784_260833734bcaacab50dc0.jpgWALL, Cwmystwyth Mines, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on WALL, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1994 One of my first ever abstractions and possibly taken without properly knowing why. This shows a ruined mining building with black paint splashed down it's walls and a darker stone acting as a setting sun/moon? Seeking abstractions in rural mid Wales can at times prove difficult but also when a suitable wall is found, rewarding. Fortunately, there are many ruined houses, farms and industrial buildings which may not always be easy to enter. When possible they often contain walls covered in blistered paint or peeled wallpaper. Often there is very little natural light and since I do not use flash photography exposures can vary from a few seconds up to a few hours. These long exposures allow me to become acquainted with these empty properties, their crumbling and damp walls and whilst the film is exposed to the subject I can settle into the moment and become calm within the buildings atmosphere. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37165808.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17931200035c21d5285418b.jpgPalace Theatre, Swansea 2018 Notes on Palace Theatre, Swansea 2018 The Palace Theatre... tall awkwardly shaped and difficult to photograph - mostly due to the usual problems with photographing in busy cities; cars, the proximity of other buildings and street signs! Palace Theatre is no exception. One can see from overhead views on Googleearth that it is triangular in size (the roof also looks to be in good condition) and how this is a natural shape of the theatre/cinema. It is currently surrounded by a high fence and access seems all but impossible. I did not try. Maybe a few years ago I might have. I have seen pictures inside and it is in quite a mess. I would also have not been able to photograph it with my wooden film camera unless I used flash - this is something I very seldom do since I do not like the unnatural look it lends the image. To break in just to take a few colour digital images is not worthwhile, the trouble not worth the result. Nonetheless the thought of what I'd find inside still lingers. As is, the images taken, are, I hope, a slight improvement on my previous efforts. My camera has an array movements but these were not enough to capture the building satisfactory. I was either too close with a wide angle or not far enough away with the standard lens. It might have been nice if I could have elevated myself a little but the other way to do this was to stand on the roof of my car (tempting) or to knock on someone's door and ask to see if I could use their living room for a better viewpoint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/the-systerne-housesisters-house-minwear https://images.on-this.website/7784_17780325924dd368493e344.jpgTHE SYSTERNE HOUSE/SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on THE SYSTERNE HOUSE/SISTER'S HOUSE, Minwear, Pembrokeshire 2011 A return to the Sister's House and all those hidden ruins within its fenced grounds. My previous visit had been early spring a few years ago and I was surprised by the thickness of undergrowth. Nettles swayed three foot high and the canopy of tree cover caused exposures of around 16 seconds on a bright but cloudy afternoon. Classed as an Ancient Monument one can not help but feel that this complex of ruins, with some uncertainty of theses buildings purpose (a hospice for female pilgrims?), needs some loving care, the stone work must have suffered dreadfully over the last few harsh winters and one would have thought CADW would demand some sort of consolidation work on these important buildings. As it is they all stand, and will surely crumble and tumble, unprotected from the elements. This medieval village does however offer the explorer much delight and pleasure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34530354.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21169880065ad2fe187fcda.jpgNotes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Blurred edges are the fence surrounding these buildings. I decided to leave them, and not crop, since they are part of the experience. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34628005.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1171482655ade342eb0c1b.jpgBLAENGWRACH FARM, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on BLAENGWRACH FARM, Neath Port Talbot 2018 I approached this ruin from the right footpath but discovered a bridge I had intended to cross had been fenced across and was inaccessible. An hour and half later rambling through bramble and nettle, I reached the walls of the house.The house has a relatively new metal roof, preserving the house and rightly so. Cadw site description: C19 cowhouse and stable, limewashed rubble construction with metal sheet roof over stable only. Roof over cowhouse missing. The front is distinctive for its five semicircular-arched openings with carefully dressed stone voussoirs; these openings are cambered on the inner side. The left hand gable end has unusual lancet opening to the stable loft. Rear of cowhouse has 2 small vent loops and 2 inserted windows. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dologau-bridge-over-the-river https://images.on-this.website/7784_11657045274be5160704a80.jpgDologau Bridge over the River Ystwyth, Hafod, Ceredigion 2007 Notes on AFON YSTWYTH TOWARDS DOLOGAU BRIDGE, Hafod, Ceredigion 2007 The bridge near Dologau with the ever rapid flowing Afon Ystwyth beneath. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/lake-at-penllergaer-mansion-gardens https://images.on-this.website/7784_167819675658592aaa01c3f.jpgLAKE at PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14359208.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20980471094f61a93c52721.jpgDERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on DERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2012 An ornate bridge, once one of the main driveways up to the country house of Derry Ormond (demolished 1956) now stands a little forlorn and once formed part of three ponds which sat at the foot of the once great house. The bridge these days carries no visitors, by horse and cart nor motor car and serves no purpose except perhaps to move livestock from one field to another. My visit was early on a cloudy morn and I was accompanied by birdsong and the babbling brook of the stream Nant Dyfel. Due to the slow rising dawn long exposures of around 6 minutes were used which caused some blurring of the leaves blowing in the wind and the flow of the stream. Above the bridge are ornate iron gates rusting and hanging off their posts and a view can be stolen of Derry Ormond tower. Much high stone work can be easily viewed which obviously created the pond and the flow of water could be contained and controlled. The bridge was once ridged with white marble but this has mostly fallen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32196690.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6782157215977a3e9e05524.42106160.jpgPONT LLANIO CREAMERY, Nr Tregaron, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on PONT LLANIO CREAMERY, Nr Tregaron, Ceredigion 2017 A favourite haunt, and one I cannot help returning to, if I have had a break from photographing for a while. The walls inside are partially open to the elements, layers of paint slipping off the walls, frost damage, summer heat damage all contributing to the decay. Little darkroom trickery is needed, the images seen here are simple exposures and a re filled with tactile and interesting shapes and patterns. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41241976.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12626852995efb38d566211.jpgHOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 Notes on HOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 I am not sure how I missed these brick-works before but they’re easily found along the cycle path from Horeb to Lliedi Reservoirs. Well camouflage in the summer foliage but if visiting look for the huge tower and you know you’re in the right place. The brickworks are in a fairly good condition, the entrance is somewhat caved in but the basic structure seems sound. Nature has however reclaimed around the perimeter. Within was dark, I had chosen a very wet morning to visit, late June, heavy rain, the foliage not helping with lighting up the interior. Beer cans aplenty within but the site perhaps not as vandalized as it would be if it was located elsewhere. Horeb is a far distance from anywhere and parking is a challenge. I had forgotten to put a SD card into my digital camera to take colour snapshots. I was annoyed with myself, usually so fastidious before I go out photographing. I needn't have worried. I had my smartphone and the pictures it took were of a good enough quality. I think a re-visit to this site once the summer is over. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13985064.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7810453094f152c41b7e23.jpgBEUDIAU, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BEUDIAU, Ceredigion 2009 On the back road to the Falcondale Hotel just outside Lampeter sits this farm house, situated on a bank high above the high hedged B-road that runs beside it. The front view shows very little of interest other than that is apparent that it has been abandoned. This unremarkable view is transformed when one sees the large chimney sitting at the rear. It is somewhat oddly positioned and challenges not only the scale of the property but also its overall aesthetic appeal hence its inclusion on this website. The morning of my visit was one of those cool Autumnal days that had forecast as mild with rain but had in fact been bright and cold. The dew hung heavy on the grass and dampened the sides and edges of all the farm machinery left in front of the property. There was also some small outbuildings, one with an appealing arched entrance. Furniture was stored up in the loft of one of the outbuildings but all looked beyond use or repair. The house itself has the first few signs of dereliction; a few slates missing, windows either broken or boarded up, a large plotted plant stands outside as high as the front door. Peering through the letterbox reveals the usual uncarpeted staircase, bare floorboards, torn net curtains, peeling wallpaper and blistered paintwork. The house has wonderful views and due to its close approximation to the busy market town of Lampeter would make an excellent family home. If left to deteriorate any further then dereliction threatens. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pont-llanio-milk-factory-llanio https://images.on-this.website/7784_10795026784e842344497ba.jpgPONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes. Other railway buildings remain, station storage building as seen here still in agricultural storage use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41489487.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14425818945f3144b709fab.jpgALLT-Y-FRAN-FACH, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on Allt-Y-Fran-Fach, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 A short track from Troserch Woods car park leads to the ivy covered ruins of Allt-Y-Fran-Fach. Access near impossible with almost shoulder height foliage but fortunately there was not many bramble, so it was easy, albeit slow and I got a good soaking, to trample down the weeds and nettle. Inside much ruinous, as seen here, internal wall of ‘Llangennech’ bricks had collapsed. It is always a pleasant return when you pick up a brick to see where it had been made… I often wished I collected bricks from around Wales but I have enough to carry and besides even if ruinous and broken, a brick does not belong to me and would be considered theft. A few exposures were made outside too, viewpoints were scarce, the foliage again had to be trampled to get far away enough from the house. A single height barn stands right behind the house and I noted from older maps that they show the house and barn joined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18174348.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_73074730451aa0f1a86973.jpgBLAENCARON CHAPEL, Tregaron Ceredigion 2013 Notes on BLAENCARON CHAPEL, Tregaron Ceredigion 2013 Around two - three years ago this was in the process of restoration. New windows were put in at the accommodation end of the chapel but after a year or so all repair work suddenly ended. The windows were removed. The post remained unopened in the letterbox. The caravan next to the chapel is very damp and one would not want to spend a night there, opened but not empty cans of food and drink lay scattered by the caravan door. Litter and rubbish blow around in the breeze. This is not the end for this large chapel but it would be nice if someone could buy it and give it some love soon. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6485230.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7309433584c922f746728a.jpgDERRY ORMOND TOWER, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DERRY ORMOND TOWER, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2010 Standing high upon a hillside above the hamlet of Betws Bledrws, Derry Ormond Tower was built in 1837 by the owner of Derry Ormond House (demolished in the 1950's) and is based on an upturned canon. My morning here, only my second visit ever, surprising since I have driven passed this momument since my school days, was a beautiful experience. As so often the case, a soft night mist lingered along the river Teifi in the valley below and the sun burst through the low cloud as the morning began to break. There is no finer time of day than sun rise and this particular valley often exhibits a momentous beauty. The opening of the tower has been continuously blocked and re-opened throughout the decades. The tower was apparently badly damaged during the 1970's and restored. The concrete blockade had a hole large enough to fit through but I declined the offer, being a little uneasy with heights, and I was also uncertain if the stone steps leading upwards were safe. I have since been told that it is indeed possible to climb to the top. I restricted my visit to sticking my head through the hole and peering upward! Photographically, a tower has limitations. I have attempted to photograph it to the best of my abilities. I believe I read somewhere that Derry Ormond Tower was built on common ground, without planning permission, which was finally granted some 40 years after it was built. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13060734.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5884851164e84255131d7e.jpgPONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes. Other railway buildings remain, station storage building as seen here still in agricultural storage use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26433069.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2084607462569205db2309e.jpgABSTRACTION AT SMITH COTTAGES, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigi NOTES on ABSTRACTION AT SMITH COTTAGES, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion 2016 Taken in the front doorway of one of the cottages - the cottages themselves long, long empty on a roadside location - this abstraction was a luxury compared to many. I was able to control the light hitting the wall by opening or closing the front door as I wished. If I opened it too much the scene lost it's light/shadow contrast and became somewhat flat. If I closed it too much the paper in the centre lost its textural quality. A nice simple abstraction - exposed for about eight minutes - fortunately on a day without breeze. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/empty-cottage-new-row-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_11445124124bcaaeaf111ac.jpgEMPTY COTTAGE, New Row, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on EMPTY COTTAGE, New Row, Ceredigion 2003 Seeking abstractions in rural mid Wales can at times prove difficult but also when a suitable wall is found, rewarding. Fortunately, there are many ruined houses, farms and industrial buildings which may not always be easy to enter. When possible they often contain walls covered in blistered paint or peeled wallpaper. Often there is very little natural light and since I do not use flash photography exposures can vary from a few seconds up to a few hours. These long exposures allow me to become acquainted with these empty properties, their crumbling and damp walls and whilst the film is exposed to the subject I can settle into the moment and become calm within the buildings atmosphere. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6882494.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5684804844caae10c13713.jpgTREFENTER CHAPEL & CHAPEL HOUSE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on TREFENTER CHAPEL & CHAPEL HOUSE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2010 A few hundred yards from the small village of Trefenter and down a dead end lane stands the chapel and chapel house. The front view of the house, chapel and vestry mislead the onlooker into believing that the buildings are all in a fine state of repair. Further examination reveal a sorrier picture. The chapel within, in the top right hand corner, has a huge hole and dampness. Debris litters the pews beneath. It does however appear the chapel is still in use, I imagine the congregation alternate each Sunday with other local chapels. The Vestry, locked, also appeared to be in regular use. The chapel house however was in a sad state. The front view offered the opinion that a lick of paint would liven up the building but around the rear, standing in the cemetery, revealed a sorrier picture. Many slates had come off and no doubt within one would find the ceilings and floors to be damp and possibly hole ridden and dangerous. What’s to be done? Communities do not have the money to restore the chapel let alone consolidate and modernize the chapel house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wooden-panels-aberglasney-carmarthenshire-1995 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2396337754bcaaeccebafb.jpgWOODEN PANELS, Aberglasney, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on WOODEN PANELS, Aberglasney, Carmarthenshire 1995 This image has been turned on its side - something i had only noticed relatively recently after studying another image of Aberglasney mansion. I saw this boarded up window in the image and realized i've been showing this image the wrong way up for over 10 years. Nonetheless, i will continue to show it that way since that's my preferred way. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41503442.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3154949885f365a764e123.jpgABERTHAW LIME WORKS, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Notes on ABERTHAW LIME WORKS, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Now restored as a controlled ruin Aberthaw is still a worthwhile visit - the tall walls overlook the sea. The following is taken from Wikipedia: Aberthaw Lime Works is a derelict structure, located on the South Wales coast, between Fontygary Bay and Aberthaw Power Station. The structure is a Grade II Listed Building. The structure is considered a listed building because it is a well preserved structure from an important regional industry. The Aberthaw Lime Works was opened on 22 December 1888, by the Aberthaw Pebble Limestone Company. It was built to utilise the huge number of Limestone Pebbles that had previously been taken inland or been moved by boat. The Lime Works operated until 1926. The Lime works brought a new scale of working to the lime industry which was really just a cottage industry in the area previously. The local limestone and brick structure is still largely intact, although it is missing most of its wooden components. It contains 2 vertical pot draw kilns each holding up to 300 tons each, which could produce up to 40 tons of burnt lime a day. Next to the main structure, there are 2 pot kilns which are also largely intact. These Kilns were built later than the main structure, but also ceased operation in 1926. The lime works were originally served by a tramway, which ran from the direction of Rhoose (east of the lime works). It passed either side of the now demolished winch house. A tramway ramp (again demolished) allowed carts containing pebbles between 3 & 4 inches (100 mm) in diameter to be conveyed to the top of the works and then into the kilns. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23584007.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_115849510054e9aeba3ec27.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 A return and a successful visit - so oft times a return visit can wield disappointing results. I came here solely to photograph the abstractions - walls I'd visited a few times before but not for a good few years - around four as it happens. Much to my surprise the railway line and platform had been cleared from the forty years worth of trees and foliage. How sweet it would be if this place, indeed the whole Carmarthen to Aberystwyth railway line, could be reinstated - apparently at a cost of £650 million (so sadly seems unlikely). The milkery is not in such a bad condition considering it has sat idle for forty years. The thick lead paint has begun to beautifully peel and therefore it's too much of a temptation for me to ignore! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmnewydion-canol-outbuilding-longhouse-trisant https://images.on-this.website/7784_7412788564e1b14304149d.jpgCWMNEWYDION-CANOL, (outbuilding? Longhouse?), Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CWMNEWYDION-CANOL, (outbuilding? Longhouse?), Ceredigion 2010 A large and long farm building standing in the deep valley just over the road from the attractive house of Cwm Newydion Canol on the road between Pontrhydygroes and Abermagwr. I believe the two storey part of the building was once inhabited – a chimney at the rear and with a small cluster of extensions. The sun was rising behind the hill and house and it proved difficult to form a composition without the brightness blinding and causing flair. However I found a narrow strip of shade from an electricity pole and an exposure was made. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9590554.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20252918824db16c5f1f5dc.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 A late afternoon re-visit to Neuadd Fawr. As ever a subliminal experience. Neuadd Fawr's size and ruinous state can only impress the casual or eager explorer. The outer walls seem impressively solid but within there is little semblance of rooms nor indeed what those rooms functions once were. This house is a sad sight. It's sheer enormity and dereliction begs so many questions that can be answered simply by oneself: it is too large, too derelict, too far gone to be salvaged. The stable block is also totally ruinous but other outbuildings; stables, diary, kennels are all in a good condition. I do not know if any further trips will be made to Neuadd Fawr. Whenever I have left I have always felt I've missed something, some perfect composition. I have dreamed of this house, wandering through rooms and even photographing parts of it that do not exist. I have photographed it extensively, something I never set out to do (why take fifty photographs when only two or three should suffice?) and perhaps it's this over-exposure and ease of photographic opportunties that is the cause of me feeling I've missed something. Perhaps I expect too much. Perhaps I seek those atmospherics I experienced in my dreams, those atmospherics that do not actually exist. I think for me I should allow Neuadd Fawr to drift away from my consciousness for a good number of years. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6485236.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3365784644c922f7fc896c.jpgDERRY ORMOND TOWER, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DERRY ORMOND TOWER, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2010 Standing high upon a hillside above the hamlet of Betws Bledrws, Derry Ormond Tower was built in 1837 by the owner of Derry Ormond House (demolished in the 1950's) and is based on an upturned canon. My morning here, only my second visit ever, surprising since I have driven passed this momument since my school days, was a beautiful experience. As so often the case, a soft night mist lingered along the river Teifi in the valley below and the sun burst through the low cloud as the morning began to break. There is no finer time of day than sun rise and this particular valley often exhibits a momentous beauty. The opening of the tower has been continuously blocked and re-opened throughout the decades. The tower was apparently badly damaged during the 1970's and restored. The concrete blockade had a hole large enough to fit through but I declined the offer, being a little uneasy with heights, and I was also uncertain if the stone steps leading upwards were safe. I have since been told that it is indeed possible to climb to the top. I restricted my visit to sticking my head through the hole and peering upward! Photographically, a tower has limitations. I have attempted to photograph it to the best of my abilities. I believe I read somewhere that Derry Ormond Tower was built on common ground, without planning permission, which was finally granted some 40 years after it was built. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13464816.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7811978464eb6b5e99f16b.jpgMOUNTON CHAPEL, Canaston Woods, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on MOUNTON CHAPEL, Canaston Woods, Pembrokeshire 2010 Originally a 13th century chapel but restored in the 18th and 19th centuries, it is very ruinous with the roof half collapsed and the other half in a very precarious state. I squeezed through the high security fence that surrounds this small chapel in the middle of a field. I was not going to enter but the fence had already been breached and I was pleased I did. Inside there was the usual clutter and masonry of an abandoned, and partly fallen, property laying on the ground. Graffiti was scratched into the soft damp plaster on the walls – names and dates, some of which dated back twenty years, all part of the chapels’ recent history. Some areas of brightly coloured paint on corbels and small wall alcoves, framed in blue and red paintwork. These small areas of colour gave hint at a once beautifully decorated chapel. Outside just off centre to the entrance is a large five foot square large foundation stone. I was uncertain of its purpose. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mariamnes-monument-hafod-ceredigion-1991 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1415752204c2ae31beb13b.jpgMARIAMNE'S MONUMENT, Hafod, Ceredigion 1991 Notes on MARIAMNE'S MONUMENT, Hafod, Ceredigion 1991 Mariamne's Monument at Hafod taken using infra-red 6x6cm film. A simple image using infra-red film which has darkened the blue sky and lightened the foliage of the tree. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12405784.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5750186324e5b3caad1ce7.jpgGWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on GWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire 2011 I re-visited this house in August 2011 and can confirm very little of what is shown in the 1997 photograph remains. The chimneys have collapsed, the upper floor walls have collapsed and all that remains are a few fragments of walls and windows and a pile of stone and brick covering up a fireplace. The telephone mast has now been removed but Hiraethog has lost so much of its height that it is no longer apparent whilst driving on the road below that here once stood an imposing and large hunting lodge albeit for only a short period of time. It has been ruined for longer than it was occupied. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img216 https://images.on-this.website/7784_122357526153479115533dc.jpgPARAGON TOWER, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Notes on PARAGON TOWER, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Not so much a tower than a hunting lodge but not so much a hunting lodge than a folly. Built early 1800's (from an internet search). It is basically a circular building with a large chimney in the centre. All four evenly shaped and sized rooms have doorways and a corridor, of sorts, running through them all. A few other ruins dotted around and extensions, I presume a kitchen to the right-hand side when facing the house. It is situated high on a hillside (why build a tower anywhere else!) and the wind rattles fast causing the trees to sway and the leaves to blow. A lovely little place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gruffydd-w-j https://images.on-this.website/7784_86642327533bd35c53ce0.jpgGruffydd W. J., Llandeiniolen 2012 Notes on W.J. Gruffydd A lovely image captured before the rain came. The stone is the gravestone I wanted and fortune played a part having the angel beside it. The trees and church in the background frame the two stones well, a wide angle lens was used, a long exposure to show blur in the branches help with the atmospherics. From Winter 2012 through to Spriing 2014 I visited graveyards throughout the length and breadth of Wales. Many hours were spent searching for particular gravestones, of poet's, well known and not so well known. A few were not found, mostly they were. The project was difficult not due the hours searching but more so to finding an ordinary gravestone in a wild graveyard. So often other viewpoints of other gravestones would have made an excellent photographic record but I was forced to settle, even compromise, with my brief. Frustrating as it was, it was also made the more rewarding, my eye was forced to work harder. Fortunately these peaceful places helped with keeping the mind free of distractions. Here are a few of the images published in the book. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/fron-goch-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4504911844d838e0d65583.jpgFRON GOCH, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on FRON GOCH, Ceredigion 2011 Tooked away in a quiet valley between Stratta Florida and Ffair Rhos. Fron Goch is in a flagging condition. I believe the house is still used as a rest place for the farmer (there are plenty of outbuildings in agricultural use) but it's condition looks sorrowful, damp and uncared for. It sits in a lovely position with wonderful views and although very remote would suit a family. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38178723.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16126671915ccd5e9ac52d3.jpgMINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 Notes on MINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 High on the wooded hillside along the river Tawe at Ystalyfera are these mining ruins. They are much ruined and show only small signs of what must have been once a thriving area. The car was parked in a small car park alongside the river at Godre'r Garth and crossing a footbridge. On the other side there's a sad memorial for the men who lost their lives in Gleision Colliery mining disaster of 2011 - only a short stones throw away. I walked along the cycle path and then followed a steep muddy path up into the hills. It is here the these two buildings stand, a few hundred yards from each other, mostly only their bare bone walls still standing. A few exposures were made. It was a cloudy but bright day. The day was quiet, no cars could be heard, nor the river down below. I could hear voices high in the hills above, of children larking around. But they were far enough not to worry, my peace wouldn't be destroyed! Not that I'd have minded. A pleasant hour was spent, the viewpoints limited by the gradient of the hill and the position of the buildings. I'd love to have explored further. I'm sure there's other buildings, or remnants of buildings, lost in the forestry showing signs of our recently lost heritage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/fen-onwyn-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_919245994cb53fdede77c.jpgFEN ONWYN, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on FEN ONWYN, Ceredigion 2010 First impressions can be misleading but the overwhelming feeling I experienced on this cold September day was one of bleakness and unkind of spirit. It does lay empty although it seems as if some consolidation work has been done on the ground around the house. The house itself doesn’t look like it’s in too bad of condition. There are no large holes in the roof, peering through the windows it doesn’t look too damp. A rear window was unlocked and swung open with ease but I declined the offer to enter and explore within. Various remnants of the previous occupy littered the house, grounds and outbuildings. Two motorbikes rusting, a wheelchair, computers, video players and an outbuilding revealing, once you open the heavily carpet acting as a door, a peculiar array of useless, once useful, items. On the front window sill a beer bottle with its bottom half filled with stale beer and the top half filled with flies. Perhaps it comes as no surprise by the unfriendly aura I experienced at this house. It is beautifully located with good views and will, one day soon, hopefully be rescued from dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/waun-maenllwyd-llanddewi-brefi-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_15003027524f2507ad5626a.jpgCRUG at WAUN MAENLLWYD, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on CRUG at WAUN MAENLLWYD, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Two buildings stand opposite one another inside a cluster of mature hard woods. One of the buildings is still in agricultural use but the other, which I believed to be the human habituated dwelling, has collapsed revealing a small ingle nook fire place. The corrugated iron roof has also collapsed, the roof beams, irregular and upon them old crows nests, no doubt helping in part, due to their large size and weight, with the roofs collapse. For further information on this property and many others in the Llanddewi-Briefi area please read 'Struggle for survival in the Cardiganshire hills' - Alan & Sally Leech https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4359662.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1865683994b6bd80ff3277.jpgISCOED, Ferryside, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on ISCOED, Ferryside, Carmarthenshire 1996 After searching for ruined houses, often unsuccessfully, on a hot Spring day, tired from driving and asking for numerous directions, I approached Iscoed late in the afternoon. It glowed through the hedgerows, about half a mile from the roadside: a Georgian red brick block mansion overlooking Carmarthen bay. It was built in 1772 for a Sir William Mansel. The owner was pleased I took interest in the house, he had renovated one wing of the service quarters and seemed to genuinely care about Iscoed to which fate has dealt kind and unkind hands. It briefly served as Council Flats after WW2 but after listing status was refused in the late 1950’s, permission to demolish was granted but miraculously the house survived, outliving the owner who wished to demolish. As seen here: it still remains a viable option for restoration. There is a small swimming pool in the courtyard between the two wings at the rear. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9793395714b629750f2078.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15921105454b62976b23369.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7088372774b6297364b48d.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13266399224b629718dfefc.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12713585354b6296e5c084f.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_83284134b62970342605.jpg[/img] Iscoed 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9572765844b38886b5fafa.jpg[/img] Iscoed Interior (swimming pool?) 1996 The link below will lead you to the external site and show recent images of Iscoed http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=13785 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9951926.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7584163484dca2c6eb5f83.jpgDERWEN BEDWEN, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DERWEN BEDWEN, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 A few months ago someone emailed me with this information about this partially collapsed cob building which I had presumed to be only used as an agricultural store: 'The "unknown farm building with cob walls!" is called "Derwen Bedwen". It stands by the road between Cnwch-coch and Llanfihangel y creuddin, and was last lived in by a woman named "Marged Lizzie" untill the late sixty's. She had two or three nasty dogs that always chased us as we walked past on the way home from school!' If anyone has any further information on Marged Lizzie please do get in touch! This tiny house is in a poor state - the clom walls are collapsing and presumably the other end collapsed years ago since it is open-ended and is in agricultural use. Inside the 'residential' end is used as a store for the usual bits of junk. If this was indeed once a home for Marged Lizzie I presume the chimney was at the collapsed end? Do any photographs survive? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551394.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1511595884f82fdd0a010f.jpgH****** ****, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on H****** ****, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 I was told of this empty house a couple of years ago yet it does not have the 'feel' of a house that has stood empty for long. Peering through the windows one can see many artifacts of the previous owner... too numerous to mention, of little worth, and will one day end up in landfill. The house seems well-built, the outbuildings numerous. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551443.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1945077334f830002a7078.jpgPANT-Y-BARWN, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on PANT-Y-BARWN, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2012 I had been told of this old farm house a while back and had seen it featured on a national daily paper website - in much need of renovation - and this is thankfully the case. I had no intention of visiting but found myself walking along the road where this stands. The morning was cold but the sun was soon to rise. I made a few exposures. There seemed little life on this 'building site' but when I passed some six hours later there were vans parked outside and obviously another day in the slow and steady restoration had gotten under way. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38438117.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19677004895ce6eb068683c.jpgTYN-YR-HEOL, Tonna, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on TYN-YR-HEOL, Tonna, Neath Port Talbot 2019 A re-visit – the first visit was in 2012 – when access was simply walking through the empty gateway and up the driveway. The entrances have since been boarded up and fefnced off but the wall around the house is not high and can be climbed with ease. My daughter and I jumped up and over. The house, I saw online, is currently set to be auctioned in June 2019 with a start price of £85,000. The house is Grade 2 listed and is, in all purposes, a complete unsalvageable ruin. The façade has almost totally collapsed since 2012, the semi-circle porch laying within the nettle and bramble – speaking of which the brambles almost cover the whole area making most of the house inaccessible and unpleasant to even try to navigate. Inside is a mess of rubble and beams and I wondered since it is Grade 2 listed what can be hoped to be achieved by the next owner of such a house. Again, it has come onto the market far, far too late. There is a lot of land here though and I am certain a developer can make good use of it. Would I be sad to see Tynyrheol demolished? Probably not. Old photographs show a lovely proportioned house without the odd brick extension. A fox hissed at me whilst treading through the undergrowth around the rear of the house, three or four fox cubs stumbled over each other to escape me. They were gone in an instant and I didn’t see them again. Once again, as in 2012, viewpoints were difficult to come by, restricted by the bramble. I tore my coat but didn’t care. Some bramble tore my skin, barely a graze. I trample through the bramble hoping to improve upon the 2012 pictures. I reach a few yards and then set up the camera. Nothing is ever perfect. The sun is too low directly in view. A tree is standing exactly where I wish to place the tripod. These are complaints but are not really complaints. I’ve learnt to accept a site as I find it, make best wit what I am offered, be satisfied with myself that I came here, took out the camera and documented whatever it is I’ve come to visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmystwyth-mines-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_47665462855110737319fa.jpgCWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 2015 Each visit and one feels Cwmystwyth Mines are a little more decimated, the height of the buildings just that little lower than previous visits. One cannot help also but lament the removal of the large corrugated finishing mill and indeed, the flattening of the other buildings by the council some time in the late 1990's. An opportunity missed, one feels, when you consider the interest in the mining heritage of Wales. I came here on this visit to photograph the cottages on the opposite side of the valley. The opposite of the valley was cold, the ground solid with frost, the sun yet to reach. I was happy to cross the river and wander around the heaps and ruins. The sun brought warmth and also a few photographic possibilities. The image here, perhaps looks a little overworked but nonetheless, this is actually a straight print from the negative - the sun is blocked, the light harsh and this causes the mass of the wall to record mostly as a black silhouette thanks to a short exposure time. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaencaron-chapel-tregaron-ceredigion-2013 https://images.on-this.website/7784_141368508151aa0f1503322.jpgBLAENCARON CHAPEL, Tregaron Ceredigion 2013 Notes on BLAENCARON CHAPEL, Tregaron Ceredigion 2013 Around two - three years ago this was in the process of restoration. New windows were put in at the accommodation end of the chapel but after a year or so all repair work suddenly ended. The windows were removed. The post remained unopened in the letterbox. The caravan next to the chapel is very damp and one would not want to spend a night there, opened but not empty cans of food and drink lay scattered by the caravan door. Litter and rubbish blow around in the breeze. This is not the end for this large chapel but it would be nice if someone could buy it and give it some love soon. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2081202.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_181850949749731e02b9171.jpgBRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2005 Notes on BRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2005 Almost invisible under the ever-encroaching rhododendron, Brynkir was once a large mansion house, at its core 16th and 17th century. From 1811 heirs onward were requested to build further ranges, thus when one wing became uninhabitable they would vacate and accommodate the newly built block – hence a messy mass of extensions and wings. There is a fantastic photograph of Brynkir in Thomas Lloyds’ ‘Lost Houses of Wales’ which gives you some indication of the mass and tangle of rooms. I’m afraid to say that much of what is shown in that photograph has gone but there are clues in the stonework that this was, to the unknown eye, a large country house. Alas, it now stands damp, low-lying, crumbling and with but a few traces that ever a large house stood. Brambles snatch at your clothes and ferns sodden the foot and the dampness rises up the trouser leg. Water clings mercilessly to each plant and with each passing glance a body makes transports the water onto the traveller. This, somehow, adds to the experience of visiting old buildings and once home and dry, one can sit before a stove and recap with joy the days soggy outing! A gothic tower, dated 1821 and six storeys high, stands in the grounds and has been restored into a holiday home from a shell. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_165718034b42420f0ae0a.jpg[/img] Brynkir 2005 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699374.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20738443545e123d9926b24.jpgPEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on PEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 I have been here before, twice before and both times it was impossible to photograph the house due to trees and foliage and then the house itself covered in ivy. All these trees and foliage have been striped back and chopped down. The ivy removed from the walls. The bare bones of the house revealed and it seemed to me to more imposing than I had remembered. There is no access within the wall now, each access point covered over securely. Not that I minded. With all the foliage gone better views opened themselves up, more images were taken on this short visit, half an hour or so, than the previous two visits when I believe I only took around six or seven images. The walls around the rear are the most interesting, showing where windows were boarded up at the time of the window tax, and different types of material used. It all seems a little hodgepodge but like a comment left on this website a few years ago, what does a photographer know about the structural integrity of a building? As it happens, not a lot! It is apparently possible for this building to be saved but that was almost ten years ago. I wonder how many more decades Pembrey Court can survive without consolidation? it's a remarkable house in a great position. The images taken were sufficient, better than those taken back in 1997 and 2009. Other houses that I visited back then in 1997 have now been cleared and a revisit is required, Drummau house in Birchgrove a case in point as well as Llangennech Park House, both large ruins and much forgotten for many decades. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/corrugated-iron-building-devils-bridge https://images.on-this.website/7784_12348522274b8bc73d27c53.jpgCORRUGATED IRON BUILDING, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on CORRUGATED IRON BUILDING, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2003 This was taken on a warm sunny Sunday afternoon whilst riding home with my camera and tripod all attached onto my bicycle. Although needing very little maintenance these cheap yet vernicular buildings are becoming ever scarce throughout the counties. The corrugated (former) church of St Iago's can still be found in Devil's Bridge but is now a private residence. The two storey corrugated building shown here appealed to me, even the windows are covered in transparent plastic sheets. A couple of daffodils near to the bottom right give the image a Welsh feel. SIED HAEARN RHYCHIOG. Pontarfynach. Ceredigion 2003 Tynnwyd y Hun syml hwn ar bnawn Sul heulog wrth fynd adref ar fy meic gyda fy nghamera a threipod ar fy meic. Er mai ychydig iawn o gynnal a chadw sydd angen amynt mae'r math hwn o adeiladau chad ond brodorol yn mynd yn fwy prin dry'r siroedd. Hyd yn ddiweddar roedd hyd yn oed eglwys fechan wedi ei gwneud o dun rhychiog ym Mhontarfynach. Mae'r adeilad rhychiog dau lawr hwn yn apelio ataf, mae hyd yn oed y ffenestri wedi eu gorchuddio a haenau plastig tryloyw. Mae ychydig gennin Pedr ar waeiod y Hun ar yr ochr dde yn rhoi teimlad Cymreig. Drwy Gymru gall rhywun weld nifer o'r adeiladau rhychiog hyn. Roedd eglwys ym Mhontarfynach nes yn weddol ddiweddar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094530.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11450274314979612b1a79b.jpgBLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on BLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 1997 A very derelict, very early 17th century house situated high above the Baglan suburb, a couple of miles north of Port Talbot. The owner at the time appeared to care little for the house and was apparently a man of some temper. I was told he lived beside the house in a small modern cottage. I stood at the front door, wide eyed and then youthful, and I knocked on the cottage door with apprehension but noted the curtains were pulled and although the garden was well maintained the cottage too lay empty with rips in the net curtains and a small sapling growing in a drain. I imagine i made a few relieved sighs and then a made few quick exposures of the exterior of Blaen Baglan and I was on my way again. I can and do sympathise with owners of these mansions - the time, effort and finance of restoring such properties must be enormous. Even wishing to contain the dereliction is a major project and not one to enter lightly. The roof of Blaen Baglan, although mainly slate-less, had begun to waver and I suspect since I took these images has come down. A date stone mounted above the doorway was long gone. An intriguing but sorrowful pile. This rear view clearly shows the roof at the rear. I did not enter inside but on reflection i perhaps missed the chance of viewing the 17th century staircase which im imagine is now nothing more than a pile of rotting timber. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19957884b652a6ef05de.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16095407124b652a9ea99b1.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1950710864b652abf9d3bf.jpg[/img] Blaen Baglan 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo21673169.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_210317969953b8f34b2424c.jpgHENGWM HOUSE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on HENGWM HOUSE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 I do not know how many more farmhouses there are to discover in Ceredigion but I expect a very good many. Each have their own pleasures, their own individual nuances and each have their own memories etched into my life. This lovely little property is hidden away and I can only guess, been empty for many a long year. Only a few exposures were made, maybe I could have taken more, but four seemed the maximum necessary. The morning had changed from cloudless skies to overcast, a few minutes after the visit the clouds did indeed release their outpour and I took much comfort walking away knowing that I had captured a few simple exposures. There is no great skill in taking photographs. I merely put the camera on a tripod, focus and make the exposure. My visit here was brief, maybe fifteen minutes, and I was on my way again. Yet, by the same token, although brief, I only need to view these images to recall a whole host of feelings and therefore emotions. The simple act of photography can be seen as a useful tool for keeping our memories alive. I did not venture inside the house but peering through the windows I saw it had been used as storage for small bits of farm machinery and tools. I wonder, as ever, who lived here? A large hole was beginning to appear rear of house where the wall had crumbled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/swansea-university-2017 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8228033675977a3e7499554.85847370.jpgSWANSEA UNIVERSITY 2017 Notes on SWANSEA UNIVERSITY 2017 After a break from photographing I, as ever, always return to abstractions as an introduction. Somehow it gets me back into the mood, breaks the silence, triggers the creativity. This image was taken in a doorway that I pass to work each day. It is in a sheltered area and I noticed that the dates are 17 years previous. It is not a wholly successful image. I wished I had focussed closer to the figure with a shotgun but it's just about worthy of inclusion. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050623.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2683893024f250c1322c77.jpgLLETHR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLETHR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 A walk through Forestry Commission land and the track underfoot with large puddles frozen solid. The sun had yet to rise and Llethr only becomes visible once you come upon it. Mature hardwoods obscure and almost completely hide this house. The house is not a ruin and is used as a shepherds’ shelter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2078540.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20167067504971f4b5da056.jpgGREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2005 Notes on GREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2005 Gutted by fire though not neglect, in the late 1990's, Great Frampton remains a hollow shell supported with scaffolding. The famous astronomer, Nathaniel Pigott, stayed at Frampton during the 1770's and erected an observatory. The name Framptonis thought to have evolved from Francton an English knight, Adam De Francton, who killed Llewelyn, the last Prince of Wales. Great Frampton, set in a wild park, also encompasses a walled garden. The large adjoining service wings are also ruined however. I arrived at about 5am after a two and a half hour drive. An early start allows me to, at least attempt, visit as many properties in a day before the light fades or my eyes begin to flicker and flirt with a downward immobility. As I pulled up alongside the house a farmer pulled away in the opposite direction, uninterested in me parking in front of his barns. The morning dew soddened my shoes almost immediately whilst I wandered around the grounds, seeking viewpoints and setting up my camera. Everywhere seemed still and the ground was carpeted with tiny cobwebs and a few birds few from eaves to tree. It was a serene scene and after the long drive a pleasant beginning to the day. Great Frampton 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13410498684b498ba7ebb25.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10353209094b498c660ce1d.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5570599534b498ec0c9a6b.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-cottage-cwmystwyth-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1198093338550fbb3d74917.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 The cottages seen here sit on the other side of the Ystwyth at Cwmystwyth mines. I have driven and looked over to these cottages many a time and recall when they used to have windows and doors and roof. I am not sure why I haven't photographed them before having explored Cwmystwyth much over the last twenty five years. Their positioning alone makes them a worthy inclusion. The March morning I arrived was a cold and frosty one but as the sun rose across the opposite hillside I could tell it was to be a glorious and warm day. A few exposes were made, a small traipse with equipment from one cottage to the other and although I was on this hillside for an hour or so, not a single car passed by and I thought how lucky to live in such a relatively unpopulated area and also, with so much abandonment on my doorstep, little wonder I began photographing ruins. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38577021.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16769017155cf0debfa4371.jpgPENYBONT MILL, Trelech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on PENYBONT MILL, Trelech, Carmarthenshire 2019 I had seen a CADW report on this mill and knew back in 2012 that there were still machinery left inside and took a gamble and an hour’s drive and found it was all still in place including an iron pit wheel, stone-nut and pair of mill-stones – moss covered, heavy-looking, motionlessly stoic. The building itself was little to look at, a few high walls and smaller rooms adjoining but little detail, roofless, stone, mortar, moss. A rusty truck also sat sinking near to the entrance – this of course was photographed too – Penybont mill is a calming place, at least on my visit, just a hundred yards or so from the road but felt miles from anywhere. A fair hour was spent, viewpoints were sparse but I did what I could and appreciated the visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rhos-ysbyty-ystwyth-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_5407691544c5afee4d1be1.jpgRHOS,Ceredigion 2010 Notes on RHOS, Ceredigion 2010 Again thus named after the stream and forest it stands beside. A small farm holding with outbuildings – all ruinous – and although the house still has slates on its roof the overall structure is fighting a losing battle against the elements. A huge crack, in some places three inches wide, can be seen running from the entire height of the front and side of the house. The roof is fragile and wavers like an abandoned cobweb. Inside two dead sheep lay, one on its back with it legs pointing skyward (always a strange sight) and the ground floor itself was at least two feet deep solid with sheep droppings, half flooding the walls and doors. A small front enclosure with a low wall and fruit trees gives the property some privacy and shelter from the wind. Alas, this south facing house will be nothing more than a pile of stone in a few years time. Originally called Rhos this property had a name change to Ty Newydd. It was then again changed to Rhos. (thanks to Mair Morgan for this information). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img203 https://images.on-this.website/7784_175429478153478f1b3dd57.jpgNotes on HOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radno Notes on HOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2008 Nestled in a quiet valley between the high lands and the reservoirs and ancient broadleaf woodlands the Cwm Elan mines are a worthy experience not just for its solitary atmosphere but also its historical interest. It sits 1000ft over looking the Garreg-ddu reservoir. The only sounds one can hear are the babbling brook, the bleating sheep and the sweeping and singing birds. The two ruined houses which stand beside one another are a stark contrast in style and colour. I believe the stone house was home to the manager of the mine when lead was discovered at the site in 1796 (and was mined until 1877). Much of the mining equipment and indeed buildings have or are slowly vanishing as the years pass. The red brick house was built by the Birmingham Corporation Waterworks for one of its estate workers and is now in agricultural storage use (although my last visit a few years ago access inside was easy and very little remained since it was used by the sheep as shelter!). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2080935.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11179923304972c9929f40d.jpgABERPERGWM, Glyn Neath, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on ABERPERGWM, Glyn Neath, West Glamorgan 1997 I recently visited this house (build 1560 on a former site) again and was shocked by what I saw. So much had fallen in just 6 years. This property, still owned by the Coal Board, lies beside a housing estate and with no security and with public footpaths circling the house, is an easy target for vandals. Very little remains and what does is all but invisible in the undergrowth. Much vandalised and surprisingly, considering its state and location, yet to be demolished, but it can only be a matter of time. A fine wooden door/gateway lies in a pile with bramble coils wrapping themselves around the rotten joins and two medieval windows in the 1980's were discovered in the collapsing masonry. For further information on Aberpergwm a good starting point would be the excellent book by Elizabeth F. Belcham 'About Aberpergwm : the home of the Williams family in the Vale of Neath, Glamorgan'. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1613994104b652b1087326.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7027307804b652af59d2ef.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6571323394b652b3076e06.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9783296354b652adb1e718.jpg[/img] Aberpergwm 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/deri-odwyn-ceredigion-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19623175644b1246cf77134.jpgDERI ODWYN, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on DERI ODWYN or DERI ODYN, Ceredigion 2009 A large L-shaped farmstead laying about a mile from the cottage where I lived when I first moved to Wales with my parents in 1982 – I can see my first home from across the valley. Deri Odwyn is a long, mostly roofless house that has been left empty for decades and sits with its rear beside the road from Tyncelyn to Stag’s Head. The forecast had been predicted as wet but I woke in the morning to find the sun peering through the grey clouds, I decided to go out and take some photographs. The early morning sun had a warm coloured hue, it shone upon the windows of the house and seemed to give this ruined house a savaged but ethereal feel. I made a few exposures before a dark heavy shower blanketed the valley opposite and made its way in my direction. Cows shifted foot to foot in a large modern cow shed beside the house and dogs barked constantly during my visit and watched me from a distance; not particularly bothered by my whereabouts but neither allowing me to be totally despondent to them. After 20 minutes I had packed up my camera and walked back to the car. As much of this house is roofless one can imagine that it will slowly but surely tumble. The roofed part is inaccessible, the windows and doors intact and locked. Perhaps signs of the last tenants remain but the windows were opaque with cobwebs and dirt. Perhaps best to leave this house, its history and its charms, to decay with the passage of time. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18174361.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_201040986351aa0f609dc62.jpgWAUN CYNYDD, Farmers, Mountain Road, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on WAUN CYNYDD, Farmers, Mountain Road, Ceredigion 2013 Drenched in moss and dampness, Waun Cynydd has been left empty for many years. Inside is empty except for the odd table and chair, oven range. I presume it is still used as a shelter occasionally. A few horses watched as I set the camera up but they fled when I went up to them palms extended. The house seems in good condition and I presume will be sold one day and renovated. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/valley-penygarreg-reservior-elan-valley https://images.on-this.website/7784_17396356904f33c891739c3.jpgVALLEY SIDE, GARREG-DDU RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2012 Notes on VALLEY SIDE, GARREG-DDU RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2012 Whilst photographing an old ruined farmstead I looked up, directly above the ruin and saw this view. I did not move an inch from where I stood and simply swapped lens on the camera and quickly took this image. It's simple and the line of fencing climbing up the hillside helps draw the eye into the picture. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19538964.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_87700532852570648587d3.jpgHAFOD, Lledred, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on HAFOD, Lledred, Ceredigion 2013 From the road all that can be seen is a stone building and a corrugated iron barn. Behind, beneath the foliage and overhanging trees, is a house and further outbuildings; much overgrown and almost impenetrable – all long ruined and falling down. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/malpas-court-newport-gwent-2005 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1558082034972c9b641b31.jpgMALPAS COURT, Newport, Gwent 2005 Notes on MALPAS COURT, Newport, Gwent 2005 Malpas Court stands foreboding on the edge of suburban Newport and although surrounded by a secure high wire fence, it only takes a few minutes to find an obliging hole offering access to the walls of the house. Malpas Court as viewed from the road, with its high chimneys, rugged sandstone and occasional dressed bath stone, looks an impenetrable fortress but once inside the fence the planks covering the windows are little defence to the determined intruder. Built in the 1830s it seems lost and out of place in its modern urban location, like some haunted mansion that only a few brave souls dare to go near. The builder, a Thomas Prothero, of mean character (according to legend), reputedly offered a sum of £500 to help build Malpas church on the condition it would be built closer to his home. On hearing his request refused he then halved his proposed sum to £250. A notorious and a much reviled man and with some kind of karmic fortune and irony considering the owners mean spirited past, his house was used in the 1970s and 80s as a community centre. Malpas Court is currently under restoration by the local council, it's use yet to be agreed. Malpas Court 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9648525634b46eb0039fcf.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6376261204b46eb13bac9c.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16786942094b46eb2169746.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/scotsborough-house-tenby-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13714874845c6073c8c1874.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby 2019 A second visit in six months and in January when the foliage is stripped bare and the remains of the ruins are better viewed. The house was abandoned in 1824 – almost two hundred years ago – and at that time the sea would have made its way up stream and it is proposed Scotsborough House would have had a docking bay for boats delivering goods (not dissimilar to Boulston House). The land around the house has silted up now and this has become a haven for wildlife. The house itself is a sad site but perhaps we should be grateful there is still something to see. Viewpoints come easily for me on this morning. I think I can say I photographed the house better than my first visit – which admittedly was in the drizzle and I was somewhat hurried. Today an hour or so was spent at the site – a barbed wire fence surround the ruins with signs saying ‘No trespassing, dangerous ruins’ – a potential gravestone signature. The porch showed an internal arched doorway blocked up and further clues around the house give hint at other arched doorways. This had been a substantial building in its time. It’s a shame the ruins could not be consolidated as I am sure visitors to Tenby would love to explore the town other than the beach and shops. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/drosgol-bont-goch-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4688628074e86a59b33d42.jpgCWM-BYR, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CWM-BYR, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 Another delightful property much ruined and in some kind of need of consolidation(?). No road or discernable path could be routed from the footpath from Alltgochmynydd and a rather boggy and slow trudge to the doors of Drosgol was made. The house now sits in high grass, damp ground and although much remains it appears almost invisible in its surroundings – something preferable for every rural farm? Of course the 60 foot corrugated iron zinc coloured outbuilding does stand out quite dramatically! This is still in some agricultural/seasonal livestock use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12320718.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17976403194e550ec480851.jpgBOULSTON MANOR CHURCH, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on BOULSTON MANOR CHURCH, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 A remote church and churchyard standing in a small patch of woodland and only accessible by foot stands on the edge of the banks of the Cleddau Estuary. Tall trees reach up and through this roofless church which was abandoned after World War 2. Within many features and carved stone remain, some fragmented and some in remarkable condition - some with the name 'Wogan' easy to read and also a large coat of arms (of the Wogan's) laying against a wall. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34530356.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5822531365ad2fe2545a14.jpgNotes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2078536.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18247417354971f4a0d6c41.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 1997 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 1997 At its core this is a small medieval castle, enlarged and grandiose, but after 1750s the house began its slow decline with much work left incomplete and further restoration abandoned after a fire in the mid 1950s. Many uses have been proposed, even a theme park, but it remains ever derelict but not yet beyond repair. It is made up of a vast range of rooms and extensions but Pencoed was a surprising find, not due to its size or castle/house-like features but more due to its prime location and the fact it is empty, unused and quickly deteriorating. Large gate house stands imposing before the house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12635944674b652b57d8701.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13049495244b652b8a139bf.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20227156304b652b70b02d5.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5844078104b652ba8ba0ab.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6852916394b652bc2c3ede.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26446199.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10322774935694a59585210.jpgMYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on MYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 A revisit to this house - there was once talk of renovating this site into a museum - it would be a fantastic site but I have seen little change since the 2011 visit. A few slates seem to have fallen off the roof but mostly it's all in a relatively good condition. (Also known as Great Abbey Farm, Strata Florida). A large house, grade 2 listed (in 1963), nestled in a farming complex and besides the ruined abbey of Strata Florida. The road that runs through the yard is a relatively recent addition and will be, once the house has been restored, re-directed around the barns. Lampeter University have recently purchased the house with plans of consolidation work in process. The house itself seems to be in a good condition but looking a little sorry for itself. The rear roof seems to have been re-roofed recently. The small building on the right hand side was once the kitchen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-at-llanerch-house-bridgend https://images.on-this.website/7784_4171227845d4bd85307482.jpgABSTRACTION at LLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Notes on ABSTRACTION at LLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Llanerch House (possibly also known as Craig y Parcau) – long ruined, suffered a fire in 2006 – another building was also on the site, foundations remains – uncertain what this building was or if indeed this was Llanerch House. The house shown here was though a care home when last occupied – judging by the house and stables it was obviously built as a private residence originally. It is much ruined now, as these photographs testify. My visit was one hot Thursday afternoon beginning of August. The car was parked by the entrance and a short walk to the house. There was a deflated blow-up sex doll on the pathway leading to the house - the house is a well-known place for local vandals and kids. I wondered if I'd be finding anyone there myself. But no, my visit was uninterrupted. The roof has all but collapsed. The walls within are in a poor state, the house is by and by falling down. The stables around the rear are in a slightly better state, much graffiti and litter. A few exposures were made – I only had eight sheets of film – I had a taste for abstract images so after as many/as few outside images of the building were taken I focused my camera in the peeling paintwork inside the stables. One of the rooms had recently been used as a toilet and stank but as luck will have it this room had the richest abstract pickings. I held my breath, gagged and waited for my two minutes exposure to pass. A few more images and then the half hour visit had come to an end. My daughter was with me and commented that this had been one of the more interesting ruins I’d made her visit of recent times. This was a compliment and I did realise it was mostly industrial visits of late and the odd rural farm. I cannot seem to find much on the history of Llanerch House and if anyone knows ore then please do leave a comment below. It is well situated with easy reach of Bridgend and it is somewhat surprising that the site has been left to decay to such a state. I would imagine in the short term the remains will be demolished and something new built since it is prime location. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-cottage-pontardawe-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10778302985fc90118e9bd9.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontardawe 2020 This was not my destination, my destination was another ruined house but I was unable to reach due to being with my partner who refused to cross a somewhat boggy valley bottom and stream. I did not mind because I had seen this quarter of a mile away. My partner waited in the car and I trampled across the boggy land, tufts of wet high grass. The house is much ruined. A few exposures made. The morning was bright and cold with little heat from the sun. But the sun was still welcome. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13582884.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20510160154ec760ce888ff.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A large section of wall - I sought out a close-up abstraction within the mess of this wall but nothing seemed to work so decided I could not leave this wall unphotographed. A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images (images of the actual building can be seen in the 'Other Welsh Ruins' gallery) and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes due to the dimness within and the deep rain clouds outside. The walls within had been exposed to 40 years of dampness and the thick paint work was peeling throughout. The textures and patterns formed therein were some of the better I'd seen for many a year. These images were all taken using a 150mm Xenar lens - not optimised for macro photography yet the negative are absolutely pin-sharp and are a joy to view and then print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmystwyth-lead-mines-from-copa https://images.on-this.website/7784_15672243704be515f637a9a.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, From Copa Hill, Credigion 1993 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1996 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. My most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14115708.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7153224234f32d8e93621b.jpgHOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 20 Notes on HOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2008 Nestled in a quiet valley between the high lands and the reservoirs and ancient broadleaf woodlands the Cwm Elan mines are a worthy experience not just for its solitary atmosphere but also its historical interest. It sits 1000ft over looking the Garreg-ddu reservoir. The only sounds one can hear are the babbling brook, the bleating sheep and the sweeping and singing birds. The two ruined houses which stand beside one another are a stark contrast in style and colour. I believe the stone house was home to the manager of the mine when lead was discovered at the site in 1796 (and was mined until 1877). Much of the mining equipment and indeed buildings have or are slowly vanishing as the years pass. The red brick house was built by the Birmingham Corporation Waterworks for one of its estate workers and is now in agricultural storage use (although my last visit a few years ago access inside was easy and very little remained since it was used by the sheep as shelter!). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42008064.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2282113795f8ed65c3d5e4.jpgTY GWYN, Rhyd-Y-Fro, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on TY GWYN, Rhyd-Y-Fro, Pontardawe 2020 I parked in a layby on the edge of a suburban area of Rhy-Y-Fro… hardly a city itself and more or less attached to Pontardawe. I walked fifty yards, followed a footpath down to a stream and small arched stone bridge, over this and through forestry. So far, so good. The path split, I took the muddier and steeper path, often the case, and quickly reached the walls of the house. A vast area to the left of the house was filled with Japanese Knotweed. It looked a brilliant yellow in the autumnal day, cloudy itself but bright enough to illuminate the knotweed. More knotweed grows beside the front of the house, a shame since the house is currently on the market. The house seemed much ruined and possibly for many years, nonetheless as with each site visited one picks up on the atmospherics and I can confirm this was a lovely calm place. Although only a ten minute walk from my car I honestly felt alone and miles from anywhere or anyone, that is except for a field of horses who were not interested in me in particular but nonetheless kept an eye open. Only six sheets of film were exposed for the only reason that I only had six sheets of film with me. I perhaps could have used a few more but left after half an hour believing I’d taken everything I needed to take and any extra would not have added anything to my remembrance of the place. I do hope the house and the accompanying land is purchased. It’s a lovely site with good views and mature trees. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cart-barn-at-lletysynod-new https://images.on-this.website/7784_18795942924c55ccd6b03ad.jpgCART & BARN AT LLETYSYNOD, New Row, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CART & BARN AT LLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on LLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2010 For the twenty odd years I have been driving past this house I have always expected to see piles of building material ready for the consolidation, the repair, the decoration and the modernisation to commence. It has never happened. Instead I have seen the slates from the roof removed, a gable end and chimney collapse, all the inner panelling removed and the floors rot and fall in. It breaks your heart. One of my favourite abstract photographs was taken upstairs on the landing in this house in 2003 and all subsequent visits I have sought out this wall even if I know that the wall has gone. It’s an odd thing being sentimental over an inner wooden wall but sentimental is what I feel! Anyone who drives from Abermagwr to Pontrhydygroes knows this house, as it stands over looking the road with a long line of outbuildings – commonly enough in a far better state of repair than the house itself. I know not whom occupied the house last and if it played a part in the Trisant mines or has been solely an agricultural property but either way it will be a great loss if it crumbles, perhaps inevitability, back into the ground. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulwhite53/529353814/" title="Ruined Cottages and Landscapes in Ceredigion by paulwhite53, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1022/529353814_d2a1865171.jpg" width="480" height="319" alt="Ruined Cottages and Landscapes in Ceredigion" /></a> <p>As seen in 2003</p> https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076463.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4456999894970692886cde.jpgGWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire 1997 Notes on GWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire 1997 Abandoned in the 1950’s, dramatic and openly isolated high on Denbigh Moors, Gwylfa Hiraethog can be spied whilst driving passed the Sportmans’ Arms Inn. The walk up to Gwylfa Hiraethog isn’t a particularly long one but greets as it does a bleak and barren setting as ever I have come across. Approaching the house you begin to have some realisation of the reality of living in such a location. The November afternoon I visited, the wind blew hard and cold and I expect the wind has blown hard and cold every day and night since. There were limited photographic possibilities other than the vandalized, sorrowful pile of rubble but there was also a small solitary tree – wind swept, short and twisted: the type a carpenter passes without kind acknowledgement. I read recently that even this windswept tree has fallen along with much of what you can see of the house in these images. Gwylfa Hiraethog is said to have been the highest inhabited house in Wales and to have the widest views of any other house in Britain. The former war Prime Minister Lloyd George addressed a large crowd here from the balcony just after it was built (1908 –11). It is easy to imagine this scene and presume Lloyd George had a voice equal or as great as the winds that blow across the moors. A mobile phone mast now sits most un-appropriately beside the rendered stone walls. One has to smile. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10233324074b73b1a49a6b9.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4347013494b73b1d233a1a.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18360098144b3887cc25f48.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11656702184b73b20941c1b.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20709779164b73b1f3c3c28.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8044029384b73b221f0614.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1878695954b73b239c0a14.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26446200.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20446546095694a598b4a8a.jpgMYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on MYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 A revisit to this house - there was once talk of renovating this site into a museum - it would be a fantastic site but I have seen little change since the 2011 visit. A few slates seem to have fallen off the roof but mostly it's all in a relatively good condition. (Also known as Great Abbey Farm, Strata Florida). A large house, grade 2 listed (in 1963), nestled in a farming complex and besides the ruined abbey of Strata Florida. The road that runs through the yard is a relatively recent addition and will be, once the house has been restored, re-directed around the barns. Lampeter University have recently purchased the house with plans of consolidation work in process. The house itself seems to be in a good condition but looking a little sorry for itself. The rear roof seems to have been re-roofed recently. The small building on the right hand side was once the kitchen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/brynkir-dolbenmaen-caernarvonshire-2005 https://images.on-this.website/7784_80785105049731e58cef60.jpgBRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2005 Notes on BRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2005 Almost invisible under the ever-encroaching rhododendron, Brynkir was once a large mansion house, at its core 16th and 17th century. From 1811 heirs onward were requested to build further ranges, thus when one wing became uninhabitable they would vacate and accommodate the newly built block – hence a messy mass of extensions and wings. There is a fantastic photograph of Brynkir in Thomas Lloyds’ ‘Lost Houses of Wales’ which gives you some indication of the mass and tangle of rooms. I’m afraid to say that much of what is shown in that photograph has gone but there are clues in the stonework that this was, to the unknown eye, a large country house. Alas, it now stands damp, low-lying, crumbling and with but a few traces that ever a large house stood. Brambles snatch at your clothes and ferns sodden the foot and the dampness rises up the trouser leg. Water clings mercilessly to each plant and with each passing glance a body makes transports the water onto the traveller. This, somehow, adds to the experience of visiting old buildings and once home and dry, one can sit before a stove and recap with joy the days soggy outing! A gothic tower, dated 1821 and six storeys high, stands in the grounds and has been restored into a holiday home from a shell. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8274683884b4242038eaad.jpg[/img] Brynkir 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15565010664b4241e8473d2.jpg[/img] Brynkir 2003 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/letters-on-wall-nottingham-1997 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6006337524bcaacb5071ff.jpgLETTERS ON WALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 In 1995 I moved to Nottingham to study photography at Nottingham Trent University. For the next three years I almost solely photographed walls (with a few trips to Wales photographing mansions). Nottingham proved to be a city with rich photographic pickings providing many dirty walls with fragments of posters and peeling paint. Many of these images were taken in Forest Fields, St Annes, Radford and along Mansfield Road. Influenced by the work of Aaron Siskind. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14087503.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16809154714f2d3914950cb.jpgLLETTY-DU UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLETTY-DU UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2012 After a break of two months without photographing and wondering if I would ever again, I cast off the shackles of everyday life; houseworks, work and family commitments etc and went off in search for some local ruins. The driveway up to Lletty-du is no longer accessible by car, it is now a footpath and a very muddy one at that. The house is remarkable in the fact that the lower half is build of stone and the upper floor is clom/cob. The roof barely clings onto the A-frame and beams and a vast hole has appeared one gable end. Such a shame but not such a surprise. The outbuilding adjacent has fairly recently lost most of its roof and is also of stone, clob and also brick. A few remnants of human existance lay damp against one wall; a mattress, a toaster, a cheap looking door-less wardrobe and a record player. These items look out of place. One almost expects to see medieval cooking utensils and ancient furniture! This house probably hasn't been empty for as long as it looks. The ground around Lletty-du is so very damp with each foot step sinking a good 6 inches into mud and humus. The house is situated on a hillside and a small stream runs beside it. A calming place and a good start to the day. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24429627.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1838027158556bfae8124cb.jpgGALEN, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GALEN, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Built sometime in the 1960's and currently for sale, this town house is completely obscured by trees but once within the grounds, the bungalow is in a poor state of repair, with much rubbish scattered around. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41319189.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12377154155f16c27054b82.jpgEDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on EDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 There is something vastly poetic and romantic regarding the grieving walls of Edwinsford. The blue morning hue hung soft and silent and I too trod soft and silent amongst the rubble and remaining walls. It felt impossible to utter a sound, if so, the atmospherics would shatter into something ordinary. The ground was frozen underfoot and thin layers of ice formed over the tyre tracks and puddles made by the sharp manoeuvres of diggers and tippers. The heavy machinery sat like silent dinosaurs in front of the house, like guards, rested from disposing unidentifiable rubble and clearing piles of debris. Never anything less than a subliminal experience one can not help but wonder why it has taken so long for anyone to come to the rescue of this unusual house that has been begging for some love for over 50 years. A house of many periods and styles, each individual yet the individual parts do not, as seen at other properties, detract from the overall aesthetics. It adds only character in the case of Edwinsford. The white washed square structure, built around a large chimney, has collapsed around the rear (wooden panelling can be seen on the walls within) and this internal view gives an excellent view of how this square structure of the house was built. At the rear there’s a small courtyard, ivy entwined around stone work, but the majority of the internal structure is a void shell revealing a few structural and dividing walls and high chimneys. The owner has cleared the piles debris and an inkling of how the house must have felt can be experienced. It would be very easy to fall in love with Edwinsford. The owners / restorers need congratulating at visualising the view from a mountaintop when they are only a small part way up. I personally can barely comprehend the task at hand. The only sound I heard during my visit was the morning birdsong; particularly the sweet song from the blackbird and also the cackle of those intelligent crows and the flow of the river Cothi. It becomes easy to recall the joy of Edwinsford, as home, as seen in old photographs and postcards; neatly maintained grounds, well dressed occupants, windows and door left open in the summer months, daffodils bobbling about on a spring morning. The wealth of full bloom sits juxtaposed to the poverty of crumbling stone and dissolved mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23808606.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17060551975513b12e3af3b.jpgCWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 2015 Each visit and one feels Cwmystwyth Mines are a little more decimated, the height of the buildings just that little lower than previous visits. One cannot help also but lament the removal of the large corrugated finishing mill and indeed, the flattening of the other buildings by the council some time in the late 1990's. An opportunity missed, one feels, when you consider the interest in the mining heritage of Wales. I came here on this visit to photograph the cottages on the opposite side of the valley. The opposite of the valley was cold, the ground solid with frost, the sun yet to reach. I was happy to cross the river and wander around the heaps and ruins. The sun brought warmth and also a few photographic possibilities. The images here show varies views of the mines and the buildings thereon. Much is gone, much barely recognisable after so many years of neglect. This site used to be a tipping ground, mostly it seemed for old cars and vans - there is only one rusting car remaining which is lodged down a hole. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/houses-at-cwm-elan-mine https://images.on-this.website/7784_8060848664c5e7aef99b41.jpgHOUSES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 20 Notes on HOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Nestled in a quiet valley between the high lands and the reservoirs and ancient broadleaf woodlands the Cwm Elan mines are a worthy experience not just for its solitary atmosphere but also its historical interest. It sits 1000ft over looking the Garreg-ddu reservoir. The only sounds one can hear are the babbling brook, the bleating sheep and the sweeping and singing birds. The two ruined houses which stand beside one another are a stark contrast in style and colour. I believe the stone house was home to the manager of the mine when lead was discovered at the site in 1796 (and was mined until 1877). Much of the mining equipment and indeed buildings have or are slowly vanishing as the years pass. The red brick house was built by the Birmingham Corporation Waterworks for one of its estate workers and is now in agricultural storage use (although my last visit a few years ago access inside was easy and very little remained since it was used by the sheep as shelter!). The ferns had yet to fully burst open and last years crunched underfoot. When fully grown at the height of summer these ferns cover much of the fields and hills around the mine and are chest high (and also a fertile breeding ground for sheep ticks). My visit on this occasion was humid but cloudy but after a few hours, towards the end of my visit, the sun returned with strength and lit up the spring greenery and the red brick building with pure delight. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23808603.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8208373335513b121211f1.jpgCWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 2015 Each visit and one feels Cwmystwyth Mines are a little more decimated, the height of the buildings just that little lower than previous visits. One cannot help also but lament the removal of the large corrugated finishing mill and indeed, the flattening of the other buildings by the council some time in the late 1990's. An opportunity missed, one feels, when you consider the interest in the mining heritage of Wales. I came here on this visit to photograph the cottages on the opposite side of the valley. The opposite of the valley was cold, the ground solid with frost, the sun yet to reach. I was happy to cross the river and wander around the heaps and ruins. The sun brought warmth and also a few photographic possibilities. The images here show varies views of the mines and the buildings thereon. Much is gone, much barely recognisable after so many years of neglect. This site used to be a tipping ground, mostly it seemed for old cars and vans - there is only one rusting car remaining which is lodged down a hole. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/briton-ferry-ironworks-engine-house https://images.on-this.website/7784_44506765942de9e527be5.81063754.jpgBRITON FERRY IRONWORKS, ENGINE HOUSE, Neath Port Talbot 2017 Notes on BRITON FERRY IRONWORKS, ENGINE HOUSE, Neath Port Talbot 2017 An imposing building, one end completely open to the elements and within a vast empty space with minimum graffiti and rubbish. A few horses grazed on the field around, above the M4 flyover, the river Neath just behind the building. A somewhat depressing site, wasteland and most industrial buildings lain flat. A caravan park sits a stones throw away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwm-byr-bont-goch-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_12510619694e86a67343843.jpgCWM-BYR, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CWM-BYR, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 Another delightful property much ruined and in some kind of need of consolidation(?). No road or discernable path could be routed from the footpath from Alltgochmynydd and a rather boggy and slow trudge to the doors of Drosgol was made. The house now sits in high grass, damp ground and although much remains it appears almost invisible in its surroundings – something preferable for every rural farm? Of course the 60 foot corrugated iron zinc coloured outbuilding does stand out quite dramatically! This is still in some agricultural/seasonal livestock use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13582882.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_189150274ec75f974f429.jpgBLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 My first visit here was in 1991 – back then I had only just taken up photography and every weekend I would load myself up with camera and equipment and go exploring. Often, not always, I simply wandered around with no specific destination, merely walked from the road into the Cambrian Mountains and just followed my nose to wherever looked interesting. I followed streams and naturally gravitated towards ruins or sheepfolds. Exploring the Myherin forest back then was a frustrating and confusing experience. I did not know my way around the many miles of forestry track – it could be slow going, sometimes going in circles and with only snatches of views gained from gaps in the trees. Blaen Myherin was a welcome view – it stands 5 miles from the main road and stands at the head of the valley. It seemed very secluded during my first visit and in many ways it is yet, also, it is surrounded by wind farm turbines and in the middle of a working forest whose tracks are sometimes used for motor sport rally. The house spends most of its time in a solitary isolation but every now and again it is in the midst of a roar of noise and always accompanied with that thin and wavering un-melodic hum from the wind turbine blades continuously filling this sometime peaceful valley. The house, as one can see in the photographs, is in a very poor state with the roof and one gable end collapsed. The long, 100 foot barn beside the house is also looking structurally poor and is no longer in use. Inside is littered with debris and many names have been carved into the wooden stable walls. The house was last lived in the late 1960’s. What would the owners think of the house now? My trip was a pleasant one nonetheless. I had cycled to the house and made a number of exposures – simple, uncomplicated and rewarding. The ground around the house is very damp, I followed the sheep tracks through the hidden deep troughs of muddy waters and set up the camera. Blaen Myherin will shortly be nothing more than a pile of stone. How sad to think the wind turbines will out-survive this once much loved farmhouse. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/the-hermitage-near-llanbedr-breconshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_16783297084a62d4437168d.jpgTHE HERMITAGE, Near Llanbedr, Breconshire 2009 Notes on THE HERMITAGE, Near Llanbedr, Breconshire 2009 Leaving Crickhowell and up towards the Black Mountains of the Brecon Beacons, The Hermitage is reached by a single lane, high hedged road that wends seven miles until it reaches a gated track. Just below, beyond the stream, in a heavily wooded valley lays The Hermitage. I had visited once before in May 2005 and had wanted my next visit to be during the winter months when the grass would not be thigh high; when the brambles would not catch your clothes; when the nettles and thistles would not cut and burn your legs and more importantly, when the house would not be obscured by the unrestrained summer foliage. Fortunately what does remain of the house is not completely drowned in all this thriving greenery. The simple bridge that once stood beside the house has long collapsed but further upstream is a ford which grants access to the walls and the two large and high chimneys of the house. The low cellars are all caved in and the window and door lintels have all collapsed but there are still clues within the bare stone walls of the layout of the house. Fireplaces are evident in the ground and upper floor. Also a few pages on I’ve also included the only photograph I’ve found of the Hermitage intact. I can not remember which book this was copied from or when the photograph was taken, so if anyone knows please do get it touch. As in the first visit I found this house to be a calming experience. The house is in a very secluded part of Wales and the stream, the birds and the wind blowing through the trees is the only sound one can hear. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4105372814b594a529e5e7.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15159204724b594b973947f.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8792946184b594aa70711c.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dovecote-at-ynysymaengwyn-tywyn-merioneth https://images.on-this.website/7784_20409870054b404086b4a8f.jpgDOVECOTE AT YNYSYMAENGWYN, Tywyn, Merioneth 2000 Notes on YNYSYMAENGWYN, Tywyn, Merioneth 2000 Built in 1758 on a former site Ynysymaengwyn was once a fine country house with a renowned garden – a fantastic photograph can be seen on the front cover of the 1987 edition of Tom Lloyd’s ‘Lost Houses of Wales' and also within shows the rear side of the house (or is this the front?) and also an interior image of the fine dividing staircase. The house was bequeathed to the town council in 1948 and then left empty and later on, in the 1960’s used by the fire brigade for practice. It was demolished sometime 1960’s, early 1970’s (?). One may well wonder why the town council would leave such a fine house empty but during the war so many properties were used by the army and once they left owners could neither afford to run the upkeep of such large properties or find willing purchasers. This is a common history throughout the United Kingdom. Today little remains that once this fine house stood. It was, and still is, a holiday camp; caravans and tents filled flat fields and corner pockets. There is however evidence of a long line of ruined buildings and I can only presume these were the service quarters as shown on the front cover of ‘Lost Houses’ or otherwise army buildings built in the second world war. I did not photograph these as they were completely over grown by brambles and bushes. The most prominent part of the mansion site is the dovecote (built 1760) – seemingly simple in design it remains in an excellent condition and the walled garden, with footpaths wending within a wooded area – all very romantic. The current owners seem to care with what remains and have maintained and preserved those areas accordingly. Below is a link to a page on Wikipedia which gives a brief history on the house: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ynysymaengwyn Just a quick note on the photographs – these were taken on a 35mm camera and it’s not recommended that enlargements are made beyond the 12x10inch size. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo7605514.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2727882454ce2a55eefb87.jpgHAFOD, Nandcwnlle, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on HAFOD, Nandcwnlle, Ceredigion 2009 Three storeys high, built late 18th century and as discovered in the pages of ‘Forgotten Welsh Houses’ by Michael Tree and Mark Baker – and not by my eager and searching eye (surprising since I’ve lived near and used this road numerous times in the last 20 years!). I parked in the lay-by and walked up to the house. It was early, around 5:30am. A large caravan sat in the grounds as well as lots of visual clues the house was in the process of restoration. No windows were broken, no slates missing, no doors hanging from their frames, no signs of graffiti or vandalism. The ground around the house had been cleared and the house looked in generally good condition. I did not attempt to gain entry or peer through the windows. I was pleased the house and grounds seemed to show the beginnings of careful and considerate repair and I was also glad I was able to photograph it before it was all fully restored. A gentle drizzle blew, like mist and the long grass dampened my trousers. I set up my camera was walked around the house and made a few exposures. The house felt as ease in its setting, nestled between two ‘B roads’ but also remote and in part of the country I am most familiar with. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/derry-ormond-tower-betws-bledrws https://images.on-this.website/7784_14711891434c922f7044894.jpgDERRY ORMOND TOWER, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DERRY ORMOND TOWER, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2010 Standing high upon a hillside above the hamlet of Betws Bledrws, Derry Ormond Tower was built in 1837 by the owner of Derry Ormond House (demolished in the 1950's) and is based on an upturned canon. My morning here, only my second visit ever, surprising since I have driven passed this momument since my school days, was a beautiful experience. As so often the case, a soft night mist lingered along the river Teifi in the valley below and the sun burst through the low cloud as the morning began to break. There is no finer time of day than sun rise and this particular valley often exhibits a momentous beauty. The opening of the tower has been continuously blocked and re-opened throughout the decades. The tower was apparently badly damaged during the 1970's and restored. The concrete blockade had a hole large enough to fit through but I declined the offer, being a little uneasy with heights, and I was also uncertain if the stone steps leading upwards were safe. I have since been told that it is indeed possible to climb to the top. I restricted my visit to sticking my head through the hole and peering upward! Photographically, a tower has limitations. I have attempted to photograph it to the best of my abilities. I believe I read somewhere that Derry Ormond Tower was built on common ground, without planning permission, which was finally granted some 40 years after it was built. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mines-at-ysbyty-cynfyn-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_12069063524ddd1d1495afa.jpgMINES AT YSBYTY CYNFYN, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on MINES AT YSBYTY CYNFYN, Ceredigion 2011 The path that leads to these mines is now closed - it is a shame since there is much to see. The walk is short through the ancient oak woodland and the sound of the river Rheidol is constant. Bilberries grow rampantly along the steep river banks and the overgrowth is slowly reclaiming the mining slag heaps. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pencoed-castle-llanmartin-gwent-1997 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12237893084b6bd78c35afe.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 1997 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 1997 At its core this is a small medieval castle, enlarged and grandiose, but after 1750s the house began its slow decline with much work left incomplete and further restoration abandoned after a fire in the mid 1950s. Many uses have been proposed, even a theme park, but it remains ever derelict but not yet beyond repair. It is made up of a vast range of rooms and extensions but Pencoed was a surprising find, not due to its size or castle/house-like features but more due to its prime location and the fact it is empty, unused and quickly deteriorating. Large gate house stands imposing before the house. This image shows the once fine windows unguarded, twisted and distorted. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12635944674b652b57d8701.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13049495244b652b8a139bf.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20227156304b652b70b02d5.jpg[/img] Pencoed 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41253155.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9179653635f043c134e512.jpgTY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Notes on TY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Roadside location but forgotten and slowly crumbling. Ty'r Bryn is almost completely hidden by trees and the rear almost impenetrable. I spent just a few minutes here, took a few unsatisfactory images but before leaving I thought I should check out the large corrugated barns beside the house. They were in a poor state but there was a sense i should record them within as abstractions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/walled-garden-at-ynysymaengwyn-tywyn https://images.on-this.website/7784_17950473834b4040919ccec.jpgWALLED GARDEN AT YNYSYMAENGWYN, Tywyn, Merioneth 2000 Notes on YNYSYMAENGWYN, Tywyn, Merioneth 2000 Built in 1758 on a former site Ynysymaengwyn was once a fine country house with a renowned garden – a fantastic photograph can be seen on the front cover of the 1987 edition of Tom Lloyd’s ‘Lost Houses of Wales' and also within shows the rear side of the house (or is this the front?) and also an interior image of the fine dividing staircase. The house was bequeathed to the town council in 1948 and then left empty and later on, in the 1960’s used by the fire brigade for practice. It was demolished sometime 1960’s, early 1970’s (?). One may well wonder why the town council would leave such a fine house empty but during the war so many properties were used by the army and once they left owners could neither afford to run the upkeep of such large properties or find willing purchasers. This is a common history throughout the United Kingdom. Today little remains that once this fine house stood. It was, and still is, a holiday camp; caravans and tents filled flat fields and corner pockets. There is however evidence of a long line of ruined buildings and I can only presume these were the service quarters as shown on the front cover of ‘Lost Houses’ or otherwise army buildings built in the second world war. I did not photograph these as they were completely over grown by brambles and bushes. The most prominent part of the mansion site is the dovecote (built 1760) – seemingly simple in design it remains in an excellent condition and the walled garden, with footpaths wending within a wooded area – all very romantic. The current owners seem to care with what remains and have maintained and preserved those areas accordingly. Below is a link to a page on Wikipedia which gives a brief history on the house: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ynysymaengwyn Just a quick note on the photographs – these were taken on a 35mm camera and it’s not recommended that enlargements are made beyond the 12x10inch size. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/derry-ormond-garden-bridge-betws https://images.on-this.website/7784_13183505444dd36873631de.jpgDERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2011 An ornate bridge, once one of the main driveways up to the country house of Derry Ormond (demolished 1956) now stands a little forlorn and once formed part of three ponds which sat at the foot of the once great house. The bridge these days carries no visitors, by horse and cart nor motor car and serves no purpose except perhaps to move livestock from one field to another. My visit was early on a cloudy morn and I was accompanied by birdsong and the babbling brook of the stream Nant Dyfel. Due to the slow rising dawn long exposures of around 6 minutes were used which caused some blurring of the leaves blowing in the wind and the flow of the stream. Above the bridge are ornate iron gates rusting and hanging off their posts and a view can be stolen of Derry Ormond tower. Much high stone work can be easily viewed which obviously created the pond and the flow of water could be contained and controlled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cement-works-shoreham-west-sussex https://images.on-this.website/7784_13286051554be513beef71e.jpgCEMENT WORKS, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 Notes on CEMENT WORKS, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 A number of images here were taken at the majestic and ruined cement works between Shoreham and Upper Beeding. I passed these buildings every day for a year in 2007 when I worked at Small Dole. I have made a number of exposures of the buildings themselves but found far more rewarding the weathered and graffiti walls inside. Note on Brighton Abstractions: Between 2005 and 2010 I have lived in Brighton, with many and as frequent as possible, trips to Wales to photograph mansions and landscape. During my time in Brighton I have on some level felt somewhat starved from the open land that mid Wales has in abundance and, therefore, also photographing. I have however all but completed a project of Brighton architecture, architecture that I found pleasing to my eye rather than follow any strict period or style, and these images were exhibited at Brighton Museum in the winter of 2008/2009. I have also photographed abstractions found anywhere from walls in busy streets or in empty buildings. I do not necessarily consider my Brighton abstractions wholly successful but have included them here because although I do not consider them on a par with earlier abstractions they must somehow, hopefully, offer some personal progression in this chosen field. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo43405527.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_49484100560f6f09c8ce20.jpgRHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Notes on RHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Large farmstead long ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38178725.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3282858315ccd5e9d1f2f5.jpgMINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 Notes on MINE BUILDINGS, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley 2019 High on the wooded hillside along the river Tawe at Ystalyfera are these mining ruins. They are much ruined and show only small signs of what must have been once a thriving area. The car was parked in a small car park alongside the river at Godre'r Garth and crossing a footbridge. On the other side there's a sad memorial for the men who lost their lives in Gleision Colliery mining disaster of 2011 - only a short stones throw away. I walked along the cycle path and then followed a steep muddy path up into the hills. It is here the these two buildings stand, a few hundred yards from each other, mostly only their bare bone walls still standing. A few exposures were made. It was a cloudy but bright day. The day was quiet, no cars could be heard, nor the river down below. I could hear voices high in the hills above, of children larking around. But they were far enough not to worry, my peace wouldn't be destroyed! Not that I'd have minded. A pleasant hour was spent, the viewpoints limited by the gradient of the hill and the position of the buildings. I'd love to have explored further. I'm sure there's other buildings, or remnants of buildings, lost in the forestry showing signs of our recently lost heritage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4618439.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15815027454baa22db6d951.jpgGELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on GELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2010 I arrived at the Italianate mansion of Gellideg in near darkness, the imposing height forming a black mass in amongst the tress and although the trees were barren of foliage they were still covered in rampant ivy and therefore obscuring a proper view of the house. Gellideg’s life has been a short lived one. It was built in 1852 by William Wesley Jenkins and then the lead was removed by the family and sold in the 1950’s and with the proceeds a smaller house was designed and built close by (sharing the same name and now serving as a Bed & Breakfast). The morning slowly broke with the birdsong, naying horses and moaning cows from the farm nearby. It had been a cold night but gave way to a bright and cheerful March morning. The house was untouched by vandal and appeared to be in a structurally good condition. Inside there are few clues to the layout of the house and although the cellars were open I declined the invitation to explore. Also to be noted that the origins of a former house are easily distinguished within which aids to the confusion of layout. Large stables still in agricultural use are just a few hundred yards away as well as a small oval boating lake. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ynysymaengwyn-tywyn-merioneth-2000 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10061906054b40408c47c35.jpgYNYSYMAENGWYN, Tywyn, Merioneth 2000 Notes on YNYSYMAENGWYN, Tywyn, Merioneth 2000 I believe this photograph shows part of the house and if so, unfortunately, all that remains. Built in 1758 on a former site Ynysymaengwyn was once a fine country house with a renowned garden – a fantastic photograph can be seen on the front cover of the 1987 edition of Tom Lloyd’s ‘Lost Houses of Wales' and also within shows the rear side of the house (or is this the front?) and also an interior image of the fine dividing staircase. The house was bequeathed to the town council in 1948 and then left empty and later on, in the 1960’s used by the fire brigade for practice. It was demolished sometime 1960’s, early 1970’s (?). One may well wonder why the town council would leave such a fine house empty but during the war so many properties were used by the army and once they left owners could neither afford to run the upkeep of such large properties or find willing purchasers. This is a common history throughout the United Kingdom. Today little remains that once this fine house stood. It was, and still is, a holiday camp; caravans and tents filled flat fields and corner pockets. There is however evidence of a long line of ruined buildings and I can only presume these were the service quarters as shown on the front cover of ‘Lost Houses’ or otherwise army buildings built in the second world war. I did not photograph these as they were completely over grown by brambles and bushes. The most prominent part of the mansion site is the dovecote (built 1760) – seemingly simple in design it remains in an excellent condition and the walled garden, with footpaths wending within a wooded area – all very romantic. The current owners seem to care with what remains and have maintained and preserved those areas accordingly. Below is a link to a page on Wikipedia which gives a brief history on the house: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ynysymaengwyn Just a quick note on the photographs – these were taken on a 35mm camera and it’s not recommended that enlargements are made beyond the 12x10inch size. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6220216.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10678999464c81dc3bef277.jpgFFOS LAS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on FFOS LAS, Ceredigion 2010 A large house in a sorry state yet exquisitely positioned on the coast overlooking Cardigan Bay and the Irish Sea. Many outbuildings also ruinous. I had visited here a few years ago and since then some drainage pipes have been laid and some minor scaffoldiing to help support the interior. The interior is a mess with piles of freshly fallen stone sitting against crumbling walls, all with the daylight flooding in. There are also large cracks and holes throughout the structure and it must surely only lead to either total dereliction or a complete rebuild. The farm half a mile towards Morfa Bychan called Cwm Cierw has almost exactly the same layout, design and size of house and outbuildings. There is also evidence of Ffos Las having once been slate clad, at least on its facade. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llanerch-house-bridgend-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13172002505d4bd730ce18e.jpgLLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Notes on LLANERCH HOUSE, Bridgend 2019 Llanerch House (possibly also known as Craig y Parcau) – long ruined, suffered a fire in 2006 – another building was also on the site, foundations remains – uncertain what this building was or if indeed this was Llanerch House. The house shown here was though a care home when last occupied – judging by the house and stables it was obviously built as a private residence originally. It is much ruined now, as these photographs testify. My visit was one hot Thursday afternoon beginning of August. The car was parked by the entrance and a short walk to the house. There was a deflated blow-up sex doll on the pathway leading to the house - the house is a well-known place for local vandals and kids. I wondered if I'd be finding anyone there myself. But no, my visit was uninterrupted. The roof has all but collapsed. The walls within are in a poor state, the house is by and by falling down. The stables around the rear are in a slightly better state, much graffiti and litter. A few exposures were made – I only had eight sheets of film – I had a taste for abstract images so after as many/as few outside images of the building were taken I focused my camera in the peeling paintwork inside the stables. One of the rooms had recently been used as a toilet and stank but as luck will have it this room had the richest abstract pickings. I held my breath, gagged and waited for my two minutes exposure to pass. A few more images and then the half hour visit had come to an end. My daughter was with me and commented that this had been one of the more interesting ruins I’d made her visit of recent times. This was a compliment and I did realise it was mostly industrial visits of late and the odd rural farm. I cannot seem to find much on the history of Llanerch House and if anyone knows ore then please do leave a comment below. It is well situated with easy reach of Bridgend and it is somewhat surprising that the site has been left to decay to such a state. I would imagine in the short term the remains will be demolished and something new built since it is prime location. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42009640.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3377069195f8fda21ea730.jpgDUNRAVEN CASTLE, Southerndown, Bridgend 2020 Notes on DUNRAVEN CASTLE, Southerndown, Bridgend 2020 A managed mansion estate, the clifftop mansion/castle was demolished, like so many in the early sixties (1963) but there’s plenty here to see; a well maintained and very large walled garden, the photograph here shows a folly built within the walled garden. The house platform remains too, with some surprisingly high walls and bricked up windows. The arch, as seen here, was also saved from demolition. There is also a fantastic gatehouse in a poor state but not photographed on this occasion. The castle once overlooked Dunraven Bay which is a popular beach with sand a glorious rock formation within the high cliff walls. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12955194.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19341582344e7f417a5b8fe.jpgHENGWM-ANNEDD, Nant-y-Moch, Ceredigon 2011 Notes on NEUADD FACH & HENGWM-ANNEDD, Nant-y-Moch, Ceredigon 2011 Two houses just a stones throw from one another. Neuadd Fach actually stands in Powys (Montgomeryshire) and Hengwm-Annedd across the river Hengwm stands in Ceredigion. An emotional day visiting the ancient hills around Nant-y-Moch – the village of Nant-y-Moch was drowned by the building of the reservoir – most of the farmsteads and cottages were abandoned early 1960’s. Photographs and stories of these hills farmers can be found in the 2005 publication by Erwyd Howells’ ‘Good Men and True’ (ISBN 0-9551736-0-4) Little remains of Neuadd Fawr – the roof finally caving in about ten years ago – one chimney remains and a solitary tree beside the house – This valley once full of life and thickly wooded with Birch is now become an open and empty landscape – the land wet and boggy. Little too remains of Henwgm. The heavy rain, and true to the name 'Nant-y-Moch', made the river Hengwm too deep, too fast flowing to cross. There was once a foot bridge but that has long gone. I was forced to photograph the house from across the river. Hengwm-Annedd was abandoned in 1935. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115452.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4031254244982a02a2cf8c.jpgGWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire 1997 Notes on GWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire 1997 Abandoned in the 1950’s, dramatic and openly isolated high on Denbigh Moors, Gwylfa Hiraethog can be spied whilst driving passed the Sportmans’ Arms Inn. The walk up to Gwylfa Hiraethog isn’t a particularly long one but greets as it does a bleak and barren setting as ever I have come across. Approaching the house you begin to have some realisation of the reality of living in such a location. The November afternoon I visited, the wind blew hard and cold and I expect the wind has blown hard and cold every day and night since. There were limited photographic possibilities other than the vandalized, sorrowful pile of rubble but there was also a small solitary tree – wind swept, short and twisted: the type a carpenter passes without kind acknowledgement. I read recently that even this windswept tree has fallen along with much of what you can see of the house in these images. Gwylfa Hiraethog is said to have been the highest inhabited house in Wales and to have the widest views of any other house in Britain. The former war Prime Minister Lloyd George addressed a large crowd here from the balcony just after it was built (1908 –11). It is easy to imagine this scene and presume Lloyd George had a voice equal or as great as the winds that blow across the moors. A mobile phone mast now sits most un-appropriately beside the rendered stone walls. One has to smile. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10233324074b73b1a49a6b9.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4347013494b73b1d233a1a.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18360098144b3887cc25f48.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11656702184b73b20941c1b.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20709779164b73b1f3c3c28.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8044029384b73b221f0614.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 19987 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1878695954b73b239c0a14.jpg[/img] Gwyfla Hiraethog 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19527876.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1433247485525427da38b28.jpgBERTHDOMLED STABLES, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on BERTHDOMLED STABLES, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2013 A public footpath passes the actual house of Berthdomled (occupied and not ruined!) and the stables stand beside it, almost dwarfing the house. The stables form a courtyard and contain a cow shed, pigsties, boiler house, barn and outward facing cart sheds. All are in various states of disrepair but are still in some agricultural use. A few exposures were made but are slightly underexposed. This maybe because of the difficulty of finding the correct exposure due to the lifting dawn and also this batch of film (Kodak tmax100) is also approximately 15 years past its use-by date. The current price of film determines such measures. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25521869.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_40156899355f438c43259b.jpgALLT-MAES-RHYG-FACH, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ALLT-MAES-RHYG-FACH, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Small and remote with no road, or indeed path, leading to it - this small cottage peasant longhouse is much ruined. I was uncertain of the original use of main building, if this was merely a barn or had been the house. I believe the large doorway had been made at a latter date. Inside shows remnants of paint work showing the house also had an upstairs and also the traces of an inglenook fireplace. Odd shaped lintel on one outside window - doorway also stoned-up on rear of property. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789163.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7161479674bcaaede4d211.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1996 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 In 1995 I moved to Nottingham to study photography at Nottingham Trent University. For the next three years I almost solely photographed walls (with a few trips to Wales photographing mansions). Nottingham proved to be a city with rich photographic pickings providing many dirty walls with fragments of posters and peeling paint. Many of these images were taken in Forest Fields, St Annes, Radford and along Mansfield Road. Influenced by the work of Aaron Siskind. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5917254.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3761617074c6795116db51.jpgHOUSE BY BONT GLAN MARCHNANT, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on HOUSE BY BONT GLAN MARCHNANT,Ceredigion 2010 Although a very small mountain stream, the river Marchnant seems to cling along its banks a large number of ruins. I am uncertain of the name of this property. It was more or less box shaped although much of it has collapsed. Adjacent are two very large single storey stables and barn buildings, also ruinous. The white wash can still be seen on the surviving internal walls and presumably this is the rear of the house. My first visit to this house, 6 years ago, the roof was still on. Today the beams lay in a clutter in amongst the stone. Beautifully located. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31679163.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_27618186259466ec49469a1.69304412.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 As always I took the bridle path from Ffair Rhos to the mines. It isn't a long walk, perhaps a mile and a half with the mines barely visible until you reach the rubbish filled shafts. I dropped down between the slag heaps and to the little remained mining buildings. As always I wished I'd come here in 1990 when the corrugated building still stood - I wonder if it was demolished the same time as the similar but larger finishing mill at Cwmystwyth. There are superb images of how it looked on the internet and I'll add a link here later. Today I only had around twelve sheets of film and I could have easily taken another twelve. Banc Esgair feels like an island of the past surrounded by fields and farms and holiday homes, none of which https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5781519.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11643116094c56fd0d3e073.jpgPLAS CRWN, Llandewi Velvrey, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on PLAS CRWN, Llandewi Velvrey, Pembrokeshire 2010 Walking up to the driveway, passed the stone gates posts and cast iron gate, it had suddenly occurred to me that I had visited Plas Crwn before. The grounds are immaculately maintained and then, back in 1998 (?) I had decided that if the grounds are so well maintained then surely the house too must no longer be derelict but restored. In 1998 I ‘about turned’ and did not bother to investigate any further. This visit I carried on. If I had walked on a further 100 yards in 1998 I would have seen Plas Crwn as ruin. It is modest in size and somewhat dwarfed by the large array of stables and other buildings at the rear of the house. These have all been sympathetically restored and are occupied. Plas Crwn itself consists of the front façade and the two end ranges with chimneys and two towers survive. The rear has completely collapsed and the basements have all caved in. Plans to renovate the property were submitted in 2005 but I am uncertain of the conclusion of the application. The two corner decorative towers are ivy covered but the castellation design is just about apparent. My entire visit was witnessed by a male peacock who sat watchful, between preening itself and making the trademark loud squawking sound. He sat majestically, as one would expect, forty foot high on one of the towers, the lord of his crumbling estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penybont-mill-trelech-carmarthenshire-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4850845055cf0debe44f2d.jpgPENYBONT MILL, Trelech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on PENYBONT MILL, Trelech, Carmarthenshire 2019 I had seen a CADW report on this mill and knew back in 2012 that there were still machinery left inside and took a gamble and an hour’s drive and found it was all still in place including an iron pit wheel, stone-nut and pair of mill-stones – moss covered, heavy-looking, motionlessly stoic. The building itself was little to look at, a few high walls and smaller rooms adjoining but little detail, roofless, stone, mortar, moss. A rusty truck also sat sinking near to the entrance – this of course was photographed too – Penybont mill is a calming place, at least on my visit, just a hundred yards or so from the road but felt miles from anywhere. A fair hour was spent, viewpoints were sparse but I did what I could and appreciated the visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-carmarthen-carmarthenshire-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_178269113953b6f8a18dcd0.jpgABSTRACTION, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire 2014 Whilst the family go shopping in Carmarthen I spend my time walking the streets seeking abstractions - with some irony I began taking my very first abstractions in Carmarthen way back in 1994/1995 - twenty years ago. This image shows poster remnants and I was watched by a number of other men waiting for their better-half's outside Marks and Spencer's and Boots on this sunless Sunday morning. I worked quickly, perhaps a little too quickly. I believe there are better abstractions to be found on these walls but I need not worry, I am sure I will have another opportunity soon! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/brynkir-dolbenmaen-caernarvonshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16471273404defadf82b64c.jpgBRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2011 Notes on BRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2011 You sense that everything has come to an end at Brynkir House. The mortar crumbles, the stonework falls into large piles, inner archways have tumbled and the house has a whole has become a confusing jumble. The foilage is rampant with much of the property inaccessable and with considerable surprise considering it's once large size, Brynkir feels it has finally reached the end of it's life. The main three storey part of the house with large dressed blocks of stonework is still impressive but a quick inspection within reveals it's walls are rapidly losing the battle against the elements and no doubt without thanks to the last few bitterly cold winters. I have visted here four times in the last 10 years and with each visit surprise at what little is left of this once large mansion house. That said, it is still worth a visit for the casual searcher of derelict properties. But be warned, the melancholy clings and lingers like the raindrops on the fresh spring bunched bracken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4953029.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2944373064be5161f4ac51.jpgNASH POINT, South Glamorgan 2003 Notes on NASH POINT, Glamorgan 2003 Photographed from a birds view, this dried vegetation on the rock bed at Nash Point forms a pair of eyes. I returned to this very spot in 2009 and these plants still remain albeit during this visit they were a fresh, almost luminous, green colour. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-landscape-nottingham-1997 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8783039404bcaacc666633.jpgWALL (Landscape), Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 I consider this akin to a night-time landscape with dark skies and rolling hills. This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/caermeirch-hafod-ceredigion-2003 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8810446714b8e8e8831153.jpgCAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on CAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 2003 Laid derelict since, I believe, the early 1990's Caermeirch is a superior farmhouse with extensive outbuildings (still remain in agricultural use). This house needs a family and modernization but is superbly situated on the top road between Pont-rhyd-y-groes and the Hafod estate - and I believe has been left empty for so long due to the will left by the final occupiers being questioned and since un-resolved. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10673248.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18673056014df8e161eb43c.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Recently purchased, fenced off. The walls of Hafodunos veiled with scaffolding. A new chapter thus thankfully begins. The ongoing thought was that this house should never have found itself in this state. The arsonist who set fire to this great house in the fall of October 2004 was caught and imprisoned. Perhaps a more fitting punishment would have been for him to help with the consolidation of this property; emptying these high walls from their fallen masonry; the bricks, stone and ornate plaster. The high walls have now been emptied from this litter, albeit precious litter since Hafodunos is grade 1 listed. My trip, as ever, was a brief one. In 2005 I had taken a number of images of this forlorn and overgrown ruin. I did not do it justice. And once again I feel some kind of disappointment with the finished prints. The grounds and gardens are also in the process of restoration and it would be incredible to see all this restored. But still that nagging thought; that this house should never have found itself in this poor and shallowed state. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10673256.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18144628244df8e16c3cf1c.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Recently purchased, fenced off. The walls of Hafodunos veiled with scaffolding. A new chapter thus thankfully begins. The ongoing thought was that this house should never have found itself in this state. The arsonist who set fire to this great house in the fall of October 2004 was caught and imprisoned. Perhaps a more fitting punishment would have been for him to help with the consolidation of this property; emptying these high walls from their fallen masonry; the bricks, stone and ornate plaster. The high walls have now been emptied from this litter, albeit precious litter since Hafodunos is grade 1 listed. My trip, as ever, was a brief one. In 2005 I had taken a number of images of this forlorn and overgrown ruin. I did not do it justice. And once again I feel some kind of disappointment with the finished prints. The grounds and gardens are also in the process of restoration and it would be incredible to see all this restored. But still that nagging thought; that this house should never have found itself in this poor and shallowed state. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img458 https://images.on-this.website/7784_357217975394984515632.jpgBRYN-EINON, Mydroilyn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on BRYN-EINON, Mydroilyn, Ceredigion 2014 A small but lovely cottage, much ruined and muddy within due to cows having free roam. The laburnum was stunning, as it is around the whole of Ceredigion at this time (June). The bank at rear of cottage is now a part pond, part slurry pit and the rear of the house hangs perilously to the sides. Roof, as you see in these images, also barely clinging on. Utterly beguiling place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38577024.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6517378635cf0dec101954.jpgGWERN-Y-CWM, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on GWERN-Y-CWM, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 I came here almost by accident. I had been search from Troserch Mill and knew I had strayed too far from the river. I knew there was a property here and had seen on GoogleEarth that it was roofless. It would seem that the image of Google was a little out of date and the house has now been re-roofed. Thankfully. A few outbuildings scatter the yard. More interestingly towards the river, built in the bank, some kind of fountain or pool – or perhaps not decorative at all but served some other purpose? A strange feature and I would love to know more – it felt too elaborate to be merely an animal feed. The whole site is pleasant, the sun warm in the sheltered yard. I wonder if it is too restored as family home or holiday accommodation. Either way, better that than a pile of rubble. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gwernllwynchwith-colliery-llansamlet-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13131183295e159cb121c3f.jpgGWERNLLWYNCHWITH COLLIERY, Llansamlet 2019 Notes on GWERNLLWYNCHWITH COLLIERY, Llansamlet 2019 A lot of overgrown and low ruins and difficult to photograph even in mid-winter. Some of the site has been cleared but I believe the site is of special interest - following extract is from Coflein website: Gwernllwynchwith Engine House is a ruined structure of possibly the earliest surviving rotary (as opposed to reciprocating) engine house in Britain, that was built between 1772 and 1782 to house a winding engine for the Gwernllwynchwith Colliery (NPRN 33490). The engine house was out of use by 1786. The ruin is of great importance to the history of technology, as it had previously been thought that no rotary steam engines were used before 1784 when by James Watt started to build engines for colliery winding. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551512.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4702443644f8303b50a1db.jpgPANT-Y-BARWN, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on PANT-Y-BARWN, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2012 I had been told of this old farm house a while back and had seen it featured on a national daily paper website - in much need of renovation - and this is thankfully the case. I had no intention of visiting but found myself walking along the road where this stands. The morning was cold but the sun was soon to rise. I made a few exposures. There seemed little life on this 'building site' but when I passed some six hours later there were vans parked outside and obviously another day in the slow and steady restoration had gotten under way. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/workshop-aberaeron-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12731817105575b0225ea87.jpgLLYSWEN MILL & WORKSHOP, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLYSWEN MILL &WORKSHOP, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 After living in Aberaeron for a few years and only just finding this was a pleasant surprise. Of course, the old car was the main attraction, and that old familiar smell of dampness, humus, engine oil and springtime! A few exposures were made, all lasting eight minutes or so, the highlights of the sky outside burnt out and a little flare on the lens but nonetheless, all good. I wonder if this was indeed once a mill? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196108.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19077404965fe1ae9a0fc00.jpgHENLLAN UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on HENLLAN UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 I took a somewhat difficult route up to the ruins of Henllan Uchaf and Henllan Isaf - the two are no more than 50 yards from one another and I wondered if they were built at the same time and possibly by the same family? Henllan Uchaf was a one-storey cottage with a small porch, rendered but all ruinous and access within was impossible due to the brambles. Bits of corrugated tin lay on the ground, most likely it's roof for a number of years. This wasn't a sad place. Someone had also relatively recently had a camp fire here and possibly stayed the night. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050801.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7603123514f250f1c74595.jpgPARAGON TOWER, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Notes on PARAGON TOWER, Llansantffraed, Brecknock 2012 Not so much a tower than a hunting lodge but not so much a hunting lodge than a folly. Built early 1800's (from an internet search). It is basically a circular building with a large chimney in the centre. All four evenly shaped and sized rooms have doorways and a corridor, of sorts, running through them all. A few other ruins dotted around and extensions, I presume a kitchen to the right-hand side when facing the house. It is situated high on a hillside (why build a tower anywhere else!) and the wind rattles fast causing the trees to sway and the leaves to blow. A lovely little place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42009646.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16370788735f8fda2482cc9.jpgTY GWYN, Rhyd-Y-Fro, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on TY GWYN, Rhyd-Y-Fro, Pontardawe 2020 I parked in a layby on the edge of a suburban area of Rhy-Y-Fro… hardly a city itself and more or less attached to Pontardawe. I walked fifty yards, followed a footpath down to a stream and small arched stone bridge, over this and through forestry. So far, so good. The path split, I took the muddier and steeper path, often the case, and quickly reached the walls of the house. A vast area to the left of the house was filled with Japanese Knotweed. It looked a brilliant yellow in the autumnal day, cloudy itself but bright enough to illuminate the knotweed. More knotweed grows beside the front of the house, a shame since the house is currently on the market. The house seemed much ruined and possibly for many years, nonetheless as with each site visited one picks up on the atmospherics and I can confirm this was a lovely calm place. Although only a ten minute walk from my car I honestly felt alone and miles from anywhere or anyone, that is except for a field of horses who were not interested in me in particular but nonetheless kept an eye open. Only six sheets of film were exposed for the only reason that I only had six sheets of film with me. I perhaps could have used a few more but left after half an hour believing I’d taken everything I needed to take and any extra would not have added anything to my remembrance of the place. I do hope the house and the accompanying land is purchased. It’s a lovely site with good views and mature trees. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551421.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4207499824f82ff4ddf71c.jpgUNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 I suspect the same builder was responsible for the few farmsteads and barns built in and around the wind farm at Llangwyryfon. The same build quality is evident throughout the ruins that litter this bleak hill. This longhouse is no exception and part of the joy photographing is not just the general view but also of the stonework within. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34008637.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20246292285a7484fe1f4d1.jpgPEN YR WERN, Brecknock 2018 Notes on PEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Remarkable farmhouse and outbuildings all sitting in a shallow hollow surrounded by hardwood and boggy land. I had scanned the maps and GoogleEarth beforehand and concluded the house had been demolished. Google-earth showed nothing but a group of trees so was delighted when I traipsed along the invisible footpath through fields of soggy ground to this aforementioned group of trees. Within seconds I fell in love this silent little site. A few slates remain on the long barn with arrow slits (to help air circulate) but otherwise all other buildings are long empty and ruinous. Lines of trees lead in and out of the site around the rear to the side, again not explicitly apparent on GoogleEarth. Sometimes, most times, a walk is the only way to explore and find such ruins. I know nothing of the history of Pen-yr-wern so any information would be appreciated... apparently sold to the coal board in the 1960's and left abandoned ever since... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34133788.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10692323605a8b339d0e26e.jpgDORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 Notes on DORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 The walk from Upper Cwmtwrch is perhaps only 2 miles and half of that along the old railway line that led from the mines. Before you reach the bridge that crosses the river Twrch a footpath ascends up a steep slope and then to the boggy uplands. It is here, following occasional footpath markers, you find first the ruined farmstead, Pen-yr-Wern (see previous pictures) and then about half a miles further the farm, Dorwen, as seen here much ruinous. Beyond Dorwen there are miles of wild hills, the foot of the Black Mountains stretch out inviting. I ventured no further than Dorwen and its outbuildings. The rear and one gable end has collapsed and no doubt much the rest will follow shortly. On the other side of the valley a small, low shepherds dwelling, two gable ends and no middle. I had intended to cross the river but decided instead of revisit Pen-yr-Wern. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img353 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1147799199536f384440e9c.jpgGREEN CASTLE (CASTELL MOEL), Llangain, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on GREEN CASTLE (CASTELL MOEL), Llangain, Carmarthenshire 2014 A 15th century castle, reputedly a mansion house, long ruined (since late 16th century) and stands on a hill overlooking river Twyi. The spring greens had begun to spread and finding suitable viewpoints was a challenge. The bluebells, now over, made climbing the small hill ridiculously hazardous, especially with 20 kilos of camera equipment on my back, has each foot slipped and I felt myself lose ground, rather than gain. But that said, a nice place, just above the main road from Carmarthen to Llanstephan. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6471402.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4703746424c9104abb4ce3.jpgCHAPEL AND CHAPEL HOUSE, Bethania, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CHAPEL AND CHAPEL HOUSE, Bethania, Ceredigion 2010 An impromptu visit and accompanied by a former resident of the Chapel House and who spent most of their childhood there. The house has sadly fallen into disrepair and is reaching the state when some fundamental maintenance work must be carried out. For my companion memories came flooding: …a cold house; an outside ty bach; the vicar after Sunday sermon would call for tea and cake and would often fall asleep in front of the open fire; the children’s’ parties in the graveyard, playing hide and seek behind the grave stones; the narrow patch of land around the car park cultivated for garden use. Her recollections gave the house a human background that many of the properties I have visited have lacked. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13604573.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_871433924eca05b0c7fc4.jpgDOLWEN, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DOLWEN, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Standing in the centre of hte Myherin Forest is Dolwen - it has stood empty for a number of years now, its last use a bothy but now structurally in an ever increasing ruinous state. Large cracks are appearing one gable end and holes in the roof have begun to rot the house within. Inside the colourfully painted walls and staircase are a stark contrast to the obvious decay. All the windows are boarded up - all except the rear door which had been kicked down and this was where I gained entry - leaving many rooms in total darkness. And in these dark rooms a large fireplace with fallen bird nests, sofas, chairs, tables and beds. All unwelcoming and if left untouched this house will soon become another roofless, damp shell. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-nant-meurig-crynant-neath https://images.on-this.website/7784_1266946965ab8f7edc1fac.jpgBLAEN-NANT-MEURIG, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 201 Notes on BLAEN-NANT-MEURIG, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 All remains is what I believe to be is a long barn. Foundations of the house stand before the barn, in a dip. A lovely site however, covered with brambles and overgrowth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9922634.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16843344594dc808d404532.jpgPEN-LAN UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN-LAN UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 With no obvious track or road leading up to the walls of Pen-lan Uchaf means it has been left alone by the casual and bored vandal. I am unsure how long it has been left empty - it might be 10 years, it could be 30. All the doors and windows were boarded up and there was little point in seeing if there was any access within (it would have been too dark to photograph anyhow since I never use flash for these black and white images). Best let the house and it's secrets in peace. Due to its secluded spot this house exudes an air of calmness. The sheep had fluttered away as I approached and the cows too had fled but naturally for them they had to return. Their curiosity beating their fear of this stranger. I enjoyed their company and the hour spent at Pen-lan Uchaf was a pleasent one. If anyone knows anything of this house then please do leave a comment. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13487562.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20800488544eb8e5e780379.jpgANCIENT WOODLAND, Ysbyty Cynfyn, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ANCIENT WOODLAND, Ysbyty Cynfyn, Ceredigion 2011 Ancient hardwood in the deep-sided valley at Ysbyty Cynfyn taken with a 180mm telephoto lens on 5x4inch film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19325921.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1071316156523b3ee9b2bcc.jpgPEMPRYS, Artists Valley, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on PEMPRYS, Artists Valley, Ceredigion 2013 A fine deserted longhouse high in the hills. Currently for sale - much vandalised inside, some of it by human hand, some of it by sheep. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13083724.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8262589904e86a45de85f7.jpgESGAIR FFOSFUDR, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ESGAIR FFOSFUDR, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2011 A mile or so from Bwlchystyllen (see previous property) stands, albeit oddly positioned deep within a bank, Esgair Ffosfudr. Barely. A small stream ran not six feet from the front door and has obviously become blocked under the long grass. It bubbles over, running in front of the entrance and into the outbuildings. The ground around the house is sodden with foot and equipment sinking under their own weight. The far wall of the house, as seen here, as collapsed, revealing the upstairs bedroom with a cast iron bed still in situ. All very damp and I imagine this was once a much loved, much cared for, small-holding – now on the brink of total collapse. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24530642.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8735860885577d56f4e4dc.jpgBRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BRYN GARW, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2015 Standing isolated and high, the morning of my visit was silent, with just a trace of wind and the odd bleat from the sheep. The track to the house was dry until the last corner, then much waterlogged, I trundled through the muddy water and to the sunlit façade. The house has nearly reached the peak of dereliction; before the roof has fallen, before the water has collapsed the ceiling, before all this comes tumbling in. It can happen over years or during one particular bad storm. A chimney is missing, a few slates, no glass in the windows, the door held together by bailing twine; a familiar sight. A few exposures were made, although it was early the sky was a deep blue, the moon hung not so high in the sky and the sun was also low, almost blindingly bright. Fifteen minutes later I was walking back along the track and to the car wondering if I should have ventured inside, wondering if I'd made the best of my visit. No way of knowing until the negatives are developed. The house, if unsold, unrepaired, will probably be roofless in a year or two. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/berthdomled-stables-lledrod-ceredigion-2013 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17879137065254275e12d7c.jpgBERTHDOMLED STABLES, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on BERTHDOMLED STABLES, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2013 A public footpath passes the actual house of Berthdomled (occupied and not ruined!) and the stables stand beside it, almost dwarfing the house. The stables form a courtyard and contain a cow shed, pigsties, boiler house, barn and outward facing cart sheds. All are in various states of disrepair but are still in some agricultural use. A few exposures were made but are slightly underexposed. This maybe because of the difficulty of finding the correct exposure due to the lifting dawn and also this batch of film (Kodak tmax100) is also approximately 15 years past its use-by date. The current price of film determines such measures. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20249803335406ec9159d3c.jpgGRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Empty and forlorn, Graig-ddu-isaf has been left to decay slowly for a number of years. Peeking inside saw the usual bits of furniture and farm machinery. All seems quite depressing and damp on first inspection but beyond the decay there is a pleasant air about the place. It is quiet and tranquil, I felt miles from anywhere, even if the track to the house is just a short walk from road. A number of exposures were made, perhaps the most successful being the image of the corrugated toilet, a familiar sight in these parts, around the side of the house - with make-shift toilet pan included. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2064396339549343ce41b2e.jpgCANADA, Stag’s Head, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on CANADA, Stag’s Head, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage built of mud, stone and brick and much dilapidated. It stands in a low position and perhaps if the trees in front of it hadn’t had the chance to grow so high it would have once had a good view. At present however all is dim and lowly. I wonder how long empty, it’s in a relatively good condition although there is a hole forming at the rear. Inside is very basic, nothing much of note but a fairly recent empty beer bottle. Partition walls have been taken down and all is left is one large room, upstairs also taken down, striped of beam and panel. Cottage sits beside a seldom used footpath and there was no doubt in my mind that this little gem will surely never be salvaged or lived in again. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/corrugated-shed-at-tanybwlch-llwynpiod https://images.on-this.website/7784_16107888256e3bd0a6bb1f.jpgCORRUGATED SHED at TANYBWLCH, Llwynpiod, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on CORRUGATED SHED at TANYBWLCH, Llwynpiod, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Low cottage, few discernible features; lintels, fireplace and windows and door holes, corner of house built deeply into bank. Barely legible beneath tree and foliage, Tanybwlch is now little more than four walls. Planning permission had been submitted in the 1970's but obviously nothing had come from it. A caravan sat beside it, a dirty mattress and an empty bottle of vodka, long empty but signs of someone who thought maybe they could make a go of things. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26843514.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_95293746856e2f42d89359.jpgTANYBWLCH, Llwynpiod, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on TANYBWLCH, Llwynpiod, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Low cottage, few discernible features; lintels, fireplace and windows and door holes, corner of house built deeply into bank. Barely legible beneath tree and foliage, Tanybwlch is now little more than four walls. Planning permission had been submitted in the 1970's but obviously nothing had come from it. A caravan sat beside it, a dirty mattress and an empty bottle of vodka, long empty but signs of someone who thought maybe they could make a go of things. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4953016.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13951798244be513a806896.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8244984.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16414103904d2c143c53ca2.jpgMYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on MYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 (Also known as Great Abbey Farm, Strata Florida). A large house, grade 2 listed (in 1963), nestled in a farming complex and besides the ruined abbey of Strata Florida. The road that runs through the yard is a relatively recent addition and will be, once the house has been restored, re-directed around the barns. Lampeter University have recently purchased the house with plans of consolidation work in process. The house itself seems to be in a good condition but looking a little sorry for itself. The rear roof seems to have been re-roofed recently. The small building on the right hand side was once the kitchen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rusting-lorry-lower-hafod-lodge https://images.on-this.website/7784_1578052294b8e8e9cd4d22.jpgRUSTING LORRY, Lower Hafod Lodge, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2008 Notes on RUSTING LORRY, Lower Hafod Lodge, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2008 A rusted and half buried lorry hidden away in the undergrowth near to Lower Lodge on the Hafod Estate. I can remember visiting friends of my parents in the Llwynpiod area of Tregaron in the mid 1980's and these particular friends had a field at the rear of their house with approximately 30 - 40 old 1950's cars all left rusting, parked neatly beside one another. I wish I had thought of these old cars years ago since, after a quick check on Google earth reveal, that the field they sat in is now empty. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ceunant-generating-station-trisant-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_20146495804c59128a3583e.jpgCEUNANT GENERATING STATION, Trisant, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CEUNANT GENERATING STATION, Trisant, Ceredigion 2010 Over the last twenty years I have visited and photographed this hydro power station many times but never satisfactory. I knew not what this building was until this visit where there is an information board at the sight (and also a passage in the ‘Pevsner Building of Wales’ series of books - see ‘Bibliography’ in main menu bar). It was built in 1898 a Belgium company hoping to revive the local mining industry. It employed over 270 men (apparently many Italian’s) but was a short-lived attempt as the mine closed down five years later. Much of the equipment was either sold or was removed over the intervening years. All that remains now is this large high walled, cathedral-like shell whose grounds are kept in order by the grazing sheep. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41426089.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1590504465f2c0e45ecae7.jpgBRUNANT, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on BRUNANT, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had seen a photograph of Brunant taken a few year ago and knew the footpath led straight alongside side it. I almost walked by but saw a chimney surrounded by trees. The footpath had been diverted, the old footpath posts were now surrounded by bramble and other foliage. I wandered around the enclosure trying to find a way to the walls of the house and eventually climbed a fence and made my way through bramble. I was sodden, thigh high, by the time I made it the twenty feet to the house. I nearly did not bother but as always if I hadn’t I’d have been in regret. Within the four walls of the house there was no bramble or foliage so I could move around freely. A few images taken. I then attempted to climb the bank at the front of the house. It was tricky but a few more images taken. So sad to see a ruin so enclosed by foliage. Perhaps the winter months would be kinder to the casual traveller, perhaps not. Perhaps it is fitting for the house to be hidden away and forgotten about indefinitely. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789143.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12789703854bcaacc390955.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/coed-cwm-uchaf-sylen-llanelli https://images.on-this.website/7784_12111315545efb02d7043f3.jpgCOED CYW UCHAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on COED CYW UCHAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 A good sized farmhouse with large opposing chimneys but obviously long ruined. On a public footpath but it takes a little negotiating to follow the path with barb wire over gate and gate post, no stiles to climb. A herd of cows came to visit me too, always curious and always serene, and I wondered if it would alert the farmer/owner who’d I’d been warned was not fond of anyone showing any interest in this house. I figured as long as I stayed to the public footpath then there’d be no trouble and besides it is the owners house and there’s no reason why anybody should have any interest in it; to each their own. Barns roofless and ruined and the whole place with grand views towards the Loughor Estuary. A lovely site, serene and silent and such a great shame that it will fall before long. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hinge-residue-nottingham-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17342881974d085148cf1d6.jpgHINGE RESIDUE, Nottingham 1996 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1996 This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23788878.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_570382966551072c0f312f.jpgAFON RHEIDOL RIVER, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on AFON RHEIDOL RIVER, Ceredigion 2015 A few miles from Capel Bangor and beside gravel pits - now used for fishing - these pools contain some of my favourite landscapes - dark, damp, muddy, almost impenetrable. Parts are so deep that my tripod legs sunk into the mud a good two foot. One needs to tread carefully. The decayed material however is what makes such places fascinating; nobody bothers with them yet they contain such a wealth of photographic possibilities; fallen ivy covered trees, ox-bow pools, dried leaf, brittle twigs and a sense of tranquillity especially since you are obscured from the world. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26446196.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12409307295694a58a31f39.jpgMYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on MYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 A revisit to this house - there was once talk of renovating this site into a museum - it would be a fantastic site but I have seen little change since the 2011 visit. A few slates seem to have fallen off the roof but mostly it's all in a relatively good condition. (Also known as Great Abbey Farm, Strata Florida). A large house, grade 2 listed (in 1963), nestled in a farming complex and besides the ruined abbey of Strata Florida. The road that runs through the yard is a relatively recent addition and will be, once the house has been restored, re-directed around the barns. Lampeter University have recently purchased the house with plans of consolidation work in process. The house itself seems to be in a good condition but looking a little sorry for itself. The rear roof seems to have been re-roofed recently. The small building on the right hand side was once the kitchen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41241775.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9309289575efb02dcb161c.jpgYSTODWEN ISAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on YSTODWEN ISAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Set just off the road, large barns beside still in agricultural use but the house, as seen here, roofless and ruined. A shame since nicely located and site has good vibes. I parked the car outside early one June morning and took a gate or two. The ground was firm although I image cows were not so long treading up the ground. A few quick images taken. I set the camera up quick, a set routine, all fingers and eyes and the horizon leveled in the viewfinder. Within a minute a photograph is taken. It takes a lot less with a digital camera but a minute with large format is quick. Ystodwen stands well back from the road, there’s a low set of stone outbuildings set at a right angle to the front, even a few panes of glass in the window frames. The rear of the house shows a large chimney and the rear not rendered giving a little more texture and evidence of the rubble stone walls. The grass around the house is short. The mist was beginning to drop. The Scot’s Pine always looking good in the mist. I wonder how many decades the house has laid empty? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26446201.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16316863295694a59d2e977.jpgMYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on MYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 A revisit to this house - there was once talk of renovating this site into a museum - it would be a fantastic site but I have seen little change since the 2011 visit. A few slates seem to have fallen off the roof but mostly it's all in a relatively good condition. (Also known as Great Abbey Farm, Strata Florida). A large house, grade 2 listed (in 1963), nestled in a farming complex and besides the ruined abbey of Strata Florida. The road that runs through the yard is a relatively recent addition and will be, once the house has been restored, re-directed around the barns. Lampeter University have recently purchased the house with plans of consolidation work in process. The house itself seems to be in a good condition but looking a little sorry for itself. The rear roof seems to have been re-roofed recently. The small building on the right hand side was once the kitchen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34696299.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4206634145ae9e8e217a49.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 - 2018 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 - 2018 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34133789.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13261628805a8b33a18de84.jpgDANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2018 Notes on DANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2018 Long ruinous - at least fifteen years - recently sold for £100,000 after the Australian owners were forced to sell by Swansea Council. Nothing has yet been done to consolidate the ruins, except last year the fire brigade dismantled the roof partially after an arson attack. Built 1880 and was last used as an employment centre. This recent visit was made two days before the house was to be auctioned off again - this time with a starting price at £70,000. No access was possible within and to be honest, I felt there was little to be gained by entering. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9590510.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2276822234db16c4051988.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 A late afternoon re-visit to Neuadd Fawr. As ever a subliminal experience. Neuadd Fawr's size and ruinous state can only impress the casual or eager explorer. The outer walls seem impressively solid but within there is little semblance of rooms nor indeed what those rooms functions once were. This house is a sad sight. It's sheer enormity and dereliction begs so many questions that can be answered simply by oneself: it is too large, too derelict, too far gone to be salvaged. The stable block is also totally ruinous but other outbuildings; stables, diary, kennels are all in a good condition. I do not know if any further trips will be made to Neuadd Fawr. Whenever I have left I have always felt I've missed something, some perfect composition. I have dreamed of this house, wandering through rooms and even photographing parts of it that do not exist. I have photographed it extensively, something I never set out to do (why take fifty photographs when only two or three should suffice?) and perhaps it's this over-exposure and ease of photographic opportunties that is the cause of me feeling I've missed something. Perhaps I expect too much. Perhaps I seek those atmospherics I experienced in my dreams, those atmospherics that do not actually exist. I think for me I should allow Neuadd Fawr to drift away from my consciousness for a good number of years. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img346 https://images.on-this.website/7784_424328646536e57032a620.jpgMAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on MAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Thanks to Luke Thomas who emailed to tell me about this property. Luke mentioned that the farm was once was one of the better when his grandmother was alive (whom delivered newspapers there). He also mentioned 'she told me the tenants retired and the son became a Dr to the Queen and the buildings became abandoned and derelict over time'. At the entrance there's a new gate, with cast within the name Maes Gwenllian. An odd thing for a ruin. The path then wends long for quarter of a mile and to the outbuildings, all ruinous and to the house itself - the façade all but covered in low hanging branches. The roof collapsed, the floors within much the same, few remnants remain and the cows have made the wandering around a very messy and muddy affair. Of course I wear my wellington boots and almost loose them if I stand still for too long. A few pleasing exposures were made, the first for a while, long exposures of around four minutes, enough to note the tranquillity and clean air. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img454 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1270519675539364d53dc62.jpgABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2014 A block of something; wood, metal, rubber worn and with patches of moss - taken on a sunny mid-day morning n the middle of Aberaeron. A few people stopped to watch but no-one said anything to me. Whilst focussing I knew this boarded up window would give a good abstraction and upon processing the negative, again I knew holding it up to the light, that it was sharp and with good contrast. The tiny squares of linoleum are splitting from the heat and cold and separating (or are they getting closer?) and this gives the image a sense of time passing, and something else, unwritten but slightly saddening – the joys of getting older, I suppose. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-borth-ceredigion-2001 https://images.on-this.website/7784_15048377024bcaaeb33605c.jpgWALL, Borth, Ceredigion 2001 Notes on WALL, Borth, Ceredigion 2001 A careless splatter and mess of paint on a wall? This piece of graffiti i believe was a deliberate attempt to create a small piece of art work! I was uncertain if I should have photographed this since i did not create it but then if it was no more than someone trying to clean their paint brush then why not try to create something other than what it is and photograph it? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/notes-on-hafod-morfa-copperworks https://images.on-this.website/7784_3265325035ad2fe14aff75.jpgNotes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurant. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/the-hermitage-near-llanbedr-breaconshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_9090584754a62d45917d6c.jpgTHE HERMITAGE, Near Llanbedr, Breconshire 19?? Notes on THE HERMITAGE, Near Llanbedr, Breconshire 2009 Above is the only photograph I’ve found of the Hermitage intact. I can not remember which book this was copied from or when the photograph was taken, so if anyone knows please do get it touch. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4105372814b594a529e5e7.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15159204724b594b973947f.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8792946184b594aa70711c.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19761795104b594b49761e2.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_682053874b594afcf2ca2.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7568063184b594be07a26b.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20475814944b594c282717b.jpg[/img] The Hermitage 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40573387.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13414568665de573ee6f80f.jpgKINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 Notes on KINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 I parked the car at the hamlet of Llanddewi, beside the road, a cloudy damp day. I walked passed the tiny and attractive church of St David's and along the bridle-path. The tarmac track soon comes to a gated track and to the right the large farmhouse of 'New Hen-Llys farm'. The track from the farm to (old) 'Hen-Llys' is only passable with wellingtons and at that, barely. The divots of years of tyre tread are around a foot deep but that said it has rained a lot recently. I made my way, waddling through the puddles, disturbing the clear water and occasionally trying the banks to see if the mud was easier to navigate than the water. It wasn't. To a gated field, footpath marker, a large field full of sheep and cows - all ignored me, the grass wet and slippery, more mud, more puddles. Another gate, narrow path between two fields more mud, bicycle tread marks, people do come this way and then another gate, stone track and finally to the ruins of Kingshall farm. A large L-shaped farmhouse, built on a square site, a wall completing the L-shape to create a square. Long ruinous, roofless, door-less and window-less, lintels in place, bits of metal laying around, farm plastic sacks, little sign of care. Nonetheless a nice site, sheltered due to trees, a small stream, two pig sty's, the track running alongside the house. Time to breathe here. Set up the camera. A light aircraft overhead. It circles almost directly above me and then disappears over the horizon. I'd had an argument with my partner in the morning. The walk a tonic. The struggle through puddles and mud were the mild hardship, the conversations re-lived, altered, talking to myself, making logic of my actions, trying not to disregard hers. Keeping a level head. I set up the camera and about to take the first image. I think the unseen plane is a tractor engine, the phone rings, I normally have it on silent, I need to take this picture. It's only a plane, not a tractor. I'm not trespassing but neither am I in the mood for conversation. A picture is made. The phone rings again. I don't want to speak. I compose and take another photograph. The plane returns, the phone rings. I ignore both. Both stop and there is silence but there's another sound that I can't quite work out what it is: a low engine murmur almost like birds. It stops and then I see the cloud of starlings rise above me. I take more pictures, nothing spectacular but document the farm as I see fit. When I finish I phone my partner back. She isn't impressed. I can't say I blame her but sometimes we need to stick by our decisions even if they're not right. I walk back the way I came. I had wanted to explore further - to another ruin but it is already 3pm and the dim day is becoming darker. I also haven't eaten or drank anything all day and I feel upset in body and mind. I stop at Hen Llys farm on the way back. It is not ruinous but neither is it lived in. Rendered, single glazed, a long house of sorts - around the rear a pond - probably modern and often frequented by cattle. I make a few exposures, viewpoints are few, the house looks sorry for itself rather than on the verge of dereliction. My phone is ringing again. Too many short and angry phone calls. Everyone argues. Little solace. I think my partner would not have enjoyed this walk anyway. It's been too long, too muddy, too wet. I finish my photographs again and phone her back. Do I love her? Yes, I love her. Not that she has asked me and not that I have told her. That is what it boils down to, mostly. Everything else in this argument is shrapnel and some of it hurts, some of it misses the mark. I have made my peace with myself. The power of walking with the added bonus of a ruin. I do wonder how it is to live with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13460848.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11999030104eb63e4de4abd.jpgWALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 Notes on WALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 A number of images here were taken at the majestic and ruined cement works between Shoreham and Upper Beeding, West Sussex. I passed these buildings every day for a year in 2007 when I worked at Small Dole. I have made a number of exposures of the buildings themselves but found far more rewarding the weathered and graffiti walls inside. This image shows a streak of black paint on a white painted, blistered wall. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42204333.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8826790045ff8459cb7722.jpgMINE TOWER nr CILYBEBYLL, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on MINE TOWER nr CILYBEBYLL, Pontardawe 2020 Stands overlooking former rail line now a cycle track/footpath, the tower itself is in surprisingly good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624303.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20446627424abeffea4e5f4.jpgTALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on TALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Only a half hour drive from Gwynfryn House to the mining community of Talysarn and the Nantlle Valley. It did not take long to find the ruined villa of Talysarn Hall. I first came across the vast array of outbuildings. I presumed that these were indeed the house converted into showers for the working miners but once past these and walked through the castellated arch I soon became aware of what a jewel this Victorian hall once was. The house itself is somewhat plain with three stories and a basement. The centre front bay slightly protrudes and also has a small porch. It is roofless and with no obvious discernable features within. It is nothing but a heavily graffiti’d shell, overgrown and seemingly heading silently and sadly into total collapse. I made a few exposures of the house which stands lost behind heavy foliage and with huge piles of waste from the quarries behind. I was however somewhat confused and struggled to distinguish between what was once a mansion and its grounds with that of the ever encroaching mine workings. Long driveways lead away from the house with high stone walls, one of these at the rear of the house appeared to be now a stream, an outlet from the mining days or had the driveway become a causality from the recent heavy rain. A strange bridge that led nowhere spans this stream and beyond that a small array of walled enclosures. Down below the washrooms (once stables and kennels?) another such driveway led to a further collection of buildings – built haphazardly upon one another with a narrow passageway leading upstairs and around a corner and into a room without a doorway. Further along again, next to some rendered stone pillars, a small gothic looking chapel or folly (?) sits low and dark in amongst the deep rotting leaves with the canopy of large oaks, beeches and chestnuts all but blocking out the light. The driveway wends out to another two stone pillars and a very large lodge house. I would estimate larger than Talysarn Hall itself, with large rear extensions. Dampness clung to everything. Although this house with its confusing and abundant collection of outbuildings appear, judging by the litter and graffiti, to be visited often by bored kids and vandals, there is much to appreciate here and there is an atmosphere of rural abandonment and loss. My visit at 9am was undisturbed. The greyness of the hills were broken with greenery and recreational pathways now thread though the workings often revealing ruined buildings and big pits in the ground, now lakes, that hint and sometimes loudly announce that this was once a large mine workings. These dangerous pools are a favourite haunt of many divers. Leaving Talysarn Hall I saw the large cracks in the walls of the castellated stable entrance and I was reminded that this house and its many buildings are on borrowed time. Even the extensive mine workings at Nantlle, once a barren, industrialized large mine now feels like parkland with footpaths wending in and out of the quarries, lakes and slag piles. Footpaths that were once roads and railway lines (bringing the men into the hillsides and the waste and precious copper ore out) are now used by mountain bikers, dog walkers and hikers. I spent three hours at Talysarn. After three hours under dark canopy and the damp heavy leaves composting underfoot it was a relief to get back into the open air and brightness of the day. I left Talysarn excited but also mystified. For me the house and location was sublime. It felt like it has had a varied and interesting history (although only built in Victorian(?) times – I’ve found very little information on the house so if anyone knows please do get in touch. I believe it was also known as Plas Dorothea). I could not truly find my bearings with the layout of the outbuildings; I can only imagine they were heavily transformed from domestic service quarters and stables to industrial uses, showers and administration buildings. Yet one can still imagine this estate to be, once more, a substantial and beautiful country house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9618056984abf214d902f5.jpg[/img] Chapel(?) at Talysarn Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/notes-on-court-cwrt-llanychaer https://images.on-this.website/7784_7685113114caae0eb4d517.jpgNotes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 A remarkable visit. In most instances the mansions I visit are in such a poor state of disrepair that the very layout of the rooms and décor are impossible to determine. Not so at Court. I know not when Court became derelict but it has not fallen into disrepair like so many others, in the 1950’s. Court has not suffered the 60 years of pilfering, or the yearly cycles of the battling elements forcing themselves behind plasterwork, between brick and mortar. The decay here hasn’t quite reached a point where total dereliction would force demolition. It is however true that the roof above the main staircase has begun to let in the rain at an alarming rate. Huge holes have appeared in the ceiling, with large saplings growing and long strands of ivy falling down. This damp area of the house continues all the way down to the basement. It cuts like a knife through a cake. Other rooms, most other rooms, although bare and with some damp, appear to be in a good dry condition. Unfortunately some of the plasterwork has begun to crumble, none as worse as the plaster frieze in the hallway just at the foot of the main staircase and therefore near the dampest areas of the house. The driveway up to the house is no longer in use other than agricultural, and glimpses of the house can be snatched. Court’s rendered façade is peeling and crumbling giving the house a sorrier look of disrepair than perhaps it deserves. Its an imposing house and its wooden portico has all but rotted and collapsed. Inside the house is spacious and although it does not have a large number of rooms, they are all a decent size with the kitchen at the hub of the house. There are the usual signs of dereliction within; old furniture, hearths full of bird nests, rusty kettles and boxes and baskets of knickknacks and ornaments, an empty but dust lined enamelled bath. Also on the site is a walled garden and many outbuildings, mostly renovated although an impressive slate clad barn remains in a derelict state. Photographing Court was a very pleasant experience. Some of the interior images required, since I never use flash photography for the black and white images, exposure times of 16 minutes whilst some of the exterior shots, due to the dimness of the morning also requiring exposure times of between 1 – 8 minutes causing some blurriness of foliage that blew in the wind. A farm stood at this site long before the mansion was built in 1800. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23485462.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_193918875354d6f34addafd.jpgABSTRACTION AT CWM PERIS WOOD, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWM PERIS WOOD, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 A nice walk along river Peris to the ruined mill - I noticed on Ceredigion Planning Map that there had been a proposal for renovation way back in 1976 - the proposal expired in 1979 - thirty five years later and little of the mill remains. A shame. The walk along the woodland and river is very pleasant, and on this February morning I was offered three disciplines of my work: a ruin, landscape and abstractions - all seen here and all pleasing to my eye. These abstractions of names carved into tree bark are simple affairs - cropping closely into the tree. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/lleweni-stables-coach-house-henllan https://images.on-this.website/7784_8216453914979615501e45.jpgLLEWENI STABLES & COACH HOUSE, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 Notes on LLEWENI STABLES & COACH HOUSE, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 (mansion long demolished) A huge red brick Georgian stable block in decay, the original Lleweni house was built in 16th century and was demolished 1816-18. The re-built Lleweni survives. According to Thomas Lloyd in his book The Lost Houses of Wales, it was demolished by Colonel William Hughes for no better reason than that his wife thought it would be bad for her health and his mother thought the rooms were too big! Demolition he later regretted: it is said that afterwards, when all was done, he sat down in the ruins and cried. Lleweni’s sheer size was stunning, an L shape (with further extensions to form a T), the two arms of the thirteen bays are each sectioned with gothic towers and turrets and built around a massive medieval hall. In 1997, the stables and coach house were derelict and wet. It was mid-summer and the bracken and brambles neck high. One could barely get close to its walls. Once inside, masonry littered the ground and beams balanced precariously from floors above. Bird nests lay empty in high alcoves and cobwebs hung damp from doorways and corners. The roof had various holes and after an unexpected visit in 2005, with a protective fence around its circumference, the holes in the roof had enlarged thus threatening potential collapse. It was, again, on the market but thus far remains unsold. Lleweni coach house has now been converted into flats. Click on this link to see photographs: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1153129 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1984407074b73b51e0f3ab.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8426261164b73b53c6c2e2.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3626688.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20270809864abf4fb8bdd18.jpgLITTLE POOL HALL, Llanvertherine, Monmouthshire 2009 Notes on LITTLE POOL HALL, Llanvertherine, Monmouthshire 2009 Nestled on a gradual decline adjacent to the Offa’s Dyke footpath Little Pool Hall is an untouched gem, untouched by time and equally blessed untouched by vandals. It contains those three essential elements ‘solitary, silent and old’. This medieval house was built sometime in the early 17th century. The bright and hot sun light that shone throughout my visit somehow betrayed the feeling of sadness I experienced whilst exploring the house. The front door was entirely impenetrable due to the summer foliage, however, the side and rear entrances were both wide open. Made up of two storeys and a very large loft are an array of original beams and staircases – bright patches of sunlight beamed through holes in the roof, weeds grew where the rain and light fell on floors. A complete mishmash of rooms on all three floors with beautiful narrow staircases winding in and out of rooms. The upper floors were precarious with holes in the floorboards. I did not venture up the loft – the staircase looked too dangerous and I could see the beams through holes in the ceiling. In bedrooms and bathrooms some traces of human inhabitancy: beds, bedpans, teapots, medicine bottles. Outside, a large barn with beautiful roof beams and also with breeze-block, corrugated iron, brick and every other building material: revealing repair throughout the centuries. A subliminal place and considering its beautiful and incredibly quiet location it is surprising that it has been left to rot for so long. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13627584074b4871d04b2e4.jpg[/img] Interior of Little Pool Hall 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17741034044b4872242627a.jpg[/img] Interior of Little Pool Hall 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7879518094b48750f1f79a.jpg[/img] Interior of Little Pool Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23208965.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5503332515488a47670391.jpgCARDIGAN BAY at ABERAERON, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on CARDIGAN BAY at ABERAERON, Ceredigion 2014 Taken before sunrise and purposely so that the cloud cover and water appeared as a gentle blur. An exposure of 16 minutes meant the cloud was recorded as a blur as it passed by overhead. The water too has a silky soft smoothness to it and a simple exposure of sea and sky was given a little something extra. The morning woke up after this was taken and I packed up camera and headed off to work. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33968444.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14842342695a6745133aa89.jpgMORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2018 Notes on MORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2018 Morris castle was built between 1768 and 1774 but unoccupied since 1850 when nearby mining made the building unsafe. It sits on a hill in the middle of a residential area, only recently purchased by the council and as yet little work as begun to make the area visitor friendly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/054 https://images.on-this.website/7784_134823836653b4456f38b95.jpgBYRGWM ISAF, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on BYRGWM ISAF, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Lowly positioned and I presume long empty - I wonder who lived here in this small dank remote cottage? A footpath alongside sees few walkers. A little further on a dead rabbit was found, outstretched and wet, its glassy eyes giving sign that it had only recently died, perhaps sometime in the morning or the night before. Access within the house was by simply opening the front door, off its hinges. Inside was covered in sheep droppings, the usual birds nest remnants in the fireplace - the staircase completely gone. I peered up past the low ceiling. There was little to see; more empty rooms, all forlorn and lonely. Only a few exposures were made, the darkness of the trees canopy giving an high contrast negative against the bright sunny morning. One can imagine, quite without imagination, how quickly this house will fall. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29924980.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1964056205585a2aeddd778.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23607638.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_161707081154ec2a3d059c7.jpgFRON FELIN, Chancery, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on FRON FELIN, Chancery, Ceredigion 2015 The house can be seen through the hedgerow on the main coastal road from Aberystwyth south. It seems to be in fine condition until you see the far gable end where a huge crack has appeared. Currently on the market. Inside is dry but obviously long empty. - this will no doubt be snatched up, being close to Aberystwyth and deserves to be rescued and restored lovingly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwm-cwta-abergorlech-carmarthenshire-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6521814515c53e7662f0de.jpgCWM-CWTA, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on CWM-CWTA, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 A walk along the Cothi and then up a bank, across a field, visibility almost down to zero due to fog. The house sits on the side of a valley and has recently been re-roofed. Inside is just a shell and I did not bother to enter. The outbuildings are also much dilapidated and ruinous. It would seem the owners have some intention of restoration or at least put it on the market. My visit was brief, the first of this new year, and although only a few images were taken it is always a relief to get things going. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-cwnc-cilcennin-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3930805824e816a0f002a4.jpgPEN-CWNC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN-CNWC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 A longhouse in a superb location. As so often the case, the barns/byres are in a much better condition that the house. The house, as seen here, is roofless and dividing walls within have all been stripped leaving a long open space. Recently purchased one watches with an enthusiastic eye as this house will hopefully become a family home once again. A simple Ty Bach suspended over a small gullied stream. I wondered who owned and lived here. Does anyone know? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img365 https://images.on-this.website/7784_21192519215373c94d7d437.jpgTY'N Y SWYDD, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY'N Y SWYDD, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2014 * Destroyed by fire, the same week photographed * A well-known sight for those travelling between Tregaron and Aberystwyth. Ty’n y swydd stands on a sharp bend on the main road and has been empty for a number of years. The white washed walls looked clean on the bright spring mid-day visit. The outbuildings across the road seem still in some agricultural use. It’s a shame that some use couldn’t be made of the house too. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/canada-stags-head-ceredigion-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_100445912454934221f022a.jpgCANADA, Stag’s Head, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on CANADA, Stag’s Head, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage built of mud, stone and brick and much dilapidated. It stands in a low position and perhaps if the trees in front of it hadn’t had the chance to grow so high it would have once had a good view. At present however all is dim and lowly. I wonder how long empty, it’s in a relatively good condition although there is a hole forming at the rear. Inside is very basic, nothing much of note but a fairly recent empty beer bottle. Partition walls have been taken down and all is left is one large room, upstairs also taken down, striped of beam and panel. Cottage sits beside a seldom used footpath and there was no doubt in my mind that this little gem will surely never be salvaged or lived in again. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41503447.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15704687405f365a7993cd4.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Notes on East Orchard Castle, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Revisited: Summer 2020, foliage higher but the site had a different feel than the winter visit of 2019. It was a hot day, a flying visit, only four sheets of film, viewpoints had to be chosen carefully. Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/002 https://images.on-this.website/7784_196369720153b3a46d63505.jpgLLYN EIDDWEN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TREDWELL'S CASTLE ON LLYN EIDDWEN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 Tredwell's or Tudwal's castle remains on the island of Eiddwen lake. No medieval castle but merely (?) a folly built late eighteen hundreds. It had rained recently and I had a long walk ahead of me and didn't fancy the risk of walking across and losing my wellington boots in the mud, so an image taken on the safety of the bank sufficed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llanfechan-alltyblaca-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12736018145f9ff804f02fb.jpgLLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2012 A return to Llanfechen before spring, when the foliage freed views and the size of the house could be fully appreciated. I like this house. I like its position; the scale and the years it has been empty. The morning fog had yet to truly rise and the fog makes the visualization of the scene in black and white much easier. The muted colours are simple and much closer to a black and white print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img461 https://images.on-this.website/7784_757266442539499212f0f6.jpgBLAEN-EINON, Mydroilyn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on BLAEN-EINON, Mydroilyn, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage, much ruined and little of which remained. One photograph was managed before the herd of young cows came over to sniff me out. It became ever increasing to photograph with the cows licking me, equipment and generally following me step by step. A friendlier bunch never have I met! The cottage itself is in a slightly hollowed ground and within a small group of trees, a few other smaller buildings scattered around, all ruinous, long forgotten. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pistyll-gwyn-cereigion-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17828300905a8bec9700a07.jpgPISTYLL-GWYN, CEREIGION 2014 Notes on PISTYLL-GWYN, CEREIGION 2014 Building still in agricultural use although other outbuildings have now been demolished. Farmhouse not derelict. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41492453.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12067583145f319846ed3ca.jpgPISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Along a footpath/track and you soon come to the farmstead, large and spread out of Pistyll North. The house itself looks long ruinous, two mature tree trunks cut within the walls evidence the house has long been empty and ruinous. A new metal roof protects the solid walls. A large fireplace inside the extended section was in very poor condition – the extended section a somewhat odd looking intrusion of the main structure of the house, most likely a later addition(?). There were sheep inside when I visited, they left, I entered, I expected the floor to be foot deep in droppings and smelly but it was not, it was dry and a comfort from the rain outside. I wondered why the name of the house was half Welsh/half English. At home I searched on older maps and it seems the house has been called by the same spelling for at least a hundred years. A long stone barn, partially collapsed at the front, stands facing the house at a slight angle. Other barns and outbuildings are scattered around. There’s a lot to see and because of the position of the buildings in relation with other buildings viewpoints/compositions are found easily. The site is for sale currently and it is truly exceptional. It needs a little insight but the general aura of the place is one of positively. My visit was short, forty five minutes or so… exposures were quite long inside the house at around 6 minutes. There was a constant drizzle even if the forecast had been dry. There was no sound of traffic. No sound of farm machinery or even a dog barking somewhere someplace of. Even the birds seemed a little shy of the drizzle and judging by the birds in my garden, town birds aren’t much bothered by the rain and I doubt countryside ones aren’t either. The sheep however were bleating. They had seen me, followed me with their eyes as I walked along the track, and knew most likely and instantly that they did not know me. Yet still they bleated, neither in distress or in hope of food. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-yr-wern-brecknock-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20246292285a7484fd5d6c8.jpgPEN YR WERN, Brecknock 2018 Notes on PEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Remarkable farmhouse and outbuildings all sitting in a shallow hollow surrounded by hardwood and boggy land. I had scanned the maps and GoogleEarth beforehand and concluded the house had been demolished. Google-earth showed nothing but a group of trees so was delighted when I traipsed along the invisible footpath through fields of soggy ground to this aforementioned group of trees. Within seconds I fell in love this silent little site. A few slates remain on the long barn with arrow slits (to help air circulate) but otherwise all other buildings are long empty and ruinous. Lines of trees lead in and out of the site around the rear to the side, again not explicitly apparent on GoogleEarth. Sometimes, most times, a walk is the only way to explore and find such ruins. I know nothing of the history of Pen-yr-wern so any information would be appreciated... apparently sold to the coal board in the 1960's and left abandoned ever since... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31719616.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17744197015948d1f0af0954.48752421.jpgSWANSEA BOYS CLUB, Townhill, Swansea 2017 Notes on SWANSEA BOYS CLUB, Townhill, Swansea 2017 Bricked up, hillside urban location. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9422622.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7523880444da45ab2e9264.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 A return to the supposedly demolished Bronwydd. Little does remain save the wonderful tower - the owner/farmer advised not to climb the stone spiral steps that lead to a presumably great view. I did not climb those steps. Instead I set up the camera and tried to successfully photograph the parts of Bronwydd that I'd never photographed before. (Always in the back of my mind that each visit to these mansions will be my last). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/morris-castle-or-castell-graig https://images.on-this.website/7784_841411496585a2ad087e54.jpgMORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2016 Notes on MORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2016 Morris castle was built between 1768 and 1774 but unoccupied since 1850 when nearby mining made the building unsafe. It sits on a hill in the middle of a residential area, only recently purchased by the council and as yet little work as begun to make the area visitor friendly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llechwedd-lledrod-ceredigion-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8022017245406c1204498c.jpgLLECHWEDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LLECHWEDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Long ruinous and on my ever-growing list of farms and cottages in Ceredigion but somehow never making it here until today. Mud and stone beneath a roof, most likely once thatched, barely clinging to the rafters and should, surely, come down very soon. Now for sale, possibly by now sold, no doubt set for demolition and a new dwelling put up on site. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/door-aberystwyth-ceredigion-2004 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3107093754eb63e52e8114.jpgDOOR, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on DOOR, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2004 A metal door down a back alley - reveals a night landscape or perhaps sky. I do not purposely attempt to form a 'landscape' within these abstractions - I merely seek componants under the ground glass that form an overall well balanced composition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40713437.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16649163475e1596f67224d.jpgLODGE at POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Notes on LODGE at POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Recently put on the market with planning for housing on the grounds, one feels the urbanization around the property is already intrusive but if it helps to keep this lovely building from further deterioration then housing is the lesser of two evils. The property is reached by a gated entrance on the edge of the village Pontlliw. There is no need to open the gate as access can be found simply by walking beside the gatepost. There's a small bricked ruined lodge to the right, small and roofless but the structure itself seems sound. I parked the car here and walked along the meandering driveway. I could hear some kid kicking a ball against a garage door in one of the backyards of the houses built alongside the road and parallel to the driveway. I immediately noticed a CCTV camera on a pole and a small light suddenly coming on as I passed. I did not mind. I was after all trespassing but also knew I had no intention of causing any damage or entering the property. I also knew the house to be in a good structural condition, empty rather than derelict but definitely in need of some re-consolidation, the white wooden veranda is in a very poor state and some of it missing. I wondered since I'd triggered the CCTV if someone would appear asking me to leave. No-one came. A few images were taken, just general views, any foliage around the property had been cleared and due to the good condition of the house I wondered if it even needed to be documented. But why by-pass such an opportunity? This had been an impromptu visit, I had just returned from a walk to visit a number of ruins but discovered a public footpath had been (illegally?) closed with a high barb-wired fence and warnings of loose dogs and about 6 or 7 sheep skulls tied to the gate. I could have found a way to enter but decided that the ruins I was intending to visit were probably not worth a dog bite and goodness knows what else... so I walked back the way I had come, to the car, a mile or so with a heavy backpack. Driving back I remembered this house, 'Poplar's' I'd seen for sale on Zoopla and had passed the entrance early on. Although it was Saturday morning, bright daylight, I was determined not to waste my morning and parked at the entrance in full view. I am pleased I did. My visit, brief, perhaps half an hour saw me shoot around 10 sheets of film, nothing spectacular but perfunctionary. As is often the case. The house is large and long. The stables are also ruined, and stand half way along the driveway. These I did enter and are in good condition and could continue to be used as stables if desired. I am uncertain if the stables are grade 2 listed (as the house is) so could be possibly demolished. There are images on the web which show the house inside - it looks shabby and needs a lot of decorating and modernizing but I'm sure someone will turn this into a wonderful home once again. I believe planning consent consists of turning the house into dual occupancy. I expect this time next year the whole complex will be mostly finished, polished and Poplar's will experience another chapter in it's life. The following has been taken from British Listed Buildings website and gives a detailed description of the house: Constructed c1890 by a local industrialist Friedrich William Dahne and originally called Friedrichsruh. Dahne is believed to be Austrian. He is recorded as advertising for a ‘Working Housekeeper’ in October 1899 and the house and grounds are first shown on the 2nd ed OS map of 1900. It is referred to as an ‘Attractive modern country mansion’ on its sale in 1913, by which point F Dahne had presumably died as the house was occupied ( October 1914) by Friedrich’s son David. By the mid C20 it had been renamed The Poplars. The design of The Poplars has been attributed to Glendinning Moxham (1865-1946) an architect active in South Wales and resident in Swansea. Moxham published Country Homes & Cottages in 1910 illustrated with his own designs of built and proposed houses. In it he outlines his stylistic preferences for white painted roughcast walls and half timbering rather than exposed local stone, and red tiles used for walls and roofs. Internally oak is used for principal joinery elements (stair, beams, doors and panelling) with the remainder painted. He also puts forward ideas on plan types, with practical plans with deep windows preferred over an attractive elevation. Moxham designed the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery (1909), banks, hospitals and markets and other buildings throughout Wales. Glen Hir on Gower Road (1900-1910) designed with a French influence of shutters and swept roofs has been attributed to Moxham. Moxham was responsible for the Old English style Bristol Channel Yacht Club (1904) on Mumble s Road. Swiss or Alpine styles had been used in the Swansea area during the C19 with the Swiss Cottage in Singleton Park constructed in 1826 and the Old Rectory in Llanmadoc village (1876-77) by the Rev J D Davies. Detached house in Alpine Chalet style. Red brick with stone dressings, plinth and ground floor cill band. Decorative timberwork painted white. Slate roofs, half hipped with lead rolled hips and deep projecting eaves and moulded rafter ends. Tall brick stacks, decorative ridge tiles and finials. Segmental headed 6-light casement windows, ground floor with 2 upper lights. Rectangular ‘C’ plan arranged N E-SW on a gently sloping site. Long 2 storey garden range facing SE, gabled 2 storey end wings at NE and SW ends linked by single storey block enclosing what may have once been an internal courtyard, closed off by an entrance screen wall). Tower in S corner with decorative finial and slating breaking through roof of 2 storey ranges. Entrance elevation to SW dominated by large full height projecting 2 tier timber veranda on brick plinth, wrapping round at first floor to left hand elevation. Gabled end of the garden wing breaking forward. Moulded posts with bracing, arched on the ground floor and shorter on the first floor with incised and scalloped detailing. Posts irregularly spaced to the left but grouped into 3 bays on the garden wing gable with wider central bay. First floor projects and is supported by corbels. Enclosing low close boarded panels to ground and first floor with pierced decoration with the same applied as gable boarding. Behind 3 windows to the garden wing, central retains stained glass with Alpine folklore scenes in central panels with text below and surrounded by floral designs. Doors in outer bays on the ground floors, 3 windows to the end wing, central bay French doors with leaded glass with oval stained glass cartouches of females. Tiled floor up steps on the ground floor, timber boarded on first floor. Elevation to NW with gable ends of 2 end wings with shallow timber verandah as before but close to façade and more decorative than functional. 2 window to NE end wing, SW end wing with 5 windows to ground floor and 4 to first floor, irregularly spaced. Single storey range in between with wide central door and flanking windows. NE elevation, single window to return of end wing, blind door to ground floor. Projecting lean-to 2 store block on garden range, window in right return, door in left return, blocked door and low opening in main face. Garden elevation of 5 paired window bays (10 windows), projecting stacks in between the 2nd and 3rd pair (reduced) and 4th and 5th. First floor cill band and projecting cills to ground floor windows. Left hand windows to ground floor blind with small lean-to structure to right. Modern entrance porch added in 4th bay with boarded door. Interior retains original layout substantially intact with doors, skirtings etc surviving. Main entrance from SW front retains large entrance hall with single flight oak stairs with moulded newell, balusters and handrail. Raised and fielded 4-panel doors with veneered panels, door surrounds. Full height panelling, fireplace on left hand wall removed and tiled over. Tiled floor. Below stairs cupboard. Listed for its special architectural interest as a late C19 house of exceptional style and quality, retaining its original character and designed (probably) by a prominent Swansea architect. A good physical reflection of the movement of successful industrialists into this part of Swansea, with its design and touches of detail reflecting the background of its original owner. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6214018.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5644243134c8105f183219.jpgNANTYSTALWEN, Abergwesyn Mountain Road, Brecknockshire 2010 Notes on NANTYSTALWEN, Abergwesyn Mountain Road, Brecknockshire 2010 An empty longhouse. I had visited some 5 years ago and little had changed. The barns around the house are primarily used for agricultural use. Inside Nantystalwen is dark and damp with puddles formed on the stone flag stones, although with no obvious clue to where all this water had come from. Much wooden panelling throughout, some painted over, some wall papered – all peeling and damp and revealing areas of brightness and colour. The boarded up main entrance door is stain glassed which leads to a small hallway and then up to the most interesting feature, the wooden staircase which leads to the floor above and then again to the large attic space. This is a superior house. A curved wooden and very large inglenook surrounds one of the ground floor fireplaces. Nantystalwen has an interesting history with tales of a murder by poison, undiscovered for two years and the man servant, guilty, who was never found. The river Towy is but a stones throw away and thus explained the swarms of midges that bit and pestered me throughout my visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10523336.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19002099574defadfd3a2a9.jpgBRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2011 Notes on BRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2011 You sense that everything has come to an end at Brynkir House. The mortar crumbles, the stonework falls into large piles, inner archways have tumbled and the house has a whole has become a confusing jumble. The foilage is rampant with much of the property inaccessable and with considerable surprise considering it's once large size, Brynkir feels it has finally reached the end of it's life. The main three storey part of the house with large dressed blocks of stonework is still impressive but a quick inspection within reveals it's walls are rapidly losing the battle against the elements and no doubt without thanks to the last few bitterly cold winters. I have visted here four times in the last 10 years and with each visit surprise at what little is left of this once large mansion house. That said, it is still worth a visit for the casual searcher of derelict properties. But be warned, the melancholy clings and lingers like the raindrops on the fresh spring bunched bracken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38438118.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18998902775ce6eb06f259a.jpgTYN-YR-HEOL, Tonna, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on TYN-YR-HEOL, Tonna, Neath Port Talbot 2019 A re-visit – the first visit was in 2012 – when access was simply walking through the empty gateway and up the driveway. The entrances have since been boarded up and fefnced off but the wall around the house is not high and can be climbed with ease. My daughter and I jumped up and over. The house, I saw online, is currently set to be auctioned in June 2019 with a start price of £85,000. The house is Grade 2 listed and is, in all purposes, a complete unsalvageable ruin. The façade has almost totally collapsed since 2012, the semi-circle porch laying within the nettle and bramble – speaking of which the brambles almost cover the whole area making most of the house inaccessible and unpleasant to even try to navigate. Inside is a mess of rubble and beams and I wondered since it is Grade 2 listed what can be hoped to be achieved by the next owner of such a house. Again, it has come onto the market far, far too late. There is a lot of land here though and I am certain a developer can make good use of it. Would I be sad to see Tynyrheol demolished? Probably not. Old photographs show a lovely proportioned house without the odd brick extension. A fox hissed at me whilst treading through the undergrowth around the rear of the house, three or four fox cubs stumbled over each other to escape me. They were gone in an instant and I didn’t see them again. Once again, as in 2012, viewpoints were difficult to come by, restricted by the bramble. I tore my coat but didn’t care. Some bramble tore my skin, barely a graze. I trample through the bramble hoping to improve upon the 2012 pictures. I reach a few yards and then set up the camera. Nothing is ever perfect. The sun is too low directly in view. A tree is standing exactly where I wish to place the tripod. These are complaints but are not really complaints. I’ve learnt to accept a site as I find it, make best wit what I am offered, be satisfied with myself that I came here, took out the camera and documented whatever it is I’ve come to visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36927133.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13202019695beb3e7681c9a.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GROUNDS, Swansea 2018 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GROUNDS, Swansea 2018 Dam & waterfall, long out of use - former ponds and sluice/engine houses all long ruinous. Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/021 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14352550645406eca0ca748.jpgGRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Empty and forlorn, Graig-ddu-isaf has been left to decay slowly for a number of years. Peeking inside saw the usual bits of furniture and farm machinery. All seems quite depressing and damp on first inspection but beyond the decay there is a pleasant air about the place. It is quiet and tranquil, I felt miles from anywhere, even if the track to the house is just a short walk from road. A number of exposures were made, perhaps the most successful being the image of the corrugated toilet, a familiar sight in these parts, around the side of the house - with make-shift toilet pan included. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo20156546.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_45306822552c53947056d3.jpgLLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Notes on LLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Llantrithyd Place is a long ruined 16th century manor house. I visited on Boxing Day 2013. The morning was cold and sunny and the soft winter light made photographing the house a pleasure. I had not set out to visit the house but was driving to photograph the interior of a church in Flemingston. This was an unexpected pleasure. A wander around the ruins offered many different viewpoints and I was generally spoilt for choice of images to capture. I was however restrained by lack of film, only having 10 sheets with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/barn-at-tre-faes-uchaf https://images.on-this.website/7784_18124826965575b01f1e9b5.jpgBARN at TRE-FAES-UCHAF, Bethania, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRE-FAES-UCHAF, Bethania, Ceredigion 2015 Not a ruin but long empty, the first signs of decay beginning to appear; young saplings, broken windows, broken door frame, broken slates. Varies bits of debris lying around, the young nettles sharp with sting, sheep bleating in surrounding fields. The house is large, as too is the barn adjacent. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-morfa-copperworks-swansea-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19413107185a8b33a28e293.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22934433.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1159436761545cfe198248f.jpgABSTRACTION at GREYSTONES MOTEL, Brecknock 2014 ABSTRACTION at GREYSTONES MOTEL, Llywel, Brecknockshire 2014 After a break of photographing for a few months it seems the only way I can get back into it is to find some abstractions. The three images here will probably need a little darkroom work to get up to the standard I uselessly ask of myself. As they are, they suffice but need a little darkroom magic to bring forth their three dimensionality. That said, they're pleasing to the eye and if only a stepping stone to other work then worthy of exposure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18174358.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_187933804651aa0f4d0aaf1.jpgWAUN CYNYDD, Farmers, Mountain Road, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on WAUN CYNYDD, Farmers, Mountain Road, Ceredigion 2013 Drenched in moss and dampness, Waun Cynydd has been left empty for many years. Inside is empty except for the odd table and chair, oven range. I presume it is still used as a shelter occasionally. A few horses watched as I set the camera up but they fled when I went up to them palms extended. The house seems in good condition and I presume will be sold one day and renovated. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23266536.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1639729355495d1827eed2.jpgHAFOD, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on HAFOD, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2014 I sometimes drive passed Hafod on my way to work and since it had been five years since my last visit and the dashes of view between the foliage showed the house and grounds looking overgrown I decided to stop early one December morning. The ground was frozen hard, the air cold and blue-like. The brambles and weeds were higher than eye level and the post-box was brimming with damp, slug eaten, weather-eaten mail. Restoration had stopped. The house though was still in a very good state and one can hope that the owners are planning to return soon. Hafod is, for me, an odd house. Its three storey's are not as imposing as one may think and it feels like its trying to be something it's not. I think it may also be fair to say that its location is all a little closed in and overgrown. Perhaps this is unjust and once the foliage is cut back, the lawn restored, it could make a lovely family home. I hope so. I took a few exposures before sun-up and was pleased to get back to the car and made my way to work. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4343275.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3855509194b66f1fde771b.jpgLLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2009 Notes on LLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2009 A return to Llanstinan on a late March, early morning and dimly lit. The house had recently been cleared from the foliage that crept around its walls and grounds. Destroyed by fire in the 1940's the house has, since, begun it's slow decline. A side view reveals high on the rendered wall with the date 1769. A row of palms hint at once renowned garden terrace. This image shows the falling ivy tumbling from the three storeys above and also at the bottom right of the picture the low railings around the basement. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7407911204b34b5ed9a462.jpg[/img] Row of palms at Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9958878794b6e5ee396a4b.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17452514204b6e5f5ad9f0c.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12485154214b6e5fae8bd8b.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 TY LLANSTINAN. Llanstinan, Aberqwaun. Sir Benfro 2005 & 2009 Yn gynnar un bore ar ddiwedd mis Mai a glaw man trwm yn chwythu o'm hamgylch, cerddais ar hyd hen Iwybr a oedd yn llawn llystyfiant tuag at adfeilion dirgel a chyfareddol Ty Llanstinan. Ar un adeg, roedd gan Dy Llanstinan ardd deras odidog (mae rhes hir o balmwydd yn dal i sefyll wrth ymyl y ty), ond erbyn heddiw mae wedi tyfu'n wyllt. Mae'r Ty Llanstinan llaith a thywyll bellach yn adfeilio. Colofnau portico sy'n eich croesawu i'r ty. Mae pedwar llawr i'r ty ynghyd ag islawr (pob un wedi mynd a'i ben iddo). Gorchuddiwyd y waliau cefn a llechi ond bellach mae iorwg yn rhwygo'r llechi o'r morter. Hefyd, mae'r dwr yn diferu i lawr. Mae pob un o'r waliau o amgylch y stablau a'r esgyll gwasanaethu yn llaith, yn anghynnes ac wedi eu difetha'n llwyr. Adeiladwyd y ty ar hen safle yn 1680 a thros y blynyddoedd, cafodd ei newid yn rheolaidd. Yn y pendraw, llosgodd y ty yn yr 1940au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25474722.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_196640627355eda443970b3.jpgTREWERN FACH, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TREWERN FACH, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Surrounded by trees in the middle of a field, Trewern Fach is easily missed. As seen here, roofless and without much architectural detail remaining, it still retains its two storeys. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13323012.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17531019924ea25ab567ecf.jpgSCHOOL HOUSE / CHAPEL FFLUR, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on SCHOOL HOUSE / CHAPEL FFLUR, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13620501.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12352806264ecc9c1d49a89.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 This particular image was taken just has the sun peeked over the treeline and into the factory walls. I had seen these pieces of paint peeled beforehand but had dismissed them. That is until the sun light hit them and added a much more tactile effect upon the wall. Those small, rolled up over themselves, pieces of paintwork are paper thin delicate and are as ever evolving and will evenentually break up and dissappear completely. A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images (images of the actual building can be seen in the 'Other Welsh Ruins' gallery) and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes due to the dimness within and the deep rain clouds outside. The walls within had been exposed to 40 years of dampness and the thick paint work was peeling throughout. The textures and patterns formed therein were some of the better I'd seen for many a year. These images were all taken using a 150mm Xenar lens - not optimised for macro photography yet the negative are absolutely pin-sharp and are a joy to view and then print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13386446.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11697650404eaad460b37e1.jpgHENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on HENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 A group of cows, with their young, scattered, re-grouped, came galloping around me and then followed me. They followed me most way up the drive to Hendre Felin. The elder were curious, the younger boisterous yet more fearful. The house, built into a steep bank, south facing, is most unusual. The front door offset to the left, the extension with the long thin window, and along a passage way, rose up to the large kitchen and storeroom(?). The kitchen and storeroom are both single storey and rest on the bank. I am neither historian nor architect but I believe this house was designed this way, and this way is not common in Ceredigion. Inside are large empty rooms, empty except for broken furniture; a panel-less wardrobe, a sowing table, chest of drawers, chairs with three legs, much bedroom furniture all downstairs in the living quarters. And the upstairs bedrooms all empty except for pieces of stone that have fallen inward and dust, a lot of fine dust filling the lungs, dancing in the sun light and adding to my nervousness. The main staircase rises to the first floor and then carries on upward to the attic space. I did not climb into the attic, the steps on the stairs had visible and perhaps not so visible holes and I imagine the floorboards of the attic were the same. Judging by the high pitched roof, a high narrow A-frame, well over head-height, I would say the attic to be large and spacious, although dark. Maybe this housed the man-servants? Did this house have servants? I imagine so. The raised kitchen was large with a well-used Rayburn-style stove rusting and wallpaper hanging off plastered walls (also hanging off). The textures and patterns of the walls revealed much beauty – as much beauty as is possible considering I am in a damp, rotten and long forgotten house. Hendre Felin is a staggeringly interesting house which was built circa 1620 (but is this the layout that we see today?). I found a Yellow Pages dated 1987 – was this the last time this house was inhabited? Maybe. Or maybe a little later but begs the question, should a house that has stood almost four hundred years be allowed to be neglected so? It stands but a stone’s throw away from Hendre Quarry and one must wonder if the regular blasts coming from the quarry can be doing this old house any good. I doubt so and worry so. The photographs taken came easy. The beginning of this Saturday morning, early October, was warm and the sky without any interrupting cloud. Even the internal images, with the sun light streaming through the windows, were relatively short at around 4 minutes (at F16 – F22). It was an unnerving visit. So often I feel this way when a house seems unnaturally at the point of ruin. Structurally it appears to be in good shape, however, there’s a few small holes in the roof and the drain pipes fallen and the ground around the house is very damp, the mud deep where the cows stand poised and digesting! The house does however need to be made water-tight and intruder-tight with the guttering and drainage re-introduced and holes in the roof repaired. Then why not put it on the market, offered as a large family, country residence? An old family home needs a family to make it home again. And again, after my visit, long and fruitful, I crossed the watery driveway that runs around the house and back into the field where the cows had temporarily forgotten me. Once again, spooked and energetic, it was pleasant to be around some life affirming creatures that contained no dust, no rotten walls, no bleak future nor sorrowful core. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/school-house-chapel-fflur-pontrhydyfendigaid https://images.on-this.website/7784_1400201764ea25b3db626b.jpgSCHOOL HOUSE / CHAPEL FFLUR, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on SCHOOL HOUSE / CHAPEL FFLUR, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19543395.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_726305909525811e2d8a4b.jpgWIG WEN FACH, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on WIG WEN FACH, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Not strictly ruined but neither used - purchased by the National Trust in 1989, Wig Wen Fach has been empty for many years and is relatively unchanged within. Images can be seen by searching online at: http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/35396/details/WIG-WEN-FACH%2C+LLANERCHAERON/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41253150.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2424024985f043b08d9c8f.jpgCOALPIT HALL, Llannon 2020 Notes on COALPIT HALL, Llannon 2020 Down a short track from another ruin, Ty'r Bryn (see next set of photos), Coalpit Hall is all but hidden within the summer foliage. Coalpit feels like an old house. There are no visual clues just a sense that it has stood at this location for many years. The house stands upright and seems a little larger than most. No front door and within, each floor is covered in hardened foot deep old sheep waste. The ceilings have fallen in some rooms and upstairs is a treacherous ordeal. The staircase itself is in good condition. I took no unnecessary risks and due to the dim interior took all my images outside. Good viewpoints were scarce and I did the best I could with long 30 second to 2 minute exposures. The better viewpoints were around the rear... the back door central, two windows top and bottom and the whole house surrounded by trees. It would be a better option to photograph in the winter months but even then I doubt if the house would open up completely. An unusual name for a house and I wonder if it has some connection to a coal manager/worker? A long barn with falling stone walls and a long corrugated roof near collapse and another outbuilding all ruinous and no longer in agricultural use. Another rural ruin visited, this one at least had a roof and you wonder how many more lay hidden and all but forgotten. How long empty? Why so well preserved considering there was no front door, hardly any glass in the windows? The house is just about visible from the c-class road but who has any reason to come this way? Has it been empty for decades and untouched by casual vandal? Does its location mean it is kept sheltered from the elements which can quicken the dereliction? Small rear garden with outdoor Ty bach, fruit trees un-pruned and fruitless. However Coalpit is a nice house with a good aura and it does not seem impossible for it to return to a family home once again - four bedrooms upstairs but small rooms, complete repair and renovation required for this old house. Or maybe not as the case may be. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-house-tre-taliesin-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_99384813550f5836cc9b38.jpgTROEDYFEDWEN, Tre-Taliesin, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on TROEDYFEDWEN, Tre-Taliesin, Ceredigion 2012 This barn is long ruined and sit beneath the farmhouse, also ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41112236.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13745365735e709ab6d6a1d.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/waun-cynydd-farmers-mountain-road https://images.on-this.website/7784_164605755251aa0ef679ac7.jpgWAUN CYNYDD, Farmers, Mountain Road, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on WAUN CYNYDD, Farmers, Mountain Road, Ceredigion 2013 Drenched in moss and dampness, Waun Cynydd has been left empty for many years. Inside is empty except for the odd table and chair, oven range. I presume it is still used as a shelter occasionally. A few horses watched as I set the camera up but they fled when I went up to them palms extended. The house seems in good condition and I presume will be sold one day and renovated. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13323013.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8814100524ea25af6b28b8.jpgSCHOOL HOUSE / CHAPEL FFLUR, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on SCHOOL HOUSE / CHAPEL FFLUR, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img215 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2033645969534790e199516.jpgPANTYMAEN, Hafod, Ceredigion 1990 Notes on PANTYMAEN, Hafod, Ceredigion 1990 High contrast image, shooting towards the sun - house is not ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41426094.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1139302415f2c0e48b62c1.jpgCWM GARENIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CWM GARENIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had seen this property on a estate agent website and looked worth visiting, especially since it was on a public footpath. The house is in a terrible state, the roof barely clinging on and will most likely fall in the near to distant future. I did not venture inside, just peering through the window was enough to put me off. Listed with a lot of land, might be a temptation for someone but a lot of work is required to bring this sorry house back to a living standard. A few images taken, nothing which grabbed the imagination, but recorded if only for prosperity's sake. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41460500.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6569546285f2ffa5e48e5f.jpgPISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Along a footpath/track and you soon come to the farmstead, large and spread out of Pistyll North. The house itself looks long ruinous, two mature tree trunks cut within the walls evidence the house has long been empty and ruinous. A new metal roof protects the solid walls. A large fireplace inside the extended section was in very poor condition – the extended section a somewhat odd looking intrusion of the main structure of the house, most likely a later addition(?). There were sheep inside when I visited, they left, I entered, I expected the floor to be foot deep in droppings and smelly but it was not, it was dry and a comfort from the rain outside. I wondered why the name of the house was half Welsh/half English. At home I searched on older maps and it seems the house has been called by the same spelling for at least a hundred years. A long stone barn, partially collapsed at the front, stands facing the house at a slight angle. Other barns and outbuildings are scattered around. There’s a lot to see and because of the position of the buildings in relation with other buildings viewpoints/compositions are found easily. The site is for sale currently and it is truly exceptional. It needs a little insight but the general aura of the place is one of positively. My visit was short, forty five minutes or so… exposures were quite long inside the house at around 6 minutes. There was a constant drizzle even if the forecast had been dry. There was no sound of traffic. No sound of farm machinery or even a dog barking somewhere someplace of. Even the birds seemed a little shy of the drizzle and judging by the birds in my garden, town birds aren’t much bothered by the rain and I doubt countryside ones aren’t either. The sheep however were bleating. They had seen me, followed me with their eyes as I walked along the track, and knew most likely and instantly that they did not know me. Yet still they bleated, neither in distress or in hope of food. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4633494.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19462582804bae22ec2c6e8.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2005 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2005 A bleak and desolate place. A jumble of machinery and other red coloured rusty mechanics, some dating from the mid 1900's, blotting the landscape and resilient in the wind and rain. An eerie place and a little further up the hillside two large open mining shafts which at some point had served as a general farmyard junk pit and filled with car parts, corrugated iron and many other unrecognisable and tangled metal. Historically, Esgair Mwn, was a place of hard work and strife, one such episode involving a gang and a gun is recorded in Bethan Hughes' book on Peterwell mansion and its notorious owner Lloyd Herbert. There has been a mine at this sight for over 300 years but finally came to an end in 1966. I was also told that there was a brave sole miner during the 1980's. I wonder if this is true and one also wonders what kind of life it must have been. BANC ESGAIR MWN. Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 2005 & 2009 Lie diffaith a llwm. Amrywiaeth o beirianwaith a moduron wedi rhydu yn blith draphlith o amgylch y He, rhai ohonynt yn dyddio'n ol i ganol yr ugeinfed ganrif, yn ddolur i'r llygad ond yn gadarn yn erbyn y gwynt a'r glaw. Lie annaearol yw hwn, ac wrth ddringo ychydig yn uwch ar y llechwedd ceir dwy siafft gloddio fawr agored, a fu ar un adeg yn dwll ar gyfer pob math o sbwriel fferm, ac felly maent yn llawn ceir, tun rhychiog a phentyrrau dryslyd o fetel sy'n amhosib dyfalu beth ydynt. Yn hanesyddol bu cryn ddiwydrwydd ac ymryson yn Esgair Mwn, a bu i Bethan Hughes gofnodi un achlysur yn ymwneud a gang a dryll yn ei chyfrol Peterwell sydd yn ofrhain hanes ystad Ffynnonbedr a'i pherchennog drwg-enwog Lloyd Herbert. Bu mwynglawdd yma am dros 300 mlynedd, ond daeth y gwaith i ben ym 1966. Clywais son y bu mwynwr yn gweithio yno ar ei ben ei hun am gyfnod byr yn y 1980au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25521872.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_143489595755f438cd4a4bc.jpgALLT-MAES-RHYG-FACH, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ALLT-MAES-RHYG-FACH, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Small and remote with no road, or indeed path, leading to it - this small cottage peasant longhouse is much ruined. I was uncertain of the original use of main building, if this was merely a barn or had been the house. I believe the large doorway had been made at a latter date. Inside shows remnants of paint work showing the house also had an upstairs and also the traces of an inglenook fireplace. Odd shaped lintel on one outside window - doorway also stoned-up on rear of property. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/piercefield-house-stables-st-arvans https://images.on-this.website/7784_7766071944971f4d30dcde.jpgPIERCEFIELD HOUSE (stables), St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Notes of PIERCEFIELD HOUSE, St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Piercefield is a large, notorious mansion estate situated high above the river Severn on the outskirts of Chepstow. Its origins lie in the middle ages and the Classical house as it stands today, was built around 1792. It has been bought and sold many times throughout its relatively short-lived life and today sits covered with supports and scaffolding adjacent to Chepstow racecourse. I had known of Piercefield for some time, a friend had shown me snapshots of the house ruined, and it is well documented in guidebooks and historical interest publications. The house and its many statues were abandoned after 1923 and sold to the racecourse. Unsurprisingly, it is a house that sparks great debate in the Chepstow area. The American Army in the Second World War supposedly used it as a target practice. Two large pavilions either side of the house became obscured by undergrowth and around the rear of the house extensive outbuildings (early 19th century); service courts, stables, a coach house and a walled kitchen garden are all derelict though with some abiding agricultural use. The April morning I arrived was a humid and bright day. Piercefields sand-coloured limestone walls stood brave against the greens of the embroidered foliage and a wispy blue sky behind. Many exposures made, ordinarily I use around 6 sheets of film per house visited but the sheer size and wealth of photographic subject matter soon had me reloading film and searching for that viewpoint which suits the atmospherics of a house with such grand declines. The house, outbuildings and grounds are currently under renovation. Piercefield 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8062486714b51d7c651aad.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2477581724b51d7d789407.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15042984424b51d7ea3a405.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img195 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1022734988534594be95d0c.jpgHAFOD, Ceredigion 1991 Notes on HAFOD, Ceredigion 1991 Early image of a sun bleached branch hanging over dark river water. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaenwyre-chapel-llangwyryfon-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11195128674f82c9ce314f8.jpgBLAENWYRE CHAPEL, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN CHAPEL, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 On the roadside, with the early morning sun hitting the facade, this little exquisite chapel has been empty and unused for around twenty years. Inside, gone are the pews, the large glass dome light and replaced with a dust, a few dead birds and a stone which has recently been thrown through one of the windows. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gwdig-goodig-burry-port-carmarthenshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_18127080324abf474eaa96d.jpgGWDIG / GOODIG, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on GWDIG / GOODIG, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire 2009 Once again an early 4am start, leaving my house at Cwmystwyth and driving south through Lampeter and beyond Carmarthen towards Llanelli. I had driven by Gwdig a few times before. It stands solemn but in a great location, high on a hillside overlooking Burry Port and the Burry Estuary. Even from below on the main road to Llanelli it is apparent the house is both large and derelict. The hand painted word ‘HOTEL’ stands loudly on its decrepit walls. It is uncertain when built but a date stone was found on a front wall dated 1701 (although this is thought to be when it was restored or re-built – a house stood at this location before then). See http://www.llanelli-history.co.uk/houses_goodig.htm for further information. Up close the house is in a very sad state of disrepair. The upper floors have all collapsed with the staircase a chaotic mess of wood. Some wooden panelling on the walls can be seen, oddly appearing in good order in amongst the mess and disarray within. There are also wooden shutters on the window frames and some panes in tact though mostly broken. It was still relatively dark when I set the camera up and the first few exposures were taken before sunrise. Long exposures of around 16 minutes were used and these give the images a stillness that equals to the calmness of this fine Indian summer morning. As the light began to creep across the house and the darkness faded, the shadows began to be less deep, the birds began their daily chorus and one could not help but be moved by the sorrowful pile that this house had become. Originally a farm, then enlarged to four storeys and considered a ‘Plas’. It was used as a hotel but burnt down in the 1980’s and has remained derelict ever since. There is the usual collection of disused farm machinery lying redundant and rusting and appears untouched by the vandal. Outbuildings are all ruined with empty caravans, cars and an empty lodge(?) near to the main house with similar false beams. It is currently unlisted but was once a fine looking house but since little is known or cared about I can only imagine that Gwdig will eventually be demolished or will just collapse on its own accord in the passing years. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16303919964abf4a7106ad8.jpg[/img] GWDIG, Carmarthenshire 2009 GWDIG / GOODIG. Porth Tywyn, Sir Gaerfyrddin 2009 Saif Gwdig yn ddwys ddifrif mewn ileoliad gwych, fry ar ben bryn uwchben Porth Tywyn ac aber Afon Llwchwr. Hyd yn oed o'r ffordd fawr i Lanelli mae'n amlwg bod y ty'n fawr ac yn anghyfannedd. Mae'r gair 'HOTEL' wedi ei beintio a Haw mewn llythrennau mawr ar ei waliau adfeiliedig. Ni wyddys pryd y cafodd ei godi ond darganfuwyd carreg ar un o'r waliau a'r dyddiad 1701 ami (er y credir mai'r dyddiad y cafodd ei adfer neu'i ailgodi yw hwn - arferai ty sefyll yn y safle hwn cyn hynny). Yn agos mae'n amlwg bod y ty mewn cyflwr truenus. Mae'r lloriau uchaf wedi mynd a'u pen iddynt ac mae'r grisiau'n llanast anniben o bren. Mae rhai o'r panelau pren i'w gweld ar y waliau o hyd, ac yn rhyfedd ddigon maent mewn cyflwr da yng nghanol y llanast a'r anhrefn sydd y tu mewn i'r ty. Mae caeadau pren ar y ffenestri, y rhan fwyaf ohonynt wedi torri. Llosgwyd y ty'n ulw yn y 1980au ac mae wedi bod yn wag ers hynny. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41460495.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9431762295f2ffa5ccfc16.jpgPISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Along a footpath/track and you soon come to the farmstead, large and spread out of Pistyll North. The house itself looks long ruinous, two mature tree trunks cut within the walls evidence the house has long been empty and ruinous. A new metal roof protects the solid walls. A large fireplace inside the extended section was in very poor condition – the extended section a somewhat odd looking intrusion of the main structure of the house, most likely a later addition(?). There were sheep inside when I visited, they left, I entered, I expected the floor to be foot deep in droppings and smelly but it was not, it was dry and a comfort from the rain outside. I wondered why the name of the house was half Welsh/half English. At home I searched on older maps and it seems the house has been called by the same spelling for at least a hundred years. A long stone barn, partially collapsed at the front, stands facing the house at a slight angle. Other barns and outbuildings are scattered around. There’s a lot to see and because of the position of the buildings in relation with other buildings viewpoints/compositions are found easily. The site is for sale currently and it is truly exceptional. It needs a little insight but the general aura of the place is one of positively. My visit was short, forty five minutes or so… exposures were quite long inside the house at around 6 minutes. There was a constant drizzle even if the forecast had been dry. There was no sound of traffic. No sound of farm machinery or even a dog barking somewhere someplace of. Even the birds seemed a little shy of the drizzle and judging by the birds in my garden, town birds aren’t much bothered by the rain and I doubt countryside ones aren’t either. The sheep however were bleating. They had seen me, followed me with their eyes as I walked along the track, and knew most likely and instantly that they did not know me. Yet still they bleated, neither in distress or in hope of food. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmgigfan-carmarthenshire-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16026073264f2644ca862ab.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 The bridle way that leads up to the estate of Cwmgigfran is lined with mature trees. The path is deeply rutted with the autumn leaves laying decomposing over the rich deeper mud beneath. After a half mile walk in a lightly wooded area I came across a fenced off area and within a large impenetrable mass of rhododendrons. A small gate which I presumed would wend itself around to the front of the property would have been a preferred entrance but this is over grown with tendrils of brambles climbing high, into the ground, out into the air and would surely wrap their barbed selves around me. So another route was found, alongside some outbuildings, again, the brambles acted as a natural barrier. These outbuildings showed interest – a former resident – living rough(?) – a mouldy and damp mattress, folds of blankets, bags of clothes, a carpet pinned against a wall (obviously to seal off any cold draughts). Within another outbuilding were shelves of various fittings; jars of nails, a rusting wheelbarrow, an oil lamp, pot belly stove standing redundant and unfitted… this list could be endless, like that of the mansion of Plas Gwynfryn. Everything, however, was rusting, or broken, or had passed its useful life. So onward to the house, surprisingly large, unsurprisingly few fragments of architectural interest remain. The four high walls do reveal a full three storey and settled on a basement. According to ‘Lost Houses of Wales’ (Tom Lloyd), the house was built 1800 but dismantled 1965. The land around the house is either boggy and inaccessible or inaccessible due to the foliage which has been allowed to grow without restraint. This adds only to the thrill of visiting such a house. The frontages had two brick-clad bays reaching up the full three storeys but higher still were the trees that grew within. To photograph the façade was challenging and I literally had to stand within the rhododendron jungle and use my camera bag to weigh down the tripod and camera. The branches of the rhododendron are naturally living things and any force against them caused them to respond with equal force. Once weighted, the camera and tripod seemed relatively stable. But, as ever, long exposures were used even in the winter sunlight and after 12 seconds (and then after developing and printing the negatives) I was pleased to find the negatives were sharp and the springy rhododendrons branches hadn’t caused any movement against the tripod legs and therefore causing a blurred negative. Cwmgigfran stands quite magnificent in its obscured location, overlooking a peaceful landscape and on this bright winters morning transmits not an air of sadness but of calmness. One can breathe here. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076271.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_176925642949701ee311e20.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s Lost Houses of Wales, it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. When I visited it had reached the peak of dereliction. The roof long gone, the cellars caved in, only the shell remained and although still magnificent, the house in its entirety is a true gothic-horror-three-story mansion. The wind blew the patchy cloud cover over the house and revealed an unpredictable view – one minute soft and graceful, the next dark and foreboding. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. This image i consider to be one of the more successful of all the photographs taken of mansion sites. A relatively long exposure of around 16 seconds was used which recorded the foliage blurred in the breeze and the solid blocks of stone a feeling of timelessness and stillness. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7277216654b46df2c9d8fe.jpg[/img] Tegfynydd 2009 TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41249151.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1033237295f00b33b1b441.jpgHOREB CHAPEL, Llanelli 2020 Notes on HOREB CHAPEL, Llanelli 2020 I arrived early on a late June Saturday morning. The forecast had been for rain and the forecast proved correct. I parked half a mile from the chapel simply because there was nowhere to park along the narrow road that runs through Horeb. I had been told the door of the chapel was open but it was firmly locked. There was a side window broken but with already being soaked and with a bad knee this weekend I decided not to enter. All the images were taken beneath tree cover and true to form, the rain stopped almost immediately after I had packed away the camera. I do not know but expect the chapel will eventually be sold and converted like so many are into a home/flats. It is still in an excellent structural condition as far as my untrained eye could see. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8311548.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19257807154d353b2786fcf.jpgTAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 An interesting site, Tan-y-Foel is in a poor state with it's roof all but fallen. I sought an interior image but little remained inside other than some very damp beams and other indistinguishable debris so decided against crawling through rotten windows onto rotten floorboards. I had cycled from Tregaron to visit Tan-y-Foel. There had been a frost. I was out of breath and hot when I reached the footpath that leads up to the house. It was 11:30am. The house sits besides a disused quarry and a small wooded area. This sheltered the house from the rising sun. The light in this small alcove of farm and farm buildings was cool and soft. I often prefer to photograph a building on a cloudy, overcast day. However, this, it has to be said, is my preferred condition with the subject sheltered from the bright sun light. I made a number of exposures. I was limited to only 8 sheets of film, of which I used only 7. The images here are somewhat similar and show the property taken at the number of angles that were possible. For me they all work. There was little room around the rear garden due to the overgrowth of brambles. The collection of stone barns, corrugated barns were chockablock with used and disused farm machinery; bags upon bags of farming litter and rubbish. All very interesting but also disturbing seeing such a mess; sitting before a ruined house, in a prime location just a few miles out of the university town of Lampeter. Surely a use could have been found for this property? A far greater and comprehensive view of this farmhouse and it's barns can be seen at www.derelictmiscellany.org.uk by clciking on the link below: http://derelictmisc.org.uk/tanyfoel.html https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23607633.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_153309665354ec2a21e63be.jpgGEUFRON, Nebo, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GEUFRON, Nebo, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage, remote, and outbuildings - long ruined but beautifully situated. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12405786.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_214622274e5b3cb008727.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 A return to the supposedly demolished Bronwydd. Little does remain save the wonderful tower - the owner/farmer advised not to climb the stone spiral steps that lead to a presumably great view. I did not climb those steps. Instead I set up the camera and tried to successfully photograph the parts of Bronwydd that I'd never photographed before. (Always in the back of my mind that each visit to these mansions will be my last). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41319193.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2242660995f16c298c899f.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4953032.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15460281744be516337d442.jpgDEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on DEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12405780.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19186890124e5b3ca0d859d.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 Another visit and further height lost from these once spectacular walls. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41460493.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3832456345f2ffa5c4f4f8.jpgPISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Along a footpath/track and you soon come to the farmstead, large and spread out of Pistyll North. The house itself looks long ruinous, two mature tree trunks cut within the walls evidence the house has long been empty and ruinous. A new metal roof protects the solid walls. A large fireplace inside the extended section was in very poor condition – the extended section a somewhat odd looking intrusion of the main structure of the house, most likely a later addition(?). There were sheep inside when I visited, they left, I entered, I expected the floor to be foot deep in droppings and smelly but it was not, it was dry and a comfort from the rain outside. I wondered why the name of the house was half Welsh/half English. At home I searched on older maps and it seems the house has been called by the same spelling for at least a hundred years. A long stone barn, partially collapsed at the front, stands facing the house at a slight angle. Other barns and outbuildings are scattered around. There’s a lot to see and because of the position of the buildings in relation with other buildings viewpoints/compositions are found easily. The site is for sale currently and it is truly exceptional. It needs a little insight but the general aura of the place is one of positively. My visit was short, forty five minutes or so… exposures were quite long inside the house at around 6 minutes. There was a constant drizzle even if the forecast had been dry. There was no sound of traffic. No sound of farm machinery or even a dog barking somewhere someplace of. Even the birds seemed a little shy of the drizzle and judging by the birds in my garden, town birds aren’t much bothered by the rain and I doubt countryside ones aren’t either. The sheep however were bleating. They had seen me, followed me with their eyes as I walked along the track, and knew most likely and instantly that they did not know me. Yet still they bleated, neither in distress or in hope of food. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4605726.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8481366434ba78be9c7840.jpgEDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on EDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 There is something vastly poetic and romantic regarding the grieving walls of Edwinsford. The blue morning hue hung soft and silent and I too trod soft and silent amongst the rubble and remaining walls. It felt impossible to utter a sound, if so, the atmospherics would shatter into something ordinary. The ground was frozen underfoot and thin layers of ice formed over the tyre tracks and puddles made by the sharp manoeuvres of diggers and tippers. The heavy machinery sat like silent dinosaurs in front of the house, like guards, rested from disposing unidentifiable rubble and clearing piles of debris. Never anything less than a subliminal experience one can not help but wonder why it has taken so long for anyone to come to the rescue of this unusual house that has been begging for some love for over 50 years. A house of many periods and styles, each individual yet the individual parts do not, as seen at other properties, detract from the overall aesthetics. It adds only character in the case of Edwinsford. The white washed square structure, built around a large chimney, has collapsed around the rear (wooden panelling can be seen on the walls within) and this internal view gives an excellent view of how this square structure of the house was built. At the rear there’s a small courtyard, ivy entwined around stone work, but the majority of the internal structure is a void shell revealing a few structural and dividing walls and high chimneys. The owner has cleared the piles debris and an inkling of how the house must have felt can be experienced. It would be very easy to fall in love with Edwinsford. The owners / restorers need congratulating at visualising the view from a mountaintop when they are only a small part way up. I personally can barely comprehend the task at hand. The only sound I heard during my visit was the morning birdsong; particularly the sweet song from the blackbird and also the cackle of those intelligent crows and the flow of the river Cothi. It becomes easy to recall the joy of Edwinsford, as home, as seen in old photographs and postcards; neatly maintained grounds, well dressed occupants, windows and door left open in the summer months, daffodils bobbling about on a spring morning. The wealth of full bloom sits juxtaposed to the poverty of crumbling stone and dissolved mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42204334.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12319307995ff8459d843d5.jpgMINE TOWER nr CILYBEBYLL, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on MINE TOWER nr CILYBEBYLL, Pontardawe 2020 Stands overlooking former rail line now a cycle track/footpath, the tower itself is in surprisingly good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196104.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4862318755fe1ae9869940.jpgVARTEG ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on VARTEG ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Somewhat oddly, Varteg Isaf stands higher than Varteg Uchaf, a stones throw away across a field. Both are derelict and ruinous as seen here. Isaf has a roof, albeit a rusting corrugated affair. The house stands windswept and on my December morning it was chilly but dry. Tracks lead up to the house and a little further wind turbines. Great views... a few images taken, as seen here mostly from a similar viewpoint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42009644.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8450913585f8fda23a6726.jpgDUNRAVEN CASTLE, Southerndown, Bridgend 2020 Notes on DUNRAVEN CASTLE, Southerndown, Bridgend 2020 A managed mansion estate, the clifftop mansion/castle was demolished, like so many in the early sixties (1963) but there’s plenty here to see; a well maintained and very large walled garden, the photograph here shows a folly built within the walled garden. The house platform remains too, with some surprisingly high walls and bricked up windows. The arch, as seen here, was also saved from demolition. There is also a fantastic gatehouse in a poor state but not photographed on this occasion. The castle once overlooked Dunraven Bay which is a popular beach with sand a glorious rock formation within the high cliff walls. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196116.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12817004995fe1ae9d40ef2.jpgVARTEG UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on VARTEG UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Its close neighbour, Varteg Isaf, as been semi-preserved by a rusty corrugated roof. No such luck for Varteg Uchaf, as seen here, open to the elements and over looking the hills of the parishes of Neath Port Talbot. The walk up to this and Varteg Isaf is easy, just a forestry track and on the morning of my visit it was silent. The low mist clung to the valley below following the river as it does. Varteg Uchaf has fine views, the visit put me in good spirits and I felt the images represent that to some degree. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42197463.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11282693405feb45bac79b0.jpgEDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 otes on EDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 There is something vastly poetic and romantic regarding the grieving walls of Edwinsford. The blue morning hue hung soft and silent and I too trod soft and silent amongst the rubble and remaining walls. It felt impossible to utter a sound, if so, the atmospherics would shatter into something ordinary. The ground was frozen underfoot and thin layers of ice formed over the tyre tracks and puddles made by the sharp manoeuvres of diggers and tippers. The heavy machinery sat like silent dinosaurs in front of the house, like guards, rested from disposing unidentifiable rubble and clearing piles of debris. Never anything less than a subliminal experience one can not help but wonder why it has taken so long for anyone to come to the rescue of this unusual house that has been begging for some love for over 50 years. A house of many periods and styles, each individual yet the individual parts do not, as seen at other properties, detract from the overall aesthetics. It adds only character in the case of Edwinsford. The white washed square structure, built around a large chimney, has collapsed around the rear (wooden panelling can be seen on the walls within) and this internal view gives an excellent view of how this square structure of the house was built. At the rear there’s a small courtyard, ivy entwined around stone work, but the majority of the internal structure is a void shell revealing a few structural and dividing walls and high chimneys. The owner has cleared the piles debris and an inkling of how the house must have felt can be experienced. It would be very easy to fall in love with Edwinsford. The owners / restorers need congratulating at visualising the view from a mountaintop when they are only a small part way up. I personally can barely comprehend the task at hand. The only sound I heard during my visit was the morning birdsong; particularly the sweet song from the blackbird and also the cackle of those intelligent crows and the flow of the river Cothi. It becomes easy to recall the joy of Edwinsford, as home, as seen in old photographs and postcards; neatly maintained grounds, well dressed occupants, windows and door left open in the summer months, daffodils bobbling about on a spring morning. The wealth of full bloom sits juxtaposed to the poverty of crumbling stone and dissolved mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/trees-in-sunlight-glan-y https://images.on-this.website/7784_3055616894be515fe19e46.jpgTREES IN SUNLIGHT, Glan-y-Avon, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on TREES IN SUNLIGHT, Glan-y-Avon, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2004 The foreground shows reeds and grasses blowing in the wind and the mid-ground show small trees partially in sunlight and then the background hill in deep shadow. This is a rare occasion I used a telephoto lens (180mm on a 5x4inch camera) https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14359203.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6184266294f61a7774839c.jpgLLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2012 A return to Llanfechen before spring, when the foliage freed views and the size of the house could be fully appreciated. I like this house. I like its position; the scale and the years it has been empty. The morning fog had yet to truly rise and the fog makes the visualization of the scene in black and white much easier. The muted colours are simple and much closer to a black and white print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img194 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1614131278534594a9240c5.jpgCLOUDS OVER ABERYSTWYTH 1999 Please note: this image is not for sale https://www.welshruins.co.uk/fawnog-devils-bridge-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10627777094c98e8e4caaf4.jpgTYNGRAIG, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on TYNGRAIG, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2010 Sitting above the small stream 'Nant y Fawnog' and have thus named the house Fawnog. (Thanks to all of those who emailed in to say this house is call 'Tyngraig'). Recently unroofed and within signs of fire. This tiny cottage is barely visible from the Devil's Bridge to Aberystwyth road. Curious sheep watched and bleated loudly. I made a few exposures and left this small, peaceful cottage to its inevitable collapse. Demolished early 2011. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img251 https://images.on-this.website/7784_950220425534c159a5f8d0.jpgHAFOD, Ceredigion 1993 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5834462.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6097679784c5e540fef413.jpgDEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2010 All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-nottingham-1997 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7691147464be513933f69a.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5763274.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8171751664c55be0189774.jpgLLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 Notes on LLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 I reached Llwyn Ynn at sun up after a two mile walk that zigzagged along footpaths and bridle paths and then through a long narrow wooded area. The sweet aroma of wild garlic permeated through the morning air. It was already warm when I reached the 18th century stone gate posts that stand, without their iron gates, before an empty patch of elevated ground where once the grand mansion of Llwyn Ynn stood. The great house, built in the 17th century was demolished like so many in the 1950’s after no buyer could be found. The steps leading up to where the entrance of the house once would have stood remain, indeed a galleried platform remains, and it is easy with the aid of old photographs to place the house in this walled area. Of the great house only one wall remains and thereon evidence of a very large fireplace (and a smaller one on the floor above). This wall is attached to the ruined service quarters. It is these service quarters that are the reason for my visit today and they do not disappoint. Beneath the two fireplaces there is a basement entrance that leads into the cottages that once gapped the space between the house and the service quarters. Inside all was quiet, all was dark and once my eyes and ears adjusted I could hear and see three sheep chewing, laying in a large ruinous room. They ceased their chewing as I came into view but did not rise from their sitting positions. There was a short stand-off. I was blocking their only exit. They watched me intently and seemed intent on not moving until I did. I took a few photographs. I then moved to allow their safe passage and that they did but in a typical rather hurried sheep fashion! Internally the service quarters are a mess. The staircase has collapsed and although the floors above are intact they looked paper thin and any attempt to explore, however tempting, would inevitably end up with a foot through a floor board. Holes are also prevalent in the side walls exposing beam and brick and the dim interior. At the rear a mass of extensions which appear in relative sound structural condition and access to the upper floors is possible. Again, all exposed to the weather and the livestock. The stone mullion windows are mainly in an excellent condition but naturally the wooden framed windows are rotting. The house stands on a small bluff and sits before a gentle stream called the Afon Hesbin (which flows further upstream into the river Clwyd). Including the stone buildings at the rear of the timber framed service quarters it quickly becomes apparent that Llwyn Ynn could easily accommodate a large family. The house needs extensive restoration and re-build and personally I do not hold onto much belief that the house will survive much longer if no consolidation work is carried out. I am uncertain, because I felt it unnecessary to venture, but I believe access to the cellars of the original great house may be possible. I however had no great desire to find out. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789125.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7950630244bcaac7602bd2.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 In 1995 I moved to Nottingham to study photography at Nottingham Trent University. For the next three years I almost solely photographed walls (with a few trips to Wales photographing mansions). Nottingham proved to be a city with rich photographic pickings providing many dirty walls with fragments of posters and peeling paint. Many of these images were taken in Forest Fields, St Annes, Radford and along Mansfield Road. Inspired by the work of Aaron Siskind. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tyn-rhos-bwchllan-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14961699335583b881eea7d.jpgTYN RHOS, Bwlchllan, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TYN RHOS, Bwlchllan, Ceredigion 2015 The house of Tyn Rhos has now all but gone, just the shallow foundations remain – it occupied until 1965. Thanks to Delyth Morgan (whose father lived here last)for this photograph https://www.flickr.com/photos/delythmorgans/431628021/ What remains are extensive and large barns and stables – all ruinous but still worthy of photographing. The footpath towards the site also had a simple and seemingly (but not), well groomed tree – so I took a picture of that too! Another link Delyth sent shows that the occupies of Tyn Rhos, John and Elizabeth Jones and their five children, moved to Ohio and set up a chapel there and called that Tyn Rhos too. Quite remarkable. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pembrey-court-pembrey-carmarthenshire-1997 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16379230454eb6432ccddd9.jpgPEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 1997 Notes on PEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 1997 The ruined mansion house of Pembrey has been empty for since the 1960's and was, during my visit, lost in the undergrowth. It was a difficult place to photograph but within the local youths had built small fires and on the charred medieval walls some of these kids had scratched their names or faces. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9028994.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3293957654d84497003780.jpgLLUEST NEWYDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLUEST NEWYDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Empty for many years I only became aware of this red bricked property whilst searching on an estate agents website. It looks a little like a railway cottage but is situated high on the slope of a hillside. The outbuildings although largely intact are not of great quality and would, I presume, be demolished once a buyer pays up the two hundred thousand pound asking price. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29924985.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_748790727585a2b0723dc9.jpgMORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2016 Notes on MORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2016 Morris castle was built between 1768 and 1774 but unoccupied since 1850 when nearby mining made the building unsafe. It sits on a hill in the middle of a residential area, only recently purchased by the council and as yet little work as begun to make the area visitor friendly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41426096.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6808241245f2c0e4993464.jpgCWM GARENIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CWM GARENIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had seen this property on a estate agent website and looked worth visiting, especially since it was on a public footpath. The house is in a terrible state, the roof barely clinging on and will most likely fall in the near to distant future. I did not venture inside, just peering through the window was enough to put me off. Listed with a lot of land, might be a temptation for someone but a lot of work is required to bring this sorry house back to a living standard. A few images taken, nothing which grabbed the imagination, but recorded if only for prosperity's sake. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6298630.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17408392554c8648edea375.jpgGLAN-COTHI STABLES, Pont-ar-Gothi, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on GLAN-COTHI STABLES, Pont-ar-Gothi, Carmarthenshire 2010 The large house of Glan-Cothi has gone. Demolished some time between 2003 and 2007(?). Many clues are left; a tree lined driveway, an ornate iron gateway and these ruinous stables. On the site of the house are modern agricultural buildings obviously a much more practical solution to a large, damp, unwanted and expensive house. The stables were piled high with furniture, all damp and rotting and/or broken. All totally worthless. In another more recent outbuilding were the remanants of the last owners life. Piled high were clothes, boots, bags, ornaments, nick-nacks, boxes of spilled possessions and also old photographs laying in puddles, the slugs eating the coating off destroying the faces permanently. Glan-Cothi is an intensely sorrowful site. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo27442462.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_44369559957340f92ccadf.jpgNEUADD BRYN GLAS, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on NEUADD BRYN GLAS, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Long empty - at least thirty years - Neuadd Bryn Glas is currently listed on Ceredigion's Planning Map as possible restoration as holiday home. Little remains but is remote and situated in a delightful and bright valley. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo35028350.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14524640635b0d03969810a.jpgALLT-Y-FANOG, Pontardawe, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on ALLT-Y-FANOG, Pontardawe, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Noted for its two stone staircases, my visit found the house much ruined and far too dangerous to enter. A shame since inside was wooden paneled and would have made the walk so much more worthwhile. Nonetheless, no regrets. The house is hidden within the undergrowth, Japanese Knotweed around the rear, the usual late Spring bramble and nettle to the front. Stone outbuilding intact and in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-at-railway-depo-kenfig https://images.on-this.website/7784_10327758265d45e2ec432cc.jpgABSTRACTION at RAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talb Notes on ABSTRACTION at RAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Uninspiring building - two visit in two days - both trips shortened somewhat dramatically due to homeless people fighting and I felt threatened and left. Such a shame on both occasions since the walls are filled with wonderful potential abstractions. Only a few images were taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-aberaeron-ceredigion-2013 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1487292671517d2b665555f.jpgABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 After a long absence from photographing for this website I've now, slowly, began to wander out in search of abstractions and ruins and landscapes. These images were the first for a long time and were a simple exercise to get me back into the swing of setting up a tripod and exposing a few sheets of film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23489818.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_133538482654d7a28571414.jpgPANT-AFALLEN, Pontsaeson, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PANT-AFALLEN, Pontsaeson, Ceredigion 2015 Only a stones throw from the b-road, I crossed a field, following a public right of way, uncertain if I'd find anything within the small gathering of trees in a dip just over the horizon. The house stood, looking in reasonably good condition, with cement block restoration within the doorway and a rendered front. The roof too, also in a relatively good condition - it seemed Pant-afallen (Pantfallen) has not been empty for so long. However, the windows and doors have all gone and inside was dark and gloomy with furniture rotting black and damp with mould. I did not bother to enter. The staircase also rotten. Barns also all ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/banks-of-penygarreg-reserviorelan-valley https://images.on-this.website/7784_11244936444be3b0d5a7eb2.jpgBANKS OF PENYGARREG RESERVIOR,Elan Valley, Radnorshire 1996 Notes on BANKS OF FROZEN PENYGARREG RESERVIOR, Radnorshire 1996 Cwm Elan is a spectacular place. I know some locals find it a little too picturesque but I have no qualms and am happy to wander the lengths of it lakes and spy former workings all day. This image taken at the end of Pengarreg Reservoir shows low water and a silver silt over the rocks giving them a white appearance. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/horeb-brickworks-llanelli-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17533787435efb38d3ce001.jpgHOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 Notes on HOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 I am not sure how I missed these brick-works before but they’re easily found along the cycle path from Horeb to Lliedi Reservoirs. Well camouflage in the summer foliage but if visiting look for the huge tower and you know you’re in the right place. The brickworks are in a fairly good condition, the entrance is somewhat caved in but the basic structure seems sound. Nature has however reclaimed around the perimeter. Within was dark, I had chosen a very wet morning to visit, late June, heavy rain, the foliage not helping with lighting up the interior. Beer cans aplenty within but the site perhaps not as vandalized as it would be if it was located elsewhere. Horeb is a far distance from anywhere and parking is a challenge. I had forgotten to put a SD card into my digital camera to take colour snapshots. I was annoyed with myself, usually so fastidious before I go out photographing. I needn't have worried. I had my smartphone and the pictures it took were of a good enough quality. I think a re-visit to this site once the summer is over. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo7605516.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14606769194ce2a562f041a.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 After visiting Ruperra Castle, a short journey down the M4 to Llanmartin and to the ruins of Pencoed Castle. I had heard it had been re-sold in 2006 and wondered if any progress had been made on its consolidation and restoration. Sadly not. From memory, my first visit in 1997, very little seemed to have changed at Pencoed Castle. Caravans and other farm machinery no longer littered the front lawn but other than that, it remained, seemingly, ever resilient to time and decay. Of course no building can remain solid without the due care and maintenance. Peering through the windows one could see the make-shift wooden scaffolding; beams holding lintels, timbers holding beams. One such covered metal frame was loose. I entered without effort or force and walked the great halls and dusty stone staircases. Stone fireplaces stood without heat and scaffolding kept the floors above barely intact. That said, 12 years after my first visit, Pencoed seems to be in an astonishing condition (to my untrained eye) since it has been left empty since the 1950/60's(?). These days the only occupants of Pencoed Castle are the birds – rooks tending attentively to their demanding young and making such a racket in comparison to the gentle and soft coo-ing of the pigeons. The birds weave in and out of the windows – nearly all smashed and the metal frames twisted – inside stone steps lead up to floorless rooms, dusty but seemingly dry. On the first floor long planks lead from doorway to doorway, the second floor padlocked. Although padlocked, I did not feel the need to venture further. Pencoed, long yet slim, remains a mysterious place – barren within and without, one feels the house has had a long and varied history. Twelve years since my first visit, Pencoed still felt ancient and any ideals of modernization would feel wrong and building against the spiritual grain. Perhaps some houses are better left simply as they are; empty, dry and content. The gatehouse, surrounding walls, barns and dovecote all crumble, slowly without human interference or indeed need, in ruin. Yet again, an easy thought to have in a brief and distant visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13083736.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12718309044e86a60cefdeb.jpgCWM-BYR, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CWM-BYR, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 Another delightful property much ruined and in some kind of need of consolidation(?). No road or discernable path could be routed from the footpath from Alltgochmynydd and a rather boggy and slow trudge to the doors of Drosgol was made. The house now sits in high grass, damp ground and although much remains it appears almost invisible in its surroundings – something preferable for every rural farm? Of course the 60 foot corrugated iron zinc coloured outbuilding does stand out quite dramatically! This is still in some agricultural/seasonal livestock use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2384285.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_96463909749e0c045bc660.jpgLLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2009 Notes on LLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2009 A return to Llanstinan on a late March, early morning and dimly lit. The house had recently been cleared from the foliage that crept around its walls and grounds. Destroyed by fire in the 1940's the house has, since, begun it's slow decline. A side view reveals high on the rendered wall with the date 1769. A row of palms hint at once renowned garden terrace. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_579088174b34b57e401d3.jpg[/img] Porch Pillar, Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9958878794b6e5ee396a4b.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17452514204b6e5f5ad9f0c.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12485154214b6e5fae8bd8b.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 TY LLANSTINAN. Llanstinan, Aberqwaun. Sir Benfro 2005 & 2009 Yn gynnar un bore ar ddiwedd mis Mai a glaw man trwm yn chwythu o'm hamgylch, cerddais ar hyd hen Iwybr a oedd yn llawn llystyfiant tuag at adfeilion dirgel a chyfareddol Ty Llanstinan. Ar un adeg, roedd gan Dy Llanstinan ardd deras odidog (mae rhes hir o balmwydd yn dal i sefyll wrth ymyl y ty), ond erbyn heddiw mae wedi tyfu'n wyllt. Mae'r Ty Llanstinan llaith a thywyll bellach yn adfeilio. Colofnau portico sy'n eich croesawu i'r ty. Mae pedwar llawr i'r ty ynghyd ag islawr (pob un wedi mynd a'i ben iddo). Gorchuddiwyd y waliau cefn a llechi ond bellach mae iorwg yn rhwygo'r llechi o'r morter. Hefyd, mae'r dwr yn diferu i lawr. Mae pob un o'r waliau o amgylch y stablau a'r esgyll gwasanaethu yn llaith, yn anghynnes ac wedi eu difetha'n llwyr. Adeiladwyd y ty ar hen safle yn 1680 a thros y blynyddoedd, cafodd ei newid yn rheolaidd. Yn y pendraw, llosgodd y ty yn yr 1940au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llwyn-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8014917415a8bec885199b.jpgLLWYN, CEREDIGION 2015 HORSE AT LLWYN, CEREDIGION 2015 House and outbuildings in excellent condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8121592.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6089557044d1b4935bb8e9.jpgGWYNLLYN, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Notes on GWYNLLYN, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 A small house along the banks of the stream Nantgwynllyn and stands just a mile outside of Rhayader. (now restored - 2015) https://www.welshruins.co.uk/grasses-in-lake-at-teifi https://images.on-this.website/7784_2997689494bc170fdd86bd.jpgGRASSES IN LAKE AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 1995 Notes on GRASSES IN LAKE AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 1995, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 1995 Taken with a medium format back on my field camera - another simple image whose main compositional point is the three blades of grass converging just off centre left. this slightly unnatural element gives an otherwise mundane photograph a further dimension. Photographed with a red and polarising filter on to reduce reflections and to darken the waters. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41249153.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1230082845f00b33be9e03.jpgCOALPIT HALL, Llannon 2020 Notes on COALPIT HALL, Llannon 2020 Down a short track from another ruin, Ty'r Bryn (see next set of photos), Coalpit Hall is all but hidden within the summer foliage. Coalpit feels like an old house. There are no visual clues just a sense that it has stood at this location for many years. The house stands upright and seems a little larger than most. No front door and within, each floor is covered in hardened foot deep old sheep waste. The ceilings have fallen in some rooms and upstairs is a treacherous ordeal. The staircase itself is in good condition. I took no unnecessary risks and due to the dim interior took all my images outside. Good viewpoints were scarce and I did the best I could with long 30 second to 2 minute exposures. The better viewpoints were around the rear... the back door central, two windows top and bottom and the whole house surrounded by trees. It would be a better option to photograph in the winter months but even then I doubt if the house would open up completely. An unusual name for a house and I wonder if it has some connection to a coal manager/worker? A long barn with falling stone walls and a long corrugated roof near collapse and another outbuilding all ruinous and no longer in agricultural use. Another rural ruin visited, this one at least had a roof and you wonder how many more lay hidden and all but forgotten. How long empty? Why so well preserved considering there was no front door, hardly any glass in the windows? The house is just about visible from the c-class road but who has any reason to come this way? Has it been empty for decades and untouched by casual vandal? Does its location mean it is kept sheltered from the elements which can quicken the dereliction? Small rear garden with outdoor Ty bach, fruit trees un-pruned and fruitless. However Coalpit is a nice house with a good aura and it does not seem impossible for it to return to a family home once again - four bedrooms upstairs but small rooms, complete repair and renovation required for this old house. Or maybe not as the case may be. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076464.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14465616525fef52ebb335d.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s 'Lost Houses of Wales', it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. When I visited it had reached the peak of dereliction. The roof long gone, the cellars caved in, only the shell remained and although still magnificent, the house in its entirety is a true gothic-horror-three-story mansion. The wind blew the patchy cloud cover over the house and revealed an unpredictable view – one minute soft and graceful, the next dark and foreboding. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_362905362498bd50475f9c.jpg[/img] Tegfynydd 1996 TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9028998.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9377611344d84497a47776.jpgLLUEST NEWYDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLUEST NEWYDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Empty for many years I only became aware of this red bricked property whilst searching on an estate agents website. It looks a little like a railway cottage but is situated high on the slope of a hillside. The outbuildings although largely intact are not of great quality and would, I presume, be demolished once a buyer pays up the two hundred thousand pound asking price. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23523868.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3631922554dc4f8cdacef.jpgTRAFLE UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRAFLE UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Thank you to Barry Parks for telling me about this house - which he visited in mid 1970's with possibility of restoring - he also said the postman used to walk from the road to this and Trafle (Isaf?), which must be a fair two mile round trip. The other Trafle was restored but Uchaf, as seen here, is in a very ruinous state and sits quietly in a shaded grove, beside a stream. Other outbuildings also ruinous. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13386437.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18460039904eaad34b2f65e.jpgHENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on HENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 A group of cows, with their young, scattered, re-grouped, came galloping around me and then followed me. They followed me most way up the drive to Hendre Felin. The elder were curious, the younger boisterous yet more fearful. The house, built into a steep bank, south facing, is most unusual. The front door offset to the left, the extension with the long thin window, and along a passage way, rose up to the large kitchen and storeroom(?). The kitchen and storeroom are both single storey and rest on the bank. I am neither historian nor architect but I believe this house was designed this way, and this way is not common in Ceredigion. Inside are large empty rooms, empty except for broken furniture; a panel-less wardrobe, a sowing table, chest of drawers, chairs with three legs, much bedroom furniture all downstairs in the living quarters. And the upstairs bedrooms all empty except for pieces of stone that have fallen inward and dust, a lot of fine dust filling the lungs, dancing in the sun light and adding to my nervousness. The main staircase rises to the first floor and then carries on upward to the attic space. I did not climb into the attic, the steps on the stairs had visible and perhaps not so visible holes and I imagine the floorboards of the attic were the same. Judging by the high pitched roof, a high narrow A-frame, well over head-height, I would say the attic to be large and spacious, although dark. Maybe this housed the man-servants? Did this house have servants? I imagine so. The raised kitchen was large with a well-used Rayburn-style stove rusting and wallpaper hanging off plastered walls (also hanging off). The textures and patterns of the walls revealed much beauty – as much beauty as is possible considering I am in a damp, rotten and long forgotten house. Hendre Felin is a staggeringly interesting house which was built circa 1620 (but is this the layout that we see today?). I found a Yellow Pages dated 1987 – was this the last time this house was inhabited? Maybe. Or maybe a little later but begs the question, should a house that has stood almost four hundred years be allowed to be neglected so? It stands but a stone’s throw away from Hendre Quarry and one must wonder if the regular blasts coming from the quarry can be doing this old house any good. I doubt so and worry so. The photographs taken came easy. The beginning of this Saturday morning, early October, was warm and the sky without any interrupting cloud. Even the internal images, with the sun light streaming through the windows, were relatively short at around 4 minutes (at F16 – F22). It was an unnerving visit. So often I feel this way when a house seems unnaturally at the point of ruin. Structurally it appears to be in good shape, however, there’s a few small holes in the roof and the drain pipes fallen and the ground around the house is very damp, the mud deep where the cows stand poised and digesting! The house does however need to be made water-tight and intruder-tight with the guttering and drainage re-introduced and holes in the roof repaired. Then why not put it on the market, offered as a large family, country residence? An old family home needs a family to make it home again. And again, after my visit, long and fruitful, I crossed the watery driveway that runs around the house and back into the field where the cows had temporarily forgotten me. Once again, spooked and energetic, it was pleasant to be around some life affirming creatures that contained no dust, no rotten walls, no bleak future nor sorrowful core. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13071230.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19623558634e855bd6a5bab.jpgTYNYLONE, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2011 Note on TYNYLONE, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2011 Standing on a hillside between Stags Head and Llangeitho this ruined farm has been in decay for many years. The front section of the roof has fallen, with the rear wavering and it can only be a matter of time before this too falls. Within, each room can still be distinguished but the ceiling beams sag heavy and piles of stone have fallen where walls have collapsed. Lots of dead cars and farm machinery lays around completing this particular picture of decay. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dolcarne-ponterwyd-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11037916944cb53ff141037.jpgDOLCARNE, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DOLCARNE, Ceredigion 2010 A few tell-tale signs that this house is un-occupied; the untended grounds, the house in need of some basic maintenance and that instinctive feeling one gets when one walks up to the front door. Dolcarne is situated just outside Ponterwyd on the road that leads up to Nant-y-Moch reservior. Peering through the windows reveals empty rooms and flag stone floors. The window panes are damp and are beginning to seriously rot. Who owns this house? Why such a sad state of disrepair? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41241776.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13025357735efb02dd23f02.jpgBERLLAN DYWYLL, Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2020 Notes on BERLLAN DYWYLL, Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2020 Nestled in summer foliage on a bank somewhat lost and impenetrable. The house stands towards the Upper Lliedi Reservoir. Roofless and no doubt characterless within. The morning of my visit, late June, mild and misty and drizzly. I was unable to reach the door, the bramble too high and too wet to be worth the effort, perhaps one more visit during winter but perhaps not. Buildings adjacent in slightly better condition and a trample through high grass, soaked within yards and a stone and a brick building inside concrete cows feeders. Once a farm now swallowed up and lost. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/edwinsford-talley-carmarthenshire-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6959076454ba78be501368.jpgEDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on EDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 There is something vastly poetic and romantic regarding the grieving walls of Edwinsford. The blue morning hue hung soft and silent and I too trod soft and silent amongst the rubble and remaining walls. It felt impossible to utter a sound, if so, the atmospherics would shatter into something ordinary. The ground was frozen underfoot and thin layers of ice formed over the tyre tracks and puddles made by the sharp manoeuvres of diggers and tippers. The heavy machinery sat like silent dinosaurs in front of the house, like guards, rested from disposing unidentifiable rubble and clearing piles of debris. Never anything less than a subliminal experience one can not help but wonder why it has taken so long for anyone to come to the rescue of this unusual house that has been begging for some love for over 50 years. A house of many periods and styles, each individual yet the individual parts do not, as seen at other properties, detract from the overall aesthetics. It adds only character in the case of Edwinsford. The white washed square structure, built around a large chimney, has collapsed around the rear (wooden panelling can be seen on the walls within) and this internal view gives an excellent view of how this square structure of the house was built. At the rear there’s a small courtyard, ivy entwined around stone work, but the majority of the internal structure is a void shell revealing a few structural and dividing walls and high chimneys. The owner has cleared the piles debris and an inkling of how the house must have felt can be experienced. It would be very easy to fall in love with Edwinsford. The owners / restorers need congratulating at visualising the view from a mountaintop when they are only a small part way up. I personally can barely comprehend the task at hand. The only sound I heard during my visit was the morning birdsong; particularly the sweet song from the blackbird and also the cackle of those intelligent crows and the flow of the river Cothi. It becomes easy to recall the joy of Edwinsford, as home, as seen in old photographs and postcards; neatly maintained grounds, well dressed occupants, windows and door left open in the summer months, daffodils bobbling about on a spring morning. The wealth of full bloom sits juxtaposed to the poverty of crumbling stone and dissolved mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/lluest-canol-caelon-elan-valley https://images.on-this.website/7784_15021482904c7f4a4b97840.jpgLLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2010 Notes on LLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2010 A spontaneous visit - a small cottage with three chimneys and a long low byre attached with a chimney. Stone with random repairs(?) of red brick throughout the interior. A sorry state. Most remarkable feature however is a mature beach tree standing in the corner of an adjacent field; solitary yet spectacular, with a narrow well trodden sheep path leading up to it. A picture of the beach tree can be viewed in the 'Welsh Landscapes' gallery. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/h-llangwyryfon-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11085074224f8301d4c3c8b.jpgH****** ****, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on H****** ****, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 I was told of this empty house a couple of years ago yet it does not have the 'feel' of a house that has stood empty for long. Peering through the windows one can see many artifacts of the previous owner... too numerous to mention, of little worth, and will one day end up in landfill. The house seems well-built, the outbuildings numerous. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/peeling-paint-llantwit-major-glamorgan https://images.on-this.website/7784_18011920214bcaaed72bc54.jpgPEELING PAINT, Llantwit Major, Glamorgan 2009 Notes on PEELING PAINT, Llantwit Major, Glamorgan 2009 I presumed this was once a small lavatory in the ruined and burnt out shell of Great Frampton – a derelict mansion near to Llantwit Major. The room was tiny and it took around 20 minutes to finally get the camera and tripod into a suitable and stable position. Beams hung perilously overhead but I figured if they had remained there for this long it seemed more than likely they wouldn’t be falling within the next 20 minutes! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076277.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_200956848349701f097f34d.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18301818164b38645a23efd.jpg[/img] Aberglasney restored 2006 ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23975235.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1266910465552e184097f0c.jpgLLANRHYDSTUD LIME KILNS, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLANRHYDSTUD LIME KILNS, Ceredigion 2015 I don't know why it has taken me so long to visit these lime kilns - I had seen a few photographs online and they do not look so impressive yet visiting them one quickly sees that they are indeed an impressive set of structures. Because of the rampant undergrowth it is quite difficult to photograph but I advise anyone to visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo35752935.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17587800495b60b7908abc1.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby, Pembrokeshire 2018 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby, Pembrokeshire 2018 Abandoned in 1824 due to a smallpox outbreak and lain ruinous ever since. Surprisingly, for a house that’s been left to the elements for almost two hundred years there’s much to see at Scotsborough. I parked on the B-road next to the gated entrance – two farm gates padlocked together – risking the owner/farmer would not be requiring access on this Saturday morning – the trackway was muddy but I saw no recent tyre treads from tractor or quad bike. I figured I was safe parking my car where it was. I should also mention it was raining hard, I was on a tight schedule, my daughter was with me but my partner refused to leave the car! The walk down the track was short, maybe only 75 yards, and the high walls sat in light woodland. I only had a few sheets of film with me, so I set about exploring and taking a few shots. I knew I would return as soon as I had arrived, a winter visit would be required, when the tree branches are skeleton and the day overcast but dry! As ever prepared, my unsuitable footwear was sodden (as were my daughters) but I can say fairly this was a spontaneous visit on my birthday. According to the web, also known as Scotsborough Castle, and was probably built late 14th or early 15th century. Before the marsh land was reclaimed beside it, the river Rhydeg was an inlet to the sea, and it was likely there was a docking bay close to the house. Wandering around the ruins it becomes obvious that at times the ground around the house has been cleared, saplings have grown but the trees are not overly mature. Perhaps unsurprising, given its close proximity to Tenby, within some of the walls, bottles of beer were found, local youths gravitating to secluded areas, small campfires blackened stone and earth. Quite a solitary visit, my daughter quietly taking photographs, calling excitedly if she saw something worthy of viewing. I thought; chip off the old shoulder. Twenty minutes later we were heading back to the car, drenched but satisfied with our short visit and the mind curious about the history of the house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8208862.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2622559284d2970028ef5e.jpgGLAN MARCHNANT,Ceredigion 2010 Notes on HOUSE BY BONT GLAN MARCHNANT, Ceredigion 2010 Although a very small mountain stream, the river Marchnant seems to cling along its banks a large number of ruins. I am uncertain of the name of this property. It was more or less box shaped although much of it has collapsed. Adjacent are two very large single storey stables and barn buildings, also ruinous. The white wash can still be seen on the surviving internal walls and presumably this is the rear of the house. My first visit to this house, 6 years ago, the roof was still on. Today the beams lay in a clutter in amongst the stone. Beautifully located. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18174354.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_115024679851aa0f3995bb6.jpgMAESGWYN, Llywel, Brecknock, 2013 Notes on MAESGWYN, Llywel, Brecknock, 2013 This grade two listed farmhouse (and outbuildings) has not been empty long but stands prominent and imposing sitting above the main road between Llandovery and Brecon. It is owned by the nearby farm and the site is protected by security. Judging by a quick tour I would say the house has not been empty for too long but it does need some TLC before further rot sets in. The outbuildings have suffered from some theft recently hence the security on site. A beautiful looking house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/min-y-afon-llanerchaeron-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_193639459352584ad614424.jpgMIN Y AFON, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on MIN Y AFON, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 I am not entirely sure if this is the correct name of this house – it stands down a small lane beside the newly erected Llanerchaeron corrugated train waiting room, on the disused railway line. The house is in a poor state but the land around the rear has been cleared so obviously, one hopes, consolidation work will soon begin. I also expect this is owned by National Trust but could be wrong – any info gratefully received. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/733 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6547113945517fb2fa042c.jpgABSTRACTION, Henllan, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Henllan, Ceredigion 2015 I was told of this house, Penbont, whilst visiting the gatehouse of Bronwydd mansion. I had only a few sheets of film remaining and due to the position of the house, it was almost impossible to get exterior shots. Instead I focussed upon interior abstractions as seen here. The house is large, four to five bedrooms and all vandalised and with furniture tossed around. All was also damp and mouldy, unfriendly and it took a little while to come accustomed to my surroundings. The house also stands right on a road, so the traffic roars by almost constantly, destroying any concentration and contemplation. With the remaining sheets I made my exposures of peeling paint. You might argue I should have tried to find compositions of the upside down rooms but the peeling paint was too much of an allure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/teifi-pools-ffair-rhos-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_606959624c81dc3084228.jpgTEIFI POOLS, Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on TEIFI POOLS, Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 2010 A misty day with a fine drizzle but once the camera has been set up and positioned I found fortune with me, as the wind blew against my back and thus protecting the lens elements. An orange filter was used to help increase the exposure time (up to 16 seconds) which caused a blurred movement of the cotton grass. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/frozen-penygarreg-reservior-elan-valley https://images.on-this.website/7784_17440813614be5162baabb9.jpgFROZEN PENYGARREG RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 1994 Notes on FROZEN PENYGARREG RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 1994 Cwm Elan is a spectacular place. I know some locals find it a little too picturesque but I have no qualms and am happy to wander the lengths of it lakes and spy former workings all day. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12405778.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12740032634e5b3c9bf13a1.jpgGWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on GWYLFA HIRAETHOG, Denbigh Moors, Denbighshire 2011 I re-visited this house in August 2011 and can confirm very little of what is shown in the 1997 photograph remains. The chimneys have collapsed, the upper floor walls have collapsed and all that remains are a few fragments of walls and windows and a pile of stone and brick covering up a fireplace. The telephone mast has now been removed but Hiraethog has lost so much of its height that it is no longer apparent whilst driving on the road below that here once stood an imposing and large hunting lodge albeit for only a short period of time. It has been ruined for longer than it was occupied. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789151.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11042014524bcaaeb63c5f0.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 This shows knifed graffiti in paintwork on a concrete wall in the suburbs of Nottingham. I do not recall what the entire word said, if it said anything at all but tried to focus upon only a fragment of the words. Working this way means that when viewed the audience isn’t pushed or influenced by what is written on the wall, the visuals alone allow the audience to make up their own minds at what they are looking at. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23975230.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1038779205552e165a753aa.jpgLLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2015 Notes on LLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2015 An impromptu visit on a lovely early spring morning, primarily to visit the beech tree just rear of property. The house further deteriorated and yet again, with each visit of which there have been many of the years, another sheep skull - perhaps it's the same one. My daughter loved the house and wanted to restore it as a summer dwelling. Nice idea but... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34641042.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8282562325ae0d01523bba.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/fron-goch-ffair-rhos-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_19450121764d838e14bd8e3.jpgFRON GOCH, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on FRON GOCH, Ceredigion 2011 Tooked away in a quiet valley between Stratta Florida and Ffair Rhos. Fron Goch is in a flagging condition. I believe the house is still used as a rest place for the farmer (there are plenty of outbuildings in agricultural use) but it's condition looks sorrowful, damp and uncared for. It sits in a lovely position with wonderful views and although very remote would suit a family. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22293854.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1145302435406c118d6e88.jpgPENBANC, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on PENBANC, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 A house hidden behind trees and bushes, not long empty but rapidly deteriorating - overgrown and dark and lowly, the front rendered and characterless but around the back (or what I presume was once the front) is a stone porch and stoned-up doorway giving clues that this was once, perhaps, a peasant longhouse. Barns and other outbuildings also present in varies degrees of dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5952717.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8459397444c6ab9b3e1a1c.jpgMAESGLAS, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on MAESGLAS, Ceredigion 2010 Nestled on a valley side and sheltered by mature hardwoods, Maesglas now stands empty. It has not been empty long but one feels it needs to be lived in soon, if it's to survive another harsh winter. Peering through the windows boxes of toys hint at the last owners life. The outbuildings look as if at some point they had been converted into living accomodation. It would be a shame if this house lays forgotten. True, it is set in a barren landscape. The winters are servere on the Cambrian Mountains. The summers however are subliminal. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tree-cwmystwyth-ceredigion-1994 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1720592654f152c53d3e00.jpgTREE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on TREE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1994 A simple exposure, mid winter, the few leaves that grow on this tree during the summer months had all fallen, leaving a wind swept tree which has grown in an odd manner. The tree branches have all grown to one level and the top is flat and almost a plateau - I know not but imagine that one could stand and even lay down on the very top of this tree and it would support your weight. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6605218.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8778903914c98e8f395a8f.jpgTYNGRAIG, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on TYNGRAIG, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2010 Sitting above the small stream 'Nant y Fawnog' and have thus named the house Fawnog. (Thanks to all of those who emailed in to say this house is call 'Tyngraig'). Recently unroofed and within signs of fire. This tiny cottage is barely visible from the Devil's Bridge to Aberystwyth road. Curious sheep watched and bleated loudly. I made a few exposures and left this small, peaceful cottage to its inevitable collapse. Demolished early 2011. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789134.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11638988184bcaaca76ab75.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 I've printed this image many times and have viewed it many times in different formats. It works horizontal and vertically or even upside down. This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624306.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2473882154abefffa47b8d.jpgGWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on GWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 I left the house at 4am and spent two and half hours driving in the dark miserable drizzle up to the village of Llanystumdwy. The only other traffic were articulates passing goods around the country. I parked the car and walked past a lodge house and up the winding path across open parkland passed large oaks and up to the imposing ruins of Gwynfryn Plas. The rain had stopped and a warm sun peered through the clouds just north of Snowdon skimming Gwynfryn’s façade with a warm and welcoming hue. The house is positioned beautifully on the Lleyn Peninsula overlooking Snowdonia and Cardigan Bay. Looking up at the house it became quickly apparent that the larger tower is nearing the precipice of collapse. A stone window lintel on the first floor has buckled and cracked with a bulging mass of stone above it looking ready to burst out onto the ground below and no doubt bringing with it much of the tower above. The tower, as much of the house, is built with brick but with a stone outer and was built by Hugh John Ellis Nanney and completed in 1876 (with a date stone on the tower). It remained a family home until 1928 (a mere 52 years) and then became a retirement home for the clergy, a hospital and then a hotel (a mixed, yet not uncommon, history). It burnt down during the 1980’s and has remained that way since (except for a brief period when a squatter took it upon himself to begin a restoration, a seemingly ambitious but futile attempt before eviction). Wandering through the rear rooms and service quarters there’s much evidence of the house as a hotel. Slot machines fill an outbuilding, a room full of children’s books and toys fill another, a room with light fittings and chandeliers, maintenance rooms with metal boxes filled with nuts, bolts and other hardware, rusting and messy, in disarray and disorder. Evidence of the ambitious and, quite frankly, brave squatter - a sole inhibitor - an easy chair and radio. A lot of machinery dotted around the rear of the building; heavy duty bench saws and drill presses, all rusting outside and destined for landfill one day. Many rooms are filled with building material, roof beams, an endless list of supplies and spares, either salvaged or bought for restoration, all redundant and wasted. All this is open to the elements and decaying in the damp. Cars litter the grounds barely visible in the summer foliage, other farming and foresting equipment laying redundant, damp, mouldy, lichen covered with weeds growing in and around wheels and engines. Overall Gwynfryn is a very depressing sight. The entrance is at the side, a lavish decorative stone lattice porch and it was in this doorway that the better exposures were made. A view opened up into the house revealing fallen beans, passageways and into the main hall and onto a large fireplace. I can not say I particularly enjoyed my visit to Gwynfryn. The drive up there was long and slow and under horrid weather conditions. The house so beautifully positioned yet is so miserable and carelessly abandoned that you feel anger towards the waste. I hail the brave squatter and salute his resolve but this house needs more than care put into it. It needs a hefty wallet and a generous and willing loving restorer. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3935441984b3f853a169d3.jpg[/img] Plas Gwynfryn 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32196692.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9833710985977a3eca3f653.84317188.jpgPONT LLANIO CREAMERY, Nr Tregaron, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on PONT LLANIO CREAMERY, Nr Tregaron, Ceredigion 2017 A favourite haunt, and one I cannot help returning to, if I have had a break from photographing for a while. The walls inside are partially open to the elements, layers of paint slipping off the walls, frost damage, summer heat damage all contributing to the decay. Little darkroom trickery is needed, the images seen here are simple exposures and a re filled with tactile and interesting shapes and patterns. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/coalpit-hall-outbuilding-llannon-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12934668285f043b06e288d.jpgCOALPIT HALL OUTBUILDING, Llannon 2020 Notes on COALPIT HALL, Llannon 2020 Down a short track from another ruin, Ty'r Bryn (see next set of photos), Coalpit Hall is all but hidden within the summer foliage. Coalpit feels like an old house. There are no visual clues just a sense that it has stood at this location for many years. The house stands upright and seems a little larger than most. No front door and within, each floor is covered in hardened foot deep old sheep waste. The ceilings have fallen in some rooms and upstairs is a treacherous ordeal. The staircase itself is in good condition. I took no unnecessary risks and due to the dim interior took all my images outside. Good viewpoints were scarce and I did the best I could with long 30 second to 2 minute exposures. The better viewpoints were around the rear... the back door central, two windows top and bottom and the whole house surrounded by trees. It would be a better option to photograph in the winter months but even then I doubt if the house would open up completely. An unusual name for a house and I wonder if it has some connection to a coal manager/worker? A long barn with falling stone walls and a long corrugated roof near collapse and another outbuilding all ruinous and no longer in agricultural use. Another rural ruin visited, this one at least had a roof and you wonder how many more lay hidden and all but forgotten. How long empty? Why so well preserved considering there was no front door, hardly any glass in the windows? The house is just about visible from the c-class road but who has any reason to come this way? Has it been empty for decades and untouched by casual vandal? Does its location mean it is kept sheltered from the elements which can quicken the dereliction? Small rear garden with outdoor Ty bach, fruit trees un-pruned and fruitless. However Coalpit is a nice house with a good aura and it does not seem impossible for it to return to a family home once again - four bedrooms upstairs but small rooms, complete repair and renovation required for this old house. Or maybe not as the case may be. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-at-cwm-peris-wood https://images.on-this.website/7784_137616985254d6f32d739dd.jpgABSTRACTION AT CWM PERIS WOOD, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWM PERIS WOOD, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 A nice walk along river Peris to the ruined mill - I noticed on Ceredigion Planning Map that there had been a proposal for renovation way back in 1976 - the proposal expired in 1979 - thirty five years later and little of the mill remains. A shame. The walk along the woodland and river is very pleasant, and on this February morning I was offered three disciplines of my work: a ruin, landscape and abstractions - all seen here and all pleasing to my eye. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dyffryn-cottage-ffair-rhos-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_2057258134dc808c96e801.jpgDYFFRYN COTTAGE, Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DYFFRYN COTTAGE, Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 2011 I have ventured to this small cottage a number of times over the years - at some point there had been intentions to restore and enlarge judging by the mish-mash of breeze-block and stone extentions, all half completed and totally out of character with the rest of the cottage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img367 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6460673945373c88d97e10.jpgTY'N Y SWYDD, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY'N Y SWYDD, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2014 * Destroyed by fire, the same week photographed * A well-known sight for those travelling between Tregaron and Aberystwyth. Ty’n y swydd stands on a sharp bend on the main road and has been empty for a number of years. The white washed walls looked clean on the bright spring mid-day visit. The outbuildings across the road seem still in some agricultural use. It’s a shame that some use couldn’t be made of the house too. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo35028353.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10376051675b0d039abd1b8.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 - 2018 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 - 2018 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9422626.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5980733154da45abd20235.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 A return to the supposedly demolished Bronwydd. Little does remain save the wonderful tower - the owner/farmer advised not to climb the stone spiral steps that lead to a presumably great view. I did not climb those steps. Instead I set up the camera and tried to successfully photograph the parts of Bronwydd that I'd never photographed before. (Always in the back of my mind that each visit to these mansions will be my last). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23701726.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_25746191755004f6439a54.jpgPRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2015 A return and little changed. A little snow on the hills, the first daffodils just about popping up, a cool breeze causing the Scot's Pine to sway and creak... all making this journey, indeed every journey here, special and memorable. There is something about Prignant that speaks to me; it's location, the fact that I used to come here as a young man wandering the hills from Hafod, the sorry state of the house (which is slowly deteriorating each visit). A lovely positioned house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/broncapel-tynreithyn-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_57376798855edac04bae1d.jpgBRONCAPEL, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BRONCAPEL, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2015 Just about visible from the road, Broncapel seems to be on the precipice of restoration/rebuild. Planning had been submitted previously and at a guess I'd say this was when the site was cleared. It's in a nice position with views over the valley - and was obviously a large house, possibly a longhouse. The drizzle impeded my visit, tiny raindrops landing on my lens and it was a constant battle to wipe them off, quickly take the photograph and then move to next viewpoint. Once part of a drover's road heading to and from Strata Florida and a rest-stop and a place of worship for the monks, hence name. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/lletty-du-uchaf-llangeitho-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_13993060974f2d383085996.jpgLLETTY-DU UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLETTY-DU UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2012 After a break of two months without photographing and wondering if I would ever again, I cast off the shackles of everyday life; houseworks, work and family commitments etc and went off in search for some local ruins. The driveway up to Lletty-du is no longer accessible by car, it is now a footpath and a very muddy one at that. The house is remarkable in the fact that the lower half is build of stone and the upper floor is clom/cob. The roof barely clings onto the A-frame and beams and a vast hole has appeared one gable end. Such a shame but not such a surprise. The outbuilding adjacent has fairly recently lost most of its roof and is also of stone, clob and also brick. A few remnants of human existance lay damp against one wall; a mattress, a toaster, a cheap looking door-less wardrobe and a record player. These items look out of place. One almost expects to see medieval cooking utensils and ancient furniture! This house probably hasn't been empty for as long as it looks. The ground around Lletty-du is so very damp with each foot step sinking a good 6 inches into mud and humus. The house is situated on a hillside and a small stream runs beside it. A calming place and a good start to the day. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/branches-track-up-to-nant https://images.on-this.website/7784_4497977904be3b0c0544bf.jpgBRANCHES, track up to Nant-Y-Cae, Hafod, Ceredigion 1996 notes on BRANCHES, track up to Nant-Y-Cae, Hafod, Ceredigion 1996 Taken between Nant y Cae and Dologau. Many photographer do not like photographing in cloud, overcast conditions due to the even lighting and possibly haing to use either a tripod or fast, grainy film stock. A cloudy day is often my preferred day. Shadows and highlights are neither filled or bleached out. This image taken on one such day, busy with branches but displaying just about enough information to make out the shape and trunk of the bush. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/robbers-cave-hafod-ceredigion-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10413976795f16c297c6797.jpgROBBER'S CAVE, Hafod, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on ROBBER'S CAVE, Hafod, Ceredigion 1996 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. It was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired Peacocks in Paradise by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began innocently to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo17827898.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1217038323517d2ccbec8b2.jpgABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 After a long absence from photographing for this website I've now, slowly, began to wander out in search of abstractions and ruins and landscapes. These images were the first for a long time and were a simple exercise to get me back into the swing of setting up a tripod and exposing a few sheets of film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bryn-madog-bach-silian-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_6136176964c98e8e91b0e4.jpgBRYN-MADOG-BACH, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on BRYN-MADOG-BACH, Ceredigion 2010 A forlorn house on the road from Derry Ormond to Silian. This house sat at an junction and although boarded up the upper floor windows were open to the elements. The rear was completely and wildly overgrown. I took just two exposures and then moved on, just as the sun began to rise from behind the house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551484.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16245903894f83022115b58.jpgPANT-Y-BARWN, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on PANT-Y-BARWN, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2012 I had been told of this old farm house a while back and had seen it featured on a national daily paper website - in much need of renovation - and this is thankfully the case. I had no intention of visiting but found myself walking along the road where this stands. The morning was cold but the sun was soon to rise. I made a few exposures. There seemed little life on this 'building site' but when I passed some six hours later there were vans parked outside and obviously another day in the slow and steady restoration had gotten under way. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26021520.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1445255265636ff10a5bfa.jpgLLANERCHAERON, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLANERCHAERON, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Long exposure of around four minutes due to dark canopy of leaves and the fact that the day hadn't quite yet woken up properly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23788875.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1648541061551072b30db30.jpgAFON RHEIDOL RIVER, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on AFON RHEIDOL RIVER, Ceredigion 2015 A few miles from Capel Bangor and beside gravel pits - now used for fishing - these pools contain some of my favourite landscapes - dark, damp, muddy, almost impenetrable. Parts are so deep that my tripod legs sunk into the mud a good two foot. One needs to tread carefully. The decayed material however is what makes such places fascinating; nobody bothers with them yet they contain such a wealth of photographic possibilities; fallen ivy covered trees, ox-bow pools, dried leaf, brittle twigs and a sense of tranquillity especially since you are obscured from the world. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llwyn-ll-wyd-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_18214815254cb53fc9bbb93.jpgLLWYN-LL-WYD, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on LLWYN-LL-WYD, Ceredigion 2010 I had driven past this house many times and although in an excellent condition it has always had an air of abandonment about it. In fine exterior condition and feels only recently un-occupied. The house itself is typical of the Cardiganshire home and has extensive outbuildings, all in agricultural use but also in need of some basic general maintenance. Peering through the windows of the house there was some furniture, a laid carpet and very little else. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25521871.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_199293299755f438c814a13.jpgALLT-MAES-RHYG-FACH, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ALLT-MAES-RHYG-FACH, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Small and remote with no road, or indeed path, leading to it - this small cottage peasant longhouse is much ruined. I was uncertain of the original use of main building, if this was merely a barn or had been the house. I believe the large doorway had been made at a latter date. Inside shows remnants of paint work showing the house also had an upstairs and also the traces of an inglenook fireplace. Odd shaped lintel on one outside window - doorway also stoned-up on rear of property. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tyn-y-graig-glanaman-carmarthenshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_13392870105f2c0e46828de.jpgTY’N Y GRAIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on TY’N Y GRAIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 I have this habit of veering from footpaths. Sometimes it proves fruitful. This was not one such occasion! I returned to the easy path and found the house. I thought I had missed it so ventured off in my own direction. This is often done and often regrettably so since by the time I correct the error I am drenched in sweat and annoyed with myself, slightly irritable. Little remains of this house, as seen here, but worth recording even if it was just to allow me to cool down again and take the weight off my shoulders... and re-look at the map to get my bearings. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551449.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1676682934f8300671b502.jpgUNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 I suspect the same builder was responsible for the few farmsteads and barns built in and around the wind farm at Llangwyryfon. The same build quality is evident throughout the ruins that litter this bleak hill. This longhouse is no exception and part of the joy photographing is not just the general view but also of the stonework within. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41253149.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13170714635f043b0865c70.jpgCOALPIT HALL, Llannon 2020 Notes on COALPIT HALL, Llannon 2020 Down a short track from another ruin, Ty'r Bryn (see next set of photos), Coalpit Hall is all but hidden within the summer foliage. Coalpit feels like an old house. There are no visual clues just a sense that it has stood at this location for many years. The house stands upright and seems a little larger than most. No front door and within, each floor is covered in hardened foot deep old sheep waste. The ceilings have fallen in some rooms and upstairs is a treacherous ordeal. The staircase itself is in good condition. I took no unnecessary risks and due to the dim interior took all my images outside. Good viewpoints were scarce and I did the best I could with long 30 second to 2 minute exposures. The better viewpoints were around the rear... the back door central, two windows top and bottom and the whole house surrounded by trees. It would be a better option to photograph in the winter months but even then I doubt if the house would open up completely. An unusual name for a house and I wonder if it has some connection to a coal manager/worker? A long barn with falling stone walls and a long corrugated roof near collapse and another outbuilding all ruinous and no longer in agricultural use. Another rural ruin visited, this one at least had a roof and you wonder how many more lay hidden and all but forgotten. How long empty? Why so well preserved considering there was no front door, hardly any glass in the windows? The house is just about visible from the c-class road but who has any reason to come this way? Has it been empty for decades and untouched by casual vandal? Does its location mean it is kept sheltered from the elements which can quicken the dereliction? Small rear garden with outdoor Ty bach, fruit trees un-pruned and fruitless. However Coalpit is a nice house with a good aura and it does not seem impossible for it to return to a family home once again - four bedrooms upstairs but small rooms, complete repair and renovation required for this old house. Or maybe not as the case may be. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/railway-storage-shedpont-llanio-milk https://images.on-this.website/7784_11246326014e8424218d7e8.jpgRAILWAY STORAGE SHED,PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes. Other railway buildings remain, station storage building as seen here still in agricultural storage use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9862790.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12745662514dc51a628752a.jpgRHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on RHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 A few miles from Llyn Brianne Reservior, a surprisingly large mine workings called Nantymwyn which ceased production in the early 20th century. I visited early March 2003 and again in November 2008. Many former mining buildings scatter the grey heaps. A large cement mixing(?) building stands on cement stilts and a high tower and finishing mill. Back in 2003 after I had wandered around for a hour or two, further down the hillside, I thought I could hear a motor of some description labouring. Due to a slight breeze I had slight trouble locating the precise source of the sound. Just below a small pile of rubble sat a small pond thick with frogspawn and around the pond, leaving by the scores were large frogs (or toads) chirping and croaking like many small engines! An unexpected pleasure! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/neuadd-wen-aber-brecknock-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9741233665b0d0393484de.jpgNEUADD-WEN, Aber, Brecknock 2018 Notes on NEUADD-WEN, Aber, Brecknock 2018 A sort walk from the tarmac C-road, a group of buildings, derelict but signs of restoration visible. Interesting within, wall buttress and spiraled staircase with fireplace under the buttress. Up the stairs and first floor of the 'cottage' (or was this the barn beforehand?). Alterations and restorations throughout, here and there, all doors open and therefore open to the elements but all in a good clean condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10852760.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20357291324e04b202c5f9c.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2011 Recently purchased, fenced off. The walls of Hafodunos veiled with scaffolding. A new chapter thus thankfully begins. The ongoing thought was that this house should never have found itself in this state. The arsonist who set fire to this great house in the fall of October 2004 was caught and imprisoned. Perhaps a more fitting punishment would have been for him to help with the consolidation of this property; emptying these high walls from their fallen masonry; the bricks, stone and ornate plaster. The high walls have now been emptied from this litter, albeit precious litter since Hafodunos is grade 1 listed. My trip, as ever, was a brief one. In 2005 I had taken a number of images of this forlorn and overgrown ruin. I did not do it justice. And once again I feel some kind of disappointment with the finished prints. The grounds and gardens are also in the process of restoration and it would be incredible to see all this restored. But still that nagging thought; that this house should never have found itself in this poor and shallowed state. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12000186.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17058647214e44190a10a15.jpgRHUN, Painscastle, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on RHUN, Painscastle, Radnorshire 2011 An old vernacular Radnor farmstead, house and barn both with corrugated iron roof where once would have been thatched. This particular farmstead is in a good condition considering it is but a stones throw away from the road and stands on a pubic footpath. A mish-mash of building materials; stone, timber, brick, corrugated iron all of which adds to the aesthetic appeal. A stunning property - built 17th century? Inside the house the usual farm debris but all appears dry and in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13426339.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7394308204eaf9da55a958.jpgDERRY ORMOND HALT, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DERRY ORMOND HALT, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2011 FInally closed in 1970, some forty years ago this small brick and wooden halt has survived surprisingly well. It is spilt in two, one side the waiting room, the other the ticket office. Both have open fires, both are now filled with debris from vehicles and other useless junk. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/foxhall-newydd-henllan-denbighshire-1997 https://images.on-this.website/7784_5895859774986d6ce147e2.jpgFOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 Notes on FOXHALL NEWYDD, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 Foxhall Newydd was built circa 1592 (though a date of 1608 appears over one of the fireplaces) by John Panton of Denbigh, whose main ambition seemed to have been a desire to outshine the efforts put into the nearby hall of Old Foxhall. However, he went bankrupt, ironically forcing him to sell what he had built to the Lloyds, whose home he had hoped to eclipse. New Foxhall was never completed and once Panton had removed the roof and all the fittings within, it has, for over 400 years, remained a shell. The day I visited Foxhall was a bright but cloudy day and perhaps unlikely for a photographer, my preferred weather conditions. A bright sun can deepen shadows to black and bleach highlights to white. Foxhall looks out of place. It sits, as it has for hundreds of years, and seemingly very slowly losing it’s imposing height. Because it has been empty for so long it appears to lack any interest to the destructive eye of the vandal and with that solitary fact probably means it will remain in its present state for centuries to come. The house that stands today was supposedly to be just one wing and was to form a giant H plan. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10523344.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5519119114defae09482d0.jpgBRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2011 Notes on BRYNKIR, Dolbenmaen, Caernarvonshire 2011 You sense that everything has come to an end at Brynkir House. The mortar crumbles, the stonework falls into large piles, inner archways have tumbled and the house has a whole has become a confusing jumble. The foilage is rampant with much of the property inaccessable and with considerable surprise considering it's once large size, Brynkir feels it has finally reached the end of it's life. The main three storey part of the house with large dressed blocks of stonework is still impressive but a quick inspection within reveals it's walls are rapidly losing the battle against the elements and no doubt without thanks to the last few bitterly cold winters. I have visted here four times in the last 10 years and with each visit surprise at what little is left of this once large mansion house. That said, it is still worth a visit for the casual searcher of derelict properties. But be warned, the melancholy clings and lingers like the raindrops on the fresh spring bunched bracken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img394 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16523271675378e2f847971.jpgCWAREL UCHAF, Pont Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on CWAREL UCHAF, Pont Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2014 Partially an early 18th century cottage, once thatched but now with a corrugated roof. Currently for sale, after recent restoration seemed to have stopped. Cottage very similar to those at Llanerchaeron. A few exposures made in my five minute visit, a local farmer passed by in his discovery and opened the door to have a stare. He must have tired quickly for after a few seconds he was gone. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475612.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17485199284b8bc6f67a1c3.jpgRHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 Notes on RHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 A few miles from Llyn Brianne Reservior, a surprisingly large mine workings called Nantymwyn which ceased production in the early 20th century. I visited early March 2003 and again in November 2008. Many former mining buildings scatter the grey heaps. A large cement mixing(?) building stands on cement stilts and a high tower and finishing mill. Back in 2003 after I had wandered around for a hour or two, further down the hillside, I thought I could hear a motor of some description labouring. Due to a slight breeze I had slight trouble locating the precise source of the sound. Just below a small pile of rubble sat a small pond thick with frogspawn and around the pond, leaving by the scores were large frogs (or toads) chirping and croaking like many small engines! An unexpected pleasure! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475620.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15303827564b8bc716425a8.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9430286.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4061838934da5494d3b22b.jpgGELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on GELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2011 On an early Spring afternoon, another visit to the Italianate Mansion of Gellideg. Without a map we wondered if we would be able to find Gellideg but from the road, out of the small village of Llandyfaelog, the occasional view can be snatched. We therefore made our way slowly towards the wooded area high upon a hillside where we thought we'd spotted the house. And true to our searching eyes we found this magnificent house surrounded by woodland, rhododendrom and wild garlic. A number of exposures were made, easily found and almost casually taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5917257.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8610384364c67952680e7f.jpgCEUNANT GENERATING STATION, Trisant, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CEUNANT GENERATING STATION, Trisant, Ceredigion 2010 Over the last twenty years I have visited and photographed this hydro power station many times but never satisfactory. I knew not what this building was until this visit where there is an information board at the sight (and also a passage in the ‘Pevsner Building of Wales’ series of books - see ‘Bibliography’ in main menu bar). It was built in 1898 a Belgium company hoping to revive the local mining industry. It employed over 270 men (apparently many Italian’s) but was a short-lived attempt as the mine closed down five years later. Much of the equipment was either sold or was removed over the intervening years. All that remains now is this large high walled, cathedral-like shell whose grounds are kept in order by the grazing sheep. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41112235.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8181907455e709ab65244f.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22365161.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_938970819540f2e86aa80f.jpgESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on ESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 A large house, long ruined with large barns adjacent and still in agricultural use. The footpath from the road keeps the house from view but within minutes you see a clump of Scot’s Pine and you know exactly where you will find the house. One of Scot’s Pine had fallen recently and smashed into the rear. Most of the roof, indeed façade, had come down and the house is mostly a shell. Clues of the rooms remain, fireplaces, lintels, building materials and as I wandered around I wished I’d visited ten or fifteen years previously. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196110.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8633104375fe1ae9ad5c1c.jpgHENLLAN ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on HENLLAN ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Henllan Isaf stands adjacent to Henllan Uchaf, both one-storey cottages, both roofless and most features lost/fallen. Both stand high and have good views over the hills by Seven Sisters. I know not of any history and would appreciate anything anyone should know of these two lonely ruins. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31679165.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_108294590259466ec7d5efc2.06326973.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2017 As always I took the bridle path from Ffair Rhos to the mines. It isn't a long walk, perhaps a mile and a half with the mines barely visible until you reach the rubbish filled shafts. I dropped down between the slag heaps and to the little remained mining buildings. As always I wished I'd come here in 1990 when the corrugated building still stood - I wonder if it was demolished the same time as the similar but larger finishing mill at Cwmystwyth. There are superb images of how it looked on the internet and I'll add a link here later. Today I only had around twelve sheets of film and I could have easily taken another twelve. Banc Esgair feels like an island of the past surrounded by fields and farms and holiday homes, none of which https://www.welshruins.co.uk/banc-esgair-mwn-ffair-rhos https://images.on-this.website/7784_16168326384b8bc663dc688.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2009 A bleak and desolate place. A jumble of machinery and other red coloured rusty mechanics, some dating from the mid 1900's, blotting the landscape and resilient in the wind and rain. An eerie place and a little further up the hillside two large open mining shafts which at some point had served as a general farmyard junk pit and filled with car parts, corrugated iron and many other unrecognisable and tangled metal. Historically, Esgair Mwn, was a place of hard work and strife, one such episode involving a gang and a gun is recorded in Bethan Hughes' book on Peterwell mansion and its notorious owner Lloyd Herbert. There has been a mine at this sight for over 300 years but finally came to an end in 1966. I was also told that there was a brave sole miner during the 1980's. I wonder if this is true and one also wonders what kind of life it must have been. BANC ESGAIR MWN. Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 2005 & 2009 Lie diffaith a llwm. Amrywiaeth o beirianwaith a moduron wedi rhydu yn blith draphlith o amgylch y He, rhai ohonynt yn dyddio'n ol i ganol yr ugeinfed ganrif, yn ddolur i'r llygad ond yn gadarn yn erbyn y gwynt a'r glaw. Lie annaearol yw hwn, ac wrth ddringo ychydig yn uwch ar y llechwedd ceir dwy siafft gloddio fawr agored, a fu ar un adeg yn dwll ar gyfer pob math o sbwriel fferm, ac felly maent yn llawn ceir, tun rhychiog a phentyrrau dryslyd o fetel sy'n amhosib dyfalu beth ydynt. Yn hanesyddol bu cryn ddiwydrwydd ac ymryson yn Esgair Mwn, a bu i Bethan Hughes gofnodi un achlysur yn ymwneud a gang a dryll yn ei chyfrol Peterwell sydd yn ofrhain hanes ystad Ffynnonbedr a'i pherchennog drwg-enwog Lloyd Herbert. Bu mwynglawdd yma am dros 300 mlynedd, ond daeth y gwaith i ben ym 1966. Clywais son y bu mwynwr yn gweithio yno ar ei ben ei hun am gyfnod byr yn y 1980au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34628001.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_891137045ade3428200f4.jpgBRYN BRICKWORKS, Bryn, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on BRYN BRICKWORKS, Bryn, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Victorian brick works in remarkably good condition since it ceased production in the 1920's. A short walk from a modern housing cul-de-sac at the village of Bryn, along a grassy track, motorcycle tracks weaving in and out of the surround hills and fields. The brick works themselves are not boarded up and the various access points, doorways, are all easily accessed. Within is well lit, the intricate brickwork (sic) fascinating and very well made. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24536182.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1991029218557925bd81783.jpgGLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage - one forgets how small the rooms are compared to todays houses, no room to swing a cat, but easier to keep warm - and can be seen from the road but the footpath I took started nowhere but eventually met up with the straight track to the house. Inside are ovens, rusty white-goods, worthless and dirty and other bits of... things... doors and window frames, bits of broken furniture, pots and pans et al... Outside the house looks to be in a good general order, the morning sun shone brightly, my spirits were high, cows had done their best to make the going around the house almost impossible without sinking a foot deep and losing footing (and indeed wellingtons) and although my visit here was over within twenty minutes, it was certainly pleasant enough and one hopes the house to find an owner/buyer, small as it may be. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23774069.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_854265489550fbb41a7cdf.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 The cottages seen here sit on the other side of the Ystwyth at Cwmystwyth mines. I have driven and looked over to these cottages many a time and recall when they used to have windows and doors and roof. I am not sure why I haven't photographed them before having explored Cwmystwyth much over the last twenty five years. Their positioning alone makes them a worthy inclusion. The March morning I arrived was a cold and frosty one but as the sun rose across the opposite hillside I could tell it was to be a glorious and warm day. A few exposes were made, a small traipse with equipment from one cottage to the other and although I was on this hillside for an hour or so, not a single car passed by and I thought how lucky to live in such a relatively unpopulated area and also, with so much abandonment on my doorstep, little wonder I began photographing ruins. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tyn-gelli-penbontrhydybeddau-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9863959184e4c0418b8369.jpgTY'N GELLI, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on TY'N GELLI, Ceredigion 2011 On a morning heavy with rain the shelter offered by this poor property was welcome - as it was for two slightly mummified sheep carcases that lay in the living room once upon a time. The roof leaks water at the rear of the house and I did not venture upstairs due to the staircase damp and rotten with holes in each step. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/factory-burry-port-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_21151571675e1596f51cb1d.jpgFACTORY, Burry Port 2019 Notes on FACTORY, Burry Port 2019 Roadside location - bricked up - inaccessible - in good structural condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/aber-falls-abergwyngregyn-gwynedd-2017 https://images.on-this.website/7784_179028113459c3df1cf3cfd.jpgABER FALLS, Abergwyngregyn, Gwynedd 2017 Notes on ABER FALLS, Abergwyngregyn, Gwynedd 2017 A morning walk, a mile or so, from the car park and before the hoards of walkers descend. A few exposures made with a 5x4 camera without tripod but nestled on rocks. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo7026548.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16525016974cb53ffaba110.jpgLLWYN-LL-WYD, Ceredigion 2010 Note on LLWYN-LL-WYD, Ceredigion 2010 I had driven past this house many times and although in an excellent condition it has always had an air of abandonment about it. In fine exterior condition and feels only recently un-occupied. The house itself is typical of the Cardiganshire home and has extensive outbuildings, all in agricultural use but also in need of some basic general maintenance. Peering through the windows of the house there was some furniture, a laid carpet and very little else. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8100860.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19696444344d14f05af086e.jpgWOODEN BARN, Elan Valley, Rhadnorshire 2010 Notes on WOODEN BARN, Elan Valley, Rhadnorshire 2010 Standing above and with great views of the Penygarreg Reservoir and Dam this small collection of buildings, mainly stone and this long wooden barn, sit nestled in a small hollow. I was uncertain if one of the stone buildings that stand adjacent to this wooden barn was infact once a cottage. I could however make out no chimney and I would presume any dwelling, even if just a shephards dwelling would have a chimney. As you can see in this photograph the roof has caved in with all the small slates still attached. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wig-wen-fach-llanerchaeron-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_12716618475258109a2c347.jpgWIG WEN FACH, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on WIG WEN FACH, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Not strictly ruined but neither used - purchased by the National Trust in 1989, Wig Wen Fach has been empty for many years and is relatively unchanged within. Images can be seen by searching online at: http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/35396/details/WIG-WEN-FACH%2C+LLANERCHAERON/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13020324.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15925225504e8169554bab6.jpgPEN-CNWC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN-CNWC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 A longhouse in a superb location. As so often the case, the barns/byres are in a much better condition that the house. The house, as seen here, is roofless and dividing walls within have all been stripped leaving a long open space. Recently purchased one watches with an enthusiastic eye as this house will hopefully become a family home once again. A simple Ty Bach suspended over a small gullied stream. I wondered who owned and lived here. Does anyone know? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-bristol-2003 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19920050474bcaaeb92aef3.jpgWALL, Bristol 2003 Notes on WALL, Bristol 2003 I lived in Bristol for a few months in 2003 with my partner - whne she moved back to Wales i was left in Bristol living in a hostel for a week and working my notice in a Jessops photographic shop until i could return to her in Wales. I spent the day working but then in the evenings i'd go out photographing, then i'd find a late night cafe and write down my feelings whilst i was out photographing trying to combat any loneliness. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img408 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1895471748537a4c189a0e3.jpgFRONWEN CHAPEL & HALL, Llanarth, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on FRONWEN CHAPEL & HALL, Llanarth, Ceredigion 2014 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/trafle-uchaf-llangeitho-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_134956116954dc4f84af411.jpgTRAFLE UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRAFLE UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Thank you to Barry Parks for telling me about this house - which he visited in mid 1970's with possibility of restoring - he also said the postman used to walk from the road to this and Trafle (Isaf?), which must be a fair two mile round trip. The other Trafle was restored but Uchaf, as seen here, is in a very ruinous state and sits quietly in a shaded grove, beside a stream. Other outbuildings also ruinous. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/007 https://images.on-this.website/7784_85540983153b3a480cd2de.jpgGLAN-LLYN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GLAN-LLYN, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2014 A lovely ruin on the banks of Llyn Eiddwen. The day was bright and warm and I had expected little to remain of this property. I wished I had visited decades ago, when there was a roof and the outbuildings were a little more substantial than what they are now. Few details remain, a few windows, a doorway and fireplace. I took a number of photographs, each angle offering something worthwhile. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-at-ox-bow-lakes https://images.on-this.website/7784_7556365434f6ec110a6903.jpgABSTRACTION at Ox-Bow Lakes and the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on ABSTRACTION at Ox-Bow Lakes and the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2003 I have 'lived' with this image for almost ten years and I am still uncertain if it works as a successful abstraction. Obviously it shows some small branches and grasses in a low water stream with the refelction of the trees confusing the viewer because trees are not normally found at the bottom of a picture! But does it work as a composition? Should the small branches and grasses be central in the composition? Is it too much of an optical allusion to be taken seriously? I am still unsure if a success. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4733509.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21446028024bc16b6773430.jpgDEAD OAK, Nr Aberystywth, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on DEAD OAK, Near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2008 Tree Trunk, Nr Aberystywth, Ceredigion 2009 This tree is a firm favourite with photographers local to the Aberystwyth area. I had photographed it once, unsuccessfully before, and decided another attempt was needed. This time the images are a little more successful with close-up of the gnarled bark and the thick trunk filling the frame. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mud-deposits-tan-y-bwlch https://images.on-this.website/7784_5273402454be3b0f09e7ba.jpgMUD DEPOSITS, Tan-y-Bwlch beach, Aberystwyth 1993 Notes on MUD DEPOSITS, Tan-y-Bwlch beach, Aberystwyth 1993 Occasionally, right near the end of Tan Y Bwlch beach, tide permitting, are some small mud deposits. I think they are often covered with pebbles and I remember being shocked the first time I came across them because they were at a place I’d never seen them before. They look soft but these were baked hard and solid but also slippy. I used a wide angle lens and pointed the camera low and just added a small section of the beach so the eye is lead somewhere. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gwrthwynt-isaf-talsarn-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_158769809456224af001aac.jpgGWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2015 Impregnable due to foliage, I tried to find a way to the walls of the house, or to at least find a viewpoint worthy of exposing a sheet of film but mostly gave up. A mountain of foliage blocks both view and explorer - a long house, positioned high mid valley, outbuildings mostly ruined, roof still good but access impossible on the September day I visited. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tegfynydd-llanfallteg-carmarthenshire-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2021276949e0c198eb382.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2009 A return to Tegfynydd at the end of March on a sunny afternoon. After thirteen years little had changed. The house and its grounds hold a romantic and tranquil atmosphere. Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s Lost Houses of Wales, it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_200719129849d866189bc70.jpg[/img] Tegfynydd 2009 TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-at-greystones-motel-brecknock https://images.on-this.website/7784_970879760545cfdd39828d.jpgABSTRACTION at GREYSTONES MOTEL, Brecknock 2014 ABSTRACTION at GREYSTONES MOTEL, Llywel, Brecknockshire 2014 After a break of photographing for a few months it seems the only way I can get back into it is to find some abstractions. The three images here will probably need a little darkroom work to get up to the standard I uselessly ask of myself. As they are, they suffice but need a little darkroom magic to bring forth their three dimensionality. That said, they're pleasing to the eye and if only a stepping stone to other work then worthy of exposure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bron-y-berllan-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11337339474d11b3f607aba.jpgBRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on BRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Ruins of an 18th Century farmhouse which now sit in the perimeter of a private race course. It will not be long before the roof falls and judging the state of the structural walls these too will soon tumble. There's a marvellous twin entrance stable block behind the house which has had a metal roof recently erected, so at least this will remain upright. This property has wonderful views over towards Strata Florida Abbey and the surrounding hills. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41460491.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5772097275f2ffa5baeb2c.jpgPISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Along a footpath/track and you soon come to the farmstead, large and spread out of Pistyll North. The house itself looks long ruinous, two mature tree trunks cut within the walls evidence the house has long been empty and ruinous. A new metal roof protects the solid walls. A large fireplace inside the extended section was in very poor condition – the extended section a somewhat odd looking intrusion of the main structure of the house, most likely a later addition(?). There were sheep inside when I visited, they left, I entered, I expected the floor to be foot deep in droppings and smelly but it was not, it was dry and a comfort from the rain outside. I wondered why the name of the house was half Welsh/half English. At home I searched on older maps and it seems the house has been called by the same spelling for at least a hundred years. A long stone barn, partially collapsed at the front, stands facing the house at a slight angle. Other barns and outbuildings are scattered around. There’s a lot to see and because of the position of the buildings in relation with other buildings viewpoints/compositions are found easily. The site is for sale currently and it is truly exceptional. It needs a little insight but the general aura of the place is one of positively. My visit was short, forty five minutes or so… exposures were quite long inside the house at around 6 minutes. There was a constant drizzle even if the forecast had been dry. There was no sound of traffic. No sound of farm machinery or even a dog barking somewhere someplace of. Even the birds seemed a little shy of the drizzle and judging by the birds in my garden, town birds aren’t much bothered by the rain and I doubt countryside ones aren’t either. The sheep however were bleating. They had seen me, followed me with their eyes as I walked along the track, and knew most likely and instantly that they did not know me. Yet still they bleated, neither in distress or in hope of food. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39268653.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7712323755d45e2eca321a.jpgABSTRACTION at RAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talb Notes on ABSTRACTION at RAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Uninspiring building - two visit in two days - both trips shortened somewhat dramatically due to homeless people fighting and I felt threatened and left. Such a shame on both occasions since the walls are filled with wonderful potential abstractions. Only a few images were taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rhun-painscastle-radnorshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20758778394e441914b6b62.jpgRHUN, Painscastle, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on RHUN, Painscastle, Radnorshire 2011 An old vernacular Radnor farmstead, house and barn both with corrugated iron roof where once would have been thatched. This particular farmstead is in a good condition considering it is but a stones throw away from the road and stands on a pubic footpath. A mish-mash of building materials; stone, timber, brick, corrugated iron all of which adds to the aesthetic appeal. A stunning property - built 17th century? Inside the house the usual farm debris but all appears dry and in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475613.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5334835184b8bc6fa77683.jpgRHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 Notes on RHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 A few miles from Llyn Brianne Reservior, a surprisingly large mine workings called Nantymwyn which ceased production in the early 20th century. I visited early March 2003 and again in November 2008. Many former mining buildings scatter the grey heaps. A large cement mixing(?) building stands on cement stilts and a high tower and finishing mill. Back in 2003 after I had wandered around for a hour or two, further down the hillside, I thought I could hear a motor of some description labouring. Due to a slight breeze I had slight trouble locating the precise source of the sound. Just below a small pile of rubble sat a small pond thick with frogspawn and around the pond, leaving by the scores were large frogs (or toads) chirping and croaking like many small engines! An unexpected pleasure! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tegfynydd-mill-llanfallteg-carmarthenshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17180867354e5f33841bf6b.jpgTEGFYNYDD MILL, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TEGFYNYDD MILL, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 An empty mill with large wheel present on inside and a double wheel on the outside. This property is currently on the market (August 2011) and is currently unsold. Large wooden hooded fireplace in one corner. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img364 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19033339215373c90d3108c.jpgTY'N Y SWYDD, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY'N Y SWYDD, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2014 A well-known sight for those travelling between Tregaron and Aberystwyth. Ty’n y swydd stands on a sharp bend on the main road and has been empty for a number of years. The white washed walls looked clean on the bright spring mid-day visit. The outbuildings across the road seem still in some agricultural use. It’s a shame that some use couldn’t be made of the house too. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-baglan-baglan-west-glamorgan https://images.on-this.website/7784_9483384604ba6524518d5e.jpgBLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 Notes on BLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 I left my flat in Brighton at 1am and drove along the empty motorways to South Wales and reached Blaen Baglan in the false dawn. The air was cold and crisp and it felt good to feel the soft ground underfoot. I wandered around the house in near darkness for half an hour, selecting viewpoints and compositions, judging which lenses to use and waiting for the dawn. I had been here before, almost 15 years ago and knew what to expect. My expectations were not to be trusted. I had somehow imagined Blaen Baglan to be in much the same state 15 years down the line. It is, in my eyes, at the very precipice of total collapse and perhaps due to that is a far sadder sight to behold than that of other lost houses in the region. Sadder than the magnificent Neuadd Fawr which I visited after Blaen Baglan, sadder than Edwinsford which I visited a few days later. All the lower doors and windows are boarded up with metal shutters. First inspection I presumed that the house was still in some kind of agricultural storage use. I felt relieved the lower floors were still in a water tight condition but further investigation showed the entire west side of the house had collapsed and the view within was a chaotic jumble of stone and beams. Blaen Baglan felt truly lost. I must however backtrack. My first visit to Blaen Baglan had been in 1997 and was a hurried affair. I was told the owner who lived in the bungalow next to the house did not appreciate casual sightseers. He was not there on my first visit and who knows, perhaps a private man and didn’t like the idea of strangers spoiling his otherwise secluded existence. Perhaps, he himself, loved the ruined house and considered it his own private pleasure. As it happens the bungalow next to the house also appeared to be empty although the vegetable garden beside it well tended. I photographed Blaen Baglan quickly and moved on. I was in no such hurry on this occasion. The bungalow beside it was roofless and a burnt out shell. Broken slates covered every inch of floor within and cracked loudly underfoot alerting the sheepdogs that spent their nights in the farm building close-by of my presence. Inside the bungalow the walls were covered in peeling and blistered paint, just the type of subject matter I search endlessly for whilst living in cities and towns. I did, unable to completely resist, make a few exposures of the walls of the bungalow but it was, after all, Blaen Baglan that I had come to visit, perhaps for the last time. It had fallen into alarming disrepair and although the dirty white washed façade appeared to be remarkably intact I was disappointed to find all that lay behind. Almost all interior details are lost in the piles of rubble and wood; the wooden panelling, the rear three storey staircase all lost and barely visible at the decayed core. A very depressing site and absolutely desperate for attention. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo35752932.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17015836965b60b78ea92d4.jpgNEUADD-WEN, Aber, Brecknock 2018 Notes on NEUADD-WEN, Aber, Brecknock 2018 A sort walk from the tarmac C-road, a group of buildings, derelict but signs of restoration visible. Interesting within, wall buttress and spiraled staircase with fireplace under the buttress. Up the stairs and first floor of the 'cottage' (or was this the barn beforehand?). Alterations and restorations throughout, here and there, all doors open and therefore open to the elements but all in a good clean condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41241774.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19230934025efb02dc59849.jpgCOED CYW UCHAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on COED CYW UCHAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 A good sized farmhouse with large opposing chimneys but obviously long ruined. On a public footpath but it takes a little negotiating to follow the path with barb wire over gate and gate post, no stiles to climb. A herd of cows came to visit me too, always curious and always serene, and I wondered if it would alert the farmer/owner who’d I’d been warned was not fond of anyone showing any interest in this house. I figured as long as I stayed to the public footpath then there’d be no trouble and besides it is the owners house and there’s no reason why anybody should have any interest in it; to each their own. Barns roofless and ruined and the whole place with grand views towards the Loughor Estuary. A lovely site, serene and silent and such a great shame that it will fall before long. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img339 https://images.on-this.website/7784_260244131536e2b1585302.jpgOUTBUILDING, MIN Y AFON, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on OUTBUILDING, MIN Y AFON, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2014 I am not entirely sure if this is the correct name of this house – it stands down a small lane beside the newly erected Llanerchaeron corrugated train waiting room, on the disused railway line. The house is in a poor state but the land around the rear has been cleared so obviously, one hopes, consolidation work will soon begin. I also expect this is owned by National Trust but could be wrong – any info gratefully received. Return to house, little had changed since the last time I'd visited - this corrugated building was in fact a stable, dilapidated and sorrowful but worth an exposure nonetheless. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llyswen-mill-workshop-aberaeron-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_13389187395575b02782ff3.jpgLLYSWEN MILL &WORKSHOP, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLYSWEN MILL & WORKSHOP, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 After living in Aberaeron for a few years and only just finding this was a pleasant surprise. Of course, the old car was the main attraction, and that old familiar smell of dampness, humus, engine oil and springtime! A few exposures were made, all lasting eight minutes or so, the highlights of the sky outside burnt out and a little flare on the lens but nonetheless, all good. I wonder if this was indeed once a mill? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo43405530.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_195613592660f6f09e414c8.jpgRHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Notes on RHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Large farmstead long ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34374852.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3541441215abb9bd90217d.jpgBUCKLEY'S BREWERY, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire 2018 Notes on BUCKLEY'S BREWERY, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire 2018 A large brewery, empty, windows bricked up and listed. It stands in the centre of Llanelli. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699181.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21427543865e123568c7ed4.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tyn-y-gwndwn-near-aberystwyth https://images.on-this.website/7784_5897066114b8e8e7e954d1.jpgTY'N-Y-GWNDWN, Near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on TY'N-Y-GWNDWN, Near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2004 Someone, the owner(?) had left this usual still-life composition within this tiny cottage. This tiny cottage has laid derelict for many years - very small with low ceilings - the dimness within is worsened by the abundant overgrowth outside blocking much of the light. The house was too overgrown to get an exterior image. This property, as of 2010, is now in the process of being restored. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23701723.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_131165026755004f583f99c.jpgPRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2015 A return and little changed. A little snow on the hills, the first daffodils just about popping up, a cool breeze causing the Scot's Pine to sway and creak... all making this journey, indeed every journey here, special and memorable. There is something about Prignant that speaks to me; it's location, the fact that I used to come here as a young man wandering the hills from Hafod, the sorry state of the house (which is slowly deteriorating each visit). A lovely positioned house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/maes-mynach-cilcennin-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_89554724754d9af2254b28.jpgMAES MYNACH, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on MAES MYNACH, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2015 I fancied a walk and saw on the O/S map that there was a property here but wasn’t too sure if anything would remain. Thankfully it did. A few exposese were made, the wind blew hard and I was worried it may cause the camera set upon the tripod to move but other than a few blurred bracnhes, the photographs came out well… Some of the hardwoods had recently been chopped back… the barns and stables have fared a little better than the house. Maes Mynach seemed to me to be much dilapidated and long ruined and I could find nothing about it on either the internet or in books. Once home I loaded the colour photographs onto the website and the next day received an email – please read on… Dear Paul - I return to your lovely website often, and today''s visit is especially emotional for me. I rented Maes Mynach, Cilcennin from late 1976 to 1981. In those days it was still habitable (electric, water piped in from a spring) and I was young and fit enough to bear the cold, the draughts, the Elsan ... Nice to see my green paint on the back door is still holding up! The landlord, Sylvan Jones, whose farmhouse was down in Talsarn, was very emotionally attached to the place, and would invariably effect repairs, however botched, when slates blew off. Sadly, he died in the yard sometime in the 1980s when his old Fergie tractor overturned and crushed him at Maes Mynach. The house and outbuildings were inherited by daughter and son-in-law: the latter’s first action was to punch out the doors and windows to render the place uninhabitable (although, to be absolutely fair, the blizzard at the end of 1981 that forced my departure had already done a lot of damage). I regard my 5 years in this crumbling and exposed house as a pivotal period in my life, and it still figures in my dreams to this day. It's incredibly sad to see it in this ruinous state ... how I loved this house and my time there. It was once a grange farm connected to Strata Florida Abbey, and the existing building would certainly not have been the first one on the site. It also has intriguing musical links: the early 1970s rock band Heads Hands & Feet (including world-famous guitarist Albert Lee) lived there for a few months in 1973, and the sleeve of their LP Old Soldiers Never Die (1974) has photos taken at the house ... I'm also a musician/songwriter and, oddly enough, am about to release a retrospective CD of songs, some of which were either written at Maes Mynach or are influenced by my time there. So finding your photographs this morning is serendipitous and emotional for me. I have a number of photos of the house taken around 1980/81, plus a couple taken shortly after the 2nd World War, when Sylvan''s elderly spinster aunt lived there with her animals ... Andrew Hawkey. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwm-peris-wood-llanon-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_152854610454d6f34144c79.jpgCWM PERIS WOOD, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWM PERIS WOOD, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 A nice walk along river Peris to the ruined mill - I noticed on Ceredigion Planning Map that there had been a proposal for renovation way back in 1976 - the proposal expired in 1979 - thirty five years later and little of the mill remains. A shame. The walk along the woodland and river is very pleasant, and on this February morning I was offered three disciplines of my work: a ruin, landscape and abstractions - all seen here and all pleasing to my eye. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24417057.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2109525153556b1acbb3ab8.jpgYNYS-FELEN, Llanfihangel Ystrad, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on YNYS-FELEN, Llanfihangel Ystrad, Ceredigion 2015 Noted on Coflein website as a vernacular medieval hall, one of the last six in Ceredigion (with only two in Carmarthenshire) and with many photographs too I was somewhat saddened to see that the roof had long caved in. Thatched with corrugated iron, the crug beams all fallen inward made any visits within the building all but impossible. Once the owner had put a plastic tarpaulin over the whole roof but this had at some point been swept off and as is inevitable, the house became a ruin. Apparently lived in until 1954 - rubble and cob hall with brick and stone extension built at a right angle to form an L shape. The doorways were very low, the windows small. My visit was brief, for much that there was to photograph wasn't exactly photogenic but the chimney proved the main viewpoint, so I generally worked around that. A sad sight. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2080929.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12313536454972c9673dd6f.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2005 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2005 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Ruperra Castle 2004 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6379186774b51d817473e1.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11426962264b51d7f99734a.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34641041.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14435531165ae0d013dea7b.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/brereton-jane https://images.on-this.website/7784_1599885499533bd196908f7.jpgBrereton Jane, Wrexham 2013 Notes on Jane Breteton A very wet day in Wrexham and I knew Brereton's grave was inside the church. Unfortunately the porter's were closing the church and had just turned off all he lights as I entered, wet, equipment loaded. They told me to return the following day and I had intended. However, there was some shelter beneath these trees and although the rain was falling hard, I decided I'd make a long exposure looking towards the church entrance. Only one exposure was made, eight minutes in total, and this was the result. From Winter 2012 through to Spriing 2014 I visited graveyards throughout the length and breadth of Wales. Many hours were spent searching for particular gravestones, of poet's, well known and not so well known. A few were not found, mostly they were. The project was difficult not due the hours searching but more so to finding an ordinary gravestone in a wild graveyard. So often other viewpoints of other gravestones would have made an excellent photographic record but I was forced to settle, even compromise, with my brief. Frustrating as it was, it was also made the more rewarding, my eye was forced to work harder. Fortunately these peaceful places helped with keeping the mind free of distractions. Here are a few of the images published in the book. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23701724.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_147079726655004f5c374ce.jpgPRIGNANT UCHAF, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2015 A return and little changed. A little snow on the hills, the first daffodils just about popping up, a cool breeze causing the Scot's Pine to sway and creak... all making this journey, indeed every journey here, special and memorable. There is something about Prignant that speaks to me; it's location, the fact that I used to come here as a young man wandering the hills from Hafod, the sorry state of the house (which is slowly deteriorating each visit). A lovely positioned house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-at-castell-nos-reservoir https://images.on-this.website/7784_11358714535e1ae256a3a35.jpgABSTRACTION at CASTELL NOS RESERVOIR, Maerdy 2019 Notes on ABSTRACTION at CASTELL NOS RESERVOIR, Maerdy 2019 Abstraction found on reservoir walls, paint and scratched names leaving a sense of mystery. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/house-at-cwm-rheidol-mines https://images.on-this.website/7784_14479350204f2d398fce894.jpgHOUSE AT CWM RHEIDOL MINES, Cwm Rheidol, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on HOUSE AT CWM RHEIDOL MINES, Cwm Rheidol, Ceredigion 2012 A long in ruin house right at the head of the mines at Cwm Rheidol. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34008639.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15708434035a7485024718b.jpgPEN YR WERN, Brecknock 2018 Notes on PEN YR WERN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Remarkable farmhouse and outbuildings all sitting in a shallow hollow surrounded by hardwood and boggy land. I had scanned the maps and GoogleEarth beforehand and concluded the house had been demolished. Google-earth showed nothing but a group of trees so was delighted when I traipsed along the invisible footpath through fields of soggy ground to this aforementioned group of trees. Within seconds I fell in love this silent little site. A few slates remain on the long barn with arrow slits (to help air circulate) but otherwise all other buildings are long empty and ruinous. Lines of trees lead in and out of the site around the rear to the side, again not explicitly apparent on GoogleEarth. Sometimes, most times, a walk is the only way to explore and find such ruins. I know nothing of the history of Pen-yr-wern so any information would be appreciated... apparently sold to the coal board in the 1960's and left abandoned ever since... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624302.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1373512634abeffe5ae11b.jpgTALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on TALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Only a half hour drive from Gwynfryn House to the mining community of Talysarn and the Nantlle Valley. It did not take long to find the ruined villa of Talysarn Hall. I first came across the vast array of outbuildings. I presumed that these were indeed the house converted into showers for the working miners but once past these and walked through the castellated arch I soon became aware of what a jewel this Victorian hall once was. The house itself is somewhat plain with three stories and a basement. The centre front bay slightly protrudes and also has a small porch. It is roofless and with no obvious discernable features within. It is nothing but a heavily graffiti’d shell, overgrown and seemingly heading silently and sadly into total collapse. I made a few exposures of the house which stands lost behind heavy foliage and with huge piles of waste from the quarries behind. I was however somewhat confused and struggled to distinguish between what was once a mansion and its grounds with that of the ever encroaching mine workings. Long driveways lead away from the house with high stone walls, one of these at the rear of the house appeared to be now a stream, an outlet from the mining days or had the driveway become a causality from the recent heavy rain. A strange bridge that led nowhere spans this stream and beyond that a small array of walled enclosures. Down below the washrooms (once stables and kennels?) another such driveway led to a further collection of buildings – built haphazardly upon one another with a narrow passageway leading upstairs and around a corner and into a room without a doorway. Further along again, next to some rendered stone pillars, a small gothic looking chapel or folly(?)sits low and dark in amongst the deep rotting leaves with the canopy of large oaks, beeches and chestnuts all but blocking out the light. The driveway wends out to another two stone pillars and a very large lodge house. I would estimate larger than Talysarn Hall itself, with large rear extensions. Dampness clung to everything. Although this house with its confusing and abundant collection of outbuildings appear, judging by the litter and graffiti, to be visited often by bored kids and vandals, there is much to appreciate here and there is an atmosphere of rural abandonment and loss. My visit at 9am was undisturbed. The greyness of the hills were broken with greenery and recreational pathways now thread though the workings often revealing ruined buildings and big pits in the ground, now lakes, that hint and sometimes loudly announce that this was once a large mine workings. These dangerous pools are a favourite haunt of many divers. Leaving Talysarn Hall I saw the large cracks in the walls of the castellated stable entrance and I was reminded that this house and its many buildings are on borrowed time. Even the extensive mine workings at Nantlle, once a barren, industrialized large mine now feels like parkland with footpaths wending in and out of the quarries, lakes and slag piles. Footpaths that were once roads and railway lines (bringing the men into the hillsides and the waste and precious copper ore out) are now used by mountain bikers, dog walkers and hikers. I spent three hours at Talysarn. After three hours under dark canopy and the damp heavy leaves composting underfoot it was a relief to get back into the open air and brightness of the day. I left Talysarn excited but also mystified. For me the house and location was sublime. It felt like it has had a varied and interesting history (although only built in Victorian(?) times – I’ve found very little information on the house so if anyone knows please do get in touch. I believe it was also known as Plas Dorothea). I could not truly find my bearings with the layout of the outbuildings; I can only imagine they were heavily transformed from domestic service quarters and stables to industrial uses, showers and administration buildings. Yet one can still imagine this estate to be, once more, a substantial and beautiful country house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9618056984abf214d902f5.jpg[/img] Chapel(?) at Talysarn Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4502679.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12391788454b927d1b2ce61.jpgDEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on DEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 Like a running wooden monster rolling down the hillside. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14548989.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_228459334f82ca3873025.jpgBLAENWYRE CHAPEL, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN CHAPEL, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 On the roadside, with the early morning sun hitting the facade, this little exquisite chapel has been empty and unused for around twenty years. Inside, gone are the pews, the large glass dome light and replaced with a dust, a few dead birds and a stone which has recently been thrown through one of the windows. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/nash-point-glamorgan-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16981293264bae1f3fc1614.jpgNASH POINT, Glamorgan 2009 Notes on NASH POINT, Glamorgan 2009 These large blocks of rock stand like monuments along the rock bed on the strectch of coast between nash point and St Donuts. There are many such blocks and many of them are fantastic micro-worlds of elaborate crustations and other-worldly mini rock formations. Unfortunately I had mis- timed my visit to South Wales in March 2009. The sunrise was early at around 5.30am but low tide was approximately at mid day and midnight. It would be preferable to have sunrise and low-tide at the same time. Nonetheless these images of rock formations and bedrock are good examples of dramatic lighting techniques. A full morning was spent here and many of these images were used without a tripod, by merely resting the camera carefully on the ground and weighing it down so there was as little movement as possible when loading/removing darkslides and exposing the film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14548677.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17979820814f82bf22671f6.jpgROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on ROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2012 South of Teifi Pools, towards Strata Florida Abbey, is this small hillside whihc is littered with rocks and white rock. I have often wanted to photograph this hillside at night, with the marble rock luminous in the moonlight. But today is very bright, very sunny with some cloud cover. These images are not necessarily typical of my usual compositions. I aimed, by adjusting the front tilt of the lens on my camera, to flatten the perspective and attempt to capture the scene in view as one-dimensional as possible. The rugged rocks at the rear help frame the image, with as little of the sky in view as possible. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo20156714.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_178778597352c546eca69f5.jpgTY TREHERNE, Groes-wen, Caerphily, Vale of Glamorgan 2013 Notes on TY TREHERNE, Groes-wen, Caerphily, Vale of Glamorgan 2013 Currently on the market for £330,000, this longhouse, former farmhouse is in a poor state. It would appear that there had been a fire at some point, the roof rafters were blackened but I am unsure if this was the original cause of dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llwyn-celyn-abergorlech-carmarthenshire-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1206080225c53e766992cb.jpgLLWYN CELYN, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on LLWYN CELYN, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 After visiting another ruin, Cwm-Cwta, a mile or so away, I thought I would try to see if anything remained of Llwyn Celyn. There seemed nothing to see on Google Earth and my O/S map is 20 years old now and only showed an empty box or two at right angles. I was not going to bother. My first walk had been a little arduous and I had further visits planned for the day. I was pleased I convinced myself to take a look and much surprised. I always seem to need to convince myself these days that it is worth the effort to walk that extra mile. I tell myself that it is unlikely I’ll ever walk these footpaths again. That is sometimes and sometimes not the case. Llwyn Celyn sits in a small wooden area and has much to admire. The house, I imagine, has only lost its roof in the last ten or fifteen years or so. It’s solidly built and more unusually has fared better than the outbuildings around it. I rested here a good half hour. There is always unease within me when I haven’t photographed for a long time; it’s mixture of anticipation, nerves of meeting irate landowners, and the fact that I simply haven’t bothered for such a long time that is there even a need for me to carry on documenting these houses? A few exposures were made. I felt the old sense of good return. I was absorbed in my task, whilst the fog swept around the trees, the damp ground underfoot, the smell of the forest, of rotten fallen wood, of dew, of wet leaf and muddy stream. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img347 https://images.on-this.website/7784_773389577536e574131bd6.jpgMAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on MAES GWENLLIAN, Mynydd Garreg, Carmarthenshire 2014 Thanks to Luke Thomas who emailed to tell me about this property. Luke mentioned that the farm was once was one of the better when his grandmother was alive (whom delivered newspapers there). He also mentioned 'she told me the tenants retired and the son became a Dr to the Queen and the buildings became abandoned and derelict over time'. At the entrance there's a new gate, with cast within the name Maes Gwenllian. An odd thing for a ruin. The path then wends long for quarter of a mile and to the outbuildings, all ruinous and to the house itself - the façade all but covered in low hanging branches. The roof collapsed, the floors within much the same, few remnants remain and the cows have made the wandering around a very messy and muddy affair. Of course I wear my wellington boots and almost loose them if I stand still for too long. A few pleasing exposures were made, the first for a while, long exposures of around four minutes, enough to note the tranquillity and clean air. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwm-peris-mill-llanon-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_133474682054d6f337d79ee.jpgCWM PERIS MILL, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWM PERIS WOOD, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 A nice walk along river Peris to the ruined mill - I noticed on Ceredigion Planning Map that there had been a proposal for renovation way back in 1976 - the proposal expired in 1979 - thirty five years later and little of the mill remains. A shame. The walk along the woodland and river is very pleasant, and on this February morning I was offered three disciplines of my work: a ruin, landscape and abstractions - all seen here and all pleasing to my eye. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23259001.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_122222576654934227a3e5c.jpgCANADA, Stag’s Head, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on CANADA, Stag’s Head, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage built of mud, stone and brick and much dilapidated. It stands in a low position and perhaps if the trees in front of it hadn’t had the chance to grow so high it would have once had a good view. At present however all is dim and lowly. I wonder how long empty, it’s in a relatively good condition although there is a hole forming at the rear. Inside is very basic, nothing much of note but a fairly recent empty beer bottle. Partition walls have been taken down and all is left is one large room, upstairs also taken down, striped of beam and panel. Cottage sits beside a seldom used footpath and there was no doubt in my mind that this little gem will surely never be salvaged or lived in again. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24529553.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1090557472557742ffc5b1e.jpgBURY LODGE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BURY LODGE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage, whose name mystifies, much ruined therein, upstairs all fallen, stairs collapsed, full of junk; furniture, bicycles, ovens, books and more books in one of the railway carriages - a private library - damp and pilfered. The cottage needs to be gutted and shown some care. Roadside location. The morning promised rain and ultimately delivered. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13323050.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21463189224ea25cd6cde2b.jpgBLAEN GORFFEN, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN GORFFEN, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 High, exposed and dramatic. Blaen Gorffen was, on this day, a blustery but delightful site. The wind did indeed blow hard and the sky thickened with dark cloud but the rain held off. The sheep scattered as I approached the house and outbuildings. Views opened up over Tregaron Bog and across towards Pontrhydyfendigaid and Ystrad Meurig. I made some slow careful exposures and enjoyed, devoured the views (why snatch when stationary?). The house and outbuildings look the worse for wear. The house all but fallen with the last slates just beginning to complete this desolate picture. A cast iron bed acted as a doorway and to halt any intruder into the house. But what was there to see within? A pile of rubble and stone and two fireplaces. I resisted the temptation to cross the cast iron bed threshold. A pig pen sits down beside the back of the stream that runs in front of the house, roofless and ruined. Some of the extensive outbuildings are still in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo20156548.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_91217671552c53a021ad96.jpgLLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Notes on LLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Llantrithyd Place is a long ruined 16th century manor house. I visited on Boxing Day 2013. The morning was cold and sunny and the soft winter light made photographing the house a pleasure. I had not set out to visit the house but was driving to photograph the interior of a church in Flemingston. This was an unexpected pleasure. A wander around the ruins offered many different viewpoints and I was generally spoilt for choice of images to capture. I was however restrained by lack of film, only having 10 sheets with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pant-afallen-pontsaeson-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_85273881454d7a280ed863.jpgPANT-AFALLEN, Pontsaeson, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PANT-AFALLEN, Pontsaeson, Ceredigion 2015 Only a stones throw from the b-road, I crossed a field, following a public right of way, uncertain if I'd find anything within the small gathering of trees in a dip just over the horizon. The house stood, looking in reasonably good condition, with cement block restoration within the doorway and a rendered front. The roof too, also in a relatively good condition - it seemed Pant-afallen (Pantfallen) has not been empty for so long. However, the windows and doors have all gone and inside was dark and gloomy with furniture rotting black and damp with mould. I did not bother to enter. The staircase also rotten. Barns also all ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22293859.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14311818205406c12bb79ac.jpgLLECHWEDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LLECHWEDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Long ruinous and on my ever-growing list of farms and cottages in Ceredigion but somehow never making it here until today. Mud and stone beneath a roof, most likely once thatched, barely clinging to the rafters and should, surely, come down very soon. Now for sale, possibly by now sold, no doubt set for demolition and a new dwelling put up on site. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41241778.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14545244495efb02dddb59e.jpgYSTODWEN ISAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on YSTODWEN ISAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Set just off the road, large barns beside still in agricultural use but the house, as seen here, roofless and ruined. A shame since nicely located and site has good vibes. I parked the car outside early one June morning and took a gate or two. The ground was firm although I image cows were not so long treading up the ground. A few quick images taken. I set the camera up quick, a set routine, all fingers and eyes and the horizon leveled in the viewfinder. Within a minute a photograph is taken. It takes a lot less with a digital camera but a minute with large format is quick. Ystodwen stands well back from the road, there’s a low set of stone outbuildings set at a right angle to the front, even a few panes of glass in the window frames. The rear of the house shows a large chimney and the rear not rendered giving a little more texture and evidence of the rubble stone walls. The grass around the house is short. The mist was beginning to drop. The Scot’s Pine always looking good in the mist. I wonder how many decades the house has laid empty? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bwlchystyllen-nant-y-moch-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_15794453114e86a3f231bce.jpgBWLCHYSTYLLEN, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BWLCHYSTYLLEN, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2011 After a short wait for the rain to stop I left the shelter of my car and walked along the public by-way and up to the ruined walls of this pleasant property. Its most surprising feature was the porch way and its location over looking a small lake/reservoir. Its walls, as seen here, were dark due to the rain lashing against them and soaking stone and mortar. I wondered who lived here and what they grew in their garden and what livestock they kept and about market day many years ago. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22365165.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2021872306540f2e9541cc0.jpgESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on ESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 A large house, long ruined with large barns adjacent and still in agricultural use. The footpath from the road keeps the house from view but within minutes you see a clump of Scot’s Pine and you know exactly where you will find the house. One of Scot’s Pine had fallen recently and smashed into the rear. Most of the roof, indeed façade, had come down and the house is mostly a shell. Clues of the rooms remain, fireplaces, lintels, building materials and as I wandered around I wished I’d visited ten or fifteen years previously. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41503441.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12329559975f365a75e179d.jpgABERTHAW LIME WORKS, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Notes on ABERTHAW LIME WORKS, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Now restored as a controlled ruin Aberthaw is still a worthwhile visit - the tall walls overlook the sea. The following is taken from Wikipedia: Aberthaw Lime Works is a derelict structure, located on the South Wales coast, between Fontygary Bay and Aberthaw Power Station. The structure is a Grade II Listed Building. The structure is considered a listed building because it is a well preserved structure from an important regional industry. The Aberthaw Lime Works was opened on 22 December 1888, by the Aberthaw Pebble Limestone Company. It was built to utilise the huge number of Limestone Pebbles that had previously been taken inland or been moved by boat. The Lime Works operated until 1926. The Lime works brought a new scale of working to the lime industry which was really just a cottage industry in the area previously. The local limestone and brick structure is still largely intact, although it is missing most of its wooden components. It contains 2 vertical pot draw kilns each holding up to 300 tons each, which could produce up to 40 tons of burnt lime a day. Next to the main structure, there are 2 pot kilns which are also largely intact. These Kilns were built later than the main structure, but also ceased operation in 1926. The lime works were originally served by a tramway, which ran from the direction of Rhoose (east of the lime works). It passed either side of the now demolished winch house. A tramway ramp (again demolished) allowed carts containing pebbles between 3 & 4 inches (100 mm) in diameter to be conveyed to the top of the works and then into the kilns. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22365168.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1410707183540f2ea28db7f.jpgESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on ESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 A large house, long ruined with large barns adjacent and still in agricultural use. The footpath from the road keeps the house from view but within minutes you see a clump of Scot’s Pine and you know exactly where you will find the house. One of Scot’s Pine had fallen recently and smashed into the rear. Most of the roof, indeed façade, had come down and the house is mostly a shell. Clues of the rooms remain, fireplaces, lintels, building materials and as I wandered around I wished I’d visited ten or fifteen years previously. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llanio-bridge-water-tank-llanio https://images.on-this.website/7784_6941676345488a46fe761b.jpgLLANIO BRIDGE & WATER TANK, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LLANIO BRIDGE & WATER TANK, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 There was something immensely pleasing about using this metal ladder to read the track bed of the disused railway line at Llanio. The water tank is large and still filled with a rust coloured water. The track bed under the bridge is filled with very deep muddy water and due to the foliage viewpoints were limited but my little visit here was a pleasant one. I had known of this water tank beforehand but always forgot to visit whenever I went to the derelict milkery beside Llanio Halt. The platform is all still there and with the aid of old photographs it's relatively easy to turn the clock back forty years and see this site as a busy and bustling place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8087426.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7090619454d11b3f183451.jpgBRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on BRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Ruins of an 18th Century farmhouse which now sit in the perimeter of a private race course. It will not be long before the roof falls and judging the state of the structural walls these too will soon tumble. There's a marvellous twin entrance stable block behind the house which has had a metal roof recently erected, so at least this will remain upright. This property has wonderful views over towards Strata Florida Abbey and the surrounding hills. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196123.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8710756595fe1b3a140224.jpgHENLLAN ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on HENLLAN ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Henllan Isaf stands adjacent to Henllan Uchaf, both one-storey cottages, both roofless and most features lost/fallen. Both stand high and have good views over the hills by Seven Sisters. I know not of any history and would appreciate anything anyone should know of these two lonely ruins. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42009660.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20074930725f90012ce8bb4.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2009 As always I took the bridle path from Ffair Rhos to the mines. It isn't a long walk, perhaps a mile and a half with the mines barely visible until you reach the rubbish filled shafts. I dropped down between the slag heaps and to the little remained mining buildings. As always I wished I'd come here in 1990 when the corrugated building still stood - I wonder if it was demolished the same time as the similar but larger finishing mill at Cwmystwyth. There are superb images of how it looked on the internet and I'll add a link here later. Today I only had around twelve sheets of film and I could have easily taken another twelve. Banc Esgair feels like an island of the past surrounded by fields and farms and holiday homes, none of which https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18174345.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_55728965851aa0f0fa0dc3.jpgWAUN CYNYDD, Farmers, Mountain Road, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on WAUN CYNYDD, Farmers, Mountain Road, Ceredigion 2013 Drenched in moss and dampness, Waun Cynydd has been left empty for many years. Inside is empty except for the odd table and chair, oven range. I presume it is still used as a shelter occasionally. A few horses watched as I set the camera up but they fled when I went up to them palms extended. The house seems in good condition and I presume will be sold one day and renovated. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/fen-onwyn-revisited-bont-newydd https://images.on-this.website/7784_194500457653b6f8d9d2b9b.jpgFEN ONWYN (revisited), Ceredigion 2014 Notes on FEN ONWYN (revisited), Ceredigion 2014 I was walking past, a few sheets of film remained and heading for my car. I hadn’t even realized I would be walking past. I, of course, stopped and had a quick look around. I knew the house was for sale but that must have been two or three years ago. It would appear it was still unsold. The place had, however, been cleared up a little. Most of the debris from the barns, including the motorbike, had gone. Someone had recently kicked a hole in the front door. There were also a few ornaments on a front window sill. I took a few photographs and left. I don’t much like this house. It’s somehow foreboding and too barren for my tastes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gas-tanks-brighton-east-sussex https://images.on-this.website/7784_18709589924c185da745e94.jpgGAS TANKS, Brighton, East Sussex 2006 Notes on GAS TANKS, Brighton, East Sussex 2006 AN EXHIBITION OF BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS SHOWING ARCHITECTURE IN BRIGHTON & HOVE: These photographs document buildings around the Brighton and Hove area, some forgotten, some overlooked, whilst others dim in our memories. This exhibition will hopefully remind people that there are many fine buildings in this small but built up area. I have tried to avoid the much-documented Regency and Victorian architecture and instead focussed on the commercial, industrial, municipal and religious buildings. These images act as both a simple documental record and as a personal appreciation, which hopefully evokes some emotional response from the viewer. I have attempted wherever possible to photograph a building showing only its façade, isolated from its surroundings to give some suggestion of what the initial architectural drawings must have looked like. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475623.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7734652994b8bc72281d6b.jpgCHICKEN FARM, Rhayader, Powys 2008 Notes on CHICKEN FARM, Rhayader, Powys 2008 I first visited these caged chicken farms in 2003. Abandoned and ruined farm buildings filled with chicken cages, row upon row. A melancholy place, something clinical and depressing about the buildings and surroundings but nonetheless worthy of photographing. On my return, some five years later many of the buildings had either been demolished or had just fallen. That same clinical and depressing feeling remained and once a few exposures were made I was pleased to be walking back to my car. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12000202.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8676518134e44191ebae65.jpgRHUN, Painscastle, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on RHUN, Painscastle, Radnorshire 2011 An old vernacular Radnor farmstead, house and barn both with corrugated iron roof where once would have been thatched. This particular farmstead is in a good condition considering it is but a stones throw away from the road and stands on a pubic footpath. A mish-mash of building materials; stone, timber, brick, corrugated iron all of which adds to the aesthetic appeal. A stunning property - built 17th century? Inside the house the usual farm debris but all appears dry and in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hawthorne-cottage-hafod-ceredigion-1995 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1409837024b936af9700f0.jpgHAWTHORNE COTTAGE, Hafod, Ceredigion 1995 Notes on HAWTHORNE COTTAGE, Hafod, Ceredigion 1995 At the time this was taken the cottage was empty and rapidly losing its battle against the elements. It has long been restored and either used as a home for forestry workers at Hafod or now, I believe, as a holiday home run by Forestry Commission. This image shows a door and wall from the side extension of the cottage that was once a small workshop area. There's a pleasant 'pencil-drawing' feeling about the textures caused by the soft winter light falling upon the dirty white-washed walls and door. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23975231.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_203967899552e16cfd72af.jpgLLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2015 Notes on LLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2015 An impromptu visit on a lovely early spring morning, primarily to visit the beech tree just rear of property. The house further deteriorated and yet again, with each visit of which there have been many of the years, another sheep skull - perhaps it's the same one. My daughter loved the house and wanted to restore it as a summer dwelling. Nice idea but... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4953110.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7946759164be51a6d08abe.jpgCHICKEN FARM, Rhayader, Powys 2008 Notes on CHICKEN FARM, Rhayader, Powys 2008 I first visited these caged chicken farms in 2003. Abandoned and ruined farm buildings filled with chicken cages, row upon row. A melancholy place, something clinical and depressing about the buildings and surroundings but nonetheless worthy of photographing. On my return, some five years later many of the buildings had either been demolished or had just fallen. That same clinical and depressing feeling remained and once a few exposures were made I was pleased to be walking back to my car. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bryn-brickworks-bryn-neath-port https://images.on-this.website/7784_891137045ade34279351c.jpgBRYN BRICKWORKS, Bryn, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on BRYN BRICKWORKS, Bryn, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Victorian brick works in remarkably good condition since it ceased production in the 1920's. A short walk from a modern housing cul-de-sac at the village of Bryn, along a grassy track, motorcycle tracks weaving in and out of the surround hills and fields. The brick works themselves are not boarded up and the various access points, doorways, are all easily accessed. Within is well lit, the intricate brickwork (sic) fascinating and very well made. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img393 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6917849475378e2be3f37f.jpgCWAREL UCHAF, Pont Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on CWAREL UCHAF, Pont Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2014 Partially an early 18th century cottage, once thatched but now with a corrugated roof. Currently for sale, after recent restoration seemed to have stopped. Cottage very similar to those at Llanerchaeron. A few exposures made in my five minute visit, a local farmer passed by in his discovery and opened the door to have a stare. He must have tired quickly for after a few seconds he was gone. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13460858.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20714488144eb63fe1b24c7.jpgABSTRACTION, Hove, East Sussex 2008 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Hove, East Sussex 2008 I worked as a postman in Hove between 2008 - 2010 and i walked passed this wall every day on my 'round'. It became a friend in some ways just a tree might become a friend on a familiar walk. Sometimes i give it an acknowledging nod, other times i'd pass it by without a word. Between 2005 and 2010 I have lived in Brighton, with many and as frequent as possible trips to Wales to photograph mansions and landscape. During my time in Brighton I have on some level felt somewhat starved from the open land that mid Wales has in abundance and, therefore, also photographing. I have however all but completed a project of Brighton architecture, architecture that I found pleasing to my eye rather than follow any strict period or style, and these images were exhibited at Brighton Museum in the winter of 2008/2009. I have also photographed abstractions found anywhere from walls in busy streets or in empty buildings. I do not necessarily consider my Brighton abstractions wholly successful but have included them here because although I do not consider them on a par with earlier abstractions they must somehow, hopefully, offer some personal progression in this chosen field. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24536187.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_471354567557925e3eb00a.jpgGLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GLANRHOS, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage - one forgets how small the rooms are compared to todays houses, no room to swing a cat, but easier to keep warm - and can be seen from the road but the footpath I took started nowhere but eventually met up with the straight track to the house. Inside are ovens, rusty white-goods, worthless and dirty and other bits of... things... doors and window frames, bits of broken furniture, pots and pans et al... Outside the house looks to be in a good general order, the morning sun shone brightly, my spirits were high, cows had done their best to make the going around the house almost impossible without sinking a foot deep and losing footing (and indeed wellingtons) and although my visit here was over within twenty minutes, it was certainly pleasant enough and one hopes the house to find an owner/buyer, small as it may be. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10098172.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17224270844dd3686e5db51.jpgDERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2011 An ornate bridge, once one of the main driveways up to the country house of Derry Ormond (demolished 1956) now stands a little forlorn and once formed part of three ponds which sat at the foot of the once great house. The bridge these days carries no visitors, by horse and cart nor motor car and serves no purpose except perhaps to move livestock from one field to another. My visit was early on a cloudy morn and I was accompanied by birdsong and the babbling brook of the stream Nant Dyfel. Due to the slow rising dawn long exposures of around 6 minutes were used which caused some blurring of the leaves blowing in the wind and the flow of the stream. Above the bridge are ornate iron gates rusting and hanging off their posts and a view can be stolen of Derry Ormond tower. Much high stone work can be easily viewed which obviously created the pond and the flow of water could be contained and controlled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551507.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17214587044f830369d8406.jpgH****** ****, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on H****** ****, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 I was told of this empty house a couple of years ago yet it does not have the 'feel' of a house that has stood empty for long. Peering through the windows one can see many artifacts of the previous owner... too numerous to mention, of little worth, and will one day end up in landfill. The house seems well-built, the outbuildings numerous. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4953015.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2756284874be5139c8182e.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789139.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8199570814bcaacb8107e5.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/notes-on-lletty-du-uchaf https://images.on-this.website/7784_10477565904f25098ae64b9.jpgNotes on LLETTY-DU UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLETTY-DU UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2012 After a break of two months without photographing and wondering if I would ever again, I cast off the shackles of everyday life; houseworks, work and family commitments etc and went off in search for some local ruins. The driveway up to Lletty-du is no longer accessible by car, it is now a footpath and a very muddy one at that. The house is remarkable in the fact that the lower half is build of stone and the upper floor is clom/cob. The roof barely clings onto the A-frame and beams and a vast hole has appeared one gable end. Such a shame but not such a surprise. The outbuilding adjacent has fairly recently lost most of its roof and is also of stone, clob and also brick. A few remnants of human existance lay damp against one wall; a mattress, a toaster, a cheap looking door-less wardrobe and a record player. These items look out of place. One almost expects to see medieval cooking utensils and ancient furniture! This house probably hasn't been empty for as long as it looks. The ground around Lletty-du is so very damp with each foot step sinking a good 6 inches into mud and humus. The house is situated on a hillside and a small stream runs beside it. A calming place and a good start to the day. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9951918.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21075658324dca2c5af35e6.jpgCOB/CLOM BUILDING, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on COB/CLOM BUILDING, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion 2011 An interesting building. On the outside a typical looking corrugated iron barn albeit with a tiled roof. Yet within those metal walls reveal a cob building, much collapsed but with windows on two floors. I can only conclude that this was once a house and has it began to collapse the owner/farmer covered/preserved the building with metal sheeting. I could see no sign of a chimney but one end had completely falled and was open to the elements. Anyone have any idea what this building was? Or indeed who lived here and if there are any photographs? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34696302.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5805909285ae9e8e5b7e01.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39268550.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3685997585d45e1a491112.jpgRAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on RAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Uninspiring building - two visit in two days - both trips shortened somewhat dramatically due to homeless people fighting and I felt threatened and left. Such a shame on both occasions since the walls are filled with wonderful potential abstractions. Only a few images were taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34641036.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6636097615ae0d00b989f4.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36927134.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18789569245beb3e77b2abb.jpgSCOTT'S PIT, Swansea 2018 Notes on SCOTT'S PIT, Swansea 2018 A controlled ruin but a worth visit nonetheless. Scott's Pit was built 1817 - 1824 but the extraction of coal was short lived and had completely closed by 1838. The site stands on the edge of a residential area with the constant sound of the M4 running only a stones throw away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29924982.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1535386885585a2af8ab707.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34530347.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8117047885ad2fe0460e28.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31658646.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14823649925942de9f3401f8.62585000.jpgBRITON FERRY IRONWORKS, ENGINE HOUSE, Neath Port Talbot 2017 Notes on BRITON FERRY IRONWORKS, ENGINE HOUSE, Neath Port Talbot 2017 An imposing building, one end completely open to the elements and within a vast empty space with minimum graffiti and rubbish. A few horses grazed on the field around, above the M4 flyover, the river Neath just behind the building. A somewhat depressing site, wasteland and most industrial buildings lain flat. A caravan park sits a stones throw away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34628011.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2990573765ade34389466e.jpgBRYN BRICKWORKS, Bryn, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on BRYN BRICKWORKS, Bryn, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Victorian brick works in remarkably good condition since it ceased production in the 1920's. A short walk from a modern housing cul-de-sac at the village of Bryn, along a grassy track, motorcycle tracks weaving in and out of the surround hills and fields. The brick works themselves are not boarded up and the various access points, doorways, are all easily accessed. Within is well lit, the intricate brickwork (sic) fascinating and very well made. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34530349.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1169971165ad2fe0c892b0.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41424040.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13133949995f2a7542ad88d.jpgCEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had known of this house since it was first put on the market a couple of years ago. The pictures of the estate agent website show a roofless ruin, the grounds cleared of foliage. In those two years a lot of foliage had grown back and my visit, mid-summer, made it all but impossible to get to the front door. Only a few exposures were made. This is an 18th century manor house (according to the sales burb) and the house is larger than most farmhouses and has an interesting array of outbuildings. The arched doorways had appeal, as does the full height rear part of the house, a somewhat odd looking square extension most likely a rear doorway but inaccessible. The rear is also windowless other than the large arch. I wonder if this had something to do with the historical window tax (introduced in 1696 until 1851)? Outbuildings around the rear, again mostly inaccessible. A lovely site and a lovely house which takes only a little imagination, but a whole heap of money, to return to its former glory. According to ‘Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families’ by Francis Jones (ISBN 0906972027), Cefn Cethin was still being lived in when the book was published in 1987. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34530345.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12139059625ad2fdff1494c.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34641037.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14278338995ae0d00c4795d.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penllergaer-mansion-gardens-swansea-2017 https://images.on-this.website/7784_72833653958763c1d91c64.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2017 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDEN LAKE, Swansea 2016 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14119888.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5101383224f341a73a9a07.jpgNANT GOCH, Llandeusant, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on NANT GOCH, Llandeusant, Carmarthenshire 2012 A house standing ruined high on a hillside on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. The house stands on a footpath and the walk up from the hamlet of Llandeusant is a pleasant one. The path seems to be once a driveway, trees either side shelter the walker from either rain or a summers harsh sun light. Today I had neither. Today the ground was frozen solid with some snow refusing to hinder nor indeed thaw and the sun shone brightly but any warm it offered was welcomed. The house, as seen here, is roofless and is now just a shell. Fragments of outbuildings remain, some hidden in deep shadow whilst other parts in bright sunlight, bringing out the textured stonework and mortar and causing me to run my hands over its rough texture. Beautifully located and seemingly content in its ruinous state. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23788876.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_229980139551072b826bd1.jpgAFON RHEIDOL RIVER, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on AFON RHEIDOL RIVER, Ceredigion 2015 A few miles from Capel Bangor and beside gravel pits - now used for fishing - these pools contain some of my favourite landscapes - dark, damp, muddy, almost impenetrable. Parts are so deep that my tripod legs sunk into the mud a good two foot. One needs to tread carefully. The decayed material however is what makes such places fascinating; nobody bothers with them yet they contain such a wealth of photographic possibilities; fallen ivy covered trees, ox-bow pools, dried leaf, brittle twigs and a sense of tranquillity especially since you are obscured from the world. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699377.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18408927945e123d9b9b275.jpgPEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on PEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 I have been here before, twice before and both times it was impossible to photograph the house due to trees and foliage and then the house itself covered in ivy. All these trees and foliage have been striped back and chopped down. The ivy removed from the walls. The bare bones of the house revealed and it seemed to me to more imposing than I had remembered. There is no access within the wall now, each access point covered over securely. Not that I minded. With all the foliage gone better views opened themselves up, more images were taken on this short visit, half an hour or so, than the previous two visits when I believe I only took around six or seven images. The walls around the rear are the most interesting, showing where windows were boarded up at the time of the window tax, and different types of material used. It all seems a little hodgepodge but like a comment left on this website a few years ago, what does a photographer know about the structural integrity of a building? As it happens, not a lot! It is apparently possible for this building to be saved but that was almost ten years ago. I wonder how many more decades Pembrey Court can survive without consolidation? it's a remarkable house in a great position. The images taken were sufficient, better than those taken back in 1997 and 2009. Other houses that I visited back then in 1997 have now been cleared and a revisit is required, Drummau house in Birchgrove a case in point as well as Llangennech Park House, both large ruins and much forgotten for many decades. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/afon-rheidol-river-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_793264623551072a59ca2a.jpgAFON RHEIDOL RIVER, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on AFON RHEIDOL RIVER, Ceredigion 2015 A few miles from Capel Bangor and beside gravel pits - now used for fishing - these pools contain some of my favourite landscapes - dark, damp, muddy, almost impenetrable. Parts are so deep that my tripod legs sunk into the mud a good two foot. One needs to tread carefully. The decayed material however is what makes such places fascinating; nobody bothers with them yet they contain such a wealth of photographic possibilities; fallen ivy covered trees, ox-bow pools, dried leaf, brittle twigs and a sense of tranquillity especially since you are obscured from the world. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9862798.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1201828264dc51a6b5cbc3.jpgRHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on RHANDIRMWYN MINES, Nant-Y-Bai, Near Llyn Brianne, Carmarthenshire 2008 A few miles from Llyn Brianne Reservior, a surprisingly large mine workings called Nantymwyn which ceased production in the early 20th century. I visited early March 2003 and again in November 2008. Many former mining buildings scatter the grey heaps. A large cement mixing(?) building stands on cement stilts and a high tower and finishing mill. Back in 2003 after I had wandered around for a hour or two, further down the hillside, I thought I could hear a motor of some description labouring. Due to a slight breeze I had slight trouble locating the precise source of the sound. Just below a small pile of rubble sat a small pond thick with frogspawn and around the pond, leaving by the scores were large frogs (or toads) chirping and croaking like many small engines! An unexpected pleasure! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gwern-y-cwm-llangennech-carmarthenshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_6697744685cf0debf382a5.jpgGWERN-Y-CWM, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on GWERN-Y-CWM, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 I came here almost by accident. I had been search from Troserch Mill and knew I had strayed too far from the river. I knew there was a property here and had seen on GoogleEarth that it was roofless. It would seem that the image of Google was a little out of date and the house has now been re-roofed. Thankfully. A few outbuildings scatter the yard. More interestingly towards the river, built in the bank, some kind of fountain or pool – or perhaps not decorative at all but served some other purpose? A strange feature and I would love to know more – it felt too elaborate to be merely an animal feed. The whole site is pleasant, the sun warm in the sheltered yard. I wonder if it is too restored as family home or holiday accommodation. Either way, better that than a pile of rubble. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gelli-lysged-upper-lliedi-reservoir https://images.on-this.website/7784_3164375535c8a1854a2cee.jpgGELLI LYSGED, Upper Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2019 Notes on GELLI LYSGED, Upper Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2019 Little remains and a fair sized farmhouse long ruined. Only one gable end remains with a mature tree internally growing against it the chimney. The grey rendered walls are cracked with thick ivy trunks running vertical, pulling the render off and causing further damage. Outbuildings and barns are also much ruinous. Sheep watched me from the adjacent field. They were content for ten minutes and then without movement from me suddenly fleeing to a neighbouring field. It was around 3pm, weekday afternoon, very overcast but no signs of rain. The world around me carried on yet I felt contained in a private timezone oblivious to misery and joy and chaos and life. I was only a few miles from Llanelli but rural Llanelli reminded me of my home in Ceredigion, the landscape much similar, especially for some reason in winter when all is cold, damp, solemn. It was comforting. A few exposures were made but not many viewpoints offered themselves with any satisfaction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img452 https://images.on-this.website/7784_88351895453936565eedb4.jpgTY'N Y SWYDD, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY'N Y SWYDD, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2014 * Destroyed by fire, the same week photographed * A well-known sight for those travelling between Tregaron and Aberystwyth. Ty’n y swydd stands on a sharp bend on the main road and has been empty for a number of years. The white washed walls looked clean on the bright spring mid-day visit. The outbuildings across the road seem still in some agricultural use. It’s a shame that some use couldn’t be made of the house too. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6185408.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12392371054c7f4a6eeb067.jpgLLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2010 Notes on LLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2010 A spontaneous visit - a small cottage with three chimneys and a long low byre attached with a chimney. Stone with random repairs(?) of red brick throughout the interior. A sorry state. Most remarkable feature however is a mature beach tree standing in the corner of an adjacent field; solitary yet spectacular, with a narrow well trodden sheep path leading up to it. A picture of the beach tree can be viewed in the 'Welsh Landscapes' gallery. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12320784.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5242671264e550f581091d.jpgBOULSTON MANOR CHURCH, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on BOULSTON MANOR CHURCH, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 A remote church and churchyard standing in a small patch of woodland and only accessible by foot stands on the edge of the banks of the Cleddau Estuary. Tall trees reach up and through this roofless church which was abandoned after World War 2. Within many features and carved stone remain, some fragmented and some in remarkable condition - some with the name 'Wogan' easy to read and also a large coat of arms (of the Wogan's) laying against a wall. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789132.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12393538964bcaac8bd01e6.jpgABSTRACTION, Hove, East Sussex 2008 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Hove, East Sussex 2008 I worked as a postman in Hove between 2008 - 2010 and i walked passed this wall every day on my 'round'. It became a friend in some ways just a tree might become a friend on a familiar walk. Sometimes i give it an acknowledging nod, other times i'd pass it by without a word. Between 2005 and 2010 I have lived in Brighton, with many and as frequent as possible trips to Wales to photograph mansions and landscape. During my time in Brighton I have on some level felt somewhat starved from the open land that mid Wales has in abundance and, therefore, also photographing. I have however all but completed a project of Brighton architecture, architecture that I found pleasing to my eye rather than follow any strict period or style, and these images were exhibited at Brighton Museum in the winter of 2008/2009. I have also photographed abstractions found anywhere from walls in busy streets or in empty buildings. I do not necessarily consider my Brighton abstractions wholly successful but have included them here because although I do not consider them on a par with earlier abstractions they must somehow, hopefully, offer some personal progression in this chosen field. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33757331.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7413925015a2b9732c3880.jpgPALACE THEATRE, Swansea 2017 Notes on PALACE THEATRE, Swansea 2017 Taken from Wikipedia: The Palace Theatre is a building located at the northern end of High Street, Swansea, Wales, recognizable for its distinctive wedge shape. Originally built in 1888 as a traditional music hall, the building's original name was the 'Pavilion'. During its lifetime, the building has been used as a bingo hall as well as a gay nightclub. The Grade II Listed building is one of just two purpose-built music halls left standing in the whole of the UK. In the early years of the 20th century stars like Charlie Chaplin, Lilly Langtry, Marie Lloyd and Dan Leno filled the venue. Sir Anthony Hopkins made his first professional stage appearance there in 1960 with Swansea Little Theatre's production of 'Have A Cigarette' Also in the early 1960s, Morecambe and Wise were booked. Ken Dodd was the last stand-up comedian to appear there before it became nightclub in the 1970s. It was also the first place in Wales to show a silent picture and remained undamaged by the blitz that destroyed much of Swansea city centre during the Second World War. The ground floor bar and lounge was used as a licensed pub for many years before closing. Eventually the theatre was sold for £300,000 to a property company, but in 2010 it was still derelict and actor Edward Fox joined a campaign to have it restored. New campaign In 2014, a new campaign was launched on Facebook. High Street in 1915 In April 2014 Swansea Council made £75,000 available to the owners to carry out work on the High Street theatre, which had been named as one of the 10 most endangered Victorian and Edwardian buildings in England and Wales. The Victorian Society called it "a victim of urban decay", and the Theatres Trust commented in 2013 that, if left, the building might well collapse. The council funds were earmarked for "emergency works", including making the building watertight, removing vegetation and removing loose brickwork that could be deemed “unsafe”. By September 2014 the council was issuing a reminder to the owners that the work needed to be completed promptly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475582.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16238593574b8bc6568c170.jpgCEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on CEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Once within the dimly lit ground floor, Ceulan Mill appears, as ones eyes adjust, an impregnable building with imposing machinery filling all three storeys to the brim with large heavy machinery, looms, and weaving frames, large wicker baskets of withered cones of wool. Ceulan Mill was closed in the 1950’s and it feels like very little has changed within and without the stone walls since then. On the first floor, only three small windows allowing the sun light in, the floor space is heavy with solid machinery. It is dark and when surrounded with such heavy machinery crammed so close together it is also unnerving. The dimness makes the focussing of the camera difficult; I use a small touch to set the shutter speeds and aperture. A forty-minute exposure was used with these first initial exposures. A long wait for a photographer and gives me time to make notes. I feel calm and the still atmosphere helps me to relax. Outside I hear a babbling brook, birds singing, the day is bright, warm and spring-like. These rusty dinosaurs within this mill no longer creak, groan, growl. They’re silent and still, their only movement is that of their slow corrosion. My eyes have long since grown accustomed to the dimness. The machinery is splendid – wheels, cogs, belts, gears, pulley’s, springs, rods, rollers, spinners, presses, chains, oil, wool, spanners, wrenches, dust and cobwebs. A stuffed heron lays on the ground on the first floor and also; a metal chest full of 19th & 20th century books (on Stalin, India, Arithmetic, Philosophy, Chemistry, Law, Communism, worker’s rights and how to better oneself!). More large baskets, clamps, drawing desks, broken chairs, tables, chests, all stand on an uneven floor and under a sagging ceiling. The sun poured through the open windows on the first floor, flooding tiny areas and here the exposures were much shorter, usually around 4 - 16 minutes. Four hours was spend making around ten exposures onto sheet film. The slow process of photographing in such dark places makes the finishing images so much more satisfying. MELIN CEULAN. Tal-v-bont. Ceredigion 2009 Ar Ian afon Ceulan saif Melin Ceulan, a fu unwaith yn brysur a llewyrchus. Wrth i'r llygaid ymgynefino a lled-dywyllwch y llawr gwaelod daw Melin Ceulan i'r golwg, yn adeilad cadarn gyda pheiriannau mawreddog, gwyddiau, fframiau gwehyddu a basgedi mawr o wlan yn llenwi'r tri llawr at y to. Caeodd y felin yn y 1950au a bu iddi aros yn wag ers hynny. Mae'n dywyll, ac ynghanol yr holl beirianwaith trwm sydd wedi'i wthio benben a'i gilydd, ceir hefyd deimlad o anesmwythyd. Yn y tywyllwch mae'n anodd ffocysu'r camera; rhoddaf gyffyrddiad ysgafn i osod cyflymder y caead a lledu'r agorfa. Defnyddiwyd dadleniad o bedwar deg pum munud gyda'r lluniau cychwynnol hyn. Hir ymaros i'r ffotograffydd, a chyfle i mi ysgrifennu nodiadau. Teimlaf dawelwch, ac mae'r awyrgylch llonydd help i mi ymlacio. Y tu allan clywaf furmur y nant a thrydar yr adar, megis diwmod braf a chynnes o wanwyn. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37165810.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2138205835c21d52a4e135.jpgANNEALING HOUSE, Swansea 2018 Notes on ANNEALING HOUSE, SWANSEA 2018 An impromptu visit on a very wet morning before work. Access to the building is just down a small bank alongside a footpath beside the Tawe. The buildings is just a shell, within trees and a maze of scaffolding. A few exposures made, nobody walked along the footpath, the rain putting off even the dog walkers. A quick half an hour attempting to walk through the bramble and overgrowth. The rear impossible to view. Taken from Swansea Council website: Annealing house at former Beaufort tin plate works established 1859 – 60 by John Jones Jenkins. The site was that of the Lower Forest copper mills founded in the C18 and possibly already converted to tin plate in 1836. Jenkins sold the works in 1877. The present building dated 1874 was added to the upper end of the original rolling mill of c1735, since demolished and is now the sole surviving building of the tin plate industry in Swansea. The building was extensively restored and rebuilt in 1980’s with a reconstructed water wheel brought from a model farm owned by the colliery operator, John Jones of Brynamman. The works closed in the 1940’s. The building was in derelict state at the time of resurvey (October 2003) having been damaged by fire. Exterior:- Former annealing building, oblong with stone rubble walls and slate roof, only some of the latter remaining. North gable end has six blocked yellow brick semi-circular vents above and two smaller similar vents below each side of tall central semi-circular arch with segmental headed opening and cast copper slag keystone dated 1874. Doorway under brick arch on left side and round headed window under brick arch on right side. In east wall, a series of small semi-circular brick vents below each eaves above 3 blocked wide semi-circular headed arches. In west wall, a wide round headed central window with four bays to each side to right hand with four blocked semi-circular vents above a doorway and then three windows and to left hand with three of the former lunettes made into tall round headed windows. South gable end of red brick with small C20 window to left and large blocked doorway to the right. Interior:- Not available for inspection. Roof in poor condition. Said to have had wooden king post trusses internally. Newman says ‘the tinning bays of the W block have been rebuilt in replica form. Listed:- Included for its special historic interest as the last surviving building from the Swansea tinplate industry. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img250 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1023935713534c1576d6851.jpgHAFOD, Ceredigion 1991 Notes on HAFOD, Ceredigion 1991 Soft roots from an upturned tree. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29924983.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_96352160585a2afdad02a.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41492454.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14242918205f319847627b5.jpgPISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Along a footpath/track and you soon come to the farmstead, large and spread out of Pistyll North. The house itself looks long ruinous, two mature tree trunks cut within the walls evidence the house has long been empty and ruinous. A new metal roof protects the solid walls. A large fireplace inside the extended section was in very poor condition – the extended section a somewhat odd looking intrusion of the main structure of the house, most likely a later addition(?). There were sheep inside when I visited, they left, I entered, I expected the floor to be foot deep in droppings and smelly but it was not, it was dry and a comfort from the rain outside. I wondered why the name of the house was half Welsh/half English. At home I searched on older maps and it seems the house has been called by the same spelling for at least a hundred years. A long stone barn, partially collapsed at the front, stands facing the house at a slight angle. Other barns and outbuildings are scattered around. There’s a lot to see and because of the position of the buildings in relation with other buildings viewpoints/compositions are found easily. The site is for sale currently and it is truly exceptional. It needs a little insight but the general aura of the place is one of positively. My visit was short, forty five minutes or so… exposures were quite long inside the house at around 6 minutes. There was a constant drizzle even if the forecast had been dry. There was no sound of traffic. No sound of farm machinery or even a dog barking somewhere someplace of. Even the birds seemed a little shy of the drizzle and judging by the birds in my garden, town birds aren’t much bothered by the rain and I doubt countryside ones aren’t either. The sheep however were bleating. They had seen me, followed me with their eyes as I walked along the track, and knew most likely and instantly that they did not know me. Yet still they bleated, neither in distress or in hope of food. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18179496.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_93695841251aa51ddc3503.jpgMAESGWYN, Llywel, Brecknock, 2013 Notes on MAESGWYN, Llywel, Brecknock, 2013 This grade two listed farmhouse (and outbuildings) has not been empty long but stands prominent and imposing sitting above the main road between Llandovery and Brecon. It is owned by the nearby farm and the site is protected by security. Judging by a quick tour I would say the house has not been empty for too long but it does need some TLC before further rot sets in. The outbuildings have suffered from some theft recently hence the security on site. A beautiful looking house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/023 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2646006985406ecab6d5b8.jpgGRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Empty and forlorn, Graig-ddu-isaf has been left to decay slowly for a number of years. Peeking inside saw the usual bits of furniture and farm machinery. All seems quite depressing and damp on first inspection but beyond the decay there is a pleasant air about the place. It is quiet and tranquil, I felt miles from anywhere, even if the track to the house is just a short walk from road. A number of exposures were made, perhaps the most successful being the image of the corrugated toilet, a familiar sight in these parts, around the side of the house - with make-shift toilet pan included. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13386413.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17617980464eaad275ac54c.jpgHENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on HENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 A group of cows, with their young, scattered, re-grouped, came galloping around me and then followed me. They followed me most way up the drive to Hendre Felin. The elder were curious, the younger boisterous yet more fearful. The house, built into a steep bank, south facing, is most unusual. The front door offset to the left, the extension with the long thin window, and along a passage way, rose up to the large kitchen and storeroom(?). The kitchen and storeroom are both single storey and rest on the bank. I am neither historian nor architect but I believe this house was designed this way, and this way is not common in Ceredigion. Inside are large empty rooms, empty except for broken furniture; a panel-less wardrobe, a sowing table, chest of drawers, chairs with three legs, much bedroom furniture all downstairs in the living quarters. And the upstairs bedrooms all empty except for pieces of stone that have fallen inward and dust, a lot of fine dust filling the lungs, dancing in the sun light and adding to my nervousness. The main staircase rises to the first floor and then carries on upward to the attic space. I did not climb into the attic, the steps on the stairs had visible and perhaps not so visible holes and I imagine the floorboards of the attic were the same. Judging by the high pitched roof, a high narrow A-frame, well over head-height, I would say the attic to be large and spacious, although dark. Maybe this housed the man-servants? Did this house have servants? I imagine so. The raised kitchen was large with a well-used Rayburn-style stove rusting and wallpaper hanging off plastered walls (also hanging off). The textures and patterns of the walls revealed much beauty – as much beauty as is possible considering I am in a damp, rotten and long forgotten house. Hendre Felin is a staggeringly interesting house which was built circa 1620 (but is this the layout that we see today?). I found a Yellow Pages dated 1987 – was this the last time this house was inhabited? Maybe. Or maybe a little later but begs the question, should a house that has stood almost four hundred years be allowed to be neglected so? It stands but a stone’s throw away from Hendre Quarry and one must wonder if the regular blasts coming from the quarry can be doing this old house any good. I doubt so and worry so. The photographs taken came easy. The beginning of this Saturday morning, early October, was warm and the sky without any interrupting cloud. Even the internal images, with the sun light streaming through the windows, were relatively short at around 4 minutes (at F16 – F22). It was an unnerving visit. So often I feel this way when a house seems unnaturally at the point of ruin. Structurally it appears to be in good shape, however, there’s a few small holes in the roof and the drain pipes fallen and the ground around the house is very damp, the mud deep where the cows stand poised and digesting! The house does however need to be made water-tight and intruder-tight with the guttering and drainage re-introduced and holes in the roof repaired. Then why not put it on the market, offered as a large family, country residence? An old family home needs a family to make it home again. And again, after my visit, long and fruitful, I crossed the watery driveway that runs around the house and back into the field where the cows had temporarily forgotten me. Once again, spooked and energetic, it was pleasant to be around some life affirming creatures that contained no dust, no rotten walls, no bleak future nor sorrowful core. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img355 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1670754504536f3721a1b0c.jpgGREEN CASTLE (CASTELL MOEL), Llangain, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on GREEN CASTLE (CASTELL MOEL), Llangain, Carmarthenshire 2014 A 15th century castle, reputedly a mansion house, long ruined (since late 16th century) and stands on a hill overlooking river Twyi. The spring greens had begun to spread and finding suitable viewpoints was a challenge. The bluebells, now over, made climbing the small hill ridiculously hazardous, especially with 20 kilos of camera equipment on my back, has each foot slipped and I felt myself lose ground, rather than gain. But that said, a nice place, just above the main road from Carmarthen to Llanstephan. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42009662.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5627561875f90012f393d6.jpgOLMARCH SCHOOLHOUSE/CHAPEL, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on OLMARCH SCHOOLHOUSE/CHAPEL, Ceredigion 2015 The organ is the notable thing, making this otherwise unremarkable building something worthy of recording - built circa1900 and derelict for twenty odd years(?), old bibles sit covered in cobwebs on rotten benches that stand on the rotten floorboards... a few empty beer bottles and soft sun light streaming through the cobweb windows. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551463.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19489254294f8301120c7f7.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 I have walked passed this small cottage many times over the last twenty years. Today I decided I should photograph. The window frames remain and it stands high overlookingthe lower end of the Hafod estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13388681.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6230820964eaba25eb47ef.jpgTAI'N COED, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on TAI'N COED, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2011 Two, early 18th century, outbuildings (stable, barn and cart house) in relatively good condition, of stone and chom, facing one another. One gable end, of the lower barn, has fallen in and I believe this is where the house once stood, which on this day was a mass of stone and bramble. Various machinery, including a large freestanding butter churn, all in good condition and kept dry. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14062294.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18522698364f264651dccf4.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 The bridle way that leads up to the estate of Cwmgigfran is lined with mature trees. The path is deeply rutted with the autumn leaves laying decomposing over the rich deeper mud beneath. After a half mile walk in a lightly wooded area I came across a fenced off area and within a large impenetrable mass of rhododendrons. A small gate which I presumed would wend itself around to the front of the property would have been a preferred entrance but this is over grown with tendrils of brambles climbing high, into the ground, out into the air and would surely wrap their barbed selves around me. So another route was found, alongside some outbuildings, again, the brambles acted as a natural barrier. These outbuildings showed interest – a former resident – living rough(?) – a mouldy and damp mattress, folds of blankets, bags of clothes, a carpet pinned against a wall (obviously to seal off any cold draughts). Within another outbuilding were shelves of various fittings; jars of nails, a rusting wheelbarrow, an oil lamp, pot belly stove standing redundant and unfitted… this list could be endless, like that of the mansion of Plas Gwynfryn. Everything, however, was rusting, or broken, or had passed its useful life. So onward to the house, surprisingly large, unsurprisingly few fragments of architectural interest remain. The four high walls do reveal a full three storey and settled on a basement. According to ‘Lost Houses of Wales’ (Tom Lloyd), the house was built 1800 but dismantled 1965. The land around the house is either boggy and inaccessible or inaccessible due to the foliage which has been allowed to grow without restraint. This adds only to the thrill of visiting such a house. The frontages had two brick-clad bays reaching up the full three storeys but higher still were the trees that grew within. To photograph the façade was challenging and I literally had to stand within the rhododendron jungle and use my camera bag to weigh down the tripod and camera. The branches of the rhododendron are naturally living things and any force against them caused them to respond with equal force. Once weighted, the camera and tripod seemed relatively stable. But, as ever, long exposures were used even in the winter sunlight and after 12 seconds (and then after developing and printing the negatives) I was pleased to find the negatives were sharp and the springy rhododendrons branches hadn’t caused any movement against the tripod legs and therefore causing a blurred negative. Cwmgigfran stands quite magnificent in its obscured location, overlooking a peaceful landscape and on this bright winters morning transmits not an air of sadness but of calmness. One can breathe here. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41426092.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10295836465f2c0e47c64d8.jpgTY’N Y GRAIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on TY’N Y GRAIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 I have this habit of veering from footpaths. Sometimes it proves fruitful. This was not one such occasion! I returned to the easy path and found the house. I thought I had missed it so ventured off in my own direction. This is often done and often regrettably so since by the time I correct the error I am drenched in sweat and annoyed with myself, slightly irritable. Little remains of this house, as seen here, but worth recording even if it was just to allow me to cool down again and take the weight off my shoulders... and re-look at the map to get my bearings. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/allt-maes-rhyg-fach-llangeitho https://images.on-this.website/7784_175142074855f438bb1eabb.jpgALLT-MAES-RHYG-FACH, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ALLT-MAES-RHYG-FACH, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Small and remote with no road, or indeed path, leading to it - this small cottage peasant longhouse is much ruined. I was uncertain of the original use of main building, if this was merely a barn or had been the house. I believe the large doorway had been made at a latter date. Inside shows remnants of paint work showing the house also had an upstairs and also the traces of an inglenook fireplace. Odd shaped lintel on one outside window - doorway also stoned-up on rear of property. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llect-art-fawr-mynydd-gellionnen https://images.on-this.website/7784_10588510595dd7934bec447.jpgLLECT-ART FAWR, Mynydd Gellionnen, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on LLECT-ART FAWR, Mynydd Gellionnen, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I parked at the remote Gellionnen Chapel and walked down the single lane track towards the footpath that leads to the ruined farmstead. I took a shorter route through some undergrowth and over a fence. There was a footpath of sorts and it suited me. I reached the house quickly, no closed gateway, an open farmyard with the house standing opposite an old tractor and large metal barn. The drizzle fell but the sun was also out behind the clouds and somewhere there would be a rainbow. A group of cows watched from a metal barn shed, the mud underfoot was deep in places where the cows had trodden and to a point where I almost lost my wellingtons - thank goodness I wore them! The house is large, much ruined and because I was battling with the mud I forgot to look inside the bare walls. A large chimney, not uncommon in Wales stood one gable end, roof long gone, windows and doors long gone, only the bare bones. Other outbuildings stand also ruinous and other than the cows and farm workers it felt very few people walked this footpath. A few obvious viewpoints came, I had to keep lifting my feet so they didn't sink too deep. The camera and lens found their viewpoints easy and I suppose that is a blessing taking images of buildings; there’s only so many viewpoints, the skill-set involved is somewhat limiting and without doing myself an injustice, anyone could take these images. As a collection however, that is where they gain their strength. These thoughts were written down once I returned to the car. I’ve lessened the weight of my camera bag recently; a lighter camera, mostly carry just one lens, only carry 6 – 8 darkslides and a lighter light meter. All this and still my two mile walk gave me a sweaty back! Blame the backpack. Always carry a spare t-shirt and spare pair of shoes. The smell in the air was of cow muck, not un-pleasant by any means and the smell came home with me. A nice reminder of where I come from and how much I miss the countryside. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img457 https://images.on-this.website/7784_178063086653949804df8c0.jpgBRYN-EINON, Mydroilyn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on BRYN-EINON, Mydroilyn, Ceredigion 2014 A small but lovely cottage, much ruined and muddy within due to cows having free roam. The laburnum was stunning, as it is around the whole of Ceredigion at this time (June). The bank at rear of cottage is now a part pond, part slurry pit and the rear of the house hangs perilously to the sides. Roof, as you see in these images, also barely clinging on. Utterly beguiling place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076466.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_966076786497069381e94c.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2081197.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_40233793549731ca740c6a.jpgPIERCEFIELD HOUSE, St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Notes of PIERCEFIELD HOUSE, St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Piercefield is a large, notorious mansion estate situated high above the river Severn on the outskirts of Chepstow. Its origins lie in the middle ages and the Classical house as it stands today, was built around 1792. It has been bought and sold many times throughout its relatively short-lived life and today sits covered with supports and scaffolding adjacent to Chepstow racecourse. I had known of Piercefield for some time, a friend had shown me snapshots of the house ruined, and it is well documented in guidebooks and historical interest publications. The house and its many statues were abandoned after 1923 and sold to the racecourse. Unsurprisingly, it is a house that sparks great debate in the Chepstow area. The American Army in the Second World War supposedly used it as a target practice. Two large pavilions either side of the house became obscured by undergrowth and around the rear of the house extensive outbuildings (early 19th century); service courts, stables, a coach house and a walled kitchen garden are all derelict though with some abiding agricultural use. The April morning I arrived was a humid and bright day. Piercefields sand-coloured limestone walls stood brave against the greens of the embroidered foliage and a wispy blue sky behind. Many exposures made, ordinarily I use around 6 sheets of film per house visited but the sheer size and wealth of photographic subject matter soon had me reloading film and searching for that viewpoint which suits the atmospherics of a house with such grand declines. The house, outbuildings and grounds are currently under renovation. Piercefield 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8062486714b51d7c651aad.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2477581724b51d7d789407.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15042984424b51d7ea3a405.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23975227.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1754411036552e164dafd55.jpgLLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2015 Notes on LLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2015 An impromptu visit on a lovely early spring morning, primarily to visit the beech tree just rear of property. The house further deteriorated and yet again, with each visit of which there have been many of the years, another sheep skull - perhaps it's the same one. My daughter loved the house and wanted to restore it as a summer dwelling. Nice idea but... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37330079.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20349491625c53e76bc3814.jpgCWM-CWTA, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on CWM-CWTA, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2019 A walk along the Cothi and then up a bank, across a field, visibility almost down to zero due to fog. The house sits on the side of a valley and has recently been re-roofed. Inside is just a shell and I did not bother to enter. The outbuildings are also much dilapidated and ruinous. It would seem the owners have some intention of restoration or at least put it on the market. My visit was brief, the first of this new year, and although only a few images were taken it is always a relief to get things going. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/empty-facade-pontrhydygroes-2003 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9933287184b8bc7455c02c.jpgEMPTY FACADE, Pontrhydygroes 2003 Notes on EMPTY FACADE, Pontrhydygroes 2003 Another simple graphic image of some small steps leading to a door that opened out into fresh air! Only a facade remained. The remainder of the building had been demolished leaving this odd little facade. The rear of the building has recently been re-built and converted into a home, so this view no longer exists. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18174359.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_30858811951aa0f5354697.jpgBARN PILLARS (nr Penlone), Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on BARN PILLARS (nr Penlone), Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 Opposite Penlone is a footpath and a little down this footpath is a ruined cottage (name unknown) and these three stone pillars. One pillar is only a few inches high but the other two stand, as seen here in this photograph. I presume these are barn pillars. They stand somewhat oddly overlooking an open field and thought they were worth documenting. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/orfa-ddu-cilcennin-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1759400604e65bd55cdb81.jpgORFA DDU, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ORFA DDU, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 A small cottage, empty and used as a store and sits contently beside a B-road. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12000206.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13287591504e44192353f2c.jpgRHUN, Painscastle, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on RHUN, Painscastle, Radnorshire 2011 An old vernacular Radnor farmstead, house and barn both with corrugated iron roof where once would have been thatched. This particular farmstead is in a good condition considering it is but a stones throw away from the road and stands on a pubic footpath. A mish-mash of building materials; stone, timber, brick, corrugated iron all of which adds to the aesthetic appeal. A stunning property - built 17th century? Inside the house the usual farm debris but all appears dry and in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-cwmystwyth-mines-ceredigion-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20677112084eb6433d95c56.jpgWALL, Cwmystwyth Mines, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on WALL, Cwmystwyth Mines, Ceredigion 1996 Paint marks on a concrete ruined mining building. I spent much time attempting to find a good composition on this wall and evetually settled on this image - keeping all the major componants of the wall on the egde of the frame. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img198 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1041895143534594ffddade.jpgHAFOD, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on HAFOD, Ceredigion 1994 A favourite tree, snow covered, quiet morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26446198.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_897482995694a592140c6.jpgMYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on MYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 A revisit to this house - there was once talk of renovating this site into a museum - it would be a fantastic site but I have seen little change since the 2011 visit. A few slates seem to have fallen off the roof but mostly it's all in a relatively good condition. (Also known as Great Abbey Farm, Strata Florida). A large house, grade 2 listed (in 1963), nestled in a farming complex and besides the ruined abbey of Strata Florida. The road that runs through the yard is a relatively recent addition and will be, once the house has been restored, re-directed around the barns. Lampeter University have recently purchased the house with plans of consolidation work in process. The house itself seems to be in a good condition but looking a little sorry for itself. The rear roof seems to have been re-roofed recently. The small building on the right hand side was once the kitchen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4508178.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3374985114b93588f354e9.jpgRIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2006 Notes on RIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2006 Into The Murky Depths We Tread I came upon these wetland areas whilst cycling home one summers evening. Wetland areas are essential, basically untouched, and serve as irrigation and to filter pollution. The fact that no ones seems to bother to explore them due to their dampness and seemingly unfriendly environment, also allows them to be rich in wildlife. From the road that leads to Cwm Rheidol (about 8 miles from Aberystwyth) entrance through the undergrowth seems almost impossible and impenetrable. When the sun is low, bright splashes of sun light flicker through the thicket and reveal openings. Ducking under the thicket and forcing your way through, and once in amongst the deep mud and dankness, a whole new world is revealed; jungle-like and heavily branched areas, rich in photographic pickings and in some ways universal. These sorts of geographic landscapes are not typical or localised to any one part of the country. If you travel by train anywhere you always pass these oft ignored areas. They can not be built on because the land is unstable, no one walks through them, due to their (supposed) unpleasantness but once you’ve broken through their barriers of branches you enter a world with it’s own micro-atmosphere. The photographs were taken on either Ilford FP4 or Delta 100 5x4inch sheet film using a Wista camera and either a 90mm super-angulon or 135mm symmar lenses. Exposures on a grey day at F22 usually hovered around the 16 second mark and when photographing in sun light at about 1 second. My boots, trouser legs and the tripod feet were covered in thick, dark mud and although the going was slow, the actual area of these wetlands is perhaps only an acre or two in size. I’ve visited and photographed only three or four times but each time the tranquillity and ever changing photographic opportunities due to the water level rising and falling, the ever evolving process of woodlands – new saplings appearing and older trees uprooting - means visiting here has become a constant source of pleasure. YSTUMLLYN. Cwm Rheidol. Ceredigion 2003 - 2006 Deuthum ar draws y gwlypdir hwn wrth feicio gartref un noson o haf. Mae ardaloedd o wlypdir yn hanfodol. Ar y cyfan, nid oes neb wedi ei gyffwrdd ac mae'n gweithredu fel system ddyfrhau ac mae'n hidlo'r llygredd . Mae'r ffaith nad oes fawr neb yn eu harchwilio oherwydd eu lleithder a'u hamgylchedd yn golygu eu bod yn gyfoethog o ran bywyd gwyllt. O'r ffordd sy'n arwain at Gwm Rheidol (tua 8 milltir o Aberystwyth), ymddengys bod yr isdyfiant yn anhreiddiadwy. Pan fo'r haul yn isel, gwelir goleuadau llachar yr haul drwy'r dryslwyn. Unwaith y byddwch yng nghanol y mwd dwfn a'r gwiybaniaeth, agorir eich llygaid i fyd newydd. Dyma ardal sy'n debyg i jyngl I lawn canghennau Ardal sy'n gyfoethog at ddibenion tynnu lluniau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13385636.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5227180584eaabed6bf81e.jpgPEBYLL, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEBYLL, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2011 Currently (Oct 2011) on the market for £55,000 this old house has been in long neglect and the former occupants belongings fill each room with fallen stone work and beams. This debris is dark, sodden and I thought twice before declining to enter. Photographically it was a challenge to capture this cottage, a high stone wall stands only 10 feet away and to photograph the facade straight on was impossible. Climbing the wall was a possibility but the overhanging trees would have obscured much of the house. My visit was a quiet one. The house stands just outside the village of Llanddewi and on this week day morn the only soound to be heard was the occasional crow and the leaves bustling in the breeze. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-y-cwm-cwmystwyth-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_15406985924d2ea4d944521.jpgBLAEN Y CWM, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on BLAEN Y CWM, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2003 Blaen y Cwm sits with it's rear to the mountain stream, the Ystwyth. It was in a sorry state of repair when I eventually got around to photographing it in 2003. As you can see it was in a perilously dangerous condition and has now been demolished. Outbuildings remain. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tree-at-aberarth-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_462360377554cc58401af3.jpgTREE AT ABERARTH, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TREE AT ABERARTH, Ceredigion 2015 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196109.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5757123335fe1ae9a71eb1.jpgHENLLAN UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on HENLLAN UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 I took a somewhat difficult route up to the ruins of Henllan Uchaf and Henllan Isaf - the two are no more than 50 yards from one another and I wondered if they were built at the same time and possibly by the same family? Henllan Uchaf was a one-storey cottage with a small porch, rendered but all ruinous and access within was impossible due to the brambles. Bits of corrugated tin lay on the ground, most likely it's roof for a number of years. This wasn't a sad place. Someone had also relatively recently had a camp fire here and possibly stayed the night. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bwlch-glas-bont-goch-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_82554016257415b46488c6.jpgBWLCH GLAS, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BWLCH GLAS, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2016 Empty but not derelict, large farmhouse with extensive outbuildings still in agricultural use. Mine buildings bottom of field beside stream 100 yards away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img200 https://images.on-this.website/7784_186580332353478ebe5a4d5.jpgCLAERDDU COTTAGE, Ceredigion 1991 Notes on CLAERDDU COTTAGE, Ceredigion 1991 Early infra-red image - cottage now a Bothy. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img201 https://images.on-this.website/7784_31777973453478ed2490f4.jpgimg201 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41493327.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1128956005f3271796056c.jpgGLYN DERI, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on GLYN DERI, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Just off the track, Glyn Deri is a slightly sorry site. A modern-ish looking bungalow most likely replaced an older dwelling, all ruinous and empty and abandoned. Signs saying ‘keep out’ on gateway and on house. It looked like the house was boarded up properly and I had no intention of entering but then noticed the front door was open a jar. I entered tentatively and immediately saw the back door opposite ends of the house was also wide open. Inside was a mess, one room the floor had fallen to the foundations (questioning whether this was indeed just a bungalow from the 60’s/70’s and not a renovated older house). Other rooms had bits of furniture, it seemed someone has even slept here at some point with a chair and a den formed with doors and other furniture. It might have given shelter for one night, better than sleeping outside, but hardly a nice place to rest your head; damp, musty, unloved. A few photographs were taken, all outside. The rear was inaccessible due to summer foliage as too a caravan barely visible within the bramble. Outbuildings had relatively recent sign of use but even these were mostly inaccessible. Once cleared of the mess and foliage, this site could easily be renovated back to a loving home once more. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13323070.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16002796474ea260e03b7de.jpgLLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Hidden from view and the morning had yet to properly break. I reached the matured grounds of the house Llanfechan in uncertainty. I had been told much remained but also as mentioned in ‘The Lost Houses of Wales’, it was ‘mostly demolished’. I could make out a bulky dark mass in the dim morning light and once beyond the covering of trees, the walls of Llanfechan could easily to reached. And once within those walls, standing in the ruins themselves, it becomes easier still to imagine this was once a rather fine mansion house. The house standing today was built in 1786 and due to fire was already ruined by 1837 and thus remained a ruin all these years since. In the Pevsner Building of Wales guide for Ceredigion it suggests that Llanfechan was designed by John Nash and is comparable to his Llanerchaeron just a few miles away (and it doesn’t take an untrained eye to find these comparisons!). The original full two storeys remain today, the façade and main section of the house. Although the outer is covered almost entirely with foliage and trees and there are a few mature trees within the site, it is generally easily negotiable – one gable end, against a damp and dimly lit bank has large cracks and holes forming with the chimney on the brink on collapsing inward. The morning of my visit the wind blew hard and the overcast day offered little prospect of improving. The wind and the dimness of light meant I required long exposures of around 4 – 16 minutes and this in fact helped me with exposing more of the buildings fabric than would ordinarily be possible. The windswept branches and leaves meant their movement wasn’t properly recorded and was instead recorded as a ‘slight blur’ and thus more stone work was recorded onto the sheet of film inside the camera. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/aberglasney-llangathen-carmarthenshire-1995 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10006246824979612506787.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Yew Tree Tunnel, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_34768091545cfd82d79d4.jpgABSTRACTION at GREYSTONES MOTEL, Brecknock 2014 ABSTRACTION at GREYSTONES MOTEL, Llywel, Brecknockshire 2014 After a break of photographing for a few months it seems the only way I can get back into it is to find some abstractions. The three images here will probably need a little darkroom work to get up to the standard I uselessly ask of myself. As they are, they suffice but need a little darkroom magic to bring forth their three dimensionality. That said, they're pleasing to the eye and if only a stepping stone to other work then worthy of exposure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img193 https://images.on-this.website/7784_53142469153459490a28d5.jpgAFON YSTWYTH, Ceredigion 1990 Notes on AFON YSTWYTH, Ceredigion 1990 Please note: this image is not for sale https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hendre-felin-ysbyty-ystwyth-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_21318708024eaad208db5b8.jpgHENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on HENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 A group of cows, with their young, scattered, re-grouped, came galloping around me and then followed me. They followed me most way up the drive to Hendre Felin. The elder were curious, the younger boisterous yet more fearful. The house, built into a steep bank, south facing, is most unusual. The front door offset to the left, the extension with the long thin window, and along a passage way, rose up to the large kitchen and storeroom(?). The kitchen and storeroom are both single storey and rest on the bank. I am neither historian nor architect but I believe this house was designed this way, and this way is not common in Ceredigion. Inside are large empty rooms, empty except for broken furniture; a panel-less wardrobe, a sowing table, chest of drawers, chairs with three legs, much bedroom furniture all downstairs in the living quarters. And the upstairs bedrooms all empty except for pieces of stone that have fallen inward and dust, a lot of fine dust filling the lungs, dancing in the sun light and adding to my nervousness. The main staircase rises to the first floor and then carries on upward to the attic space. I did not climb into the attic, the steps on the stairs had visible and perhaps not so visible holes and I imagine the floorboards of the attic were the same. Judging by the high pitched roof, a high narrow A-frame, well over head-height, I would say the attic to be large and spacious, although dark. Maybe this housed the man-servants? Did this house have servants? I imagine so. The raised kitchen was large with a well-used Rayburn-style stove rusting and wallpaper hanging off plastered walls (also hanging off). The textures and patterns of the walls revealed much beauty – as much beauty as is possible considering I am in a damp, rotten and long forgotten house. Hendre Felin is a staggeringly interesting house which was built circa 1620 (but is this the layout that we see today?). I found a Yellow Pages dated 1987 – was this the last time this house was inhabited? Maybe. Or maybe a little later but begs the question, should a house that has stood almost four hundred years be allowed to be neglected so? It stands but a stone’s throw away from Hendre Quarry and one must wonder if the regular blasts coming from the quarry can be doing this old house any good. I doubt so and worry so. The photographs taken came easy. The beginning of this Saturday morning, early October, was warm and the sky without any interrupting cloud. Even the internal images, with the sun light streaming through the windows, were relatively short at around 4 minutes (at F16 – F22). It was an unnerving visit. So often I feel this way when a house seems unnaturally at the point of ruin. Structurally it appears to be in good shape, however, there’s a few small holes in the roof and the drain pipes fallen and the ground around the house is very damp, the mud deep where the cows stand poised and digesting! The house does however need to be made water-tight and intruder-tight with the guttering and drainage re-introduced and holes in the roof repaired. Then why not put it on the market, offered as a large family, country residence? An old family home needs a family to make it home again. And again, after my visit, long and fruitful, I crossed the watery driveway that runs around the house and back into the field where the cows had temporarily forgotten me. Once again, spooked and energetic, it was pleasant to be around some life affirming creatures that contained no dust, no rotten walls, no bleak future nor sorrowful core. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-at-ffynnon-wen-ciliau https://images.on-this.website/7784_732018026554ccac29cb64.jpgABSTRACTION AT FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 A small house built facing a bank, a shame since there's a lovely view of Llanerchaeron Mansion a few yards away. The house has been gutted and ready for restoration - this unfortunately has ceased and is now open to the elements - although the roof looks to be in a good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img220 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3488479275347915931690.jpgCWM-MOIRO CHAPEL, Ceredigion 1999 Please note: this image is not for sale https://www.welshruins.co.uk/014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_18778559595400228f327fe.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13604572.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8639187554eca0543049fb.jpgDOLWEN, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DOLWEN, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Standing in the centre of hte Myherin Forest is Dolwen - it has stood empty for a number of years now, its last use a bothy but now structurally in an ever increasing ruinous state. Large cracks are appearing one gable end and holes in the roof have begun to rot the house within. Inside the colourfully painted walls and staircase are a stark contrast to the obvious decay. All the windows are boarded up - all except the rear door which had been kicked down and this was where I gained entry - leaving many rooms in total darkness. And in these dark rooms a large fireplace with fallen bird nests, sofas, chairs, tables and beds. All unwelcoming and if left untouched this house will soon become another roofless, damp shell. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ynys-felen-llanfihangel-ystrad-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_1760017646556b1abaf12fa.jpgYNYS-FELEN, Llanfihangel Ystrad, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on YNYS-FELEN, Llanfihangel Ystrad, Ceredigion 2015 Noted on Coflein website as a vernacular medieval hall, one of the last six in Ceredigion (with only two in Carmarthenshire) and with many photographs too I was somewhat saddened to see that the roof had long caved in. Thatched with corrugated iron, the crug beams all fallen inward made any visits within the building all but impossible. Once the owner had put a plastic tarpaulin over the whole roof but this had at some point been swept off and as is inevitable, the house became a ruin. Apparently lived in until 1954 - rubble and cob hall with brick and stone extension built at a right angle to form an L shape. The doorways were very low, the windows small. My visit was brief, for much that there was to photograph wasn't exactly photogenic but the chimney proved the main viewpoint, so I generally worked around that. A sad sight. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/stables-at-bryn-eglwys-fach https://images.on-this.website/7784_136195684150ae2d5c752c0.jpgStables at BRYN-EGLWYS-FACH, Pumsaint, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on Stables at BRYN-EGLWYS-FACH, Pumsaint, Carmarthenshire 2012 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40708411.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2320750975e13841635286.jpgPOPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Notes on POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Recently put on the market with planning for housing on the grounds, one feels the urbanization around the property is already intrusive but if it helps to keep this lovely building from further deterioration then housing is the lesser of two evils. The property is reached by a gated entrance on the edge of the village Pontlliw. There is no need to open the gate as access can be found simply by walking beside the gatepost. There's a small bricked ruined lodge to the right, small and roofless but the structure itself seems sound. I parked the car here and walked along the meandering driveway. I could hear some kid kicking a ball against a garage door in one of the backyards of the houses built alongside the road and parallel to the driveway. I immediately noticed a CCTV camera on a pole and a small light suddenly coming on as I passed. I did not mind. I was after all trespassing but also knew I had no intention of causing any damage or entering the property. I also knew the house to be in a good structural condition, empty rather than derelict but definitely in need of some re-consolidation, the white wooden veranda is in a very poor state and some of it missing. I wondered since I'd triggered the CCTV if someone would appear asking me to leave. No-one came. A few images were taken, just general views, any foliage around the property had been cleared and due to the good condition of the house I wondered if it even needed to be documented. But why by-pass such an opportunity? This had been an impromptu visit, I had just returned from a walk to visit a number of ruins but discovered a public footpath had been (illegally?) closed with a high barb-wired fence and warnings of loose dogs and about 6 or 7 sheep skulls tied to the gate. I could have found a way to enter but decided that the ruins I was intending to visit were probably not worth a dog bite and goodness knows what else... so I walked back the way I had come, to the car, a mile or so with a heavy backpack. Driving back I remembered this house, 'Poplar's' I'd seen for sale on Zoopla and had passed the entrance early on. Although it was Saturday morning, bright daylight, I was determined not to waste my morning and parked at the entrance in full view. I am pleased I did. My visit, brief, perhaps half an hour saw me shoot around 10 sheets of film, nothing spectacular but perfunctionary. As is often the case. The house is large and long. The stables are also ruined, and stand half way along the driveway. These I did enter and are in good condition and could continue to be used as stables if desired. I am uncertain if the stables are grade 2 listed (as the house is) so could be possibly demolished. There are images on the web which show the house inside - it looks shabby and needs a lot of decorating and modernizing but I'm sure someone will turn this into a wonderful home once again. I believe planning consent consists of turning the house into dual occupancy. I expect this time next year the whole complex will be mostly finished, polished and Poplar's will experience another chapter in it's life. The following has been taken from British Listed Buildings website and gives a detailed description of the house: Constructed c1890 by a local industrialist Friedrich William Dahne and originally called Friedrichsruh. Dahne is believed to be Austrian. He is recorded as advertising for a ‘Working Housekeeper’ in October 1899 and the house and grounds are first shown on the 2nd ed OS map of 1900. It is referred to as an ‘Attractive modern country mansion’ on its sale in 1913, by which point F Dahne had presumably died as the house was occupied ( October 1914) by Friedrich’s son David. By the mid C20 it had been renamed The Poplars. The design of The Poplars has been attributed to Glendinning Moxham (1865-1946) an architect active in South Wales and resident in Swansea. Moxham published Country Homes & Cottages in 1910 illustrated with his own designs of built and proposed houses. In it he outlines his stylistic preferences for white painted roughcast walls and half timbering rather than exposed local stone, and red tiles used for walls and roofs. Internally oak is used for principal joinery elements (stair, beams, doors and panelling) with the remainder painted. He also puts forward ideas on plan types, with practical plans with deep windows preferred over an attractive elevation. Moxham designed the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery (1909), banks, hospitals and markets and other buildings throughout Wales. Glen Hir on Gower Road (1900-1910) designed with a French influence of shutters and swept roofs has been attributed to Moxham. Moxham was responsible for the Old English style Bristol Channel Yacht Club (1904) on Mumble s Road. Swiss or Alpine styles had been used in the Swansea area during the C19 with the Swiss Cottage in Singleton Park constructed in 1826 and the Old Rectory in Llanmadoc village (1876-77) by the Rev J D Davies. Detached house in Alpine Chalet style. Red brick with stone dressings, plinth and ground floor cill band. Decorative timberwork painted white. Slate roofs, half hipped with lead rolled hips and deep projecting eaves and moulded rafter ends. Tall brick stacks, decorative ridge tiles and finials. Segmental headed 6-light casement windows, ground floor with 2 upper lights. Rectangular ‘C’ plan arranged N E-SW on a gently sloping site. Long 2 storey garden range facing SE, gabled 2 storey end wings at NE and SW ends linked by single storey block enclosing what may have once been an internal courtyard, closed off by an entrance screen wall). Tower in S corner with decorative finial and slating breaking through roof of 2 storey ranges. Entrance elevation to SW dominated by large full height projecting 2 tier timber veranda on brick plinth, wrapping round at first floor to left hand elevation. Gabled end of the garden wing breaking forward. Moulded posts with bracing, arched on the ground floor and shorter on the first floor with incised and scalloped detailing. Posts irregularly spaced to the left but grouped into 3 bays on the garden wing gable with wider central bay. First floor projects and is supported by corbels. Enclosing low close boarded panels to ground and first floor with pierced decoration with the same applied as gable boarding. Behind 3 windows to the garden wing, central retains stained glass with Alpine folklore scenes in central panels with text below and surrounded by floral designs. Doors in outer bays on the ground floors, 3 windows to the end wing, central bay French doors with leaded glass with oval stained glass cartouches of females. Tiled floor up steps on the ground floor, timber boarded on first floor. Elevation to NW with gable ends of 2 end wings with shallow timber verandah as before but close to façade and more decorative than functional. 2 window to NE end wing, SW end wing with 5 windows to ground floor and 4 to first floor, irregularly spaced. Single storey range in between with wide central door and flanking windows. NE elevation, single window to return of end wing, blind door to ground floor. Projecting lean-to 2 store block on garden range, window in right return, door in left return, blocked door and low opening in main face. Garden elevation of 5 paired window bays (10 windows), projecting stacks in between the 2nd and 3rd pair (reduced) and 4th and 5th. First floor cill band and projecting cills to ground floor windows. Left hand windows to ground floor blind with small lean-to structure to right. Modern entrance porch added in 4th bay with boarded door. Interior retains original layout substantially intact with doors, skirtings etc surviving. Main entrance from SW front retains large entrance hall with single flight oak stairs with moulded newell, balusters and handrail. Raised and fielded 4-panel doors with veneered panels, door surrounds. Full height panelling, fireplace on left hand wall removed and tiled over. Tiled floor. Below stairs cupboard. Listed for its special architectural interest as a late C19 house of exceptional style and quality, retaining its original character and designed (probably) by a prominent Swansea architect. A good physical reflection of the movement of successful industrialists into this part of Swansea, with its design and touches of detail reflecting the background of its original owner. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/y-esgair-llanddewi-brefi-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_170647156657340f78b3427.jpgY ESGAIR, LLANDDEWI-BREFI, CEREDIGION 2016 Notes on Y ESGAIR, LLANDDEWI-BREFI, CEREDIGION 2016 A quick visit one sunny spring morning - stone pillars are a common sight around LLanddewi and were quarried from small quarry along the road towards Ffarmers. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img300 https://images.on-this.website/7784_783665748535946c79af2e.jpgTEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 1997 Notes on TEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3626474.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5408022594abf475989c82.jpgPEMBREY CWRT / COURT FARM, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on PEMBREY CWRT / COURT FARM, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2009 There has been much talk over the years of Pembrey Cwrt being restored including recently put forward, and was unfortunately rejected, into the Welsh category to the BBC Restoration program. I had visited before in 1997 and was uncertain what I would find 13 years later. Would the ruin be consolidated, the grounds cleared, the medieval barn under scaffolding? How sad to report that Cwrt is all but completely lost in the undergrowth and ivy, further slipping back down into the earth. Even the vandals and bored local kids seem to have abandoned this impenetrable large and lost carcass. I took a few photographs my first visit and again, due to lack of any clear view of any walls or chimneys I only made two exposures. I had however forgotten just how large Pembrey Cwrt actually is. Rooms and extensions weave in and out, a wooden wall cupboard sits almost complete in a recess in a first floor rear room. Beams hang dangerously overhead, aged and redundant. Slates scatter the floors and the roof is now completely slate-less. Stone mullion and wooden window frames remain, a stone fireplace partially bricked up, spilling the remnants of birds nests onto the ground. All dark and depressing, abandoned in the 1950’s/60’s, and one can not help but wonder if this house will ever be saved. A wonderful photograph can be seen in Thomas Lloyd’s ‘Lost Houses of Wales’ and there is also a fine drawing of the house from 1898 in ‘The Buildings of Wales: Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion’ also by Thomas Lloyd (and Julian Orbach and Robert Scourfield). In this volume it wrote that the RCAHMW (Royal Commission Association of Historical Monuments of Wales) ‘concluded that the core is probably a medieval tower attached to a first floor hall reached from an external stair from the north’ and that the barn (now completely overgrown and barely visible) ‘incorporating a thick corbelled and embattled wall of possible former gatehouse’. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_547079413498bd6165b15e.jpg[/img] Pembrey Court 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6035117994abf4b398c541.jpg[/img] Pembrey Court, Carmarthenshire 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20670043564abf4b75e8c27.jpg[/img] Pembrey Court, Carmarthenshire 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_243856674abf4bda8c671.jpg[/img] Pembrey Court, Carmarthenshire 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/beudiau-ceredigion-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9859004674b1246c565250.jpgBEUDIAU, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BEUDIAU, Ceredigion 2009 On the back road to the Falcondale Hotel, just outside Lampeter, sits this farm house, situated on a bank high above the high hedged B-road that runs beside it. The front view shows very little of interest other than that is apparent that it has been abandoned. This unremarkable view is transformed when one sees the large chimney sitting at the rear. It is somewhat oddly positioned and challenges not only the scale of the property but also its overall aesthetic appeal hence its inclusion on this website. The morning of my visit was one of those cool Autumnal days that had forecast as mild with rain but had in fact been bright and cold. The dew hung heavy on the grass and dampened the sides and edges of all the farm machinery left in front of the property. There was also some small outbuildings, one with an appealing arched entrance. Furniture was stored up in the loft of one of the outbuildings but all looked beyond use or repair. The house itself has the first few signs of dereliction; a few slates missing, windows either broken or boarded up, a large plotted plant stands outside as high as the front door. Peering through the letterbox reveals the usual uncarpeted staircase, bare floorboards, torn net curtains, peeling wallpaper and blistered paintwork. The house has wonderful views and due to its close approximation to the busy market town of Lampeter would make an excellent family home. If left to deteriorate any further then dereliction threatens. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15247329994b09066106287.jpg[/img] BEUDIAU, Ceredigon 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/notes-on-llantrithyd-place-llantrithyd https://images.on-this.website/7784_177278346252c539a644dff.jpgNotes on LLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Notes on LLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Llantrithyd Place is a long ruined 16th century manor house. I visited on Boxing Day 2013. The morning was cold and sunny and the soft winter light made photographing the house a pleasure. I had not set out to visit the house but was driving to photograph the interior of a church in Flemingston. This was an unexpected pleasure. A wander around the ruins offered many different viewpoints and I was generally spoilt for choice of images to capture. I was however restrained by lack of film, only having 10 sheets with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gellideg-llandyfaelog-carmarthenshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11897381684da5495acf680.jpgGELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on GELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2011 On an early Spring afternoon, another visit to the Italianate Mansion of Gellideg. Without a map we wondered if we would be able to find Gellideg but from the road, out of the small village of Llandyfaelog, the occasional view can be snatched. We therefore made our way slowly towards the wooded area high upon a hillside where we thought we'd spotted the house. And true to our searching eyes we found this magnificent house surrounded by woodland, rhododendrom and wild garlic. A number of exposures were made, easily found and almost casually taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25474711.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_179182495055eda4394fe23.jpgLLAIN, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLAIN, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 The childhood home of J. Kitchener Davies (16 June 1902 – 25 August 1952) who was a Welsh poet and playwright. Little remains of the house but a few low mounds in the earth. A stone gatepost, almost like a gravestone, stands at the entrance - in the hollowed ground many sheep bone and skulls. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23485461.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_120560112254d6f345bdf72.jpgABSTRACTION AT CWM PERIS WOOD, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWM PERIS WOOD, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 A nice walk along river Peris to the ruined mill - I noticed on Ceredigion Planning Map that there had been a proposal for renovation way back in 1976 - the proposal expired in 1979 - thirty five years later and little of the mill remains. A shame. The walk along the woodland and river is very pleasant, and on this February morning I was offered three disciplines of my work: a ruin, landscape and abstractions - all seen here and all pleasing to my eye. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24529552.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1115324324557742fc59634.jpgBURY LODGE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BURY LODGE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage, whose name mystifies, much ruined therein, upstairs all fallen, stairs collapsed, full of junk; furniture, bicycles, ovens, books and more books in one of the railway carriages - a private library - damp and pilfered. The cottage needs to be gutted and shown some care. Roadside location. The morning promised rain and ultimately delivered. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cefn-garth-uchaf-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11719128504ea25a6c93d08.jpgCEFN GARTH UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CEFN GARTH UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 Lost beneath high thin trees and thick matured redwoods, Cefn Garth is a surprisingly large property. As I reached the house I was joined by some spectacularly heavy and persistent rain. I took cover within the house and explored its many rooms. I set up my camera and took a photograph of the entrance and staircase. A long exposure of 30minutes. Within is dark, nearly all the windows are boarded up with only thin slivers of light penetrating the spacious rooms. Holes in the roof had begun to leave a trail of destruction within the house, the dampness cutting a hole through floorboards and walls with a hole from the far west chimney that bears down all the way through to the ground floor floorboards. In one room, a study(?) with French doors, were scattered across the floor many dozens of books with many hundreds of pages strewn uncaringly and an easy chair and a chest of drawers without the drawers. In another room a wooden fitted alcove cupboard, it’s doors hangings from its hinges and its contents all gone, lost or stolen. The 30 minute exposure was over, 30 minutes can sometimes pass very quickly. I had trodden softly on beams and rotten floor board and comically attempted to spread my weight the best I could but not at all comical if a foot falls through a paper-thin first floor floorboard. Outside the rain persists. The tree cover offers some shelter and further exposures are made (and even at 10am on a mid-week morning in October, exposures are still 4 minutes long at F22). The intrigue of this house defuses any irritation with the weather. The house was too long for me to fit, onto film, in its entirety. Outbuildings set back. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8311546.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1905812424d353b22cff79.jpgTAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 An interesting site, Tan-y-Foel is in a poor state with it's roof all but fallen. I sought an interior image but little remained inside other than some very damp beams and other indistinguishable debris so decided against crawling through rotten windows onto rotten floorboards. I had cycled from Tregaron to visit Tan-y-Foel. There had been a frost. I was out of breath and hot when I reached the footpath that leads up to the house. It was 11:30am. The house sits besides a disused quarry and a small wooded area. This sheltered the house from the rising sun. The light in this small alcove of farm and farm buildings was cool and soft. I often prefer to photograph a building on a cloudy, overcast day. However, this, it has to be said, is my preferred condition with the subject sheltered from the bright sun light. I made a number of exposures. I was limited to only 8 sheets of film, of which I used only 7. The images here are somewhat similar and show the property taken at the number of angles that were possible. For me they all work. There was little room around the rear garden due to the overgrowth of brambles. The collection of stone barns, corrugated barns were chockablock with used and disused farm machinery; bags upon bags of farming litter and rubbish. All very interesting but also disturbing seeing such a mess; sitting before a ruined house, in a prime location just a few miles out of the university town of Lampeter. Surely a use could have been found for this property? A far greater and comprehensive view of this farmhouse and it's barns can be seen at www.derelictmiscellany.org.uk by clciking on the link below: http://derelictmisc.org.uk/tanyfoel.html https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4948739.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5685744284be3b0c7382ca.jpgTEIFI POOLS, Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on TEIFI POOLS, Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 1994 Taken at sun-up with a very long exposure causing the rippling waters to record blur. This is perhaps a overworked print but works as an atmospheric study. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4502667.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7309044724b927cfeebc27.jpgDEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on DEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 These exposed tree roots were photographed during sunset. The tripod was set as low to the ground as possible, about 8 inches, and the camera pointed upward so only to capture the root and sky in the viewfinder. A long exposures of around 8 - 64 seconds were used due to the lack of light but the evening was calm and sky beautiful and these long slow exposures helped keeping me calm whilst I whizzed around the hillside trying to photograph as many of these sculptural roots as possible before darkness completely fell. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bryn-madog-bachceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20859567124c98e8ee3d065.jpgBRYN-MADOG-BACH,Ceredigion 2010 Notes on BRYN-MADOG-BACH, Ceredigion 2010 A forlorn house on the road from Derry Ormond to Silian. This house sat at an junction and although boarded up the upper floor windows were open to the elements. The rear was completely and wildly overgrown. I took just two exposures and then moved on, just as the sun began to rise from behind the house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23523872.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_185080653454dc4f9e74ac6.jpgCWRT & GLYN COTTAGES, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWRT & GLYN COTTAGES, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 Two cottages with thatched roofs and corrugated protective layers, now all broken and ruined. These sit beside the river Peris and are long empty. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/fron-felin-chancery-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_87044067554ec2a34f21a3.jpgFRON FELIN, Chancery, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on FRON FELIN, Chancery, Ceredigion 2015 The house can be seen through the hedgerow on the main coastal road from Aberystwyth south. It seems to be in fine condition until you see the far gable end where a huge crack has appeared. Currently on the market. Inside is dry but obviously long empty. - this will no doubt be snatched up, being close to Aberystwyth and deserves to be rescued and restored lovingly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25890727.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_99793359756224efdd7387.jpgABSTRACTION, Brighton 2007 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Brighton 2007 I have recently re-discovered a box of old negatives from 2007 of abstractions taken in Brighton. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4594615.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2137994134ba6522ba27f0.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Sometimes I wonder why I do it to myself. After visiting the lamentable walls of Blaen Baglan I then drove towards home but stopped off at Neuadd Fawr. My first and only visit to Neuadd Fawr was on a still but very foggy November day in 1996. The countryside around the village of Cil-y-Cwm is quite beautiful and the road up the farm and mansion happily revealed that the lodge house, very derelict in 1996, had recently and considerately been restored. The same can not be said of the mansion. I was met by the owner / farmer and again, as I recall from my first visit some 14 years ago, was welcomed; amicable and friendly. He explained how his family had purchased the land around the farm and mansion at the turn of century. The house had come with the land and they did not have the 3 million perhaps required to restore the mansion and even if they did have the money, wouldn’t spend it restoring it. And who could blame their or anybodies reluctance, for the job at hand would be heading towards the immeasurable! Although the roof wavers it is intact and the outer walls all look structurally sound. Within, as so often the case, is a jumbled, chaotic mess as one would expect from a any house that has been left abandoned for 60 years. All the above floors have either collapsed or on the precipice. I was warned not enter. I was warned not to enter in 1996 too. I took heed. The photographs showing interior views were taken on the outside looking in. Although in such ramshackle details could be noted; fireplaces and ranges, panelling and plasterwork, built-in-cupboards and ornate grills. I purposely visited Neuadd Fawr before the spring and summer foliage all but obscured the classic Ionic cast iron pillars. Of course all rusting but up close they’re solid and feel indestructible. The façade and east side with lovely narrow balcony are beautifully proportioned with large lower floor windows. It become easy to imagine especially on such a beautiful early spring morning, that sitting in these rooms was lovely with light falling and filling even the dimmest and most sheltered of corners. To the north and rear of the house is a messy jumble of extensions, ruinous with some outer walls caved in. The rear is quite unkempt and messy but by this time, once again, I was totally captivated by the house ad estate. The marvellous twin door stable block was however a horrid shock. It had perhaps suffered more than the house, almost completely roofless, windows all broke and where had those lovely large twin doors gone? The weather was perfect but what I had chosen to photograph was devastating. The vast walled kitchen garden contained a few branchless fruit trees. I have seen pictures of the walled garden at Ruperra Castle – it was a beautiful sight – rows of vegetables carefully planted and monitored by the head gardener and his army of workers. Was Neuadd Fawr the same? Also, to the rear of the house, another walled garden, was this the formal garden? It is now just a field kept neat by grazing and curious sheep. A small summer dwelling is built within this garden (as well as a ‘ty bach’ / toilet). The farmer had spoken about CADW rejecting plans to converting the house into flats and only keeping the façade of house. Neuadd Fawr, listed grade II, can not be demolished but if no consolidation work is carried out it will eventually fall. Should CADW be more willing to compromise such examples? After two hours and using all the film I had with me, I stood staring at Neuadd Fawr. I stood still for about 10 minutes soaking up the warmth of the morning sun. It did not feel like this great house had reached its almost inevitable conclusion of total dereliction. It may have been the optimistic warmth from the sun and thawing me and the frozen ground or it could have been the un-afraid and watchful sheep whilst grazing, close by. It could have been the friendly welcome the owner gave me upon my approach or the peace I felt, the peace of that particular morning whilst walking around these particularly magnificent ruins. In those 10 slow minutes it felt like Neuadd Fawr could be, and would be, eventually saved from the brink of dereliction by the restorer of wealth and good taste. I hope I will be proved right. NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rock-at-ysbyty-cynfyn-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_9396698874eb8e844e6c46.jpgROCK AT YSBYTY CYNFYN, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on ROCK AT YSBYTY CYNFYN, Ceredigion 2009 A knotted and rough large rock about seven foot high in amongst the mountain heather. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076266.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_204879527049701ec9afc78.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s Lost Houses of Wales, it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. When I visited it had reached the peak of dereliction. The roof long gone, the cellars caved in, only the shell remained and although still magnificent, the house in its entirety is a true gothic-horror-three-story mansion. The wind blew the patchy cloud cover over the house and revealed an unpredictable view – one minute soft and graceful, the next dark and foreboding. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14330599.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4350661164f5dab20c0d22.jpgTY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on TY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 This house, on the Neath Road, Tonna, was the victim of a fire some years back. It was built circa 1700's as a private residence (there’s an excellent photograph of it on the 'Royal Commssion on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales' website) and then latterly as a ladies seminary. Nature, perhaps as in God, saw fit to reduce and return this house, its grounds, back to the earth. Today, the façade has all but crumbled away. The red brick structure, built in the 1920’s, glowed in the afternoon, early spring, sunlight. This red brick section seemed well built and salvageable, what a shame it felt more of an industrial addition rather than an aesthetic one. The main house looks as if it has imploded. The cellars filled in with rubble, broken furniture, white goods. I think a potholer could have unrivalled access if a potholer did indeed fancy a different kind of danger, with a more human kind of view and the destructive force of nature. The outer walls, although remain high on three sides, have all but gone on the frontage. This façade stands only a few yards away from the road. And whilst walking along the road and following the stone wall that stands around it perimeter, one cannot but wonder why this house, so openly accessible, has not seen greater vandalism. Is it because it offers the vandal nothing new? Have all the rooms within been explored and trashed, tagged with graffiti and the windows smashed? Well, actually no, peering in through the ground stair windows it would appear relatively untouched. Is it too well known, to the locals, to bother to cast a bored eye upon? I do not know. It was new to me. I have known of this property for many a year but have chosen, although not exclusively, to photograph more rural properties. The empty houses in towns and cities (of Wales) is a whole new project. This one already feels like a lifelong endeavour. This house, on Neath Road, Tonna, has reached the end of its life. It does not seem worth salvaging. Restoration seems unlikely. It is beyond repair. It left me thinking that demolition then a complete re-build would be the preferred path to follow. That is, if I were a property developer, or builder, or architect (but perhaps a gradual restoration for the historian). In its prime this was an attractive, well-proportioned property. Although my visit was a short one, only a few short hours were spent searching for viewpoints and exposing a few sheets of film, it was still a worthwhile visit. Within the grounds, other smaller ruined buildings too, their former use indistinguishable but I presume once were stables and service quarters. All overgrown with mature hardwoods, a prominent monkey puzzle and rampant rhododendrons. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmystwyth-lead-mines-ceredigion-1993 https://images.on-this.website/7784_18666315764b936b1689c22.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 This image shows the corner of a ruined building with graffiti (magic mushrooms) on the bottom right and shadows from trees on the left. The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39243100.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1708392075d414a05e72e6.jpgACHETH, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on ACHETH, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2019 Side of the road location - impromptu visit - the land of the farm has recently been put on sale - unsure of the house itself. It looked in a reasonably good condition and only recently vacated. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475579.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12307973644b8bc649e635b.jpgCEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on CEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Once within the dimly lit ground floor, Ceulan Mill appears, as ones eyes adjust, an impregnable building with imposing machinery filling all three storeys to the brim with large heavy machinery, looms, and weaving frames, large wicker baskets of withered cones of wool. Ceulan Mill was closed in the 1950’s and it feels like very little has changed within and without the stone walls since then. On the first floor, only three small windows allowing the sun light in, the floor space is heavy with solid machinery. It is dark and when surrounded with such heavy machinery crammed so close together it is also unnerving. The dimness makes the focussing of the camera difficult; I use a small touch to set the shutter speeds and aperture. A forty-minute exposure was used with these first initial exposures. A long wait for a photographer and gives me time to make notes. I feel calm and the still atmosphere helps me to relax. Outside I hear a babbling brook, birds singing, the day is bright, warm and spring-like. These rusty dinosaurs within this mill no longer creak, groan, growl. They’re silent and still, their only movement is that of their slow corrosion. My eyes have long since grown accustomed to the dimness. The machinery is splendid – wheels, cogs, belts, gears, pulley’s, springs, rods, rollers, spinners, presses, chains, oil, wool, spanners, wrenches, dust and cobwebs. A stuffed heron lays on the ground on the first floor and also; a metal chest full of 19th & 20th century books (on Stalin, India, Arithmetic, Philosophy, Chemistry, Law, Communism, worker’s rights and how to better oneself!). More large baskets, clamps, drawing desks, broken chairs, tables, chests, all stand on an uneven floor and under a sagging ceiling. The sun poured through the open windows on the first floor, flooding tiny areas and here the exposures were much shorter, usually around 4 - 16 minutes. Four hours was spend making around ten exposures onto sheet film. The slow process of photographing in such dark places makes the finishing images so much more satisfying. MELIN CEULAN. Tal-v-bont. Ceredigion 2009 Ar Ian afon Ceulan saif Melin Ceulan, a fu unwaith yn brysur a llewyrchus. Wrth i'r llygaid ymgynefino a lled-dywyllwch y llawr gwaelod daw Melin Ceulan i'r golwg, yn adeilad cadarn gyda pheiriannau mawreddog, gwyddiau, fframiau gwehyddu a basgedi mawr o wlan yn llenwi'r tri llawr at y to. Caeodd y felin yn y 1950au a bu iddi aros yn wag ers hynny. Mae'n dywyll, ac ynghanol yr holl beirianwaith trwm sydd wedi'i wthio benben a'i gilydd, ceir hefyd deimlad o anesmwythyd. Yn y tywyllwch mae'n anodd ffocysu'r camera; rhoddaf gyffyrddiad ysgafn i osod cyflymder y caead a lledu'r agorfa. Defnyddiwyd dadleniad o bedwar deg pum munud gyda'r lluniau cychwynnol hyn. Hir ymaros i'r ffotograffydd, a chyfle i mi ysgrifennu nodiadau. Teimlaf dawelwch, ac mae'r awyrgylch llonydd help i mi ymlacio. Y tu allan clywaf furmur y nant a thrydar yr adar, megis diwmod braf a chynnes o wanwyn. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo17140825.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_119966386850f5866f152f7.jpgBRYN MEINOG SCHOOL HOUSE, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on BRYN MEINOG SCHOOL HOUSE, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Built by the owners of the farmhouse Bryn Meinog, this school and chapel house has been derelict for many decades but due to it's rural location has thus far escaped the vandals. Beautifully located and built within a stone wall enclosure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33757332.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3132933895a2b97340ddb3.jpgPALACE THEATRE, Swansea 2017 Notes on PALACE THEATRE, Swansea 2017 Taken from Wikipedia: The Palace Theatre is a building located at the northern end of High Street, Swansea, Wales, recognizable for its distinctive wedge shape. Originally built in 1888 as a traditional music hall, the building's original name was the 'Pavilion'. During its lifetime, the building has been used as a bingo hall as well as a gay nightclub. The Grade II Listed building is one of just two purpose-built music halls left standing in the whole of the UK. In the early years of the 20th century stars like Charlie Chaplin, Lilly Langtry, Marie Lloyd and Dan Leno filled the venue. Sir Anthony Hopkins made his first professional stage appearance there in 1960 with Swansea Little Theatre's production of 'Have A Cigarette' Also in the early 1960s, Morecambe and Wise were booked. Ken Dodd was the last stand-up comedian to appear there before it became nightclub in the 1970s. It was also the first place in Wales to show a silent picture and remained undamaged by the blitz that destroyed much of Swansea city centre during the Second World War. The ground floor bar and lounge was used as a licensed pub for many years before closing. Eventually the theatre was sold for £300,000 to a property company, but in 2010 it was still derelict and actor Edward Fox joined a campaign to have it restored. New campaign In 2014, a new campaign was launched on Facebook. High Street in 1915 In April 2014 Swansea Council made £75,000 available to the owners to carry out work on the High Street theatre, which had been named as one of the 10 most endangered Victorian and Edwardian buildings in England and Wales. The Victorian Society called it "a victim of urban decay", and the Theatres Trust commented in 2013 that, if left, the building might well collapse. The council funds were earmarked for "emergency works", including making the building watertight, removing vegetation and removing loose brickwork that could be deemed “unsafe”. By September 2014 the council was issuing a reminder to the owners that the work needed to be completed promptly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4953019.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12091901674be513b93b9ec.jpgPEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2008 Notes on PEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2010 Peeling paint on a garage door that has all but concealed lettering of a long ago business. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llwyn-helyg-cilwendig-swansea-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3158870465bfee5d97c481.jpgLLWYN HELYG & CILWENDIG, Swansea 2018 Notes on LLWYN HELYG & CILWENDIG, Swansea 2018 Two large ruined houses in a residential suburb of Swansea - once a carehome. i am unsure how they came to be so ruinous, most likely a fire. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img202 https://images.on-this.website/7784_151502122053478eefa8f49.jpgimg202 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llethr-llanddewi-brefi-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3039330214f250a7cf404c.jpgLLETHR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLETHR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 A walk through Forestry Commission land and the track underfoot with large puddles frozen solid. The sun had yet to rise and Llethr only becomes visible once you come upon it. Mature hardwoods obscure and almost completely hide this house. The house is not a ruin and is used as a shepherds’ shelter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4508173.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12752507494b93586f043bb.jpgRIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on RIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2004 Taken at the river Rheidol, whilst flooded, along the A44 road from Llangurig to Aberystywth. This stretch of river floods often and is part of a protected area of scientific interest that runs along the river Rheidol. The afternoon this was taken, early spring, the sun shone bright and low in the sky causing silhouettes and deep shadows. A relatively long exposure of around 2 seconds was enough to cause the water to record on film as a blur and thus helping to preserve the shadows that fell upon its rushing surfaces. Into The Murky Depths We Tread I came upon these wetland areas whilst cycling home one summers evening. Wetland areas are essential, basically untouched, and serve as irrigation and to filter pollution. The fact that no ones seems to bother to explore them due to their dampness and seemingly unfriendly environment, also allows them to be rich in wildlife. From the road that leads to Cwm Rheidol (about 8 miles from Aberystwyth) entrance through the undergrowth seems almost impossible and impenetrable. When the sun is low, bright splashes of sun light flicker through the thicket and reveal openings. Ducking under the thicket and forcing your way through, and once in amongst the deep mud and dankness, a whole new world is revealed; jungle-like and heavily branched areas, rich in photographic pickings and in some ways universal. These sorts of geographic landscapes are not typical or localised to any one part of the country. If you travel by train anywhere you always pass these oft ignored areas. They can not be built on because the land is unstable, no one walks through them, due to their (supposed) unpleasantness but once you’ve broken through their barriers of branches you enter a world with it’s own micro-atmosphere. The photographs were taken on either Ilford FP4 or Delta 100 5x4inch sheet film using a Wista camera and either a 90mm super-angulon or 135mm symmar lenses. Exposures on a grey day at F22 usually hovered around the 16 second mark and when photographing in sun light at about 1 second. My boots, trouser legs and the tripod feet were covered in thick, dark mud and although the going was slow, the actual area of these wetlands is perhaps only an acre or two in size. I’ve visited and photographed only three or four times but each time the tranquillity and ever changing photographic opportunities due to the water level rising and falling, the ever evolving process of woodlands – new saplings appearing and older trees uprooting - means visiting here has become a constant source of pleasure. AFON RHEIDOL. Cwm Rheidol. Ceredigion 2003 - 2006 Deuthum ar draws y gwlypdir hwn wrth feicio gartref un noson o haf. Mae ardaloedd o wlypdir yn hanfodol. Ar y cyfan, nid oes neb wedi ei gyffwrdd ac mae'n gweithredu fel system ddyfrhau ac mae'n hidlo'r llygredd . Mae'r ffaith nad oes fawr neb yn eu harchwilio oherwydd eu lleithder a'u hamgylchedd yn golygu eu bod yn gyfoethog o ran bywyd gwyllt. O'r ffordd sy'n arwain at Gwm Rheidol (tua 8 milltir o Aberystwyth), ymddengys bod yr isdyfiant yn anhreiddiadwy. Pan fo'r haul yn isel, gwelir goleuadau llachar yr haul drwy'r dryslwyn. Unwaith y byddwch yng nghanol y mwd dwfn a'r gwiybaniaeth, agorir eich llygaid i fyd newydd. Dyma ardal sy'n debyg i jyngl I lawn canghennau Ardal sy'n gyfoethog at ddibenion tynnu lluniau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076365.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_34643581249705417d2297.jpgSKER HOUSE, Pyle, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on SKER HOUSE, Pyle, West Glamorgan 1997 (now restored) Sker is a huge, imposing 16th century house, built by the Monks of Neath Abbey, standing alone, resilient and high on a deserted stretch of coastline. It has been standing empty, partially fallen and decayed for years with much talk and little action taken to save this medieval (at the core) house. A mile long walk from the road up to its door filled my eyes and intrepid heart with glee. Though I wasn't disappointed, a successful exposure was a struggle. I do not feel I caught the essence of Sker. All the elements were present: a stunning surrounding and a magnificent, majestic house, twisted wind blown coastal trees and slow, warm evening sunlight. All this but I couldn't find the angle that satisfied me. Regrettably I forgot to take a torch too. One window had been broken into and the others were all boarded up. Much to my loss I missed the opportunity to view the elaborate plasterwork in the large main hall (said to seat a hundred people): prehistoric bird creatures shooting arrows at dragons! It was abandoned in 1970 but recently and successfully (2000) restored and fully renovated as a family home. The Victorian novelist R.D. Blackmore , best known for his novel Lorna Doone, spent much of his childhood at nearby Nottage Court and knew Sker well. Less well known is the fact that he also wrote a novel called The Maid of Sker. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1002099874498bd70597de7.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8336582964b5dc8bc2f2e2.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10071629274b5dc8aa1bb5c.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1041764064b5dc8df3ed0c.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2749583514b5dc8f1e02c5.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo35752937.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12575524205b60b7925780a.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby, Pembrokeshire 2018 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby, Pembrokeshire 2018 Abandoned in 1824 due to a smallpox outbreak and lain ruinous ever since. Surprisingly, for a house that’s been left to the elements for almost two hundred years there’s much to see at Scotsborough. I parked on the B-road next to the gated entrance – two farm gates padlocked together – risking the owner/farmer would not be requiring access on this Saturday morning – the trackway was muddy but I saw no recent tyre treads from tractor or quad bike. I figured I was safe parking my car where it was. I should also mention it was raining hard, I was on a tight schedule, my daughter was with me but my partner refused to leave the car! The walk down the track was short, maybe only 75 yards, and the high walls sat in light woodland. I only had a few sheets of film with me, so I set about exploring and taking a few shots. I knew I would return as soon as I had arrived, a winter visit would be required, when the tree branches are skeleton and the day overcast but dry! As ever prepared, my unsuitable footwear was sodden (as were my daughters) but I can say fairly this was a spontaneous visit on my birthday. According to the web, also known as Scotsborough Castle, and was probably built late 14th or early 15th century. Before the marsh land was reclaimed beside it, the river Rhydeg was an inlet to the sea, and it was likely there was a docking bay close to the house. Wandering around the ruins it becomes obvious that at times the ground around the house has been cleared, saplings have grown but the trees are not overly mature. Perhaps unsurprising, given its close proximity to Tenby, within some of the walls, bottles of beer were found, local youths gravitating to secluded areas, small campfires blackened stone and earth. Quite a solitary visit, my daughter quietly taking photographs, calling excitedly if she saw something worthy of viewing. I thought; chip off the old shoulder. Twenty minutes later we were heading back to the car, drenched but satisfied with our short visit and the mind curious about the history of the house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13386445.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8815522604eaad3e45691a.jpgHENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on HENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 A group of cows, with their young, scattered, re-grouped, came galloping around me and then followed me. They followed me most way up the drive to Hendre Felin. The elder were curious, the younger boisterous yet more fearful. The house, built into a steep bank, south facing, is most unusual. The front door offset to the left, the extension with the long thin window, and along a passage way, rose up to the large kitchen and storeroom(?). The kitchen and storeroom are both single storey and rest on the bank. I am neither historian nor architect but I believe this house was designed this way, and this way is not common in Ceredigion. Inside are large empty rooms, empty except for broken furniture; a panel-less wardrobe, a sowing table, chest of drawers, chairs with three legs, much bedroom furniture all downstairs in the living quarters. And the upstairs bedrooms all empty except for pieces of stone that have fallen inward and dust, a lot of fine dust filling the lungs, dancing in the sun light and adding to my nervousness. The main staircase rises to the first floor and then carries on upward to the attic space. I did not climb into the attic, the steps on the stairs had visible and perhaps not so visible holes and I imagine the floorboards of the attic were the same. Judging by the high pitched roof, a high narrow A-frame, well over head-height, I would say the attic to be large and spacious, although dark. Maybe this housed the man-servants? Did this house have servants? I imagine so. The raised kitchen was large with a well-used Rayburn-style stove rusting and wallpaper hanging off plastered walls (also hanging off). The textures and patterns of the walls revealed much beauty – as much beauty as is possible considering I am in a damp, rotten and long forgotten house. Hendre Felin is a staggeringly interesting house which was built circa 1620 (but is this the layout that we see today?). I found a Yellow Pages dated 1987 – was this the last time this house was inhabited? Maybe. Or maybe a little later but begs the question, should a house that has stood almost four hundred years be allowed to be neglected so? It stands but a stone’s throw away from Hendre Quarry and one must wonder if the regular blasts coming from the quarry can be doing this old house any good. I doubt so and worry so. The photographs taken came easy. The beginning of this Saturday morning, early October, was warm and the sky without any interrupting cloud. Even the internal images, with the sun light streaming through the windows, were relatively short at around 4 minutes (at F16 – F22). It was an unnerving visit. So often I feel this way when a house seems unnaturally at the point of ruin. Structurally it appears to be in good shape, however, there’s a few small holes in the roof and the drain pipes fallen and the ground around the house is very damp, the mud deep where the cows stand poised and digesting! The house does however need to be made water-tight and intruder-tight with the guttering and drainage re-introduced and holes in the roof repaired. Then why not put it on the market, offered as a large family, country residence? An old family home needs a family to make it home again. And again, after my visit, long and fruitful, I crossed the watery driveway that runs around the house and back into the field where the cows had temporarily forgotten me. Once again, spooked and energetic, it was pleasant to be around some life affirming creatures that contained no dust, no rotten walls, no bleak future nor sorrowful core. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41241777.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5914176435efb02dd74b8c.jpgCOED CYW UCHAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on COED CYW UCHAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 A good sized farmhouse with large opposing chimneys but obviously long ruined. On a public footpath but it takes a little negotiating to follow the path with barb wire over gate and gate post, no stiles to climb. A herd of cows came to visit me too, always curious and always serene, and I wondered if it would alert the farmer/owner who’d I’d been warned was not fond of anyone showing any interest in this house. I figured as long as I stayed to the public footpath then there’d be no trouble and besides it is the owners house and there’s no reason why anybody should have any interest in it; to each their own. Barns roofless and ruined and the whole place with grand views towards the Loughor Estuary. A lovely site, serene and silent and such a great shame that it will fall before long. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img204 https://images.on-this.website/7784_166695552353478f442760e.jpgCWMYSTWYTH, Ceredigion 2001 Please note: this image is not for sale https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tai-unos-rhos-gelli-gron https://images.on-this.website/7784_80397356955767e8699233.jpgTY-UNNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TY-UNNOS #4, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 A return to the area and I made an exposure of each property unless so little remained that it was not worthwhile. Hard to imagine that this was once a busy little community. I imagine all the houses were thatched, though all are stone with a few brick chimneys here and there. Only two of the properties were of two storey, the largest of which also had a separate cottage/barn at a right angle behind, no inter-connecting door but interesting nonetheless. The rain lashed down when I reached there and I took shelter for a good ten minutes wondering if, indeed, the rain would stop. It slowed, so I went out, making a few exposures but the horizontal rain was covering my lens with a fine mist. Some of the pictures have been effected and therefore not printed. The rain did at last stop, the sun came out, my fingers were by this time red and raw but the sun soon thawed me and dried my equipment. By the time I returned to my car I was too dry and warm. Previous notes TAI-UNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not know the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2 etc… https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-y-graig-port-tenant https://images.on-this.website/7784_12794764025bd2a2474a416.jpgPEN-Y-GRAIG, Port Tenant, Swansea 2018 Notes on PEN-Y-GRAIG, Port Tenant, Swansea 2018 Nestled in a group of trees on a hillside, half a mile from Port Tenant, which overlooks the industrial harbour at Swansea. Pen-y-graig stands roofless and ruinous. It seems relatively untouched by vandal, mostly ignored by bored youth and content in its derelict state. Outbuildings also ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llanrhydstud-lime-kilns-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1012198303552e183c76e4b.jpgLLANRHYDSTUD LIME KILNS, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLANRHYDSTUD LIME KILNS, Ceredigion 2015 I don't know why it has taken me so long to visit these lime kilns - I had seen a few photographs online and they do not look so impressive yet visiting them one quickly sees that they are indeed an impressive set of structures. Because of the rampant undergrowth it is quite difficult to photograph but I advise anyone to visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img255 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1040836327534c15de9886a.jpgFOX, Ysbwty Ystwyth 1998 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pistyll-lime-works-llandybie-carmarthenshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_15411136305f2280e92688c.jpgPISTYLL LIME WORKS, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL LIME WORKS, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 Uncertain what I would find and only half-hearted if anything much at all, I was quietly surprised how much remains at this old industrial site. The tall red brick tower although not viewable from the road, stands very tall (20 metres) and just behind that what I first thought was a railway tunnel was actually the limekilns themselves. The so-called tunnel was actually a bridge-like structure which housed the lime kilns and allowed access to the quarry fifty yards behind. The quarry is now a lake and covered in Bulrush reeds and was a pretty site after walking from the dark limekilns. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-mansion-ruins-pontrhydygroes-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_11521065224f82a4fdf373f.jpgHAFOD MANSION RUINS, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1997 Notes on HAFOD MANSION RUINS, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1997 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. Hafod was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired 'Peacocks in Paradise' by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot stone of the monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 1997 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769120.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12910870294a31da806fd2a.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15235017274b46e50dd4aef.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (potting sheds and greenhouses – all overgrown and ruined) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14125111514b46e56674531.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (potting sheds and greenhouses – all overgrown and ruined) For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img249 https://images.on-this.website/7784_958104371534c156613a4b.jpgHAFOD, Ceredigion 1991 Notes on HAFOD, Ceredigion 1991 Soft roots from an upturned tree. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tree-at-ysbyty-cynfyn-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_10235118214d838e31b6657.jpgTREE AT YSBYTY CYNFYN, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on TREE AT YSBYTY CYNFYN, Ceredigion 2009 A knotted and twisted fruit tree with exposed roots due to bank erosion. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12000188.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_62699304e4419107c1a3.jpgRHUN, Painscastle, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on RHUN, Painscastle, Radnorshire 2011 An old vernacular Radnor farmstead, house and barn both with corrugated iron roof where once would have been thatched. This particular farmstead is in a good condition considering it is but a stones throw away from the road and stands on a pubic footpath. A mish-mash of building materials; stone, timber, brick, corrugated iron all of which adds to the aesthetic appeal. A stunning property - built 17th century? Inside the house the usual farm debris but all appears dry and in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img252 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1595659915534c15a7075ae.jpgHAFOD, Ceredigion 2001 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/allt-y-fran-fach-troserch https://images.on-this.website/7784_13333167685f3144b66c36f.jpgALLT-Y-FRAN-FACH, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on Allt-Y-Fran-Fach, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 A short track from Troserch Woods car park leads to the ivy covered ruins of Allt-Y-Fran-Fach. Access near impossible with almost shoulder height foliage but fortunately there was not many bramble, so it was easy, albeit slow and I got a good soaking, to trample down the weeds and nettle. Inside much ruinous, as seen here, internal wall of ‘Llangennech’ bricks had collapsed. It is always a pleasant return when you pick up a brick to see where it had been made… I often wished I collected bricks from around Wales but I have enough to carry and besides even if ruinous and broken, a brick does not belong to me and would be considered theft. A few exposures were made outside too, viewpoints were scarce, the foliage again had to be trampled to get far away enough from the house. A single height barn stands right behind the house and I noted from older maps that they show the house and barn joined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41489489.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4696831355f3144b7f295b.jpgALLT-Y-FRAN-FACH, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on Allt-Y-Fran-Fach, Troserch, Carmarthenshire 2020 A short track from Troserch Woods car park leads to the ivy covered ruins of Allt-Y-Fran-Fach. Access near impossible with almost shoulder height foliage but fortunately there was not many bramble, so it was easy, albeit slow and I got a good soaking, to trample down the weeds and nettle. Inside much ruinous, as seen here, internal wall of ‘Llangennech’ bricks had collapsed. It is always a pleasant return when you pick up a brick to see where it had been made… I often wished I collected bricks from around Wales but I have enough to carry and besides even if ruinous and broken, a brick does not belong to me and would be considered theft. A few exposures were made outside too, viewpoints were scarce, the foliage again had to be trampled to get far away enough from the house. A single height barn stands right behind the house and I noted from older maps that they show the house and barn joined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dead-sheep-cwmystwyth-to-rhayader https://images.on-this.website/7784_1922461014c2ae3684866a.jpgDEAD SHEEP, Cwmystwyth to Rhayader, Radnorshire 1990 Notes on DEAD SHEEP, Cwmystwyth to Rhayader, Radnorshire 1990 An early image taken on 35mm film - I believe the local farmer had placed the dead lamb on the sign as a warning to motorists to drive with more care and attention since this mountian road is unfenced and quite often, during cool weather, the sheep will sleep on the relative warmth of the tarmac. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/evans-daniel-daniel-ddu-o https://images.on-this.website/7784_498880557533bd2c1e957c.jpgEvans Daniel - Daniel Ddu o Geredigion, Pencarreg Notes on Evans Daniel - Daniel Ddu o Geredigion The gravestone itself is behind the metal railing. The wheelbarrow was laying there redundant and although a number of images were taken in this quiet little churchyard this was the most successful. From Winter 2012 through to Spriing 2014 I visited graveyards throughout the length and breadth of Wales. Many hours were spent searching for particular gravestones, of poet's, well known and not so well known. A few were not found, mostly they were. The project was difficult not due the hours searching but more so to finding an ordinary gravestone in a wild graveyard. So often other viewpoints of other gravestones would have made an excellent photographic record but I was forced to settle, even compromise, with my brief. Frustrating as it was, it was also made the more rewarding, my eye was forced to work harder. Fortunately these peaceful places helped with keeping the mind free of distractions. Here are a few of the images published in the book. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dead-tree-roots-cefn-coch https://images.on-this.website/7784_18571593624b927cf96ec5f.jpgDEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth 2003 Notes on DEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 These exposed tree roots were photographed during sunset. The tripod was set as low to the ground as possible, about 8 inches, and the camera pointed upward so only to capture the root and sky in the viewfinder. A long exposures of around 8 - 64 seconds were used due to the lack of light but the evening was calm and sky beautiful and these long slow exposures helped keeping me calm whilst I whizzed around the hillside trying to photograph as many of these sculptural roots as possible before darkness completely fell. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img331 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1027092795536e2f1c7f7bc.jpgPOST BACH, Synod Inn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on POST BACH, Synod Inn, Ceredigion 2014 I am not entirely sure but I believe this was last used as a farm shop and pub and closed relatively recently. The main road once passed right in front of the shop, on a sharp bend, but recent road improvements means this now sits on a crossroads hardly ever used. My visit was early morning and very foggy. The house seems in good condition and so far well-preserved. It is set to be auctioned end of May 2014, so I doubt it will remain empty much longer. Was this once a farm house? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699378.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7684588925e123d9c9c43a.jpgPEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on PEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2019 I have been here before, twice before and both times it was impossible to photograph the house due to trees and foliage and then the house itself covered in ivy. All these trees and foliage have been striped back and chopped down. The ivy removed from the walls. The bare bones of the house revealed and it seemed to me to more imposing than I had remembered. There is no access within the wall now, each access point covered over securely. Not that I minded. With all the foliage gone better views opened themselves up, more images were taken on this short visit, half an hour or so, than the previous two visits when I believe I only took around six or seven images. The walls around the rear are the most interesting, showing where windows were boarded up at the time of the window tax, and different types of material used. It all seems a little hodgepodge but like a comment left on this website a few years ago, what does a photographer know about the structural integrity of a building? As it happens, not a lot! It is apparently possible for this building to be saved but that was almost ten years ago. I wonder how many more decades Pembrey Court can survive without consolidation? it's a remarkable house in a great position. The images taken were sufficient, better than those taken back in 1997 and 2009. Other houses that I visited back then in 1997 have now been cleared and a revisit is required, Drummau house in Birchgrove a case in point as well as Llangennech Park House, both large ruins and much forgotten for many decades. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/swansea-docks-2002 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1698524314bcaaec485797.jpgSWANSEA DOCKS, 2002 Notes on SWANSEA DOCKS 2002 I like this image, the blocks and lines filling the frame. It takes a minute or two to work out its components. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24647394.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12771340385583b892e51da.jpgTYN RHOS, Bwlchllan, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TREE at TYN RHOS, Bwlchllan, Ceredigion 2015 The house of Tyn Rhos has now all but gone, just the shallow foundations remain – it occupied until 1965. Thanks to Delyth Morgan (whose father lived here last)for this photograph https://www.flickr.com/photos/delythmorgans/431628021/ What remains are extensive and large barns and stables – all ruinous but still worthy of photographing. The footpath towards the site also had a simple and seemingly (but not), well groomed tree – so I took a picture of that too! Another link Delyth sent shows that the occupies of Tyn Rhos, John and Elizabeth Jones and their five children, moved to Ohio and set up a chapel there and called that Tyn Rhos too. Quite remarkable. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24647395.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14654514105583b895a97d6.jpgTYN RHOS, Bwlchllan, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TREE at TYN RHOS, Bwlchllan, Ceredigion 2015 The house of Tyn Rhos has now all but gone, just the shallow foundations remain – it occupied until 1965. Thanks to Delyth Morgan (whose father lived here last)for this photograph https://www.flickr.com/photos/delythmorgans/431628021/ What remains are extensive and large barns and stables – all ruinous but still worthy of photographing. The footpath towards the site also had a simple and seemingly (but not), well groomed tree – so I took a picture of that too! Another link Delyth sent shows that the occupies of Tyn Rhos, John and Elizabeth Jones and their five children, moved to Ohio and set up a chapel there and called that Tyn Rhos too. Quite remarkable. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25475731.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_153872557555edac1d62c6d.jpgBRONCAPEL, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BRONCAPEL, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2015 Just about visible from the road, Broncapel seems to be on the precipice of restoration/rebuild. Planning had been submitted previously and at a guess I'd say this was when the site was cleared. It's in a nice position with views over the valley - and was obviously a large house, possibly a longhouse. The drizzle impeded my visit, tiny raindrops landing on my lens and it was a constant battle to wipe them off, quickly take the photograph and then move to next viewpoint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41426100.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16527000195f2c0e4b88278.jpgBRUNANT, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on BRUNANT, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had seen a photograph of Brunant taken a few year ago and knew the footpath led straight alongside side it. I almost walked by but saw a chimney surrounded by trees. The footpath had been diverted, the old footpath posts were now surrounded by bramble and other foliage. I wandered around the enclosure trying to find a way to the walls of the house and eventually climbed a fence and made my way through bramble. I was sodden, thigh high, by the time I made it the twenty feet to the house. I nearly did not bother but as always if I hadn’t I’d have been in regret. Within the four walls of the house there was no bramble or foliage so I could move around freely. A few images taken. I then attempted to climb the bank at the front of the house. It was tricky but a few more images taken. So sad to see a ruin so enclosed by foliage. Perhaps the winter months would be kinder to the casual traveller, perhaps not. Perhaps it is fitting for the house to be hidden away and forgotten about indefinitely. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/053 https://images.on-this.website/7784_191720518353b445848dbd0.jpgBYRGWM ISAF, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on BYRGWM ISAF, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Lowly positioned and I presume long empty - I wonder who lived here in this small dank remote cottage? A footpath alongside sees few walkers. A little further on a dead rabbit was found, outstretched and wet, its glassy eyes giving sign that it had only recently died, perhaps sometime in the morning or the night before. Access within the house was by simply opening the front door, off its hinges. Inside was covered in sheep droppings, the usual birds nest remnants in the fireplace - the staircase completely gone. I peered up past the low ceiling. There was little to see; more empty rooms, all forlorn and lonely. Only a few exposures were made, the darkness of the trees canopy giving an high contrast negative against the bright sunny morning. One can imagine, quite without imagination, how quickly this house will fall. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9590514.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20882468484db16c44db119.jpgNEUADD FAWR, (VICTORIAN BARN FACADE) Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on VICTORIAN BARN FACADE AT NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 The farmer at Neuadd Fawr told us that this religious looking building was nothing but a little of Victorian extravagence. Behind the facade sits an very ordinary, albeit long, barn. A large iron cross once sat on the top but came down in storms many years previous. A late afternoon re-visit to Neuadd Fawr. As ever a subliminal experience. Neuadd Fawr's size and ruinous state can only impress the casual or eager explorer. The outer walls seem impressively solid but within there is little semblance of rooms nor indeed what those rooms functions once were. This house is a sad sight. It's sheer enormity and dereliction begs so many questions that can be answered simply by oneself: it is too large, too derelict, too far gone to be salvaged. The stable block is also totally ruinous but other outbuildings; stables, diary, kennels are all in a good condition. I do not know if any further trips will be made to Neuadd Fawr. Whenever I have left I have always felt I've missed something, some perfect composition. I have dreamed of this house, wandering through rooms and even photographing parts of it that do not exist. I have photographed it extensively, something I never set out to do (why take fifty photographs when only two or three should suffice?) and perhaps it's this over-exposure and ease of photographic opportunties that is the cause of me feeling I've missed something. Perhaps I expect too much. Perhaps I seek those atmospherics I experienced in my dreams, those atmospherics that do not actually exist. I think for me I should allow Neuadd Fawr to drift away from my consciousness for a good number of years. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img305 https://images.on-this.website/7784_131354469453594732adcb4.jpgTREE, Ceredigion 1997 Notes on TREE, Ceredigion 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41424036.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20932939165f2a754019ae2.jpgCEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had known of this house since it was first put on the market a couple of years ago. The pictures of the estate agent website show a roofless ruin, the grounds cleared of foliage. In those two years a lot of foliage had grown back and my visit, mid-summer, made it all but impossible to get to the front door. Only a few exposures were made. This is an 18th century manor house (according to the sales burb) and the house is larger than most farmhouses and has an interesting array of outbuildings. The arched doorways had appeal, as does the full height rear part of the house, a somewhat odd looking square extension most likely a rear doorway but inaccessible. The rear is also windowless other than the large arch. I wonder if this had something to do with the historical window tax (introduced in 1696 until 1851)? Outbuildings around the rear, again mostly inaccessible. A lovely site and a lovely house which takes only a little imagination, but a whole heap of money, to return to its former glory. According to ‘Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families’ by Francis Jones (ISBN 0906972027), Cefn Cethin was still being lived in when the book was published in 1987. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo16818688.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_211958688350ae2cf234f60.jpgHEN GEFN, Llangunllo, Radnorshire 2012 Notes on HEN GEFN, Llangunllo, Radnorshire 2012 Was for sale when visited - uncertain if now purchased and restored (2015) https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-carmarthen-carmarthenshire-1995 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16177233774eb63e5cb8dd7.jpgWALL, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on WALL, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire 1995 A very early abstraction of a worn sign. The many dotted and pitted pimples on the surface is what adds this pictures worth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4626406.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9847200624bac5d7ce86d8.jpgEDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on EDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 There is something vastly poetic and romantic regarding the grieving walls of Edwinsford. The blue morning hue hung soft and silent and I too trod soft and silent amongst the rubble and remaining walls. It felt impossible to utter a sound, if so, the atmospherics would shatter into something ordinary. The ground was frozen underfoot and thin layers of ice formed over the tyre tracks and puddles made by the sharp manoeuvres of diggers and tippers. The heavy machinery sat like silent dinosaurs in front of the house, like guards, rested from disposing unidentifiable rubble and clearing piles of debris. Never anything less than a subliminal experience one can not help but wonder why it has taken so long for anyone to come to the rescue of this unusual house that has been begging for some love for over 50 years. A house of many periods and styles, each individual yet the individual parts do not, as seen at other properties, detract from the overall aesthetics. It adds only character in the case of Edwinsford. The white washed square structure, built around a large chimney, has collapsed around the rear (wooden panelling can be seen on the walls within) and this internal view gives an excellent view of how this square structure of the house was built. At the rear there’s a small courtyard, ivy entwined around stone work, but the majority of the internal structure is a void shell revealing a few structural and dividing walls and high chimneys. The owner has cleared the piles debris and an inkling of how the house must have felt can be experienced. It would be very easy to fall in love with Edwinsford. The owners / restorers need congratulating at visualising the view from a mountaintop when they are only a small part way up. I personally can barely comprehend the task at hand. The only sound I heard during my visit was the morning birdsong; particularly the sweet song from the blackbird and also the cackle of those intelligent crows and the flow of the river Cothi. It becomes easy to recall the joy of Edwinsford, as home, as seen in old photographs and postcards; neatly maintained grounds, well dressed occupants, windows and door left open in the summer months, daffodils bobbling about on a spring morning. The wealth of full bloom sits juxtaposed to the poverty of crumbling stone and dissolved mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-aberaeron-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1210760382554cc52a907ba.jpgABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Worn and weathered lettering on wall in Aberaeron. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img303 https://images.on-this.website/7784_153247972535946f399e76.jpgCWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 1998 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 1998 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2125070.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4157649384986d6d804da8.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 A pack of sheep dogs barked around my car as I pulled into the farmyard that stands beside the decrepit walls of Neuadd Fawr, built on an existing site by a William Davys in the late 18th century. The dogs continued to bark at my heels as I knocked on the farmhouse door and I very nearly ran back to my car. I was pleased I didn’t turn and drive home as I believe I was lucky that day. The dogs calmed and were friendly and the owner, although it was still very early, was happy for me to spend a few hours exploring the house and its grounds. A heavy morning dew soaked my feet and a bleak mist hung around the grounds, occasionally revealing trees, the walls of outbuildings and a walled garden with ivy covering every inch of the stone. The interior was too dangerous to enter. I always take a hard helmet with me but it felt that at any moment the entire house would tumble down around me. It seemed well beyond repair then. It’s walls, stone and mortar were damp and sodden and the roof was fruitlessly attempting to shelter the inside from any further deterioration of the rot therein. Some 7 years later I drove by again. I parked the car, stood on tiptoe, peering over the hedgerow, and across the field. Neuadd Fawr still stood, resilient, with the wind ever blowing through its rooms. I felt somehow nostalgic and relieved. I didn’t like the thought that someone may purchase, demolish, or even rebuild, such a house. What chance to reclaim its history and character? Then again perhaps these days nothing is beyond repair and I’ve heard it is, once again, on the market. The estate contains (now restored) lodge houses, a walled garden and a marvellous twin door stable block. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2080765445498bd5cc5fbb4.jpg[/img] Neuadd Fawr 1996 NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4508181.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20104219284b9358a8e6335.jpgRIVER RHEIDOL, Ox-Bow Lakes and the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on RIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2003 These were some of the first images taken at the ox-bow lakes along the river Rheidol - taken on a November afternoon with a grey colourless sky. In many ways such days are my favourite time to photograph, nothing becomes obscured by deep shadow nor bleached by bright sun light. It felt a privilege to be in such a place, only a few yards from the road yet hidden, totally from view, due to the thick heavy branches and thousands upon thousands of tiny branches all obscuring these wonderful small ponds and lakes. Into The Murky Depths We Tread I came upon these wetland areas whilst cycling home one summers evening. Wetland areas are essential, basically untouched, and serve as irrigation and to filter pollution. The fact that no ones seems to bother to explore them due to their dampness and seemingly unfriendly environment, also allows them to be rich in wildlife. From the road that leads to Cwm Rheidol (about 8 miles from Aberystwyth) entrance through the undergrowth seems almost impossible and impenetrable. When the sun is low, bright splashes of sun light flicker through the thicket and reveal openings. Ducking under the thicket and forcing your way through, and once in amongst the deep mud and dankness, a whole new world is revealed; jungle-like and heavily branched areas, rich in photographic pickings and in some ways universal. These sorts of geographic landscapes are not typical or localised to any one part of the country. If you travel by train anywhere you always pass these oft ignored areas. They can not be built on because the land is unstable, no one walks through them, due to their (supposed) unpleasantness but once you’ve broken through their barriers of branches you enter a world with it’s own micro-atmosphere. The photographs were taken on either Ilford FP4 or Delta 100 5x4inch sheet film using a Wista camera and either a 90mm super-angulon or 135mm symmar lenses. Exposures on a grey day at F22 usually hovered around the 16 second mark and when photographing in sun light at about 1 second. My boots, trouser legs and the tripod feet were covered in thick, dark mud and although the going was slow, the actual area of these wetlands is perhaps only an acre or two in size. I’ve visited and photographed only three or four times but each time the tranquillity and ever changing photographic opportunities due to the water level rising and falling, the ever evolving process of woodlands – new saplings appearing and older trees uprooting - means visiting here has become a constant source of pleasure. YSTUMLLYN. Cwm Rheidol. Ceredigion 2003 - 2006 Deuthum ar draws y gwlypdir hwn wrth feicio gartref un noson o haf. Mae ardaloedd o wlypdir yn hanfodol. Ar y cyfan, nid oes neb wedi ei gyffwrdd ac mae'n gweithredu fel system ddyfrhau ac mae'n hidlo'r llygredd . Mae'r ffaith nad oes fawr neb yn eu harchwilio oherwydd eu lleithder a'u hamgylchedd yn golygu eu bod yn gyfoethog o ran bywyd gwyllt. O'r ffordd sy'n arwain at Gwm Rheidol (tua 8 milltir o Aberystwyth), ymddengys bod yr isdyfiant yn anhreiddiadwy. Pan fo'r haul yn isel, gwelir goleuadau llachar yr haul drwy'r dryslwyn. Unwaith y byddwch yng nghanol y mwd dwfn a'r gwiybaniaeth, agorir eich llygaid i fyd newydd. Dyma ardal sy'n debyg i jyngl I lawn canghennau Ardal sy'n gyfoethog at ddibenion tynnu lluniau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41424032.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10544981665f2a753e173f5.jpgCEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had known of this house since it was first put on the market a couple of years ago. The pictures of the estate agent website show a roofless ruin, the grounds cleared of foliage. In those two years a lot of foliage had grown back and my visit, mid-summer, made it all but impossible to get to the front door. Only a few exposures were made. This is an 18th century manor house (according to the sales burb) and the house is larger than most farmhouses and has an interesting array of outbuildings. The arched doorways had appeal, as does the full height rear part of the house, a somewhat odd looking square extension most likely a rear doorway but inaccessible. The rear is also windowless other than the large arch. I wonder if this had something to do with the historical window tax (introduced in 1696 until 1851)? Outbuildings around the rear, again mostly inaccessible. A lovely site and a lovely house which takes only a little imagination, but a whole heap of money, to return to its former glory. According to ‘Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families’ by Francis Jones (ISBN 0906972027), Cefn Cethin was still being lived in when the book was published in 1987. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13083740.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13366532524e86a6d46c8d6.jpgBWLCHYSTYLLEN, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BWLCHYSTYLLEN, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2011 After a short wait for the rain to stop I left the shelter of my car and walked along the public by-way and up to the ruined walls of this pleasant property. Its most surprising feature was the porch way and its location over looking a small lake/reservoir. Its walls, as seen here, were dark due to the rain lashing against them and soaking stone and mortar. I wondered who lived here and what they grew in their garden and what livestock they kept and about market day many years ago. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9430290.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4710146344da54955e56f4.jpgGELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on GELLIDEG, Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire 2011 On an early Spring afternoon, another visit to the Italianate Mansion of Gellideg. Without a map we wondered if we would be able to find Gellideg but from the road, out of the small village of Llandyfaelog, the occasional view can be snatched. We therefore made our way slowly towards the wooded area high upon a hillside where we thought we'd spotted the house. And true to our searching eyes we found this magnificent house surrounded by woodland, rhododendrom and wild garlic. A number of exposures were made, easily found and almost casually taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img190 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6905526715345954ccd760.jpgCWMYSTWYTH, Ceredigion 2001 Please note: this image is not for sale https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2125075.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15529640124986d6f9b1afd.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 A pack of sheep dogs barked around my car as I pulled into the farmyard that stands beside the decrepit walls of Neuadd Fawr, built on an existing site by a William Davys in the late 18th century. The dogs continued to bark at my heels as I knocked on the farmhouse door and I very nearly ran back to my car. I was pleased I didn’t turn and drive home as I believe I was lucky that day. The dogs calmed and were friendly and the owner, although it was still very early, was happy for me to spend a few hours exploring the house and its grounds. A heavy morning dew soaked my feet and a bleak mist hung around the grounds, occasionally revealing trees, the walls of outbuildings and a walled garden with ivy covering every inch of the stone. The interior was too dangerous to enter. I always take a hard helmet with me but it felt that at any moment the entire house would tumble down around me. It seemed well beyond repair then. It’s walls, stone and mortar were damp and sodden and the roof was fruitlessly attempting to shelter the inside from any further deterioration of the rot therein. Some 7 years later I drove by again. I parked the car, stood on tiptoe, peering over the hedgerow, and across the field. Neuadd Fawr still stood, resilient, with the wind ever blowing through its rooms. I felt somehow nostalgic and relieved. I didn’t like the thought that someone may purchase, demolish, or even rebuild, such a house. What chance to reclaim its history and character? Then again perhaps these days nothing is beyond repair and I’ve heard it is, once again, on the market. The estate contains (now restored) lodge houses, a walled garden and a marvellous twin door stable block. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2080765445498bd5cc5fbb4.jpg[/img] Neuadd Fawr 1996 NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8258168.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2656763554d2db88e35e92.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 A gatehouse stands at the entrance of Hafodunos, elaborate and ruined, and after a short slight upward slope walk to the house Hafodunos unfolds, obviously empty, elaborate and also in a ruinous state. It is not in a ruinous state due to nature’s reclamation but because of abandonment, vandalism and a terrible fire in the fall of 2004. It is a very large Gothic-style house, built in 1861-66 by Sir George Gilbert-Scott on an earlier site, with a clock tower and octagonal billiard room. Hafodunos is in a desperate state of disrepair, with many of its features either lost to man’s destruction or otherwise stolen. The conservatories, built a little later than the house, all smashed into many fragments but all beautifully lit. The grounds beneath the layer of undergrowth reveal a once well-maintained and extensive garden. The interior, although vacated some 7 years ago, felt as if it had only been vacated last month. Even so, the walls are brittle and scarred with peeling paintwork and spray-can graffiti and the maze of rooms, corridors and courtyards are littered with burnt furniture, perilous ceilings and rotting staircases. The fire had all but destroyed the front facade and had left Hafodunas a very pitiful pile. It accommodated many uses throughout its relatively short life: once an accountancy college, a girls school, then a care home and eventually a hotel and restaurant. I wandered around overwhelmed and with much the same feeling as that of Aberglasney some 10 years previous: of not learning from our past mistakes and just passing on the consequences. Aberglasney was eventually salvaged from the brink of total collapse. Hafodunos however, though greatly admired, may give itself up to the elements, whether human or natural, and it remains to be seen if someone will have the care of attention that this building deserves. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4641899.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20404407184baf5b53afcba.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5763291.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9074575054c55be18d5a50.jpgLLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 Notes on LLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 I reached Llwyn Ynn at sun up after a two mile walk that zigzagged along footpaths and bridle paths and then through a long narrow wooded area. The sweet aroma of wild garlic permeated through the morning air. It was already warm when I reached the 18th century stone gate posts that stand, without their iron gates, before an empty patch of elevated ground where once the grand mansion of Llwyn Ynn stood. The great house, built in the 17th century was demolished like so many in the 1950’s after no buyer could be found. The steps leading up to where the entrance of the house once would have stood remain, indeed a galleried platform remains, and it is easy with the aid of old photographs to place the house in this walled area. Of the great house only one wall remains and thereon evidence of a very large fireplace (and a smaller one on the floor above). This wall is attached to the ruined service quarters. It is these service quarters that are the reason for my visit today and they do not disappoint. Beneath the two fireplaces there is a basement entrance that leads into the cottages that once gapped the space between the house and the service quarters. Inside all was quiet, all was dark and once my eyes and ears adjusted I could hear and see three sheep chewing, laying in a large ruinous room. They ceased their chewing as I came into view but did not rise from their sitting positions. There was a short stand-off. I was blocking their only exit. They watched me intently and seemed intent on not moving until I did. I took a few photographs. I then moved to allow their safe passage and that they did but in a typical rather hurried sheep fashion! Internally the service quarters are a mess. The staircase has collapsed and although the floors above are intact they looked paper thin and any attempt to explore, however tempting, would inevitably end up with a foot through a floor board. Holes are also prevalent in the side walls exposing beam and brick and the dim interior. At the rear a mass of extensions which appear in relative sound structural condition and access to the upper floors is possible. Again, all exposed to the weather and the livestock. The stone mullion windows are mainly in an excellent condition but naturally the wooden framed windows are rotting. The house stands on a small bluff and sits before a gentle stream called the Afon Hesbin (which flows further upstream into the river Clwyd). Including the stone buildings at the rear of the timber framed service quarters it quickly becomes apparent that Llwyn Ynn could easily accommodate a large family. The house needs extensive restoration and re-build and personally I do not hold onto much belief that the house will survive much longer if no consolidation work is carried out. I am uncertain, because I felt it unnecessary to venture, but I believe access to the cellars of the original great house may be possible. I however had no great desire to find out. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ceulan-mill-talybont-ceredigion-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10630815414b8bc65ab651f.jpgCEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on CEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Once within the dimly lit ground floor, Ceulan Mill appears, as ones eyes adjust, an impregnable building with imposing machinery filling all three storeys to the brim with large heavy machinery, looms, and weaving frames, large wicker baskets of withered cones of wool. Ceulan Mill was closed in the 1950’s and it feels like very little has changed within and without the stone walls since then. On the first floor, only three small windows allowing the sun light in, the floor space is heavy with solid machinery. It is dark and when surrounded with such heavy machinery crammed so close together it is also unnerving. The dimness makes the focussing of the camera difficult; I use a small touch to set the shutter speeds and aperture. A forty-minute exposure was used with these first initial exposures. A long wait for a photographer and gives me time to make notes. I feel calm and the still atmosphere helps me to relax. Outside I hear a babbling brook, birds singing, the day is bright, warm and spring-like. These rusty dinosaurs within this mill no longer creak, groan, growl. They’re silent and still, their only movement is that of their slow corrosion. My eyes have long since grown accustomed to the dimness. The machinery is splendid – wheels, cogs, belts, gears, pulley’s, springs, rods, rollers, spinners, presses, chains, oil, wool, spanners, wrenches, dust and cobwebs. A stuffed heron lays on the ground on the first floor and also; a metal chest full of 19th & 20th century books (on Stalin, India, Arithmetic, Philosophy, Chemistry, Law, Communism, worker’s rights and how to better oneself!). More large baskets, clamps, drawing desks, broken chairs, tables, chests, all stand on an uneven floor and under a sagging ceiling. The sun poured through the open windows on the first floor, flooding tiny areas and here the exposures were much shorter, usually around 4 - 16 minutes. Four hours was spend making around ten exposures onto sheet film. The slow process of photographing in such dark places makes the finishing images so much more satisfying. MELIN CEULAN. Tal-v-bont. Ceredigion 2009 Ar Ian afon Ceulan saif Melin Ceulan, a fu unwaith yn brysur a llewyrchus. Wrth i'r llygaid ymgynefino a lled-dywyllwch y llawr gwaelod daw Melin Ceulan i'r golwg, yn adeilad cadarn gyda pheiriannau mawreddog, gwyddiau, fframiau gwehyddu a basgedi mawr o wlan yn llenwi'r tri llawr at y to. Caeodd y felin yn y 1950au a bu iddi aros yn wag ers hynny. Mae'n dywyll, ac ynghanol yr holl beirianwaith trwm sydd wedi'i wthio benben a'i gilydd, ceir hefyd deimlad o anesmwythyd. Yn y tywyllwch mae'n anodd ffocysu'r camera; rhoddaf gyffyrddiad ysgafn i osod cyflymder y caead a lledu'r agorfa. Defnyddiwyd dadleniad o bedwar deg pum munud gyda'r lluniau cychwynnol hyn. Hir ymaros i'r ffotograffydd, a chyfle i mi ysgrifennu nodiadau. Teimlaf dawelwch, ac mae'r awyrgylch llonydd help i mi ymlacio. Y tu allan clywaf furmur y nant a thrydar yr adar, megis diwmod braf a chynnes o wanwyn. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24167750.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_25302417554cc59d50cf5.jpgABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 A large sign with worn paint and a cracked surface. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23701721.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_55478738555004f4fab1eb.jpgPRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2015 A return and little changed. A little snow on the hills, the first daffodils just about popping up, a cool breeze causing the Scot's Pine to sway and creak... all making this journey, indeed every journey here, special and memorable. There is something about Prignant that speaks to me; it's location, the fact that I used to come here as a young man wandering the hills from Hafod, the sorry state of the house (which is slowly deteriorating each visit). A lovely positioned house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13582885.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12139526164ec76163a9a96.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Shower tiles, all cracked, torn off and dirty. Each tile slightly decayed to a different level to the one adjacent. This is a pleasing image - the geometric nature of the tiles and the chaotic decay thereon is something I seek out in abstractions. This particular image succeeds better than most because although it is easy to work out that these are tiles, the decay and abstraction found is visually stronger than the neatly patterened tiles. A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images (images of the actual building can be seen in the 'Other Welsh Ruins' gallery) and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes due to the dimness within and the deep rain clouds outside. The walls within had been exposed to 40 years of dampness and the thick paint work was peeling throughout. The textures and patterns formed therein were some of the better I'd seen for many a year. These images were all taken using a 150mm Xenar lens - not optimised for macro photography yet the negative are absolutely pin-sharp and are a joy to view and then print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41112240.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11777321275e709ab8b8328.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41112237.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2665830695e709ab74b19a.jpgTRE-FYNYDD, Burry Port 2020 Notes on TRE-FYNYDD, Burry Port 2020 I parked in a lay-by beside the ruined house of Bigyn on the the mountain road between Pembrey and Pen-y-Mynydd. Bigyn is so overgrown it didn’t seem possible to photograph, so I didn’t bother. It had forecast to be dry but fine drizzle blew around and then would stop for awhile and then sudden downfalls of heavy rain for a few minutes. The pattern continued. I walked down the public footpath nearly as far as the farm Ty Newydd but then cut across a stream and a field of young trees and a lot of bramble. A tractor lay in this field and obviously hadn’t moved for at least ten years. More brambles. There was an easier route but a sign said ‘trespassers would be prosecuted’. The brambles were higher than me and irregular how they fell. Some were brown and old but their barbs still sharp. Only once home did I begin pulling out the little sharp needle from fingers and feet! My hands were bleeding and there and sore. Poor me! The house was reached, partially roofed, unlike so many of the farms I visit. Inside was a mess, fallen beams, fallen floors and a fallen staircase. There was no access upstairs and barely access around the lower rooms. The sky was dark outside and even my digital camera struggled with handheld shots inside the house. A few snapshots were taken, slight camera blur and then I used my large wooden camera for more serious work, tripod mounted of course. Exposures of 4 – 32 seconds were used (at F22), long for a mid-day exposure, and testifies just how dim the light was. Another band of rain was heading in. I took as many pictures as possible and packed up my camera – somewhat depressed by the weather, the house, the afternoon. The rain fell on the filter of the lens, I removed the filter and tried to clean/dry it but I had nothing to clean it with except my t-shirt. I dropped the filter into mud. Nevermind. I’ll clean it when home. Rain fell onto the glass of the lens. I tried the best to wipe it with my sleeve but it just smudged the rain water around. The finished images may be slightly blurred where the rain landed on the lens. So be it. It tells part of the story. I walked back a different way, across a field and over a hedge, I hasten to add the fence I stepped over was only three feet high, no damage done and then back to the public footpath and back to the car by which time the rain had begun to fall hard again. Once home everything taken from the camera bag and placed on a table by a radiator. It gets an hour to dry and air before being put away again. The lens was properly cleaned and is pristine again. The small barbs of bramble are removed, two on the soles of my feet and numerous on my fingers and knuckles. The brambles are the worst. I had to turn back at one point because I found myself in a whole sea of bramble and knew to carry on would only take longer than going back and to find a different route – which I did and saved myself some time and effort. I could have done without the trouble with the bramble, it lengthened the time to reach the house which meant I would have missed the rain storm which would have allowed me to settle more within the atmosphere of the house and landscape. The pictures won’t tell this. The pictures will just show a dilapidated house with a few raindrops present in the final image. Neither will the final images show or give any insight on who lived here last and why they left. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40784016.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15461752735e295fe28c4df.jpgTRE-FYNYDD, Burry Port 2020 Notes on TRE-FYNYDD, Burry Port 2020 I parked in a lay-by beside the ruined house of Bigyn on the the mountain road between Pembrey and Pen-y-Mynydd. Bigyn is so overgrown it didn’t seem possible to photograph, so I didn’t bother. It had forecast to be dry but fine drizzle blew around and then would stop for awhile and then sudden downfalls of heavy rain for a few minutes. The pattern continued. I walked down the public footpath nearly as far as the farm Ty Newydd but then cut across a stream and a field of young trees and a lot of bramble. A tractor lay in this field and obviously hadn’t moved for at least ten years. More brambles. There was an easier route but a sign said ‘trespassers would be prosecuted’. The brambles were higher than me and irregular how they fell. Some were brown and old but their barbs still sharp. Only once home did I begin pulling out the little sharp needle from fingers and feet! My hands were bleeding and there and sore. Poor me! The house was reached, partially roofed, unlike so many of the farms I visit. Inside was a mess, fallen beams, fallen floors and a fallen staircase. There was no access upstairs and barely access around the lower rooms. The sky was dark outside and even my digital camera struggled with handheld shots inside the house. A few snapshots were taken, slight camera blur and then I used my large wooden camera for more serious work, tripod mounted of course. Exposures of 4 – 32 seconds were used (at F22), long for a mid-day exposure, and testifies just how dim the light was. Another band of rain was heading in. I took as many pictures as possible and packed up my camera – somewhat depressed by the weather, the house, the afternoon. The rain fell on the filter of the lens, I removed the filter and tried to clean/dry it but I had nothing to clean it with except my t-shirt. I dropped the filter into mud. Nevermind. I’ll clean it when home. Rain fell onto the glass of the lens. I tried the best to wipe it with my sleeve but it just smudged the rain water around. The finished images may be slightly blurred where the rain landed on the lens. So be it. It tells part of the story. I walked back a different way, across a field and over a hedge, I hasten to add the fence I stepped over was only three feet high, no damage done and then back to the public footpath and back to the car by which time the rain had begun to fall hard again. Once home everything taken from the camera bag and placed on a table by a radiator. It gets an hour to dry and air before being put away again. The lens was properly cleaned and is pristine again. The small barbs of bramble are removed, two on the soles of my feet and numerous on my fingers and knuckles. The brambles are the worst. I had to turn back at one point because I found myself in a whole sea of bramble and knew to carry on would only take longer than going back and to find a different route – which I did and saved myself some time and effort. I could have done without the trouble with the bramble, it lengthened the time to reach the house which meant I would have missed the rain storm which would have allowed me to settle more within the atmosphere of the house and landscape. The pictures won’t tell this. The pictures will just show a dilapidated house with a few raindrops present in the final image. Neither will the final images show or give any insight on who lived here last and why they left. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8087418.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7075499404d11b3ddb417b.jpgBRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on BRON Y BERLLAN, Ceredigion 2010 Ruins of an 18th Century farmhouse which now sit in the perimeter of a private race course. It will not be long before the roof falls and judging the state of the structural walls these too will soon tumble. There's a marvellous twin entrance stable block behind the house which has had a metal roof recently erected, so at least this will remain upright. This property has wonderful views over towards Strata Florida Abbey and the surrounding hills. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769113.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19888447434a31da5eb7b96.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12906991714b46e2bdc15d6.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (stable block – still in some use) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_129264384b46e3049a488.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (Service Quarters – in ruin) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6060964854b46e354b9db6.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (Rear of Service Quarters) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21248718974b46e5ed511b8.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (Service Quarters – in ruin) For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41112239.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19716341435e709ab842245.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24417782.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_44534441556b23b3e7401.jpgPANT-Y-RHEW-FACH, Dihewyd, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PANT-Y-RHEW-FACH, Dihewyd, Ceredigion 2015 As you can see, third of the house, end gable, has collapsed but the rest of the structure seems relatively secure. Overgrown, many outbuildings, this was probably once a small farm - other than that I know little else about the place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24526074.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_106083584255767ea254712.jpgTY-UNNOS , Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TY-UNNOS #6, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 A return to the area and I made an exposure of each property unless so little remained that it was not worthwhile. Hard to imagine that this was once a busy little community. I imagine all the houses were thatched, though all are stone with a few brick chimneys here and there. Only two of the properties were of two storey, the largest of which also had a separate cottage/barn at a right angle behind, no inter-connecting door but interesting nonetheless. The rain lashed down when I reached there and I took shelter for a good ten minutes wondering if, indeed, the rain would stop. It slowed, so I went out, making a few exposures but the horizontal rain was covering my lens with a fine mist. Some of the pictures have been effected and therefore not printed. The rain did at last stop, the sun came out, my fingers were by this time red and raw but the sun soon thawed me and dried my equipment. By the time I returned to my car I was too dry and warm. Previous notes TAI-UNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not know the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2 etc… https://www.welshruins.co.uk/kingshall-farm-gower-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10590375715de573ec5d2bb.jpgKINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 Notes on KINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 I parked the car at the hamlet of Llanddewi, beside the road, a cloudy damp day. I walked passed the tiny and attractive church of St David's and along the bridle-path. The tarmac track soon comes to a gated track and to the right the large farmhouse of 'New Hen-Llys farm'. The track from the farm to (old) 'Hen-Llys' is only passable with wellingtons and at that, barely. The divots of years of tyre tread are around a foot deep but that said it has rained a lot recently. I made my way, waddling through the puddles, disturbing the clear water and occasionally trying the banks to see if the mud was easier to navigate than the water. It wasn't. To a gated field, footpath marker, a large field full of sheep and cows - all ignored me, the grass wet and slippery, more mud, more puddles. Another gate, narrow path between two fields more mud, bicycle tread marks, people do come this way and then another gate, stone track and finally to the ruins of Kingshall farm. A large L-shaped farmhouse, built on a square site, a wall completing the L-shape to create a square. Long ruinous, roofless, door-less and window-less, lintels in place, bits of metal laying around, farm plastic sacks, little sign of care. Nonetheless a nice site, sheltered due to trees, a small stream, two pig sty's, the track running alongside the house. Time to breathe here. Set up the camera. A light aircraft overhead. It circles almost directly above me and then disappears over the horizon. I'd had an argument with my partner in the morning. The walk a tonic. The struggle through puddles and mud were the mild hardship, the conversations re-lived, altered, talking to myself, making logic of my actions, trying not to disregard hers. Keeping a level head. I set up the camera and about to take the first image. I think the unseen plane is a tractor engine, the phone rings, I normally have it on silent, I need to take this picture. It's only a plane, not a tractor. I'm not trespassing but neither am I in the mood for conversation. A picture is made. The phone rings again. I don't want to speak. I compose and take another photograph. The plane returns, the phone rings. I ignore both. Both stop and there is silence but there's another sound that I can't quite work out what it is: a low engine murmur almost like birds. It stops and then I see the cloud of starlings rise above me. I take more pictures, nothing spectacular but document the farm as I see fit. When I finish I phone my partner back. She isn't impressed. I can't say I blame her but sometimes we need to stick by our decisions even if they're not right. I walk back the way I came. I had wanted to explore further - to another ruin but it is already 3pm and the dim day is becoming darker. I also haven't eaten or drank anything all day and I feel upset in body and mind. I stop at Hen Llys farm on the way back. It is not ruinous but neither is it lived in. Rendered, single glazed, a long house of sorts - around the rear a pond - probably modern and often frequented by cattle. I make a few exposures, viewpoints are few, the house looks sorry for itself rather than on the verge of dereliction. My phone is ringing again. Too many short and angry phone calls. Everyone argues. Little solace. I think my partner would not have enjoyed this walk anyway. It's been too long, too muddy, too wet. I finish my photographs again and phone her back. Do I love her? Yes, I love her. Not that she has asked me and not that I have told her. That is what it boils down to, mostly. Everything else in this argument is shrapnel and some of it hurts, some of it misses the mark. I have made my peace with myself. The power of walking with the added bonus of a ruin. I do wonder how it is to live with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475636.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9009827184b8bc759a9c98.jpgCUB SCOUT HUTS, Devil's Bridge 2005 Notes on CUB SCOUT HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2005 There must be around 15 of these small wooden huts, all painted green and white and were once a summer home for cub scouts. All are damp and rotting with doors and windows hanging from their frames, brambles weaving and prising apart the wooden slats from the walls. CABANAU CYBIAU, Pontarfvnach. Ceredigion 2005 Mae’n rhaid bod oddeutu 15 o’rcabanau bychain pren hyn, i gyd wedi’u peintio yn wyrdd a gwyn ac unwaith roeddent yn dy haf i gybiau sgowtiaid. Mae’r cyfan wedi eu gadael i ddirywio dros y 10 mlynedd ddiwethaf ac maent yn llaith ac yn pydru gyda drysau a ffenestri yn hongian o’u fframiau, mieri yn gweu drwy ‘r slatiau pren ac yn eu tynnu i ffwrdd o’r waliau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/maesgwynne-barn-llanboidy-carmarthenshire-2001 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11545803034b66eedc4eda9.jpgMAESGWYNNE BARN, Llanboidy, Carmarthenshire 2001 Notes on MAESGWYNNE SERVICE QUARTERS, Llanboidy, Carmarthenshire 2001 I parked my car and walked down the towards the house - large barns still stood and as i walked towards the house, dogs barked aggressively - as any dog whose territory is threatened - from the barns. I expected to be questioned why i was walking through but was not approached. I had imagined how Maesgwynne would look. I knew it was derelict and had seen a small photograph in 'The Lost Houses of Wales'. I pictured a moderately large house, not dissimilar in size to Llanerchaeron near to Aberaeron, which would, in my imagination, would be roofless and all but obscured with roof-high foliage, brambles and nettles. Unfortunately I found various vehicles, diggers, caravans and a crater in the ground. I didn’t want to believe that this crater was what was once a fine looking country house. But no amount of disbelieve can rebuild stone and mortar and Maesgwynne had indeed, unlisted, been demolished. Last year I was kindly sent some images from someone who had visited Maesgwynne, and many of the other mansions I had also visited, when it still stood, derelict – although not covered in foliage as my reverie had conjured but show a roofless shell with a large porch entrance. The interior was a mass of stone and wood. There was something about Maesgwynne that fascinates. It’s location and its modest size makes one feel that living at this sight would have been a pleasurable experience. The photograph here shows the symetrical barn - an image quickly taken due to a sheep dog barking constantly whilst i was there. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1193500294b386307c5b95.jpg[/img] Maesgynne Service Quarters (now demolished), house also demolished. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5917255.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16291543444c679517f1d49.jpgHOUSE BY BONT GLAN MARCHNANT, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on HOUSE BY BONT GLAN MARCHNANT, Ceredigion 2010 Although a very small mountain stream, the river Marchnant seems to cling along its banks a large number of ruins. I am uncertain of the name of this property. It was more or less box shaped although much of it has collapsed. Adjacent are two very large single storey stables and barn buildings, also ruinous. The white wash can still be seen on the surviving internal walls and presumably this is the rear of the house. My first visit to this house, 6 years ago, the roof was still on. Today the beams lay in a clutter in amongst the stone. Beautifully located. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24529551.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_736492442557742f8d00a3.jpgTY-NEWYDD, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TY-NEWYDD - Ty-unnos #7, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 A return to the area and I made an exposure of each property unless so little remained that it was not worthwhile. Hard to imagine that this was once a busy little community. I imagine all the houses were thatched, though all are stone with a few brick chimneys here and there. Only two of the properties were of two storey, the largest of which also had a separate cottage/barn at a right angle behind, no inter-connecting door but interesting nonetheless. The rain lashed down when I reached there and I took shelter for a good ten minutes wondering if, indeed, the rain would stop. It slowed, so I went out, making a few exposures but the horizontal rain was covering my lens with a fine mist. Some of the pictures have been effected and therefore not printed. The rain did at last stop, the sun came out, my fingers were by this time red and raw but the sun soon thawed me and dried my equipment. By the time I returned to my car I was too dry and warm. Previous notes TAI-UNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not know the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2 etc… https://www.welshruins.co.uk/neuadd-fawr-victorian-barn-facade https://images.on-this.website/7784_17762221424db16c5248dd9.jpgNEUADD FAWR, (VICTORIAN BARN FACADE) Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on VICTORIAN BARN FACADE AT NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 2011 The farmer at Neuadd Fawr told us that this religious looking building was nothing but a little of Victorian extravagence. Behind the facade sits an very ordinary, albeit long, barn. A large iron cross once sat on the top but came down in storms many years previous. A late afternoon re-visit to Neuadd Fawr. As ever a subliminal experience. Neuadd Fawr's size and ruinous state can only impress the casual or eager explorer. The outer walls seem impressively solid but within there is little semblance of rooms nor indeed what those rooms functions once were. This house is a sad sight. It's sheer enormity and dereliction begs so many questions that can be answered simply by oneself: it is too large, too derelict, too far gone to be salvaged. The stable block is also totally ruinous but other outbuildings; stables, diary, kennels are all in a good condition. I do not know if any further trips will be made to Neuadd Fawr. Whenever I have left I have always felt I've missed something, some perfect composition. I have dreamed of this house, wandering through rooms and even photographing parts of it that do not exist. I have photographed it extensively, something I never set out to do (why take fifty photographs when only two or three should suffice?) and perhaps it's this over-exposure and ease of photographic opportunties that is the cause of me feeling I've missed something. Perhaps I expect too much. Perhaps I seek those atmospherics I experienced in my dreams, those atmospherics that do not actually exist. I think for me I should allow Neuadd Fawr to drift away from my consciousness for a good number of years. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36756943.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18542280845bd216303968d.jpgNotes on PEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 A short damp walk and quickly whilst exploring it becomes apparent this farm was the victim of a fire. Inside is much ruinous and blackened. Outside a few possession scattered. A long barn with arrow-slot vents hint at an older property than what I first imagined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29922921.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_22858046358592a5f30915.jpgBWLCHYSTYLLEN, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BWLCHYSTYLLEN, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2016 A return after five years but very little changed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5763278.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5695736714c55be0842f03.jpgLLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 Notes on LLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 I reached Llwyn Ynn at sun up after a two mile walk that zigzagged along footpaths and bridle paths and then through a long narrow wooded area. The sweet aroma of wild garlic permeated through the morning air. It was already warm when I reached the 18th century stone gate posts that stand, without their iron gates, before an empty patch of elevated ground where once the grand mansion of Llwyn Ynn stood. The great house, built in the 17th century was demolished like so many in the 1950’s after no buyer could be found. The steps leading up to where the entrance of the house once would have stood remain, indeed a galleried platform remains, and it is easy with the aid of old photographs to place the house in this walled area. Of the great house only one wall remains and thereon evidence of a very large fireplace (and a smaller one on the floor above). This wall is attached to the ruined service quarters. It is these service quarters that are the reason for my visit today and they do not disappoint. Beneath the two fireplaces there is a basement entrance that leads into the cottages that once gapped the space between the house and the service quarters. Inside all was quiet, all was dark and once my eyes and ears adjusted I could hear and see three sheep chewing, laying in a large ruinous room. They ceased their chewing as I came into view but did not rise from their sitting positions. There was a short stand-off. I was blocking their only exit. They watched me intently and seemed intent on not moving until I did. I took a few photographs. I then moved to allow their safe passage and that they did but in a typical rather hurried sheep fashion! Internally the service quarters are a mess. The staircase has collapsed and although the floors above are intact they looked paper thin and any attempt to explore, however tempting, would inevitably end up with a foot through a floor board. Holes are also prevalent in the side walls exposing beam and brick and the dim interior. At the rear a mass of extensions which appear in relative sound structural condition and access to the upper floors is possible. Again, all exposed to the weather and the livestock. The stone mullion windows are mainly in an excellent condition but naturally the wooden framed windows are rotting. The house stands on a small bluff and sits before a gentle stream called the Afon Hesbin (which flows further upstream into the river Clwyd). Including the stone buildings at the rear of the timber framed service quarters it quickly becomes apparent that Llwyn Ynn could easily accommodate a large family. The house needs extensive restoration and re-build and personally I do not hold onto much belief that the house will survive much longer if no consolidation work is carried out. I am uncertain, because I felt it unnecessary to venture, but I believe access to the cellars of the original great house may be possible. I however had no great desire to find out. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14062295.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18932357224f2646b093084.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 The bridle way that leads up to the estate of Cwmgigfran is lined with mature trees. The path is deeply rutted with the autumn leaves laying decomposing over the rich deeper mud beneath. After a half mile walk in a lightly wooded area I came across a fenced off area and within a large impenetrable mass of rhododendrons. A small gate which I presumed would wend itself around to the front of the property would have been a preferred entrance but this is over grown with tendrils of brambles climbing high, into the ground, out into the air and would surely wrap their barbed selves around me. So another route was found, alongside some outbuildings, again, the brambles acted as a natural barrier. These outbuildings showed interest – a former resident – living rough(?) – a mouldy and damp mattress, folds of blankets, bags of clothes, a carpet pinned against a wall (obviously to seal off any cold draughts). Within another outbuilding were shelves of various fittings; jars of nails, a rusting wheelbarrow, an oil lamp, pot belly stove standing redundant and unfitted… this list could be endless, like that of the mansion of Plas Gwynfryn. Everything, however, was rusting, or broken, or had passed its useful life. So onward to the house, surprisingly large, unsurprisingly few fragments of architectural interest remain. The four high walls do reveal a full three storey and settled on a basement. According to ‘Lost Houses of Wales’ (Tom Lloyd), the house was built 1800 but dismantled 1965. The land around the house is either boggy and inaccessible or inaccessible due to the foliage which has been allowed to grow without restraint. This adds only to the thrill of visiting such a house. The frontages had two brick-clad bays reaching up the full three storeys but higher still were the trees that grew within. To photograph the façade was challenging and I literally had to stand within the rhododendron jungle and use my camera bag to weigh down the tripod and camera. The branches of the rhododendron are naturally living things and any force against them caused them to respond with equal force. Once weighted, the camera and tripod seemed relatively stable. But, as ever, long exposures were used even in the winter sunlight and after 12 seconds (and then after developing and printing the negatives) I was pleased to find the negatives were sharp and the springy rhododendrons branches hadn’t caused any movement against the tripod legs and therefore causing a blurred negative. Cwmgigfran stands quite magnificent in its obscured location, overlooking a peaceful landscape and on this bright winters morning transmits not an air of sadness but of calmness. One can breathe here. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41118939.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1008438315e727061ef35b.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4296051.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2044952164b5bf0507f7ea.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. This image shows a close-up view of the white door - I have dismissed this image as being too close to the other more general view of the rear of the house. However, it has qualities of its own - it was printed straight without any darkroom trickery, such as 'burning in' and/or 'holding back' certain areas of the print, and helps illustrate the dimness of the house and grounds against this white, albeit dirty, door. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41118938.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18517921885e727061715ec.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/neuadd-fawr-stable-doors-cilycwm https://images.on-this.website/7784_19657988784972c99d9549a.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Stable Doors, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 A pack of sheep dogs barked around my car as I pulled into the farmyard that stands beside the decrepit walls of Neuadd Fawr, built on an existing site by a William Davys in the late 18th century. The dogs continued to bark at my heels as I knocked on the farmhouse door and I very nearly ran back to my car. I was pleased I didn’t turn and drive home as I believe I was lucky that day. The dogs calmed and were friendly and the owner, although it was still very early, was happy for me to spend a few hours exploring the house and its grounds. A heavy morning dew soaked my feet and a bleak mist hung around the grounds, occasionally revealing trees, the walls of outbuildings and a walled garden with ivy covering every inch of the stone. The interior was too dangerous to enter. I always take a hard helmet with me but it felt that at any moment the entire house would tumble down around me. It seemed well beyond repair then. It’s walls, stone and mortar were damp and sodden and the roof was fruitlessly attempting to shelter the inside from any further deterioration of the rot therein. Some 7 years later I drove by again. I parked the car, stood on tiptoe, peering over the hedgerow, and across the field. Neuadd Fawr still stood, resilient, with the wind ever blowing through its rooms. I felt somehow nostalgic and relieved. I didn’t like the thought that someone may purchase, demolish, or even rebuild, such a house. What chance to reclaim its history and character? Then again perhaps these days nothing is beyond repair and I’ve heard it is, once again, on the market. The estate contains (now restored) lodge houses, a walled garden and a marvellous twin door stable block. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2080765445498bd5cc5fbb4.jpg[/img] Neuadd Fawr 1996 NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/neuadd-fawr-cilycwm-carmarthenshire-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1356575474b66eed72a3e2.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 I unsure what use this building had - a chapel? a tool store? Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 A pack of sheep dogs barked around my car as I pulled into the farmyard that stands beside the decrepit walls of Neuadd Fawr, built on an existing site by a William Davys in the late 18th century. The dogs continued to bark at my heels as I knocked on the farmhouse door and I very nearly ran back to my car. I was pleased I didn’t turn and drive home as I believe I was lucky that day. The dogs calmed and were friendly and the owner, although it was still very early, was happy for me to spend a few hours exploring the house and its grounds. A heavy morning dew soaked my feet and a bleak mist hung around the grounds, occasionally revealing trees, the walls of outbuildings and a walled garden with ivy covering every inch of the stone. The interior was too dangerous to enter. I always take a hard helmet with me but it felt that at any moment the entire house would tumble down around me. It seemed well beyond repair then. It’s walls, stone and mortar were damp and sodden and the roof was fruitlessly attempting to shelter the inside from any further deterioration of the rot therein. Some 7 years later I drove by again. I parked the car, stood on tiptoe, peering over the hedgerow, and across the field. Neuadd Fawr still stood, resilient, with the wind ever blowing through its rooms. I felt somehow nostalgic and relieved. I didn’t like the thought that someone may purchase, demolish, or even rebuild, such a house. What chance to reclaim its history and character? Then again perhaps these days nothing is beyond repair and I’ve heard it is, once again, on the market. The estate contains (now restored) lodge houses, a walled garden and a marvellous twin door stable block. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2080765445498bd5cc5fbb4.jpg[/img] Neuadd Fawr 1996 NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmygigfran-talley-carmarthenshire-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14947524954f2645f0dadc6.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 The bridle way that leads up to the estate of Cwmgigfran is lined with mature trees. The path is deeply rutted with the autumn leaves laying decomposing over the rich deeper mud beneath. After a half mile walk in a lightly wooded area I came across a fenced off area and within a large impenetrable mass of rhododendrons. A small gate which I presumed would wend itself around to the front of the property would have been a preferred entrance but this is over grown with tendrils of brambles climbing high, into the ground, out into the air and would surely wrap their barbed selves around me. So another route was found, alongside some outbuildings, again, the brambles acted as a natural barrier. These outbuildings showed interest – a former resident – living rough(?) – a mouldy and damp mattress, folds of blankets, bags of clothes, a carpet pinned against a wall (obviously to seal off any cold draughts). Within another outbuilding were shelves of various fittings; jars of nails, a rusting wheelbarrow, an oil lamp, pot belly stove standing redundant and unfitted… this list could be endless, like that of the mansion of Plas Gwynfryn. Everything, however, was rusting, or broken, or had passed its useful life. So onward to the house, surprisingly large, unsurprisingly few fragments of architectural interest remain. The four high walls do reveal a full three storey and settled on a basement. According to ‘Lost Houses of Wales’ (Tom Lloyd), the house was built 1800 but dismantled 1965. The land around the house is either boggy and inaccessible or inaccessible due to the foliage which has been allowed to grow without restraint. This adds only to the thrill of visiting such a house. The frontages had two brick-clad bays reaching up the full three storeys but higher still were the trees that grew within. To photograph the façade was challenging and I literally had to stand within the rhododendron jungle and use my camera bag to weigh down the tripod and camera. The branches of the rhododendron are naturally living things and any force against them caused them to respond with equal force. Once weighted, the camera and tripod seemed relatively stable. But, as ever, long exposures were used even in the winter sunlight and after 12 seconds (and then after developing and printing the negatives) I was pleased to find the negatives were sharp and the springy rhododendrons branches hadn’t caused any movement against the tripod legs and therefore causing a blurred negative. Cwmgigfran stands quite magnificent in its obscured location, overlooking a peaceful landscape and on this bright winters morning transmits not an air of sadness but of calmness. One can breathe here. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-myherin-devils-bridge-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_15740807344ec75e6677169.jpgBLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN MYHERIN, Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion 2011 My first visit here was in 1991 – back then I had only just taken up photography and every weekend I would load myself up with camera and equipment and go exploring. Often, not always, I simply wandered around with no specific destination, merely walked from the road into the Cambrian Mountains and just followed my nose to wherever looked interesting. I followed streams and naturally gravitated towards ruins or sheepfolds. Exploring the Myherin forest back then was a frustrating and confusing experience. I did not know my way around the many miles of forestry track – it could be slow going, sometimes going in circles and with only snatches of views gained from gaps in the trees. Blaen Myherin was a welcome view – it stands 5 miles from the main road and stands at the head of the valley. It seemed very secluded during my first visit and in many ways it is yet, also, it is surrounded by wind farm turbines and in the middle of a working forest whose tracks are sometimes used for motor sport rally. The house spends most of its time in a solitary isolation but every now and again it is in the midst of a roar of noise and always accompanied with that thin and wavering un-melodic hum from the wind turbine blades continuously filling this sometime peaceful valley. The house, as one can see in the photographs, is in a very poor state with the roof and one gable end collapsed. The long, 100 foot barn beside the house is also looking structurally poor and is no longer in use. Inside is littered with debris and many names have been carved into the wooden stable walls. The house was last lived in the late 1960’s. What would the owners think of the house now? My trip was a pleasant one nonetheless. I had cycled to the house and made a number of exposures – simple, uncomplicated and rewarding. The ground around the house is very damp, I followed the sheep tracks through the hidden deep troughs of muddy waters and set up the camera. Blaen Myherin will shortly be nothing more than a pile of stone. How sad to think the wind turbines will out-survive this once much loved farmhouse. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41118934.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13079463005e72705f4862c.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41118936.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14462424025e72706067f7a.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41118937.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18963081315e727060edb00.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41118941.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1239299435e727062c34bb.jpgTRE-FYNYDD, Burry Port 2020 Notes on TRE-FYNYDD, Burry Port 2020 I parked in a lay-by beside the ruined house of Bigyn on the the mountain road between Pembrey and Pen-y-Mynydd. Bigyn is so overgrown it didn’t seem possible to photograph, so I didn’t bother. It had forecast to be dry but fine drizzle blew around and then would stop for awhile and then sudden downfalls of heavy rain for a few minutes. The pattern continued. I walked down the public footpath nearly as far as the farm Ty Newydd but then cut across a stream and a field of young trees and a lot of bramble. A tractor lay in this field and obviously hadn’t moved for at least ten years. More brambles. There was an easier route but a sign said ‘trespassers would be prosecuted’. The brambles were higher than me and irregular how they fell. Some were brown and old but their barbs still sharp. Only once home did I begin pulling out the little sharp needle from fingers and feet! My hands were bleeding and there and sore. Poor me! The house was reached, partially roofed, unlike so many of the farms I visit. Inside was a mess, fallen beams, fallen floors and a fallen staircase. There was no access upstairs and barely access around the lower rooms. The sky was dark outside and even my digital camera struggled with handheld shots inside the house. A few snapshots were taken, slight camera blur and then I used my large wooden camera for more serious work, tripod mounted of course. Exposures of 4 – 32 seconds were used (at F22), long for a mid-day exposure, and testifies just how dim the light was. Another band of rain was heading in. I took as many pictures as possible and packed up my camera – somewhat depressed by the weather, the house, the afternoon. The rain fell on the filter of the lens, I removed the filter and tried to clean/dry it but I had nothing to clean it with except my t-shirt. I dropped the filter into mud. Nevermind. I’ll clean it when home. Rain fell onto the glass of the lens. I tried the best to wipe it with my sleeve but it just smudged the rain water around. The finished images may be slightly blurred where the rain landed on the lens. So be it. It tells part of the story. I walked back a different way, across a field and over a hedge, I hasten to add the fence I stepped over was only three feet high, no damage done and then back to the public footpath and back to the car by which time the rain had begun to fall hard again. Once home everything taken from the camera bag and placed on a table by a radiator. It gets an hour to dry and air before being put away again. The lens was properly cleaned and is pristine again. The small barbs of bramble are removed, two on the soles of my feet and numerous on my fingers and knuckles. The brambles are the worst. I had to turn back at one point because I found myself in a whole sea of bramble and knew to carry on would only take longer than going back and to find a different route – which I did and saved myself some time and effort. I could have done without the trouble with the bramble, it lengthened the time to reach the house which meant I would have missed the rain storm which would have allowed me to settle more within the atmosphere of the house and landscape. The pictures won’t tell this. The pictures will just show a dilapidated house with a few raindrops present in the final image. Neither will the final images show or give any insight on who lived here last and why they left. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41118935.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19524436825e72705fdc6db.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llwynywormwood-myddfai-carmarthenshire-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_199407923449701a71563f0.jpgLLWYNYWORMWOOD, Myddfai, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on LLYWNYWORMWOOD,(Llwynywermod) Myddfai, Carmarthenshire 1996 Llwynywormwood is a fine and celebrated park now in the process of restoration. The house, built circa 1775, incorporated influences from many periods and the day i visited stood as a dramatic silhouette on a hilltop. When I visited very little remained save for the end ranges with very precarious chimneys, but signs of a once splendid house were still scattered across the estate. Vacated in 1907 and since, after the sale of the property and its contents, left empty and open to the elements. The ruins are now owned by the Prince of Wales who purchased the adjacent farmhouse in 2006. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8659092214b65297214a83.jpg[/img] Llwynywormwood 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4624681454b65294f97978.jpg[/img] Llwynywormwood 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_165269504b65298ac1e3b.jpg[/img] Llwynywormwood 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20700062354b6529a844f7c.jpg[/img] Llwynywormwood 1996 LLWYN Y WERMOD. Mvddfai. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1997 Mae Llwyn y Wermod yn bare braf ac enwog, ac mae'r tiroedd wrthi'n caei eu hadfer ar hyn o bryd. Codwyd y ty oddeutu 1775 ac mae'n cynnwys dylanwadau o gyfnodau gwahanol. Safai megis cysgodlun dramatig ar ben y bryn. Pan ymwelais a'r lie ychydig iawn oedd yn weddill o'r ty ac roedd y simneiau'n sigledig iawn, ond gallwn weld olion hen dy ysblennydd wedi eu gwasgaru ar hyd y stad. Mae'r ty wedi bod yn wag ers 1907, ac ar ol i'r lie a phopeth a oedd ynddo gael ei werthu, fe'i gadawyd yn wag ac yn agored i'r elfennau. Bellach mae'r adfeilion yn eiddo i Dywysog Cymru a brynodd y ffermdy cyfagos yn 2006. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wen-allt-uchaf-llanfair-clydogau https://images.on-this.website/7784_76598747551ab1de5c4936.jpgWEN-ALLT-UCHAF, Llanfair Clydogau, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on WEN-ALLT-UCHAF(also known as BRYN), Llanfair Clydogau, Ceredigion 2012 Long ruined farmstead. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094533.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21154045994979613d9f689.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img459 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11728223455394988dd3125.jpgBRYN-EINON, Mydroilyn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on BRYN-EINON, Mydroilyn, Ceredigion 2014 A small but lovely cottage, much ruined and muddy within due to cows having free roam. The laburnum was stunning, as it is around the whole of Ceredigion at this time (June). The bank at rear of cottage is now a part pond, part slurry pit and the rear of the house hangs perilously to the sides. Roof, as you see in these images, also barely clinging on. Utterly beguiling place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23607637.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_50510051954ec2a391c18d.jpgFRON FELIN, Chancery, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on FRON FELIN, Chancery, Ceredigion 2015 The house can be seen through the hedgerow on the main coastal road from Aberystwyth south. It seems to be in fine condition until you see the far gable end where a huge crack has appeared. Currently on the market. Inside is dry but obviously long empty. - this will no doubt be snatched up, being close to Aberystwyth and deserves to be rescued and restored lovingly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/neuadd-fawr-stables-cilycwm-carmarthenshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_15903397344982ae8024736.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Stables, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 A pack of sheep dogs barked around my car as I pulled into the farmyard that stands beside the decrepit walls of Neuadd Fawr, built on an existing site by a William Davys in the late 18th century. The dogs continued to bark at my heels as I knocked on the farmhouse door and I very nearly ran back to my car. I was pleased I didn’t turn and drive home as I believe I was lucky that day. The dogs calmed and were friendly and the owner, although it was still very early, was happy for me to spend a few hours exploring the house and its grounds. A heavy morning dew soaked my feet and a bleak mist hung around the grounds, occasionally revealing trees, the walls of outbuildings and a walled garden with ivy covering every inch of the stone. The interior was too dangerous to enter. I always take a hard helmet with me but it felt that at any moment the entire house would tumble down around me. It seemed well beyond repair then. It’s walls, stone and mortar were damp and sodden and the roof was fruitlessly attempting to shelter the inside from any further deterioration of the rot therein. Some 7 years later I drove by again. I parked the car, stood on tiptoe, peering over the hedgerow, and across the field. Neuadd Fawr still stood, resilient, with the wind ever blowing through its rooms. I felt somehow nostalgic and relieved. I didn’t like the thought that someone may purchase, demolish, or even rebuild, such a house. What chance to reclaim its history and character? Then again perhaps these days nothing is beyond repair and I’ve heard it is, once again, on the market. The estate contains (now restored) lodge houses, a walled garden and a marvellous twin door stable block. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2080765445498bd5cc5fbb4.jpg[/img] Neuadd Fawr 1996 NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4502682.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10762278344b927d2034027.jpgDEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on DEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22293860.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8875971435406c12f7a8a8.jpgTY NEWYDD, Llanddeiniol, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY NEWYDD, Llanddeiniol, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage renovated some time I imagine in 1980's but now ruined and open to the elements. Inside lots of skeletons of birds of prey - too large to be anything other - with wings and feathers attached - all strange and sad. The staircase was gone, no access to upper floor but on tip-toe could see nothing but dust and bird-droppings. The cottage is a shell and a shame to see such waste. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23793054.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4565770495511074818b01.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2015 The cottages seen here sit on the other side of the Ystwyth at Cwmystwyth mines. I have driven and looked over to these cottages many a time and recall when they used to have windows and doors and roof. I am not sure why I haven't photographed them before having explored Cwmystwyth much over the last twenty five years. Their positioning alone makes them a worthy inclusion. The March morning I arrived was a cold and frosty one but as the sun rose across the opposite hillside I could tell it was to be a glorious and warm day. A few exposes were made, a small traipse with equipment from one cottage to the other and although I was on this hillside for an hour or so, not a single car passed by and I thought how lucky to live in such a relatively unpopulated area and also, with so much abandonment on my doorstep, little wonder I began photographing ruins. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/caradog-rhos-gelli-gron-common https://images.on-this.website/7784_119590351955767e9881305.jpgCARADOG, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CARADOG, TY-UNNOS #1, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 A return to the area and I made an exposure of each property unless so little remained that it was not worthwhile. Hard to imagine that this was once a busy little community. I imagine all the houses were thatched, though all are stone with a few brick chimneys here and there. Only two of the properties were of two storey, the largest of which also had a separate cottage/barn at a right angle behind, no inter-connecting door but interesting nonetheless. The rain lashed down when I reached there and I took shelter for a good ten minutes wondering if, indeed, the rain would stop. It slowed, so I went out, making a few exposures but the horizontal rain was covering my lens with a fine mist. Some of the pictures have been effected and therefore not printed. The rain did at last stop, the sun came out, my fingers were by this time red and raw but the sun soon thawed me and dried my equipment. By the time I returned to my car I was too dry and warm. Previous notes TAI-UNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not know the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2 etc… https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26433153.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_830805956569227e840597.jpgFFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2016 A revisit to this house. I took only a few sheets of film with me on my first visit and I wanted to take a few interior shots. Little of course has changed in a year, still open to the elements, the roof seems to have sagged a little but there was a tranquillity to the house and the morning of my visit. The walls within are either plastered with peeling layers of wallpaper or wooden panelled. It's all a little dusty, a little dirty, a little still. This could make a lovely little house and one hopes it will be re-sold and restored. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41095825.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8672563075e6e8db19653d.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img226 https://images.on-this.website/7784_183355795553478dad0c3be.jpgNANT RHYS, Radnorshire 2000/2001 Notes on NANT RHYS, Radnorshire 2000/2001 The house is a bothy, not ruined. Please note: this image is not for sale https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5432383.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10655949994c2ae373d408b.jpgYNYS LAS, Ceredigion 2002 Notes on YNYS LAS, Ceredigion 2002 Low tide, looking up from the sea towards the sand dunes at Ynys Las. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/prignant-uchaf-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_121484297355004f540fdc6.jpgPRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2015 A return and little changed. A little snow on the hills, the first daffodils just about popping up, a cool breeze causing the Scot's Pine to sway and creak... all making this journey, indeed every journey here, special and memorable. There is something about Prignant that speaks to me; it's location, the fact that I used to come here as a young man wandering the hills from Hafod, the sorry state of the house (which is slowly deteriorating each visit). A lovely positioned house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmygigfran-cwmdu-carmarthenshire-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20066191615c5c95ee732f1.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Somehow it has been seven years since I first visited Cwmygigfran. Nothing had really changed. It is still almost totally inaccessible – due to foliage – but I do realise my camera bag and tripod do add a considerable bulk to my frame. The large trees along the pathway towards the house hints at something hidden in the mass of foliage. A low long wall is also present, almost like a low platform of a small narrow gauge railway. A small gate, open, hanging off the hinge and into a mass of tiny branches. A way through is forged. Nonetheless, it’s a real pain getting to the walls and once within the house, and climbing out a window, it does allow access to the front of the house where, strangely enough, nothing seems to grow – the rhododendrons surround the house but seem to avoid this section. The same can be said of the brambles too! So it is here, just right in front of the house the exposures need to be made. Access inside is also possible, mature trees grow inside, the walls are bare, little clue of what was once found within, that said, it is easy to see that this was once a full three storey property. Viewpoints are limited and I am aware that my first visit saw me document the better angles. I re-took an image taken from the outside and took some different internal images using a standard lens (whereas before I used a wide-angle) Alan Richards wrote on the 'Geograph' website: A house has stood at Cwmygigfran (trans. Valley of the Raven) since circa 1600. In 1871 the house was known locally as 'The Palace' after its owner, Daniel Thomas, had spent a fortune on renovating the old place. Indeed, tradition has it that he spent so much money gentrifying the house that he couldn't afford to live there. Around the turn of the twentieth century the house began to deteriorate and by 1940 it had fallen into total disrepair. In 1960, Cwmygigfran was completely stripped of anything of value after being bought by a demolition firm from Hereford. Once the house was photographed I then returned to the barns outside where once someone lived. Although only a few metres away, this also takes a little effort to reach. The remnants I found seven years ago seem to be less. A tarpaulin partially stops the weather but it is frayed and torn. It is an odd place. A sink but no running water, a roof but a gable end collapsed, a full height metal cupboard filled with cans of rusty nails and screws yet nothing to nail or screw down. I do not think this owner had any intention of restoring the house. It was probably beyond hope in the 1960's when the walls and roof were striped of all their worth. What chance forty years later? It is not the once rich owners I think about but the guy, I presume it was a guy, living alone, who occupied this barn. I wonder for how long? Surely not through the winter months? Was he squatting, did he own the house itself? An old Volvo estate sits not far from the house, dirty and unwanted, dead to the world. I checked to see how old the registration number is, it was built 1978-1979 - can we presume the lonesome squatter was not rich and the car was already old when he owned it, drove it up the rough track? I'm thinking late 1980's through to anytime mid-1990's. Seems reasonable but guess work nonetheless. Again, further evidence that the squatter/owner had at least lived here for a little while. It's a sad sense yet at the same time I liked it here, knowing that the house stands almost completely surrounded by impenetrable foliage, left open to the elements but once, even on a January day, the afternoon sun climbs up, it became as warm as January day can be when the bushes and trees stop the wind and the air rushing about. I certainly felt better after my visit and the walk back to the car, and indeed the drive home, felt as if my day had been worthwhile and complete. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/aberglasney-white-door-llangathen-carmarthenshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_14768747234b5dc011678df.jpgABERGLASNEY, White Door, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tan-y-foel-ram-nr https://images.on-this.website/7784_11576566474d353b39c393a.jpgTAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 An interesting site, Tan-y-Foel is in a poor state with it's roof all but fallen. I sought an interior image but little remained inside other than some very damp beams and other indistinguishable debris so decided against crawling through rotten windows onto rotten floorboards. I had cycled from Tregaron to visit Tan-y-Foel. There had been a frost. I was out of breath and hot when I reached the footpath that leads up to the house. It was 11:30am. The house sits besides a disused quarry and a small wooded area. This sheltered the house from the rising sun. The light in this small alcove of farm and farm buildings was cool and soft. I often prefer to photograph a building on a cloudy, overcast day. However, this, it has to be said, is my preferred condition with the subject sheltered from the bright sun light. I made a number of exposures. I was limited to only 8 sheets of film, of which I used only 7. The images here are somewhat similar and show the property taken at the number of angles that were possible. For me they all work. There was little room around the rear garden due to the overgrowth of brambles. The collection of stone barns, corrugated barns were chockablock with used and disused farm machinery; bags upon bags of farming litter and rubbish. All very interesting but also disturbing seeing such a mess; sitting before a ruined house, in a prime location just a few miles out of the university town of Lampeter. Surely a use could have been found for this property? A far greater and comprehensive view of this farmhouse and it's barns can be seen at www.derelictmiscellany.org.uk by clciking on the link below: http://derelictmisc.org.uk/tanyfoel.html https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4626404.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15788377364bac5d77981b2.jpgEDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on EDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 There is something vastly poetic and romantic regarding the grieving walls of Edwinsford. The blue morning hue hung soft and silent and I too trod soft and silent amongst the rubble and remaining walls. It felt impossible to utter a sound, if so, the atmospherics would shatter into something ordinary. The ground was frozen underfoot and thin layers of ice formed over the tyre tracks and puddles made by the sharp manoeuvres of diggers and tippers. The heavy machinery sat like silent dinosaurs in front of the house, like guards, rested from disposing unidentifiable rubble and clearing piles of debris. Never anything less than a subliminal experience one can not help but wonder why it has taken so long for anyone to come to the rescue of this unusual house that has been begging for some love for over 50 years. A house of many periods and styles, each individual yet the individual parts do not, as seen at other properties, detract from the overall aesthetics. It adds only character in the case of Edwinsford. The white washed square structure, built around a large chimney, has collapsed around the rear (wooden panelling can be seen on the walls within) and this internal view gives an excellent view of how this square structure of the house was built. At the rear there’s a small courtyard, ivy entwined around stone work, but the majority of the internal structure is a void shell revealing a few structural and dividing walls and high chimneys. The owner has cleared the piles debris and an inkling of how the house must have felt can be experienced. It would be very easy to fall in love with Edwinsford. The owners / restorers need congratulating at visualising the view from a mountaintop when they are only a small part way up. I personally can barely comprehend the task at hand. The only sound I heard during my visit was the morning birdsong; particularly the sweet song from the blackbird and also the cackle of those intelligent crows and the flow of the river Cothi. It becomes easy to recall the joy of Edwinsford, as home, as seen in old photographs and postcards; neatly maintained grounds, well dressed occupants, windows and door left open in the summer months, daffodils bobbling about on a spring morning. The wealth of full bloom sits juxtaposed to the poverty of crumbling stone and dissolved mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8311550.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1924286014d353b2c36f4b.jpgTAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 An interesting site, Tan-y-Foel is in a poor state with it's roof all but fallen. I sought an interior image but little remained inside other than some very damp beams and other indistinguishable debris so decided against crawling through rotten windows onto rotten floorboards. I had cycled from Tregaron to visit Tan-y-Foel. There had been a frost. I was out of breath and hot when I reached the footpath that leads up to the house. It was 11:30am. The house sits besides a disused quarry and a small wooded area. This sheltered the house from the rising sun. The light in this small alcove of farm and farm buildings was cool and soft. I often prefer to photograph a building on a cloudy, overcast day. However, this, it has to be said, is my preferred condition with the subject sheltered from the bright sun light. I made a number of exposures. I was limited to only 8 sheets of film, of which I used only 7. The images here are somewhat similar and show the property taken at the number of angles that were possible. For me they all work. There was little room around the rear garden due to the overgrowth of brambles. The collection of stone barns, corrugated barns were chockablock with used and disused farm machinery; bags upon bags of farming litter and rubbish. All very interesting but also disturbing seeing such a mess; sitting before a ruined house, in a prime location just a few miles out of the university town of Lampeter. Surely a use could have been found for this property? A far greater and comprehensive view of this farmhouse and it's barns can be seen at www.derelictmiscellany.org.uk by clciking on the link below: http://derelictmisc.org.uk/tanyfoel.html https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475627.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9430912454b8bc7390ba0a.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12486244.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2904559334e5f337f65a56.jpgTEGFYNYDD MILL, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TEGFYNYDD MILL, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 An empty mill with large wheel present on inside and a double wheel on the outside. This property is currently on the market (August 2011) and is currently unsold. Large wooden hooded fireplace in one corner. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tan-y-rallt-revisit-llangeitho https://images.on-this.website/7784_90099261355edac10d26d5.jpgTAN-Y-RALLT (revisit), Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 TAN-Y-RALLT (revisit), Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 The house is little changed since my visit last year - very messy, a small stream runs down the back of the bank behind the house and through the foundations and flows along the hallway and out the back door. Poor house. Previously I wrote: A nice surprise - I drive along the road from Llangeitho to Talsarn quite often and saw this footpath leading up to the hills. A quick internet search on Ceredigion town planning showed a house with no other access than this path. Before work one morning I decided to go and visit. Half a mile from the road this house stood, on first inspection made of concrete blocks but quickly I realise that this was a modernisation - probably undertook some time in the 1980's. The rest of the outside shows stone and brick and I wondered if the cement blocks were put up in place of cob/mud(?). Inside is damp and dark and water ran through the back of the house and out the front door - the mud covered the tiled hall floor. The small pantry/kitchen still had many food jars untouched - I checked a brown sauce bottle - best before 1991 - was this when the house was deserted? Making exposures was difficult - the foliage before the house seemed impenetrable but after wrestling with some thick and long and quite resilient bramble branches I managed to get the camera set up for two exposures (as seen here). There was little else to photograph - maybe come back on a winter's day when more view should open up. Small [i]ty bach[/i] stands in a dip in front of the house - outbuildings no longer in use and filled with junk. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img460 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1860948752539498d5b0fea.jpgBLAEN-EINON, Mydroilyn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on BLAEN-EINON, Mydroilyn, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage, much ruined and little of which remained. One photograph was managed before the herd of young cows came over to sniff me out. It became ever increasing to photograph with the cows licking me, equipment and generally following me step by step. A friendlier bunch never have I met! The cottage itself is in a slightly hollowed ground and within a small group of trees, a few other smaller buildings scattered around, all ruinous, long forgotten. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18174363.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_112149554851aa0f6690be4.jpgPEN-BRYN-RHYG, Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on PEN-BRYN-RHYG, Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 A house not close to anywhere particular. The road up is narrow and could barely be called a road. I came here before, last year, but heard a dog barking and presumed the house was not derelict. It is not strictly derelict, just inhabited and access is only by permission. The farmhouse and outbuildings stand before a small pond. Japanese knotweed has reached here and with the brambles made reaching the front of the house impossible even without summer foliage blocking the way. A little forlorn, a few images were taken and then I left to let the foliage to wend it's way around stone and mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/017 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3907960015406ec8c53f6d.jpgGRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Empty and forlorn, Graig-ddu-isaf has been left to decay slowly for a number of years. Peeking inside saw the usual bits of furniture and farm machinery. All seems quite depressing and damp on first inspection but beyond the decay there is a pleasant air about the place. It is quiet and tranquil, I felt miles from anywhere, even if the track to the house is just a short walk from road. A number of exposures were made, perhaps the most successful being the image of the corrugated toilet, a familiar sight in these parts, around the side of the house - with make-shift toilet pan included. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22365167.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1648985459540f2e9de9bad.jpgESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on ESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 A large house, long ruined with large barns adjacent and still in agricultural use. The footpath from the road keeps the house from view but within minutes you see a clump of Scot’s Pine and you know exactly where you will find the house. One of Scot’s Pine had fallen recently and smashed into the rear. Most of the roof, indeed façade, had come down and the house is mostly a shell. Clues of the rooms remain, fireplaces, lintels, building materials and as I wandered around I wished I’d visited ten or fifteen years previously. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14330592.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12492707974f5da9ca10495.jpgTY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on TY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 This house, on the Neath Road, Tonna, was the victim of a fire some years back. It was built circa 1700's as a private residence (there’s an excellent photograph of it on the 'Royal Commssion on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales' website) and then latterly as a ladies seminary. Nature, perhaps as in God, saw fit to reduce and return this house, its grounds, back to the earth. Today, the façade has all but crumbled away. The red brick structure, built in the 1920’s, glowed in the afternoon, early spring, sunlight. This red brick section seemed well built and salvageable, what a shame it felt more of an industrial addition rather than an aesthetic one. The main house looks as if it has imploded. The cellars filled in with rubble, broken furniture, white goods. I think a potholer could have unrivalled access if a potholer did indeed fancy a different kind of danger, with a more human kind of view and the destructive force of nature. The outer walls, although remain high on three sides, have all but gone on the frontage. This façade stands only a few yards away from the road. And whilst walking along the road and following the stone wall that stands around it perimeter, one cannot but wonder why this house, so openly accessible, has not seen greater vandalism. Is it because it offers the vandal nothing new? Have all the rooms within been explored and trashed, tagged with graffiti and the windows smashed? Well, actually no, peering in through the ground stair windows it would appear relatively untouched. Is it too well known, to the locals, to bother to cast a bored eye upon? I do not know. It was new to me. I have known of this property for many a year but have chosen, although not exclusively, to photograph more rural properties. The empty houses in towns and cities (of Wales) is a whole new project. This one already feels like a lifelong endeavour. This house, on Neath Road, Tonna, has reached the end of its life. It does not seem worth salvaging. Restoration seems unlikely. It is beyond repair. It left me thinking that demolition then a complete re-build would be the preferred path to follow. That is, if I were a property developer, or builder, or architect (but perhaps a gradual restoration for the historian). In its prime this was an attractive, well-proportioned property. Although my visit was a short one, only a few short hours were spent searching for viewpoints and exposing a few sheets of film, it was still a worthwhile visit. Within the grounds, other smaller ruined buildings too, their former use indistinguishable but I presume once were stables and service quarters. All overgrown with mature hardwoods, a prominent monkey puzzle and rampant rhododendrons. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34374853.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7905688255abb9bda2a20c.jpgBUCKLEY'S BREWERY, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire 2018 Notes on BUCKLEY'S BREWERY, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire 2018 A large brewery, empty, windows bricked up and listed. It stands in the centre of Llanelli. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/butterhill-st-ishmaels-pembrokeshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_17180941284971f4b16de01.jpgBUTTERHILL, St Ishmael's, Pembrokeshire Notes on BUTTERHILL, St Ishmael's, Pembrokeshire 2005 Built and accommodated by the Roche family from 1607 – 1906, it has been continually enlarged throughout its life. It has three storey’s at the front and a massive, imposing extra storey at the rear. A short walk from the lodge west of the house opens out to Butterhill and its substantial outbuildings. All seemed too ruinous for restoration but in late May 2005 it appeared a new roof had been laid and new draining placed and once again the house has begun a new chapter in its life. Unbeknown to me at the time of my visit there is also a fine and small Shell Grotto in the grounds with a small dome roof. It is said to be in a perilous state. I was also told and/or read somewhere that there was a dolls house based on Butterhill. Does this still remain? [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17333754994b73b25bcc569.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5334123824b73b27bcd2b3.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3885395764b73b29b1d441.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 BUTTERHILL St Ishmael’s. Sir Benfro 2005 Adeiladwyd gan deulu Roche a buont yn byw yno rhwng 1607 - 1906, a chafodd ei ehangu yn gyson drwy gydol ei oes. Mae ganddo dri llawr ar y blaen, a llawr ychwanegol sylweddol yn y cefn. Ychydig o’r lodj i’r gorllewin o’rty gwelir Butterhill a’i dai allan sylweddol. Ymddangosai’r cyfan yn rhy wael i’w hadfer ond ar ddiwedd Mai 2005 gwelwyd to newydd yn cael ei osod a draeniau newydd ac unwaith yn rhagor mae’r ty yn dechrau cyfnod newydd yn ei fywyd. Mae yna hefyd arfdy a thy gwenyn ar y tir. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img410 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1869336338537a4babab5a1.jpgTROED Y RHIW INDEPENDENT CHAPEL Notes on TROED Y RHIW INDEPENDENT CHAPEL, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41241765.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5145331575efb02d79e9e9.jpgCOED CYW UCHAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on COED CYW UCHAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 A good sized farmhouse with large opposing chimneys but obviously long ruined. On a public footpath but it takes a little negotiating to follow the path with barb wire over gate and gate post, no stiles to climb. A herd of cows came to visit me too, always curious and always serene, and I wondered if it would alert the farmer/owner who’d I’d been warned was not fond of anyone showing any interest in this house. I figured as long as I stayed to the public footpath then there’d be no trouble and besides it is the owners house and there’s no reason why anybody should have any interest in it; to each their own. Barns roofless and ruined and the whole place with grand views towards the Loughor Estuary. A lovely site, serene and silent and such a great shame that it will fall before long. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5834425.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7685121934c5e4ef0a347c.jpgMOUNTON CHAPEL, Canaston Woods, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on MOUNTON CHAPEL, Canaston Woods, Pembrokeshire 2010 Originally a 13th century chapel but restored in the 18th and 19th centuries, it is very ruinous with the roof half collapsed and the other half in a very precarious state. I squeezed through the high security fence that surrounds this small chapel in the middle of a field. I was not going to enter but the fence had already been breached and I was pleased I did. Inside there was the usual clutter and masonry of an abandoned, and partly fallen, property laying on the ground. Graffiti was scratched into the soft damp plaster on the walls – names and dates, some of which dated back twenty years, all part of the chapels’ recent history. Some areas of brightly coloured paint on corbels and small wall alcoves, framed in blue and red paintwork. These small areas of colour gave hint at a once beautifully decorated chapel. Outside just off centre to the entrance is a large five foot square large foundation stone. I was uncertain of its purpose. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4343058.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13499128924b66eebe43059.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 This shows graffiti carved into the damp plaster in the main hall at Aberglasney. Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ty-unnos-rhos-gelli-gron https://images.on-this.website/7784_194706454455767e8eb6e29.jpgTY-UNNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TY-UNNOS #4, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 A return to the area and I made an exposure of each property unless so little remained that it was not worthwhile. Hard to imagine that this was once a busy little community. I imagine all the houses were thatched, though all are stone with a few brick chimneys here and there. Only two of the properties were of two storey, the largest of which also had a separate cottage/barn at a right angle behind, no inter-connecting door but interesting nonetheless. The rain lashed down when I reached there and I took shelter for a good ten minutes wondering if, indeed, the rain would stop. It slowed, so I went out, making a few exposures but the horizontal rain was covering my lens with a fine mist. Some of the pictures have been effected and therefore not printed. The rain did at last stop, the sun came out, my fingers were by this time red and raw but the sun soon thawed me and dried my equipment. By the time I returned to my car I was too dry and warm. Previous notes TAI-UNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not know the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2 etc… https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4214630.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14708094924b3e24e57c6fc.jpgEDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2004 Notes on EDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2004 Thomas Lloyd considered the demise of Edwinsford, between Llansawel and Talyllychau, as one of the saddest sights in South Wales. My first visit in 1997 was frustrating due to a lack of permission to enter the grounds and photograph. A nearby resident warned of the dangers of the house due to its instability. My second visit in April 2004 was made at sunrise. Two caravans sat in the grounds and I presumed, a process of demolition had begun. I made some exposures moving around the house for the best possible viewpoint but I could not help but feel that the house had given up and that the optimum time to photograph the house had been back in 1997. The roadside view back in 1997 gave me promise that the house had reached that stage where action to save it had to be taken there and then. Any longer would have been too little, too late. As it happens the new owners of Edwinsford contacted me early 2005 with the news that the house was not, as I suggested, on the precipice of demolition but of restoration. I suppose to restore such a property in such a dilapidated state begins with the part demolition and then the re-build. Edwinsford, a spectacular sight and a superior house – long fronted and of many periods, most notably the square structure built around a chimney built in the 1630’s. This square structure is architecturally a beautiful component and is, to my eyes, the focal point of the whole house. The rest of the house, much has completely collapsed, was built from the late 17th century through to the 20th century. Derelict since World War Two it was reported that Polish refugees grew mushrooms under the floorboards, no doubt progressing the rampant rot. Much of the furniture was said to be left in situ for much of its abandoned life with rooms filled with elaborate plaster frieze. Many of the house’s fine features: three fine plaster ceilings, lead statues, oak staircase and a sundial are all lost. Edwinsford lies a few miles from Talley Abbey and can be seen from the lay-by on the B4337 (but better viewed during the winter months). On the photographic note i unfortuntely, at the time these were taken, was experimenting with various lenses and parts of these images are a little 'soft' around the edges and i do not consider as sharp as the other images on this website. Nonetheless the photographs were still made on a 5x4inch field camera and are sharp enough unless giant enlargements are required (maximum enlargement size is 12x16inch). I was hoping to re-visit Edwinsford and was in touch with the new owners some years ago but i've lost their email address - if they are reading this please do get in touch! [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3837977054b3887e8a3197.jpg[/img] Edwinsford 2004 Edwinsford, Talley, Sir Gaerfyrddin 2004 Mae Edwinsford yn olygfa hynod ac yn dy bendigedig ond eto mae’n adfail. Mae ffrynt I’r ty ac mae yn perthyn I sawl cyfnod, y manylyn mwyyaf nodedig yw’r strwythur sgwar a adeiladwyd o gwmpas simnai yn y 1620au gydag adeiniau ac estyniadau pellach wedi’u hadeiladu o ddiwedd y 1680au drwyddo I’r 19eg ganrif. Mae nifer o nodweddion gwych y ty wedi eu colli, tri nenfwd plaster bendigedig, delwau plwm, grisiau derw a deial haul. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ceulan-mill-talybont-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12689310854e606bca59343.jpgCEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2011 An unexpected visit and also of note some items have disappeared notably many, many spools of wool and possibly some baskets. The stuffed heron remains. The bulk of the machines survive, the atmospherics, as ever, survive. The morning of my visit was cloudy with drizzle and little light entered the mill - exposures of 90 minutes were used (a three to six hour exposure would have been preferable) and thus, one has to question the argument of film v digital. A digital image could have been taken in a fraction of the time and therefore more exposures could have been made. My love of traditional film photography is however too strong, too imbedded to alter my current course. At this moment. Abandoned in 1959 one get the feeling that the workers just downed tools and left everything just as one witnesses it today. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafodunos-lodge-llangernwy-denbighshire-2005 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19263546834d2ea4de342d8.jpgHAFODUNOS LODGE, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 A gatehouse stands at the entrance of Hafodunos, elaborate and ruined, and after a short slight upward slope walk to the house Hafodunos unfolds, obviously empty, elaborate and also in a ruinous state. It is not in a ruinous state due to nature’s reclamation but because of abandonment, vandalism and a terrible fire in the fall of 2004. It is a very large Gothic-style house, built in 1861-66 by Sir George Gilbert-Scott on an earlier site, with a clock tower and octagonal billiard room. Hafodunos is in a desperate state of disrepair, with many of its features either lost to man’s destruction or otherwise stolen. The conservatories, built a little later than the house, all smashed into many fragments but all beautifully lit. The grounds beneath the layer of undergrowth reveal a once well-maintained and extensive garden. The interior, although vacated some 7 years ago, felt as if it had only been vacated last month. Even so, the walls are brittle and scarred with peeling paintwork and spray-can graffiti and the maze of rooms, corridors and courtyards are littered with burnt furniture, perilous ceilings and rotting staircases. The fire had all but destroyed the front facade and had left Hafodunas a very pitiful pile. It accommodated many uses throughout its relatively short life: once an accountancy college, a girls school, then a care home and eventually a hotel and restaurant. I wandered around overwhelmed and with much the same feeling as that of Aberglasney some 10 years previous: of not learning from our past mistakes and just passing on the consequences. Aberglasney was eventually salvaged from the brink of total collapse. Hafodunos however, though greatly admired, may give itself up to the elements, whether human or natural, and it remains to be seen if someone will have the care of attention that this building deserves. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41424039.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3970526715f2a75420fc5b.jpgCEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CEFN-CETHIN, Trapp, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had known of this house since it was first put on the market a couple of years ago. The pictures of the estate agent website show a roofless ruin, the grounds cleared of foliage. In those two years a lot of foliage had grown back and my visit, mid-summer, made it all but impossible to get to the front door. Only a few exposures were made. This is an 18th century manor house (according to the sales burb) and the house is larger than most farmhouses and has an interesting array of outbuildings. The arched doorways had appeal, as does the full height rear part of the house, a somewhat odd looking square extension most likely a rear doorway but inaccessible. The rear is also windowless other than the large arch. I wonder if this had something to do with the historical window tax (introduced in 1696 until 1851)? Outbuildings around the rear, again mostly inaccessible. A lovely site and a lovely house which takes only a little imagination, but a whole heap of money, to return to its former glory. According to ‘Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families’ by Francis Jones (ISBN 0906972027), Cefn Cethin was still being lived in when the book was published in 1987. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img219 https://images.on-this.website/7784_257273449534791444cd38.jpgCWM-MOIRO CHAPEL, Ceredigion 1999 Please note: this image is not for sale https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4639814.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1646106384baf0df4d5f78.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13016798894b46e3a6c754c.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (The coat of arms above main entrance) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20721635804b46e4129f0a8.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img240 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1818375893534aa7f1eb265.jpgTEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 2001 Notes on TEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 2001 Grasses flattened out by lake side https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40586133.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9121316395de8dd6c1c38d.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2078541.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8681082354971f4bca9902.jpgGWRYCH CASTLE, Abergele, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on GWRYCH CASTLE, Abergele, Denbighshire 2005 An eerie, melancholic sight overlooking the Irish Sea. Gwrych is a mock castle built 1819, its history is a short one and after few private owners, was opened up to the public from 1948 until 1985. It has been, as often the case, left to the elements and worse still, the vandals. Once left empty, with security packed up and gone, some local residents set about sealing Gwrych from the weather and the boredom and greed of vandals. But it was a battle they seemed destined to lose: though there has been much talk of restoration, with each winter that passes more and more of the castle is lost. I spent a good afternoon at Gwrych. I had seen many images, recent and old, and had wanted to find the image that captures the atmosphere of a ruined building that a general view can but rarely encapsulate. A large castle, it’s front a quarter of mile in length. My peaceful Sunday afternoon was pierced by occasional shouts and blasts of music caught on the wind. Someone, somewhere within the castle was having some kind of party. I tiptoed around, a little nervous and intrepid, until that is, I reached the entrance and came across another party, a small group of people and a photographer, with a young couple having their portraits taken. Gwrych had become a strange community. No longer witness to class prejudice, and even when officially opened to the public, no longer a tourist haunt. It was an odd afternoon. I am unsure of what the future holds for Gwrych. It is too large, too solid, too castle-like to be ignored and forgotten for much longer. I do not believe I came anywhere close to capturing Gwrych at its best. It was purchased again recently and work has begun to restore and to be used as an hotel. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13181566944b3863c128dc5.jpg[/img] Gwrych Castle 2004 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8311552.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16875400494d353b3050c7a.jpgTAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TAN-Y-FOEL, Ram, Nr Cwmann, Carmarthenshire 2011 An interesting site, Tan-y-Foel is in a poor state with it's roof all but fallen. I sought an interior image but little remained inside other than some very damp beams and other indistinguishable debris so decided against crawling through rotten windows onto rotten floorboards. I had cycled from Tregaron to visit Tan-y-Foel. There had been a frost. I was out of breath and hot when I reached the footpath that leads up to the house. It was 11:30am. The house sits besides a disused quarry and a small wooded area. This sheltered the house from the rising sun. The light in this small alcove of farm and farm buildings was cool and soft. I often prefer to photograph a building on a cloudy, overcast day. However, this, it has to be said, is my preferred condition with the subject sheltered from the bright sun light. I made a number of exposures. I was limited to only 8 sheets of film, of which I used only 7. The images here are somewhat similar and show the property taken at the number of angles that were possible. For me they all work. There was little room around the rear garden due to the overgrowth of brambles. The collection of stone barns, corrugated barns were chockablock with used and disused farm machinery; bags upon bags of farming litter and rubbish. All very interesting but also disturbing seeing such a mess; sitting before a ruined house, in a prime location just a few miles out of the university town of Lampeter. Surely a use could have been found for this property? A far greater and comprehensive view of this farmhouse and it's barns can be seen at www.derelictmiscellany.org.uk by clciking on the link below: http://derelictmisc.org.uk/tanyfoel.html https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41241975.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11548002065efb38d4ee072.jpgHOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 Notes on HOREB BRICKWORKS, Llanelli 2020 I am not sure how I missed these brick-works before but they’re easily found along the cycle path from Horeb to Lliedi Reservoirs. Well camouflage in the summer foliage but if visiting look for the huge tower and you know you’re in the right place. The brickworks are in a fairly good condition, the entrance is somewhat caved in but the basic structure seems sound. Nature has however reclaimed around the perimeter. Within was dark, I had chosen a very wet morning to visit, late June, heavy rain, the foliage not helping with lighting up the interior. Beer cans aplenty within but the site perhaps not as vandalized as it would be if it was located elsewhere. Horeb is a far distance from anywhere and parking is a challenge. I had forgotten to put a SD card into my digital camera to take colour snapshots. I was annoyed with myself, usually so fastidious before I go out photographing. I needn't have worried. I had my smartphone and the pictures it took were of a good enough quality. I think a re-visit to this site once the summer is over. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmgigfran-carmarthenshire-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7722222224f2647a214ba2.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 The bridle way that leads up to the estate of Cwmgigfran is lined with mature trees. The path is deeply rutted with the autumn leaves laying decomposing over the rich deeper mud beneath. After a half mile walk in a lightly wooded area I came across a fenced off area and within a large impenetrable mass of rhododendrons. A small gate which I presumed would wend itself around to the front of the property would have been a preferred entrance but this is over grown with tendrils of brambles climbing high, into the ground, out into the air and would surely wrap their barbed selves around me. So another route was found, alongside some outbuildings, again, the brambles acted as a natural barrier. These outbuildings showed interest – a former resident – living rough(?) – a mouldy and damp mattress, folds of blankets, bags of clothes, a carpet pinned against a wall (obviously to seal off any cold draughts). Within another outbuilding were shelves of various fittings; jars of nails, a rusting wheelbarrow, an oil lamp, pot belly stove standing redundant and unfitted… this list could be endless, like that of the mansion of Plas Gwynfryn. Everything, however, was rusting, or broken, or had passed its useful life. So onward to the house, surprisingly large, unsurprisingly few fragments of architectural interest remain. The four high walls do reveal a full three storey and settled on a basement. According to ‘Lost Houses of Wales’ (Tom Lloyd), the house was built 1800 but dismantled 1965. The land around the house is either boggy and inaccessible or inaccessible due to the foliage which has been allowed to grow without restraint. This adds only to the thrill of visiting such a house. The frontages had two brick-clad bays reaching up the full three storeys but higher still were the trees that grew within. To photograph the façade was challenging and I literally had to stand within the rhododendron jungle and use my camera bag to weigh down the tripod and camera. The branches of the rhododendron are naturally living things and any force against them caused them to respond with equal force. Once weighted, the camera and tripod seemed relatively stable. But, as ever, long exposures were used even in the winter sunlight and after 12 seconds (and then after developing and printing the negatives) I was pleased to find the negatives were sharp and the springy rhododendrons branches hadn’t caused any movement against the tripod legs and therefore causing a blurred negative. Cwmgigfran stands quite magnificent in its obscured location, overlooking a peaceful landscape and on this bright winters morning transmits not an air of sadness but of calmness. One can breathe here. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img244 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1699041926534aa77b1905f.jpgCWMYSTWYTH, Ceredigion 1991 Please note: this image is not for sale https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8257292.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10585736634d2d5b566eb40.jpgGARREGLWYD, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on GARREGLWYD, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 With my car out of action I took to pedal power, on a Friday morning, in the sleet, from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid, up further past Strata Florida Abbey and beyond to the Mwyro Valley. I locked my bike near to the small chapel that sits at the dead end of the tarmacked road. The last time I was here was in 2002 and this small chapel lay derelict, the slates barely clinging to the rotting roof timbers. Happily, now it has been beautifully restored. So on foot I walked along the path and up to the farmstead of Garreglwyd. It wasn’t an easy walk. I was tired from the cycle ride, the sleet was bitter against my face and my waterproof clothing had begun to dampen and cling coolly to my body. Yes, I did consider turning back but felt I would be letting myself down. In 2002 I visited Garreglwyd, the ground was baked hard and the heat was stifling. The seasons in Mid Wales can be harsh but better to feel them than be cocooned within a city confines. The house at Garreglwyd is long ruined, in fact there are many small ruins along this once relatively high-populated area of small farms and shepherd dwellings, and the corrugated iron roof had collapsed on what little remained inside. My visit in 2002 showed a small wood burner and some benches and seats. Was this an unofficial rest for the weary wanderer? I rested there in 2002 and appreciated it. With the roof collapsed there is no longer anywhere to rest, other than the barns which are still in agricultural use. Unfortunately Garreglwyd has all but reached the end of its secluded life. Around the rear, the house sits in a bank and one feels it’s is surely sinking back into the ground. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2384286.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_22680438749e0c04cbb822.jpgLLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2009 Notes on LLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2009 A return to Llanstinan on a late March, early morning and dimly lit. The house had recently been cleared from the foliage that crept around its walls and grounds. Destroyed by fire in the 1940's the house has, since, begun it's slow decline. A side view reveals high on the rendered wall with the date 1769. A row of palms hint at once renowned garden terrace. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10045126584b6e5ff8a0cbd.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11481595294b6e613be752c.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_772588494b6e6189961ec.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21238885894b6e6b485ff7e.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1566881182498ed3a00b0e5.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House Porch 2005 TY LLANSTINAN. Llanstinan, Aberqwaun. Sir Benfro 2005 & 2009 Yn gynnar un bore ar ddiwedd mis Mai a glaw man trwm yn chwythu o'm hamgylch, cerddais ar hyd hen Iwybr a oedd yn llawn llystyfiant tuag at adfeilion dirgel a chyfareddol Ty Llanstinan. Ar un adeg, roedd gan Dy Llanstinan ardd deras odidog (mae rhes hir o balmwydd yn dal i sefyll wrth ymyl y ty), ond erbyn heddiw mae wedi tyfu'n wyllt. Mae'r Ty Llanstinan llaith a thywyll bellach yn adfeilio. Colofnau portico sy'n eich croesawu i'r ty. Mae pedwar llawr i'r ty ynghyd ag islawr (pob un wedi mynd a'i ben iddo). Gorchuddiwyd y waliau cefn a llechi ond bellach mae iorwg yn rhwygo'r llechi o'r morter. Hefyd, mae'r dwr yn diferu i lawr. Mae pob un o'r waliau o amgylch y stablau a'r esgyll gwasanaethu yn llaith, yn anghynnes ac wedi eu difetha'n llwyr. Adeiladwyd y ty ar hen safle yn 1680 a thros y blynyddoedd, cafodd ei newid yn rheolaidd. Yn y pendraw, llosgodd y ty yn yr 1940au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img302 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1463656662535946decd7a6.jpgELAN VALLEY, Radnorshire 1996 Notes on ELAN VALLEY, Radnorshire 1996 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img306 https://images.on-this.website/7784_42585993453594751de12d.jpgTREE, Ceredigion 1997 Notes on TREE, Ceredigion 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34135510.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15001488635a8beb22a0c83.jpgNotes on DEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on DEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 These roots shown here, as well as many of the other images shown have now become intimate friends, photographed and re-photographed, viewpoints and focal lengths of lenses changed. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22379930.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14880021445411ed09e33ac.jpgNANT RHYS BOTHY, Radnorshire 2001 Notes on NANT RHYS BOTHY, Radnorshire 2001 Not strictly a ruin but a well-equipped bothy and I believe well-used these days. Taken on 35mm camera. Photograph not for sale. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4360793.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6802654854b6c4fa31fe6e.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2009 I had heard that Bronwydd had all but gone, demolished by the owner/farmer since my last visit in 1996. I was surprised to find that very little had changed. Some of the ornate arches with Latin inscriptions had fallen but considering it had been 13 years I believe Bronwydd still has much to offer the casual visitor. A border collie came bounding over and accompanied me during my visit demanding I throw stones. Another dog barked constantly somewhere in the farm yard above. As I approached the house the cows and calves fled and the sheep huddled in corners of fields. The most prominent part of Bronwydd is the large high tower, completely ivy covered and resilient. The remnants of fireplaces, doorways, staircases and plastered corners can be seen when looking up from the inside. Foolishly I forgot also to see if the spiral staircase to the narrow rounded tower that projects up beside the large ivy covered tower was still accessible. I’m not sure I would have had the courage to walk up it anyway. A few decorative blocks of plasterwork lay here and there in amongst the rubble and stone. Although I only spent half an hour at Bronwydd I spent a further two hours attempting to dig my car of the mud I had decided to park it in! [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_312845545498bd5e5d5c3a.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14637335094a693b5d1666f.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9156197234b5961bda7cc2.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18635850294b595fa4283c9.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13462290774b3887ff84ddd.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5865035494b596057f17e0.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14505653094b5960a7413ee.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17816598244b596167aea23.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7376366104b59600452e57.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 BRONWYDD. Llanqynllo. Ceredigion 1997 & 2009 Safai ty ar safle Bronwydd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar ddeg ac fe gafodd ei ailadeiladu yn y 1850au - er nad oes dim yma heddiw ond twmpath o rwbel. Mae'r cerfiadau cerrig, y gwydr lliw a'r murluniau wedi hen ddiflannu heblaw am ychydig o arwyddeiriau Lladin uwchben y drysau o garreg Caerfaddon.. Dychwelais i Fronwydd fis Gorffennaf 2009. Prin yr oedd wedi newid. Mae eiddew'n gorchuddio'r twr ac mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r arysgrifau Lladin wedi dirywio a diflannu am byth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37359252.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1182804405c5c95f212b1c.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Somehow it has been seven years since I first visited Cwmygigfran. Nothing had really changed. It is still almost totally inaccessible – due to foliage – but I do realise my camera bag and tripod do add a considerable bulk to my frame. The large trees along the pathway towards the house hints at something hidden in the mass of foliage. A low long wall is also present, almost like a low platform of a small narrow gauge railway. A small gate, open, hanging off the hinge and into a mass of tiny branches. A way through is forged. Nonetheless, it’s a real pain getting to the walls and once within the house, and climbing out a window, it does allow access to the front of the house where, strangely enough, nothing seems to grow – the rhododendrons surround the house but seem to avoid this section. The same can be said of the brambles too! So it is here, just right in front of the house the exposures need to be made. Access inside is also possible, mature trees grow inside, the walls are bare, little clue of what was once found within, that said, it is easy to see that this was once a full three storey property. Viewpoints are limited and I am aware that my first visit saw me document the better angles. I re-took an image taken from the outside and took some different internal images using a standard lens (whereas before I used a wide-angle) Alan Richards wrote on the 'Geograph' website: A house has stood at Cwmygigfran (trans. Valley of the Raven) since circa 1600. In 1871 the house was known locally as 'The Palace' after its owner, Daniel Thomas, had spent a fortune on renovating the old place. Indeed, tradition has it that he spent so much money gentrifying the house that he couldn't afford to live there. Around the turn of the twentieth century the house began to deteriorate and by 1940 it had fallen into total disrepair. In 1960, Cwmygigfran was completely stripped of anything of value after being bought by a demolition firm from Hereford. Once the house was photographed I then returned to the barns outside where once someone lived. Although only a few metres away, this also takes a little effort to reach. The remnants I found seven years ago seem to be less. A tarpaulin partially stops the weather but it is frayed and torn. It is an odd place. A sink but no running water, a roof but a gable end collapsed, a full height metal cupboard filled with cans of rusty nails and screws yet nothing to nail or screw down. I do not think this owner had any intention of restoring the house. It was probably beyond hope in the 1960's when the walls and roof were striped of all their worth. What chance forty years later? It is not the once rich owners I think about but the guy, I presume it was a guy, living alone, who occupied this barn. I wonder for how long? Surely not through the winter months? Was he squatting, did he own the house itself? An old Volvo estate sits not far from the house, dirty and unwanted, dead to the world. I checked to see how old the registration number is, it was built 1978-1979 - can we presume the lonesome squatter was not rich and the car was already old when he owned it, drove it up the rough track? I'm thinking late 1980's through to anytime mid-1990's. Seems reasonable but guess work nonetheless. Again, further evidence that the squatter/owner had at least lived here for a little while. It's a sad sense yet at the same time I liked it here, knowing that the house stands almost completely surrounded by impenetrable foliage, left open to the elements but once, even on a January day, the afternoon sun climbs up, it became as warm as January day can be when the bushes and trees stop the wind and the air rushing about. I certainly felt better after my visit and the walk back to the car, and indeed the drive home, felt as if my day had been worthwhile and complete. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37360253.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19457570995c5d27c81d4c8.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Somehow it has been seven years since I first visited Cwmygigfran. Nothing had really changed. It is still almost totally inaccessible – due to foliage – but I do realise my camera bag and tripod do add a considerable bulk to my frame. The large trees along the pathway towards the house hints at something hidden in the mass of foliage. A low long wall is also present, almost like a low platform of a small narrow gauge railway. A small gate, open, hanging off the hinge and into a mass of tiny branches. A way through is forged. Nonetheless, it’s a real pain getting to the walls and once within the house, and climbing out a window, it does allow access to the front of the house where, strangely enough, nothing seems to grow – the rhododendrons surround the house but seem to avoid this section. The same can be said of the brambles too! So it is here, just right in front of the house the exposures need to be made. Access inside is also possible, mature trees grow inside, the walls are bare, little clue of what was once found within, that said, it is easy to see that this was once a full three storey property. Viewpoints are limited and I am aware that my first visit saw me document the better angles. I re-took an image taken from the outside and took some different internal images using a standard lens (whereas before I used a wide-angle) Alan Richards wrote on the 'Geograph' website: A house has stood at Cwmygigfran (trans. Valley of the Raven) since circa 1600. In 1871 the house was known locally as 'The Palace' after its owner, Daniel Thomas, had spent a fortune on renovating the old place. Indeed, tradition has it that he spent so much money gentrifying the house that he couldn't afford to live there. Around the turn of the twentieth century the house began to deteriorate and by 1940 it had fallen into total disrepair. In 1960, Cwmygigfran was completely stripped of anything of value after being bought by a demolition firm from Hereford. Once the house was photographed I then returned to the barns outside where once someone lived. Although only a few metres away, this also takes a little effort to reach. The remnants I found seven years ago seem to be less. A tarpaulin partially stops the weather but it is frayed and torn. It is an odd place. A sink but no running water, a roof but a gable end collapsed, a full height metal cupboard filled with cans of rusty nails and screws yet nothing to nail or screw down. I do not think this owner had any intention of restoring the house. It was probably beyond hope in the 1960's when the walls and roof were striped of all their worth. What chance forty years later? It is not the once rich owners I think about but the guy, I presume it was a guy, living alone, who occupied this barn. I wonder for how long? Surely not through the winter months? Was he squatting, did he own the house itself? An old Volvo estate sits not far from the house, dirty and unwanted, dead to the world. I checked to see how old the registration number is, it was built 1978-1979 - can we presume the lonesome squatter was not rich and the car was already old when he owned it, drove it up the rough track? I'm thinking late 1980's through to anytime mid-1990's. Seems reasonable but guess work nonetheless. Again, further evidence that the squatter/owner had at least lived here for a little while. It's a sad sense yet at the same time I liked it here, knowing that the house stands almost completely surrounded by impenetrable foliage, left open to the elements but once, even on a January day, the afternoon sun climbs up, it became as warm as January day can be when the bushes and trees stop the wind and the air rushing about. I certainly felt better after my visit and the walk back to the car, and indeed the drive home, felt as if my day had been worthwhile and complete. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14062296.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8426525844f26471c91507.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 The bridle way that leads up to the estate of Cwmgigfran is lined with mature trees. The path is deeply rutted with the autumn leaves laying decomposing over the rich deeper mud beneath. After a half mile walk in a lightly wooded area I came across a fenced off area and within a large impenetrable mass of rhododendrons. A small gate which I presumed would wend itself around to the front of the property would have been a preferred entrance but this is over grown with tendrils of brambles climbing high, into the ground, out into the air and would surely wrap their barbed selves around me. So another route was found, alongside some outbuildings, again, the brambles acted as a natural barrier. These outbuildings showed interest – a former resident – living rough(?) – a mouldy and damp mattress, folds of blankets, bags of clothes, a carpet pinned against a wall (obviously to seal off any cold draughts). Within another outbuilding were shelves of various fittings; jars of nails, a rusting wheelbarrow, an oil lamp, pot belly stove standing redundant and unfitted… this list could be endless, like that of the mansion of Plas Gwynfryn. Everything, however, was rusting, or broken, or had passed its useful life. So onward to the house, surprisingly large, unsurprisingly few fragments of architectural interest remain. The four high walls do reveal a full three storey and settled on a basement. According to ‘Lost Houses of Wales’ (Tom Lloyd), the house was built 1800 but dismantled 1965. The land around the house is either boggy and inaccessible or inaccessible due to the foliage which has been allowed to grow without restraint. This adds only to the thrill of visiting such a house. The frontages had two brick-clad bays reaching up the full three storeys but higher still were the trees that grew within. To photograph the façade was challenging and I literally had to stand within the rhododendron jungle and use my camera bag to weigh down the tripod and camera. The branches of the rhododendron are naturally living things and any force against them caused them to respond with equal force. Once weighted, the camera and tripod seemed relatively stable. But, as ever, long exposures were used even in the winter sunlight and after 12 seconds (and then after developing and printing the negatives) I was pleased to find the negatives were sharp and the springy rhododendrons branches hadn’t caused any movement against the tripod legs and therefore causing a blurred negative. Cwmgigfran stands quite magnificent in its obscured location, overlooking a peaceful landscape and on this bright winters morning transmits not an air of sadness but of calmness. One can breathe here. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4626403.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8013665984bac5d732b3eb.jpgEDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on EDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 There is something vastly poetic and romantic regarding the grieving walls of Edwinsford. The blue morning hue hung soft and silent and I too trod soft and silent amongst the rubble and remaining walls. It felt impossible to utter a sound, if so, the atmospherics would shatter into something ordinary. The ground was frozen underfoot and thin layers of ice formed over the tyre tracks and puddles made by the sharp manoeuvres of diggers and tippers. The heavy machinery sat like silent dinosaurs in front of the house, like guards, rested from disposing unidentifiable rubble and clearing piles of debris. Never anything less than a subliminal experience one can not help but wonder why it has taken so long for anyone to come to the rescue of this unusual house that has been begging for some love for over 50 years. A house of many periods and styles, each individual yet the individual parts do not, as seen at other properties, detract from the overall aesthetics. It adds only character in the case of Edwinsford. The white washed square structure, built around a large chimney, has collapsed around the rear (wooden panelling can be seen on the walls within) and this internal view gives an excellent view of how this square structure of the house was built. At the rear there’s a small courtyard, ivy entwined around stone work, but the majority of the internal structure is a void shell revealing a few structural and dividing walls and high chimneys. The owner has cleared the piles debris and an inkling of how the house must have felt can be experienced. It would be very easy to fall in love with Edwinsford. The owners / restorers need congratulating at visualising the view from a mountaintop when they are only a small part way up. I personally can barely comprehend the task at hand. The only sound I heard during my visit was the morning birdsong; particularly the sweet song from the blackbird and also the cackle of those intelligent crows and the flow of the river Cothi. It becomes easy to recall the joy of Edwinsford, as home, as seen in old photographs and postcards; neatly maintained grounds, well dressed occupants, windows and door left open in the summer months, daffodils bobbling about on a spring morning. The wealth of full bloom sits juxtaposed to the poverty of crumbling stone and dissolved mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38373158.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19770570685cdd0a979a1ae.jpgDORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2019 Notes on DORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2019 Another visit, only a year apart. The crack on gable end a little larger. The walk to the ruins still a pleasant one but less rewarding than the first but that's, naturally, always the case. Only a few exposures were made, why repeat those of only a year previous? The second visit always allows a little more thought, perhaps take images that I wouldn't have thought about taking the first time around. It forces me to look a little harder, to find something of character, something sculptural, textured, whole. This sort of photography I find hit or miss. Time will tell. I've had a break recently from photographing, nothing serious in months and then it dawns on me that months have passed and these months are precious and better not live them with regret. So, out come the maps. As I've spoken about before these trips to old buildings mostly start by map. I search maps for remote place, or places without obvious roads or tracks. Some of my maps are over 25 years old. Sometimes new tracks/driveways are laid. Sometimes not. I circle a few potential sites, around the same area and then I search on Googlemaps. Most times these so-called remote areas are well-developed. You can see buildings with roofs, cars parked beside, ponds, swimming pools, greenhouses etc etc... But I always zoom out a little further and then scan the surrounding area, return to the maps, try here, try there and sooner or later, more often than not, a roofless building will be found, standing within a group of trees, barely legible on map or computer screen. It's a good feeling; to know that there was a home, most likely forgotten, out of view, worthy of visiting and documenting. If only more information could be gathered by a visit alone, but if a house is small then nothing will be found in books. I will need to wait, and hope, someone comes across it on this website and adds a comment. These comments sometimes cascade and more people add their recollections, always a pleasure to read. They give a ruin a roof, furniture, occupiers and life. So often these houses and homes have only been empty thirty, forty years - well within living memory. This is the prevailing thought at all times, with every visit. That and the physical decay each of these houses have passed through as the years pass. The two go hand in hand. I suppose it is this I attempt to capture on film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2384305.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13135149e0c1a32c753.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2009 A return to Tegfynydd at the end of March on a sunny afternoon. After thirteen years little had changed. The house and its grounds hold a romantic and tranquil atmosphere. Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s Lost Houses of Wales, it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. This is the rear of Tegfynydd as seen from the farmhouse and although it lacks the Gothic fascade of the front it still offers the viewer some the atmosphere felt when standing beside a large ruin, bleak and with tall trees standing bare beside the worn walls. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18994984554b46dfe0a31df.jpg[/img] Tegfynydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15759914264b46e042f2fe4.jpg[/img] Tegfynydd 2009 TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmgigfran-talley-carmarthenshire-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_18070203974f26456ba3887.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2012 The bridle way that leads up to the estate of Cwmgigfran is lined with mature trees. The path is deeply rutted with the autumn leaves laying decomposing over the rich deeper mud beneath. After a half mile walk in a lightly wooded area I came across a fenced off area and within a large impenetrable mass of rhododendrons. A small gate which I presumed would wend itself around to the front of the property would have been a preferred entrance but this is over grown with tendrils of brambles climbing high, into the ground, out into the air and would surely wrap their barbed selves around me. So another route was found, alongside some outbuildings, again, the brambles acted as a natural barrier. These outbuildings showed interest – a former resident – living rough(?) – a mouldy and damp mattress, folds of blankets, bags of clothes, a carpet pinned against a wall (obviously to seal off any cold draughts). Within another outbuilding were shelves of various fittings; jars of nails, a rusting wheelbarrow, an oil lamp, pot belly stove standing redundant and unfitted… this list could be endless, like that of the mansion of Plas Gwynfryn. Everything, however, was rusting, or broken, or had passed its useful life. So onward to the house, surprisingly large, unsurprisingly few fragments of architectural interest remain. The four high walls do reveal a full three storey and settled on a basement. According to ‘Lost Houses of Wales’ (Tom Lloyd), the house was built 1800 but dismantled 1965. The land around the house is either boggy and inaccessible or inaccessible due to the foliage which has been allowed to grow without restraint. This adds only to the thrill of visiting such a house. The frontages had two brick-clad bays reaching up the full three storeys but higher still were the trees that grew within. To photograph the façade was challenging and I literally had to stand within the rhododendron jungle and use my camera bag to weigh down the tripod and camera. The branches of the rhododendron are naturally living things and any force against them caused them to respond with equal force. Once weighted, the camera and tripod seemed relatively stable. But, as ever, long exposures were used even in the winter sunlight and after 12 seconds (and then after developing and printing the negatives) I was pleased to find the negatives were sharp and the springy rhododendrons branches hadn’t caused any movement against the tripod legs and therefore causing a blurred negative. Cwmgigfran stands quite magnificent in its obscured location, overlooking a peaceful landscape and on this bright winters morning transmits not an air of sadness but of calmness. One can breathe here. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41319192.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10756078355f16c2983a9d5.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo11741878.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9388168444e366d092d149.jpgOLD BOULSTON MANOR, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on OLD BOULSTON MANOR, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 With little information gathered before I left, I reached the ruins of Boulston Manor in constant and substantial rain. I had left my house early in the morning and the skies were free from cloud but as I reached my destination the clouds had gathered and had just begun to release their heavy drops. Nonetheless, I had driven seventy miles so I donned my wellington boots and waterproofs and followed the footpath from New Boulston Manor driveway and down to the banks of the Cleddau Estuary. I had expected some trouble locating the site but once I had reached the estuary it was only a short walk before I came across the high walls, although much covered with summer foliage, that stretch about 100 metres alongside the river bank and form the barrier between river and manor house. What I was viewing however was more than a wall but in fact a long and deep garden terrace which gave excellent views of the estuary and all thereabouts. Behind the walls stand the remnants of the manor house. The most interesting part being the three-storey high staircase block and opposite this another corner(?) section also 3 – 4 storeys high. A vaulted cellar sits between and beneath these two sections and above this was once the great hall. Built in the 15th century with additions throughout the following centuries up until 1702 and was home for the influential Wogan family and it is believed the house was abandoned in 1773 when the then owner built the close-by New Bouslton Manor some third of a mile inland. My visit, although in heavy rain, was not unpleasant in the least. The canopy of the trees and overgrowth kept me and my equipment relatively sheltered with the strong aroma of wild garlic at the end of its growing season, filling the damp air. This decrepit building omits a sense of majestic pride, possible due to its longevity as ruin – this house has been abandoned for over 200 years and one has a sense of the house that it must have been a striking property 400 years ago and it is easy to imagine how it would have felt to wander along the long garden terrace as the estuary waters rippled against the walls and it was probably possible to have reached down, whilst the tide was incoming, to run ones fingers in the tidal waters. To photograph Old Boulston Manor was somewhat of a challenge and I believe a re-visit will be necessary during the winter months when the heavy foliage would not be obscuring the high stone walls. Every image seen here required exposures bewteen 4 - 12 minutes long due to this foliage and dark rain clouds. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38373155.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12253103965cdd0a95ece27.jpgPEN-Y-BANC, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on PENYBANC, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I saw this house whilst walking to another ruin half a mile away or so. The house is large, and I believe as originally built as two houses but at some point, judging by partitions inside, was lived in as one house. I reached the house by nipping beneath the railway bridge along the B4434 and alongside the railway line and through woodland. The house is strange in its location, elevated in the corner of field, the driveway long grown over, the sense of previous owners long passed. I have visited many ruins these last few decades but Penybanc (I believe is the name of the house but if it is indeed two properties surely it should have two names) did leave me feeling uneasy. It felt out of place, as if I returned tomorrow it would no longer be there. I confess it sounds ridiculous. I’ve rarely felt fearful at a ruin, mostly its fear of a falling beam, masonry or for trespassing or even pigeons or owls suddenly making their presence known. Penybanc felt odd for other reasons, the front room of the left side of the house had been boarded up so there was no access through the front doorway. Is that reason enough to feel spooked? No. The roof clung on loosely but the floors within were all rotten and missing. The two front doors had been place on the staircases, prohibiting access – surely to stop the sheep from climbing the stairs and hurting themselves but the fact that it also stopped me also spooked me (not that I’d have climbed the stairs, it was far too dangerous). And thus the house stands, a total mess within but seemingly in a relatively good condition on the outside. Nonetheless for all my misgivings, a number of exposures were made of this un-Welsh looking house. The sheep watched unimpressed but neither did they run. Another house only a field away also stood much ruinous but I had used up all my film and thought, ‘next time’ (although quite often the ‘next time’ can take a couple of years). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ynys-wen-twynllanan-carmarthenshre-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_52061315d4149ffbe6bf.jpgYNYS-WEN, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshre 2019 Notes on YNYS-WEN, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshre 2019 Copied from 'Geograph' website: The ruined Ynyswen Woollen Factory in Twynllanan, Llanddeusant. In 1901 William Jones (36)'woollen manufacturer' resided here with his wife and six of their little children. An English servant, Joseph Albert Blunden (18), was also employed as a carder https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llwyn-bwlch-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4953681235a8bec80dee09.jpgLLWYN-BWLCH, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on LLWYN-BWLCH, CEREDIGION 2015 New bungalow built near by. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4051692.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1581027004b1248f256280.jpgGWDIG / GOODIG, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on GWDIG / GOODIG, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire 2009 Once again an early 4am start, leaving my house at Cwmystwyth and driving south through Lampeter and beyond Carmarthen towards Llanelli. I had driven by Gwdig a few times before. It stands solemn but in a great location, high on a hillside overlooking Burry Port and the Burry Estuary. Even from below on the main road to Llanelli it is apparent the house is both large and derelict. The hand painted word ‘HOTEL’ stands loudly on its decrepit walls. It is uncertain when built but a date stone was found on a front wall dated 1701 (although this is thought to be when it was restored or re-built – a house stood at this location before then). See http://www.llanelli-history.co.uk/houses_goodig.htm for further information. Up close the house is in a very sad state of disrepair. The upper floors have all collapsed with the staircase a chaotic mess of wood. Some wooden panelling on the walls can be seen, oddly appearing in good order in amongst the mess and disarray within. There are also wooden shutters on the window frames and some panes in tact though mostly broken. It was still relatively dark when I set the camera up and the first few exposures were taken before sunrise. Long exposures of around 16 minutes were used and these give the images a stillness that equals to the calmness of this fine Indian summer morning. As the light began to creep across the house and the darkness faded, the shadows began to be less deep, the birds began their daily chorus and one could not help but be moved by the sorrowful pile that this house had become. Originally a farm, then enlarged to four storeys and considered a ‘Plas’. It was used as a hotel but burnt down in the 1980’s and has remained derelict ever since. There is the usual collection of disused farm machinery lying redundant and rusting and appears untouched by the vandal. Outbuildings are all ruined with empty caravans, cars and an empty lodge(?) near to the main house with similar false beams. It is currently unlisted but was once a fine looking house but since little is known or cared about I can only imagine that Gwdig will eventually be demolished or will just collapse on its own accord in the passing years. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4621390244abf4aeaef4c1.jpg[/img] GWDIG, Carmarthenshire 2009 GWDIG / GOODIG. Porth Tywyn, Sir Gaerfyrddin 2009 Saif Gwdig yn ddwys ddifrif mewn ileoliad gwych, fry ar ben bryn uwchben Porth Tywyn ac aber Afon Llwchwr. Hyd yn oed o'r ffordd fawr i Lanelli mae'n amlwg bod y ty'n fawr ac yn anghyfannedd. Mae'r gair 'HOTEL' wedi ei beintio a Haw mewn llythrennau mawr ar ei waliau adfeiliedig. Ni wyddys pryd y cafodd ei godi ond darganfuwyd carreg ar un o'r waliau a'r dyddiad 1701 ami (er y credir mai'r dyddiad y cafodd ei adfer neu'i ailgodi yw hwn - arferai ty sefyll yn y safle hwn cyn hynny). Yn agos mae'n amlwg bod y ty mewn cyflwr truenus. Mae'r lloriau uchaf wedi mynd a'u pen iddynt ac mae'r grisiau'n llanast anniben o bren. Mae rhai o'r panelau pren i'w gweld ar y waliau o hyd, ac yn rhyfedd ddigon maent mewn cyflwr da yng nghanol y llanast a'r anhrefn sydd y tu mewn i'r ty. Mae caeadau pren ar y ffenestri, y rhan fwyaf ohonynt wedi torri. Llosgwyd y ty'n ulw yn y 1980au ac mae wedi bod yn wag ers hynny. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4508179.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20333115114b935895cf99f.jpgRIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2005 Notes on RIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2005 Into The Murky Depths We Tread I came upon these wetland areas whilst cycling home one summers evening. Wetland areas are essential, basically untouched, and serve as irrigation and to filter pollution. The fact that no ones seems to bother to explore them due to their dampness and seemingly unfriendly environment, also allows them to be rich in wildlife. From the road that leads to Cwm Rheidol (about 8 miles from Aberystwyth) entrance through the undergrowth seems almost impossible and impenetrable. When the sun is low, bright splashes of sun light flicker through the thicket and reveal openings. Ducking under the thicket and forcing your way through, and once in amongst the deep mud and dankness, a whole new world is revealed; jungle-like and heavily branched areas, rich in photographic pickings and in some ways universal. These sorts of geographic landscapes are not typical or localised to any one part of the country. If you travel by train anywhere you always pass these oft ignored areas. They can not be built on because the land is unstable, no one walks through them, due to their (supposed) unpleasantness but once you’ve broken through their barriers of branches you enter a world with it’s own micro-atmosphere. The photographs were taken on either Ilford FP4 or Delta 100 5x4inch sheet film using a Wista camera and either a 90mm super-angulon or 135mm symmar lenses. Exposures on a grey day at F22 usually hovered around the 16 second mark and when photographing in sun light at about 1 second. My boots, trouser legs and the tripod feet were covered in thick, dark mud and although the going was slow, the actual area of these wetlands is perhaps only an acre or two in size. I’ve visited and photographed only three or four times but each time the tranquillity and ever changing photographic opportunities due to the water level rising and falling, the ever evolving process of woodlands – new saplings appearing and older trees uprooting - means visiting here has become a constant source of pleasure. AFON RHEIDOL. Cwm Rheidol. Ceredigion 2003 - 2006 Deuthum ar draws y gwlypdir hwn wrth feicio gartref un noson o haf. Mae ardaloedd o wlypdir yn hanfodol. Ar y cyfan, nid oes neb wedi ei gyffwrdd ac mae'n gweithredu fel system ddyfrhau ac mae'n hidlo'r llygredd . Mae'r ffaith nad oes fawr neb yn eu harchwilio oherwydd eu lleithder a'u hamgylchedd yn golygu eu bod yn gyfoethog o ran bywyd gwyllt. O'r ffordd sy'n arwain at Gwm Rheidol (tua 8 milltir o Aberystwyth), ymddengys bod yr isdyfiant yn anhreiddiadwy. Pan fo'r haul yn isel, gwelir goleuadau llachar yr haul drwy'r dryslwyn. Unwaith y byddwch yng nghanol y mwd dwfn a'r gwiybaniaeth, agorir eich llygaid i fyd newydd. Dyma ardal sy'n debyg i jyngl I lawn canghennau Ardal sy'n gyfoethog at ddibenion tynnu lluniau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5432329.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5477530714c2ae313da5a8.jpgGARREG-DDU RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 1991 Notes on GARREG-DDU RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 1991 Early Infra-red roll film image taken on fine spring morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26860992.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_180329331556e51e376929d.jpgBLAEN-ESGAIR-ISAF, Tyn'celyn, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BLAEN-ESGAIR-ISAF, Tyn'celyn, Ceredigion 2016 A large house with many outbuildings, all empty and ruinous. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img206 https://images.on-this.website/7784_123525864553478f9b18913.jpgTEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 2000 Notes on TEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 2000 Small feathers on wet and muddy peaty deposits on lake side. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094526.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_22365078349796110d8e58.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 A pack of sheep dogs barked around my car as I pulled into the farmyard that stands beside the decrepit walls of Neuadd Fawr, built on an existing site by a William Davys in the late 18th century. The dogs continued to bark at my heels as I knocked on the farmhouse door and I very nearly ran back to my car. I was pleased I didn’t turn and drive home as I believe I was lucky that day. The dogs calmed and were friendly and the owner, although it was still very early, was happy for me to spend a few hours exploring the house and its grounds. A heavy morning dew soaked my feet and a bleak mist hung around the grounds, occasionally revealing trees, the walls of outbuildings and a walled garden with ivy covering every inch of the stone. The interior was too dangerous to enter. I always take a hard helmet with me but it felt that at any moment the entire house would tumble down around me. It seemed well beyond repair then. It’s walls, stone and mortar were damp and sodden and the roof was fruitlessly attempting to shelter the inside from any further deterioration of the rot therein. Some 7 years later I drove by again. I parked the car, stood on tiptoe, peering over the hedgerow, and across the field. Neuadd Fawr still stood, resilient, with the wind ever blowing through its rooms. I felt somehow nostalgic and relieved. I didn’t like the thought that someone may purchase, demolish, or even rebuild, such a house. What chance to reclaim its history and character? Then again perhaps these days nothing is beyond repair and I’ve heard it is, once again, on the market. The estate contains (now restored) lodge houses, a walled garden and a marvellous twin door stable block. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2080765445498bd5cc5fbb4.jpg[/img] Neuadd Fawr 1996 NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmystwyth-lead-mines-ceredigion-1999 https://images.on-this.website/7784_18921287764b936b0038788.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1999 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1999 This shows a large piece of silvery white rock that lay, quite eye-catching in a stone wall half way up the valley side at Cwmystwyth lead mines. It was around 20 inches in size and I wondered if it was put there for a particular reason, perhaps a marker or in remembrance for someone? The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img296 https://images.on-this.website/7784_15903631345356953d17868.jpgTEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on TEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 1996 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23607635.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8342584554ec2a2aec70c.jpgGEUFRON, Nebo, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GEUFRON, Nebo, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage, remote, and outbuildings - long ruined but beautifully situated. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34133786.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16242506865a8b3395e4c91.jpgCAPEL SALEM, BONYMAEN, SWANSEA 2018 Notes on CAPEL SALEM, BONYMAEN, SWANSEA 2018 Shell of chapel, destroyed by fire and standing beside Capel Salem. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769182.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16506763455fef533193797.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 After visiting Ruperra Castle, a short journey down the M4 to Llanmartin and to the ruins of Pencoed Castle. I had heard it had been re-sold in 2006 and wondered if any progress had been made on its consolidation and restoration. Sadly not. From memory, my first visit in 1997, very little seemed to have changed at Pencoed Castle. Caravans and other farm machinery no longer littered the front lawn but other than that, it remained, seemingly, ever resilient to time and decay. Of course no building can remain solid without the due care and maintenance. Peering through the windows one could see the make-shift wooden scaffolding; beams holding lintels, timbers holding beams. One such covered metal frame was loose. I entered without effort or force and walked the great halls and dusty stone staircases. Stone fireplaces stood without heat and scaffolding kept the floors above barely intact. That said, 12 years after my first visit, Pencoed seems to be in an astonishing condition (to my untrained eye) since it has been left empty since the 1950/60's(?). These days the only occupants of Pencoed Castle are the birds – rooks tending attentively to their demanding young and making such a racket in comparison to the gentle and soft coo-ing of the pigeons. The birds weave in and out of the windows – nearly all smashed and the metal frames twisted – inside stone steps lead up to floorless rooms, dusty but seemingly dry. On the first floor long planks lead from doorway to doorway, the second floor padlocked. Although padlocked, I did not feel the need to venture further. Pencoed, long yet slim, remains a mysterious place – barren within and without, one feels the house has had a long and varied history. Twelve years since my first visit, Pencoed still felt ancient and any ideals of modernization would feel wrong and building against the spiritual grain. Perhaps some houses are better left simply as they are; empty, dry and content. The gatehouse, surrounding walls, barns and dovecote all crumble, slowly without human interference or indeed need, in ruin. Yet again, an easy thought to have in a brief and distant visit. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1732999174b51e381efd6c.jpg[/img] Walkng toward Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15306766534b51e3db5a7af.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19357660874b51e447351d0.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13526894934b51e49d9969d.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10165185534b51e4ecdbe78.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10316959534b51e53012294.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1411879034b51e585a6200.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13512590304b51e64c2674a.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8665784994b51e6a8a4cdd.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13938143424b51e71b7be04.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3717130084b51e7a58d113.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3284888654b51e800a061c.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_413243024b51e86081042.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/glan-marchnant-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13955761164c5afed68adf8.jpgGLAN MARCHNANT, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on HOUSE BY BONT GLAN MARCHNANT, Ceredigion 2010 Although a very small mountain stream, the river Marchnant seems to cling along its banks a large number of ruins. I am uncertain of the name of this property. It was more or less box shaped although much of it has collapsed. Adjacent are two very large single storey stables and barn buildings, also ruinous. The white wash can still be seen on the surviving internal walls and presumably this is the rear of the house. My first visit to this house, 6 years ago, the roof was still on. Today the beams lay in a clutter in amongst the stone. Beautifully located. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34135525.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7104487685a8bec9191986.jpgWERNDRIW, CEREDIGION 2016 Notes on WERNDRIW, Ceredigion 2016 Superb house with outbuildings, not derelict, small Quaker burial ground at rear. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23266538.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15148380835495d18dc7a63.jpgHAFOD, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on HAFOD, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2014 I sometimes drive passed Hafod on my way to work and since it had been five years since my last visit and the dashes of view between the foliage showed the house and grounds looking overgrown I decided to stop early one December morning. The ground was frozen hard, the air cold and blue-like. The brambles and weeds were higher than eye level and the post-box was brimming with damp, slug eaten, weather-eaten mail. Restoration had stopped. The house though was still in a very good state and one can hope that the owners are planning to return soon. Hafod is, for me, an odd house. Its three storey's are not as imposing as one may think and it feels like its trying to be something it's not. I think it may also be fair to say that its location is all a little closed in and overgrown. Perhaps this is unjust and once the foliage is cut back, the lawn restored, it could make a lovely family home. I hope so. I took a few exposures before sun-up and was pleased to get back to the car and made my way to work. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14320585.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20873309934f5cdb6780bc8.jpgTY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on TY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 This house, on the Neath Road, Tonna, was the victim of a fire some years back. It was built circa 1700's as a private residence (there’s an excellent photograph of it on the 'Royal Commssion on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales' website) and then latterly as a ladies seminary. Nature, perhaps as in God, saw fit to reduce and return this house, its grounds, back to the earth. Today, the façade has all but crumbled away. The red brick structure, built in the 1920’s, glowed in the afternoon, early spring, sunlight. This red brick section seemed well built and salvageable, what a shame it felt more of an industrial addition rather than an aesthetic one. The main house looks as if it has imploded. The cellars filled in with rubble, broken furniture, white goods. I think a potholer could have unrivalled access if a potholer did indeed fancy a different kind of danger, with a more human kind of view and the destructive force of nature. The outer walls, although remain high on three sides, have all but gone on the frontage. This façade stands only a few yards away from the road. And whilst walking along the road and following the stone wall that stands around it perimeter, one cannot but wonder why this house, so openly accessible, has not seen greater vandalism. Is it because it offers the vandal nothing new? Have all the rooms within been explored and trashed, tagged with graffiti and the windows smashed? Well, actually no, peering in through the ground stair windows it would appear relatively untouched. Is it too well known, to the locals, to bother to cast a bored eye upon? I do not know. It was new to me. I have known of this property for many a year but have chosen, although not exclusively, to photograph more rural properties. The empty houses in towns and cities (of Wales) is a whole new project. This one already feels like a lifelong endeavour. This house, on Neath Road, Tonna, has reached the end of its life. It does not seem worth salvaging. Restoration seems unlikely. It is beyond repair. It left me thinking that demolition then a complete re-build would be the preferred path to follow. That is, if I were a property developer, or builder, or architect (but perhaps a gradual restoration for the historian). In its prime this was an attractive, well-proportioned property. Although my visit was a short one, only a few short hours were spent searching for viewpoints and exposing a few sheets of film, it was still a worthwhile visit. Within the grounds, other smaller ruined buildings too, their former use indistinguishable but I presume once were stables and service quarters. All overgrown with mature hardwoods, a prominent monkey puzzle and rampant rhododendrons. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img242 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2101759045534aa7521d095.jpgCWMYSTWYTH, Ceredigion 1990 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH, Ceredigion 1990 Misty set of images. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24167735.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1193298984554cc53947f52.jpgABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Worn and weathered lettering on wall in Aberaeron. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4502678.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7676183634b927d16293cc.jpgDEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on DEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5763307.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12499103344c55be2fbcfc4.jpgLLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 Notes on LLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 I reached Llwyn Ynn at sun up after a two mile walk that zigzagged along footpaths and bridle paths and then through a long narrow wooded area. The sweet aroma of wild garlic permeated through the morning air. It was already warm when I reached the 18th century stone gate posts that stand, without their iron gates, before an empty patch of elevated ground where once the grand mansion of Llwyn Ynn stood. The great house, built in the 17th century was demolished like so many in the 1950’s after no buyer could be found. The steps leading up to where the entrance of the house once would have stood remain, indeed a galleried platform remains, and it is easy with the aid of old photographs to place the house in this walled area. Of the great house only one wall remains and thereon evidence of a very large fireplace (and a smaller one on the floor above). This wall is attached to the ruined service quarters. It is these service quarters that are the reason for my visit today and they do not disappoint. Beneath the two fireplaces there is a basement entrance that leads into the cottages that once gapped the space between the house and the service quarters. Inside all was quiet, all was dark and once my eyes and ears adjusted I could hear and see three sheep chewing, laying in a large ruinous room. They ceased their chewing as I came into view but did not rise from their sitting positions. There was a short stand-off. I was blocking their only exit. They watched me intently and seemed intent on not moving until I did. I took a few photographs. I then moved to allow their safe passage and that they did but in a typical rather hurried sheep fashion! Internally the service quarters are a mess. The staircase has collapsed and although the floors above are intact they looked paper thin and any attempt to explore, however tempting, would inevitably end up with a foot through a floor board. Holes are also prevalent in the side walls exposing beam and brick and the dim interior. At the rear a mass of extensions which appear in relative sound structural condition and access to the upper floors is possible. Again, all exposed to the weather and the livestock. The stone mullion windows are mainly in an excellent condition but naturally the wooden framed windows are rotting. The house stands on a small bluff and sits before a gentle stream called the Afon Hesbin (which flows further upstream into the river Clwyd). Including the stone buildings at the rear of the timber framed service quarters it quickly becomes apparent that Llwyn Ynn could easily accommodate a large family. The house needs extensive restoration and re-build and personally I do not hold onto much belief that the house will survive much longer if no consolidation work is carried out. I am uncertain, because I felt it unnecessary to venture, but I believe access to the cellars of the original great house may be possible. I however had no great desire to find out. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gelli-gared-crynant-west-glamorgan https://images.on-this.website/7784_6145176404f5cda6b0bec2.jpgGELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on GELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Between the months of December and the end of March are my favourite months to photograph. To visit Gelli-Galed on this March day provides the evidence. Other than a few conifers, all the leaves that cling steadfast to all the million of tiny branches have all fallen and decomposed back into the soil to form more soil. All those million of tiny branches; the minor bones of a tree or bush are there to capture onto film. The day of my visit was cloudy. The grey rendered walls of the house; the grey wall of stone of the many outbuildings; the greyness of the ground, the tired foliage; the browned bramble that rose some 6 foot high and covered huge swathes of ground around the properties seen here - All is recorded in a uniform tone of grey upon the film surface and seemed a fitting tribute to this once fine farmstead. Built in the 17th century and standing high on a hillside overlooking the village of Crynant, Gelli-Gared has a remarkable range of buildings all surrounded by a wall enclosure. Within the main house, the fabric of the building is revealed. The plaster is soft and covered in graffiti (‘Alan was here 1999’). A multi-textured sight: A-frames sagging under the weight of a damp roof and the sodden window lintels warping under the pressure of heavy damp walls. The yearly cycle of weeds filling empty spaces; clinging and poking through mortar, gaining purchase, strangling beams, pulling down window frames; a battle they shall one day win - not that the plants know of their future victory, it is a destructive by-product of a greater battle they wage, that of survival. And of all the things one could write about this spectacular enclosed farmstead? The brambles. What can be said? That they have 'spread like wildfire’ or they are 'rife in their uncontrolled corruption’? Without tool or weapon, man is ineffectual, entrance is futile. They defend this crumbled property simply and effectively. I decided to photograph from a safe distance. Their barbs rip clothing, rip skin and I wanted to walk back down into the village of Crynant like I had been merely taking a peaceful walk around the countryside of the Crynant Forest. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-fields-in-infra-red https://images.on-this.website/7784_2822586814be3b0fae7c6f.jpgHAFOD FIELDS in Infra-red, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on HAFOD FIELDS in Infra-red, Ceredigion 1994 During the first few years of photographing I took a number of black and white infra-red images in 35mm and 120 roll film format. I also shot a few sheets on 5x4inch negative film - mostly these were fogged due to the wooden camera and plastic film holders which do not offer complete protection from the wavelengths used in the manufacture of this unusual film. this image was an exception and shows parkland at Hafod, just below the ruins of the house. My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. It was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired Peacocks in Paradise by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began innocently to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37360321.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_409929835c5dc5d99b55c.jpgUNKNOWN FARMHOUSE, A40 Nr St Clears, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on UNKNOWN FARMHOUSE, A40 Nr St Clears, Carmarthenshire 2019 Alongside the A40 and near ruinous with advertising on one gable end. A few exposures made. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37359250.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10924306945c5c95ef092b0.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Somehow it has been seven years since I first visited Cwmygigfran. Nothing had really changed. It is still almost totally inaccessible – due to foliage – but I do realise my camera bag and tripod do add a considerable bulk to my frame. The large trees along the pathway towards the house hints at something hidden in the mass of foliage. A low long wall is also present, almost like a low platform of a small narrow gauge railway. A small gate, open, hanging off the hinge and into a mass of tiny branches. A way through is forged. Nonetheless, it’s a real pain getting to the walls and once within the house, and climbing out a window, it does allow access to the front of the house where, strangely enough, nothing seems to grow – the rhododendrons surround the house but seem to avoid this section. The same can be said of the brambles too! So it is here, just right in front of the house the exposures need to be made. Access inside is also possible, mature trees grow inside, the walls are bare, little clue of what was once found within, that said, it is easy to see that this was once a full three storey property. Viewpoints are limited and I am aware that my first visit saw me document the better angles. I re-took an image taken from the outside and took some different internal images using a standard lens (whereas before I used a wide-angle) Alan Richards wrote on the 'Geograph' website: A house has stood at Cwmygigfran (trans. Valley of the Raven) since circa 1600. In 1871 the house was known locally as 'The Palace' after its owner, Daniel Thomas, had spent a fortune on renovating the old place. Indeed, tradition has it that he spent so much money gentrifying the house that he couldn't afford to live there. Around the turn of the twentieth century the house began to deteriorate and by 1940 it had fallen into total disrepair. In 1960, Cwmygigfran was completely stripped of anything of value after being bought by a demolition firm from Hereford. Once the house was photographed I then returned to the barns outside where once someone lived. Although only a few metres away, this also takes a little effort to reach. The remnants I found seven years ago seem to be less. A tarpaulin partially stops the weather but it is frayed and torn. It is an odd place. A sink but no running water, a roof but a gable end collapsed, a full height metal cupboard filled with cans of rusty nails and screws yet nothing to nail or screw down. I do not think this owner had any intention of restoring the house. It was probably beyond hope in the 1960's when the walls and roof were striped of all their worth. What chance forty years later? It is not the once rich owners I think about but the guy, I presume it was a guy, living alone, who occupied this barn. I wonder for how long? Surely not through the winter months? Was he squatting, did he own the house itself? An old Volvo estate sits not far from the house, dirty and unwanted, dead to the world. I checked to see how old the registration number is, it was built 1978-1979 - can we presume the lonesome squatter was not rich and the car was already old when he owned it, drove it up the rough track? I'm thinking late 1980's through to anytime mid-1990's. Seems reasonable but guess work nonetheless. Again, further evidence that the squatter/owner had at least lived here for a little while. It's a sad sense yet at the same time I liked it here, knowing that the house stands almost completely surrounded by impenetrable foliage, left open to the elements but once, even on a January day, the afternoon sun climbs up, it became as warm as January day can be when the bushes and trees stop the wind and the air rushing about. I certainly felt better after my visit and the walk back to the car, and indeed the drive home, felt as if my day had been worthwhile and complete. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24526072.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_103303222755767e9c03e6c.jpgTY-UNNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TY-UNNOS #5, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 A return to the area and I made an exposure of each property unless so little remained that it was not worthwhile. Hard to imagine that this was once a busy little community. I imagine all the houses were thatched, though all are stone with a few brick chimneys here and there. Only two of the properties were of two storey, the largest of which also had a separate cottage/barn at a right angle behind, no inter-connecting door but interesting nonetheless. The rain lashed down when I reached there and I took shelter for a good ten minutes wondering if, indeed, the rain would stop. It slowed, so I went out, making a few exposures but the horizontal rain was covering my lens with a fine mist. Some of the pictures have been effected and therefore not printed. The rain did at last stop, the sun came out, my fingers were by this time red and raw but the sun soon thawed me and dried my equipment. By the time I returned to my car I was too dry and warm. Previous notes TAI-UNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not know the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2 etc… https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5763296.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_499011704c55be211e352.jpgLLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 Notes on LLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 I reached Llwyn Ynn at sun up after a two mile walk that zigzagged along footpaths and bridle paths and then through a long narrow wooded area. The sweet aroma of wild garlic permeated through the morning air. It was already warm when I reached the 18th century stone gate posts that stand, without their iron gates, before an empty patch of elevated ground where once the grand mansion of Llwyn Ynn stood. The great house, built in the 17th century was demolished like so many in the 1950’s after no buyer could be found. The steps leading up to where the entrance of the house once would have stood remain, indeed a galleried platform remains, and it is easy with the aid of old photographs to place the house in this walled area. Of the great house only one wall remains and thereon evidence of a very large fireplace (and a smaller one on the floor above). This wall is attached to the ruined service quarters. It is these service quarters that are the reason for my visit today and they do not disappoint. Beneath the two fireplaces there is a basement entrance that leads into the cottages that once gapped the space between the house and the service quarters. Inside all was quiet, all was dark and once my eyes and ears adjusted I could hear and see three sheep chewing, laying in a large ruinous room. They ceased their chewing as I came into view but did not rise from their sitting positions. There was a short stand-off. I was blocking their only exit. They watched me intently and seemed intent on not moving until I did. I took a few photographs. I then moved to allow their safe passage and that they did but in a typical rather hurried sheep fashion! Internally the service quarters are a mess. The staircase has collapsed and although the floors above are intact they looked paper thin and any attempt to explore, however tempting, would inevitably end up with a foot through a floor board. Holes are also prevalent in the side walls exposing beam and brick and the dim interior. At the rear a mass of extensions which appear in relative sound structural condition and access to the upper floors is possible. Again, all exposed to the weather and the livestock. The stone mullion windows are mainly in an excellent condition but naturally the wooden framed windows are rotting. The house stands on a small bluff and sits before a gentle stream called the Afon Hesbin (which flows further upstream into the river Clwyd). Including the stone buildings at the rear of the timber framed service quarters it quickly becomes apparent that Llwyn Ynn could easily accommodate a large family. The house needs extensive restoration and re-build and personally I do not hold onto much belief that the house will survive much longer if no consolidation work is carried out. I am uncertain, because I felt it unnecessary to venture, but I believe access to the cellars of the original great house may be possible. I however had no great desire to find out. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/fruit-trees-cefn-coch-cwmystwyth https://images.on-this.website/7784_14921529174c8648df53a71.jpgFRUIT TREES, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on FRUIT TREES, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 A particular pleasing composition. The dead tree at the centre is both dramatic and breaks traditional photographic compositional rules. The American photographer Edward Weston photographed a palm tree once, showing only its trunk against a blue sky. I spent a number of years photographing the same telegraph pole in a similar style. Since then, as seen here, I have approached much of my subject manner the same way, avoiding, when it made a better compositional, the photographic compositional rule of thirds. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo21673186.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_61616175953b8f9a62ff48.jpgTY'N-BWLCH, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY'N-BWLCH, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Much ruined but with fragments of the A-frame and few slates remaining on the roof. Once, I presume, a peasant longhouse this has been long-ruined and it seems only the ivy is keeping the whole structure from falling. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2080927.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1704572354972c95b76de4.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo35752933.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8699865615b60b78f53224.jpgNEUADD-WEN, Aber, Brecknock 2018 Notes on NEUADD-WEN, Aber, Brecknock 2018 A sort walk from the tarmac C-road, a group of buildings, derelict but signs of restoration visible. Interesting within, wall buttress and spiraled staircase with fireplace under the buttress. Up the stairs and first floor of the 'cottage' (or was this the barn beforehand?). Alterations and restorations throughout, here and there, all doors open and therefore open to the elements but all in a good clean condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4605724.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15085080864ba78be01c9bd.jpgEDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on EDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 There is something vastly poetic and romantic regarding the grieving walls of Edwinsford. The blue morning hue hung soft and silent and I too trod soft and silent amongst the rubble and remaining walls. It felt impossible to utter a sound, if so, the atmospherics would shatter into something ordinary. The ground was frozen underfoot and thin layers of ice formed over the tyre tracks and puddles made by the sharp manoeuvres of diggers and tippers. The heavy machinery sat like silent dinosaurs in front of the house, like guards, rested from disposing unidentifiable rubble and clearing piles of debris. Never anything less than a subliminal experience one can not help but wonder why it has taken so long for anyone to come to the rescue of this unusual house that has been begging for some love for over 50 years. A house of many periods and styles, each individual yet the individual parts do not, as seen at other properties, detract from the overall aesthetics. It adds only character in the case of Edwinsford. The white washed square structure, built around a large chimney, has collapsed around the rear (wooden panelling can be seen on the walls within) and this internal view gives an excellent view of how this square structure of the house was built. At the rear there’s a small courtyard, ivy entwined around stone work, but the majority of the internal structure is a void shell revealing a few structural and dividing walls and high chimneys. The owner has cleared the piles debris and an inkling of how the house must have felt can be experienced. It would be very easy to fall in love with Edwinsford. The owners / restorers need congratulating at visualising the view from a mountaintop when they are only a small part way up. I personally can barely comprehend the task at hand. The only sound I heard during my visit was the morning birdsong; particularly the sweet song from the blackbird and also the cackle of those intelligent crows and the flow of the river Cothi. It becomes easy to recall the joy of Edwinsford, as home, as seen in old photographs and postcards; neatly maintained grounds, well dressed occupants, windows and door left open in the summer months, daffodils bobbling about on a spring morning. The wealth of full bloom sits juxtaposed to the poverty of crumbling stone and dissolved mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094544.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_140487308249796a937f6eb.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34135506.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8988749185a8beb1b164af.jpgABSTRACTION, BRIGHTON 2007 Notes on ABSTRACTION, BRIGHTON 2007 Peeled paint on doorway. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5763312.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6746057874c55be373f95c.jpgLLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 Notes on LLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 I reached Llwyn Ynn at sun up after a two mile walk that zigzagged along footpaths and bridle paths and then through a long narrow wooded area. The sweet aroma of wild garlic permeated through the morning air. It was already warm when I reached the 18th century stone gate posts that stand, without their iron gates, before an empty patch of elevated ground where once the grand mansion of Llwyn Ynn stood. The great house, built in the 17th century was demolished like so many in the 1950’s after no buyer could be found. The steps leading up to where the entrance of the house once would have stood remain, indeed a galleried platform remains, and it is easy with the aid of old photographs to place the house in this walled area. Of the great house only one wall remains and thereon evidence of a very large fireplace (and a smaller one on the floor above). This wall is attached to the ruined service quarters. It is these service quarters that are the reason for my visit today and they do not disappoint. Beneath the two fireplaces there is a basement entrance that leads into the cottages that once gapped the space between the house and the service quarters. Inside all was quiet, all was dark and once my eyes and ears adjusted I could hear and see three sheep chewing, laying in a large ruinous room. They ceased their chewing as I came into view but did not rise from their sitting positions. There was a short stand-off. I was blocking their only exit. They watched me intently and seemed intent on not moving until I did. I took a few photographs. I then moved to allow their safe passage and that they did but in a typical rather hurried sheep fashion! Internally the service quarters are a mess. The staircase has collapsed and although the floors above are intact they looked paper thin and any attempt to explore, however tempting, would inevitably end up with a foot through a floor board. Holes are also prevalent in the side walls exposing beam and brick and the dim interior. At the rear a mass of extensions which appear in relative sound structural condition and access to the upper floors is possible. Again, all exposed to the weather and the livestock. The stone mullion windows are mainly in an excellent condition but naturally the wooden framed windows are rotting. The house stands on a small bluff and sits before a gentle stream called the Afon Hesbin (which flows further upstream into the river Clwyd). Including the stone buildings at the rear of the timber framed service quarters it quickly becomes apparent that Llwyn Ynn could easily accommodate a large family. The house needs extensive restoration and re-build and personally I do not hold onto much belief that the house will survive much longer if no consolidation work is carried out. I am uncertain, because I felt it unnecessary to venture, but I believe access to the cellars of the original great house may be possible. I however had no great desire to find out. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38373154.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17895236075cdd0a95824fa.jpgPEN-Y-BANC, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on PENYBANC, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I saw this house whilst walking to another ruin half a mile away or so. The house is large, and I believe as originally built as two houses but at some point, judging by partitions inside, was lived in as one house. I reached the house by nipping beneath the railway bridge along the B4434 and alongside the railway line and through woodland. The house is strange in its location, elevated in the corner of field, the driveway long grown over, the sense of previous owners long passed. I have visited many ruins these last few decades but Penybanc (I believe is the name of the house but if it is indeed two properties surely it should have two names) did leave me feeling uneasy. It felt out of place, as if I returned tomorrow it would no longer be there. I confess it sounds ridiculous. I’ve rarely felt fearful at a ruin, mostly its fear of a falling beam, masonry or for trespassing or even pigeons or owls suddenly making their presence known. Penybanc felt odd for other reasons, the front room of the left side of the house had been boarded up so there was no access through the front doorway. Is that reason enough to feel spooked? No. The roof clung on loosely but the floors within were all rotten and missing. The two front doors had been place on the staircases, prohibiting access – surely to stop the sheep from climbing the stairs and hurting themselves but the fact that it also stopped me also spooked me (not that I’d have climbed the stairs, it was far too dangerous). And thus the house stands, a total mess within but seemingly in a relatively good condition on the outside. Nonetheless for all my misgivings, a number of exposures were made of this un-Welsh looking house. The sheep watched unimpressed but neither did they run. Another house only a field away also stood much ruinous but I had used up all my film and thought, ‘next time’ (although quite often the ‘next time’ can take a couple of years). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img221 https://images.on-this.website/7784_5936635045347919798162.jpgCAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on CAERMEIRCH, Ceredigion 1996 Laid derelict since, I believe, the early 1990's Caermeirch is a superior farmhouse with extensive outbuildings (still remain in agricultural use). This house needs a family and modernization but is superbly situated on the top road between Pont-rhyd-y-groes and the Hafod estate - and I believe has been left empty for so long due to the will left by the final occupiers being questioned and since un-resolved. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23584006.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21188161254e9aeb5f3208.jpgABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2015 A return and a successful visit - so oft times a return visit can wield disappointing results. I came here solely to photograph the abstractions - walls I'd visited a few times before but not for a good few years - around four as it happens. Much to my surprise the railway line and platform had been cleared from the forty years worth of trees and foliage. How sweet it would be if this place, indeed the whole Carmarthen to Aberystwyth railway line, could be reinstated - apparently at a cost of £650 million (so sadly seems unlikely). The milkery is not in such a bad condition considering it has sat idle for forty years. The thick lead paint has begun to beautifully peel and therefore it's too much of a temptation for me to ignore! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36756942.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4780189735bd2162f763a3.jpgNotes on PEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 A short damp walk and quickly whilst exploring it becomes apparent this farm was the victim of a fire. Inside is much ruinous and blackened. Outside a few possession scattered. A long barn with arrow-slot vents hint at an older property than what I first imagined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32196689.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6434645355977a3e84c1320.56826176.jpgPONT LLANIO CREAMERY, Nr Tregaron, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on PONT LLANIO CREAMERY, Nr Tregaron, Ceredigion 2017 A favourite haunt, and one I cannot help returning to, if I have had a break from photographing for a while. The walls inside are partially open to the elements, layers of paint slipping off the walls, frost damage, summer heat damage all contributing to the decay. Little darkroom trickery is needed, the images seen here are simple exposures and a re filled with tactile and interesting shapes and patterns. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/brechfa-fawr-llangeitho-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_195275793156e3bd0d9e577.jpgBRECHFA FAWR, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BRECHFA FAWR, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Empty farmstead, not long empty, recently boarded up with numerous outbuildings, also ruined but still in some use. Nicely located but a shame to see empty, hopefully will be on the market soon. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40586134.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5846628455de8dd6d56f48.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6298622.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19614687154c8648e322779.jpgDEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 A particular pleasing composition. The dead tree at the centre is both dramatic and breaks traditional photographic compositional rules. The American photographer Edward Weston photographed a palm tree once, showing only its trunk against a blue sky. I spent a number of years photographing the same telegraph pole in a similar style. Since then, as seen here, I have approached much of my subject manner the same way, avoiding, when it made a better compositional, the photographic compositional rule of thirds. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/brynglas-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16490435315a8bec74c8bb2.jpgBRYNGLAS, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on BRYNGLAS, CEREDIGION 2015 (Not derelict, barn has three circular pillars but barn itself modern corrugated structure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41095824.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16496381035e6e8db0bcb94.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37359251.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19426399065c5c95f0f2527.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Somehow it has been seven years since I first visited Cwmygigfran. Nothing had really changed. It is still almost totally inaccessible – due to foliage – but I do realise my camera bag and tripod do add a considerable bulk to my frame. The large trees along the pathway towards the house hints at something hidden in the mass of foliage. A low long wall is also present, almost like a low platform of a small narrow gauge railway. A small gate, open, hanging off the hinge and into a mass of tiny branches. A way through is forged. Nonetheless, it’s a real pain getting to the walls and once within the house, and climbing out a window, it does allow access to the front of the house where, strangely enough, nothing seems to grow – the rhododendrons surround the house but seem to avoid this section. The same can be said of the brambles too! So it is here, just right in front of the house the exposures need to be made. Access inside is also possible, mature trees grow inside, the walls are bare, little clue of what was once found within, that said, it is easy to see that this was once a full three storey property. Viewpoints are limited and I am aware that my first visit saw me document the better angles. I re-took an image taken from the outside and took some different internal images using a standard lens (whereas before I used a wide-angle) Alan Richards wrote on the 'Geograph' website: A house has stood at Cwmygigfran (trans. Valley of the Raven) since circa 1600. In 1871 the house was known locally as 'The Palace' after its owner, Daniel Thomas, had spent a fortune on renovating the old place. Indeed, tradition has it that he spent so much money gentrifying the house that he couldn't afford to live there. Around the turn of the twentieth century the house began to deteriorate and by 1940 it had fallen into total disrepair. In 1960, Cwmygigfran was completely stripped of anything of value after being bought by a demolition firm from Hereford. Once the house was photographed I then returned to the barns outside where once someone lived. Although only a few metres away, this also takes a little effort to reach. The remnants I found seven years ago seem to be less. A tarpaulin partially stops the weather but it is frayed and torn. It is an odd place. A sink but no running water, a roof but a gable end collapsed, a full height metal cupboard filled with cans of rusty nails and screws yet nothing to nail or screw down. I do not think this owner had any intention of restoring the house. It was probably beyond hope in the 1960's when the walls and roof were striped of all their worth. What chance forty years later? It is not the once rich owners I think about but the guy, I presume it was a guy, living alone, who occupied this barn. I wonder for how long? Surely not through the winter months? Was he squatting, did he own the house itself? An old Volvo estate sits not far from the house, dirty and unwanted, dead to the world. I checked to see how old the registration number is, it was built 1978-1979 - can we presume the lonesome squatter was not rich and the car was already old when he owned it, drove it up the rough track? I'm thinking late 1980's through to anytime mid-1990's. Seems reasonable but guess work nonetheless. Again, further evidence that the squatter/owner had at least lived here for a little while. It's a sad sense yet at the same time I liked it here, knowing that the house stands almost completely surrounded by impenetrable foliage, left open to the elements but once, even on a January day, the afternoon sun climbs up, it became as warm as January day can be when the bushes and trees stop the wind and the air rushing about. I certainly felt better after my visit and the walk back to the car, and indeed the drive home, felt as if my day had been worthwhile and complete. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8244986.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9041053104d2c14405afe4.jpgMYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on MYNACHLOG FAWR, Ystrad Fflur, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 (Also known as Great Abbey Farm, Strata Florida). A large house, grade 2 listed (in 1963), nestled in a farming complex and besides the ruined abbey of Strata Florida. The road that runs through the yard is a relatively recent addition and will be, once the house has been restored, re-directed around the barns. Lampeter University have recently purchased the house with plans of consolidation work in process. The house itself seems to be in a good condition but looking a little sorry for itself. The rear roof seems to have been re-roofed recently. The small building on the right hand side was once the kitchen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5763301.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5236555054c55be2803f89.jpgLLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 Notes on LLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 I reached Llwyn Ynn at sun up after a two mile walk that zigzagged along footpaths and bridle paths and then through a long narrow wooded area. The sweet aroma of wild garlic permeated through the morning air. It was already warm when I reached the 18th century stone gate posts that stand, without their iron gates, before an empty patch of elevated ground where once the grand mansion of Llwyn Ynn stood. The great house, built in the 17th century was demolished like so many in the 1950’s after no buyer could be found. The steps leading up to where the entrance of the house once would have stood remain, indeed a galleried platform remains, and it is easy with the aid of old photographs to place the house in this walled area. Of the great house only one wall remains and thereon evidence of a very large fireplace (and a smaller one on the floor above). This wall is attached to the ruined service quarters. It is these service quarters that are the reason for my visit today and they do not disappoint. Beneath the two fireplaces there is a basement entrance that leads into the cottages that once gapped the space between the house and the service quarters. Inside all was quiet, all was dark and once my eyes and ears adjusted I could hear and see three sheep chewing, laying in a large ruinous room. They ceased their chewing as I came into view but did not rise from their sitting positions. There was a short stand-off. I was blocking their only exit. They watched me intently and seemed intent on not moving until I did. I took a few photographs. I then moved to allow their safe passage and that they did but in a typical rather hurried sheep fashion! Internally the service quarters are a mess. The staircase has collapsed and although the floors above are intact they looked paper thin and any attempt to explore, however tempting, would inevitably end up with a foot through a floor board. Holes are also prevalent in the side walls exposing beam and brick and the dim interior. At the rear a mass of extensions which appear in relative sound structural condition and access to the upper floors is possible. Again, all exposed to the weather and the livestock. The stone mullion windows are mainly in an excellent condition but naturally the wooden framed windows are rotting. The house stands on a small bluff and sits before a gentle stream called the Afon Hesbin (which flows further upstream into the river Clwyd). Including the stone buildings at the rear of the timber framed service quarters it quickly becomes apparent that Llwyn Ynn could easily accommodate a large family. The house needs extensive restoration and re-build and personally I do not hold onto much belief that the house will survive much longer if no consolidation work is carried out. I am uncertain, because I felt it unnecessary to venture, but I believe access to the cellars of the original great house may be possible. I however had no great desire to find out. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llangennech-park-house-carmarthenshire-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12713940775e6e8daf83e6f.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dorwen-cwmtwrch-brecknock-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9836337455ccd5e99e9f15.jpgDORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2019 Notes on DORWEN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2019 Another visit, only a year apart. The crack on gable end a little larger. The walk to the ruins still a pleasant one but less rewarding than the first but that's, naturally, always the case. Only a few exposures were made, why repeat those of only a year previous? The second visit always allows a little more thought, perhaps take images that I wouldn't have thought about taking the first time around. It forces me to look a little harder, to find something of character, something sculptural, textured, whole. This sort of photography I find hit or miss. Time will tell. I've had a break recently from photographing, nothing serious in months and then it dawns on me that months have passed and these months are precious and better not live them with regret. So, out come the maps. As I've spoken about before these trips to old buildings mostly start by map. I search maps for remote place, or places without obvious roads or tracks. Some of my maps are over 25 years old. Sometimes new tracks/driveways are laid. Sometimes not. I circle a few potential sites, around the same area and then I search on Googlemaps. Most times these so-called remote areas are well-developed. You can see buildings with roofs, cars parked beside, ponds, swimming pools, greenhouses etc etc... But I always zoom out a little further and then scan the surrounding area, return to the maps, try here, try there and sooner or later, more often than not, a roofless building will be found, standing within a group of trees, barely legible on map or computer screen. It's a good feeling; to know that there was a home, most likely forgotten, out of view, worthy of visiting and documenting. If only more information could be gathered by a visit alone, but if a house is small then nothing will be found in books. I will need to wait, and hope, someone comes across it on this website and adds a comment. These comments sometimes cascade and more people add their recollections, always a pleasure to read. They give a ruin a roof, furniture, occupiers and life. So often these houses and homes have only been empty thirty, forty years - well within living memory. This is the prevailing thought at all times, with every visit. That and the physical decay each of these houses have passed through as the years pass. The two go hand in hand. I suppose it is this I attempt to capture on film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8418574.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9253433974d4197a2d6641.jpgNANTYCAE, Hafod, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion 2007 Notes on NANTYCAE, Hafod, Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion 2007 Sometimes, when I was growing up, when the Autumn had stripped the foliage away from the wooded areas of Hafod, I could see Nant y Cae from my bedroom window of my parents’ house at Upper Lodge. And sometimes, during the summer months, we could see smoke pouring out from that general direction. Obviously the summer evenings were cool enough to warrant a small fire. Then as they are now. The house was owned by Roger and Linda Hallett. They had lived at Hafod for a good number of decades and knew every inch of the estate, and indeed worked on it clearing areas, creating footpaths. They moved from Hafod in 2006 (?) and the house was empty for a little while before the new occupants moved in. In Remembrance of Roger Hallett I remember once walking through Hafod on a cold grey unfriendly day. It was during the winter months, mid-week and did not expect to see anyone along the path I was walking. I carried my camera and tripod, slung over my shoulders. I had been walking above Hafod and over the Cambrian Mountains over towards Teifi Pools. I often went walking, indeed I called it wandering because I carried with me no map, no definite idea of where I was headed. I walked to wherever looked of interest. I had had a good day and I was in good spirits. I sung. I often sing when out walking. I steal tunes and add my own words. Sometimes, so not to compromise the rhyme, the lyrics can be on the pale shade of ‘moon’ and ‘June’ but I forgive myself of this. I am not about to cut a record. I am alone, out of earshot and I have spent the best part of a whole day without seeing a fellow human being. Almost home and walking along the river Ystwyth that cuts through the Hafod estate and I always begin signing about ‘returning home’. By no means in tune, by no means Shakespeare, by no means a song fit for the Gods. I turn a cragged corner and there sits Roger, smoking a liquorice paper cigarette. He doesn’t comment after I spurt out my apologies for my singing. He is a rugged man, as rugged as the rock he sits upon. We have a short exchange, dare I say of pleasantries (Roger was not known for his pleasantries, and who is to say he was wrong to go through life that way?) and I carry on my way home. This was in 1995. I am uncertain why I remember this encounter. It is not on my list of ‘embarrassing moments never to forget’. Neither is it on my list of ‘conversations that will remain with me until the day I die’. It is, I believe, a visual memory; a man sitting on rock, smoking a roll-up, on a grey day, watching the river, its rise, fall and flow, and Roger lost in his own wending thoughts. Roger has recently died. I have not suddenly begun to think about Roger whenever I walk this stretch of river. I have, ever since that day, thought of him whenever I walk along this stretch of river. Roger Hallett died in January 2011 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img332 https://images.on-this.website/7784_436959229536e2ee22d124.jpgPOST BACH, Synod Inn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on POST BACH, Synod Inn, Ceredigion 2014 I am not entirely sure but I believe this was last used as a farm shop and pub and closed relatively recently. The main road once passed right in front of the shop, on a sharp bend, but recent road improvements means this now sits on a crossroads hardly ever used. My visit was early morning and very foggy. The house seems in good condition and so far well-preserved. It is set to be auctioned end of May 2014, so I doubt it will remain empty much longer. Was this once a farm house? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3884975.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10516808944aed4426975b1.jpgBLAEN BLODAU, New Inn, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on BLAEN BLODAU, New Inn, Carmarthenshire 2009 This image encapsulates all i seek to achieve with this project. It contains many of the elements you find whilst wandering around many of the mansions shown on this website; overgrown and mature grounds, a ruined house (although barely visible in this image) and a feeling of tranquility and sorrow. I find the compositional elements all suceessful. The large soft-wood filling much of the frame but also the open gate leading to the steps at the rear of the house and then a thin conifer on the far left rising to the top of the frame. As recorded in the much revered ‘Buildings of Wales’ series (which now covers of whole of Wales, county by county) and also, with photographs, in ‘Welsh Forgotten Houses’. Blaen Blodau was a very pleasant surprise. Larger than the photographs suggest in ‘Forgottten Welsh Houses’ yet neither too large to be considered a rambling pile with two storey’s settled on a basement. Inside is dark, damp and supported with wooden scaffolding – I peered through the side door but did not bother to enter. Two curved rear bays and a front curved bay obscured by a rendered late Victorian/early 20th century overhanging porch (which gives this house a very peculiar appearance). Beautiful and vast firs scatter the overgrown grounds with a short driveway wending itself around to the house. A farm dog barked constantly whilst I was there, unable to see me but obviously aware of my presence. I circled the house and made a number of exposures. The morning had yet to truly break and long exposures were required of around 4 minutes. An air of calmness enveloped the house and grounds and one could imagine once some of the high branches were thinned and more light would enter the house and grounds that this would be a wonderful place to live. A small but lovely coach house also in grounds. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14218197454b3e310791631.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau Coach House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4347521784b3e2d2d6d566.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6611598834b3e2d6994cb0.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20344298274a693a8350f31.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21020623124b7522aca5378.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15129231174b7522437109c.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13704385814b751fa1a32ec.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6396092764b75201e88f50.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14336817754b75212f36b14.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8665919484b75216abf7c3.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14277352674b75249100b68.jpg[/img] View beside Blaen Blodau 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llywnywormwood-myddfai-carmarthenshire-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_112302978449796a8ca063e.jpgLLYWNYWORMWOOD, Myddfai, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on LLYWNYWORMWOOD, (Llwynywermod), Myddfai, Carmarthenshire 1996 Llwynywormwood is a fine and celebrated park now in the process of restoration. The house, built circa 1775, incorporated influences from many periods and the day i visited stood as a dramatic silhouette on a hilltop. When I visited very little remained save for the end ranges with very precarious chimneys, but signs of a once splendid house were still scattered across the estate. Vacated in 1907 and since, after the sale of the property and its contents, left empty and open to the elements. The ruins are now owned by the Prince of Wales who purchased the adjacent farmhouse in 2006. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8659092214b65297214a83.jpg[/img] Llwynywormwood 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4624681454b65294f97978.jpg[/img] Llwynywormwood 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_165269504b65298ac1e3b.jpg[/img] Llwynywormwood 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20700062354b6529a844f7c.jpg[/img] Llwynywormwood 1996 LLWYN Y WERMOD. Mvddfai. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1997 Mae Llwyn y Wermod yn bare braf ac enwog, ac mae'r tiroedd wrthi'n caei eu hadfer ar hyn o bryd. Codwyd y ty oddeutu 1775 ac mae'n cynnwys dylanwadau o gyfnodau gwahanol. Safai megis cysgodlun dramatig ar ben y bryn. Pan ymwelais a'r lie ychydig iawn oedd yn weddill o'r ty ac roedd y simneiau'n sigledig iawn, ond gallwn weld olion hen dy ysblennydd wedi eu gwasgaru ar hyd y stad. Mae'r ty wedi bod yn wag ers 1907, ac ar ol i'r lie a phopeth a oedd ynddo gael ei werthu, fe'i gadawyd yn wag ac yn agored i'r elfennau. Bellach mae'r adfeilion yn eiddo i Dywysog Cymru a brynodd y ffermdy cyfagos yn 2006. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26845329.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_179183152256e3bee2cb46c.jpgBRECHFA FAWR, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BRECHFA FAWR, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Empty farmstead, not long empty, recently boarded up with numerous outbuildings, also ruined but still in some use. Nicely located but a shame to see empty, hopefully will be on the market soon. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24167741.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_478117496554cc577e284c.jpgLLAIN, Aberarth, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLAIN, Aberarth, Ceredigion 2015 Peasant longhouse, notable for the thatch and cob walls - apparently last thatched in 1938 between the wars - I am uncertain when this was last lived in. It's a lovely place, quiet and sheltered by trees... a pig shed has faired better but the house and barns are all tumbling. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img207 https://images.on-this.website/7784_83770639953478fce04fbe.jpgFFAIR RHOS, Ceredigion 2001 Please note: this image is not for sale https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5432386.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7702996904c2ae379c5085.jpgYNYS LAS, Ceredigion 2002 Notes on YNYS LAS, Ceredigion 2002 Patterns formed in the shifting tides. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/lovesgrove-aberystwyth-2002 https://images.on-this.website/7784_682011565a8beb1c56525.jpgLOVESGROVE, ABERYSTWYTH 2002 Notes on LOVESGROVE, ABERYSTWYTH 2002 Undergrowth... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36757396.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21018676275bd2a2494cce8.jpgPEN-Y-GRAIG, Port Tenant, Swansea 2018 Notes on PEN-Y-GRAIG, Port Tenant, Swansea 2018 Nestled in a group of trees on a hillside, half a mile from Port Tenant, which overlooks the industrial harbour at Swansea. Pen-y-graig stands roofless and ruinous. It seems relatively untouched by vandal, mostly ignored by bored youth and content in its derelict state. Outbuildings also ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4948737.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10190066854be3b0b15a6bc.jpgGRASS ON ROCK, Cwm Elan, Powys 2003 Notes on GRASS ON ROCK, Cwm Elan, Powys 2003 Dried river swept grasses washed up on a rock side. I did not doctor, nor ever do, any of the grasses - it was literally pointing the camera to find a suitable composition and exposing. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-new-row-ceredigion-2003 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8830032964bcaac8556e84.jpgWALL, New Row, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on WALL, New Row, Ceredigion 2003 Peeling paint in the ruined farmstead of Llewtysynod. The farmhouse, Llewtysynod, this was taken in still stands empty but the slate has been removed from the roof and all the wooden panelling, although rotten, has been stripped from the inside. Recently a chimney has also collapsed. As little as 3 years ago the house seemed salvageable but no longer. What a shame. This was taken upstairs and before the slates were removed. It was incredibly dark and I don’t think I would have been able to capture the tactile-ness of the paintwork if I hadn’t been able to open a tiny door (about two foot high) which lead to a small attic. By opening this door just a jar I could direct some light so it skimmed the surface of the wall the paint was on. It was fortunate, other wise I would have not been able to take the picture. A long exposure of around 16minutes was required and an 90mm lens at F22. Influenced by the work of Aaron Siskind. Seeking abstractions in rural mid Wales can at times prove difficult but also when a suitable wall is found, rewarding. Fortunately, there are many ruined houses, farms and industrial buildings which may not always be easy to enter. When possible they often contain walls covered in blistered paint or peeled wallpaper. Often there is very little natural light and since I do not use flash photography exposures can vary from a few seconds up to a few hours. These long exposures allow me to become acquainted with these empty properties, their crumbling and damp walls and whilst the film is exposed to the subject I can settle into the moment and become calm within the buildings atmosphere. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4958676.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4944061224be65ec195b3d.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. BRYN COPA. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/neuadd-fach-builth-wells-radnorshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_19809896064e4265757cd71.jpgNEUADD FACH, Builth Wells, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on NEUADD FACH, Builth Wells, Radnorshire 2011 A peasent 16th century longhouse, dwelling and animal byre all under the same roof (cruck roof can be best seen in the byre). Inside is dark and tiny with newspaper used as wallpaper, painted over and now peeling revealing layered histories of newpaper print. Bats in the upstairs. Large fireplace and lookig up the chimney light pours down and into the fireplace. Grade 2 listed and recently sold at auction this property deserves the respect that accompanies a listed building and has hopefully secured its immediate future. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094545.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_69183168449796a9a360e9.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 A pack of sheep dogs barked around my car as I pulled into the farmyard that stands beside the decrepit walls of Neuadd Fawr, built on an existing site by a William Davys in the late 18th century. The dogs continued to bark at my heels as I knocked on the farmhouse door and I very nearly ran back to my car. I was pleased I didn’t turn and drive home as I believe I was lucky that day. The dogs calmed and were friendly and the owner, although it was still very early, was happy for me to spend a few hours exploring the house and its grounds. A heavy morning dew soaked my feet and a bleak mist hung around the grounds, occasionally revealing trees, the walls of outbuildings and a walled garden with ivy covering every inch of the stone. The interior was too dangerous to enter. I always take a hard helmet with me but it felt that at any moment the entire house would tumble down around me. It seemed well beyond repair then. It’s walls, stone and mortar were damp and sodden and the roof was fruitlessly attempting to shelter the inside from any further deterioration of the rot therein. Some 7 years later I drove by again. I parked the car, stood on tiptoe, peering over the hedgerow, and across the field. Neuadd Fawr still stood, resilient, with the wind ever blowing through its rooms. I felt somehow nostalgic and relieved. I didn’t like the thought that someone may purchase, demolish, or even rebuild, such a house. What chance to reclaim its history and character? Then again perhaps these days nothing is beyond repair and I’ve heard it is, once again, on the market. The estate contains (now restored) lodge houses, a walled garden and a marvellous twin door stable block. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2080765445498bd5cc5fbb4.jpg[/img] Neuadd Fawr 1996 NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img375 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19559178425374f8d89f12c.jpgCHURCH HOUSE & HALL, St Padarn's Parish Church, Pennant, Ceredigion 20 Notes on CHURCH HOUSE & HALL, St Padarn's Parish Church, Pennant, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage and corrugated hall – the hall still in occasional use – the cottage empty except for a few odds and ends. Both stand adjacent to the church. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37360252.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21044600495c5d27c6b0971.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Somehow it has been seven years since I first visited Cwmygigfran. Nothing had really changed. It is still almost totally inaccessible – due to foliage – but I do realise my camera bag and tripod do add a considerable bulk to my frame. The large trees along the pathway towards the house hints at something hidden in the mass of foliage. A low long wall is also present, almost like a low platform of a small narrow gauge railway. A small gate, open, hanging off the hinge and into a mass of tiny branches. A way through is forged. Nonetheless, it’s a real pain getting to the walls and once within the house, and climbing out a window, it does allow access to the front of the house where, strangely enough, nothing seems to grow – the rhododendrons surround the house but seem to avoid this section. The same can be said of the brambles too! So it is here, just right in front of the house the exposures need to be made. Access inside is also possible, mature trees grow inside, the walls are bare, little clue of what was once found within, that said, it is easy to see that this was once a full three storey property. Viewpoints are limited and I am aware that my first visit saw me document the better angles. I re-took an image taken from the outside and took some different internal images using a standard lens (whereas before I used a wide-angle) Alan Richards wrote on the 'Geograph' website: A house has stood at Cwmygigfran (trans. Valley of the Raven) since circa 1600. In 1871 the house was known locally as 'The Palace' after its owner, Daniel Thomas, had spent a fortune on renovating the old place. Indeed, tradition has it that he spent so much money gentrifying the house that he couldn't afford to live there. Around the turn of the twentieth century the house began to deteriorate and by 1940 it had fallen into total disrepair. In 1960, Cwmygigfran was completely stripped of anything of value after being bought by a demolition firm from Hereford. Once the house was photographed I then returned to the barns outside where once someone lived. Although only a few metres away, this also takes a little effort to reach. The remnants I found seven years ago seem to be less. A tarpaulin partially stops the weather but it is frayed and torn. It is an odd place. A sink but no running water, a roof but a gable end collapsed, a full height metal cupboard filled with cans of rusty nails and screws yet nothing to nail or screw down. I do not think this owner had any intention of restoring the house. It was probably beyond hope in the 1960's when the walls and roof were striped of all their worth. What chance forty years later? It is not the once rich owners I think about but the guy, I presume it was a guy, living alone, who occupied this barn. I wonder for how long? Surely not through the winter months? Was he squatting, did he own the house itself? An old Volvo estate sits not far from the house, dirty and unwanted, dead to the world. I checked to see how old the registration number is, it was built 1978-1979 - can we presume the lonesome squatter was not rich and the car was already old when he owned it, drove it up the rough track? I'm thinking late 1980's through to anytime mid-1990's. Seems reasonable but guess work nonetheless. Again, further evidence that the squatter/owner had at least lived here for a little while. It's a sad sense yet at the same time I liked it here, knowing that the house stands almost completely surrounded by impenetrable foliage, left open to the elements but once, even on a January day, the afternoon sun climbs up, it became as warm as January day can be when the bushes and trees stop the wind and the air rushing about. I certainly felt better after my visit and the walk back to the car, and indeed the drive home, felt as if my day had been worthwhile and complete. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5325429.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11697076664c1db49ec2ecb.jpgYNYS LAS, Ceredigion 2002 Notes on YNYS LAS, Ceredigion 2002 Looking up towards the estuary early morning during low tide these dramatic images were taken using a 6x6cm twin lens reflex camera. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gravel-pits-ox-bow-lakes https://images.on-this.website/7784_1095261624c2ae380bcce8.jpgGRAVEL PITS, Ox-Bow Lakes and the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on GRAVEL PITS, Ox-Bow Lakes and the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2003 These were some of the first images taken at the ox-bow lakes along the river Rheidol - taken on a November afternoon with a grey colourless sky. In many ways such days are my favourite time to photograph, nothing becomes obscured by deep shadow nor bleached by bright sun light. It felt a privilege to be in such a place, only a few yards from the road yet hidden, totally from view, due to the thick heavy branches and thousands upon thousands of tiny branches all obscuring these wonderful small ponds and lakes. Into The Murky Depths We Tred I came upon these wetland areas whilst cycling home one summers evening. Wetland areas are essential, basically untouched, and serve as irrigation and to filter pollution. The fact that no ones seems to bother to explore them due to their dampness and seemingly unfriendly environment, also allows them to be rich in wildlife. From the road that leads to Cwm Rheidol (about 8 miles from Aberystwyth) entrance through the undergrowth seems almost impossible and impenetrable. When the sun is low, bright splashes of sun light flicker through the thicket and reveal openings. Ducking under the thicket and forcing your way through, and once in amongst the deep mud and dankness, a whole new world is revealed; jungle-like and heavily branched areas, rich in photographic pickings and in some ways universal. These sorts of geographic landscapes are not typical or localised to any one part of the country. If you travel by train anywhere you always pass these oft ignored areas. They can not be built on because the land is unstable, no one walks through them, due to their (supposed) unpleasantness but once you’ve broken through their barriers of branches you enter a world with it’s own micro-atmosphere. The photographs were taken on either Ilford FP4 or Delta 100 5x4inch sheet film using a Wista camera and either a 90mm super-angulon or 135mm symmar lenses. Exposures on a grey day at F22 usually hovered around the 16 second mark and when photographing in sun light at about 1 second. My boots, trouser legs and the tripod feet were covered in thick, dark mud and although the going was slow, the actual area of these wetlands is perhaps only an acre or two in size. I’ve visited and photographed only three or four times but each time the tranquillity and ever changing photographic opportunities due to the water level rising and falling, the ever evolving process of woodlands – new saplings appearing and older trees uprooting - means visiting here has become a constant source of pleasure. YSTUMLLYN. Cwm Rheidol. Ceredigion 2003 - 2006 Deuthum ar draws y gwlypdir hwn wrth feicio gartref un noson o haf. Mae ardaloedd o wlypdir yn hanfodol. Ar y cyfan, nid oes neb wedi ei gyffwrdd ac mae'n gweithredu fel system ddyfrhau ac mae'n hidlo'r llygredd . Mae'r ffaith nad oes fawr neb yn eu harchwilio oherwydd eu lleithder a'u hamgylchedd yn golygu eu bod yn gyfoethog o ran bywyd gwyllt. O'r ffordd sy'n arwain at Gwm Rheidol (tua 8 milltir o Aberystwyth), ymddengys bod yr isdyfiant yn anhreiddiadwy. Pan fo'r haul yn isel, gwelir goleuadau llachar yr haul drwy'r dryslwyn. Unwaith y byddwch yng nghanol y mwd dwfn a'r gwiybaniaeth, agorir eich llygaid i fyd newydd. Dyma ardal sy'n debyg i jyngl I lawn canghennau Ardal sy'n gyfoethog at ddibenion tynnu lluniau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/door-brighton-east-sussex-2006 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14568066424d41978b65ae0.jpgDOOR, Brighton, East Sussex 2006 Notes on DOOR, Brighton, East Sussex 2006 A pleasing image. I had went for a walk around Stamner Park on the outskirts of Brighton and come across a barn. The sun was just rising and as it did it skimmed the surface of the peeling paint on the door. I had inadvertedly timed my morning out to perfect. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058641.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6308406154a62ce45497cf.jpgBLAEN BLODAU, New Inn, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on BLAEN BLODAU, New Inn, Carmarthenshire 2009 As recorded in the much revered ‘Buildings of Wales’ series (which now covers of whole of Wales, county by county) and also, with photographs, in ‘Welsh Forgotten Houses’. Blaen Blodau was a very pleasant surprise. Larger than the photographs suggest in ‘Forgottten Welsh Houses’ yet neither too large to be considered a rambling pile with two storey’s settled on a basement. Inside is dark, damp and supported with wooden scaffolding – I peered through the side door but did not bother to enter. Two curved rear bays and a front curved bay obscured by a rendered late Victorian/early 20th century overhanging porch (which gives this house a very peculiar appearance). Beautiful and vast firs scatter the overgrown grounds with a short driveway wending itself around to the house. A farm dog barked constantly whilst I was there, unable to see me but obviously aware of my presence. I circled the house and made a number of exposures. The morning had yet to truly break and long exposures were required of around 4 minutes. An air of calmness enveloped the house and grounds and one could imagine once some of the high branches were thinned and more light would enter the house and grounds that this would be a wonderful place to live. A small but lovely coach house also in grounds. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14218197454b3e310791631.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau Coach House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4347521784b3e2d2d6d566.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6611598834b3e2d6994cb0.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20344298274a693a8350f31.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21020623124b7522aca5378.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15129231174b7522437109c.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13704385814b751fa1a32ec.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6396092764b75201e88f50.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14336817754b75212f36b14.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8665919484b75216abf7c3.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14277352674b75249100b68.jpg[/img] View beside Blaen Blodau 2009 BLAEN BLODAU. New Inn. Sir Gaerfvrddin 2009 Roedd yn braf iawn ymweld a Blaen Blodau. Deulawr ac islawr sydd iddo ac er nad yw'n dy mawr mae'n fwy nag y mae'n ymddangos. Mae'n dywyll ac yn damp y tu mewn gyda sgaffaldiau pren yn ei gynnal ac mae'n amlwg bod angen gwneud gwaith arno i'w atgyfnerthu. Mae dau fae crwm yn y tu cefn i'r ty a bae crwm yn y tu blaen sydd wedi ei guddio gan gyntedd wedi ei rendro sy'n crogi drosodd o ddiwedd oes Fictoria/dechrau'r 20fed ganrif (sy'n rhoi gwedd ddigon rhyfedd i'r ty). Mae coed pinwydd helaeth hardd wedi eu gwasgaru yn yr ardd ac mae dreif byr yn ymlwybro at y ty. Roedd rhyw naws dawel i'r ty a'r tiroedd a gallai rhywun ddychmygu pe cai rhai o'r canghennau uchel eu tocio y byddai mwy o olau yn y ty a'r tiroedd ac y byddai hwn yn lie gwych i fyw. Coetsiws bach a hyfryd yn nhiroedd y ty. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34374854.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14895605205abb9bdbe7120.jpgBUCKLEY'S BREWERY, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire 2018 Notes on BUCKLEY'S BREWERY, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire 2018 A large brewery, empty, windows bricked up and listed. It stands in the centre of Llanelli. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-bristol-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20241114825a6746ca049bb.jpgABSTRACTION, Bristol 2018 Notes on Bristol 2018 Abstraction taken with a handheld 5x4inch camera https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ynys-las-ceredigion-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7757006405489e1ec0b512.jpgYNYS LAS, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on YNYS LAS, Ceredigion 2014 A simple exposure - only ruined by a spot of flare (a lens hood would probably have stopped this) and shows a dried up mud/sand pit in amongst the low plants. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25890708.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_125444548356224ada2480a.jpgABANDONED VAN, Cwmystwyth Mines, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on ABANDONED VAN, Cwmystwyth Mines, Ceredigion 1994 Abandoned and set on fire, this van stayed at Cwmystwyth a little while before the council came and took it away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789122.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20981759804bcaac69c3844.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 Similar in style to the previous picture - this was taken about 6 inches from the ground on the front of a record shop on Mansfield Road in Nottingham and gives a further example of the ‘nothing’ area of an image becoming the main focal point. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/piercefield-house-pavilion-st-arvans https://images.on-this.website/7784_9636227954972c98c506ce.jpgPIERCEFIELD HOUSE (Pavilion), St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Notes of PIERCEFIELD HOUSE, St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Piercefield is a large, notorious mansion estate situated high above the river Severn on the outskirts of Chepstow. Its origins lie in the middle ages and the Classical house as it stands today, was built around 1792. It has been bought and sold many times throughout its relatively short-lived life and today sits covered with supports and scaffolding adjacent to Chepstow racecourse. I had known of Piercefield for some time, a friend had shown me snapshots of the house ruined, and it is well documented in guidebooks and historical interest publications. The house and its many statues were abandoned after 1923 and sold to the racecourse. Unsurprisingly, it is a house that sparks great debate in the Chepstow area. The American Army in the Second World War supposedly used it as a target practice. Two large pavilions either side of the house became obscured by undergrowth and around the rear of the house extensive outbuildings (early 19th century); service courts, stables, a coach house and a walled kitchen garden are all derelict though with some abiding agricultural use. The April morning I arrived was a humid and bright day. Piercefields sand-coloured limestone walls stood brave against the greens of the embroidered foliage and a wispy blue sky behind. Many exposures made, ordinarily I use around 6 sheets of film per house visited but the sheer size and wealth of photographic subject matter soon had me reloading film and searching for that viewpoint which suits the atmospherics of a house with such grand declines. The house, outbuildings and grounds are currently under renovation. Piercefield 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5043837494b51d72924c0a.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9417442054b51d73e478ae.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8030927984b51d75259c20.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img369 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9861764515373d05b9a0ca.jpgGREENACRES, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GREENACRES, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2014 A large empty town house adjacent to the university https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4633497.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13162499934bae22f3878b3.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2005 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2005 A bleak and desolate place. A jumble of machinery and other red coloured rusty mechanics, some dating from the mid 1900's, blotting the landscape and resilient in the wind and rain. An eerie place and a little further up the hillside two large open mining shafts which at some point had served as a general farmyard junk pit and filled with car parts, corrugated iron and many other unrecognisable and tangled metal. Historically, Esgair Mwn, was a place of hard work and strife, one such episode involving a gang and a gun is recorded in Bethan Hughes' book on Peterwell mansion and its notorious owner Lloyd Herbert. There has been a mine at this sight for over 300 years but finally came to an end in 1966. I was also told that there was a brave sole miner during the 1980's. I wonder if this is true and one also wonders what kind of life it must have been. BANC ESGAIR MWN. Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 2005 & 2009 Lie diffaith a llwm. Amrywiaeth o beirianwaith a moduron wedi rhydu yn blith draphlith o amgylch y He, rhai ohonynt yn dyddio'n ol i ganol yr ugeinfed ganrif, yn ddolur i'r llygad ond yn gadarn yn erbyn y gwynt a'r glaw. Lie annaearol yw hwn, ac wrth ddringo ychydig yn uwch ar y llechwedd ceir dwy siafft gloddio fawr agored, a fu ar un adeg yn dwll ar gyfer pob math o sbwriel fferm, ac felly maent yn llawn ceir, tun rhychiog a phentyrrau dryslyd o fetel sy'n amhosib dyfalu beth ydynt. Yn hanesyddol bu cryn ddiwydrwydd ac ymryson yn Esgair Mwn, a bu i Bethan Hughes gofnodi un achlysur yn ymwneud a gang a dryll yn ei chyfrol Peterwell sydd yn ofrhain hanes ystad Ffynnonbedr a'i pherchennog drwg-enwog Lloyd Herbert. Bu mwynglawdd yma am dros 300 mlynedd, ond daeth y gwaith i ben ym 1966. Clywais son y bu mwynwr yn gweithio yno ar ei ben ei hun am gyfnod byr yn y 1980au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40586135.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13534141215de8dd6db6beb.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img395 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12408694185378e328ba9fc.jpgMAESTEG, Cribyn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on MAESTEG, Cribyn, Ceredigion 2014 Whilst driving to Maesteg I was half listening to the radio and thought I had heard the phrase ‘architects of infinity’ and for some reason this amused me and I said aloud to myself: ‘The Architects of Infinity have forgotten where they had started from’. Many Times to a Ruin: Off the main road and onto a b-class road and then after a few miles onto an unclassified road. This road wends a little while and is in fact a loop road of around 8 miles. Half way a long this road is an entrance and at the entrance an old rusting gate hanging off its hinges and held up with bailing twine. I climb over the gate and walk along the track. There is a line of electricity cables running in the field adjacent and heading in the same direction as the track. There is no cable running from pole to pole. I seek visible signs that no-one has been this way recently; tyre tracks in muddy puddles, footprints and even discarded foot packaging. The track becomes greener, thick grass grows straight and tall and soaks the trousers at the top of the wellingtons. According to the map the track should veer to the right and enter a small wooded area. This is where I am led to believe I will find my ruin. I have checked the Ordnance Survey maps, and saw an ubiquitous rectangle with another long thinner rectangle at a right angle beside it. I am thinking a house and barn. I have also checked GoogleEarth, for all the dislike I claim, I cannot help but wonder at its practicality in searching for ruins. However, in this instance GoogleEarth is of no use, I have peered long and hard at the computer screen and could draw no solid conclusion if the summer foliage of the trees simply disguise the two buildings or they have in actual fact been demolished years ago and the fact I can’t make them out on the computer screen is because they no longer exist. There is really only one way to find out. I plan my journey, make sure all my equipment is working as it should and head out. What joy when you’re in luck! To find a small workers cottage; squat, roof barely clinging on, a large crack one gable end and if fortune carries a little further; an open window, a quick look about and then a small scramble inside, sometimes feet first (my preferred entrance) but occasionally head first and never really knowing for sure what you’re hands might discover. Today feet first, the kitchen with a toilet basin sitting skew whiffed. A wander through the rooms, dead birds, bird shit, broken things. I’ve upset some dust because I cough almost constantly. I am far from any other house but I want to be quiet. A sheep bleats outside and then the horrid sound of a baby crow demanding food, lodged somewhere in the chimney, the gable end with the crack and large gap under the eaves. There’s a lot of daylight coming in into this room. The wall has collapsed and damp runs down the walls all the way through the floorboards (completely rotten) and into the bathroom downstairs. The peeling paint is delicious, it tickles my aesthetic fancy but kneeling down, closing one eye to compose and I see it’s not quite up to scratch (as it were). I resume the search of the rooms. A child’s room; baby wall paper of cartoon tigers and hippos but also a Michael Jackson poster and a car magazine called ‘Fast Fords’ (dated 1994). So this was when the last occupants lived here and they had a child, perhaps no longer a baby but someone whom liked Michael Jackson. Twenty years and the house is near dereliction. I think the last tenants found it cold and damp here. The house is in a lovely position but you can tell that today isn’t the first day for the air to be dusty and damp. These old Welsh houses have little insulation and even a tramp would struggle to find much comfort or warmth here. All the radiators have been ripped out or there had never been any in the first place. I think back to where I was in 1994. I first visited Aberglasney Mansion in 1994. That house is fully restored, this house has begun the quick decline. I find the skeleton remains of a large bird, probably a crow or a pigeon. It had probably found a way in but couldn’t quite work out how to get back out again. I am pleased I do not have this problem. I set the camera up, a slow process focussing in the dim light. It is a simple exposure, taken directly above the birds remains. The bones of the wings and feet are fully stretched out, like it had fallen from a great height and had tried to break its fall by spreading out. An eight minute exposure, time enough to contemplate, time enough to breath. I sit in squat position, knowing I’ll be stiff when I rise. The minutes pass slowly at first but soon reverie takes over and I start thinking back about my journey here and then back further to all ruins visited. I don’t know why I do it sometimes yet it is also addictive and satisfying. Eight minutes has passed and I think for a moment more. Is that it? Any more photographs worth capturing here? I think not. I remove the lens, put the caps back on, unfold the camera, put it carefully away. I zip the zips and push down on the Velcro fasteners. I lower the tripod and climb down the stairs, taking in each step, saying a final farewell to the house. I have been here for no more than forty five minutes but it feels much longer and like every other ruin I’ve ever visited, my visit here has been securely etched onto film and into my memory. The walk back to the car is less worrisome. I will meet no-one I can tell. I will walk along the grassy track and note that my feet had pushed down the long grass on my way here. Dew marks stretch before me. If someone, like myself, wishes to visit and photograph here today, they’d walk along this path and they’d know, by these visible signs that someone had walked along here very recently. Maybe they’d change their mind and turn back. I almost want to make a sign and to leave it somewhere and for it to read; it’s okay, it’s worth a look, come here, look around, go home, save the memories. Once back to the car and the equipment loaded into the trunk I sit at the wheel and scan the map. Where to next? A small chapel house, roadside location, in a church yard. Easy. Not much walking, no trespassing but I know that even if my next visit is easy it will still have the same impact upon me; and for all the good it does me, the silence and stillness of a forgotten home, elsewhere, untouched for some time and careering further to total ruin. Maesteg isn’t all these things. It sits in the corner of a field. You can tell that no one really comes here. Once it was a family home, now it is just an empty house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19325987.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_343820035523b3f5e46697.jpgPEMPRYS, Artists Valley, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on PEMPRYS, Artists Valley, Ceredigion 2013 A fine deserted longhouse high in the hills. Currently for sale - much vandalised inside, some of it by human hand, some of it by sheep. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24167736.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1076263959554cc54e47ce6.jpgABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 A large sign with worn paint and a cracked surface. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36464653.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_341319825bb0c6f8938c1.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/great-sand-dunes-colorado-1998 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9940532674eb8e33d809bd.jpgGREAT SAND DUNES, Colorado 1998 Notes on GREAT SAND DUNES, Colorado 1998 A simple 6x6cm roll film image. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8257296.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19229838674d2d5b5f8b9b1.jpgGARREGLWYD, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on GARREGLWYD, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 With my car out of action I took to pedal power, on a Friday morning, in the sleet, from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid, up further past Strata Florida Abbey and beyond to the Mwyro Valley. I locked my bike near to the small chapel that sits at the dead end of the tarmacked road. The last time I was here was in 2002 and this small chapel lay derelict, the slates barely clinging to the rotting roof timbers. Happily, now it has been beautifully restored. So on foot I walked along the path and up to the farmstead of Garreglwyd. It wasn’t an easy walk. I was tired from the cycle ride, the sleet was bitter against my face and my waterproof clothing had begun to dampen and cling coolly to my body. Yes, I did consider turning back but felt I would be letting myself down. In 2002 I visited Garreglwyd, the ground was baked hard and the heat was stifling. The seasons in Mid Wales can be harsh but better to feel them than be cocooned within a city confines. The house at Garreglwyd is long ruined, in fact there are many small ruins along this once relatively high-populated area of small farms and shepherd dwellings, and the corrugated iron roof had collapsed on what little remained inside. My visit in 2002 showed a small wood burner and some benches and seats. Was this an unofficial rest for the weary wanderer? I rested there in 2002 and appreciated it. With the roof collapsed there is no longer anywhere to rest, other than the barns which are still in agricultural use. Unfortunately Garreglwyd has all but reached the end of its secluded life. Around the rear, the house sits in a bank and one feels it’s is surely sinking back into the ground. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/poplars-pontlliw-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_100704165e138413db0e7.jpgPOPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Notes on POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Recently put on the market with planning for housing on the grounds, one feels the urbanization around the property is already intrusive but if it helps to keep this lovely building from further deterioration then housing is the lesser of two evils. The property is reached by a gated entrance on the edge of the village Pontlliw. There is no need to open the gate as access can be found simply by walking beside the gatepost. There's a small bricked ruined lodge to the right, small and roofless but the structure itself seems sound. I parked the car here and walked along the meandering driveway. I could hear some kid kicking a ball against a garage door in one of the backyards of the houses built alongside the road and parallel to the driveway. I immediately noticed a CCTV camera on a pole and a small light suddenly coming on as I passed. I did not mind. I was after all trespassing but also knew I had no intention of causing any damage or entering the property. I also knew the house to be in a good structural condition, empty rather than derelict but definitely in need of some re-consolidation, the white wooden veranda is in a very poor state and some of it missing. I wondered since I'd triggered the CCTV if someone would appear asking me to leave. No-one came. A few images were taken, just general views, any foliage around the property had been cleared and due to the good condition of the house I wondered if it even needed to be documented. But why by-pass such an opportunity? This had been an impromptu visit, I had just returned from a walk to visit a number of ruins but discovered a public footpath had been (illegally?) closed with a high barb-wired fence and warnings of loose dogs and about 6 or 7 sheep skulls tied to the gate. I could have found a way to enter but decided that the ruins I was intending to visit were probably not worth a dog bite and goodness knows what else... so I walked back the way I had come, to the car, a mile or so with a heavy backpack. Driving back I remembered this house, 'Poplar's' I'd seen for sale on Zoopla and had passed the entrance early on. Although it was Saturday morning, bright daylight, I was determined not to waste my morning and parked at the entrance in full view. I am pleased I did. My visit, brief, perhaps half an hour saw me shoot around 10 sheets of film, nothing spectacular but perfunctionary. As is often the case. The house is large and long. The stables are also ruined, and stand half way along the driveway. These I did enter and are in good condition and could continue to be used as stables if desired. I am uncertain if the stables are grade 2 listed (as the house is) so could be possibly demolished. There are images on the web which show the house inside - it looks shabby and needs a lot of decorating and modernizing but I'm sure someone will turn this into a wonderful home once again. I believe planning consent consists of turning the house into dual occupancy. I expect this time next year the whole complex will be mostly finished, polished and Poplar's will experience another chapter in it's life. The following has been taken from British Listed Buildings website and gives a detailed description of the house: Constructed c1890 by a local industrialist Friedrich William Dahne and originally called Friedrichsruh. Dahne is believed to be Austrian. He is recorded as advertising for a ‘Working Housekeeper’ in October 1899 and the house and grounds are first shown on the 2nd ed OS map of 1900. It is referred to as an ‘Attractive modern country mansion’ on its sale in 1913, by which point F Dahne had presumably died as the house was occupied ( October 1914) by Friedrich’s son David. By the mid C20 it had been renamed The Poplars. The design of The Poplars has been attributed to Glendinning Moxham (1865-1946) an architect active in South Wales and resident in Swansea. Moxham published Country Homes & Cottages in 1910 illustrated with his own designs of built and proposed houses. In it he outlines his stylistic preferences for white painted roughcast walls and half timbering rather than exposed local stone, and red tiles used for walls and roofs. Internally oak is used for principal joinery elements (stair, beams, doors and panelling) with the remainder painted. He also puts forward ideas on plan types, with practical plans with deep windows preferred over an attractive elevation. Moxham designed the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery (1909), banks, hospitals and markets and other buildings throughout Wales. Glen Hir on Gower Road (1900-1910) designed with a French influence of shutters and swept roofs has been attributed to Moxham. Moxham was responsible for the Old English style Bristol Channel Yacht Club (1904) on Mumble s Road. Swiss or Alpine styles had been used in the Swansea area during the C19 with the Swiss Cottage in Singleton Park constructed in 1826 and the Old Rectory in Llanmadoc village (1876-77) by the Rev J D Davies. Detached house in Alpine Chalet style. Red brick with stone dressings, plinth and ground floor cill band. Decorative timberwork painted white. Slate roofs, half hipped with lead rolled hips and deep projecting eaves and moulded rafter ends. Tall brick stacks, decorative ridge tiles and finials. Segmental headed 6-light casement windows, ground floor with 2 upper lights. Rectangular ‘C’ plan arranged N E-SW on a gently sloping site. Long 2 storey garden range facing SE, gabled 2 storey end wings at NE and SW ends linked by single storey block enclosing what may have once been an internal courtyard, closed off by an entrance screen wall). Tower in S corner with decorative finial and slating breaking through roof of 2 storey ranges. Entrance elevation to SW dominated by large full height projecting 2 tier timber veranda on brick plinth, wrapping round at first floor to left hand elevation. Gabled end of the garden wing breaking forward. Moulded posts with bracing, arched on the ground floor and shorter on the first floor with incised and scalloped detailing. Posts irregularly spaced to the left but grouped into 3 bays on the garden wing gable with wider central bay. First floor projects and is supported by corbels. Enclosing low close boarded panels to ground and first floor with pierced decoration with the same applied as gable boarding. Behind 3 windows to the garden wing, central retains stained glass with Alpine folklore scenes in central panels with text below and surrounded by floral designs. Doors in outer bays on the ground floors, 3 windows to the end wing, central bay French doors with leaded glass with oval stained glass cartouches of females. Tiled floor up steps on the ground floor, timber boarded on first floor. Elevation to NW with gable ends of 2 end wings with shallow timber verandah as before but close to façade and more decorative than functional. 2 window to NE end wing, SW end wing with 5 windows to ground floor and 4 to first floor, irregularly spaced. Single storey range in between with wide central door and flanking windows. NE elevation, single window to return of end wing, blind door to ground floor. Projecting lean-to 2 store block on garden range, window in right return, door in left return, blocked door and low opening in main face. Garden elevation of 5 paired window bays (10 windows), projecting stacks in between the 2nd and 3rd pair (reduced) and 4th and 5th. First floor cill band and projecting cills to ground floor windows. Left hand windows to ground floor blind with small lean-to structure to right. Modern entrance porch added in 4th bay with boarded door. Interior retains original layout substantially intact with doors, skirtings etc surviving. Main entrance from SW front retains large entrance hall with single flight oak stairs with moulded newell, balusters and handrail. Raised and fielded 4-panel doors with veneered panels, door surrounds. Full height panelling, fireplace on left hand wall removed and tiled over. Tiled floor. Below stairs cupboard. Listed for its special architectural interest as a late C19 house of exceptional style and quality, retaining its original character and designed (probably) by a prominent Swansea architect. A good physical reflection of the movement of successful industrialists into this part of Swansea, with its design and touches of detail reflecting the background of its original owner. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo27442460.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_211286002357340f88e5988.jpgFFOS-LAS, MORFA BUCHAN, CEREDIGION 2016 Notes on FFOS-LAS, MORFA BUCHAN, CEREDIGION 2016 Another visit, little changed, utterly wonderful site, cliff edges now fenced off, burnt caravan beside house, needs tidying up. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23701727.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_42225509255004f7140fc3.jpgPRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PRIGNANT UCHAF, Ceredigion 2015 A return and little changed. A little snow on the hills, the first daffodils just about popping up, a cool breeze causing the Scot's Pine to sway and creak... all making this journey, indeed every journey here, special and memorable. There is something about Prignant that speaks to me; it's location, the fact that I used to come here as a young man wandering the hills from Hafod, the sorry state of the house (which is slowly deteriorating each visit). A lovely positioned house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769117.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10935938704a31da71b4f46.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8756115024b46e465d5b10.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (potting sheds and greenhouses – all overgrown and ruined) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21403426514b46e4beecb57.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (potting sheds and greenhouses – all overgrown and ruined) For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8010684.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19691215414d08503c8b211.jpgTEIFI POOLS, Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on TEIFI POOLS, Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 1994 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/baron-hill-beaumaris-anglesey-2005 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1777616628496a0c9571ec0.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8168824424b5c5a452515e.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3609790694b5c5a8eb63fa.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14408224384b5c5aad2193a.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7696061414b5c5b3c41528.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6698215724b5c5bc4d6cb8.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5639447514b5c5ae86863f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_343839564b5c5acbe80c3.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15831139334b5c5b75cd315.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14992230974b5c5b96bcf8b.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4502684.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20041608854b927d2600dd9.jpgDEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on DEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24167753.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_301709025554ccac6bf4cb.jpgABSTRACTION AT FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABSTRACTION AT FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 A small house built facing a bank, a shame since there's a lovely view of Llanerchaeron Mansion a few yards away. The house has been gutted and ready for restoration - this unfortunately has ceased and is now open to the elements - although the roof looks to be in a good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img297 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1882471209535694fe3977f.jpgCWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 1996 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699182.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16299255935e1235697819b.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22293852.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13451376185406c111939b9.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42204335.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14166901555ff8459db81c6.jpgMINE TOWER nr CILYBEBYLL, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on MINE TOWER nr CILYBEBYLL, Pontardawe 2020 Stands overlooking former rail line now a cycle track/footpath, the tower itself is in surprisingly good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4953018.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2283841984be513b4416f0.jpgPEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2008 Notes on PEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2010 Peeling paint on a garage door that has all but concealed lettering of a long ago business. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23515796.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_22774984654d9af2a20e12.jpgMAES MYNACH, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on MAES MYNACH, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2015 I fancied a walk and saw on the O/S map that there was a property here but wasn’t too sure if anything would remain. Thankfully it did. A few exposese were made, the wind blew hard and I was worried it may cause the camera set upon the tripod to move but other than a few blurred bracnhes, the photographs came out well… Some of the hardwoods had recently been chopped back… the barns and stables have fared a little better than the house. Maes Mynach seemed to me to be much dilapidated and long ruined and I could find nothing about it on either the internet or in books. Once home I loaded the colour photographs onto the website and the next day received an email – please read on… Dear Paul - I return to your lovely website often, and today''s visit is especially emotional for me. I rented Maes Mynach, Cilcennin from late 1976 to 1981. In those days it was still habitable (electric, water piped in from a spring) and I was young and fit enough to bear the cold, the draughts, the Elsan ... Nice to see my green paint on the back door is still holding up! The landlord, Sylvan Jones, whose farmhouse was down in Talsarn, was very emotionally attached to the place, and would invariably effect repairs, however botched, when slates blew off. Sadly, he died in the yard sometime in the 1980s when his old Fergie tractor overturned and crushed him at Maes Mynach. The house and outbuildings were inherited by daughter and son-in-law: the latter’s first action was to punch out the doors and windows to render the place uninhabitable (although, to be absolutely fair, the blizzard at the end of 1981 that forced my departure had already done a lot of damage). I regard my 5 years in this crumbling and exposed house as a pivotal period in my life, and it still figures in my dreams to this day. It's incredibly sad to see it in this ruinous state ... how I loved this house and my time there. It was once a grange farm connected to Strata Florida Abbey, and the existing building would certainly not have been the first one on the site. It also has intriguing musical links: the early 1970s rock band Heads Hands & Feet (including world-famous guitarist Albert Lee) lived there for a few months in 1973, and the sleeve of their LP Old Soldiers Never Die (1974) has photos taken at the house ... I'm also a musician/songwriter and, oddly enough, am about to release a retrospective CD of songs, some of which were either written at Maes Mynach or are influenced by my time there. So finding your photographs this morning is serendipitous and emotional for me. I have a number of photos of the house taken around 1980/81, plus a couple taken shortly after the 2nd World War, when Sylvan''s elderly spinster aunt lived there with her animals ... Andrew Hawkey. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40573389.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6614104365de573efae490.jpgHEN-LLYS FARM, Llanddewi, Gower 2019 Notes on HEN-LLYS FARM, Llanddewi, Gower 2019 Known has a hall but seems more like longhouse, the house looks sorry for itself rather than on the verge of dereliction - I do not know how long empty - perhaps it's a holiday home, most likely not. Thick gable end chimney hidden by ivy, the house has dirty windows, curtains closed. I did not try to find an way to enter but it would have been nice to have seen the barrel vaulted cellar as described below. The house externally is mundanely rendered but I think the real treasures would have been discovered inside. Hopefully this house will not fall in disrepair. Only a few images taken, I almost did not bother but think I would have regretted it. The rear of the property is pretty much inaccessible - again no great effort was made. The light was fading, I was out of film, time to go home. Found online at: http://www.ggat.org.uk/cadw/historic_landscape/gower/english/Gower_033.htm The house of Henllys and its associated farm of over 200 acres (81 hectares) continued in Mansell ownership until sold to tenants in the 1960s. The house of Old Henllys (01634w; 19501) has a characteristic vernacular Gower plan with lateral outshuts. The central unit of the house is a hall of sixteenth century date, of hearth-passage type with gable-entry stone stairs with cross-slab roof, bed cupboard, later additions, and partly thatched. The hall unit was probably built against an earlier or contemporary west block, subsequently demolished. The existing west extension is undateable, but very substantial: it has at some period been converted to domestic accommodation, as there is an internal door to the older part on each floor. A large chimney (traditionally called the Flemish chimney, but not a large example by Pembrokeshire standards) projects centrally on the gable end. A smaller east extension is of eighteenth and twentieth century date. Barrel vaulted cellars of brick located to the west are thought to have originated as a rainwater reservoir for the house (Morris 1998, 107-117; Listed building description). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34135526.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15711000425a8bec92e5027.jpgPENTRE-BWLEN, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on PENTRE-BWLEN, CEREDIGION 2015 House not derelict - outbuildings are still use but showing signs of age. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/neuadd-fawr-dirty-window-cilycwm https://images.on-this.website/7784_20118338004972c97699de3.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Dirty Window, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 A pack of sheep dogs barked around my car as I pulled into the farmyard that stands beside the decrepit walls of Neuadd Fawr, built on an existing site by a William Davys in the late 18th century. The dogs continued to bark at my heels as I knocked on the farmhouse door and I very nearly ran back to my car. I was pleased I didn’t turn and drive home as I believe I was lucky that day. The dogs calmed and were friendly and the owner, although it was still very early, was happy for me to spend a few hours exploring the house and its grounds. A heavy morning dew soaked my feet and a bleak mist hung around the grounds, occasionally revealing trees, the walls of outbuildings and a walled garden with ivy covering every inch of the stone. The interior was too dangerous to enter. I always take a hard helmet with me but it felt that at any moment the entire house would tumble down around me. It seemed well beyond repair then. It’s walls, stone and mortar were damp and sodden and the roof was fruitlessly attempting to shelter the inside from any further deterioration of the rot therein. Some 7 years later I drove by again. I parked the car, stood on tiptoe, peering over the hedgerow, and across the field. Neuadd Fawr still stood, resilient, with the wind ever blowing through its rooms. I felt somehow nostalgic and relieved. I didn’t like the thought that someone may purchase, demolish, or even rebuild, such a house. What chance to reclaim its history and character? Then again perhaps these days nothing is beyond repair and I’ve heard it is, once again, on the market. The estate contains (now restored) lodge houses, a walled garden and a marvellous twin door stable block. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2080765445498bd5cc5fbb4.jpg[/img] Neuadd Fawr 1996 NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/derlwyn-fawr-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4012157505a8bec95d6289.jpgDERLWYN-FAWR, CEREDIGION 2016 Notes on DERLWYN-FAWR, CEREDIGION 2016 Farmhouse not derelict, some of the outbuildings in poor state of repair, this little gem still in use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6784990.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_660033934ca34d0b0100c.jpgCOURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 A remarkable visit. In most instances the mansions I visit are in such a poor state of disrepair that the very layout of the rooms and décor are impossible to determine. Not so at Court. I know not when Court became derelict but it has not fallen into disrepair like so many others, in the 1950’s. Court has not suffered the 60 years of pilfering, or the yearly cycles of the battling elements forcing themselves behind plasterwork, between brick and mortar. The decay here hasn’t quite reached a point where total dereliction would force demolition. It is however true that the roof above the main staircase has begun to let in the rain at an alarming rate. Huge holes have appeared in the ceiling, with large saplings growing and long strands of ivy falling down. This damp area of the house continues all the way down to the basement. It cuts like a knife through a cake. Other rooms, most other rooms, although bare and with some damp, appear to be in a good dry condition. Unfortunately some of the plasterwork has begun to crumble, none as worse as the plaster frieze in the hallway just at the foot of the main staircase and therefore near the dampest areas of the house. The driveway up to the house is no longer in use other than agricultural, and glimpses of the house can be snatched. Court’s rendered façade is peeling and crumbling giving the house a sorrier look of disrepair than perhaps it deserves. Its an imposing house and its wooden portico has all but rotted and collapsed. Inside the house is spacious and although it does not have a large number of rooms, they are all a decent size with the kitchen at the hub of the house. There are the usual signs of dereliction within; old furniture, hearths full of bird nests, rusty kettles and boxes and baskets of knickknacks and ornaments, an empty but dust lined enamelled bath. Also on the site is a walled garden and many outbuildings, mostly renovated although an impressive slate clad barn remains in a derelict state. Photographing Court was a very pleasant experience. Some of the interior images required, since I never use flash photography for the black and white images, exposure times of 16 minutes whilst some of the exterior shots, due to the dimness of the morning also requiring exposure times of between 1 – 8 minutes causing some blurriness of foliage that blew in the wind. A farm stood at this site long before the mansion was built in 1800. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hen-gefn-llangunllo-radnorshire-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17162753350ae2c9b9ce09.jpgHEN GEFN, Llangunllo, Radnorshire 2012 Notes on HEN GEFN, Llangunllo, Radnorshire 2012 Was for sale when visited - uncertain if now purchased and restored (2015) https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2120034.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_864527462498535a13256a.jpgHAFOD (door rear of greenhouse), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2001 Notes on HAFOD (ruins, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1996 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. Hafod was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired 'Peacocks in Paradise' by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot stone of the monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12262348334b4241d8cd049.jpg[/img] Hafod greenhouse door 2004 YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2120035.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_645602709498535a79274a.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2005 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2005 I was unsure what to expect as I drove through the new housing estate and up to the wooded area where Llangennech House stands. I had seen an old photograph of the large castellated house and in my research had read that some of the house remained, but I was still unsure if I would find anything at all. After a short search I stood at the tip of an approaching housing development. I saw workmen to my left building part of the new estate and almost presumed that the house I sought would have been demolished many years previous. I was thankfully wrong. The house stood partially hidden by overhanging trees. The ruins were enormous and eerie with extensive outbuildings littered with dead caravans, one though uninhabited had a radio playing, probably 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There were also wreckages of fire engines, boats and other farm machinery. All in ruin, and no doubt, will eventually be swallowed up by the fast approaching urban tide. The house, like so many of the properties I’d visited, felt out of place in it’s new urban setting. Neglected and ignored for many years it was hard to imagine that soon, if it remained, it would be known as the old haunted house up the hill, the one where neighbourhood kids would at first be afraid to enter, but when they did compose themselves, would perhaps become kindly acquainted with and would remember fondly for the rest of their lives. Llangennech Park House was previously owned by the Earl of Warwick, circa 19th century, when it was enlarged, only modestly, to the size it is today. During the Second World War it was taken over by the government and thereafter abandoned. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8389311984b73b2b7992a1.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11810874954b73b2d258741.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15110373454b73b30370f15.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2709332874b73b31ee514f.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16747436034b73b33839971.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19054209204b73b34e90d49.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 The link below will lead you to an external site and show recent images of Llangennech Park House... http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=13845 TY PARC LLANGENNECH. Llanqennech, Sir Gaerfvrddiri 2005 Doeddwn i ddim yn siwr beth i'w ddisgwyl wrth imi yrru drwy'r stad dai newydd i fyny at yr ardal goediog lie saif Ty Llangennech. Yr oeddwn i wedi gweld hen ffotograff o'r ty castellog mawr ac yn ol yr ymchwil a wneuthum yr oedd rhywfaint o'r ty'n dal i sefyll, ond nid oeddwn yn sicr a fyddai dim ar ol i'w weld o gwbl. Ar ol chwilio am ennyd fer safwn ar gyrion datblygiad tai. Gwelwn weithwyr ar y chwith imi wrthi'n codi rhan o'r stad newydd a bron na allwn daeru bod y ty wedi ei ddymchwel flynyddoedd yn ol. Diolch byth nad felly y bu. Roedd y ty wedi ei guddio gan goed a oedd yn gorhongian. Roedd yr adfeilion yn anferth ac iddynt naws annaearol a thai allan helaeth. Codwyd Ty Llangennech ym 1805 ac arferai fod yn eiddo i larll Warwick, ac ef a estynnodd y ty i'w faint presennol. Yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd meddiannodd y llywodraeth y ty ac mae wedi bod yn wag ers hynny. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13460846.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12821914024eb63e46187b8.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front and overlays an old shop sign. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo16818789.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_201665005150ae2f940baef.jpgHEN GEFN, Llangunllo, Radnorshire 2012 Notes on HEN GEFN, Llangunllo, Radnorshire 2012 Was for sale when visited - uncertain if now purchased and restored (2015) https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39243098.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3042927985d414a042e38e.jpgCWMYRARIAN, Croesyceilog, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on CWMYRARIAN, Croesyceilog, Carmarthenshire 2019 Long ruined, outbuildings still in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4214628.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8104893424b3e24e03b0f9.jpgEDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2004 Notes on EDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2004 Thomas Lloyd considered the demise of Edwinsford, between Llansawel and Talyllychau, as one of the saddest sights in South Wales. My first visit in 1997 was frustrating due to a lack of permission to enter the grounds and photograph. A nearby resident warned of the dangers of the house due to its instability. My second visit in April 2004 was made at sunrise. Two caravans sat in the grounds and I presumed, a process of demolition had begun. I made some exposures moving around the house for the best possible viewpoint but I could not help but feel that the house had given up and that the optimum time to photograph the house had been back in 1997. The roadside view back in 1997 gave me promise that the house had reached that stage where action to save it had to be taken there and then. Any longer would have been too little, too late. As it happens the new owners of Edwinsford contacted me early 2005 with the news that the house was not, as I suggested, on the precipice of demolition but of restoration. I suppose to restore such a property in such a dilapidated state begins with the part demolition and then the re-build. Edwinsford, a spectacular sight and a superior house – long fronted and of many periods, most notably the square structure built around a chimney built in the 1630’s. This square structure is architecturally a beautiful component and is, to my eyes, the focal point of the whole house. The rest of the house, much has completely collapsed, was built from the late 17th century through to the 20th century. Derelict since World War Two it was reported that Polish refugees grew mushrooms under the floorboards, no doubt progressing the rampant rot. Much of the furniture was said to be left in situ for much of its abandoned life with rooms filled with elaborate plaster frieze. Many of the house’s fine features: three fine plaster ceilings, lead statues, oak staircase and a sundial are all lost. Edwinsford lies a few miles from Talley Abbey and can be seen from the lay-by on the B4337 (but better viewed during the winter months). On the photographic note i unfortuntely, at the time these were taken, was experimenting with various lenses and parts of these images are a little 'soft' around the edges and i do not consider as sharp as the other images on this website. Nonetheless the photographs were still made on a 5x4inch field camera and are sharp enough unless giant enlargements are required (maximum enlargement size is 12x16inch). I was hoping to re-visit Edwinsford and was in touch with the new owners some years ago but i've lost their email address - if they are reading this please do get in touch! [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7221644674b3f7047a9920.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4606421444b38867082220.jpg[/img] Edwinsford 2004 Edwinsford, Talley, Sir Gaerfyrddin 2004 Mae Edwinsford yn olygfa hynod ac yn dy bendigedig ond eto mae’n adfail. Mae ffrynt I’r ty ac mae yn perthyn I sawl cyfnod, y manylyn mwyyaf nodedig yw’r strwythur sgwar a adeiladwyd o gwmpas simnai yn y 1620au gydag adeiniau ac estyniadau pellach wedi’u hadeiladu o ddiwedd y 1680au drwyddo I’r 19eg ganrif. Mae nifer o nodweddion gwych y ty wedi eu colli, tri nenfwd plaster bendigedig, delwau plwm, grisiau derw a deial haul. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dol-y-gaer-crickhowell-brecknock https://images.on-this.website/7784_5343818244f37713874870.jpgDOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 Notes on DOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 A long ruined longhouse. The walk up from Crickhowell isn’t long and although rises steeply, is not too strenuous even with 20 kg of camera equipment. Dol-y-Gaer stands alongside the footpath that climbs to Crug Hywel Mountain in the Brecon Beacons. The views, as one would expect, are stunning but on this snowy & frosty day the winter sun struggled to burn through the morning haze. The main house, according to research on the internet, was built to replace the smaller dwelling seen here, facing west. This older, smaller dwelling is now used as agricultural storage and has a metal roof, as does the long barn beneath it, to protect it from further deterioration. The main house, although once boarded up has been broken into, with the boards kicked/smashed in and within, some furniture remains, all messy and uninviting. The staircase has all but collapsed and I declined the option for climbing them and seeing further debris in the upstairs rooms. Downstairs, the front door opens into the living area and a corridor run along past the kitchen and into a dining area. A strange design, when compared to many other longhouses, and I wondered if extensions or renovations, long ago, had caused this peculiar design. As the ice and snow thawed from the roof it ran down from where the drains had come apart and this constant trickle of water was the only sound to be heard, that and the birds and far away sheep bleating. Everything was still and silent and I took a number of images. The still morning was unbroken and after I had used up the remaining film I had I folded my camera up and packed it back into my bag. On the slippery walk down I met five different groups of walkers. I was pleased not to be disturbed whilst photographing but was more than happy to stop and talk in the way back down to Crickhowell. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4594619.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16329265474ba6523f24e4a.jpgBLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 Notes on BLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 I left my flat in Brighton at 1am and drove along the empty motorways to South Wales and reached Blaen Baglan in the false dawn. The air was cold and crisp and it felt good to feel the soft ground underfoot. I wandered around the house in near darkness for half an hour, selecting viewpoints and compositions, judging which lenses to use and waiting for the dawn. I had been here before, almost 15 years ago and knew what to expect. My expectations were not to be trusted. I had somehow imagined Blaen Baglan to be in much the same state 15 years down the line. It is, in my eyes, at the very precipice of total collapse and perhaps due to that is a far sadder sight to behold than that of other lost houses in the region. Sadder than the magnificent Neuadd Fawr which I visited after Blaen Baglan, sadder than Edwinsford which I visited a few days later. All the lower doors and windows are boarded up with metal shutters. First inspection I presumed that the house was still in some kind of agricultural storage use. I felt relieved the lower floors were still in a water tight condition but further investigation showed the entire west side of the house had collapsed and the view within was a chaotic jumble of stone and beams. Blaen Baglan felt truly lost. I must however backtrack. My first visit to Blaen Baglan had been in 1997 and was a hurried affair. I was told the owner who lived in the bungalow next to the house did not appreciate casual sightseers. He was not there on my first visit and who knows, perhaps a private man and didn’t like the idea of strangers spoiling his otherwise secluded existence. Perhaps, he himself, loved the ruined house and considered it his own private pleasure. As it happens the bungalow next to the house also appeared to be empty although the vegetable garden beside it well tended. I photographed Blaen Baglan quickly and moved on. I was in no such hurry on this occasion. The bungalow beside it was roofless and a burnt out shell. Broken slates covered every inch of floor within and cracked loudly underfoot alerting the sheepdogs that spent their nights in the farm building close-by of my presence. Inside the bungalow the walls were covered in peeling and blistered paint, just the type of subject matter I search endlessly for whilst living in cities and towns. I did, unable to completely resist, make a few exposures of the walls of the bungalow but it was, after all, Blaen Baglan that I had come to visit, perhaps for the last time. It had fallen into alarming disrepair and although the dirty white washed façade appeared to be remarkably intact I was disappointed to find all that lay behind. Almost all interior details are lost in the piles of rubble and wood; the wooden panelling, the rear three storey staircase all lost and barely visible at the decayed core. A very depressing site and absolutely desperate for attention. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4343278.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1419789684b66f205a9179.jpgSKER HOUSE, Pyle, West Glamorgan 1997 (now restored) Notes on SKER HOUSE, Pyle, West Glamorgan 1997 (now restored) Sker is a huge, imposing 16th century house, built by the Monks of Neath Abbey, standing alone, resilient and high on a deserted stretch of coastline. It has been standing empty, partially fallen and decayed for years with much talk and little action taken to save this medieval (at the core) house. A mile long walk from the road up to its door filled my eyes and intrepid heart with glee. Though I wasn't disappointed, a successful exposure was a struggle. I do not feel I caught the essence of Sker. All the elements were present: a stunning surrounding and a magnificent, majestic house, twisted wind blown coastal trees and slow, warm evening sunlight. All this but I couldn't find the angle that satisfied me. Regrettably I forgot to take a torch too. One window had been broken into and the others were all boarded up. Much to my loss I missed the opportunity to view the elaborate plasterwork in the large main hall (said to seat a hundred people): prehistoric bird creatures shooting arrows at dragons! It was abandoned in 1970 but recently and successfully (2000) restored and fully renovated as a family home. The Victorian novelist R.D. Blackmore , best known for his novel Lorna Doone, spent much of his childhood at nearby Nottage Court and knew Sker well. Less well known is the fact that he also wrote a novel called The Maid of Sker. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1002099874498bd70597de7.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8336582964b5dc8bc2f2e2.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10071629274b5dc8aa1bb5c.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1041764064b5dc8df3ed0c.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2749583514b5dc8f1e02c5.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40479129.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15634482395dd7934cabd09.jpgLLECT-ART FAWR, Mynydd Gellionnen, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on LLECT-ART FAWR, Mynydd Gellionnen, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I parked at the remote Gellionnen Chapel and walked down the single lane track towards the footpath that leads to the ruined farmstead. I took a shorter route through some undergrowth and over a fence. There was a footpath of sorts and it suited me. I reached the house quickly, no closed gateway, an open farmyard with the house standing opposite an old tractor and large metal barn. The drizzle fell but the sun was also out behind the clouds and somewhere there would be a rainbow. A group of cows watched from a metal barn shed, the mud underfoot was deep in places where the cows had trodden and to a point where I almost lost my wellingtons - thank goodness I wore them! The house is large, much ruined and because I was battling with the mud I forgot to look inside the bare walls. A large chimney, not uncommon in Wales stood one gable end, roof long gone, windows and doors long gone, only the bare bones. Other outbuildings stand also ruinous and other than the cows and farm workers it felt very few people walked this footpath. A few obvious viewpoints came, I had to keep lifting my feet so they didn't sink too deep. The camera and lens found their viewpoints easy and I suppose that is a blessing taking images of buildings; there’s only so many viewpoints, the skill-set involved is somewhat limiting and without doing myself an injustice, anyone could take these images. As a collection however, that is where they gain their strength. These thoughts were written down once I returned to the car. I’ve lessened the weight of my camera bag recently; a lighter camera, mostly carry just one lens, only carry 6 – 8 darkslides and a lighter light meter. All this and still my two mile walk gave me a sweaty back! Blame the backpack. Always carry a spare t-shirt and spare pair of shoes. The smell in the air was of cow muck, not un-pleasant by any means and the smell came home with me. A nice reminder of where I come from and how much I miss the countryside. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/aberduhonw-builth-wells-beaconshire-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4285786734a62d4672e3ff.jpgABERDUHONW, Builth Wells, Breconshire 2009 Notes on ABERDUHONW, Builth Wells, Breconshire 2009 I had driven past this property many times, noting it appeared abandoned, in the last few years but never had any film loaded. This time the house was my destination and I had film loaded! As decribed in ‘Powis: The Buildings of Wales’ by Richard Halsam: ‘Behind the 19th century front is a 17th century staircase’. I did not attempt to gain entry so was unable to view the interior. Aberduhonw is a large farmhouse with a very large, and often seen in mid Wales, sloping rear roof. Net curtains in the dirty windows were threadbare and the house has begun to look on the verge of decay. I do not know what it is like within – the grounds were too overgrown to get close to the house and peer through the windows and it would have probably been too dark to see much anyhow. Behind the house is a small cottage also empty. A sheep dog tied up outside by one of the outbuildings barked whenever I came into view and I became very conscious of his and my intrusion in an otherwise quiet morning. I made a few exposures and walked around the generous buildings and attractive arched barns before making my way to Crickhowell to re-visit the ruined house in the Black Mountains called The Hermitage. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17945075484b594d12d6987.jpg[/img] Aberduhonw 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10479265584b594cc38de00.jpg[/img] Aberduhonw 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1704405344b594c7349a6b.jpg[/img] Aberduhonw 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10569970344b594d60b4225.jpg[/img] Aberduhonw 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/older-dwelling-dol-y-gaer https://images.on-this.website/7784_2681704744f3774ff12e0e.jpgOLDER DWELLING, DOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 Notes on DOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 A long ruined longhouse. The walk up from Crickhowell isn’t long and although rises steeply, is not too strenuous even with 20 kg of camera equipment. Dol-y-Gaer stands alongside the footpath that climbs to Crug Hywel Mountain in the Brecon Beacons. The views, as one would expect, are stunning but on this snowy & frosty day the winter sun struggled to burn through the morning haze. The main house, according to research on the internet, was built to replace the smaller dwelling seen here, facing west. This older, smaller dwelling is now used as agricultural storage and has a metal roof, as does the long barn beneath it, to protect it from further deterioration. The main house, although once boarded up has been broken into, with the boards kicked/smashed in and within, some furniture remains, all messy and uninviting. The staircase has all but collapsed and I declined the option for climbing them and seeing further debris in the upstairs rooms. Downstairs, the front door opens into the living area and a corridor run along past the kitchen and into a dining area. A strange design, when compared to many other longhouses, and I wondered if extensions or renovations, long ago, had caused this peculiar design. As the ice and snow thawed from the roof it ran down from where the drains had come apart and this constant trickle of water was the only sound to be heard, that and the birds and far away sheep bleating. Everything was still and silent and I took a number of images. The still morning was unbroken and after I had used up the remaining film I had I folded my camera up and packed it back into my bag. On the slippery walk down I met five different groups of walkers. I was pleased not to be disturbed whilst photographing but was more than happy to stop and talk in the way back down to Crickhowell. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/baron-hill-stables-beaumaris-anglesey https://images.on-this.website/7784_13387459214b5dbf4ba9ab4.jpgBARON HILL, Stables, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5810597834b5c5a0c59da9.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5719210664b5c5a6d96b20.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1205440124b5c5b0952b9d.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8168824424b5c5a452515e.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3609790694b5c5a8eb63fa.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14408224384b5c5aad2193a.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7696061414b5c5b3c41528.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6698215724b5c5bc4d6cb8.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5639447514b5c5ae86863f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_343839564b5c5acbe80c3.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15831139334b5c5b75cd315.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14992230974b5c5b96bcf8b.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13773031744b5c5bfe81cf0.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12926656144b5c5c21d1337.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8819790924b5c5c3529f34.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22235010.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1092137764540022964f89c.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2120038.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_317742200498535c12778a.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5810597834b5c5a0c59da9.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5719210664b5c5a6d96b20.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1205440124b5c5b0952b9d.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8168824424b5c5a452515e.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3609790694b5c5a8eb63fa.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14408224384b5c5aad2193a.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7696061414b5c5b3c41528.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6698215724b5c5bc4d6cb8.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5639447514b5c5ae86863f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_343839564b5c5acbe80c3.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15831139334b5c5b75cd315.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14992230974b5c5b96bcf8b.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13773031744b5c5bfe81cf0.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12926656144b5c5c21d1337.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8819790924b5c5c3529f34.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38438114.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11714018175ce6eb048a5b6.jpgTYN-YR-HEOL, Tonna, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on TYN-YR-HEOL, Tonna, Neath Port Talbot 2019 A re-visit – the first visit was in 2012 – when access was simply walking through the empty gateway and up the driveway. The entrances have since been boarded up and fefnced off but the wall around the house is not high and can be climbed with ease. My daughter and I jumped up and over. The house, I saw online, is currently set to be auctioned in June 2019 with a start price of £85,000. The house is Grade 2 listed and is, in all purposes, a complete unsalvageable ruin. The façade has almost totally collapsed since 2012, the semi-circle porch laying within the nettle and bramble – speaking of which the brambles almost cover the whole area making most of the house inaccessible and unpleasant to even try to navigate. Inside is a mess of rubble and beams and I wondered since it is Grade 2 listed what can be hoped to be achieved by the next owner of such a house. Again, it has come onto the market far, far too late. There is a lot of land here though and I am certain a developer can make good use of it. Would I be sad to see Tynyrheol demolished? Probably not. Old photographs show a lovely proportioned house without the odd brick extension. A fox hissed at me whilst treading through the undergrowth around the rear of the house, three or four fox cubs stumbled over each other to escape me. They were gone in an instant and I didn’t see them again. Once again, as in 2012, viewpoints were difficult to come by, restricted by the bramble. I tore my coat but didn’t care. Some bramble tore my skin, barely a graze. I trample through the bramble hoping to improve upon the 2012 pictures. I reach a few yards and then set up the camera. Nothing is ever perfect. The sun is too low directly in view. A tree is standing exactly where I wish to place the tripod. These are complaints but are not really complaints. I’ve learnt to accept a site as I find it, make best wit what I am offered, be satisfied with myself that I came here, took out the camera and documented whatever it is I’ve come to visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41253154.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16032455965f043c12ab302.jpgTY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Notes on TY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Roadside location but forgotten and slowly crumbling. Ty'r Bryn is almost completely hidden by trees and the rear almost impenetrable. I spent just a few minutes here, took a few unsatisfactory images but before leaving I thought I should check out the large corrugated barns beside the house. They were in a poor state but there was a sense i should record them within as abstractions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058644.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7299176614a62ce586a758.jpgBLAEN BLODAU, New Inn, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on BLAEN BLODAU, New Inn, Carmarthenshire 2009 As recorded in the much revered ‘Buildings of Wales’ series (which now covers of whole of Wales, county by county) and also, with photographs, in ‘Welsh Forgotten Houses’. Blaen Blodau was a very pleasant surprise. Larger than the photographs suggest in ‘Forgottten Welsh Houses’ yet neither too large to be considered a rambling pile with two storey’s settled on a basement. Inside is dark, damp and supported with wooden scaffolding – I peered through the side door but did not bother to enter. Two curved rear bays and a front curved bay obscured by a rendered late Victorian/early 20th century overhanging porch (which gives this house a very peculiar appearance). Beautiful and vast firs scatter the overgrown grounds with a short driveway wending itself around to the house. A farm dog barked constantly whilst I was there, unable to see me but obviously aware of my presence. I circled the house and made a number of exposures. The morning had yet to truly break and long exposures were required of around 4 minutes. An air of calmness enveloped the house and grounds and one could imagine once some of the high branches were thinned and more light would enter the house and grounds that this would be a wonderful place to live. A small but lovely coach house also in grounds. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14218197454b3e310791631.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau Coach House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4347521784b3e2d2d6d566.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6611598834b3e2d6994cb0.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20344298274a693a8350f31.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21020623124b7522aca5378.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15129231174b7522437109c.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13704385814b751fa1a32ec.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6396092764b75201e88f50.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14336817754b75212f36b14.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8665919484b75216abf7c3.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14277352674b75249100b68.jpg[/img] View beside Blaen Blodau 2009 BLAEN BLODAU. New Inn. Sir Gaerfvrddin 2009 Roedd yn braf iawn ymweld a Blaen Blodau. Deulawr ac islawr sydd iddo ac er nad yw'n dy mawr mae'n fwy nag y mae'n ymddangos. Mae'n dywyll ac yn damp y tu mewn gyda sgaffaldiau pren yn ei gynnal ac mae'n amlwg bod angen gwneud gwaith arno i'w atgyfnerthu. Mae dau fae crwm yn y tu cefn i'r ty a bae crwm yn y tu blaen sydd wedi ei guddio gan gyntedd wedi ei rendro sy'n crogi drosodd o ddiwedd oes Fictoria/dechrau'r 20fed ganrif (sy'n rhoi gwedd ddigon rhyfedd i'r ty). Mae coed pinwydd helaeth hardd wedi eu gwasgaru yn yr ardd ac mae dreif byr yn ymlwybro at y ty. Roedd rhyw naws dawel i'r ty a'r tiroedd a gallai rhywun ddychmygu pe cai rhai o'r canghennau uchel eu tocio y byddai mwy o olau yn y ty a'r tiroedd ac y byddai hwn yn lie gwych i fyw. Coetsiws bach a hyfryd yn nhiroedd y ty. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cefn-garth-uchafceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1514026914ea2598f135ad.jpgCEFN GARTH UCHAF,Ceredigion 2011 Notes on OUTBUILDING AT CEFN GARTH UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 Lost beneath high thin trees and thick matured redwoods, Cefn Garth is a surprisingly large property. As I reached the house I was joined by some spectacularly heavy and persistent rain. I took cover within the house and explored its many rooms. I set up my camera and took a photograph of the entrance and staircase. A long exposure of 30minutes. Within is dark, nearly all the windows are boarded up with only thin slivers of light penetrating the spacious rooms. Holes in the roof had begun to leave a trail of destruction within the house, the dampness cutting a hole through floorboards and walls with a hole from the far west chimney that bears down all the way through to the ground floor floorboards. In one room, a study(?) with French doors, were scattered across the floor many dozens of books with many hundreds of pages strewn uncaringly and an easy chair and a chest of drawers without the drawers. In another room a wooden fitted alcove cupboard, it’s doors hangings from its hinges and its contents all gone, lost or stolen. The 30 minute exposure was over, 30 minutes can sometimes pass very quickly. I had trodden softly on beams and rotten floor board and comically attempted to spread my weight the best I could but not at all comical if a foot falls through a paper-thin first floor floorboard. Outside the rain persists. The tree cover offers some shelter and further exposures are made (and even at 10am on a mid-week morning in October, exposures are still 4 minutes long at F22). The intrigue of this house defuses any irritation with the weather. The house was too long for me to fit, onto film, in its entirety. Outbuildings set back. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4508172.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8677068964b9358609b59f.jpgRIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on RIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2004 The two trees shown here help the viewers eye lead into the distant part of the image. Taken late winter just before spring, most of the vegetation was yet to envelop the area and a warm sun had shone on this particular afternoon. The only green part of the scene was the ivy growing around the tree to the right, everywhere else was brown and muddy and even the waters themselves a brown colour, still and stagnant. Into The Murky Depths We Tread I came upon these wetland areas whilst cycling home one summers evening. Wetland areas are essential, basically untouched, and serve as irrigation and to filter pollution. The fact that no ones seems to bother to explore them due to their dampness and seemingly unfriendly environment, also allows them to be rich in wildlife. From the road that leads to Cwm Rheidol (about 8 miles from Aberystwyth) entrance through the undergrowth seems almost impossible and impenetrable. When the sun is low, bright splashes of sun light flicker through the thicket and reveal openings. Ducking under the thicket and forcing your way through, and once in amongst the deep mud and dankness, a whole new world is revealed; jungle-like and heavily branched areas, rich in photographic pickings and in some ways universal. These sorts of geographic landscapes are not typical or localised to any one part of the country. If you travel by train anywhere you always pass these oft ignored areas. They can not be built on because the land is unstable, no one walks through them, due to their (supposed) unpleasantness but once you’ve broken through their barriers of branches you enter a world with it’s own micro-atmosphere. The photographs were taken on either Ilford FP4 or Delta 100 5x4inch sheet film using a Wista camera and either a 90mm super-angulon or 135mm symmar lenses. Exposures on a grey day at F22 usually hovered around the 16 second mark and when photographing in sun light at about 1 second. My boots, trouser legs and the tripod feet were covered in thick, dark mud and although the going was slow, the actual area of these wetlands is perhaps only an acre or two in size. I’ve visited and photographed only three or four times but each time the tranquillity and ever changing photographic opportunities due to the water level rising and falling, the ever evolving process of woodlands – new saplings appearing and older trees uprooting - means visiting here has become a constant source of pleasure. YSTUMLLYN. Cwm Rheidol. Ceredigion 2003 - 2006 Deuthum ar draws y gwlypdir hwn wrth feicio gartref un noson o haf. Mae ardaloedd o wlypdir yn hanfodol. Ar y cyfan, nid oes neb wedi ei gyffwrdd ac mae'n gweithredu fel system ddyfrhau ac mae'n hidlo'r llygredd . Mae'r ffaith nad oes fawr neb yn eu harchwilio oherwydd eu lleithder a'u hamgylchedd yn golygu eu bod yn gyfoethog o ran bywyd gwyllt. O'r ffordd sy'n arwain at Gwm Rheidol (tua 8 milltir o Aberystwyth), ymddengys bod yr isdyfiant yn anhreiddiadwy. Pan fo'r haul yn isel, gwelir goleuadau llachar yr haul drwy'r dryslwyn. Unwaith y byddwch yng nghanol y mwd dwfn a'r gwiybaniaeth, agorir eich llygaid i fyd newydd. Dyma ardal sy'n debyg i jyngl I lawn canghennau Ardal sy'n gyfoethog at ddibenion tynnu lluniau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076811.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10688691304970b3c0ec635.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5810597834b5c5a0c59da9.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5719210664b5c5a6d96b20.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1205440124b5c5b0952b9d.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8168824424b5c5a452515e.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3609790694b5c5a8eb63fa.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14408224384b5c5aad2193a.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7696061414b5c5b3c41528.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6698215724b5c5bc4d6cb8.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5639447514b5c5ae86863f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_343839564b5c5acbe80c3.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15831139334b5c5b75cd315.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14992230974b5c5b96bcf8b.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13773031744b5c5bfe81cf0.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12926656144b5c5c21d1337.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8819790924b5c5c3529f34.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9562894.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20909761944dae73a2015c8.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 It had only been two years since my previous visit to Tegfynydd and after 70 years of being left empty little had changed in those two years. A few exposures were made, nothing spectacular. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14128157.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10254745594f3773179b0fc.jpgDOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 Notes on DOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 A long ruined longhouse. The walk up from Crickhowell isn’t long and although rises steeply, is not too strenuous even with 20 kg of camera equipment. Dol-y-Gaer stands alongside the footpath that climbs to Crug Hywel Mountain in the Brecon Beacons. The views, as one would expect, are stunning but on this snowy & frosty day the winter sun struggled to burn through the morning haze. The main house, according to research on the internet, was built to replace the smaller dwelling seen here, facing west. This older, smaller dwelling is now used as agricultural storage and has a metal roof, as does the long barn beneath it, to protect it from further deterioration. The main house, although once boarded up has been broken into, with the boards kicked/smashed in and within, some furniture remains, all messy and uninviting. The staircase has all but collapsed and I declined the option for climbing them and seeing further debris in the upstairs rooms. Downstairs, the front door opens into the living area and a corridor run along past the kitchen and into a dining area. A strange design, when compared to many other longhouses, and I wondered if extensions or renovations, long ago, had caused this peculiar design. As the ice and snow thawed from the roof it ran down from where the drains had come apart and this constant trickle of water was the only sound to be heard, that and the birds and far away sheep bleating. Everything was still and silent and I took a number of images. The still morning was unbroken and after I had used up the remaining film I had I folded my camera up and packed it back into my bag. On the slippery walk down I met five different groups of walkers. I was pleased not to be disturbed whilst photographing but was more than happy to stop and talk in the way back down to Crickhowell. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076815.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15390574484970b3d6ef578.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_975624480498bc96cad14f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1090144401498bcaf52bd52.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1570281462498bca4a813dd.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14128159.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18453515734f377457c598b.jpgDOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 Notes on DOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 A long ruined longhouse. The walk up from Crickhowell isn’t long and although rises steeply, is not too strenuous even with 20 kg of camera equipment. Dol-y-Gaer stands alongside the footpath that climbs to Crug Hywel Mountain in the Brecon Beacons. The views, as one would expect, are stunning but on this snowy & frosty day the winter sun struggled to burn through the morning haze. The main house, according to research on the internet, was built to replace the smaller dwelling seen here, facing west. This older, smaller dwelling is now used as agricultural storage and has a metal roof, as does the long barn beneath it, to protect it from further deterioration. The main house, although once boarded up has been broken into, with the boards kicked/smashed in and within, some furniture remains, all messy and uninviting. The staircase has all but collapsed and I declined the option for climbing them and seeing further debris in the upstairs rooms. Downstairs, the front door opens into the living area and a corridor run along past the kitchen and into a dining area. A strange design, when compared to many other longhouses, and I wondered if extensions or renovations, long ago, had caused this peculiar design. As the ice and snow thawed from the roof it ran down from where the drains had come apart and this constant trickle of water was the only sound to be heard, that and the birds and far away sheep bleating. Everything was still and silent and I took a number of images. The still morning was unbroken and after I had used up the remaining film I had I folded my camera up and packed it back into my bag. On the slippery walk down I met five different groups of walkers. I was pleased not to be disturbed whilst photographing but was more than happy to stop and talk in the way back down to Crickhowell. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hawthorn-cottage-pond-hafod-pontrhy https://images.on-this.website/7784_3491633764baf57eb14f7b.jpgHAWTHORN COTTAGE & POND, HAFOD, Pontrhy Notes on HAFOD (ruins, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1996 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. Hafod was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired 'Peacocks in Paradise' by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot stone of the monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14548687.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18574009464f82bf9a77e8e.jpgROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on ROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2012 A rugged sharp looking rock - not large, perhaps only four foot high. This image is not a little harshly printed and requires a re-print. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14128155.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11096028604f3771d5f0553.jpgDOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 Notes on DOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 A long ruined longhouse. The walk up from Crickhowell isn’t long and although rises steeply, is not too strenuous even with 20 kg of camera equipment. Dol-y-Gaer stands alongside the footpath that climbs to Crug Hywel Mountain in the Brecon Beacons. The views, as one would expect, are stunning but on this snowy & frosty day the winter sun struggled to burn through the morning haze. The main house, according to research on the internet, was built to replace the smaller dwelling seen here, facing west. This older, smaller dwelling is now used as agricultural storage and has a metal roof, as does the long barn beneath it, to protect it from further deterioration. The main house, although once boarded up has been broken into, with the boards kicked/smashed in and within, some furniture remains, all messy and uninviting. The staircase has all but collapsed and I declined the option for climbing them and seeing further debris in the upstairs rooms. Downstairs, the front door opens into the living area and a corridor run along past the kitchen and into a dining area. A strange design, when compared to many other longhouses, and I wondered if extensions or renovations, long ago, had caused this peculiar design. As the ice and snow thawed from the roof it ran down from where the drains had come apart and this constant trickle of water was the only sound to be heard, that and the birds and far away sheep bleating. Everything was still and silent and I took a number of images. The still morning was unbroken and after I had used up the remaining film I had I folded my camera up and packed it back into my bag. On the slippery walk down I met five different groups of walkers. I was pleased not to be disturbed whilst photographing but was more than happy to stop and talk in the way back down to Crickhowell. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14128158.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4724623954f3773c7b8c9e.jpgDOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 Notes on DOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 A long ruined longhouse. The walk up from Crickhowell isn’t long and although rises steeply, is not too strenuous even with 20 kg of camera equipment. Dol-y-Gaer stands alongside the footpath that climbs to Crug Hywel Mountain in the Brecon Beacons. The views, as one would expect, are stunning but on this snowy & frosty day the winter sun struggled to burn through the morning haze. The main house, according to research on the internet, was built to replace the smaller dwelling seen here, facing west. This older, smaller dwelling is now used as agricultural storage and has a metal roof, as does the long barn beneath it, to protect it from further deterioration. The main house, although once boarded up has been broken into, with the boards kicked/smashed in and within, some furniture remains, all messy and uninviting. The staircase has all but collapsed and I declined the option for climbing them and seeing further debris in the upstairs rooms. Downstairs, the front door opens into the living area and a corridor run along past the kitchen and into a dining area. A strange design, when compared to many other longhouses, and I wondered if extensions or renovations, long ago, had caused this peculiar design. As the ice and snow thawed from the roof it ran down from where the drains had come apart and this constant trickle of water was the only sound to be heard, that and the birds and far away sheep bleating. Everything was still and silent and I took a number of images. The still morning was unbroken and after I had used up the remaining film I had I folded my camera up and packed it back into my bag. On the slippery walk down I met five different groups of walkers. I was pleased not to be disturbed whilst photographing but was more than happy to stop and talk in the way back down to Crickhowell. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/edwinsford-talley-carmarthenshire-2004 https://images.on-this.website/7784_18291485064b3e24ea44416.jpgEDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2004 Notes on EDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2004 Thomas Lloyd considered the demise of Edwinsford, between Llansawel and Talyllychau, as one of the saddest sights in South Wales. My first visit in 1997 was frustrating due to a lack of permission to enter the grounds and photograph. A nearby resident warned of the dangers of the house due to its instability. My second visit in April 2004 was made at sunrise. Two caravans sat in the grounds and I presumed, a process of demolition had begun. I made some exposures moving around the house for the best possible viewpoint but I could not help but feel that the house had given up and that the optimum time to photograph the house had been back in 1997. The roadside view back in 1997 gave me promise that the house had reached that stage where action to save it had to be taken there and then. Any longer would have been too little, too late. As it happens the new owners of Edwinsford contacted me early 2005 with the news that the house was not, as I suggested, on the precipice of demolition but of restoration. I suppose to restore such a property in such a dilapidated state begins with the part demolition and then the re-build. Edwinsford, a spectacular sight and a superior house – long fronted and of many periods, most notably the square structure built around a chimney built in the 1630’s. This square structure is architecturally a beautiful component and is, to my eyes, the focal point of the whole house. The rest of the house, much has completely collapsed, was built from the late 17th century through to the 20th century. Derelict since World War Two it was reported that Polish refugees grew mushrooms under the floorboards, no doubt progressing the rampant rot. Much of the furniture was said to be left in situ for much of its abandoned life with rooms filled with elaborate plaster frieze. Many of the house’s fine features: three fine plaster ceilings, lead statues, oak staircase and a sundial are all lost. Edwinsford lies a few miles from Talley Abbey and can be seen from the lay-by on the B4337 (but better viewed during the winter months). On the photographic note i unfortuntely, at the time these were taken, was experimenting with various lenses and parts of these images are a little 'soft' around the edges and i do not consider as sharp as the other images on this website. Nonetheless the photographs were still made on a 5x4inch field camera and are sharp enough unless giant enlargements are required (maximum enlargement size is 12x16inch). I was hoping to re-visit Edwinsford and was in touch with the new owners some years ago but i've lost their email address - if they are reading this please do get in touch! [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3215690644b386417b0d88.jpg[/img] Edwinsford 2004 Edwinsford, Talley, Sir Gaerfyrddin 2004 Mae Edwinsford yn olygfa hynod ac yn dy bendigedig ond eto mae’n adfail. Mae ffrynt I’r ty ac mae yn perthyn I sawl cyfnod, y manylyn mwyyaf nodedig yw’r strwythur sgwar a adeiladwyd o gwmpas simnai yn y 1620au gydag adeiniau ac estyniadau pellach wedi’u hadeiladu o ddiwedd y 1680au drwyddo I’r 19eg ganrif. Mae nifer o nodweddion gwych y ty wedi eu colli, tri nenfwd plaster bendigedig, delwau plwm, grisiau derw a deial haul. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31719620.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15318464075948d1fa6af5f8.68019616.jpgBELVEDERE FOLLY, Swansea 2017 Notes on BELVEDERE FOLLY, Swansea 2017 Long ruined, now for sale. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/buckleys-brewery-llanelli-carmarthenshire-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20686524705abb9bd50d098.jpgBUCKLEY'S BREWERY, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire 2018 Notes on BUCKLEY'S BREWERY, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire 2018 A large brewery, empty, windows bricked up and listed. It stands in the centre of Llanelli. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13083720.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8803265474e86a395a7977.jpgBWLCHYSTYLLEN, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BWLCHYSTYLLEN, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2011 After a short wait for the rain to stop I left the shelter of my car and walked along the public by-way and up to the ruined walls of this pleasant property. Its most surprising feature was the porch way and its location over looking a small lake/reservoir. Its walls, as seen here, were dark due to the rain lashing against them and soaking stone and mortar. I wondered who lived here and what they grew in their garden and what livestock they kept and about market day many years ago. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475588.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6957366774b8bc6698745f.jpgCEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on CEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Once within the dimly lit ground floor, Ceulan Mill appears, as ones eyes adjust, an impregnable building with imposing machinery filling all three storeys to the brim with large heavy machinery, looms, and weaving frames, large wicker baskets of withered cones of wool. Ceulan Mill was closed in the 1950’s and it feels like very little has changed within and without the stone walls since then. On the first floor, only three small windows allowing the sun light in, the floor space is heavy with solid machinery. It is dark and when surrounded with such heavy machinery crammed so close together it is also unnerving. The dimness makes the focussing of the camera difficult; I use a small touch to set the shutter speeds and aperture. A forty-minute exposure was used with these first initial exposures. A long wait for a photographer and gives me time to make notes. I feel calm and the still atmosphere helps me to relax. Outside I hear a babbling brook, birds singing, the day is bright, warm and spring-like. These rusty dinosaurs within this mill no longer creak, groan, growl. They’re silent and still, their only movement is that of their slow corrosion. My eyes have long since grown accustomed to the dimness. The machinery is splendid – wheels, cogs, belts, gears, pulley’s, springs, rods, rollers, spinners, presses, chains, oil, wool, spanners, wrenches, dust and cobwebs. A stuffed heron lays on the ground on the first floor and also; a metal chest full of 19th & 20th century books (on Stalin, India, Arithmetic, Philosophy, Chemistry, Law, Communism, worker’s rights and how to better oneself!). More large baskets, clamps, drawing desks, broken chairs, tables, chests, all stand on an uneven floor and under a sagging ceiling. The sun poured through the open windows on the first floor, flooding tiny areas and here the exposures were much shorter, usually around 4 - 16 minutes. Four hours was spend making around ten exposures onto sheet film. The slow process of photographing in such dark places makes the finishing images so much more satisfying. MELIN CEULAN. Tal-v-bont. Ceredigion 2009 Ar Ian afon Ceulan saif Melin Ceulan, a fu unwaith yn brysur a llewyrchus. Wrth i'r llygaid ymgynefino a lled-dywyllwch y llawr gwaelod daw Melin Ceulan i'r golwg, yn adeilad cadarn gyda pheiriannau mawreddog, gwyddiau, fframiau gwehyddu a basgedi mawr o wlan yn llenwi'r tri llawr at y to. Caeodd y felin yn y 1950au a bu iddi aros yn wag ers hynny. Mae'n dywyll, ac ynghanol yr holl beirianwaith trwm sydd wedi'i wthio benben a'i gilydd, ceir hefyd deimlad o anesmwythyd. Yn y tywyllwch mae'n anodd ffocysu'r camera; rhoddaf gyffyrddiad ysgafn i osod cyflymder y caead a lledu'r agorfa. Defnyddiwyd dadleniad o bedwar deg pum munud gyda'r lluniau cychwynnol hyn. Hir ymaros i'r ffotograffydd, a chyfle i mi ysgrifennu nodiadau. Teimlaf dawelwch, ac mae'r awyrgylch llonydd help i mi ymlacio. Y tu allan clywaf furmur y nant a thrydar yr adar, megis diwmod braf a chynnes o wanwyn. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076813.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20078962634970b3d0182e0.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_343839564b5c5acbe80c3.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15831139334b5c5b75cd315.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14992230974b5c5b96bcf8b.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13773031744b5c5bfe81cf0.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12926656144b5c5c21d1337.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8819790924b5c5c3529f34.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37360251.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3679681535c5d27c61ec87.jpgCWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on CWMYGIGFRAN, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire 2019 Somehow it has been seven years since I first visited Cwmygigfran. Nothing had really changed. It is still almost totally inaccessible – due to foliage – but I do realise my camera bag and tripod do add a considerable bulk to my frame. The large trees along the pathway towards the house hints at something hidden in the mass of foliage. A low long wall is also present, almost like a low platform of a small narrow gauge railway. A small gate, open, hanging off the hinge and into a mass of tiny branches. A way through is forged. Nonetheless, it’s a real pain getting to the walls and once within the house, and climbing out a window, it does allow access to the front of the house where, strangely enough, nothing seems to grow – the rhododendrons surround the house but seem to avoid this section. The same can be said of the brambles too! So it is here, just right in front of the house the exposures need to be made. Access inside is also possible, mature trees grow inside, the walls are bare, little clue of what was once found within, that said, it is easy to see that this was once a full three storey property. Viewpoints are limited and I am aware that my first visit saw me document the better angles. I re-took an image taken from the outside and took some different internal images using a standard lens (whereas before I used a wide-angle) Alan Richards wrote on the 'Geograph' website: A house has stood at Cwmygigfran (trans. Valley of the Raven) since circa 1600. In 1871 the house was known locally as 'The Palace' after its owner, Daniel Thomas, had spent a fortune on renovating the old place. Indeed, tradition has it that he spent so much money gentrifying the house that he couldn't afford to live there. Around the turn of the twentieth century the house began to deteriorate and by 1940 it had fallen into total disrepair. In 1960, Cwmygigfran was completely stripped of anything of value after being bought by a demolition firm from Hereford. Once the house was photographed I then returned to the barns outside where once someone lived. Although only a few metres away, this also takes a little effort to reach. The remnants I found seven years ago seem to be less. A tarpaulin partially stops the weather but it is frayed and torn. It is an odd place. A sink but no running water, a roof but a gable end collapsed, a full height metal cupboard filled with cans of rusty nails and screws yet nothing to nail or screw down. I do not think this owner had any intention of restoring the house. It was probably beyond hope in the 1960's when the walls and roof were striped of all their worth. What chance forty years later? It is not the once rich owners I think about but the guy, I presume it was a guy, living alone, who occupied this barn. I wonder for how long? Surely not through the winter months? Was he squatting, did he own the house itself? An old Volvo estate sits not far from the house, dirty and unwanted, dead to the world. I checked to see how old the registration number is, it was built 1978-1979 - can we presume the lonesome squatter was not rich and the car was already old when he owned it, drove it up the rough track? I'm thinking late 1980's through to anytime mid-1990's. Seems reasonable but guess work nonetheless. Again, further evidence that the squatter/owner had at least lived here for a little while. It's a sad sense yet at the same time I liked it here, knowing that the house stands almost completely surrounded by impenetrable foliage, left open to the elements but once, even on a January day, the afternoon sun climbs up, it became as warm as January day can be when the bushes and trees stop the wind and the air rushing about. I certainly felt better after my visit and the walk back to the car, and indeed the drive home, felt as if my day had been worthwhile and complete. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076816.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12210627144970b3dd50754.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5810597834b5c5a0c59da9.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6698215724b5c5bc4d6cb8.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5639447514b5c5ae86863f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14330581.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19475066854f5da94d56f27.jpgTY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on TY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 This house, on the Neath Road, Tonna, was the victim of a fire some years back. It was built circa 1700's as a private residence (there’s an excellent photograph of it on the 'Royal Commssion on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales' website) and then latterly as a ladies seminary. Nature, perhaps as in God, saw fit to reduce and return this house, its grounds, back to the earth. Today, the façade has all but crumbled away. The red brick structure, built in the 1920’s, glowed in the afternoon, early spring, sunlight. This red brick section seemed well built and salvageable, what a shame it felt more of an industrial addition rather than an aesthetic one. The main house looks as if it has imploded. The cellars filled in with rubble, broken furniture, white goods. I think a potholer could have unrivalled access if a potholer did indeed fancy a different kind of danger, with a more human kind of view and the destructive force of nature. The outer walls, although remain high on three sides, have all but gone on the frontage. This façade stands only a few yards away from the road. And whilst walking along the road and following the stone wall that stands around it perimeter, one cannot but wonder why this house, so openly accessible, has not seen greater vandalism. Is it because it offers the vandal nothing new? Have all the rooms within been explored and trashed, tagged with graffiti and the windows smashed? Well, actually no, peering in through the ground stair windows it would appear relatively untouched. Is it too well known, to the locals, to bother to cast a bored eye upon? I do not know. It was new to me. I have known of this property for many a year but have chosen, although not exclusively, to photograph more rural properties. The empty houses in towns and cities (of Wales) is a whole new project. This one already feels like a lifelong endeavour. This house, on Neath Road, Tonna, has reached the end of its life. It does not seem worth salvaging. Restoration seems unlikely. It is beyond repair. It left me thinking that demolition then a complete re-build would be the preferred path to follow. That is, if I were a property developer, or builder, or architect (but perhaps a gradual restoration for the historian). In its prime this was an attractive, well-proportioned property. Although my visit was a short one, only a few short hours were spent searching for viewpoints and exposing a few sheets of film, it was still a worthwhile visit. Within the grounds, other smaller ruined buildings too, their former use indistinguishable but I presume once were stables and service quarters. All overgrown with mature hardwoods, a prominent monkey puzzle and rampant rhododendrons. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14315842.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1360380674f5caab38d432.jpgTY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on TY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 This house, on the Neath Road, Tonna, was the victim of a fire some years back. It was built circa 1700's as a private residence (there’s an excellent photograph of it on the 'Royal Commssion on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales' website) and then latterly as a ladies seminary. Nature, perhaps as in God, saw fit to reduce and return this house, its grounds, back to the earth. Today, the façade has all but crumbled away. The red brick structure, built in the 1920’s, glowed in the afternoon, early spring, sunlight. This red brick section seemed well built and salvageable, what a shame it felt more of an industrial addition rather than an aesthetic one. The main house looks as if it has imploded. The cellars filled in with rubble, broken furniture, white goods. I think a potholer could have unrivalled access if a potholer did indeed fancy a different kind of danger, with a more human kind of view and the destructive force of nature. The outer walls, although remain high on three sides, have all but gone on the frontage. This façade stands only a few yards away from the road. And whilst walking along the road and following the stone wall that stands around it perimeter, one cannot but wonder why this house, so openly accessible, has not seen greater vandalism. Is it because it offers the vandal nothing new? Have all the rooms within been explored and trashed, tagged with graffiti and the windows smashed? Well, actually no, peering in through the ground stair windows it would appear relatively untouched. Is it too well known, to the locals, to bother to cast a bored eye upon? I do not know. It was new to me. I have known of this property for many a year but have chosen, although not exclusively, to photograph more rural properties. The empty houses in towns and cities (of Wales) is a whole new project. This one already feels like a lifelong endeavour. This house, on Neath Road, Tonna, has reached the end of its life. It does not seem worth salvaging. Restoration seems unlikely. It is beyond repair. It left me thinking that demolition then a complete re-build would be the preferred path to follow. That is, if I were a property developer, or builder, or architect (but perhaps a gradual restoration for the historian). In its prime this was an attractive, well-proportioned property. Although my visit was a short one, only a few short hours were spent searching for viewpoints and exposing a few sheets of film, it was still a worthwhile visit. Within the grounds, other smaller ruined buildings too, their former use indistinguishable but I presume once were stables and service quarters. All overgrown with mature hardwoods, a prominent monkey puzzle and rampant rhododendrons. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076817.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6414083564970b3e37fdda.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15831139334b5c5b75cd315.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14992230974b5c5b96bcf8b.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13773031744b5c5bfe81cf0.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12926656144b5c5c21d1337.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8819790924b5c5c3529f34.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094541.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_179113859249796a822daf0.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-y-banc-neath-port https://images.on-this.website/7784_112950675cdd0a947a1c9.jpgPEN-Y-BANC, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on PENYBANC, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I saw this house whilst walking to another ruin half a mile away or so. The house is large, and I believe as originally built as two houses but at some point, judging by partitions inside, was lived in as one house. I reached the house by nipping beneath the railway bridge along the B4434 and alongside the railway line and through woodland. The house is strange in its location, elevated in the corner of field, the driveway long grown over, the sense of previous owners long passed. I have visited many ruins these last few decades but Penybanc (I believe is the name of the house but if it is indeed two properties surely it should have two names) did leave me feeling uneasy. It felt out of place, as if I returned tomorrow it would no longer be there. I confess it sounds ridiculous. I’ve rarely felt fearful at a ruin, mostly its fear of a falling beam, masonry or for trespassing or even pigeons or owls suddenly making their presence known. Penybanc felt odd for other reasons, the front room of the left side of the house had been boarded up so there was no access through the front doorway. Is that reason enough to feel spooked? No. The roof clung on loosely but the floors within were all rotten and missing. The two front doors had been place on the staircases, prohibiting access – surely to stop the sheep from climbing the stairs and hurting themselves but the fact that it also stopped me also spooked me (not that I’d have climbed the stairs, it was far too dangerous). And thus the house stands, a total mess within but seemingly in a relatively good condition on the outside. Nonetheless for all my misgivings, a number of exposures were made of this un-Welsh looking house. The sheep watched unimpressed but neither did they run. Another house only a field away also stood much ruinous but I had used up all my film and thought, ‘next time’ (although quite often the ‘next time’ can take a couple of years). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bronwydd-llangynllo-ceredigion-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8797449904b6bd2993f372.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2009 I had heard that Bronwydd had all but gone, demolished by the owner/farmer since my last visit in 1996. I was surprised to find that very little had changed. Some of the ornate arches with Latin inscriptions had fallen but considering it had been 13 years I believe Bronwydd still has much to offer the casual visitor. A border collie came bounding over and accompanied me during my visit demanding I throw stones. Another dog barked constantly somewhere in the farm yard above. As I approached the house the cows and calves fled and the sheep huddled in corners of fields. The most prominent part of Bronwydd is the large high tower, completely ivy covered and resilient. The remnants of fireplaces, doorways, staircases and plastered corners can be seen when looking up from the inside. Foolishly I forgot also to see if the spiral staircase to the narrow rounded tower that projects up beside the large ivy covered tower was still accessible. I’m not sure I would have had the courage to walk up it anyway. A few decorative blocks of plasterwork lay here and there in amongst the rubble and stone. Although I only spent half an hour at Bronwydd I spent a further two hours attempting to dig my car of the mud I had decided to park it in! [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_312845545498bd5e5d5c3a.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14637335094a693b5d1666f.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9156197234b5961bda7cc2.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18635850294b595fa4283c9.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13462290774b3887ff84ddd.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5865035494b596057f17e0.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14505653094b5960a7413ee.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17816598244b596167aea23.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7376366104b59600452e57.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 BRONWYDD. Llanqynllo. Ceredigion 1997 & 2009 Safai ty ar safle Bronwydd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar ddeg ac fe gafodd ei ailadeiladu yn y 1850au - er nad oes dim yma heddiw ond twmpath o rwbel. Mae'r cerfiadau cerrig, y gwydr lliw a'r murluniau wedi hen ddiflannu heblaw am ychydig o arwyddeiriau Lladin uwchben y drysau o garreg Caerfaddon.. Dychwelais i Fronwydd fis Gorffennaf 2009. Prin yr oedd wedi newid. Mae eiddew'n gorchuddio'r twr ac mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r arysgrifau Lladin wedi dirywio a diflannu am byth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22235004.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_594224384540022839ef1c.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475589.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19088955334b8bc6708df3c.jpgCEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on CEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Once within the dimly lit ground floor, Ceulan Mill appears, as ones eyes adjust, an impregnable building with imposing machinery filling all three storeys to the brim with large heavy machinery, looms, and weaving frames, large wicker baskets of withered cones of wool. Ceulan Mill was closed in the 1950’s and it feels like very little has changed within and without the stone walls since then. On the first floor, only three small windows allowing the sun light in, the floor space is heavy with solid machinery. It is dark and when surrounded with such heavy machinery crammed so close together it is also unnerving. The dimness makes the focussing of the camera difficult; I use a small touch to set the shutter speeds and aperture. A forty-minute exposure was used with these first initial exposures. A long wait for a photographer and gives me time to make notes. I feel calm and the still atmosphere helps me to relax. Outside I hear a babbling brook, birds singing, the day is bright, warm and spring-like. These rusty dinosaurs within this mill no longer creak, groan, growl. They’re silent and still, their only movement is that of their slow corrosion. My eyes have long since grown accustomed to the dimness. The machinery is splendid – wheels, cogs, belts, gears, pulley’s, springs, rods, rollers, spinners, presses, chains, oil, wool, spanners, wrenches, dust and cobwebs. A stuffed heron lays on the ground on the first floor and also; a metal chest full of 19th & 20th century books (on Stalin, India, Arithmetic, Philosophy, Chemistry, Law, Communism, worker’s rights and how to better oneself!). More large baskets, clamps, drawing desks, broken chairs, tables, chests, all stand on an uneven floor and under a sagging ceiling. The sun poured through the open windows on the first floor, flooding tiny areas and here the exposures were much shorter, usually around 4 - 16 minutes. Four hours was spend making around ten exposures onto sheet film. The slow process of photographing in such dark places makes the finishing images so much more satisfying. MELIN CEULAN. Tal-v-bont. Ceredigion 2009 Ar Ian afon Ceulan saif Melin Ceulan, a fu unwaith yn brysur a llewyrchus. Wrth i'r llygaid ymgynefino a lled-dywyllwch y llawr gwaelod daw Melin Ceulan i'r golwg, yn adeilad cadarn gyda pheiriannau mawreddog, gwyddiau, fframiau gwehyddu a basgedi mawr o wlan yn llenwi'r tri llawr at y to. Caeodd y felin yn y 1950au a bu iddi aros yn wag ers hynny. Mae'n dywyll, ac ynghanol yr holl beirianwaith trwm sydd wedi'i wthio benben a'i gilydd, ceir hefyd deimlad o anesmwythyd. Yn y tywyllwch mae'n anodd ffocysu'r camera; rhoddaf gyffyrddiad ysgafn i osod cyflymder y caead a lledu'r agorfa. Defnyddiwyd dadleniad o bedwar deg pum munud gyda'r lluniau cychwynnol hyn. Hir ymaros i'r ffotograffydd, a chyfle i mi ysgrifennu nodiadau. Teimlaf dawelwch, ac mae'r awyrgylch llonydd help i mi ymlacio. Y tu allan clywaf furmur y nant a thrydar yr adar, megis diwmod braf a chynnes o wanwyn. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img299 https://images.on-this.website/7784_172429887153569523c4b3e.jpgTEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on TEIFI POOLS, Ceredigion 1996 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2120030.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8694328849853580e445e.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5810597834b5c5a0c59da9.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5719210664b5c5a6d96b20.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1205440124b5c5b0952b9d.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8168824424b5c5a452515e.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3609790694b5c5a8eb63fa.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14408224384b5c5aad2193a.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7696061414b5c5b3c41528.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6698215724b5c5bc4d6cb8.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5639447514b5c5ae86863f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_343839564b5c5acbe80c3.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15831139334b5c5b75cd315.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14992230974b5c5b96bcf8b.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13773031744b5c5bfe81cf0.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12926656144b5c5c21d1337.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8819790924b5c5c3529f34.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4051684.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19409652214b124800d45ed.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7696061414b5c5b3c41528.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6698215724b5c5bc4d6cb8.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5639447514b5c5ae86863f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_343839564b5c5acbe80c3.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37165811.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21154415855c21d52aad7c6.jpgANNEALING HOUSE, Swansea 2018 Notes on ANNEALING HOUSE, SWANSEA 2018 An impromptu visit on a very wet morning before work. Access to the building is just down a small bank alongside a footpath beside the Tawe. The buildings is just a shell, within trees and a maze of scaffolding. A few exposures made, nobody walked along the footpath, the rain putting off even the dog walkers. A quick half an hour attempting to walk through the bramble and overgrowth. The rear impossible to view. Taken from Swansea Council website: Annealing house at former Beaufort tin plate works established 1859 – 60 by John Jones Jenkins. The site was that of the Lower Forest copper mills founded in the C18 and possibly already converted to tin plate in 1836. Jenkins sold the works in 1877. The present building dated 1874 was added to the upper end of the original rolling mill of c1735, since demolished and is now the sole surviving building of the tin plate industry in Swansea. The building was extensively restored and rebuilt in 1980’s with a reconstructed water wheel brought from a model farm owned by the colliery operator, John Jones of Brynamman. The works closed in the 1940’s. The building was in derelict state at the time of resurvey (October 2003) having been damaged by fire. Exterior:- Former annealing building, oblong with stone rubble walls and slate roof, only some of the latter remaining. North gable end has six blocked yellow brick semi-circular vents above and two smaller similar vents below each side of tall central semi-circular arch with segmental headed opening and cast copper slag keystone dated 1874. Doorway under brick arch on left side and round headed window under brick arch on right side. In east wall, a series of small semi-circular brick vents below each eaves above 3 blocked wide semi-circular headed arches. In west wall, a wide round headed central window with four bays to each side to right hand with four blocked semi-circular vents above a doorway and then three windows and to left hand with three of the former lunettes made into tall round headed windows. South gable end of red brick with small C20 window to left and large blocked doorway to the right. Interior:- Not available for inspection. Roof in poor condition. Said to have had wooden king post trusses internally. Newman says ‘the tinning bays of the W block have been rebuilt in replica form. Listed:- Included for its special historic interest as the last surviving building from the Swansea tinplate industry. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094546.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_154220630649796a9f43815.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 A pack of sheep dogs barked around my car as I pulled into the farmyard that stands beside the decrepit walls of Neuadd Fawr, built on an existing site by a William Davys in the late 18th century. The dogs continued to bark at my heels as I knocked on the farmhouse door and I very nearly ran back to my car. I was pleased I didn’t turn and drive home as I believe I was lucky that day. The dogs calmed and were friendly and the owner, although it was still very early, was happy for me to spend a few hours exploring the house and its grounds. A heavy morning dew soaked my feet and a bleak mist hung around the grounds, occasionally revealing trees, the walls of outbuildings and a walled garden with ivy covering every inch of the stone. The interior was too dangerous to enter. I always take a hard helmet with me but it felt that at any moment the entire house would tumble down around me. It seemed well beyond repair then. It’s walls, stone and mortar were damp and sodden and the roof was fruitlessly attempting to shelter the inside from any further deterioration of the rot therein. Some 7 years later I drove by again. I parked the car, stood on tiptoe, peering over the hedgerow, and across the field. Neuadd Fawr still stood, resilient, with the wind ever blowing through its rooms. I felt somehow nostalgic and relieved. I didn’t like the thought that someone may purchase, demolish, or even rebuild, such a house. What chance to reclaim its history and character? Then again perhaps these days nothing is beyond repair and I’ve heard it is, once again, on the market. The estate contains (now restored) lodge houses, a walled garden and a marvellous twin door stable block. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2080765445498bd5cc5fbb4.jpg[/img] Neuadd Fawr 1996 NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/026 https://images.on-this.website/7784_130113760555767e89f3b2f.jpgTY-UNNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TY-UNNOS#3, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 A return to the area and I made an exposure of each property unless so little remained that it was not worthwhile. Hard to imagine that this was once a busy little community. I imagine all the houses were thatched, though all are stone with a few brick chimneys here and there. Only two of the properties were of two storey, the largest of which also had a separate cottage/barn at a right angle behind, no inter-connecting door but interesting nonetheless. The rain lashed down when I reached there and I took shelter for a good ten minutes wondering if, indeed, the rain would stop. It slowed, so I went out, making a few exposures but the horizontal rain was covering my lens with a fine mist. Some of the pictures have been effected and therefore not printed. The rain did at last stop, the sun came out, my fingers were by this time red and raw but the sun soon thawed me and dried my equipment. By the time I returned to my car I was too dry and warm. Previous notes TAI-UNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not know the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2 etc… https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo43405533.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_109973650060f6f09f0a646.jpgRHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Notes on RHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Large farmstead long ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4508183.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6176871644b9358bd0ffed.jpgRIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on RIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2009 A re-take of the two trees, as seen in the previous photograph. I did not return to purposely re-take this image but found I had a sheet or two of film left unused. Although untouched by human hand in the five years since I had last photographed them the scene had changed in many thousands of tiny ways: the growth and the decay of saplings growing, older branches falling, and even the depth of the small lake all made the view differ, although not greatly, but enough to make an exposure worthwhile. I was fortunate too that the thin tall tree in the mid-distant right of the photograph was again hit by the winter sun - and judging by the way the shadows fell, it was taken at a very similar time of day as the previous photograph. Into The Murky Depths We Tread I came upon these wetland areas whilst cycling home one summers evening. Wetland areas are essential, basically untouched, and serve as irrigation and to filter pollution. The fact that no ones seems to bother to explore them due to their dampness and seemingly unfriendly environment, also allows them to be rich in wildlife. From the road that leads to Cwm Rheidol (about 8 miles from Aberystwyth) entrance through the undergrowth seems almost impossible and impenetrable. When the sun is low, bright splashes of sun light flicker through the thicket and reveal openings. Ducking under the thicket and forcing your way through, and once in amongst the deep mud and dankness, a whole new world is revealed; jungle-like and heavily branched areas, rich in photographic pickings and in some ways universal. These sorts of geographic landscapes are not typical or localised to any one part of the country. If you travel by train anywhere you always pass these oft ignored areas. They can not be built on because the land is unstable, no one walks through them, due to their (supposed) unpleasantness but once you’ve broken through their barriers of branches you enter a world with it’s own micro-atmosphere. The photographs were taken on either Ilford FP4 or Delta 100 5x4inch sheet film using a Wista camera and either a 90mm super-angulon or 135mm symmar lenses. Exposures on a grey day at F22 usually hovered around the 16 second mark and when photographing in sun light at about 1 second. My boots, trouser legs and the tripod feet were covered in thick, dark mud and although the going was slow, the actual area of these wetlands is perhaps only an acre or two in size. I’ve visited and photographed only three or four times but each time the tranquillity and ever changing photographic opportunities due to the water level rising and falling, the ever evolving process of woodlands – new saplings appearing and older trees uprooting - means visiting here has become a constant source of pleasure. YSTUMLLYN. Cwm Rheidol. Ceredigion 2003 - 2006 Deuthum ar draws y gwlypdir hwn wrth feicio gartref un noson o haf. Mae ardaloedd o wlypdir yn hanfodol. Ar y cyfan, nid oes neb wedi ei gyffwrdd ac mae'n gweithredu fel system ddyfrhau ac mae'n hidlo'r llygredd . Mae'r ffaith nad oes fawr neb yn eu harchwilio oherwydd eu lleithder a'u hamgylchedd yn golygu eu bod yn gyfoethog o ran bywyd gwyllt. O'r ffordd sy'n arwain at Gwm Rheidol (tua 8 milltir o Aberystwyth), ymddengys bod yr isdyfiant yn anhreiddiadwy. Pan fo'r haul yn isel, gwelir goleuadau llachar yr haul drwy'r dryslwyn. Unwaith y byddwch yng nghanol y mwd dwfn a'r gwiybaniaeth, agorir eich llygaid i fyd newydd. Dyma ardal sy'n debyg i jyngl I lawn canghennau Ardal sy'n gyfoethog at ddibenion tynnu lluniau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6817536.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17862636784ca6216a0f84b.jpgTYNGRAIG, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on TYNGRAIG, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2010 Sitting above the small stream 'Nant y Fawnog' and have thus named the house Fawnog. (Thanks to all of those who emailed in to say this house is call 'Tyngraig'). Recently unroofed and within signs of fire. This tiny cottage is barely visible from the Devil's Bridge to Aberystwyth road. Curious sheep watched and bleated loudly. I made a few exposures and left this small, peaceful cottage to its inevitable collapse. Demolished early 2011. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26845328.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19940007156e3bd144ef22.jpgBRECHFA FAWR, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BRECHFA FAWR, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Empty farmstead, not long empty, recently boarded up with numerous outbuildings, also ruined but still in some use. Nicely located but a shame to see empty, hopefully will be on the market soon. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789123.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6621409354bcaac6e25679.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 This shows a bitumen type surface and the white area is the residue of something that was once stuck to this short wall in the suburbs of Nottingham. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2384287.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_60009969949e0c053c4db9.jpgLLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2009 Notes on LLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2009 A return to Llanstinan on a late March, early morning and dimly lit. The house had recently been cleared from the foliage that crept around its walls and grounds. Destroyed by fire in the 1940's the house has, since, begun it's slow decline. A side view reveals high on the rendered wall with the date 1769 (see top of this photograph). A row of palms hint at once renowned garden terrace. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10045126584b6e5ff8a0cbd.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11481595294b6e613be752c.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_772588494b6e6189961ec.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21238885894b6e6b485ff7e.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1566881182498ed3a00b0e5.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House Porch 2005 TY LLANSTINAN. Llanstinan, Aberqwaun. Sir Benfro 2005 & 2009 Yn gynnar un bore ar ddiwedd mis Mai a glaw man trwm yn chwythu o'm hamgylch, cerddais ar hyd hen Iwybr a oedd yn llawn llystyfiant tuag at adfeilion dirgel a chyfareddol Ty Llanstinan. Ar un adeg, roedd gan Dy Llanstinan ardd deras odidog (mae rhes hir o balmwydd yn dal i sefyll wrth ymyl y ty), ond erbyn heddiw mae wedi tyfu'n wyllt. Mae'r Ty Llanstinan llaith a thywyll bellach yn adfeilio. Colofnau portico sy'n eich croesawu i'r ty. Mae pedwar llawr i'r ty ynghyd ag islawr (pob un wedi mynd a'i ben iddo). Gorchuddiwyd y waliau cefn a llechi ond bellach mae iorwg yn rhwygo'r llechi o'r morter. Hefyd, mae'r dwr yn diferu i lawr. Mae pob un o'r waliau o amgylch y stablau a'r esgyll gwasanaethu yn llaith, yn anghynnes ac wedi eu difetha'n llwyr. Adeiladwyd y ty ar hen safle yn 1680 a thros y blynyddoedd, cafodd ei newid yn rheolaidd. Yn y pendraw, llosgodd y ty yn yr 1940au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40586129.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4293053925de8dd6891238.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pennard-castle-three-cliffs-bay https://images.on-this.website/7784_10065533985abb9bd0eef6b.jpgPENNARD CASTLE, Three Cliffs Bay, Gower 2018 Notes on PENNARD CASTLE, Three Cliffs Bay, Gower 2018 Standing between a golf course and Three Cliffs Bay, the castle ruins are a well maintained ruin and stand quite content in their place. My visit was on a Saturday morning, the golfers were out en mass and so too the dog walkers. I made a few exposures with a handheld 5x4inch camera and of a water tower the other side of golf course. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22235000.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_32016819854002278f377f.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24167749.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_402129526554cc598751ab.jpgFFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 A small house built facing a bank, a shame since there's a lovely view of Llanerchaeron Mansion a few yards away. The house has been gutted and ready for restoration - this unfortunately has ceased and is now open to the elements - although the roof looks to be in a good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076356.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1118032148497053eb891bc.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tre-fynydd-burry-port-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8066565075e295fe19ec8c.jpgTRE-FYNYDD, Burry Port 2020 Notes on TRE-FYNYDD, Burry Port 2020 I parked in a lay-by beside the ruined house of Bigyn on the the mountain road between Pembrey and Pen-y-Mynydd. Bigyn is so overgrown it didn’t seem possible to photograph, so I didn’t bother. It had forecast to be dry but fine drizzle blew around and then would stop for awhile and then sudden downfalls of heavy rain for a few minutes. The pattern continued. I walked down the public footpath nearly as far as the farm Ty Newydd but then cut across a stream and a field of young trees and a lot of bramble. A tractor lay in this field and obviously hadn’t moved for at least ten years. More brambles. There was an easier route but a sign said ‘trespassers would be prosecuted’. The brambles were higher than me and irregular how they fell. Some were brown and old but their barbs still sharp. Only once home did I begin pulling out the little sharp needle from fingers and feet! My hands were bleeding and there and sore. Poor me! The house was reached, partially roofed, unlike so many of the farms I visit. Inside was a mess, fallen beams, fallen floors and a fallen staircase. There was no access upstairs and barely access around the lower rooms. The sky was dark outside and even my digital camera struggled with handheld shots inside the house. A few snapshots were taken, slight camera blur and then I used my large wooden camera for more serious work, tripod mounted of course. Exposures of 4 – 32 seconds were used (at F22), long for a mid-day exposure, and testifies just how dim the light was. Another band of rain was heading in. I took as many pictures as possible and packed up my camera – somewhat depressed by the weather, the house, the afternoon. The rain fell on the filter of the lens, I removed the filter and tried to clean/dry it but I had nothing to clean it with except my t-shirt. I dropped the filter into mud. Nevermind. I’ll clean it when home. Rain fell onto the glass of the lens. I tried the best to wipe it with my sleeve but it just smudged the rain water around. The finished images may be slightly blurred where the rain landed on the lens. So be it. It tells part of the story. I walked back a different way, across a field and over a hedge, I hasten to add the fence I stepped over was only three feet high, no damage done and then back to the public footpath and back to the car by which time the rain had begun to fall hard again. Once home everything taken from the camera bag and placed on a table by a radiator. It gets an hour to dry and air before being put away again. The lens was properly cleaned and is pristine again. The small barbs of bramble are removed, two on the soles of my feet and numerous on my fingers and knuckles. The brambles are the worst. I had to turn back at one point because I found myself in a whole sea of bramble and knew to carry on would only take longer than going back and to find a different route – which I did and saved myself some time and effort. I could have done without the trouble with the bramble, it lengthened the time to reach the house which meant I would have missed the rain storm which would have allowed me to settle more within the atmosphere of the house and landscape. The pictures won’t tell this. The pictures will just show a dilapidated house with a few raindrops present in the final image. Neither will the final images show or give any insight on who lived here last and why they left. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22235005.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_29485512754002287c4776.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img241 https://images.on-this.website/7784_604612528534aa742d978f.jpgCWMYSTWYTH, Ceredigion 1991 Please note: this image is not for sale https://www.welshruins.co.uk/acheth-twynllanan-carmarthenshire-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13883917865d4149ff4bd3b.jpgACHETH, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on ACHETH, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2019 Side of the road location - impromptu visit - the land of the farm has recently been put on sale - unsure of the house itself. It looked in a reasonably good condition and only recently vacated. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-ceilo-gwydd-farm-llanelli https://images.on-this.website/7784_14311496145bd2162a494c8.jpgPEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 Notes on PEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 A short damp walk and quickly whilst exploring it becomes apparent this farm was the victim of a fire. Inside is much ruinous and blackened. Outside a few possession scattered. A long barn with arrow-slot vents hint at an older property than what I first imagined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafodunos-llangernwy-denbighshire-2005 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6530790354971f4c2cd5d6.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 A gatehouse stands at the entrance of Hafodunos, elaborate and ruined, and after a short slight upward slope walk to the house Hafodunos unfolds, obviously empty, elaborate and also in a ruinous state. It is not in a ruinous state due to nature’s reclamation but because of abandonment, vandalism and a terrible fire in the fall of 2004. It is a very large Gothic-style house, built in 1861-66 by Sir George Gilbert-Scott on an earlier site, with a clock tower and octagonal billiard room. Hafodunos is in a desperate state of disrepair, with many of its features either lost to man’s destruction or otherwise stolen. The conservatories, built a little later than the house, all smashed into many fragments but all beautifully lit. The grounds beneath the layer of undergrowth reveal a once well-maintained and extensive garden. The interior, although vacated some 7 years ago, felt as if it had only been vacated last month. Even so, the walls are brittle and scarred with peeling paintwork and spray-can graffiti and the maze of rooms, corridors and courtyards are littered with burnt furniture, perilous ceilings and rotting staircases. The fire had all but destroyed the front facade and had left Hafodunas a very pitiful pile. It accommodated many uses throughout its relatively short life: once an accountancy college, a girls school, then a care home and eventually a hotel and restaurant. I wandered around overwhelmed and with much the same feeling as that of Aberglasney some 10 years previous: of not learning from our past mistakes and just passing on the consequences. Aberglasney was eventually salvaged from the brink of total collapse. Hafodunos however, though greatly admired, may give itself up to the elements, whether human or natural, and it remains to be seen if someone will have the care of attention that this building deserves. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/outbuilding-felindre-swansea-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19960169035a6702084b128.jpgOUTBUILDING, Felindre, Swansea 2018 Notes on OUTBUILDING, Felindre, Swansea 2018 Lovely little gem, roadside location, just outside Felindre. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ysbyty-cynfyn-church-ceredigion-1991 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4550789634c2ae32322387.jpgYSBYTY CYNFYN CHURCH, Ceredigion 1991 Notes on YSBYTY CYNFYN CHURCH, Ceredigion 1991 An early image taken using infra-red film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/barn-wall-rhayader-powys-2002 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14099441534eb643430d4c9.jpgBARN WALL, Rhayader, Powys 2002 Notes on BARN WALL, Rhayader, Powys 2002 I sought an image of misty covered Japanese mountains in this wall - this picture is shown upside down but this was always the intention so I can forgive myself for this act of unrealism. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9922650.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20246685264dc808e44e64c.jpgDYFFRYN COTTAGE, Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DYFFRYN COTTAGE, Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 2011 I have ventured to this small cottage a number of times over the years - at some point there had been intentions to restore and enlarge judging by the mish-mash of breeze-block and stone extentions, all half completed and totally out of character with the rest of the cottage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cefn-garth-uchaf-llanddewi-brefi https://images.on-this.website/7784_10737569314ea25a1e78577.jpgCEFN GARTH UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CEFN GARTH UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 Lost beneath high thin trees and thick matured redwoods, Cefn Garth is a surprisingly large property. As I reached the house I was joined by some spectacularly heavy and persistent rain. I took cover within the house and explored its many rooms. I set up my camera and took a photograph of the entrance and staircase. A long exposure of 30minutes. Within is dark, nearly all the windows are boarded up with only thin slivers of light penetrating the spacious rooms. Holes in the roof had begun to leave a trail of destruction within the house, the dampness cutting a hole through floorboards and walls with a hole from the far west chimney that bears down all the way through to the ground floor floorboards. In one room, a study(?) with French doors, were scattered across the floor many dozens of books with many hundreds of pages strewn uncaringly and an easy chair and a chest of drawers without the drawers. In another room a wooden fitted alcove cupboard, it’s doors hangings from its hinges and its contents all gone, lost or stolen. The 30 minute exposure was over, 30 minutes can sometimes pass very quickly. I had trodden softly on beams and rotten floor board and comically attempted to spread my weight the best I could but not at all comical if a foot falls through a paper-thin first floor floorboard. Outside the rain persists. The tree cover offers some shelter and further exposures are made (and even at 10am on a mid-week morning in October, exposures are still 4 minutes long at F22). The intrigue of this house defuses any irritation with the weather. The house was too long for me to fit, onto film, in its entirety. Outbuildings set back. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo7922272.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18793007454cffba626759c.jpgCEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Once within the dimly lit ground floor, Ceulan Mill appears, as ones eyes adjust, an impregnable building with imposing machinery filling all three storeys to the brim with large heavy machinery, looms, and weaving frames, large wicker baskets of withered cones of wool. Ceulan Mill was closed in the 1950’s and it feels like very little has changed within and without the stone walls since then. On the first floor, only three small windows allowing the sun light in, the floor space is heavy with solid machinery. It is dark and when surrounded with such heavy machinery crammed so close together it is also unnerving. The dimness makes the focussing of the camera difficult; I use a small touch to set the shutter speeds and aperture. A forty-minute exposure was used with these first initial exposures. A long wait for a photographer and gives me time to make notes. I feel calm and the still atmosphere helps me to relax. Outside I hear a babbling brook, birds singing, the day is bright, warm and spring-like. These rusty dinosaurs within this mill no longer creak, groan, growl. They’re silent and still, their only movement is that of their slow corrosion. My eyes have long since grown accustomed to the dimness. The machinery is splendid – wheels, cogs, belts, gears, pulley’s, springs, rods, rollers, spinners, presses, chains, oil, wool, spanners, wrenches, dust and cobwebs. A stuffed heron lays on the ground on the first floor and also; a metal chest full of 19th & 20th century books (on Stalin, India, Arithmetic, Philosophy, Chemistry, Law, Communism, worker’s rights and how to better oneself!). More large baskets, clamps, drawing desks, broken chairs, tables, chests, all stand on an uneven floor and under a sagging ceiling. The sun poured through the open windows on the first floor, flooding tiny areas and here the exposures were much shorter, usually around 4 - 16 minutes. Four hours was spend making around ten exposures onto sheet film. The slow process of photographing in such dark places makes the finishing images so much more satisfying. MELIN CEULAN. Tal-v-bont. Ceredigion 2009 Ar Ian afon Ceulan saif Melin Ceulan, a fu unwaith yn brysur a llewyrchus. Wrth i'r llygaid ymgynefino a lled-dywyllwch y llawr gwaelod daw Melin Ceulan i'r golwg, yn adeilad cadarn gyda pheiriannau mawreddog, gwyddiau, fframiau gwehyddu a basgedi mawr o wlan yn llenwi'r tri llawr at y to. Caeodd y felin yn y 1950au a bu iddi aros yn wag ers hynny. Mae'n dywyll, ac ynghanol yr holl beirianwaith trwm sydd wedi'i wthio benben a'i gilydd, ceir hefyd deimlad o anesmwythyd. Yn y tywyllwch mae'n anodd ffocysu'r camera; rhoddaf gyffyrddiad ysgafn i osod cyflymder y caead a lledu'r agorfa. Defnyddiwyd dadleniad o bedwar deg pum munud gyda'r lluniau cychwynnol hyn. Hir ymaros i'r ffotograffydd, a chyfle i mi ysgrifennu nodiadau. Teimlaf dawelwch, ac mae'r awyrgylch llonydd help i mi ymlacio. Y tu allan clywaf furmur y nant a thrydar yr adar, megis diwmod braf a chynnes o wanwyn. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mines-at-cwmtrwch-brecknockshire-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17618184345a670212ef8fb.jpgMINES AT CWMTWRCH, Brecknockshire 2018 Notes on MINES AT CWMTWRCH, Brecknockshire 2018 Large lime kilns, ruinous but in good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094531.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_37317440849796131c26d1.jpgLLEWENI STABLES & COACH HOUSE, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 Notes on LLEWENI STABLES & COACH HOUSE, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 (mansion long demolished) A huge red brick Georgian stable block in decay, the original Lleweni house was built in 16th century and was demolished 1816-18. The re-built Lleweni survives. According to Thomas Lloyd in his book The Lost Houses of Wales, it was demolished by Colonel William Hughes for no better reason than that his wife thought it would be bad for her health and his mother thought the rooms were too big! Demolition he later regretted: it is said that afterwards, when all was done, he sat down in the ruins and cried. Lleweni’s sheer size was stunning, an L shape (with further extensions to form a T), the two arms of the thirteen bays are each sectioned with gothic towers and turrets and built around a massive medieval hall. In 1997, the stables and coach house were derelict and wet. It was mid-summer and the bracken and brambles neck high. One could barely get close to its walls. Once inside, masonry littered the ground and beams balanced precariously from floors above. Bird nests lay empty in high alcoves and cobwebs hung damp from doorways and corners. The roof had various holes and after an unexpected visit in 2005, with a protective fence around its circumference, the holes in the roof had enlarged thus threatening potential collapse. It was, again, on the market but thus far remains unsold. Lleweni coach house has now been converted into flats. Click on this link to see photographs: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1153129 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1984407074b73b51e0f3ab.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8426261164b73b53c6c2e2.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llanfechan-alltyblaca-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11441996984ea25fa99e481.jpgLLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Hidden from view and the morning had yet to properly break. I reached the matured grounds of the house Llanfechan in uncertainty. I had been told much remained but also as mentioned in ‘The Lost Houses of Wales’, it was ‘mostly demolished’. I could make out a bulky dark mass in the dim morning light and once beyond the covering of trees, the walls of Llanfechan could easily to reached. And once within those walls, standing in the ruins themselves, it becomes easier still to imagine this was once a rather fine mansion house. The house standing today was built in 1786 and due to fire was already ruined by 1837 and thus remained a ruin all these years since. In the Pevsner Building of Wales guide for Ceredigion it suggests that Llanfechan was designed by John Nash and is comparable to his Llanerchaeron just a few miles away (and it doesn’t take an untrained eye to find these comparisons!). The original full two storeys remain today, the façade and main section of the house. Although the outer is covered almost entirely with foliage and trees and there are a few mature trees within the site, it is generally easily negotiable – one gable end, against a damp and dimly lit bank has large cracks and holes forming with the chimney on the brink on collapsing inward. The morning of my visit the wind blew hard and the overcast day offered little prospect of improving. The wind and the dimness of light meant I required long exposures of around 4 – 16 minutes and this in fact helped me with exposing more of the buildings fabric than would ordinarily be possible. The windswept branches and leaves meant their movement wasn’t properly recorded and was instead recorded as a ‘slight blur’ and thus more stone work was recorded onto the sheet of film inside the camera. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img430 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20578556345386d9767378d.jpgTHE COTTAGE, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on THE COTTAGE (15 Market Street), Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2014 Empty and a little forlorn, a beautiful dwelling in need of some attention https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6185396.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10899846754c7f4a617ed1f.jpgMINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Notes on HOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Nestled in a quiet valley between the high lands and the reservoirs and ancient broadleaf woodlands the Cwm Elan mines are a worthy experience not just for its solitary atmosphere but also its historical interest. It sits 1000ft over looking the Garreg-ddu reservoir. The only sounds one can hear are the babbling brook, the bleating sheep and the sweeping and singing birds. The two ruined houses which stand beside one another are a stark contrast in style and colour. I believe the stone house was home to the manager of the mine when lead was discovered at the site in 1796 (and was mined until 1877). Much of the mining equipment and indeed buildings have or are slowly vanishing as the years pass. The red brick house was built by the Birmingham Corporation Waterworks for one of its estate workers and is now in agricultural storage use (although my last visit a few years ago access inside was easy and very little remained since it was used by the sheep as shelter!). The ferns had yet to fully burst open and last years crunched underfoot. When fully grown at the height of summer these ferns cover much of the fields and hills around the mine and are chest high (and also a fertile breeding ground for sheep ticks). My visit on this occasion was humid but cloudy but after a few hours, towards the end of my visit, the sun returned with strength and lit up the spring greenery and the red brick building with pure delight. To see photographs of the two houses please visit the 'Rhadnorshire' derelict mansions gallery. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41241768.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1278545965efb02d96b591.jpgCORS-TONCIN, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on CORS-TONCIN, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Nice little cottage on the footpath towards Coed Cyw Uchaf (see the next house) and well positioned but unfortunately much ruinous. A small outbuilding opposite, with a broken electric cycling machine, barn ruinous too and although only a few images taken, viewpoints were slim, and I was on my way a few minutes later. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2080925.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7344619754972c94ed5de0.jpgBARON HILL, Stables, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5810597834b5c5a0c59da9.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5719210664b5c5a6d96b20.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5639447514b5c5ae86863f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_343839564b5c5acbe80c3.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15831139334b5c5b75cd315.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14992230974b5c5b96bcf8b.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36756937.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8822649125bd2162ab6c70.jpgNotes on PEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 A short damp walk and quickly whilst exploring it becomes apparent this farm was the victim of a fire. Inside is much ruinous and blackened. Outside a few possession scattered. A long barn with arrow-slot vents hint at an older property than what I first imagined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4627989.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13107488864bacd29b91c87.jpgBLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 Notes on BLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 This photograph shows the exposed 16th century stone mural staircase reaching up into the attic space (just to the slight right, centre of the frame) - looking up this staircase one can just about make out the steps running up along the walls. I left my flat in Brighton at 1am and drove along the empty motorways to South Wales and reached Blaen Baglan in the false dawn. The air was cold and crisp and it felt good to feel the soft ground underfoot. I wandered around the house in near darkness for half an hour, selecting viewpoints and compositions, judging which lenses to use and waiting for the dawn. I had been here before, almost 15 years ago and knew what to expect. My expectations were not to be trusted. I had somehow imagined Blaen Baglan to be in much the same state 15 years down the line. It is, in my eyes, at the very precipice of total collapse and perhaps due to that is a far sadder sight to behold than that of other lost houses in the region. Sadder than the magnificent Neuadd Fawr which I visited after Blaen Baglan, sadder than Edwinsford which I visited a few days later. All the lower doors and windows are boarded up with metal shutters. First inspection I presumed that the house was still in some kind of agricultural storage use. I felt relieved the lower floors were still in a water tight condition but further investigation showed the entire west side of the house had collapsed and the view within was a chaotic jumble of stone and beams. Blaen Baglan felt truly lost. I must however backtrack. My first visit to Blaen Baglan had been in 1997 and was a hurried affair. I was told the owner who lived in the bungalow next to the house did not appreciate casual sightseers. He was not there on my first visit and who knows, perhaps a private man and didn’t like the idea of strangers spoiling his otherwise secluded existence. Perhaps, he himself, loved the ruined house and considered it his own private pleasure. As it happens the bungalow next to the house also appeared to be empty although the vegetable garden beside it well tended. I photographed Blaen Baglan quickly and moved on. I was in no such hurry on this occasion. The bungalow beside it was roofless and a burnt out shell. Broken slates covered every inch of floor within and cracked loudly underfoot alerting the sheepdogs that spent their nights in the farm building close-by of my presence. Inside the bungalow the walls were covered in peeling and blistered paint, just the type of subject matter I search endlessly for whilst living in cities and towns. I did, unable to completely resist, make a few exposures of the walls of the bungalow but it was, after all, Blaen Baglan that I had come to visit, perhaps for the last time. It had fallen into alarming disrepair and although the dirty white washed façade appeared to be remarkably intact I was disappointed to find all that lay behind. Almost all interior details are lost in the piles of rubble and wood; the wooden panelling, the rear three storey staircase all lost and barely visible at the decayed core. A very depressing site and absolutely desperate for attention. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/butterhill-st-ishmaels-pembrokeshire-2005 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7165102574986d6dfbbab6.jpgBUTTERHILL, St Ishmael's, Pembrokeshire 2005 Notes on BUTTERHILL, St Ishmael's, Pembrokeshire 2005 Built and accommodated by the Roche family from 1607 – 1906, it has been continually enlarged throughout its life. It has three storey’s at the front and a massive, imposing extra storey at the rear. A short walk from the lodge west of the house opens out to Butterhill and its substantial outbuildings. All seemed too ruinous for restoration but in late May 2005 it appeared a new roof had been laid and new draining placed and once again the house has begun a new chapter in its life. Unbeknown to me at the time of my visit there is also a fine and small Shell Grotto in the grounds with a small dome roof. It is said to be in a perilous state. I was also told and/or read somewhere that there was a dolls house based on Butterhill. Does this still remain? [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17333754994b73b25bcc569.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5334123824b73b27bcd2b3.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3885395764b73b29b1d441.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 BUTTERHILL St Ishmael’s. Sir Benfro 2005 Adeiladwyd gan deulu Roche a buont yn byw yno rhwng 1607 - 1906, a chafodd ei ehangu yn gyson drwy gydol ei oes. Mae ganddo dri llawr ar y blaen, a llawr ychwanegol sylweddol yn y cefn. Ychydig o’r lodj i’r gorllewin o’rty gwelir Butterhill a’i dai allan sylweddol. Ymddangosai’r cyfan yn rhy wael i’w hadfer ond ar ddiwedd Mai 2005 gwelwyd to newydd yn cael ei osod a draeniau newydd ac unwaith yn rhagor mae’r ty yn dechrau cyfnod newydd yn ei fywyd. Mae yna hefyd arfdy a thy gwenyn ar y tir. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/werndriw-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17576985665a8bec9b13c24.jpgWERNDRIW, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on WERNDRIW, Ceredigion 2016 Superb house with outbuildings, not derelict, small Quaker burial ground at rear. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3626473.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19849179164abf475290c8d.jpgGWDIG / GOODIG, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on GWDIG / GOODIG, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire 2009 Once again an early 4am start, leaving my house at Cwmystwyth and driving south through Lampeter and beyond Carmarthen towards Llanelli. I had driven by Gwdig a few times before. It stands solemn but in a great location, high on a hillside overlooking Burry Port and the Burry Estuary. Even from below on the main road to Llanelli it is apparent the house is both large and derelict. The hand painted word ‘HOTEL’ stands loudly on its decrepit walls. It is uncertain when built but a date stone was found on a front wall dated 1701 (although this is thought to be when it was restored or re-built – a house stood at this location before then). See http://www.llanelli-history.co.uk/houses_goodig.htm for further information. Up close the house is in a very sad state of disrepair. The upper floors have all collapsed with the staircase a chaotic mess of wood. Some wooden panelling on the walls can be seen, oddly appearing in good order in amongst the mess and disarray within. There are also wooden shutters on the window frames and some panes in tact though mostly broken. It was still relatively dark when I set the camera up and the first few exposures were taken before sunrise. Long exposures of around 16 minutes were used and these give the images a stillness that equals to the calmness of this fine Indian summer morning. As the light began to creep across the house and the darkness faded, the shadows began to be less deep, the birds began their daily chorus and one could not help but be moved by the sorrowful pile that this house had become. Originally a farm, then enlarged to four storeys and considered a ‘Plas’. It was used as a hotel but burnt down in the 1980’s and has remained derelict ever since. There is the usual collection of disused farm machinery lying redundant and rusting and appears untouched by the vandal. Outbuildings are all ruined with empty caravans, cars and an empty lodge(?) near to the main house with similar false beams. It is currently unlisted but was once a fine looking house but since little is known or cared about I can only imagine that Gwdig will eventually be demolished or will just collapse on its own accord in the passing years. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19570165214abf498f99882.jpg[/img] GWDIG, Carmarthenshire 2009 GWDIG / GOODIG. Porth Tywyn, Sir Gaerfyrddin 2009 Saif Gwdig yn ddwys ddifrif mewn ileoliad gwych, fry ar ben bryn uwchben Porth Tywyn ac aber Afon Llwchwr. Hyd yn oed o'r ffordd fawr i Lanelli mae'n amlwg bod y ty'n fawr ac yn anghyfannedd. Mae'r gair 'HOTEL' wedi ei beintio a Haw mewn llythrennau mawr ar ei waliau adfeiliedig. Ni wyddys pryd y cafodd ei godi ond darganfuwyd carreg ar un o'r waliau a'r dyddiad 1701 ami (er y credir mai'r dyddiad y cafodd ei adfer neu'i ailgodi yw hwn - arferai ty sefyll yn y safle hwn cyn hynny). Yn agos mae'n amlwg bod y ty mewn cyflwr truenus. Mae'r lloriau uchaf wedi mynd a'u pen iddynt ac mae'r grisiau'n llanast anniben o bren. Mae rhai o'r panelau pren i'w gweld ar y waliau o hyd, ac yn rhyfedd ddigon maent mewn cyflwr da yng nghanol y llanast a'r anhrefn sydd y tu mewn i'r ty. Mae caeadau pren ar y ffenestri, y rhan fwyaf ohonynt wedi torri. Llosgwyd y ty'n ulw yn y 1980au ac mae wedi bod yn wag ers hynny. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6882484.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9993225794caae0fa0dddf.jpgNotes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 A remarkable visit. In most instances the mansions I visit are in such a poor state of disrepair that the very layout of the rooms and décor are impossible to determine. Not so at Court. I know not when Court became derelict but it has not fallen into disrepair like so many others, in the 1950’s. Court has not suffered the 60 years of pilfering, or the yearly cycles of the battling elements forcing themselves behind plasterwork, between brick and mortar. The decay here hasn’t quite reached a point where total dereliction would force demolition. It is however true that the roof above the main staircase has begun to let in the rain at an alarming rate. Huge holes have appeared in the ceiling, with large saplings growing and long strands of ivy falling down. This damp area of the house continues all the way down to the basement. It cuts like a knife through a cake. Other rooms, most other rooms, although bare and with some damp, appear to be in a good dry condition. Unfortunately some of the plasterwork has begun to crumble, none as worse as the plaster frieze in the hallway just at the foot of the main staircase and therefore near the dampest areas of the house. The driveway up to the house is no longer in use other than agricultural, and glimpses of the house can be snatched. Court’s rendered façade is peeling and crumbling giving the house a sorrier look of disrepair than perhaps it deserves. Its an imposing house and its wooden portico has all but rotted and collapsed. Inside the house is spacious and although it does not have a large number of rooms, they are all a decent size with the kitchen at the hub of the house. There are the usual signs of dereliction within; old furniture, hearths full of bird nests, rusty kettles and boxes and baskets of knickknacks and ornaments, an empty but dust lined enamelled bath. Also on the site is a walled garden and many outbuildings, mostly renovated although an impressive slate clad barn remains in a derelict state. Photographing Court was a very pleasant experience. Some of the interior images required, since I never use flash photography for the black and white images, exposure times of 16 minutes whilst some of the exterior shots, due to the dimness of the morning also requiring exposure times of between 1 – 8 minutes causing some blurriness of foliage that blew in the wind. A farm stood at this site long before the mansion was built in 1800. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12955614.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18418231134e7f4241d94ef.jpgALLTGOCHMYNYDD, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ALLTGOCHMYNYDD, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 It never ceases to amaze me that Ceredigion, traditionally one of the poorest of counties, has such numerous ruins in such beautiful locations. Properties that tumble yet stubbornly cling on to these steep soggy banks and hillsides. Alltgochmynydd had obviously, relatively recently (five years ago?), found owners who had intended to make this stunning little property as a home. It would appear that they failed. The rear door hangs off its hinges and entry was made easy into the dark interior. Within large slab floor are a few possessions; a small kitchen unit, a few kitchen utensils, a broken chest of drawers, a few bottles, rusting knives, dusty forks. The downstairs is now one open space, the dividing walls all gone and a make-shift staircase leading upstairs. And upstairs a wardrobe on its side and a number of beds, a child’s mattress – all dark, dimly lit, eerie and sad. The floor boards bend under my weight. The floorboards covered in dust, bits of stone and mortar, litter from a neglected building. Two roof skylights allow a small amount of light to trickle in. Outside mid September and the rain falls in a sheet of a million sticks. I set up my camera and focus upon the child’s bed and mattress trailing on the floor. The meter reads F22 at 8 minutes. I know from experience that I will need a much longer exposure in such a dimly lit building. An exposure of 60 minutes is used. I focus the camera by pointing a torch onto the corner of the bed so I can actually see something through the dimness of the ground glass of the camera. I begin the exposure, set my stopwatch and settle within my new home for the next hour. I wander around, squat down, stand up. I look inside the kitchen cupboards, food, gravy granules, cooking oil in jars covered in mould. I look up the chimney, on the mantel piece. All this is done by torch light. I know not what I am looking for. I know not what I expect to find. More kitchen utensils, rusty and dusty. Lots of broken things, bottles, oil lamps, door knobs, under the back door frame lots of screwed up magazine pages blocking up draughts. One piece of newspaper has the date 1973. I do not think this is the last year that someone lived in this house. It has more recent secrets. But how to estimate a date of its last occupants? It is impossible to tell. Outside the rain has ceased. I step out and explore. Crab apples hang heavy on trees around the rear of the property. A stream, small but running fast, bubbles up from under the long grass. It has been a wet September. I walk, gain views and read over my map and plan my next jaunts. The rain begins to come again. A few warning drops and then the deluge. I re-enter Alltgochmynydd and sit down on the cold floor and let the time pass. I wonder if the exposure will be successful. I wonder if it is worth it. I wonder what tiny fraction of ruins throughout Wales I have actually visited. An hour passes. I am glad to leave. I close all the doors more secure than how I found them. Perhaps this house would make a suitable Bothy. If not, then surely it will just fall, year by year, until just a pile of stone. Alltgochmynydd is Grade 2 Listed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551467.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12180792324f8301606cd0d.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 I have walked passed this small cottage many times over the last twenty years. Today I decided I should photograph. The window frames remain and it stands high overlookingthe lower end of the Hafod estate. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/copa-hill-cwmystwyth-lead-mines https://images.on-this.website/7784_17206109744be5245dcf3ac.jpgCOPA HILL, Cwmystwyth Lead Mines 1993 Notes on COPA HILL, Cwmystwyth Lead Mines, Ceredigion 1993 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. RYN COPA. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4051693.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6465593774b1248f8aac40.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2009 A return to Tegfynydd at the end of March on a sunny afternoon. After thirteen years little had changed. The house and its grounds hold a romantic and tranquil atmosphere. Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s Lost Houses of Wales, it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10371379734b46df846c2dd.jpg[/img] Tegfynydd 2009 TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/peeling-paint-brighton-east-sussex https://images.on-this.website/7784_18024577924d0851ac713d2.jpgPEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2010 Notes on PEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2010 Peeling paint on a garage door that has all but concealed lettering of a long ago business. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2125072.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14014676844986d6e561b7a.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2005 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2005 I was unsure what to expect as I drove through the new housing estate and up to the wooded area where Llangennech House stands. I had seen an old photograph of the large castellated house and in my research had read that some of the house remained, but I was still unsure if I would find anything at all. After a short search I stood at the tip of an approaching housing development. I saw workmen to my left building part of the new estate and almost presumed that the house I sought would have been demolished many years previous. I was thankfully wrong. The house stood partially hidden by overhanging trees. The ruins were enormous and eerie with extensive outbuildings littered with dead caravans, one though uninhabited had a radio playing, probably 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There were also wreckages of fire engines, boats and other farm machinery. All in ruin, and no doubt, will eventually be swallowed up by the fast approaching urban tide. The house, like so many of the properties I’d visited, felt out of place in it’s new urban setting. Neglected and ignored for many years it was hard to imagine that soon, if it remained, it would be known as the old haunted house up the hill, the one where neighbourhood kids would at first be afraid to enter, but when they did compose themselves, would perhaps become kindly acquainted with and would remember fondly for the rest of their lives. Llangennech Park House was previously owned by the Earl of Warwick, circa 19th century, when it was enlarged, only modestly, to the size it is today. During the Second World War it was taken over by the government and thereafter abandoned. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7191112714b424231b66c2.jpg[/img] Llangennech ParkHouse 2005 The link below will lead you to an external site and show recent images of Llangennech Park House... http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=13845 TY PARC LLANGENNECH. Llanqennech, Sir Gaerfvrddiri 2005 Doeddwn i ddim yn siwr beth i'w ddisgwyl wrth imi yrru drwy'r stad dai newydd i fyny at yr ardal goediog lie saif Ty Llangennech. Yr oeddwn i wedi gweld hen ffotograff o'r ty castellog mawr ac yn ol yr ymchwil a wneuthum yr oedd rhywfaint o'r ty'n dal i sefyll, ond nid oeddwn yn sicr a fyddai dim ar ol i'w weld o gwbl. Ar ol chwilio am ennyd fer safwn ar gyrion datblygiad tai. Gwelwn weithwyr ar y chwith imi wrthi'n codi rhan o'r stad newydd a bron na allwn daeru bod y ty wedi ei ddymchwel flynyddoedd yn ol. Diolch byth nad felly y bu. Roedd y ty wedi ei guddio gan goed a oedd yn gorhongian. Roedd yr adfeilion yn anferth ac iddynt naws annaearol a thai allan helaeth. Codwyd Ty Llangennech ym 1805 ac arferai fod yn eiddo i larll Warwick, ac ef a estynnodd y ty i'w faint presennol. Yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd meddiannodd y llywodraeth y ty ac mae wedi bod yn wag ers hynny. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/annealing-house-swansea-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17810134795c21d52911135.jpgANNEALING HOUSE, Swansea 2018 Notes on ANNEALING HOUSE, SWANSEA 2018 An impromptu visit on a very wet morning before work. Access to the building is just down a small bank alongside a footpath beside the Tawe. The buildings is just a shell, within trees and a maze of scaffolding. A few exposures made, nobody walked along the footpath, the rain putting off even the dog walkers. A quick half an hour attempting to walk through the bramble and overgrowth. The rear impossible to view. Taken from Swansea Council website: Annealing house at former Beaufort tin plate works established 1859 – 60 by John Jones Jenkins. The site was that of the Lower Forest copper mills founded in the C18 and possibly already converted to tin plate in 1836. Jenkins sold the works in 1877. The present building dated 1874 was added to the upper end of the original rolling mill of c1735, since demolished and is now the sole surviving building of the tin plate industry in Swansea. The building was extensively restored and rebuilt in 1980’s with a reconstructed water wheel brought from a model farm owned by the colliery operator, John Jones of Brynamman. The works closed in the 1940’s. The building was in derelict state at the time of resurvey (October 2003) having been damaged by fire. Exterior:- Former annealing building, oblong with stone rubble walls and slate roof, only some of the latter remaining. North gable end has six blocked yellow brick semi-circular vents above and two smaller similar vents below each side of tall central semi-circular arch with segmental headed opening and cast copper slag keystone dated 1874. Doorway under brick arch on left side and round headed window under brick arch on right side. In east wall, a series of small semi-circular brick vents below each eaves above 3 blocked wide semi-circular headed arches. In west wall, a wide round headed central window with four bays to each side to right hand with four blocked semi-circular vents above a doorway and then three windows and to left hand with three of the former lunettes made into tall round headed windows. South gable end of red brick with small C20 window to left and large blocked doorway to the right. Interior:- Not available for inspection. Roof in poor condition. Said to have had wooden king post trusses internally. Newman says ‘the tinning bays of the W block have been rebuilt in replica form. Listed:- Included for its special historic interest as the last surviving building from the Swansea tinplate industry. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5834423.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21392334c5e4ee2efaed.jpgLANDSHIPPING HOUSE, Martletwy, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on LANDSHIPPING HOUSE, Martletwy, Pembrokeshire 2010 Reached by walking along the muddy quay, Landshipping House is superbly situated over looking the start of the Cleddau Estuary, incidentally just a few miles down stream from the Systerne / Sisters House. The house has been a shell for decades with one of the front bays slowly crumbling away. The current owners have had a long battle with the Pembrokeshire National Park Authority who are unwilling to buckle their overall ban on new builds in the National Park – surely each case should be judged overall on its merits and leniency used where appropriate – Landshipping House and its outbuildings would doubtlessly add to the character of this part of beautiful Pembrokeshire. A short row of service quarters at the rear show evidence that these were once stables (a curved brick arch has been filled in). A pig snored in its pen during my visit. The sky began to brighten with an intense orange luminosity as the morning hue revealed tiny spider webs across the lawns in front of the house. The birds had finished their morning chorus and had begun their daily chores. This mansion, on this morning, had an explicit air of positive assurance that soon it would regain its full height and its four walls and once again become a family home. ‘Old Landshipping’ was built in the 1670’s but was dismantled and the stone used to build ‘New Landshipping’ in the late 18th century a few hundred yards down the estuary in a more prominent place where it could be overlooked by visitors to Picton Castle and Slebech Park. ‘New Landshipping’ was also has castellated in response to Picton. Landshipping or has it is also known as 'Big House' (Ty Mawr) has now been restored with the left facing bay and entrance near to full restored. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41249157.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10854648385f00b33d96be0.jpgCORS-TONCIN, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on CORS-TONCIN, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Nice little cottage on the footpath towards Coed Cyw Uchaf (see the next house) and well positioned but unfortunately much ruinous. A small outbuilding opposite, with a broken electric cycling machine, barn ruinous too and although only a few images taken, viewpoints were slim, and I was on my way a few minutes later. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8010718.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20057793844d0851b4cb939.jpgPEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2010 Notes on PEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2010 Peeling paint on a garage door that has all but concealed lettering of a long ago business. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wooden-board-aberystwyth-ceredigion-2003 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4156488434d0851384a305.jpgWOODEN BOARD, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on WOODEN BOARD, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2003 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/draenllwyn-du-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10492283415a8bec78c1452.jpgDRAENLLWYN-DU, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on DRAENLLWYN-DU, CEREDIGION 2015 House in some disrepair but not derelict. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22379932.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10766000815411ed0dcebdb.jpgNANT RHYS BOTHY, Radnorshire 2001 Notes on NANT RHYS BOTHY, Radnorshire 2001 Not strictly a ruin but a well-equipped bothy and I believe well-used these days. Taken on 35mm camera. Photograph not for sale. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40479131.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6877955605dd7934de6f9e.jpgLLECT-ART FAWR, Mynydd Gellionnen, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on LLECT-ART FAWR, Mynydd Gellionnen, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I parked at the remote Gellionnen Chapel and walked down the single lane track towards the footpath that leads to the ruined farmstead. I took a shorter route through some undergrowth and over a fence. There was a footpath of sorts and it suited me. I reached the house quickly, no closed gateway, an open farmyard with the house standing opposite an old tractor and large metal barn. The drizzle fell but the sun was also out behind the clouds and somewhere there would be a rainbow. A group of cows watched from a metal barn shed, the mud underfoot was deep in places where the cows had trodden and to a point where I almost lost my wellingtons - thank goodness I wore them! The house is large, much ruined and because I was battling with the mud I forgot to look inside the bare walls. A large chimney, not uncommon in Wales stood one gable end, roof long gone, windows and doors long gone, only the bare bones. Other outbuildings stand also ruinous and other than the cows and farm workers it felt very few people walked this footpath. A few obvious viewpoints came, I had to keep lifting my feet so they didn't sink too deep. The camera and lens found their viewpoints easy and I suppose that is a blessing taking images of buildings; there’s only so many viewpoints, the skill-set involved is somewhat limiting and without doing myself an injustice, anyone could take these images. As a collection however, that is where they gain their strength. These thoughts were written down once I returned to the car. I’ve lessened the weight of my camera bag recently; a lighter camera, mostly carry just one lens, only carry 6 – 8 darkslides and a lighter light meter. All this and still my two mile walk gave me a sweaty back! Blame the backpack. Always carry a spare t-shirt and spare pair of shoes. The smell in the air was of cow muck, not un-pleasant by any means and the smell came home with me. A nice reminder of where I come from and how much I miss the countryside. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41253151.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20072254535f043b0944b7c.jpgTY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Notes on TY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Roadside location but forgotten and slowly crumbling. Ty'r Bryn is almost completely hidden by trees and the rear almost impenetrable. I spent just a few minutes here, took a few unsatisfactory images but before leaving I thought I should check out the large corrugated barns beside the house. They were in a poor state but there was a sense i should record them within as abstractions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40586137.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6857404285de8dd6fa95c9.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mines-at-cwmtwrch-brecknockshire-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16547927395a6f667ac90c8.jpgMINES AT CWMTWRCH, Brecknockshire 2018 Notes on MINES AT CWMTWRCH, Brecknockshire 2018 Large lime kilns, ruinous but in good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gwynfryn-plas-llanystumdwy-caernarvonshire-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8390376284abf000b5281a.jpgGWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on GWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 I left the house at 4am and spent two and half hours driving in the dark miserable drizzle up to the village of Llanystumdwy. The only other traffic were articulates passing goods around the country. I parked the car and walked past a lodge house and up the winding path across open parkland passed large oaks and up to the imposing ruins of Gwynfryn Plas. The rain had stopped and a warm sun peered through the clouds just north of Snowdon skimming Gwynfryn’s façade with a warm and welcoming hue. The house is positioned beautifully on the Lleyn Peninsula overlooking Snowdonia and Cardigan Bay. Looking up at the house it became quickly apparent that the larger tower is nearing the precipice of collapse. A stone window lintel on the first floor has buckled and cracked with a bulging mass of stone above it looking ready to burst out onto the ground below and no doubt bringing with it much of the tower above. The tower, as much of the house, is built with brick but with a stone outer and was built by Hugh John Ellis Nanney and completed in 1876 (with a date stone on the tower). It remained a family home until 1928 (a mere 52 years) and then became a retirement home for the clergy, a hospital and then a hotel (a mixed, yet not uncommon, history). It burnt down during the 1980’s and has remained that way since (except for a brief period when a squatter took it upon himself to begin a restoration, a seemingly ambitious but futile attempt before eviction). Wandering through the rear rooms and service quarters there’s much evidence of the house as a hotel. Slot machines fill an outbuilding, a room full of children’s books and toys fill another, a room with light fittings and chandeliers, maintenance rooms with metal boxes filled with nuts, bolts and other hardware, rusting and messy, in disarray and disorder. Evidence of the ambitious and, quite frankly, brave squatter - a sole inhibitor - an easy chair and radio. A lot of machinery dotted around the rear of the building; heavy duty bench saws and drill presses, all rusting outside and destined for landfill one day. Many rooms are filled with building material, roof beams, an endless list of supplies and spares, either salvaged or bought for restoration, all redundant and wasted. All this is open to the elements and decaying in the damp. Cars litter the grounds barely visible in the summer foliage, other farming and foresting equipment laying redundant, damp, mouldy, lichen covered with weeds growing in and around wheels and engines. Overall Gwynfryn is a very depressing sight. The entrance is at the side, a lavish decorative stone lattice porch and it was in this doorway that the better exposures were made. A view opened up into the house revealing fallen beans, passageways and into the main hall and onto a large fireplace. I can not say I particularly enjoyed my visit to Gwynfryn. The drive up there was long and slow and under horrid weather conditions. The house so beautifully positioned yet is so miserable and carelessly abandoned that you feel anger towards the waste. I hail the brave squatter and salute his resolve but this house needs more than care put into it. It needs a hefty wallet and a generous and willing loving restorer. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6661346684b3f86bb5d0a1.jpg[/img] Plas Gwynfryn 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pistyll-north-abergorlech-carmarthenshire-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8482039195f2ffa5adb091.jpgPISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Along a footpath/track and you soon come to the farmstead, large and spread out of Pistyll North. The house itself looks long ruinous, two mature tree trunks cut within the walls evidence the house has long been empty and ruinous. A new metal roof protects the solid walls. A large fireplace inside the extended section was in very poor condition – the extended section a somewhat odd looking intrusion of the main structure of the house, most likely a later addition(?). There were sheep inside when I visited, they left, I entered, I expected the floor to be foot deep in droppings and smelly but it was not, it was dry and a comfort from the rain outside. I wondered why the name of the house was half Welsh/half English. At home I searched on older maps and it seems the house has been called by the same spelling for at least a hundred years. A long stone barn, partially collapsed at the front, stands facing the house at a slight angle. Other barns and outbuildings are scattered around. There’s a lot to see and because of the position of the buildings in relation with other buildings viewpoints/compositions are found easily. The site is for sale currently and it is truly exceptional. It needs a little insight but the general aura of the place is one of positively. My visit was short, forty five minutes or so… exposures were quite long inside the house at around 6 minutes. There was a constant drizzle even if the forecast had been dry. There was no sound of traffic. No sound of farm machinery or even a dog barking somewhere someplace of. Even the birds seemed a little shy of the drizzle and judging by the birds in my garden, town birds aren’t much bothered by the rain and I doubt countryside ones aren’t either. The sheep however were bleating. They had seen me, followed me with their eyes as I walked along the track, and knew most likely and instantly that they did not know me. Yet still they bleated, neither in distress or in hope of food. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36464706.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2437711155bb0ca1ba746e.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2080928.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3375283704972c9611d163.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s Lost Houses of Wales, it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. When I visited it had reached the peak of dereliction. The roof long gone, the cellars caved in, only the shell remained and although still magnificent, the house in its entirety is a true gothic-horror-three-story mansion. The wind blew the patchy cloud cover over the house and revealed an unpredictable view – one minute soft and graceful, the next dark and foreboding. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36756940.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2489772175bd2162d47015.jpgPEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 Notes on PEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 A short damp walk and quickly whilst exploring it becomes apparent this farm was the victim of a fire. Inside is much ruinous and blackened. Outside a few possession scattered. A long barn with arrow-slot vents hint at an older property than what I first imagined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-at-troserch-mill-llangennech https://images.on-this.website/7784_4262955515cf119b8ea783.jpgABSTRACTION at TROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on ABSTRACTION at TROSERCH MILL, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2019 Inside the mill, a plain rubble and concrete wall, otherwise uninteresting but with the sun skimming the surface bringing out texture, shade and ultimately some beauty. This was the better of image of two (and the last sheet of film I had with me) and follows with a common theme of adding a heavy black mass to the image (in this case the shade of a rock) and the apparent nothingness of this black mass becoming an object in itself. It no longer is an image of a wall but in fact a deep dark hole. I had not expected much to be seen here but was pleasantly surprised. Visited on a quiet Friday afternoon with only the sound of the river, insects and birds to be heard. There were no internal details or machinery left inside but enough to have a sense of a working place. The foliage had yet to properly take hold of the site (or had been cut back relatively recently) and exposures could still be made. A stone trough stood against the bank, apparently to collect water seeping/dripping from the rock. The building on the path was possibly the mill-house, adjoined at a right angle to the mill. The mill had been roofed until quite recently with corrugated iron but after it fell in removed from the site. Evidence of drying kiln to side of mill – with three flue-type structures – I only saw two but the CADW report mentions three – I should have looked a little more carefully. A warm and pleasant afternoon without seeing another soul. Troserch wood is a pleasant place to wander around, there’s pathways leading all around and other areas worth visiting. There’s a few mine workings, fenced off these days, and modern wooden structures throughout the woods – although the large grass-roofed covered structure was about to be take down due to it being unsafe. Another ruin, ivy covered, just a field away, was seen but not visited. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bwlchystyllen-bont-goch-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_183894892057415b3cf263c.jpgBWLCHYSTYLLEN, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BWLCHYSTYLLEN, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2016 Revisit, little changed whereas neighbouring Esgair Ffosfudr has been completely demolished and cleared. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/y-siarpal-llanthony-monmouthshire-2005 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4640327174979614fb65be.jpgY SIARPAL, Llanthony, Monmouthshire 2005 Notes on Y SIARPAL, Llanthony, Monmouthshire 2005 I perhaps most identified with Y Siarpal/The Sharple more so than with any other building. Perhaps the inspiring landscape from Abergavenny through the vale of Ewyas up to Llanthony Priory influences this thought, but I do not necessarily know what it is about Y Siarpal that appealed. A short walk up to the hills overlooking the Priory revealed, amidst the lightly wooded hills, the sparse walls of a former, supposedly uncompleted, mansion house. Work began on the house 1808 by Walter Savage Landor, but it was an ill-fated project by the poet and author, who had grandiose ambitions of renovating the ruins of the Priory. He beat the prospective vandals at their game by removing some of the walls, stone by stone, numbering them one by one, but never managed to rebuild all he took down. His house too, Y Siarpal, was never properly finished nor lived in, indeed he said of it ‘never was anything half so ugly’. Neither was he a fan of the Welsh yet of all his complaints it was his English tenants who used the stone carvings he collected from around the world to build roads. There is evidence Landor did live in his house but if so it could not have been for long for records show it was dismantled and in 1813 the unhappy Landor left the valley never to return. A constant drizzle and a herd of curious cows accompanied me during my visit. I was expecting very little to remain of the house and had also wondered if indeed I would find any trace. I was in for a happy, albeit modest, surprise. The small collection of walls, corners, chimneys and a square block service wing with ground floor cellars all stood, as many a stone ruins do: content in their unoccupied manner. And it is perhaps this that offers the answer to my strange allure. Y Siarpal reminded me of the many ruined cottages and shepherd dwellings I have visited around my home near Cwmstwyth. Once someone lived there, in colour(!), as we do now. And to an outsider, as I am, nothing remains of that life but a small pile of stone – now almost finished serving its unnatural life as a stone in a wall to be returned to the ground from where it came. Y Siarpal 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1228576604b46ebbe42a20.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12551565144b46ebc768086.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15541192494b46ebb26e7eb.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/aberarth-woolen-mill-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1714637984554cc5883df01.jpgABERARTH WOOLEN MILL, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on ABERARTH WOOLEN MILL, Ceredigion 2015 The mill long unused but white-washed and in a good condition... more info and images to follow shortly... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13460857.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21412566324eb63fdb69ae4.jpgWALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 Notes on WALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 A number of images here were taken at the majestic and ruined cement works between Shoreham and Upper Beeding, West Sussex. I passed these buildings every day for a year in 2007 when I worked at Small Dole. I have made a number of exposures of the buildings themselves but found far more rewarding the weathered and graffiti walls inside. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23670434.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3135888854fc1cb47f636.jpgCUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 A revisit and I came to photograph one particular wall but unfortunately the whole wall had collapsed into a pile of wooden panels and beams - my beloved wall gone forever. All damp and forlorn even on this bright spring morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475601.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3621758764b8bc6cb0f402.jpgCOPA HILL, Cwmystwyth Lead Mines 1993 Notes on COPA HILL, Cwmystwyth Lead Mines, Ceredigion 1993 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. BRYN COPA. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/058 https://images.on-this.website/7784_36807913953b4458026623.jpgABSTRACTION, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Above the village of Alltwalis are the wind turbines and besides one of these is a metal storage container. This abstraction shows the rusting façade, red and orange and crumbling away. The first few prints of this produced nothing of much interest but then I increased the contrast and the image came alive. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24526069.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_198274205855767e92a5dd6.jpgTY-UNNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TY-UNNOS #3, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 A return to the area and I made an exposure of each property unless so little remained that it was not worthwhile. Hard to imagine that this was once a busy little community. I imagine all the houses were thatched, though all are stone with a few brick chimneys here and there. Only two of the properties were of two storey, the largest of which also had a separate cottage/barn at a right angle behind, no inter-connecting door but interesting nonetheless. The rain lashed down when I reached there and I took shelter for a good ten minutes wondering if, indeed, the rain would stop. It slowed, so I went out, making a few exposures but the horizontal rain was covering my lens with a fine mist. Some of the pictures have been effected and therefore not printed. The rain did at last stop, the sun came out, my fingers were by this time red and raw but the sun soon thawed me and dried my equipment. By the time I returned to my car I was too dry and warm. Previous notes TAI-UNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not know the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2 etc… https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25474735.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14219889855eda45065918.jpgTREWERN FACH, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TREWERN FACH, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Surrounded by trees in the middle of a field, Trewern Fach is easily missed. As seen here, roofless and without much architectural detail remaining, it still retains its two storeys. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bronwydd-llangynllo-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16202480934e5b3ca6494ee.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 Another visit and further height lost from these once spectacular walls. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40708409.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15185212225e13841535145.jpgPOPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Notes on POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Recently put on the market with planning for housing on the grounds, one feels the urbanization around the property is already intrusive but if it helps to keep this lovely building from further deterioration then housing is the lesser of two evils. The property is reached by a gated entrance on the edge of the village Pontlliw. There is no need to open the gate as access can be found simply by walking beside the gatepost. There's a small bricked ruined lodge to the right, small and roofless but the structure itself seems sound. I parked the car here and walked along the meandering driveway. I could hear some kid kicking a ball against a garage door in one of the backyards of the houses built alongside the road and parallel to the driveway. I immediately noticed a CCTV camera on a pole and a small light suddenly coming on as I passed. I did not mind. I was after all trespassing but also knew I had no intention of causing any damage or entering the property. I also knew the house to be in a good structural condition, empty rather than derelict but definitely in need of some re-consolidation, the white wooden veranda is in a very poor state and some of it missing. I wondered since I'd triggered the CCTV if someone would appear asking me to leave. No-one came. A few images were taken, just general views, any foliage around the property had been cleared and due to the good condition of the house I wondered if it even needed to be documented. But why by-pass such an opportunity? This had been an impromptu visit, I had just returned from a walk to visit a number of ruins but discovered a public footpath had been (illegally?) closed with a high barb-wired fence and warnings of loose dogs and about 6 or 7 sheep skulls tied to the gate. I could have found a way to enter but decided that the ruins I was intending to visit were probably not worth a dog bite and goodness knows what else... so I walked back the way I had come, to the car, a mile or so with a heavy backpack. Driving back I remembered this house, 'Poplar's' I'd seen for sale on Zoopla and had passed the entrance early on. Although it was Saturday morning, bright daylight, I was determined not to waste my morning and parked at the entrance in full view. I am pleased I did. My visit, brief, perhaps half an hour saw me shoot around 10 sheets of film, nothing spectacular but perfunctionary. As is often the case. The house is large and long. The stables are also ruined, and stand half way along the driveway. These I did enter and are in good condition and could continue to be used as stables if desired. I am uncertain if the stables are grade 2 listed (as the house is) so could be possibly demolished. There are images on the web which show the house inside - it looks shabby and needs a lot of decorating and modernizing but I'm sure someone will turn this into a wonderful home once again. I believe planning consent consists of turning the house into dual occupancy. I expect this time next year the whole complex will be mostly finished, polished and Poplar's will experience another chapter in it's life. The following has been taken from British Listed Buildings website and gives a detailed description of the house: Constructed c1890 by a local industrialist Friedrich William Dahne and originally called Friedrichsruh. Dahne is believed to be Austrian. He is recorded as advertising for a ‘Working Housekeeper’ in October 1899 and the house and grounds are first shown on the 2nd ed OS map of 1900. It is referred to as an ‘Attractive modern country mansion’ on its sale in 1913, by which point F Dahne had presumably died as the house was occupied ( October 1914) by Friedrich’s son David. By the mid C20 it had been renamed The Poplars. The design of The Poplars has been attributed to Glendinning Moxham (1865-1946) an architect active in South Wales and resident in Swansea. Moxham published Country Homes & Cottages in 1910 illustrated with his own designs of built and proposed houses. In it he outlines his stylistic preferences for white painted roughcast walls and half timbering rather than exposed local stone, and red tiles used for walls and roofs. Internally oak is used for principal joinery elements (stair, beams, doors and panelling) with the remainder painted. He also puts forward ideas on plan types, with practical plans with deep windows preferred over an attractive elevation. Moxham designed the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery (1909), banks, hospitals and markets and other buildings throughout Wales. Glen Hir on Gower Road (1900-1910) designed with a French influence of shutters and swept roofs has been attributed to Moxham. Moxham was responsible for the Old English style Bristol Channel Yacht Club (1904) on Mumble s Road. Swiss or Alpine styles had been used in the Swansea area during the C19 with the Swiss Cottage in Singleton Park constructed in 1826 and the Old Rectory in Llanmadoc village (1876-77) by the Rev J D Davies. Detached house in Alpine Chalet style. Red brick with stone dressings, plinth and ground floor cill band. Decorative timberwork painted white. Slate roofs, half hipped with lead rolled hips and deep projecting eaves and moulded rafter ends. Tall brick stacks, decorative ridge tiles and finials. Segmental headed 6-light casement windows, ground floor with 2 upper lights. Rectangular ‘C’ plan arranged N E-SW on a gently sloping site. Long 2 storey garden range facing SE, gabled 2 storey end wings at NE and SW ends linked by single storey block enclosing what may have once been an internal courtyard, closed off by an entrance screen wall). Tower in S corner with decorative finial and slating breaking through roof of 2 storey ranges. Entrance elevation to SW dominated by large full height projecting 2 tier timber veranda on brick plinth, wrapping round at first floor to left hand elevation. Gabled end of the garden wing breaking forward. Moulded posts with bracing, arched on the ground floor and shorter on the first floor with incised and scalloped detailing. Posts irregularly spaced to the left but grouped into 3 bays on the garden wing gable with wider central bay. First floor projects and is supported by corbels. Enclosing low close boarded panels to ground and first floor with pierced decoration with the same applied as gable boarding. Behind 3 windows to the garden wing, central retains stained glass with Alpine folklore scenes in central panels with text below and surrounded by floral designs. Doors in outer bays on the ground floors, 3 windows to the end wing, central bay French doors with leaded glass with oval stained glass cartouches of females. Tiled floor up steps on the ground floor, timber boarded on first floor. Elevation to NW with gable ends of 2 end wings with shallow timber verandah as before but close to façade and more decorative than functional. 2 window to NE end wing, SW end wing with 5 windows to ground floor and 4 to first floor, irregularly spaced. Single storey range in between with wide central door and flanking windows. NE elevation, single window to return of end wing, blind door to ground floor. Projecting lean-to 2 store block on garden range, window in right return, door in left return, blocked door and low opening in main face. Garden elevation of 5 paired window bays (10 windows), projecting stacks in between the 2nd and 3rd pair (reduced) and 4th and 5th. First floor cill band and projecting cills to ground floor windows. Left hand windows to ground floor blind with small lean-to structure to right. Modern entrance porch added in 4th bay with boarded door. Interior retains original layout substantially intact with doors, skirtings etc surviving. Main entrance from SW front retains large entrance hall with single flight oak stairs with moulded newell, balusters and handrail. Raised and fielded 4-panel doors with veneered panels, door surrounds. Full height panelling, fireplace on left hand wall removed and tiled over. Tiled floor. Below stairs cupboard. Listed for its special architectural interest as a late C19 house of exceptional style and quality, retaining its original character and designed (probably) by a prominent Swansea architect. A good physical reflection of the movement of successful industrialists into this part of Swansea, with its design and touches of detail reflecting the background of its original owner. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2120043.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1905344607498535e2de048.jpgBUTTERHILL, St Ishmael's, Pembrokeshire 2005 Notes on BUTTERHILL, St Ishmael's, Pembrokeshire 2005 Built and accommodated by the Roche family from 1607 – 1906, it has been continually enlarged throughout its life. It has three storey’s at the front and a massive, imposing extra storey at the rear. A short walk from the lodge west of the house opens out to Butterhill and its substantial outbuildings. All seemed too ruinous for restoration but in late May 2005 it appeared a new roof had been laid and new draining placed and once again the house has begun a new chapter in its life. Unbeknown to me at the time of my visit there is also a fine and small Shell Grotto in the grounds with a small dome roof. It is said to be in a perilous state. I was also told and/or read somewhere that there was a dolls house based on Butterhill. Does this still remain? [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17333754994b73b25bcc569.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5334123824b73b27bcd2b3.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3885395764b73b29b1d441.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 BUTTERHILL St Ishmael’s. Sir Benfro 2005 Adeiladwyd gan deulu Roche a buont yn byw yno rhwng 1607 - 1906, a chafodd ei ehangu yn gyson drwy gydol ei oes. Mae ganddo dri llawr ar y blaen, a llawr ychwanegol sylweddol yn y cefn. Ychydig o’r lodj i’r gorllewin o’rty gwelir Butterhill a’i dai allan sylweddol. Ymddangosai’r cyfan yn rhy wael i’w hadfer ond ar ddiwedd Mai 2005 gwelwyd to newydd yn cael ei osod a draeniau newydd ac unwaith yn rhagor mae’r ty yn dechrau cyfnod newydd yn ei fywyd. Mae yna hefyd arfdy a thy gwenyn ar y tir. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34338290.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14468210075ab8f7ec63831.jpgGELLI GALED, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on GELLI GALED, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Six years since my last visit and the roof has fallen into the house. The outbuildings have all fared little better. It will not be long before the whole site is little more than a large pile of rocks. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafodlas-isaf-llangwyryfon-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_5528622794f82fd7c102c1.jpgH****** ****, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on H****** ****, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 I was told of this empty house a couple of years ago yet it does not have the 'feel' of a house that has stood empty for long. Peering through the windows one can see many artifacts of the previous owner... too numerous to mention, of little worth, and will one day end up in landfill. The house seems well-built, the outbuildings numerous. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4502670.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10486250284b927d043a75c.jpgDEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2008 Notes on DEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 This particular image was a challenge. The camera was only a few inches off the ground and I lay upon my coat on the frozen ground. The January morning was beautiful, cloudless and very cold. I had visited this root many times before, attempted to photograph it at a higher viewpoint, but had never quite managed the composition I had visualised. This time I more or less knew exactly what I sought and although I didn't want to photograph it in bright sunlight I was fortunate that the sun had not yet risen over this part of the hillside yet the sky behind was too bright to record on the film. Once printed in a low-key, low contrast manner my pre-visualised image was realised and all those previous trips to this root can now be deemed a necessarily and eventful progression. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14315857.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8349480904f5cab3b9540f.jpgTY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on TY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 This house, on the Neath Road, Tonna, was the victim of a fire some years back. It was built circa 1700's as a private residence (there’s an excellent photograph of it on the 'Royal Commssion on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales' website) and then latterly as a ladies seminary. Nature, perhaps as in God, saw fit to reduce and return this house, its grounds, back to the earth. Today, the façade has all but crumbled away. The red brick structure, built in the 1920’s, glowed in the afternoon, early spring, sunlight. This red brick section seemed well built and salvageable, what a shame it felt more of an industrial addition rather than an aesthetic one. The main house looks as if it has imploded. The cellars filled in with rubble, broken furniture, white goods. I think a potholer could have unrivalled access if a potholer did indeed fancy a different kind of danger, with a more human kind of view and the destructive force of nature. The outer walls, although remain high on three sides, have all but gone on the frontage. This façade stands only a few yards away from the road. And whilst walking along the road and following the stone wall that stands around it perimeter, one cannot but wonder why this house, so openly accessible, has not seen greater vandalism. Is it because it offers the vandal nothing new? Have all the rooms within been explored and trashed, tagged with graffiti and the windows smashed? Well, actually no, peering in through the ground stair windows it would appear relatively untouched. Is it too well known, to the locals, to bother to cast a bored eye upon? I do not know. It was new to me. I have known of this property for many a year but have chosen, although not exclusively, to photograph more rural properties. The empty houses in towns and cities (of Wales) is a whole new project. This one already feels like a lifelong endeavour. This house, on Neath Road, Tonna, has reached the end of its life. It does not seem worth salvaging. Restoration seems unlikely. It is beyond repair. It left me thinking that demolition then a complete re-build would be the preferred path to follow. That is, if I were a property developer, or builder, or architect (but perhaps a gradual restoration for the historian). In its prime this was an attractive, well-proportioned property. Although my visit was a short one, only a few short hours were spent searching for viewpoints and exposing a few sheets of film, it was still a worthwhile visit. Within the grounds, other smaller ruined buildings too, their former use indistinguishable but I presume once were stables and service quarters. All overgrown with mature hardwoods, a prominent monkey puzzle and rampant rhododendrons. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/geufron-nebo-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13381195654ec2a1924dc7.jpgGEUFRON, Nebo, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GEUFRON, Nebo, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage, remote, and outbuildings - long ruined but beautifully situated. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14315884.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7697509724f5cabafacb67.jpgTY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on TY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 This house, on the Neath Road, Tonna, was the victim of a fire some years back. It was built circa 1700's as a private residence (there’s an excellent photograph of it on the 'Royal Commssion on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales' website) and then latterly as a ladies seminary. Nature, perhaps as in God, saw fit to reduce and return this house, its grounds, back to the earth. Today, the façade has all but crumbled away. The red brick structure, built in the 1920’s, glowed in the afternoon, early spring, sunlight. This red brick section seemed well built and salvageable, what a shame it felt more of an industrial addition rather than an aesthetic one. The main house looks as if it has imploded. The cellars filled in with rubble, broken furniture, white goods. I think a potholer could have unrivalled access if a potholer did indeed fancy a different kind of danger, with a more human kind of view and the destructive force of nature. The outer walls, although remain high on three sides, have all but gone on the frontage. This façade stands only a few yards away from the road. And whilst walking along the road and following the stone wall that stands around it perimeter, one cannot but wonder why this house, so openly accessible, has not seen greater vandalism. Is it because it offers the vandal nothing new? Have all the rooms within been explored and trashed, tagged with graffiti and the windows smashed? Well, actually no, peering in through the ground stair windows it would appear relatively untouched. Is it too well known, to the locals, to bother to cast a bored eye upon? I do not know. It was new to me. I have known of this property for many a year but have chosen, although not exclusively, to photograph more rural properties. The empty houses in towns and cities (of Wales) is a whole new project. This one already feels like a lifelong endeavour. This house, on Neath Road, Tonna, has reached the end of its life. It does not seem worth salvaging. Restoration seems unlikely. It is beyond repair. It left me thinking that demolition then a complete re-build would be the preferred path to follow. That is, if I were a property developer, or builder, or architect (but perhaps a gradual restoration for the historian). In its prime this was an attractive, well-proportioned property. Although my visit was a short one, only a few short hours were spent searching for viewpoints and exposing a few sheets of film, it was still a worthwhile visit. Within the grounds, other smaller ruined buildings too, their former use indistinguishable but I presume once were stables and service quarters. All overgrown with mature hardwoods, a prominent monkey puzzle and rampant rhododendrons. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-house-alltwalis-carmarthenshire-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_186390155653b6f8dd1d57e.jpgCLYN GLAS, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on CLYN GLAS, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 With the wind turbines swishing behind, this lovely located property is long ruined. The walls were once surprisingly high with brick incorporated, commonly so, within the stonework. A small stream to the right and a few low outbuildings in front. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050575.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17510578974f250ad980851.jpgLLETHR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLETHR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 A walk through Forestry Commission land and the track underfoot with large puddles frozen solid. The sun had yet to rise and Llethr only becomes visible once you come upon it. Mature hardwoods obscure and almost completely hide this house. The house is not a ruin and is used as a shepherds’ shelter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26860991.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_135363396256e51e2b8b50a.jpgBLAEN-ESGAIR-ISAF, Tyn'celyn, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BLAEN-ESGAIR-ISAF, Tyn'celyn, Ceredigion 2016 A large house with many outbuildings, all empty and ruinous. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img402 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1225878965378e12abe9ba.jpgMAESTEG, Cribyn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on MAESTEG, Cribyn, Ceredigion 2014 Whilst driving to Maesteg I was half listening to the radio and thought I had heard the phrase ‘architects of infinity’ and for some reason this amused me and I said aloud to myself: ‘The Architects of Infinity have forgotten where they had started from’. Many Times to a Ruin: Off the main road and onto a b-class road and then after a few miles onto an unclassified road. This road wends a little while and is in fact a loop road of around 8 miles. Half way a long this road is an entrance and at the entrance an old rusting gate hanging off its hinges and held up with bailing twine. I climb over the gate and walk along the track. There is a line of electricity cables running in the field adjacent and heading in the same direction as the track. There is no cable running from pole to pole. I seek visible signs that no-one has been this way recently; tyre tracks in muddy puddles, footprints and even discarded foot packaging. The track becomes greener, thick grass grows straight and tall and soaks the trousers at the top of the wellingtons. According to the map the track should veer to the right and enter a small wooded area. This is where I am led to believe I will find my ruin. I have checked the Ordnance Survey maps, and saw an ubiquitous rectangle with another long thinner rectangle at a right angle beside it. I am thinking a house and barn. I have also checked GoogleEarth, for all the dislike I claim, I cannot help but wonder at its practicality in searching for ruins. However, in this instance GoogleEarth is of no use, I have peered long and hard at the computer screen and could draw no solid conclusion if the summer foliage of the trees simply disguise the two buildings or they have in actual fact been demolished years ago and the fact I can’t make them out on the computer screen is because they no longer exist. There is really only one way to find out. I plan my journey, make sure all my equipment is working as it should and head out. What joy when you’re in luck! To find a small workers cottage; squat, roof barely clinging on, a large crack one gable end and if fortune carries a little further; an open window, a quick look about and then a small scramble inside, sometimes feet first (my preferred entrance) but occasionally head first and never really knowing for sure what you’re hands might discover. Today feet first, the kitchen with a toilet basin sitting skew whiffed. A wander through the rooms, dead birds, bird shit, broken things. I’ve upset some dust because I cough almost constantly. I am far from any other house but I want to be quiet. A sheep bleats outside and then the horrid sound of a baby crow demanding food, lodged somewhere in the chimney, the gable end with the crack and large gap under the eaves. There’s a lot of daylight coming in into this room. The wall has collapsed and damp runs down the walls all the way through the floorboards (completely rotten) and into the bathroom downstairs. The peeling paint is delicious, it tickles my aesthetic fancy but kneeling down, closing one eye to compose and I see it’s not quite up to scratch (as it were). I resume the search of the rooms. A child’s room; baby wall paper of cartoon tigers and hippos but also a Michael Jackson poster and a car magazine called ‘Fast Fords’ (dated 1994). So this was when the last occupants lived here and they had a child, perhaps no longer a baby but someone whom liked Michael Jackson. Twenty years and the house is near dereliction. I think the last tenants found it cold and damp here. The house is in a lovely position but you can tell that today isn’t the first day for the air to be dusty and damp. These old Welsh houses have little insulation and even a tramp would struggle to find much comfort or warmth here. All the radiators have been ripped out or there had never been any in the first place. I think back to where I was in 1994. I first visited Aberglasney Mansion in 1994. That house is fully restored, this house has begun the quick decline. I find the skeleton remains of a large bird, probably a crow or a pigeon. It had probably found a way in but couldn’t quite work out how to get back out again. I am pleased I do not have this problem. I set the camera up, a slow process focussing in the dim light. It is a simple exposure, taken directly above the birds remains. The bones of the wings and feet are fully stretched out, like it had fallen from a great height and had tried to break its fall by spreading out. An eight minute exposure, time enough to contemplate, time enough to breath. I sit in squat position, knowing I’ll be stiff when I rise. The minutes pass slowly at first but soon reverie takes over and I start thinking back about my journey here and then back further to all ruins visited. I don’t know why I do it sometimes yet it is also addictive and satisfying. Eight minutes has passed and I think for a moment more. Is that it? Any more photographs worth capturing here? I think not. I remove the lens, put the caps back on, unfold the camera, put it carefully away. I zip the zips and push down on the Velcro fasteners. I lower the tripod and climb down the stairs, taking in each step, saying a final farewell to the house. I have been here for no more than forty five minutes but it feels much longer and like every other ruin I’ve ever visited, my visit here has been securely etched onto film and into my memory. The walk back to the car is less worrisome. I will meet no-one I can tell. I will walk along the grassy track and note that my feet had pushed down the long grass on my way here. Dew marks stretch before me. If someone, like myself, wishes to visit and photograph here today, they’d walk along this path and they’d know, by these visible signs that someone had walked along here very recently. Maybe they’d change their mind and turn back. I almost want to make a sign and to leave it somewhere and for it to read; it’s okay, it’s worth a look, come here, look around, go home, save the memories. Once back to the car and the equipment loaded into the trunk I sit at the wheel and scan the map. Where to next? A small chapel house, roadside location, in a church yard. Easy. Not much walking, no trespassing but I know that even if my next visit is easy it will still have the same impact upon me; and for all the good it does me, the silence and stillness of a forgotten home, elsewhere, untouched for some time and careering further to total ruin. Maesteg isn’t all these things. It sits in the corner of a field. You can tell that no one really comes here. Once it was a family home, now it is just an empty house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41356337.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7047430875f227993bc7e9.jpgTHREE ARCHED STABLE/BARN near Glynhir Mansion, Llandybie, Carmarthensh Notes on THREE ARCHED STABLE/BARN near Glynhir Mansion, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire 2020 The only idea I could come up with why this building is position so was that perhaps this was once part of another building or the original road leading to Glynhir mansion. As it is, it stands high in a field about 40 meters from the road, somewhat secluded. I have searched on older maps dating back to late 1800’s and the road is still in the same place, the stable still in the same place but with trees adjacent to it. If anyone knows why it is position so then please leave a comment below. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img409 https://images.on-this.website/7784_805378204537a4b808140c.jpgFRONWEN CHAPEL & HALL, Llanarth, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on FRONWEN CHAPEL & HALL, Llanarth, Ceredigion 2014 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5834422.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12484850764c5e4edccc623.jpgLANDSHIPPING HOUSE, Martletwy, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on LANDSHIPPING HOUSE, Martletwy, Pembrokeshire 2010 Reached by walking along the muddy quay, Landshipping House is superbly situated over looking the start of the Cleddau Estuary, incidentally just a few miles down stream from the Systerne / Sisters House. The house has been a shell for decades with one of the front bays slowly crumbling away. The current owners have had a long battle with the Pembrokeshire National Park Authority who are unwilling to buckle their overall ban on new builds in the National Park – surely each case should be judged overall on its merits and leniency used where appropriate – Landshipping House and its outbuildings would doubtlessly add to the character of this part of beautiful Pembrokeshire. A short row of service quarters at the rear show evidence that these were once stables (a curved brick arch has been filled in). A pig snored in its pen during my visit. The sky began to brighten with an intense orange luminosity as the morning hue revealed tiny spider webs across the lawns in front of the house. The birds had finished their morning chorus and had begun their daily chores. This mansion, on this morning, had an explicit air of positive assurance that soon it would regain its full height and its four walls and once again become a family home. ‘Old Landshipping’ was built in the 1670’s but was dismantled and the stone used to build ‘New Landshipping’ in the late 18th century a few hundred yards down the estuary in a more prominent place where it could be overlooked by visitors to Picton Castle and Slebech Park. ‘New Landshipping’ was also has castellated in response to Picton. Landshipping or has it is also known as 'Big House' (Ty Mawr) has now been restored with the left facing bay and entrance near to full restored. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699185.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17133176355e12356b6055f.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2081193.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_112706891749731c0bcea17.jpgY SIARPAL, Llanthony, Monmouthshire 2005 Notes on Y SIARPAL, Llanthony, Monmouthshire 2005 I perhaps most identified with Y Siarpal/The Sharple more so than with any other building. Perhaps the inspiring landscape from Abergavenny through the vale of Ewyas up to Llanthony Priory influences this thought, but I do not necessarily know what it is about Y Siarpal that appealed. A short walk up to the hills overlooking the Priory revealed, amidst the lightly wooded hills, the sparse walls of a former, supposedly uncompleted, mansion house. Work began on the house 1808 by Walter Savage Landor, but it was an ill-fated project by the poet and author, who had grandiose ambitions of renovating the ruins of the Priory. He beat the prospective vandals at their game by removing some of the walls, stone by stone, numbering them one by one, but never managed to rebuild all he took down. His house too, Y Siarpal, was never properly finished nor lived in, indeed he said of it ‘never was anything half so ugly’. Neither was he a fan of the Welsh yet of all his complaints it was his English tenants who used the stone carvings he collected from around the world to build roads. There is evidence Landor did live in his house but if so it could not have been for long for records show it was dismantled and in 1813 the unhappy Landor left the valley never to return. A constant drizzle and a herd of curious cows accompanied me during my visit. I was expecting very little to remain of the house and had also wondered if indeed I would find any trace. I was in for a happy, albeit modest, surprise. The small collection of walls, corners, chimneys and a square block service wing with ground floor cellars all stood, as many a stone ruins do: content in their unoccupied manner. And it is perhaps this that offers the answer to my strange allure. Y Siarpal reminded me of the many ruined cottages and shepherd dwellings I have visited around my home near Cwmstwyth. Once someone lived there, in colour(!), as we do now. And to an outsider, as I am, nothing remains of that life but a small pile of stone – now almost finished serving its unnatural life as a stone in a wall to be returned to the ground from where it came. Y Siarpal 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1228576604b46ebbe42a20.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12551565144b46ebc768086.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15541192494b46ebb26e7eb.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18174350.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_127847054051aa0f27a8960.jpgCAEHOPCYN, Llanedi, Carmarthenshire 2013 Notes on CAEHOPCYN, Llanedi, Carmarthenshire 2013 A small long house, which beneath the corrugated iron sheeting is still thatched. The house is low and was once a farm but, as ever, is sinking back into the ground. According to internet sources: In 1891 Caehopcyn was home to David Williams and his wife, Mary, and their eight children! The farm has been empty for approximately 60 years. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14320665.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_365662204f5cde1d4baa4.jpgGELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on GELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Between the months of December and the end of March are my favourite months to photograph. To visit Gelli-Galed on this March day provides the evidence. Other than a few conifers, all the leaves that cling steadfast to all the million of tiny branches have all fallen and decomposed back into the soil to form more soil. All those million of tiny branches; the minor bones of a tree or bush are there to capture onto film. The day of my visit was cloudy. The grey rendered walls of the house; the grey wall of stone of the many outbuildings; the greyness of the ground, the tired foliage; the browned bramble that rose some 6 foot high and covered huge swathes of ground around the properties seen here - All is recorded in a uniform tone of grey upon the film surface and seemed a fitting tribute to this once fine farmstead. Built in the 17th century and standing high on a hillside overlooking the village of Crynant, Gelli-Gared has a remarkable range of buildings all surrounded by a wall enclosure. Within the main house, the fabric of the building is revealed. The plaster is soft and covered in graffiti (‘Alan was here 1999’). A multi-textured sight: A-frames sagging under the weight of a damp roof and the sodden window lintels warping under the pressure of heavy damp walls. The yearly cycle of weeds filling empty spaces; clinging and poking through mortar, gaining purchase, strangling beams, pulling down window frames; a battle they shall one day win - not that the plants know of their future victory, it is a destructive by-product of a greater battle they wage, that of survival. And of all the things one could write about this spectacular enclosed farmstead? The brambles. What can be said? That they have 'spread like wildfire’ or they are 'rife in their uncontrolled corruption’? Without tool or weapon, man is ineffectual, entrance is futile. They defend this crumbled property simply and effectively. I decided to photograph from a safe distance. Their barbs rip clothing, rip skin and I wanted to walk back down into the village of Crynant like I had been merely taking a peaceful walk around the countryside of the Crynant Forest. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo30019129.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20075203658763c17cb606.jpgDANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Notes on DANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2017 Long ruinous - at least fifteen years - recently sold for £100,000 after the Australian owners were forced to sell by Swansea Council. Nothing has yet been done to consolidate the ruins, except last year the fire brigade dismantled the roof partially after an arson attack. Built 1880 and was last used as an employment centre. My visit was on a bleak Sunday afternoon with a handheld 5x4 inch camera and fast film, nonetheless due to the dimness of the day, I had to push my film speed from 400asa to 1600asa resulting in grainy negatives. Another visit will be made at a later date. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llwyn-ynn-llanfair-dyffryn-denbighshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_641525944c55ccce42d17.jpgLLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 Notes on LLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 I reached Llwyn Ynn at sun up after a two mile walk that zigzagged along footpaths and bridle paths and then through a long narrow wooded area. The sweet aroma of wild garlic permeated through the morning air. It was already warm when I reached the 18th century stone gate posts that stand, without their iron gates, before an empty patch of elevated ground where once the grand mansion of Llwyn Ynn stood. The great house, built in the 17th century was demolished like so many in the 1950’s after no buyer could be found. The steps leading up to where the entrance of the house once would have stood remain, indeed a galleried platform remains, and it is easy with the aid of old photographs to place the house in this walled area. Of the great house only one wall remains and thereon evidence of a very large fireplace (and a smaller one on the floor above). This wall is attached to the ruined service quarters. It is these service quarters that are the reason for my visit today and they do not disappoint. Beneath the two fireplaces there is a basement entrance that leads into the cottages that once gapped the space between the house and the service quarters. Inside all was quiet, all was dark and once my eyes and ears adjusted I could hear and see three sheep chewing, laying in a large ruinous room. They ceased their chewing as I came into view but did not rise from their sitting positions. There was a short stand-off. I was blocking their only exit. They watched me intently and seemed intent on not moving until I did. I took a few photographs. I then moved to allow their safe passage and that they did but in a typical rather hurried sheep fashion! Internally the service quarters are a mess. The staircase has collapsed and although the floors above are intact they looked paper thin and any attempt to explore, however tempting, would inevitably end up with a foot through a floor board. Holes are also prevalent in the side walls exposing beam and brick and the dim interior. At the rear a mass of extensions which appear in relative sound structural condition and access to the upper floors is possible. Again, all exposed to the weather and the livestock. The stone mullion windows are mainly in an excellent condition but naturally the wooden framed windows are rotting. The house stands on a small bluff and sits before a gentle stream called the Afon Hesbin (which flows further upstream into the river Clwyd). Including the stone buildings at the rear of the timber framed service quarters it quickly becomes apparent that Llwyn Ynn could easily accommodate a large family. The house needs extensive restoration and re-build and personally I do not hold onto much belief that the house will survive much longer if no consolidation work is carried out. I am uncertain, because I felt it unnecessary to venture, but I believe access to the cellars of the original great house may be possible. I however had no great desire to find out. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4502675.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16992789354b927d0e9c580.jpgDEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on DEAD TREE ROOTS, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 These roots shown here, as well as many of the other images shown have now become intimate friends, photographed and re-photographed, viewpoints and focal lengths of lenses changed. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2078535.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20582212874971f49bf214b.jpgLLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire Notes on LLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2005 Late May, early morning, a heavy drizzle blew around me as I walked along the over-formed yet revealing pathway, over a tumbled bridge and a gentle stream towards the ruins of Llanstinan House. I was unsure what remained, so often the case very little, perhaps a few tell-tale signs; a pile of rocks, a crater forming a pond due to demolition or a new bungalow sharing a demolished mansions name. However, as i walked along the winding path occasional views were partially snatched through the wilderness of exotic trees and common overgrowth and on to the large ruins of Llanstinan House. Once proud with its terraced garden, now all tangled and overgrown, Llanstinan crumbles damp and dark. A small square pillared portico dated 1905 opens into the house, a high four storeys as well as a basement (all caved in). The rear walls are slate clad with ivy ripping apart the slates and mortar and as ever, water dripping from high above. The walled stables and service wings are all ruined, damp and unfriendly. The house was built on an old site in 1680 and throughout its life has been continually altered but eventually was burnt down in the 1940’s. I spent a number of hours at Llanstinan, surprised by its size and although relatively close proximity to a village, untouched by vandals. A fascinating, mysterious place. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20730592714b6e5ad2be9ea.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20772903704b6e5b28ee9ad.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4997223334b6e5b7b27bfe.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 TY LLANSTINAN. Llanstinan, Aberqwaun. Sir Benfro 2005 & 2009 Yn gynnar un bore ar ddiwedd mis Mai a glaw man trwm yn chwythu o'm hamgylch, cerddais ar hyd hen Iwybr a oedd yn llawn llystyfiant tuag at adfeilion dirgel a chyfareddol Ty Llanstinan. Ar un adeg, roedd gan Dy Llanstinan ardd deras odidog (mae rhes hir o balmwydd yn dal i sefyll wrth ymyl y ty), ond erbyn heddiw mae wedi tyfu'n wyllt. Mae'r Ty Llanstinan llaith a thywyll bellach yn adfeilio. Colofnau portico sy'n eich croesawu i'r ty. Mae pedwar llawr i'r ty ynghyd ag islawr (pob un wedi mynd a'i ben iddo). Gorchuddiwyd y waliau cefn a llechi ond bellach mae iorwg yn rhwygo'r llechi o'r morter. Hefyd, mae'r dwr yn diferu i lawr. Mae pob un o'r waliau o amgylch y stablau a'r esgyll gwasanaethu yn llaith, yn anghynnes ac wedi eu difetha'n llwyr. Adeiladwyd y ty ar hen safle yn 1680 a thros y blynyddoedd, cafodd ei newid yn rheolaidd. Yn y pendraw, llosgodd y ty yn yr 1940au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25475761.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_80305545855edac7e33d81.jpgTAN-Y-RALLT (revisit), Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TAN-Y-RALLT (revisit), Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 A successful image but difficult to compose/focus due to the dimness of the house. Taken in the living room, shows wallpaper fallen from the ceiling that had draped across a door. The only light came from the front door and a dirty window. An exposure of one hour at F32. I was worried that there was a slight breeze and it would cause the paper to move in the wind and therefore render blur on the final image. Fortunately my long wait was worthwhile and once developed I saw I had been lucky. The house is little changed since my visit last year - very messy, a small stream runs down the back of the bank behind the house and through the foundations and flows along the hallway and out the back door. Poor house. Previously I wrote: A nice surprise - I drive along the road from Llangeitho to Talsarn quite often and saw this footpath leading up to the hills. A quick internet search on Ceredigion town planning showed a house with no other access than this path. Before work one morning I decided to go and visit. Half a mile from the road this house stood, on first inspection made of concrete blocks but quickly I realise that this was a modernisation - probably undertook some time in the 1980's. The rest of the outside shows stone and brick and I wondered if the cement blocks were put up in place of cob/mud(?). Inside is damp and dark and water ran through the back of the house and out the front door - the mud covered the tiled hall floor. The small pantry/kitchen still had many food jars untouched - I checked a brown sauce bottle - best before 1991 - was this when the house was deserted? Making exposures was difficult - the foliage before the house seemed impenetrable but after wrestling with some thick and long and quite resilient bramble branches I managed to get the camera set up for two exposures (as seen here). There was little else to photograph - maybe come back on a winter's day when more view should open up. Small [i]ty bach[/i] stands in a dip in front of the house - outbuildings no longer in use and filled with junk. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/swn-y-nant-trer-ddol https://images.on-this.website/7784_2080865308523b46569b44e.jpgSWN Y NANT, Tre'r ddol, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on SWN Y NANT, Tre'r ddol, Ceredigion 2013 A house on the hill leading away from Tre'r ddol up to the mountains - much overgrown and barely accessible - peering through the windows and net curtains showed nothing but the usual array of wasted belongings - and a disused motorbike - the front door had been knocked down but I reclined the invitation to enter due to the brambles guarding the way. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pendinas-aberystwyth-circa-1999 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2051163305f90013131fc2.jpgPENDINAS, Aberystwyth circa 1999 Notes on PENDINAS A lot of corrugated buildings one homed horses below Pen Dinas https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38373156.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17538915845cdd0a965e46a.jpgPEN-Y-BANC, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on PENYBANC, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I saw this house whilst walking to another ruin half a mile away or so. The house is large, and I believe as originally built as two houses but at some point, judging by partitions inside, was lived in as one house. I reached the house by nipping beneath the railway bridge along the B4434 and alongside the railway line and through woodland. The house is strange in its location, elevated in the corner of field, the driveway long grown over, the sense of previous owners long passed. I have visited many ruins these last few decades but Penybanc (I believe is the name of the house but if it is indeed two properties surely it should have two names) did leave me feeling uneasy. It felt out of place, as if I returned tomorrow it would no longer be there. I confess it sounds ridiculous. I’ve rarely felt fearful at a ruin, mostly its fear of a falling beam, masonry or for trespassing or even pigeons or owls suddenly making their presence known. Penybanc felt odd for other reasons, the front room of the left side of the house had been boarded up so there was no access through the front doorway. Is that reason enough to feel spooked? No. The roof clung on loosely but the floors within were all rotten and missing. The two front doors had been place on the staircases, prohibiting access – surely to stop the sheep from climbing the stairs and hurting themselves but the fact that it also stopped me also spooked me (not that I’d have climbed the stairs, it was far too dangerous). And thus the house stands, a total mess within but seemingly in a relatively good condition on the outside. Nonetheless for all my misgivings, a number of exposures were made of this un-Welsh looking house. The sheep watched unimpressed but neither did they run. Another house only a field away also stood much ruinous but I had used up all my film and thought, ‘next time’ (although quite often the ‘next time’ can take a couple of years). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img433 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17078641425386d7f6b568a.jpgBARNS at WERNFELIN, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on BARNS at WERNFELIN, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2014 Large barns, still in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5325423.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3606091784c1db47a00503.jpgWHITE SAND DUNES, New Mexico 1998 Notes on WHITE SAND DUNES, New Mexico 1998 I forgot how many square miles of pure white sand but I found myself lost and sunburnt whilst exploring yet quite content. The ever changing sands forming constant patterns and these spiked grasses forming a crown. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2384308.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_163162234149e0c1ad24cfb.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2009 A return to Tegfynydd at the end of March on a sunny afternoon. After thirteen years little had changed. The house and its grounds hold a romantic and tranquil atmosphere. Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s Lost Houses of Wales, it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13516248724b46ddbb18c8d.jpg[/img] Fireplace, Tegfynydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15576177174b46de1a6bea8.jpg[/img] Fireplace, Tegfynydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20370654264b46de7ba2dd3.jpg[/img] Fireplace, Tegfynydd 2009 TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13386427.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_554151804eaad2eab2ab8.jpgHENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on HENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 A group of cows, with their young, scattered, re-grouped, came galloping around me and then followed me. They followed me most way up the drive to Hendre Felin. The elder were curious, the younger boisterous yet more fearful. The house, built into a steep bank, south facing, is most unusual. The front door offset to the left, the extension with the long thin window, and along a passage way, rose up to the large kitchen and storeroom(?). The kitchen and storeroom are both single storey and rest on the bank. I am neither historian nor architect but I believe this house was designed this way, and this way is not common in Ceredigion. Inside are large empty rooms, empty except for broken furniture; a panel-less wardrobe, a sowing table, chest of drawers, chairs with three legs, much bedroom furniture all downstairs in the living quarters. And the upstairs bedrooms all empty except for pieces of stone that have fallen inward and dust, a lot of fine dust filling the lungs, dancing in the sun light and adding to my nervousness. The main staircase rises to the first floor and then carries on upward to the attic space. I did not climb into the attic, the steps on the stairs had visible and perhaps not so visible holes and I imagine the floorboards of the attic were the same. Judging by the high pitched roof, a high narrow A-frame, well over head-height, I would say the attic to be large and spacious, although dark. Maybe this housed the man-servants? Did this house have servants? I imagine so. The raised kitchen was large with a well-used Rayburn-style stove rusting and wallpaper hanging off plastered walls (also hanging off). The textures and patterns of the walls revealed much beauty – as much beauty as is possible considering I am in a damp, rotten and long forgotten house. Hendre Felin is a staggeringly interesting house which was built circa 1620 (but is this the layout that we see today?). I found a Yellow Pages dated 1987 – was this the last time this house was inhabited? Maybe. Or maybe a little later but begs the question, should a house that has stood almost four hundred years be allowed to be neglected so? It stands but a stone’s throw away from Hendre Quarry and one must wonder if the regular blasts coming from the quarry can be doing this old house any good. I doubt so and worry so. The photographs taken came easy. The beginning of this Saturday morning, early October, was warm and the sky without any interrupting cloud. Even the internal images, with the sun light streaming through the windows, were relatively short at around 4 minutes (at F16 – F22). It was an unnerving visit. So often I feel this way when a house seems unnaturally at the point of ruin. Structurally it appears to be in good shape, however, there’s a few small holes in the roof and the drain pipes fallen and the ground around the house is very damp, the mud deep where the cows stand poised and digesting! The house does however need to be made water-tight and intruder-tight with the guttering and drainage re-introduced and holes in the roof repaired. Then why not put it on the market, offered as a large family, country residence? An old family home needs a family to make it home again. And again, after my visit, long and fruitful, I crossed the watery driveway that runs around the house and back into the field where the cows had temporarily forgotten me. Once again, spooked and energetic, it was pleasant to be around some life affirming creatures that contained no dust, no rotten walls, no bleak future nor sorrowful core. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/barn-at-glasdir-llanddewi-brefi https://images.on-this.website/7784_4808160094f250cf09c401.jpgBARN AT GLASDIR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on BARN AT GLASDIR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 An unusually shaped barn and has had some point been repaired but now, once again, unused. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6798730.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15272027434ca496d1df6cd.jpgCOURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 A remarkable visit. In most instances the mansions I visit are in such a poor state of disrepair that the very layout of the rooms and décor are impossible to determine. Not so at Court. I know not when Court became derelict but it has not fallen into disrepair like so many others, in the 1950’s. Court has not suffered the 60 years of pilfering, or the yearly cycles of the battling elements forcing themselves behind plasterwork, between brick and mortar. The decay here hasn’t quite reached a point where total dereliction would force demolition. It is however true that the roof above the main staircase has begun to let in the rain at an alarming rate. Huge holes have appeared in the ceiling, with large saplings growing and long strands of ivy falling down. This damp area of the house continues all the way down to the basement. It cuts like a knife through a cake. Other rooms, most other rooms, although bare and with some damp, appear to be in a good dry condition. Unfortunately some of the plasterwork has begun to crumble, none as worse as the plaster frieze in the hallway just at the foot of the main staircase and therefore near the dampest areas of the house. The driveway up to the house is no longer in use other than agricultural, and glimpses of the house can be snatched. Court’s rendered façade is peeling and crumbling giving the house a sorrier look of disrepair than perhaps it deserves. Its an imposing house and its wooden portico has all but rotted and collapsed. Inside the house is spacious and although it does not have a large number of rooms, they are all a decent size with the kitchen at the hub of the house. There are the usual signs of dereliction within; old furniture, hearths full of bird nests, rusty kettles and boxes and baskets of knickknacks and ornaments, an empty but dust lined enamelled bath. Also on the site is a walled garden and many outbuildings, mostly renovated although an impressive slate clad barn remains in a derelict state. Photographing Court was a very pleasant experience. Some of the interior images required, since I never use flash photography for the black and white images, exposure times of 16 minutes whilst some of the exterior shots, due to the dimness of the morning also requiring exposure times of between 1 – 8 minutes causing some blurriness of foliage that blew in the wind. A farm stood at this site long before the mansion was built in 1800. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-door-rear-of-greenhouse https://images.on-this.website/7784_17023839554b66f20c54fce.jpgHAFOD (door rear of greenhouse), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2001 Notes on HAFOD (ruins, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1996 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. Hafod was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired 'Peacocks in Paradise' by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot stone of the monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12262348334b4241d8cd049.jpg[/img] Hafod greenhouse door 2004 YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9562900.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11889214544dae73b547757.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 It had only been two years since my previous visit to Tegfynydd and after 70 years of being left empty little had changed in those two years. A few exposures were made, nothing spectacular. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9562902.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15806532524dae73bb13960.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 It had only been two years since my previous visit to Tegfynydd and after 70 years of being left empty little had changed in those two years. A few exposures were made, nothing spectacular. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/recycling-bin-aberystwyth-ceredigion-1999 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6507441064eb6419eb03d5.jpgRECYCLING BIN, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 1999 Notes on METAL RECYCLING BIN, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 1999 A well worn metal bin that stood outside a supermarket car park. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/windy-trees-llanddewi-brefi-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_3098290215636ff150fcd1.jpgWINDY TREES, Llanddewi-brefi, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on WINDY TREES, Llanddewi-brefi, Ceredigion 2015 Very windy rain threatening day - it didn't rain - of partially fallen trees - a somewhat grainy image due to long expired fast film but still worthy of inclusion. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bronwydd-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12323667585a8bec7a27065.jpgBRONWYDD, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on BRONWYDD, CEREDIGION 2015 House uninhabited when photograph was taken - these buildings sit opposite. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-brighton-2007 https://images.on-this.website/7784_29596092756224eee7c77b.jpgABSTRACTION, Brighton 2007 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Brighton 2007 I have recently re-discovered a box of old negatives from 2007 of abstractions taken in Brighton. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19229747.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_138562674522f4480615d7.jpgDOLHALOG COTTAGES, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on DOLHALOG COTTAGES, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Along a quiet footpath these cottages are reputed to be the oldest in Aberaeron. One is still resided in, the other is abandoned. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/deri-ormond-tower-cereigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_36586661957340f7c1da10.jpgDERI ORMOND TOWER, Cereigion 2016 Notes on DERI ORMOND TOWER, Ceredigion 2016 Quick visit in deep fog https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29922925.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_181170219858592a65957d5.jpgBWLCHYSTYLLEN, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BWLCHYSTYLLEN, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2016 A return after five years but very little changed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40586136.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9798765195de8dd6f4e042.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8208854.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8877563334d296e9199c56.jpgLLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 Notes on LLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 I reached Llwyn Ynn at sun up after a two mile walk that zigzagged along footpaths and bridle paths and then through a long narrow wooded area. The sweet aroma of wild garlic permeated through the morning air. It was already warm when I reached the 18th century stone gate posts that stand, without their iron gates, before an empty patch of elevated ground where once the grand mansion of Llwyn Ynn stood. The great house, built in the 17th century was demolished like so many in the 1950’s after no buyer could be found. The steps leading up to where the entrance of the house once would have stood remain, indeed a galleried platform remains, and it is easy with the aid of old photographs to place the house in this walled area. Of the great house only one wall remains and thereon evidence of a very large fireplace (and a smaller one on the floor above). This wall is attached to the ruined service quarters. It is these service quarters that are the reason for my visit today and they do not disappoint. Beneath the two fireplaces there is a basement entrance that leads into the cottages that once gapped the space between the house and the service quarters. Inside all was quiet, all was dark and once my eyes and ears adjusted I could hear and see three sheep chewing, laying in a large ruinous room. They ceased their chewing as I came into view but did not rise from their sitting positions. There was a short stand-off. I was blocking their only exit. They watched me intently and seemed intent on not moving until I did. I took a few photographs. I then moved to allow their safe passage and that they did but in a typical rather hurried sheep fashion! Internally the service quarters are a mess. The staircase has collapsed and although the floors above are intact they looked paper thin and any attempt to explore, however tempting, would inevitably end up with a foot through a floor board. Holes are also prevalent in the side walls exposing beam and brick and the dim interior. At the rear a mass of extensions which appear in relative sound structural condition and access to the upper floors is possible. Again, all exposed to the weather and the livestock. The stone mullion windows are mainly in an excellent condition but naturally the wooden framed windows are rotting. The house stands on a small bluff and sits before a gentle stream called the Afon Hesbin (which flows further upstream into the river Clwyd). Including the stone buildings at the rear of the timber framed service quarters it quickly becomes apparent that Llwyn Ynn could easily accommodate a large family. The house needs extensive restoration and re-build and personally I do not hold onto much belief that the house will survive much longer if no consolidation work is carried out. I am uncertain, because I felt it unnecessary to venture, but I believe access to the cellars of the original great house may be possible. I however had no great desire to find out. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img208 https://images.on-this.website/7784_89193293453478ff5e17ac.jpgCWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 1993 Now demolished. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/peeling-paint-at-lletysynod-new https://images.on-this.website/7784_13232220044c591b1e6bf9b.jpgPEELING PAINT AT LLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on PEELING PAINT AT LLETYSYNOD, Ceredigion 2003 The farmhouse, Llewtysynod, this was taken in still stands empty but the slate has been removed from the roof and all the wooden panelling, although rotten, has been stripped from the inside. Recently a chimney has also collapsed. As little as 3 years ago the house seemed salvageable but no longer. What a shame. This was taken upstairs and before the slates were removed. It was incredibly dark and I don’t think I would have been able to capture the tactile-ness of the paintwork if I hadn’t been able to open a tiny door (about two foot high) which lead to a small attic. By opening this door just a jar I could direct some light so it skimmed the surface of the wall the paint was on. It was fortunate, other wise I would have not been able to take the picture. A long exposure of around 16minutes was required and an 90mm lens at F22. Influenced by the work of Aaron Siskind. Notes on LLETYSYNOD, New Row, Ceredigion 2010 For the twenty odd years I have been driving past this house I have always expected to see piles of building material ready for the consolidation, the repair, the decoration and the modernisation to commence. It has never happened. Instead I have seen the slates from the roof removed, a gable end and chimney collapse, all the inner panelling removed and the floors rot and fall in. It breaks your heart. One of my favourite abstract photographs was taken upstairs on the landing in this house in 2003 and all subsequent visits I have sought out this wall even if I know that the wall has gone. It’s an odd thing being sentimental over an inner wooden wall but sentimental is what I feel! Anyone who drives from Abermagwr to Pontrhydygroes knows this house, as it stands over looking the road with a long line of outbuildings – commonly enough in a far better state of repair than the house itself. I know not whom occupied the house last and if it played a part in the Trisant mines or has been solely an agricultural property but either way it will be a great loss if it crumbles, perhaps inevitability, back into the ground. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo16818786.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_178916705050ae2e37ce9c0.jpgHEN GEFN, Llangunllo, Radnorshire 2012 Notes on HEN GEFN, Llangunllo, Radnorshire 2012 Was for sale when visited - uncertain if now purchased and restored (2015) https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699183.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3502442135e12356a06195.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/nash-point-south-glamorgan-2003 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7640586484be65ea0e657b.jpgNASH POINT, South Glamorgan 2003 Notes on NASH POINT, Glamorgan 2003 A simple composition taken after a days walking along the coast near St Donat's. I hadn't taken a single photograph all day and just as I was reaching the end of my walk and as the the sun was beginning to rapidly drop this image was taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/fallen-tree-on-hafod-pontrhydygroes https://images.on-this.website/7784_6525860134f829c7b44d79.jpgFALLEN TREE ON HAFOD, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on FALLEN TREE ON HAFOD, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 A fallen tree, and near to its base, these circular bubbles of growth. This mature tree came down a few years ago and although dead, a dead tree acts as a host for many other plants and insects. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5432341.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11545729034c2ae328cbc00.jpgYSBYTY CYNFYN CHURCH, Ceredigion 1991 Notes on YSBYTY CYNFYN CHURCH, Ceredigion 1991 An early image taken using infra-red film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ty-treherne-groes-wen-caerphily https://images.on-this.website/7784_146981948652c5462c71d3d.jpgTY TREHERNE, Groes-wen, Caerphily, Vale of Glamorgan 2013 Notes on TY TREHERNE, Groes-wen, Caerphily, Vale of Glamorgan 2013 Currently on the market for £330,000, this longhouse, former farmhouse is in a poor state. It would appear that there had been a fire at some point, the roof rafters were blackened but I am unsure if this was the original cause of dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/piercefield-house-view-of-side https://images.on-this.website/7784_129237684949701ed943058.jpgPIERCEFIELD HOUSE ( view of side pavilion), St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Notes of PIERCEFIELD HOUSE, (view of side pavilion), St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Piercefield is a large, notorious mansion estate situated high above the river Severn on the outskirts of Chepstow. Its origins lie in the middle ages and the Classical house as it stands today, was built around 1792. It has been bought and sold many times throughout its relatively short-lived life and today sits covered with supports and scaffolding adjacent to Chepstow racecourse. I had known of Piercefield for some time, a friend had shown me snapshots of the house ruined, and it is well documented in guidebooks and historical interest publications. The house and its many statues were abandoned after 1923 and sold to the racecourse. Unsurprisingly, it is a house that sparks great debate in the Chepstow area. The American Army in the Second World War supposedly used it as a target practice. Two large pavilions either side of the house became obscured by undergrowth and around the rear of the house extensive outbuildings (early 19th century); service courts, stables, a coach house and a walled kitchen garden are all derelict though with some abiding agricultural use. The April morning I arrived was a humid and bright day. Piercefields sand-coloured limestone walls stood brave against the greens of the embroidered foliage and a wispy blue sky behind. Many exposures made, ordinarily I use around 6 sheets of film per house visited but the sheer size and wealth of photographic subject matter soon had me reloading film and searching for that viewpoint which suits the atmospherics of a house with such grand declines. The house, outbuildings and grounds are currently under renovation. Piercefield 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5043837494b51d72924c0a.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9417442054b51d73e478ae.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8030927984b51d75259c20.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pont-llanio-creamery-nr-tregaron https://images.on-this.website/7784_17798304475948d20011afd5.82184488.jpgPONT LLANIO CREAMERY, Nr Tregaron, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on PONT LLANIO CREAMERY, Nr Tregaron, Ceredigion 2017 Abstraction, sunlight burst through unexpectedly as I was focusing and lit up the fine cobwebs and adding a delicate texture. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llwyn-yr-yn-cwmtwrch-brecknockshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_21155588135a670209b60a0.jpgLLWYN YR YN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Notes on LLWYN YR YN, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Whilst visiting another ruin, a hundred yards away, I spied the chimney of this house. So rare it is to find ruins so close together! Llwyn-Yr-Yn is much ruined, the whole front facade has fallen and has been cleared of fallen rock/masonry. Much alike its neighbour Cyllie farm, it has a plastic fence around its perimeter - perhaps sign of intention that this will soon be restored or sold as is. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26448122.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7059073195695f500aa4ec.jpgDOLHALOG/DOLHEULOG COTTAGES, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on DOLHALOG/DOLHEULOG COTTAGES, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2016 Three cottages, all now empty or ruined. Number 1 I believe was lived in until quite recently, the middle one has recently been purchased, the land cleared away and the third and smallest is still filled with personal belongings and is much ruined and damp. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img199 https://images.on-this.website/7784_30528948853478e9ac2ed6.jpgALLTGOCHMYNYDD, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ALLTGOCHMYNYDD, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 It never ceases to amaze me that Ceredigion, traditionally one of the poorest of counties, has such numerous ruins in such beautiful locations. Properties that tumble yet stubbornly cling on to these steep soggy banks and hillsides. Alltgochmynydd had obviously, relatively recently (five years ago?), found owners who had intended to make this stunning little property as a home. It would appear that they failed. The rear door hangs off its hinges and entry was made easy into the dark interior. Within large slab floor are a few possessions; a small kitchen unit, a few kitchen utensils, a broken chest of drawers, a few bottles, rusting knives, dusty forks. The downstairs is now one open space, the dividing walls all gone and a make-shift staircase leading upstairs. And upstairs a wardrobe on its side and a number of beds, a child’s mattress – all dark, dimly lit, eerie and sad. The floor boards bend under my weight. The floorboards covered in dust, bits of stone and mortar, litter from a neglected building. Two roof skylights allow a small amount of light to trickle in. Outside mid September and the rain falls in a sheet of a million sticks. I set up my camera and focus upon the child’s bed and mattress trailing on the floor. The meter reads F22 at 8 minutes. I know from experience that I will need a much longer exposure in such a dimly lit building. An exposure of 60 minutes is used. I focus the camera by pointing a torch onto the corner of the bed so I can actually see something through the dimness of the ground glass of the camera. I begin the exposure, set my stopwatch and settle within my new home for the next hour. I wander around, squat down, stand up. I look inside the kitchen cupboards, food, gravy granules, cooking oil in jars covered in mould. I look up the chimney, on the mantel piece. All this is done by torch light. I know not what I am looking for. I know not what I expect to find. More kitchen utensils, rusty and dusty. Lots of broken things, bottles, oil lamps, door knobs, under the back door frame lots of screwed up magazine pages blocking up draughts. One piece of newspaper has the date 1973. I do not think this is the last year that someone lived in this house. It has more recent secrets. But how to estimate a date of its last occupants? It is impossible to tell. Outside the rain has ceased. I step out and explore. Crab apples hang heavy on trees around the rear of the property. A stream, small but running fast, bubbles up from under the long grass. It has been a wet September. I walk, gain views and read over my map and plan my next jaunts. The rain begins to come again. A few warning drops and then the deluge. I re-enter Alltgochmynydd and sit down on the cold floor and let the time pass. I wonder if the exposure will be successful. I wonder if it is worth it. I wonder what tiny fraction of ruins throughout Wales I have actually visited. An hour passes. I am glad to leave. I close all the doors more secure than how I found them. Perhaps this house would make a suitable Bothy. If not, then surely it will just fall, year by year, until just a pile of stone. Alltgochmynydd is Grade 2 Listed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/parcau-gwynion-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_18458462195a8bec7c6b448.jpgPARCAU GWYNION, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on PARCAU GWYNION, CEREDIGION 2015 House not ruined but un-inhabited when photographs were taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bryn-meinog-llanddewi-brefi-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_39573571350ec7e495aea7.jpgBryn-Meinog, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on Bryn-Meinog, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Rural and almost completely derelict, Bryn-Meinog was once a busy and influential farmhouse in the area. Outbuidings are still in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-cwm-banw-aber-brecknock https://images.on-this.website/7784_4942173545b60b7902e2d8.jpgBLAEN-CWM-BANW, Aber, Brecknock 2018 Notes on BLAEN-CWM-BANW, Aber, Brecknock 2018 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ancient-woodland-ysbyty-cynfyn-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_19395363904c2ae3542f139.jpgANCIENT WOODLAND, Ysbyty Cynfyn, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on ANCIENT WOODLAND, Ysbyty Cynfyn, Ceredigion 2009 Ancient hardwood in the deep-sided valley at Ysbyty Cynfyn taken with a 180mm telephoto lens on 5x4inch film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33757330.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9110749565a2b972fac6aa.jpgPALACE THEATRE, Swansea 2017 Notes on PALACE THEATRE, Swansea 2017 Taken from Wikipedia: The Palace Theatre is a building located at the northern end of High Street, Swansea, Wales, recognizable for its distinctive wedge shape. Originally built in 1888 as a traditional music hall, the building's original name was the 'Pavilion'. During its lifetime, the building has been used as a bingo hall as well as a gay nightclub. The Grade II Listed building is one of just two purpose-built music halls left standing in the whole of the UK. In the early years of the 20th century stars like Charlie Chaplin, Lilly Langtry, Marie Lloyd and Dan Leno filled the venue. Sir Anthony Hopkins made his first professional stage appearance there in 1960 with Swansea Little Theatre's production of 'Have A Cigarette' Also in the early 1960s, Morecambe and Wise were booked. Ken Dodd was the last stand-up comedian to appear there before it became nightclub in the 1970s. It was also the first place in Wales to show a silent picture and remained undamaged by the blitz that destroyed much of Swansea city centre during the Second World War. The ground floor bar and lounge was used as a licensed pub for many years before closing. Eventually the theatre was sold for £300,000 to a property company, but in 2010 it was still derelict and actor Edward Fox joined a campaign to have it restored. New campaign In 2014, a new campaign was launched on Facebook. High Street in 1915 In April 2014 Swansea Council made £75,000 available to the owners to carry out work on the High Street theatre, which had been named as one of the 10 most endangered Victorian and Edwardian buildings in England and Wales. The Victorian Society called it "a victim of urban decay", and the Theatres Trust commented in 2013 that, if left, the building might well collapse. The council funds were earmarked for "emergency works", including making the building watertight, removing vegetation and removing loose brickwork that could be deemed “unsafe”. By September 2014 the council was issuing a reminder to the owners that the work needed to be completed promptly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23523870.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_127759230854dc4f9560813.jpgCWRT & GLYN COTTAGES, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWRT & GLYN COTTAGES, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 Two cottages with thatched roofs and corrugated protective layers, now all broken and ruined. These sit beside the river Peris and are long empty. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29924984.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1784299911585a2b03af0b5.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmnewydion-uchaf-trisant-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17903662484c6794ef48077.jpgCWMNEWYDION-UCHAF,Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CWMNEWYDION-UCHAF, Ceredigion 2010 A small cottage – empty for a number of years – the slates at the extremes of the roof are beginning to deteriorate. Inside, peering through the dirty windows, the usual garb of the empty cottage; signs of a simple life, well used minimum furniture, a dining table with a plastic table cloth with all the crockery placed on top, teapots, cups, plates etc. A ladies bike with basket in another room, a pew bench, wardrobes and chest of drawers, boxes of bottles. I would have liked to have seen upstairs. A sealed museum of a couple’s life, free from human dust, birds nests nestled on top of electricity boxes, perhaps a TV Licence reminder from 1990’s or a Yellow Pages from 1980’s? Who knows? Random things are always to be found: Piles of Country Life magazine in the service quarters of Rhuppera Castle in Caerphily; the actual deeds of Caermeirch in Pontrhydygroes; diary pages from the 1870’s in Aberglasney in Llangathen; years and years of fertiliser receipts in Dolgor’s at Devil’s Bridge; a chest of travel books at Ceulan Mill in Talybont; a room of cheap chandeliers at Gwynfryn at Llanystumdwy and then there is all of the graffiti scratched in stone and wood, some recent and some ancient; at Pembrey Court in Pembrey and Pencoed Castle at Llanmartin. And then yearly names and dates in Bothy’s in and around the Cambrain Mountains such as at Nant Rhys, Claerddu Cottage and Moel Prysgau. Such things enrich and qualify long walks, searches, explorations and help enclose the memories of visits to properties I may never visit again. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo43405532.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_114302544060f6f09f08682.jpgRHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Notes on RHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Large farmstead long ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23670432.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_82048356154fc1a8c8a9a0.jpgCUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 A revisit and I came to photograph one particular wall but unfortunately the whole wall had collapsed into a pile of wooden panels and beams - my beloved wall gone forever. All damp and forlorn even on this bright spring morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo43405531.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_32383776260f6f09e4a0a9.jpgRHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Notes on RHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Large farmstead long ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40586131.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10890084785de8dd69c4588.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13386371.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5293595074eaad12b1237f.jpgHENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on HENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 A group of cows, with their young, scattered, re-grouped, came galloping around me and then followed me. They followed me most way up the drive to Hendre Felin. The elder were curious, the younger boisterous yet more fearful. The house, built into a steep bank, south facing, is most unusual. The front door offset to the left, the extension with the long thin window, and along a passage way, rose up to the large kitchen and storeroom(?). The kitchen and storeroom are both single storey and rest on the bank. I am neither historian nor architect but I believe this house was designed this way, and this way is not common in Ceredigion. Inside are large empty rooms, empty except for broken furniture; a panel-less wardrobe, a sowing table, chest of drawers, chairs with three legs, much bedroom furniture all downstairs in the living quarters. And the upstairs bedrooms all empty except for pieces of stone that have fallen inward and dust, a lot of fine dust filling the lungs, dancing in the sun light and adding to my nervousness. The main staircase rises to the first floor and then carries on upward to the attic space. I did not climb into the attic, the steps on the stairs had visible and perhaps not so visible holes and I imagine the floorboards of the attic were the same. Judging by the high pitched roof, a high narrow A-frame, well over head-height, I would say the attic to be large and spacious, although dark. Maybe this housed the man-servants? Did this house have servants? I imagine so. The raised kitchen was large with a well-used Rayburn-style stove rusting and wallpaper hanging off plastered walls (also hanging off). The textures and patterns of the walls revealed much beauty – as much beauty as is possible considering I am in a damp, rotten and long forgotten house. Hendre Felin is a staggeringly interesting house which was built circa 1620 (but is this the layout that we see today?). I found a Yellow Pages dated 1987 – was this the last time this house was inhabited? Maybe. Or maybe a little later but begs the question, should a house that has stood almost four hundred years be allowed to be neglected so? It stands but a stone’s throw away from Hendre Quarry and one must wonder if the regular blasts coming from the quarry can be doing this old house any good. I doubt so and worry so. The photographs taken came easy. The beginning of this Saturday morning, early October, was warm and the sky without any interrupting cloud. Even the internal images, with the sun light streaming through the windows, were relatively short at around 4 minutes (at F16 – F22). It was an unnerving visit. So often I feel this way when a house seems unnaturally at the point of ruin. Structurally it appears to be in good shape, however, there’s a few small holes in the roof and the drain pipes fallen and the ground around the house is very damp, the mud deep where the cows stand poised and digesting! The house does however need to be made water-tight and intruder-tight with the guttering and drainage re-introduced and holes in the roof repaired. Then why not put it on the market, offered as a large family, country residence? An old family home needs a family to make it home again. And again, after my visit, long and fruitful, I crossed the watery driveway that runs around the house and back into the field where the cows had temporarily forgotten me. Once again, spooked and energetic, it was pleasant to be around some life affirming creatures that contained no dust, no rotten walls, no bleak future nor sorrowful core. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13487561.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3468572324eb8e344eb459.jpgCAVE, Nottingham 1997 Notes on CAVE, Nottingham 1997 Less than a minutes walk from a major road and beneath a high rise these caves are at least, in parts, fifty feet high - I am unsure of their purpose but believe to be man made(?). Nonetheless, their soft textured walls created beautiful patterns such as this.7 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2081194.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_140918701449731c19616ab.jpgY SIARPAL, Llanthony, Monmouthshire 2005 Notes on Y SIARPAL, Llanthony, Monmouthshire 2005 I perhaps most identified with Y Siarpal/The Sharple more so than with any other building. Perhaps the inspiring landscape from Abergavenny through the vale of Ewyas up to Llanthony Priory influences this thought, but I do not necessarily know what it is about Y Siarpal that appealed. A short walk up to the hills overlooking the Priory revealed, amidst the lightly wooded hills, the sparse walls of a former, supposedly uncompleted, mansion house. Work began on the house 1808 by Walter Savage Landor, but it was an ill-fated project by the poet and author, who had grandiose ambitions of renovating the ruins of the Priory. He beat the prospective vandals at their game by removing some of the walls, stone by stone, numbering them one by one, but never managed to rebuild all he took down. His house too, Y Siarpal, was never properly finished nor lived in, indeed he said of it ‘never was anything half so ugly’. Neither was he a fan of the Welsh yet of all his complaints it was his English tenants who used the stone carvings he collected from around the world to build roads. There is evidence Landor did live in his house but if so it could not have been for long for records show it was dismantled and in 1813 the unhappy Landor left the valley never to return. A constant drizzle and a herd of curious cows accompanied me during my visit. I was expecting very little to remain of the house and had also wondered if indeed I would find any trace. I was in for a happy, albeit modest, surprise. The small collection of walls, corners, chimneys and a square block service wing with ground floor cellars all stood, as many a stone ruins do: content in their unoccupied manner. And it is perhaps this that offers the answer to my strange allure. Y Siarpal reminded me of the many ruined cottages and shepherd dwellings I have visited around my home near Cwmstwyth. Once someone lived there, in colour(!), as we do now. And to an outsider, as I am, nothing remains of that life but a small pile of stone – now almost finished serving its unnatural life as a stone in a wall to be returned to the ground from where it came. Y Siarpal 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1228576604b46ebbe42a20.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12551565144b46ebc768086.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15541192494b46ebb26e7eb.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8418566.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14683480024d419790ca5f9.jpgDOOR, Brighton, East Sussex 2006 Notes on DOOR, Brighton, East Sussex 2006 A pleasing image. I had went for a walk around Stamner Park on the outskirts of Brighton and come across a barn. The sun was just rising and as it did it skimmed the surface of the peeling paint on the door. I had inadvertedly timed my morning out to perfect. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penybanc-clyne-neath-port-talbot https://images.on-this.website/7784_17032641825ce6eb0267ae5.jpgPENYBANC, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on PENYBANC, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I saw this house whilst walking to another ruin half a mile away or so. The house is large, and I believe as originally built as two houses but at some point, judging by partitions inside, was lived in as one house. I reached the house by nipping beneath the railway bridge along the B4434 and alongside the railway line and through woodland. The house is strange in its location, elevated in the corner of field, the driveway long grown over, the sense of previous owners long passed. I have visited many ruins these last few decades but Penybanc (I believe is the name of the house but if it is indeed two properties surely it should have two names) did leave me feeling uneasy. It felt out of place, as if I returned tomorrow it would no longer be there. I confess it sounds ridiculous. I’ve rarely felt fearful at a ruin, mostly its fear of a falling beam, masonry or for trespassing or even pigeons or owls suddenly making their presence known. Penybanc felt odd for other reasons, the front room of the left side of the house had been boarded up so there was no access through the front doorway. Is that reason enough to feel spooked? No. The roof clung on loosely but the floors within were all rotten and missing. The two front doors had been place on the staircases, prohibiting access – surely to stop the sheep from climbing the stairs and hurting themselves but the fact that it also stopped me also spooked me (not that I’d have climbed the stairs, it was far too dangerous). And thus the house stands, a total mess within but seemingly in a relatively good condition on the outside. Nonetheless for all my misgivings, a number of exposures were made of this un-Welsh looking house. The sheep watched unimpressed but neither did they run. Another house only a field away also stood much ruinous but I had used up all my film and thought, ‘next time’ (although quite often the ‘next time’ can take a couple of years). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4605719.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5968223294ba78bc412ecb.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 201 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Sometimes I wonder why I do it to myself. After visiting the lamentable walls of Blaen Baglan I then drove towards home but stopped off at Neuadd Fawr. My first and only visit to Neuadd Fawr was on a still but very foggy November day in 1996. The countryside around the village of Cil-y-Cwm is quite beautiful and the road up the farm and mansion happily revealed that the lodge house, very derelict in 1996, had recently and considerately been restored. The same can not be said of the mansion. I was met by the owner / farmer and again, as I recall from my first visit some 14 years ago, was welcomed; amicable and friendly. He explained how his family had purchased the land around the farm and mansion at the turn of century. The house had come with the land and they did not have the 3 million perhaps required to restore the mansion and even if they did have the money, wouldn’t spend it restoring it. And who could blame their or anybodies reluctance, for the job at hand would be heading towards the immeasurable! Although the roof wavers it is intact and the outer walls all look structurally sound. Within, as so often the case, is a jumbled, chaotic mess as one would expect from a any house that has been left abandoned for 60 years. All the above floors have either collapsed or on the precipice. I was warned not enter. I was warned not to enter in 1996 too. I took heed. The photographs showing interior views were taken on the outside looking in. Although in such ramshackle details could be noted; fireplaces and ranges, panelling and plasterwork, built-in-cupboards and ornate grills. I purposely visited Neuadd Fawr before the spring and summer foliage all but obscured the classic Ionic cast iron pillars. Of course all rusting but up close they’re solid and feel indestructible. The façade and east side with lovely narrow balcony are beautifully proportioned with large lower floor windows. It become easy to imagine especially on such a beautiful early spring morning, that sitting in these rooms was lovely with light falling and filling even the dimmest and most sheltered of corners. To the north and rear of the house is a messy jumble of extensions, ruinous with some outer walls caved in. The rear is quite unkempt and messy but by this time, once again, I was totally captivated by the house ad estate. The marvellous twin door stable block was however a horrid shock. It had perhaps suffered more than the house, almost completely roofless, windows all broke and where had those lovely large twin doors gone? The weather was perfect but what I had chosen to photograph was devastating. The vast walled kitchen garden contained a few branchless fruit trees. I have seen pictures of the walled garden at Ruperra Castle – it was a beautiful sight – rows of vegetables carefully planted and monitored by the head gardener and his army of workers. Was Neuadd Fawr the same? Also, to the rear of the house, another walled garden, was this the formal garden? It is now just a field kept neat by grazing and curious sheep. A small summer dwelling is built within this garden (as well as a ‘ty bach’ / toilet). The farmer had spoken about CADW rejecting plans to converting the house into flats and only keeping the façade of house. Neuadd Fawr, listed grade II, can not be demolished but if no consolidation work is carried out it will eventually fall. Should CADW be more willing to compromise such examples? After two hours and using all the film I had with me, I stood staring at Neuadd Fawr. I stood still for about 10 minutes soaking up the warmth of the morning sun. It did not feel like this great house had reached its almost inevitable conclusion of total dereliction. It may have been the optimistic warmth from the sun and thawing me and the frozen ground or it could have been the un-afraid and watchful sheep whilst grazing, close by. It could have been the friendly welcome the owner gave me upon my approach or the peace I felt, the peace of that particular morning whilst walking around these particularly magnificent ruins. In those 10 slow minutes it felt like Neuadd Fawr could be, and would be, eventually saved from the brink of dereliction by the restorer of wealth and good taste. I hope I will be proved right. NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41249155.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6351317435f00b33cc8a5c.jpgTY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Notes on TY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Roadside location but forgotten and slowly crumbling. Ty'r Bryn is almost completely hidden by trees and the rear almost impenetrable. I spent just a few minutes here, took a few unsatisfactory images but before leaving I thought I should check out the large corrugated barns beside the house. They were in a poor state but there was a sense i should record them within as abstractions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hen-llys-farm-llanddewi-gower https://images.on-this.website/7784_1406348215de573ee03c18.jpgHEN-LLYS FARM, Llanddewi, Gower 2019 Notes on HEN-LLYS FARM, Llanddewi, Gower 2019 Known has a hall but seems more like longhouse, the house looks sorry for itself rather than on the verge of dereliction - I do not know how long empty - perhaps it's a holiday home, most likely not. Thick gable end chimney hidden by ivy, the house has dirty windows, curtains closed. I did not try to find an way to enter but it would have been nice to have seen the barrel vaulted cellar as described below. The house externally is mundanely rendered but I think the real treasures would have been discovered inside. Hopefully this house will not fall in disrepair. Only a few images taken, I almost did not bother but think I would have regretted it. The rear of the property is pretty much inaccessible - again no great effort was made. The light was fading, I was out of film, time to go home. Found online at: http://www.ggat.org.uk/cadw/historic_landscape/gower/english/Gower_033.htm The house of Henllys and its associated farm of over 200 acres (81 hectares) continued in Mansell ownership until sold to tenants in the 1960s. The house of Old Henllys (01634w; 19501) has a characteristic vernacular Gower plan with lateral outshuts. The central unit of the house is a hall of sixteenth century date, of hearth-passage type with gable-entry stone stairs with cross-slab roof, bed cupboard, later additions, and partly thatched. The hall unit was probably built against an earlier or contemporary west block, subsequently demolished. The existing west extension is undateable, but very substantial: it has at some period been converted to domestic accommodation, as there is an internal door to the older part on each floor. A large chimney (traditionally called the Flemish chimney, but not a large example by Pembrokeshire standards) projects centrally on the gable end. A smaller east extension is of eighteenth and twentieth century date. Barrel vaulted cellars of brick located to the west are thought to have originated as a rainwater reservoir for the house (Morris 1998, 107-117; Listed building description). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/capel-mair-chapel-margam-park https://images.on-this.website/7784_15638683605948d1eeab3f56.03807380.jpgCAPEL MAIR CHAPEL, Margam Park, Port Talbot 2017 Notes on CAPEL MAIR CHAPEL, Margam Park, Port Talbot 2017 Chapel long ruined on hillside surrounded by woodland. Very misty morning, no views present only the drone of the M4 motorway. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cub-huts-devils-bridge-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_157079433154fc1a8151494.jpgCUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 A revisit and I came to photograph one particular wall but unfortunately the whole wall had collapsed into a pile of wooden panels and beams - my beloved wall gone forever. All damp and forlorn even on this bright spring morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23607632.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_135726928954ec2a1d872f1.jpgGEUFRON, Nebo, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GEUFRON, Nebo, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage, remote, and outbuildings - long ruined but beautifully situated. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-fields-pontrhydygroes-ceredigion-1991 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10427415414c1db54c8c35f.jpgHAFOD FIELDS, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1991 Notes on HAFOD FIELDS, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1991 Taken using infra-red film (on a Twin Lens Reflex camera) which records foliage and clouds almost white as snow and blues skies black. I haven't used infra-red film since 1993 but look back fondly at these images for their dramatic qualities. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076268.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_132171872849701ed3adb25.jpgLLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2005 Notes on LLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2005 Late May, early morning, a heavy drizzle blew around me as I walked along the over-formed yet revealing pathway, over a tumbled bridge and a gentle stream towards the ruins of Llanstinan House. I was unsure what remained, so often the case very little, perhaps a few tell-tale signs; a pile of rocks, a crater forming a pond due to demolition or a new bungalow sharing a demolished mansions name. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20730592714b6e5ad2be9ea.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20772903704b6e5b28ee9ad.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4997223334b6e5b7b27bfe.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 However, as i walked along the winding path occasional views were partially snatched through the wilderness of exotic trees and common overgrowth and on to the large ruins of Llanstinan House. Once proud with its terraced garden, now all tangled and overgrown, Llanstinan crumbles damp and dark. A small square pillared portico dated 1905 opens into the house, a high four storeys as well as a basement (all caved in). The rear walls are slate clad with ivy ripping apart the slates and mortar and as ever, water dripping from high above. The walled stables and service wings are all ruined, damp and unfriendly. The house was built on an old site in 1680 and throughout its life has been continually altered but eventually was burnt down in the 1940’s. I spent a number of hours at Llanstinan, surprised by its size and although relatively close proximity to a village, untouched by vandals. A fascinating, mysterious place. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11692962474b34ad89ce772.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 TY LLANSTINAN. Llanstinan, Aberqwaun. Sir Benfro 2005 & 2009 Yn gynnar un bore ar ddiwedd mis Mai a glaw man trwm yn chwythu o'm hamgylch, cerddais ar hyd hen Iwybr a oedd yn llawn llystyfiant tuag at adfeilion dirgel a chyfareddol Ty Llanstinan. Ar un adeg, roedd gan Dy Llanstinan ardd deras odidog (mae rhes hir o balmwydd yn dal i sefyll wrth ymyl y ty), ond erbyn heddiw mae wedi tyfu'n wyllt. Mae'r Ty Llanstinan llaith a thywyll bellach yn adfeilio. Colofnau portico sy'n eich croesawu i'r ty. Mae pedwar llawr i'r ty ynghyd ag islawr (pob un wedi mynd a'i ben iddo). Gorchuddiwyd y waliau cefn a llechi ond bellach mae iorwg yn rhwygo'r llechi o'r morter. Hefyd, mae'r dwr yn diferu i lawr. Mae pob un o'r waliau o amgylch y stablau a'r esgyll gwasanaethu yn llaith, yn anghynnes ac wedi eu difetha'n llwyr. Adeiladwyd y ty ar hen safle yn 1680 a thros y blynyddoedd, cafodd ei newid yn rheolaidd. Yn y pendraw, llosgodd y ty yn yr 1940au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/peterwell-lampeter-ceredigion-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16046835404ba7a0b7123ac.jpgPETERWELL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PETERWELL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2010 I visit Peterwell at relatively regular intervals but the photographic results are often plagued by poor judgement of composition or accidental sloppiness in processing of negatives. I believe the main problem with Peterwell, as subject matter, is that there is very little of the house that remains. I also believe I approach, down the long line of lime trees with the impossible expectation that I will find more of the structure than I know exists. Yet I keep returning. The high cornered wall section that does exist sits in a hollowed spot filled with gnarled trees, thick trunked with thick ivy attempting strangulation. It’s an oddly exposed yet equally hidden spot. It is also well worth a visit if you’re in the Lampeter area. The aforementioned line of lime trees (of around 50 mature specimens) is worthy of visiting on its own. The line of trees then opens out to a large pile of manure and just beyond that, Peterwell. FFYNNONBEDR. Llanbedr Pont Steffan, Ceredigion 2003 - 2010 Yn y llun, gwelir nifer o balalwyf a cherflunwaith sy'n arwain at y man He saif gweddillion Ffynnonbedr. Mae'r ty yn enwog am y planhigion a oedd yn dod dros y muriau uchel gan greu nenfwd dros yr ardd. Roedd hyd yn oed yn fwy nodedig am ei berchennog enwog, Syr Herbert Lloyd. Roedd pawb yn ardal Llanbedr Pont Steffan a Sir Aberteifi gyfan yn gwybod pa mor fen a chreulon ydoedd. Yn wir, dyma gymeriad a oedd yn adnabyddus am fod ag enw drwg. Mae'n ddiddorol nodi bod hyd yn oed tad Herbert Lloyd wedi newid ei ewyllys er mwyn lleihau unrhyw hawliau y byddai ei fab fel arall wedi eu hetifeddu. Serch hynny, roedd y weithred hon yn un y bu i'r mab ei anwybyddu a thrwy gydol ei fywyd, bu'n gwneud sioe fawr o'i bwerau a llwyddodd hyd yn oed i berswadio Brenin Sior III, i roi teitl barwnig iddo - er gwaethaf straeon am ei ran ef mewn llofruddiaeth a'i ormes eithafol. Dirywiodd Ty Ffynnonbedr yn raddol wrth i'r perchnogion a ddaeth ar ol hynny roi llai o sylw i'r ty. Cafodd ei werthu i nifer o bobl. Yn y pendraw, dechreuodd pobl Llanbedr Pont Steffan gael gwared a'u hamheuon a chydag ychydig o eironi, bu iddynt ddechrau symud cerrig o'r cartref i atgyweirio eu cartrefi eu hunain. Ymhlith y rhain oedd bwthyn i gartrefi'r anghenus. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39243095.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_237911485d414a0145357.jpgTYLE-PENGAM, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on TYLE-PENGAM, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2019 Much ruined, remote small holding.... Copied from 'Geograph' website: The ruined farm known as Tyle-pengam in Llanddeusant. According to the 1841 census the farm was occupied by a certain Isaac Williams (40), his wife Catherine (30), his mother Mary (80) and their six children. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/house-llandeilo-graban-radnorshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12353794564e65bd5e618bf.jpgHOUSE, Llandeilo Graban, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on HOUSE, Llandeilo Graban, Radnorshire 2011 Sitting beside the church at llandeilo Graban I had presumed that this building was a barn but was informed that it was indeed once a house. Long in agricultural use and remains in a good condition although I did not explore within. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/roobers-cave-hafod-ceredigion-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14232575584be65eaec666c.jpgROOBER'S CAVE, Hafod, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on ROBBER'S CAVE, Hafod, Ceredigion 1996 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. It was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired Peacocks in Paradise by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began innocently to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/great-frampton-llantwit-major-south https://images.on-this.website/7784_12630218504e49647c11e0f.jpgGREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2011 Notes on GREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2011 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13460866.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18954878674eb6420b18b4a.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9422624.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11452908764da45ab7bb993.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 A return to the supposedly demolished Bronwydd. Little does remain save the wonderful tower - the owner/farmer advised not to climb the stone spiral steps that lead to a presumably great view. I did not climb those steps. Instead I set up the camera and tried to successfully photograph the parts of Bronwydd that I'd never photographed before. (Always in the back of my mind that each visit to these mansions will be my last). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-alltwalis-carmarthenshire-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_72154053553b6f8e12f712.jpgABSTRACTION, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 An old storage container, sitting high near to the wind turbines, exposed to the elements. The painted words had worn off, barely visible as the layers of paint work battle against the cold winter months and the how summer months. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img435 https://images.on-this.website/7784_15142232755386d86650356.jpgRAILWAY CARRIAGE, Ty Coed, Blaencaron, Tregaron, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on RAILWAY CARRIAGE, Ty Coed, Blaencaron, Tregaron, Ceredigion 2014 Ruinous. these carriages can be founds scattered around and near the former railway line between Aberystwyth, Tregaron, Lampeter, Aberaeron and Carmarthen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196105.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5111798525fe1ae98ddbf0.jpgVARTEG ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on VARTEG ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Somewhat oddly, Varteg Isaf stands higher than Varteg Uchaf, a stones throw away across a field. Both are derelict and ruinous as seen here. Isaf has a roof, albeit a rusting corrugated affair. The house stands windswept and on my December morning it was chilly but dry. Tracks lead up to the house and a little further wind turbines. Great views... a few images taken, as seen here mostly from a similar viewpoint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23975233.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_998856431552e1834722c1.jpgBRONWYDD GATEHOUSE, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BRONWYDD GATEHOUSE, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2015 Impromptu visit and previous visit had been in mid summer when the foliage covered much of the building. Building drops at read down steep incline and from below the whole structure was at least three storey high. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bryn-y-crofftau-pontrhydyfendigaid-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_73469475157415b54e9dab.jpgBRYN-Y-CROFFTAU, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BRYN-Y-CROFFTAU, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2016 Isolated, long ruined longhouse and opposing stables now lost within forestry plantation https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ruperra-castle-stables-caerphilly-mid https://images.on-this.website/7784_7576680674a31da6c19cd5.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Stables, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12906991714b46e2bdc15d6.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (stable block – still in some use) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_129264384b46e3049a488.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (Service Quarters – in ruin) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6060964854b46e354b9db6.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (Rear of Service Quarters) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21248718974b46e5ed511b8.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (Service Quarters – in ruin) For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo35028351.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2721203245b0d039843203.jpgPENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 - 2018 Notes on PENLLERGAER MANSION GARDENS, Swansea 2016 - 2018 Having recently moved to Swansea it was with great surprise that an entrance to Penllergaer Woods was only a five minutes walk away. Although not large, this former picturesque mansion site is well worth a visit. The mansion itself was demolished in the early 1960's and was replaced with a red brick council building which is both huge and currently empty. Amongst the woods are waterfalls, lakes and a labyrinth of paths. Also a much ruined but fascinating walled garden. Overgrown, sometimes cut back, but soon re-growing. Elements of which are seen here; remnants of underground heating, stoves in basements, broken pieces of pipes. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llwyn-colfa-coed-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2014405095a8bec9e004fb.jpgLLWYN COLFA COED, CEREDIGION 2016 Notes on Llwyn Colfa Coed, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2016 Farmhouse not derelict, many outbuildings all in a agricultural use and interesting. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8401230.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2558687584d3fc8d17fbe7.jpgCERRIG GWYNION QUARRY, Rhayader, Powys 2003 Notes on CERRIG GWYNION QUARRY, Rhayader, Powys 2003 An abandoned stone quarry just a few miles from Rhayader. This was the only building on the site and during my first visit in the mid-1990's was roofed and in a relatively good condition. It has suffered a fire and the steadfast work of the vandals. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41426091.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15732930565f2c0e470294a.jpgTY’N Y GRAIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on TY’N Y GRAIG, Glanaman, Carmarthenshire 2020 I have this habit of veering from footpaths. Sometimes it proves fruitful. This was not one such occasion! I returned to the easy path and found the house. I thought I had missed it so ventured off in my own direction. This is often done and often regrettably so since by the time I correct the error I am drenched in sweat and annoyed with myself, slightly irritable. Little remains of this house, as seen here, but worth recording even if it was just to allow me to cool down again and take the weight off my shoulders... and re-look at the map to get my bearings. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo20156549.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_76304083752c53d3b4fc6b.jpgNotes on LLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Notes on LLANTRITHYD PLACE, Llantrithyd, Glamorgan 2013 Llantrithyd Place is a long ruined 16th century manor house. I visited on Boxing Day 2013. The morning was cold and sunny and the soft winter light made photographing the house a pleasure. I had not set out to visit the house but was driving to photograph the interior of a church in Flemingston. This was an unexpected pleasure. A wander around the ruins offered many different viewpoints and I was generally spoilt for choice of images to capture. I was however restrained by lack of film, only having 10 sheets with me. Photographing into the sun with a wide-angle lens has caused sun-spots in this image. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/lluest-newydd-lledrod-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_15369163004d84497e57217.jpgLLUEST NEWYDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLUEST NEWYDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Empty for many years I only became aware of this red bricked property whilst searching on an estate agents website. It looks a little like a railway cottage but is situated high on the slope of a hillside. The outbuildings although largely intact are not of great quality and would, I presume, be demolished once a buyer pays up the two hundred thousand pound asking price. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-cwmystwyth-ceredigion-2003 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19884620434f152c680b355.jpgHAFOD, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on HAFOD, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2003 Many tiny branches on a cloudy day and thus not brightening the highlights too high nor any deep shadows, obscuring the darker areas of the subject. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29924976.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2095554637585a2ad9900ad.jpgMORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2016 Notes on MORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2016 Morris castle was built between 1768 and 1774 but unoccupied since 1850 when nearby mining made the building unsafe. It sits on a hill in the middle of a residential area, only recently purchased by the council and as yet little work as begun to make the area visitor friendly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo16835201.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_83136133150b252155afcf.jpgCASTELL FLEMISH SCHOOL HOUSE, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on CASTELL FLEMISH SCHOOL HOUSE, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2012 Formerly a school and then home to 'Tregaron Pottery' this building is now rapidly deteriorating and windows and doors no longer providing much protection. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41503445.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17227716625f365a781aab3.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Notes on East Orchard Castle, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Revisited: Summer 2020, foliage higher but the site had a different feel than the winter visit of 2019. It was a hot day, a flying visit, only four sheets of film, viewpoints had to be chosen carefully. Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22293855.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8178126625406c11cb39c6.jpgPENBANC, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on PENBANC, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 A house hidden behind trees and bushes, not long empty but rapidly deteriorating - overgrown and dark and lowly, the front rendered and characterless but around the back (or what I presume was once the front) is a stone porch and stoned-up doorway giving clues that this was once, perhaps, a peasant longhouse. Barns and other outbuildings also present in varies degrees of dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19544562.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_154700375452584cafc62cb.jpgPEN Y PARC, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on PEN Y PARC, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 The first time I came here, some two years ago, full renovation was underway. Unfortunately this seems to have stopped – unless of course the owners are just gathering their strength and resources for another blast of activity. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2537534.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6328460144a03f196ac166.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_975624480498bc96cad14f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1090144401498bcaf52bd52.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1570281462498bca4a813dd.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5810597834b5c5a0c59da9.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5719210664b5c5a6d96b20.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/urn-at-hafod-church-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_655990425f90013096d8c.jpgURN at HAFOD CHURCH, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on URN at HAFOD CHURCH, Ceredigion 1994 Churches have lovely light. The decorative urn at Eglwys Hafod shown here was one of the first times I made a long exposure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42197462.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20746383625feb45ba643d5.jpgEDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 otes on EDWINSFORD, Talley, Carmarthenshire 2010 There is something vastly poetic and romantic regarding the grieving walls of Edwinsford. The blue morning hue hung soft and silent and I too trod soft and silent amongst the rubble and remaining walls. It felt impossible to utter a sound, if so, the atmospherics would shatter into something ordinary. The ground was frozen underfoot and thin layers of ice formed over the tyre tracks and puddles made by the sharp manoeuvres of diggers and tippers. The heavy machinery sat like silent dinosaurs in front of the house, like guards, rested from disposing unidentifiable rubble and clearing piles of debris. Never anything less than a subliminal experience one can not help but wonder why it has taken so long for anyone to come to the rescue of this unusual house that has been begging for some love for over 50 years. A house of many periods and styles, each individual yet the individual parts do not, as seen at other properties, detract from the overall aesthetics. It adds only character in the case of Edwinsford. The white washed square structure, built around a large chimney, has collapsed around the rear (wooden panelling can be seen on the walls within) and this internal view gives an excellent view of how this square structure of the house was built. At the rear there’s a small courtyard, ivy entwined around stone work, but the majority of the internal structure is a void shell revealing a few structural and dividing walls and high chimneys. The owner has cleared the piles debris and an inkling of how the house must have felt can be experienced. It would be very easy to fall in love with Edwinsford. The owners / restorers need congratulating at visualising the view from a mountaintop when they are only a small part way up. I personally can barely comprehend the task at hand. The only sound I heard during my visit was the morning birdsong; particularly the sweet song from the blackbird and also the cackle of those intelligent crows and the flow of the river Cothi. It becomes easy to recall the joy of Edwinsford, as home, as seen in old photographs and postcards; neatly maintained grounds, well dressed occupants, windows and door left open in the summer months, daffodils bobbling about on a spring morning. The wealth of full bloom sits juxtaposed to the poverty of crumbling stone and dissolved mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769437.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10062715964a31ecb3b44e6.jpgBOVERTON PLACE, Boverton, Nr Llantwit Major, Glamorgan 2009 Notes on BOVERTON PLACE, Boverton, Nr Llantwit Major, Glamorgan 2009 After camping at Llantwit Major, oddly enough at the site of a once ruined mansion, The Ham (demolished 1970), I rose at 4:30am, just before sunrise and walked between school playing fields and housing estates, down narrow twittens and alongside a babbling brook to the ruins of Boverton Place. By the time I’d walked up to its bare high walls my trousers were sodden from the foot to the thigh with the early morning dew. The sun peeked along the tips of the few remaining chimneys. Inside, the walls have patches of plaster but otherwise it is nothing but a very large empty shell with saplings and larger trees filling the remnants of rooms. Birds deftly weave in and out of the tiny windows, hollow doorways and gaps in the walls. The cellars are exposed and kneeling at the opening they appear lowly and uninviting. I decline the invitation. What would I find if I ventured down? Long lost treasures or rusty beer cans? Stone steps lead up and around corners and stop dead, opening out to steep drops. Looking up towards the tower the underside of stone staircases can be seen wending themselves up the high narrow tower. I was reminded whilst exploring Boverton Place of the fate of so many ruins, large and small. Pembrey Court was in a equal state of disrepair when I visited in 1997. Very few traces, other than its size, offer any clues on the greatness of such properties (and families). At most a few stone mullion windows may survive or even, as seen at Ruperra and until recently at Aberpergwm, great doorways; wooden with exquisite shape and feature. But other than these obvious signs (and to my untrained eye) often a property is nothing more than a few high stone walls. Previous and past owners often ransacked the finer architectural details – Boverton for example was supposed to be mostly covered in wooden panelling. Yet if an owner is unable to afford the upkeep of a large house, or even afford the maintenance and prevention of decay by the elements, natural or human, who can argue if the house is left to decay? Many properties can also be on the open market for years without much interest or any chance catching the eye of a sympathetic buyer. The longer a house is left empty it stands to reason the shorter the risk of dereliction. Perhaps in their eyes the only salvation of a property was to remove the fixtures and fittings so that they may be used elsewhere, day in, day out, rather than watch them dampen, crack, be stolen, vandalised, rot or any other of the numerous ways the belongings of house may be lost. There was an outcry at Nanteos (near Aberystwyth) when an owner removed many of the fixtures. What would have happened if the house had become ever more derelict, leading to the inevitable; water entering the building and ruining the fixtures and fitting anyway? It would have been considered scandalous if all the fixtures and fittings at Hafodunos were stolen 10 years ago but since most of it was lost in a fire which becomes the lesser of two evils? I am, of course, not advocating the finer architectural details be removed from houses at risk. I thoroughly believe a house should retain as much of its orginal contents as possible. I do however believe it is worth considering why some families do remove such fixtures and fittings. Of course, it must also be said that many properties are stripped purely for profit and for an owners personal financial benefit. Anyway, once Boverton Place, the house and grounds had been photographed as sympathetically as I can I am on my way again. Whilst visiting a house I often attempt to ignore the ‘romantic’ and traditional compositions but sometimes the urge and sheer beauty of a property is too overpowering and I am powerless to resist the wind-swept trees blowing around and about a house. The walls inside a house can also hint and reveal something about a property, its owners and their tastes – a small mustard coloured room at Great Frampton or the rich crimsons at Gwrych Castle, hushed greens at Neuadd Fawr – all small clues that help the onlooker form a mental picture of how these now decrepit rooms may have once appeared. Boverton Place 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5878316514b498792894e8.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20652773654b49882024d10.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/talysarn-hall-or-plas-dorothea https://images.on-this.website/7784_15402634274b12489590220.jpgTALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on TALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Only a half hour drive from Gwynfryn House to the mining community of Talysarn and the Nantlle Valley. It did not take long to find the ruined villa of Talysarn Hall. I first came across the vast array of outbuildings. I presumed that these were indeed the house converted into showers for the working miners but once past these and walked through the castellated arch I soon became aware of what a jewel this Victorian hall once was. The house itself is somewhat plain with three stories and a basement. The centre front bay slightly protrudes and also has a small porch. It is roofless and with no obvious discernable features within. It is nothing but a heavily graffiti’d shell, overgrown and seemingly heading silently and sadly into total collapse. I made a few exposures of the house which stands lost behind heavy foliage and with huge piles of waste from the quarries behind. I was however somewhat confused and struggled to distinguish between what was once a mansion and its grounds with that of the ever encroaching mine workings. Long driveways lead away from the house with high stone walls, one of these at the rear of the house appeared to be now a stream, an outlet from the mining days or had the driveway become a causality from the recent heavy rain. A strange bridge that led nowhere spans this stream and beyond that a small array of walled enclosures. Down below the washrooms (once stables and kennels?) another such driveway led to a further collection of buildings – built haphazardly upon one another with a narrow passageway leading upstairs and around a corner and into a room without a doorway. Further along again, next to some rendered stone pillars, a small gothic looking chapel or folly(?)sits low and dark in amongst the deep rotting leaves with the canopy of large oaks, beeches and chestnuts all but blocking out the light. The driveway wends out to another two stone pillars and a very large lodge house. I would estimate larger than Talysarn Hall itself, with large rear extensions. Dampness clung to everything. Although this house with its confusing and abundant collection of outbuildings appear, judging by the litter and graffiti, to be visited often by bored kids and vandals, there is much to appreciate here and there is an atmosphere of rural abandonment and loss. My visit at 9am was undisturbed. The greyness of the hills were broken with greenery and recreational pathways now thread though the workings often revealing ruined buildings and big pits in the ground, now lakes, that hint and sometimes loudly announce that this was once a large mine workings. These dangerous pools are a favourite haunt of many divers. Leaving Talysarn Hall I saw the large cracks in the walls of the castellated stable entrance and I was reminded that this house and its many buildings are on borrowed time. Even the extensive mine workings at Nantlle, once a barren, industrialized large mine now feels like parkland with footpaths wending in and out of the quarries, lakes and slag piles. Footpaths that were once roads and railway lines (bringing the men into the hillsides and the waste and precious copper ore out) are now used by mountain bikers, dog walkers and hikers. I spent three hours at Talysarn. After three hours under dark canopy and the damp heavy leaves composting underfoot it was a relief to get back into the open air and brightness of the day. I left Talysarn excited but also mystified. For me the house and location was sublime. It felt like it has had a varied and interesting history (although only built in Victorian(?) times – I’ve found very little information on the house so if anyone knows please do get in touch. I believe it was also known as Plas Dorothea). I could not truly find my bearings with the layout of the outbuildings; I can only imagine they were heavily transformed from domestic service quarters and stables to industrial uses, showers and administration buildings. Yet one can still imagine this estate to be, once more, a substantial and beautiful country house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13736343534b3f8159abcaf.jpg[/img] Talysarn Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/silian-school-house-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_53639853250b2528fe96f3.jpgSILIAN SCHOOL HOUSE, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on SILIAN SCHOOL HOUSE, Ceredigion 2012 Built in 1956 and closed down in 1976. Locals had hoped to find use of building but sadly it remains derelict to this day. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40713435.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15872537705e1596f595e33.jpgSTABLES at POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Notes on STABLES at POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Recently put on the market with planning for housing on the grounds, one feels the urbanization around the property is already intrusive but if it helps to keep this lovely building from further deterioration then housing is the lesser of two evils. The property is reached by a gated entrance on the edge of the village Pontlliw. There is no need to open the gate as access can be found simply by walking beside the gatepost. There's a small bricked ruined lodge to the right, small and roofless but the structure itself seems sound. I parked the car here and walked along the meandering driveway. I could hear some kid kicking a ball against a garage door in one of the backyards of the houses built alongside the road and parallel to the driveway. I immediately noticed a CCTV camera on a pole and a small light suddenly coming on as I passed. I did not mind. I was after all trespassing but also knew I had no intention of causing any damage or entering the property. I also knew the house to be in a good structural condition, empty rather than derelict but definitely in need of some re-consolidation, the white wooden veranda is in a very poor state and some of it missing. I wondered since I'd triggered the CCTV if someone would appear asking me to leave. No-one came. A few images were taken, just general views, any foliage around the property had been cleared and due to the good condition of the house I wondered if it even needed to be documented. But why by-pass such an opportunity? This had been an impromptu visit, I had just returned from a walk to visit a number of ruins but discovered a public footpath had been (illegally?) closed with a high barb-wired fence and warnings of loose dogs and about 6 or 7 sheep skulls tied to the gate. I could have found a way to enter but decided that the ruins I was intending to visit were probably not worth a dog bite and goodness knows what else... so I walked back the way I had come, to the car, a mile or so with a heavy backpack. Driving back I remembered this house, 'Poplar's' I'd seen for sale on Zoopla and had passed the entrance early on. Although it was Saturday morning, bright daylight, I was determined not to waste my morning and parked at the entrance in full view. I am pleased I did. My visit, brief, perhaps half an hour saw me shoot around 10 sheets of film, nothing spectacular but perfunctionary. As is often the case. The house is large and long. The stables are also ruined, and stand half way along the driveway. These I did enter and are in good condition and could continue to be used as stables if desired. I am uncertain if the stables are grade 2 listed (as the house is) so could be possibly demolished. There are images on the web which show the house inside - it looks shabby and needs a lot of decorating and modernizing but I'm sure someone will turn this into a wonderful home once again. I believe planning consent consists of turning the house into dual occupancy. I expect this time next year the whole complex will be mostly finished, polished and Poplar's will experience another chapter in it's life. The following has been taken from British Listed Buildings website and gives a detailed description of the house: Constructed c1890 by a local industrialist Friedrich William Dahne and originally called Friedrichsruh. Dahne is believed to be Austrian. He is recorded as advertising for a ‘Working Housekeeper’ in October 1899 and the house and grounds are first shown on the 2nd ed OS map of 1900. It is referred to as an ‘Attractive modern country mansion’ on its sale in 1913, by which point F Dahne had presumably died as the house was occupied ( October 1914) by Friedrich’s son David. By the mid C20 it had been renamed The Poplars. The design of The Poplars has been attributed to Glendinning Moxham (1865-1946) an architect active in South Wales and resident in Swansea. Moxham published Country Homes & Cottages in 1910 illustrated with his own designs of built and proposed houses. In it he outlines his stylistic preferences for white painted roughcast walls and half timbering rather than exposed local stone, and red tiles used for walls and roofs. Internally oak is used for principal joinery elements (stair, beams, doors and panelling) with the remainder painted. He also puts forward ideas on plan types, with practical plans with deep windows preferred over an attractive elevation. Moxham designed the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery (1909), banks, hospitals and markets and other buildings throughout Wales. Glen Hir on Gower Road (1900-1910) designed with a French influence of shutters and swept roofs has been attributed to Moxham. Moxham was responsible for the Old English style Bristol Channel Yacht Club (1904) on Mumble s Road. Swiss or Alpine styles had been used in the Swansea area during the C19 with the Swiss Cottage in Singleton Park constructed in 1826 and the Old Rectory in Llanmadoc village (1876-77) by the Rev J D Davies. Detached house in Alpine Chalet style. Red brick with stone dressings, plinth and ground floor cill band. Decorative timberwork painted white. Slate roofs, half hipped with lead rolled hips and deep projecting eaves and moulded rafter ends. Tall brick stacks, decorative ridge tiles and finials. Segmental headed 6-light casement windows, ground floor with 2 upper lights. Rectangular ‘C’ plan arranged N E-SW on a gently sloping site. Long 2 storey garden range facing SE, gabled 2 storey end wings at NE and SW ends linked by single storey block enclosing what may have once been an internal courtyard, closed off by an entrance screen wall). Tower in S corner with decorative finial and slating breaking through roof of 2 storey ranges. Entrance elevation to SW dominated by large full height projecting 2 tier timber veranda on brick plinth, wrapping round at first floor to left hand elevation. Gabled end of the garden wing breaking forward. Moulded posts with bracing, arched on the ground floor and shorter on the first floor with incised and scalloped detailing. Posts irregularly spaced to the left but grouped into 3 bays on the garden wing gable with wider central bay. First floor projects and is supported by corbels. Enclosing low close boarded panels to ground and first floor with pierced decoration with the same applied as gable boarding. Behind 3 windows to the garden wing, central retains stained glass with Alpine folklore scenes in central panels with text below and surrounded by floral designs. Doors in outer bays on the ground floors, 3 windows to the end wing, central bay French doors with leaded glass with oval stained glass cartouches of females. Tiled floor up steps on the ground floor, timber boarded on first floor. Elevation to NW with gable ends of 2 end wings with shallow timber verandah as before but close to façade and more decorative than functional. 2 window to NE end wing, SW end wing with 5 windows to ground floor and 4 to first floor, irregularly spaced. Single storey range in between with wide central door and flanking windows. NE elevation, single window to return of end wing, blind door to ground floor. Projecting lean-to 2 store block on garden range, window in right return, door in left return, blocked door and low opening in main face. Garden elevation of 5 paired window bays (10 windows), projecting stacks in between the 2nd and 3rd pair (reduced) and 4th and 5th. First floor cill band and projecting cills to ground floor windows. Left hand windows to ground floor blind with small lean-to structure to right. Modern entrance porch added in 4th bay with boarded door. Interior retains original layout substantially intact with doors, skirtings etc surviving. Main entrance from SW front retains large entrance hall with single flight oak stairs with moulded newell, balusters and handrail. Raised and fielded 4-panel doors with veneered panels, door surrounds. Full height panelling, fireplace on left hand wall removed and tiled over. Tiled floor. Below stairs cupboard. Listed for its special architectural interest as a late C19 house of exceptional style and quality, retaining its original character and designed (probably) by a prominent Swansea architect. A good physical reflection of the movement of successful industrialists into this part of Swansea, with its design and touches of detail reflecting the background of its original owner. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4948743.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20599404564be3b0e6484ac.jpgCEUNANT GENERATING STATION, Trisant, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on CEUNANT GENERATING STATION, Trisant, Ceredigion 2000 Over the last twenty years I have visited and photographed this hydro power station many times but never satisfactory. I knew not what this building was until this visit where there is an information board at the sight (and also a passage in the ‘Pevsner Building of Wales’ series of books - see ‘Bibliography’ in main menu bar). It was built in 1898 a Belgium company hoping to revive the local mining industry. It employed over 270 men (apparently many Italian’s) but was a short-lived attempt as the mine closed down five years later. Much of the equipment was either sold or was removed over the intervening years. All that remains now is this large high walled, cathedral-like shell whose grounds are kept in order by the grazing sheep. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4502661.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9052158954b927cf3b6667.jpgDEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on DEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 A particular pleasing composition. The dead tree at the centre is both dramatic and breaks traditional photographic compositional rules. The American photographer Edward Weston photographed a palm tree once, showing only its trunk against a blue sky. I spent a number of years photographing the same telegraph pole in a similar style. Since then, as seen here, I have approached much of my subject manner the same way, avoiding, when it made a better compositional, the photographic compositional rule of thirds. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo11741884.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4638369674e366d12a982c.jpgOLD BOULSTON MANOR, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on OLD BOULSTON MANOR, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 With little information gathered before I left, I reached the ruins of Boulston Manor in constant and substantial rain. I had left my house early in the morning and the skies were free from cloud but as I reached my destination the clouds had gathered and had just begun to release their heavy drops. Nonetheless, I had driven seventy miles so I donned my wellington boots and waterproofs and followed the footpath from New Boulston Manor driveway and down to the banks of the Cleddau Estuary. I had expected some trouble locating the site but once I had reached the estuary it was only a short walk before I came across the high walls, although much covered with summer foliage, that stretch about 100 metres alongside the river bank and form the barrier between river and manor house. What I was viewing however was more than a wall but in fact a long and deep garden terrace which gave excellent views of the estuary and all thereabouts. Behind the walls stand the remnants of the manor house. The most interesting part being the three-storey high staircase block and opposite this another corner(?) section also 3 – 4 storeys high. A vaulted cellar sits between and beneath these two sections and above this was once the great hall. Built in the 15th century with additions throughout the following centuries up until 1702 and was home for the influential Wogan family and it is believed the house was abandoned in 1773 when the then owner built the close-by New Bouslton Manor some third of a mile inland. My visit, although in heavy rain, was not unpleasant in the least. The canopy of the trees and overgrowth kept me and my equipment relatively sheltered with the strong aroma of wild garlic at the end of its growing season, filling the damp air. This decrepit building omits a sense of majestic pride, possible due to its longevity as ruin – this house has been abandoned for over 200 years and one has a sense of the house that it must have been a striking property 400 years ago and it is easy to imagine how it would have felt to wander along the long garden terrace as the estuary waters rippled against the walls and it was probably possible to have reached down, whilst the tide was incoming, to run ones fingers in the tidal waters. To photograph Old Boulston Manor was somewhat of a challenge and I believe a re-visit will be necessary during the winter months when the heavy foliage would not be obscuring the high stone walls. Every image seen here required exposures bewteen 4 - 12 minutes long due to this foliage and dark rain clouds. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14315840.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_617494264f5caa253a4d4.jpgTY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on TY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 This house, on the Neath Road, Tonna, was the victim of a fire some years back. It was built circa 1700's as a private residence (there’s an excellent photograph of it on the 'Royal Commssion on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales' website) and then latterly as a ladies seminary. Nature, perhaps as in God, saw fit to reduce and return this house, its grounds, back to the earth. Today, the façade has all but crumbled away. The red brick structure, built in the 1920’s, glowed in the afternoon, early spring, sunlight. This red brick section seemed well built and salvageable, what a shame it felt more of an industrial addition rather than an aesthetic one. The main house looks as if it has imploded. The cellars filled in with rubble, broken furniture, white goods. I think a potholer could have unrivalled access if a potholer did indeed fancy a different kind of danger, with a more human kind of view and the destructive force of nature. The outer walls, although remain high on three sides, have all but gone on the frontage. This façade stands only a few yards away from the road. And whilst walking along the road and following the stone wall that stands around it perimeter, one cannot but wonder why this house, so openly accessible, has not seen greater vandalism. Is it because it offers the vandal nothing new? Have all the rooms within been explored and trashed, tagged with graffiti and the windows smashed? Well, actually no, peering in through the ground stair windows it would appear relatively untouched. Is it too well known, to the locals, to bother to cast a bored eye upon? I do not know. It was new to me. I have known of this property for many a year but have chosen, although not exclusively, to photograph more rural properties. The empty houses in towns and cities (of Wales) is a whole new project. This one already feels like a lifelong endeavour. This house, on Neath Road, Tonna, has reached the end of its life. It does not seem worth salvaging. Restoration seems unlikely. It is beyond repair. It left me thinking that demolition then a complete re-build would be the preferred path to follow. That is, if I were a property developer, or builder, or architect (but perhaps a gradual restoration for the historian). In its prime this was an attractive, well-proportioned property. Although my visit was a short one, only a few short hours were spent searching for viewpoints and exposing a few sheets of film, it was still a worthwhile visit. Within the grounds, other smaller ruined buildings too, their former use indistinguishable but I presume once were stables and service quarters. All overgrown with mature hardwoods, a prominent monkey puzzle and rampant rhododendrons. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-ruins-monuments-and-stables https://images.on-this.website/7784_15383739264d241ec7da9a8.jpgHAFOD (ruins, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2001 Notes on HAFOD GREENHOUSE DOOR (ruins, gardens, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2001 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. Hafod was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired 'Peacocks in Paradise' by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot stone of the monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10418373674b38868c20ed6.jpg[/img] Hafod greenhouse, 2000 YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8341476.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10027342664d392708097c8.jpgPANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PANTYFFYNNON, Hafod, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 2011 Overlooking the Hafod Estate, and almost in view of the mansion site itself, I can only imagine it must have been a sobering experience witnessing from these bleak hills the carriages coming to and fro from Hafod Mansion. Perhaps only a mile, as the crow flies, from the mansion stands the ruined farmstead of Pantyffynnon. It sits on a ledge between two mountian streams Nant Ffin and Nant Seran. It has long been ruined and I myself have been walking passed this ruin for aorund twenty years. Little changes quickly; saplings grow tall and strong, inner walls tumble, the wooden fireplace has rotted away. Today a drizzle falls. The ground is very wet and this makes the going slow. Yet like all good things this makes my visit to Pantyffynnon all the more rewarding. A small wooded area that surrounds the River Seran somehow helps with visualising what life must have been like up here, into high lands over Pontrhydygroes in the late 19th century; washing the dirty laundry, spending the winter months keeping the livestock close-by and the games the children would play. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/banks-of-penygarreg-reservior-elan https://images.on-this.website/7784_190028484be3b09fdf1cd.jpgBANKS OF PENYGARREG RESERVIOR,, Elan Valley 1996 Notes on BANKS OF PENYGARREG RESERVIOR, Elan Valley 1996 These patterns in the rock show the texture and 'face-like' images in the rock face beneath the bridge whilst the water levels are low. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9028996.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20906318464d8449756ba22.jpgLLUEST NEWYDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLUEST NEWYDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Empty for many years I only became aware of this red bricked property whilst searching on an estate agents website. It looks a little like a railway cottage but is situated high on the slope of a hillside. The outbuildings although largely intact are not of great quality and would, I presume, be demolished once a buyer pays up the two hundred thousand pound asking price. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31719622.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_911723085948d201e5fee2.19659278.jpgPONT LLANIO CREAMERY, Nr Tregaron, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on PONT LLANIO CREAMERY, Nr Tregaron, Ceredigion 2017 Abstraction, sunlight burst through unexpectedly as I was focusing and lit up the fine cobwebs and adding a delicate texture. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050640.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2382265304f250c7f46572.jpgLLETHR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLETHR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 A walk through Forestry Commission land and the track underfoot with large puddles frozen solid. The sun had yet to rise and Llethr only becomes visible once you come upon it. Mature hardwoods obscure and almost completely hide this house. The house is not a ruin and is used as a shepherds’ shelter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25890725.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_207459828956224ef7294dd.jpgABSTRACTION, Brighton 2007 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Brighton 2007 I have recently re-discovered a box of old negatives from 2007 of abstractions taken in Brighton. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37041314.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10685685975bfee5da169f8.jpgLLWYN HELYG & CILWENDIG, Swansea 2018 Notes on LLWYN HELYG & CILWENDIG, Swansea 2018 Two large ruined houses in a residential suburb of Swansea - once a carehome. i am unsure how they came to be so ruinous, most likely a fire. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-new-row-ceredigion-2003 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8655232694be65eb8d9575.jpgABSTRACTION, New Row, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on ABSTRACTION, New Row, Ceredigion 2003 Peeling paint in the ruined farmstead of Llewtysynod. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38373153.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9118930805cdd0a950f565.jpgYSTRAD OWEN, Neath Port Talbot 201 Notes on YSTRAD OWEN, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Not a long walk but steep and I was a little stiff after a mornings walking to another house (actually found in process of restoration). Ystrad Owen is perched side of a hill, perhaps not as long ruinous as it makes one believe. The Scot’s Pine can be seen as the path ascends and the ruins are separated by the track. Both house and outbuildings are roofless and much ruinous but there’s a good sense of place here; a view, an openness which can be sheltered from, if need be, by this morning’s breeze. It was from these ruins two other properties could be spied and which led to my next walk, of Penybanc, a strange and alluring place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36756938.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1025545365bd2162b60e14.jpgPEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 Notes on PEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 A short damp walk and quickly whilst exploring it becomes apparent this farm was the victim of a fire. Inside is much ruinous and blackened. Outside a few possession scattered. A long barn with arrow-slot vents hint at an older property than what I first imagined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34338294.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16526742835ab8f7f0da451.jpgDANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2018 Notes on DANBERT HOUSE, Swansea 2018 Long ruinous - at least fifteen years - recently sold for £100,000 after the Australian owners were forced to sell by Swansea Council. Nothing has yet been done to consolidate the ruins, except last year the fire brigade dismantled the roof partially after an arson attack. Built 1880 and was last used as an employment centre. This recent visit was made two days before the house was to be auctioned off again - this time with a starting price at £70,000. No access was possible within and to be honest, I felt there was little to be gained by entering. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img400 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9897659885378e0a0a0559.jpgLLANIO FELIN, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LLANIO FELIN, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 Not as such ruined but long empty and looking quite dilapidated. A short drive from the main from between Tregaron and Lampeter, over a small stone bridge (also looking a little worse for wear) and to the house. A few fragments of the mill remain beside the river; notably the metal waterwheel. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/045 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2077744921541327f625f4d.jpgCWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 1990 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 1990 Another old negative printed and shows the workers building at Cwmystwyth mines - now almost totally demolished as much of our heritage so often is, no long term planning in evidence. Taken on 35mm - quality not great - not for sale. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40573393.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5071257485de573f1d036c.jpgKINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 Notes on KINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 I parked the car at the hamlet of Llanddewi, beside the road, a cloudy damp day. I walked passed the tiny and attractive church of St David's and along the bridle-path. The tarmac track soon comes to a gated track and to the right the large farmhouse of 'New Hen-Llys farm'. The track from the farm to (old) 'Hen-Llys' is only passable with wellingtons and at that, barely. The divots of years of tyre tread are around a foot deep but that said it has rained a lot recently. I made my way, waddling through the puddles, disturbing the clear water and occasionally trying the banks to see if the mud was easier to navigate than the water. It wasn't. To a gated field, footpath marker, a large field full of sheep and cows - all ignored me, the grass wet and slippery, more mud, more puddles. Another gate, narrow path between two fields more mud, bicycle tread marks, people do come this way and then another gate, stone track and finally to the ruins of Kingshall farm. A large L-shaped farmhouse, built on a square site, a wall completing the L-shape to create a square. Long ruinous, roofless, door-less and window-less, lintels in place, bits of metal laying around, farm plastic sacks, little sign of care. Nonetheless a nice site, sheltered due to trees, a small stream, two pig sty's, the track running alongside the house. Time to breathe here. Set up the camera. A light aircraft overhead. It circles almost directly above me and then disappears over the horizon. I'd had an argument with my partner in the morning. The walk a tonic. The struggle through puddles and mud were the mild hardship, the conversations re-lived, altered, talking to myself, making logic of my actions, trying not to disregard hers. Keeping a level head. I set up the camera and about to take the first image. I think the unseen plane is a tractor engine, the phone rings, I normally have it on silent, I need to take this picture. It's only a plane, not a tractor. I'm not trespassing but neither am I in the mood for conversation. A picture is made. The phone rings again. I don't want to speak. I compose and take another photograph. The plane returns, the phone rings. I ignore both. Both stop and there is silence but there's another sound that I can't quite work out what it is: a low engine murmur almost like birds. It stops and then I see the cloud of starlings rise above me. I take more pictures, nothing spectacular but document the farm as I see fit. When I finish I phone my partner back. She isn't impressed. I can't say I blame her but sometimes we need to stick by our decisions even if they're not right. I walk back the way I came. I had wanted to explore further - to another ruin but it is already 3pm and the dim day is becoming darker. I also haven't eaten or drank anything all day and I feel upset in body and mind. I stop at Hen Llys farm on the way back. It is not ruinous but neither is it lived in. Rendered, single glazed, a long house of sorts - around the rear a pond - probably modern and often frequented by cattle. I make a few exposures, viewpoints are few, the house looks sorry for itself rather than on the verge of dereliction. My phone is ringing again. Too many short and angry phone calls. Everyone argues. Little solace. I think my partner would not have enjoyed this walk anyway. It's been too long, too muddy, too wet. I finish my photographs again and phone her back. Do I love her? Yes, I love her. Not that she has asked me and not that I have told her. That is what it boils down to, mostly. Everything else in this argument is shrapnel and some of it hurts, some of it misses the mark. I have made my peace with myself. The power of walking with the added bonus of a ruin. I do wonder how it is to live with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llanio-felin-llanio-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_15026017014ec762394d17d.jpgFELIN LLANIO, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on FELIN LLANIO, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A disused and empty mill sitting beside the old milk factory and alongside the river. The postbox is still emptied daily. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4639812.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14755409514baf0df0216ef.jpgBLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 Notes on BLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 I left my flat in Brighton at 1am and drove along the empty motorways to South Wales and reached Blaen Baglan in the false dawn. The air was cold and crisp and it felt good to feel the soft ground underfoot. I wandered around the house in near darkness for half an hour, selecting viewpoints and compositions, judging which lenses to use and waiting for the dawn. I had been here before, almost 15 years ago and knew what to expect. My expectations were not to be trusted. I had somehow imagined Blaen Baglan to be in much the same state 15 years down the line. It is, in my eyes, at the very precipice of total collapse and perhaps due to that is a far sadder sight to behold than that of other lost houses in the region. Sadder than the magnificent Neuadd Fawr which I visited after Blaen Baglan, sadder than Edwinsford which I visited a few days later. All the lower doors and windows are boarded up with metal shutters. First inspection I presumed that the house was still in some kind of agricultural storage use. I felt relieved the lower floors were still in a water tight condition but further investigation showed the entire west side of the house had collapsed and the view within was a chaotic jumble of stone and beams. Blaen Baglan felt truly lost. I must however backtrack. My first visit to Blaen Baglan had been in 1997 and was a hurried affair. I was told the owner who lived in the bungalow next to the house did not appreciate casual sightseers. He was not there on my first visit and who knows, perhaps a private man and didn’t like the idea of strangers spoiling his otherwise secluded existence. Perhaps, he himself, loved the ruined house and considered it his own private pleasure. As it happens the bungalow next to the house also appeared to be empty although the vegetable garden beside it well tended. I photographed Blaen Baglan quickly and moved on. I was in no such hurry on this occasion. The bungalow beside it was roofless and a burnt out shell. Broken slates covered every inch of floor within and cracked loudly underfoot alerting the sheepdogs that spent their nights in the farm building close-by of my presence. Inside the bungalow the walls were covered in peeling and blistered paint, just the type of subject matter I search endlessly for whilst living in cities and towns. I did, unable to completely resist, make a few exposures of the walls of the bungalow but it was, after all, Blaen Baglan that I had come to visit, perhaps for the last time. It had fallen into alarming disrepair and although the dirty white washed façade appeared to be remarkably intact I was disappointed to find all that lay behind. Almost all interior details are lost in the piles of rubble and wood; the wooden panelling, the rear three storey staircase all lost and barely visible at the decayed core. A very depressing site and absolutely desperate for attention. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41319196.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18475851965f16c2ab97219.jpgGWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on GWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 I left the house at 4am and spent two and half hours driving in the dark miserable drizzle up to the village of Llanystumdwy. The only other traffic were articulates passing goods around the country. I parked the car and walked past a lodge house and up the winding path across open parkland passed large oaks and up to the imposing ruins of Gwynfryn Plas. The rain had stopped and a warm sun peered through the clouds just north of Snowdon skimming Gwynfryn’s façade with a warm and welcoming hue. The house is positioned beautifully on the Lleyn Peninsula overlooking Snowdonia and Cardigan Bay. Looking up at the house it became quickly apparent that the larger tower is nearing the precipice of collapse. A stone window lintel on the first floor has buckled and cracked with a bulging mass of stone above it looking ready to burst out onto the ground below and no doubt bringing with it much of the tower above. The tower, as much of the house, is built with brick but with a stone outer and was built by Hugh John Ellis Nanney and completed in 1876 (with a date stone on the tower). It remained a family home until 1928 (a mere 52 years) and then became a retirement home for the clergy, a hospital and then a hotel (a mixed, yet not uncommon, history). It burnt down during the 1980’s and has remained that way since (except for a brief period when a squatter took it upon himself to begin a restoration, a seemingly ambitious but futile attempt before eviction). Wandering through the rear rooms and service quarters there’s much evidence of the house as a hotel. Slot machines fill an outbuilding, a room full of children’s books and toys fill another, a room with light fittings and chandeliers, maintenance rooms with metal boxes filled with nuts, bolts and other hardware, rusting and messy, in disarray and disorder. Evidence of the ambitious and, quite frankly, brave squatter - a sole inhibitor - an easy chair and radio. A lot of machinery dotted around the rear of the building; heavy duty bench saws and drill presses, all rusting outside and destined for landfill one day. Many rooms are filled with building material, roof beams, an endless list of supplies and spares, either salvaged or bought for restoration, all redundant and wasted. All this is open to the elements and decaying in the damp. Cars litter the grounds barely visible in the summer foliage, other farming and foresting equipment laying redundant, damp, mouldy, lichen covered with weeds growing in and around wheels and engines. Overall Gwynfryn is a very depressing sight. The entrance is at the side, a lavish decorative stone lattice porch and it was in this doorway that the better exposures were made. A view opened up into the house revealing fallen beans, passageways and into the main hall and onto a large fireplace. I can not say I particularly enjoyed my visit to Gwynfryn. The drive up there was long and slow and under horrid weather conditions. The house so beautifully positioned yet is so miserable and carelessly abandoned that you feel anger towards the waste. I hail the brave squatter and salute his resolve but this house needs more than care put into it. It needs a hefty wallet and a generous and willing loving restorer. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6299416154b3f860608fcf.jpg[/img] Plas Gwynfryn 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/semi-circular-ruin-copa-hill https://images.on-this.website/7784_6557224914f66ea8c26406.jpgSEMI-CIRCULAR RUIN, COPA HILL, Cwmystwyth Lead Mines, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on COPA HILL, Cwmystwyth Lead Mines, Ceredigion 1993 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. BRYN COPA. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475621.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20998539874b8bc719ec971.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/copa-hill-cwmystywth-lead-mines https://images.on-this.website/7784_13550997664b90a26ef044e.jpgCOPA HILL, Cwmystywth Lead Mines, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on COPA HILL, Cwmystwyth Lead Mines, Ceredigion 1993 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. BRYN COPA. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076812.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13457075624970b3c98db9d.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s Lost Houses of Wales, it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. When I visited it had reached the peak of dereliction. The roof long gone, the cellars caved in, only the shell remained and although still magnificent, the house in its entirety is a true gothic-horror-three-story mansion. The wind blew the patchy cloud cover over the house and revealed an unpredictable view – one minute soft and graceful, the next dark and foreboding. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9876484074b46dedf49e26.jpg[/img] Tegfynydd 2009 TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26843512.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_82786698456e2f425d875b.jpgTANYBWLCH, Llwynpiod, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on TANYBWLCH, Llwynpiod, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Low cottage, few discernible features; lintels, fireplace and windows and door holes, corner of house built deeply into bank. Barely legible beneath tree and foliage, Tanybwlch is now little more than four walls. Planning permission had been submitted in the 1970's but obviously nothing had come from it. A caravan sat beside it, a dirty mattress and an empty bottle of vodka, long empty but signs of someone who thought maybe they could make a go of things. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19326393.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1066101745523b45dbc903d.jpgTRINANT, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 Notes on TRINANT, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 House and corrugated barn in very poor state - along the same path as the ruin Mynydd-du and in a slightly worse state. A group of white pony's watched my every move as I wandered around the sight. Overcast and drizzle clung to clothes and camera, a few exposures made and then I carried on away back towards the quarries of Rosebush. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/corrugated-iron-barn-rhayader-2008 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14266515954b8bc6b700ea8.jpgCORRUGATED IRON BARN, Rhayader 2008 Notes on CORRUGATED IRON BARN, Rhayader 2008 Corrigated iron farm building on the outskirts of Rhayader. Obviously once painted black the paint has now began to peel and the facade of the barn is a mass of speckled black and white. It is still in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769109.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13412691494a31da4b0ff66.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17173855074b46e15230f55.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13988046024b46e193123f6.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (interior showing use of red brick) For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-blodau-new-inn-carmarthenshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_11698462275f9ff8b6a3744.jpgBLAEN BLODAU, New Inn, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on BLAEN BLODAU, New Inn, Carmarthenshire 2009 At first, by me, preferreed over the previous image - this, perhaps contradictory, shows too much of the derelict house. Compositionally, which must be considered over everything else including subject matter, works less than the previous, albeit, similiar image. As recorded in the much revered ‘Buildings of Wales’ series (which now covers of whole of Wales, county by county) and also, with photographs, in ‘Welsh Forgotten Houses’. Blaen Blodau was a very pleasant surprise. Larger than the photographs suggest in ‘Forgottten Welsh Houses’ yet neither too large to be considered a rambling pile with two storey’s settled on a basement. Inside is dark, damp and supported with wooden scaffolding – I peered through the side door but did not bother to enter. Two curved rear bays and a front curved bay obscured by a rendered late Victorian/early 20th century overhanging porch (which gives this house a very peculiar appearance). Beautiful and vast firs scatter the overgrown grounds with a short driveway wending itself around to the house. A farm dog barked constantly whilst I was there, unable to see me but obviously aware of my presence. I circled the house and made a number of exposures. The morning had yet to truly break and long exposures were required of around 4 minutes. An air of calmness enveloped the house and grounds and one could imagine once some of the high branches were thinned and more light would enter the house and grounds that this would be a wonderful place to live. A small but lovely coach house also in grounds. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8584893344b3e2eefbc1a1.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14218197454b3e310791631.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau Coach House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4347521784b3e2d2d6d566.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6611598834b3e2d6994cb0.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20344298274a693a8350f31.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21020623124b7522aca5378.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15129231174b7522437109c.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13704385814b751fa1a32ec.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6396092764b75201e88f50.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14336817754b75212f36b14.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8665919484b75216abf7c3.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14277352674b75249100b68.jpg[/img] View beside Blaen Blodau 2009 BLAEN BLODAU. New Inn. Sir Gaerfvrddin 2009 Roedd yn braf iawn ymweld a Blaen Blodau. Deulawr ac islawr sydd iddo ac er nad yw'n dy mawr mae'n fwy nag y mae'n ymddangos. Mae'n dywyll ac yn damp y tu mewn gyda sgaffaldiau pren yn ei gynnal ac mae'n amlwg bod angen gwneud gwaith arno i'w atgyfnerthu. Mae dau fae crwm yn y tu cefn i'r ty a bae crwm yn y tu blaen sydd wedi ei guddio gan gyntedd wedi ei rendro sy'n crogi drosodd o ddiwedd oes Fictoria/dechrau'r 20fed ganrif (sy'n rhoi gwedd ddigon rhyfedd i'r ty). Mae coed pinwydd helaeth hardd wedi eu gwasgaru yn yr ardd ac mae dreif byr yn ymlwybro at y ty. Roedd rhyw naws dawel i'r ty a'r tiroedd a gallai rhywun ddychmygu pe cai rhai o'r canghennau uchel eu tocio y byddai mwy o olau yn y ty a'r tiroedd ac y byddai hwn yn lie gwych i fyw. Coetsiws bach a hyfryd yn nhiroedd y ty. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tyn-bwlch-lledrod-ceredigion-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_23419165653b8f9a1c1c65.jpgTY'N-BWLCH, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY'N-BWLCH, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Much ruined but with fragments of the A-frame and few slates remaining on the roof. Once, I presume, a peasant longhouse this has been long-ruined and it seems only the ivy is keeping the whole structure from falling. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/peeled-paint-rhayader-radnorshire-2002 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3730003444eb64199e9aae.jpgPEELED PAINT, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2002 Notes on PEELED PAINT, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2002 A large piece of farm machinery in the corner of a field. The whole metalic areas had all rusted and fragments of paint clung to its side. This was ne of the better exposures made. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23607634.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_179117392654ec2a26917bb.jpgGEUFRON, Nebo, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GEUFRON, Nebo, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage, remote, and outbuildings - long ruined but beautifully situated. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img429 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12668311815386d94563d48.jpgRAILWAY CARRIAGE, Ty Coed, Tregaron, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on RAILWAY CARRIAGE, Ty Coed, Blaencaron, Tregaron, Ceredigion 2014 Ruinous. these carriages can be founds scattered around and near the former railway line between Aberystwyth, Tregaron, Lampeter, Aberaeron and Carmarthen. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4733511.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15011171814bc16b71e7b25.jpgDEAD OAK, Nr Aberystywth, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on DEAD OAK, Near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2009 This tree is a firm favourite with photographers local to the Aberystwyth area. I had photographed it once, unsuccessfully before, and decided another attempt was needed. This time the images are a little more successful with close-up of the gnarled bark and the thick trunk filling the frame. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14549000.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4823816414f82ca76abcf8.jpgTY'N-Y-CEFN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on TY'N-Y-CEFN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 A traditonal farmhouse, not ruined and not even empty - the furniture is packed high in one room - but obviously this farm no longer has a tenant farmer. Roadside positioned and grey rendered. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llain-llwynpiod-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_211277213255eda43044574.jpgLLAIN, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLAIN, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 The childhood home of J. Kitchener Davies (16 June 1902 – 25 August 1952) who was a Welsh poet and playwright. Little remains of the house but a few low mounds in the earth. A stone gatepost, almost like a gravestone, stands at the entrance - in the hollowed ground many sheep bone and skulls. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ffos-las-morfa-buchan-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_204271224057340f840d799.jpgFFOS-LAS, MORFA BUCHAN, CEREDIGION 2016 Notes on FFOS-LAS, MORFA BUCHAN, CEREDIGION 2016 Another visit, little changed, utterly wonderful site, cliff edges now fenced off, burnt caravan beside house, needs tidying up. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img264 https://images.on-this.website/7784_293007865534ebf294a43b.jpgBRIGHTON STREET SCENE, East Sussex 2008 Notes on BRIGHTON STREET SCENE, East sussex 2008 Two negative sandwiched carefully together gives both a modern and sentimental feeling. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2384107.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_44712348349e0b625b0591.jpgLLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2009 Notes on LLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2009 A return to Llanstinan on a late March, early morning and dimly lit. The house had recently been cleared from the foliage that crept around its walls and grounds. Destroyed by fire in the 1940's the house has, since, begun it's slow decline. A side view reveals high on the rendered wall with the date 1769. A row of palms hint at once renowned garden terrace. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10045126584b6e5ff8a0cbd.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11481595294b6e613be752c.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_772588494b6e6189961ec.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21238885894b6e6b485ff7e.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1566881182498ed3a00b0e5.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House Porch 2005 TY LLANSTINAN. Llanstinan, Aberqwaun. Sir Benfro 2005 & 2009 Yn gynnar un bore ar ddiwedd mis Mai a glaw man trwm yn chwythu o'm hamgylch, cerddais ar hyd hen Iwybr a oedd yn llawn llystyfiant tuag at adfeilion dirgel a chyfareddol Ty Llanstinan. Ar un adeg, roedd gan Dy Llanstinan ardd deras odidog (mae rhes hir o balmwydd yn dal i sefyll wrth ymyl y ty), ond erbyn heddiw mae wedi tyfu'n wyllt. Mae'r Ty Llanstinan llaith a thywyll bellach yn adfeilio. Colofnau portico sy'n eich croesawu i'r ty. Mae pedwar llawr i'r ty ynghyd ag islawr (pob un wedi mynd a'i ben iddo). Gorchuddiwyd y waliau cefn a llechi ond bellach mae iorwg yn rhwygo'r llechi o'r morter. Hefyd, mae'r dwr yn diferu i lawr. Mae pob un o'r waliau o amgylch y stablau a'r esgyll gwasanaethu yn llaith, yn anghynnes ac wedi eu difetha'n llwyr. Adeiladwyd y ty ar hen safle yn 1680 a thros y blynyddoedd, cafodd ei newid yn rheolaidd. Yn y pendraw, llosgodd y ty yn yr 1940au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31719617.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6991129025948d1f2bb3085.90020033.jpgCAPEL MAIR CHAPEL, Margam Park, Port Talbot 2017 Notes on CAPEL MAIR CHAPEL, Margam Park, Port Talbot 2017 Chapel long ruined on hillside surrounded by woodland. Very misty morning, no views present only the drone of the M4 motorway. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22234998.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1412101657540022701ac46.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gwynllyn-rhayader-radnorshire-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17732685914d1b493013dd8.jpgGWYNLLYN, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Notes on GWYNLLYN, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 A small house along the banks of the stream Nantgwynllyn and stands just a mile outside of Rhayader.(now restored - 2015). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13042574.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7970549304e82bad9af552.jpgBRONWYDD GATE HOUSE, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BRONWYDD GATE HOUSE, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2011 A small two storied hexagon gate house although ruined remains in a reasonably good state, as too are the gate posts but surely some work will be needed soon if these are to be preserved. Difficult to photograph because most of the gate house is lost beneath the summer foliage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13460864.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18794720554eb641aaaca2e.jpgWALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 Notes on WALL ABSTRACTION, Shoreham, West Sussex 2008 A number of images here were taken at the majestic and ruined cement works between Shoreham and Upper Beeding, West Sussex. I passed these buildings every day for a year in 2007 when I worked at Small Dole. I have made a number of exposures of the buildings themselves but found far more rewarding the weathered and graffiti walls inside. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6882480.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20119565434caae0f4da015.jpgNotes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 A remarkable visit. In most instances the mansions I visit are in such a poor state of disrepair that the very layout of the rooms and décor are impossible to determine. Not so at Court. I know not when Court became derelict but it has not fallen into disrepair like so many others, in the 1950’s. Court has not suffered the 60 years of pilfering, or the yearly cycles of the battling elements forcing themselves behind plasterwork, between brick and mortar. The decay here hasn’t quite reached a point where total dereliction would force demolition. It is however true that the roof above the main staircase has begun to let in the rain at an alarming rate. Huge holes have appeared in the ceiling, with large saplings growing and long strands of ivy falling down. This damp area of the house continues all the way down to the basement. It cuts like a knife through a cake. Other rooms, most other rooms, although bare and with some damp, appear to be in a good dry condition. Unfortunately some of the plasterwork has begun to crumble, none as worse as the plaster frieze in the hallway just at the foot of the main staircase and therefore near the dampest areas of the house. The driveway up to the house is no longer in use other than agricultural, and glimpses of the house can be snatched. Court’s rendered façade is peeling and crumbling giving the house a sorrier look of disrepair than perhaps it deserves. Its an imposing house and its wooden portico has all but rotted and collapsed. Inside the house is spacious and although it does not have a large number of rooms, they are all a decent size with the kitchen at the hub of the house. There are the usual signs of dereliction within; old furniture, hearths full of bird nests, rusty kettles and boxes and baskets of knickknacks and ornaments, an empty but dust lined enamelled bath. Also on the site is a walled garden and many outbuildings, mostly renovated although an impressive slate clad barn remains in a derelict state. Photographing Court was a very pleasant experience. Some of the interior images required, since I never use flash photography for the black and white images, exposure times of 16 minutes whilst some of the exterior shots, due to the dimness of the morning also requiring exposure times of between 1 – 8 minutes causing some blurriness of foliage that blew in the wind. A farm stood at this site long before the mansion was built in 1800. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34338302.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16119162355ab8f7f9175d5.jpgBLAEN-NANT-MEURIG, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on BLAEN-NANT-MEURIG, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 All remains is what I believe to be is a long barn. Foundations of the house stand before the barn, in a dip. A lovely site however, covered with brambles and overgrowth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img370 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1006268255537465a178354.jpgPOST BACH, Synod Inn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on POST BACH, Synod Inn, Ceredigion 2014 I am not entirely sure but I believe this was last used as a farm shop and pub and closed relatively recently. The main road once passed right in front of the shop, on a sharp bend, but recent road improvements means this now sits on a crossroads hardly ever used. My visit was early morning and very foggy. The house seems in good condition and so far well-preserved. It is set to be auctioned end of May 2014, so I doubt it will remain empty much longer. Was this once a farm house? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cave-nottingham-1997 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19622727144c1db48ba01df.jpgCAVE, Nottingham 1997 Notes on CAVE, Nottingham 1997 Less than a minutes walk from a major road and beneath a high rise these caves are at least, in parts, fifty feet high - I am unsure of their purpose but believe to be man made(?). Nonetheless, their soft textured walls created beautiful patterns such as this.7 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4594622.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2966002224ba6524c2d1ae.jpgBLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 Notes on BLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 I left my flat in Brighton at 1am and drove along the empty motorways to South Wales and reached Blaen Baglan in the false dawn. The air was cold and crisp and it felt good to feel the soft ground underfoot. I wandered around the house in near darkness for half an hour, selecting viewpoints and compositions, judging which lenses to use and waiting for the dawn. I had been here before, almost 15 years ago and knew what to expect. My expectations were not to be trusted. I had somehow imagined Blaen Baglan to be in much the same state 15 years down the line. It is, in my eyes, at the very precipice of total collapse and perhaps due to that is a far sadder sight to behold than that of other lost houses in the region. Sadder than the magnificent Neuadd Fawr which I visited after Blaen Baglan, sadder than Edwinsford which I visited a few days later. All the lower doors and windows are boarded up with metal shutters. First inspection I presumed that the house was still in some kind of agricultural storage use. I felt relieved the lower floors were still in a water tight condition but further investigation showed the entire west side of the house had collapsed and the view within was a chaotic jumble of stone and beams. Blaen Baglan felt truly lost. I must however backtrack. My first visit to Blaen Baglan had been in 1997 and was a hurried affair. I was told the owner who lived in the bungalow next to the house did not appreciate casual sightseers. He was not there on my first visit and who knows, perhaps a private man and didn’t like the idea of strangers spoiling his otherwise secluded existence. Perhaps, he himself, loved the ruined house and considered it his own private pleasure. As it happens the bungalow next to the house also appeared to be empty although the vegetable garden beside it well tended. I photographed Blaen Baglan quickly and moved on. I was in no such hurry on this occasion. The bungalow beside it was roofless and a burnt out shell. Broken slates covered every inch of floor within and cracked loudly underfoot alerting the sheepdogs that spent their nights in the farm building close-by of my presence. Inside the bungalow the walls were covered in peeling and blistered paint, just the type of subject matter I search endlessly for whilst living in cities and towns. I did, unable to completely resist, make a few exposures of the walls of the bungalow but it was, after all, Blaen Baglan that I had come to visit, perhaps for the last time. It had fallen into alarming disrepair and although the dirty white washed façade appeared to be remarkably intact I was disappointed to find all that lay behind. Almost all interior details are lost in the piles of rubble and wood; the wooden panelling, the rear three storey staircase all lost and barely visible at the decayed core. A very depressing site and absolutely desperate for attention. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26448123.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9853534535695f50470318.jpgDOLHALOG/DOLHEULOG COTTAGES, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on DOLHALOG/DOLHEULOG COTTAGES, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2016 Three cottages, all now empty or ruined. Number 1 I believe was lived in until quite recently, the middle one has recently been purchased, the land cleared away and the third and smallest is still filled with personal belongings and is much ruined and damp. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pigeon-house-cilwendeg-house-boncath https://images.on-this.website/7784_11570957914972c947e7800.jpgPIGEON HOUSE, Cilwendeg House, Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2004 Notes on PIGEON HOUSE, Cilwendeg House (not derelict), Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2004 This is a mock-gothic pigeon house that sits at the rear of the farmhouse on the Cilwendeg estate. It dates back to 1835 and was home to doves (in the tower) and chickens, turkeys and pigeons (in the lower quarters). It has many arched windows and doors and whilst standing beside this extravagant bird house one feels an odd sense of scale. The windows and doors are small, yet the building itself towers above you. Surrounding the Pigeon House is a 6 foot iron railing which again aids the oddness of the scale of the house since the ground floor is set low on a basement level. There is much interest in this and the present restoration of the grotto (a small marbled house covered in large shells, bones and even animal teeth - see a colour image in the ‘Introduction’ page on the main menu). The shell grotto was built before the Pigeon House in the late 18th century and used to have a domed roof which collapsed and was replaced with a cheaper flat one. With hope the Pigeon House will also be restored as dereliction threatens. Long in agricultural use, it typifies the hidden treasures that can be found in Wales, be it grottos, monuments or houses - large and small. The Pigeon House, if unprotected could be further swallowed up by farm buildings and as total dereliction looms it would be a great loss. This closely cropped image has fallen victim to alittle flare due to raindrops on the lens. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1484264074b386328759ce.jpg[/img] Pigeon House interior 2004 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9038586034b3864478171b.jpg[/img] Pigeon House 2004 COLOMENDY. Boncath. Sir Benfro 2004 Dyma golomendy ffug-gothig sydd wedi’i leoli tu ol i’r ffermdy ar ystad Cilwendig. Mae’n dyddio yn ol i 1835 ac roedd yn gartref i golomennod (yn y twr), i ieir, i dwrciod ac i golomennod dof (ar y lloriau gwaelod). Mae ganddo nifer o ffenestri a drysau bwaog ac wrth sefyll gerllawY colomendy teimlir syniad rhyfeddol o raddfa Mae’r ffenestri a’r drysau yn fach, ond eto mae’r adeilad ei hun yn ymddyrchafu uwch eich pen. Mae arfdy sy’n berchen i’r ystad bellach wedi’i adnewyddu a gobeithio, gyda thipyn bach o Iwc, y bydd y Colomendy hefyd, sy’n prysur ddadfeilio, yn cael ei adnewyddu. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624309.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18600588514abf00074d508.jpgGWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on GWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 I left the house at 4am and spent two and half hours driving in the dark miserable drizzle up to the village of Llanystumdwy. The only other traffic were articulates passing goods around the country. I parked the car and walked past a lodge house and up the winding path across open parkland passed large oaks and up to the imposing ruins of Gwynfryn Plas. The rain had stopped and a warm sun peered through the clouds just north of Snowdon skimming Gwynfryn’s façade with a warm and welcoming hue. The house is positioned beautifully on the Lleyn Peninsula overlooking Snowdonia and Cardigan Bay. Looking up at the house it became quickly apparent that the larger tower is nearing the precipice of collapse. A stone window lintel on the first floor has buckled and cracked with a bulging mass of stone above it looking ready to burst out onto the ground below and no doubt bringing with it much of the tower above. The tower, as much of the house, is built with brick but with a stone outer and was built by Hugh John Ellis Nanney and completed in 1876 (with a date stone on the tower). It remained a family home until 1928 (a mere 52 years) and then became a retirement home for the clergy, a hospital and then a hotel (a mixed, yet not uncommon, history). It burnt down during the 1980’s and has remained that way since (except for a brief period when a squatter took it upon himself to begin a restoration, a seemingly ambitious but futile attempt before eviction). Wandering through the rear rooms and service quarters there’s much evidence of the house as a hotel. Slot machines fill an outbuilding, a room full of children’s books and toys fill another, a room with light fittings and chandeliers, maintenance rooms with metal boxes filled with nuts, bolts and other hardware, rusting and messy, in disarray and disorder. Evidence of the ambitious and, quite frankly, brave squatter - a sole inhibitor - an easy chair and radio. A lot of machinery dotted around the rear of the building; heavy duty bench saws and drill presses, all rusting outside and destined for landfill one day. Many rooms are filled with building material, roof beams, an endless list of supplies and spares, either salvaged or bought for restoration, all redundant and wasted. All this is open to the elements and decaying in the damp. Cars litter the grounds barely visible in the summer foliage, other farming and foresting equipment laying redundant, damp, mouldy, lichen covered with weeds growing in and around wheels and engines. Overall Gwynfryn is a very depressing sight. The entrance is at the side, a lavish decorative stone lattice porch and it was in this doorway that the better exposures were made. A view opened up into the house revealing fallen beans, passageways and into the main hall and onto a large fireplace. I can not say I particularly enjoyed my visit to Gwynfryn. The drive up there was long and slow and under horrid weather conditions. The house so beautifully positioned yet is so miserable and carelessly abandoned that you feel anger towards the waste. I hail the brave squatter and salute his resolve but this house needs more than care put into it. It needs a hefty wallet and a generous and willing loving restorer. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2329337244b3f86610b9ab.jpg[/img] Plas Gwynfryn 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058688.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3170875244a62d5bca8abc.jpgLITTLE POOL HALL, Llanvertherine, Monmouthshire 2009 Notes on LITTLE POOL HALL, Llanvertherine, Monmouthshire 2009 Nestled on a gradual decline adjacent to the Offa’s Dyke footpath Little Pool Hall is an untouched gem, untouched by time and equally blessed untouched by vandals. It contains those three essential elements ‘solitary, silent and old’. This medieval house was built sometime in the early 17th century. The bright and hot sun light that shone throughout my visit somehow betrayed the feeling of sadness I experienced whilst exploring the house. The front door was entirely impenetrable due to the summer foliage, however, the side and rear entrances were both wide open. Made up of two storeys and a very large loft are an array of original beams and staircases – bright patches of sunlight beamed through holes in the roof, weeds grew where the rain and light fell on floors. A complete mishmash of rooms on all three floors with beautiful narrow staircases winding in and out of rooms. The upper floors were precarious with holes in the floorboards. I did not venture up the loft – the staircase looked too dangerous and I could see the beams through holes in the ceiling. In bedrooms and bathrooms some traces of human inhabitancy: beds, bedpans, teapots, medicine bottles. Outside, a large barn with beautiful roof beams and also with breeze-block, corrugated iron, brick and every other building material: revealing repair throughout the centuries. A subliminal place and considering its beautiful and incredibly quiet location it is surprising that it has been left to rot for so long. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8699233154b4870799dc9e.jpg[/img] Little Pool Hall 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14293070034b4870a470a6b.jpg[/img] Little Pool Hall 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12853086024b4873974834f.jpg[/img] Little Pool Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/carmel-chapel-abergorlech-carmarthenshire-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7190590345f3198458e417.jpgCARMEL CHAPEL, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on CARMEL CHAPEL, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Small former chapel, roadside location, misty morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mine-building-nr-bwlch-glas https://images.on-this.website/7784_98243684158592a58e4d0c.jpgMINE BUILDING nr BWLCH GLAS, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on MINE BUILDING nr BWLCH GLAS, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2016 Unknown mine building in a dip beside a stream. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ystrad-einion-mines-artists-valley https://images.on-this.website/7784_1577200131522f42fe64de7.jpgYSTRAD EINION MINES, Artists Valley, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on YSTRAD EINION MINES, Artists Valley, Ceredigion 2013 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14087508.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19735819914f2d3b336ed44.jpgWELSH MARTYRS CATHOLIC CHURCH, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on WELSH MARTYRS CATHOLIC CHURCH, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo16818788.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_100306936450ae2f15b9739.jpgBRYN-EGLWYS-FACH, Pumsaint, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on BRYN-EGLWYS-FACH, Pumsaint, Carmarthenshire 2012 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41492455.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7097203705f319847d5d0b.jpgPISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Along a footpath/track and you soon come to the farmstead, large and spread out of Pistyll North. The house itself looks long ruinous, two mature tree trunks cut within the walls evidence the house has long been empty and ruinous. A new metal roof protects the solid walls. A large fireplace inside the extended section was in very poor condition – the extended section a somewhat odd looking intrusion of the main structure of the house, most likely a later addition(?). There were sheep inside when I visited, they left, I entered, I expected the floor to be foot deep in droppings and smelly but it was not, it was dry and a comfort from the rain outside. I wondered why the name of the house was half Welsh/half English. At home I searched on older maps and it seems the house has been called by the same spelling for at least a hundred years. A long stone barn, partially collapsed at the front, stands facing the house at a slight angle. Other barns and outbuildings are scattered around. There’s a lot to see and because of the position of the buildings in relation with other buildings viewpoints/compositions are found easily. The site is for sale currently and it is truly exceptional. It needs a little insight but the general aura of the place is one of positively. My visit was short, forty five minutes or so… exposures were quite long inside the house at around 6 minutes. There was a constant drizzle even if the forecast had been dry. There was no sound of traffic. No sound of farm machinery or even a dog barking somewhere someplace of. Even the birds seemed a little shy of the drizzle and judging by the birds in my garden, town birds aren’t much bothered by the rain and I doubt countryside ones aren’t either. The sheep however were bleating. They had seen me, followed me with their eyes as I walked along the track, and knew most likely and instantly that they did not know me. Yet still they bleated, neither in distress or in hope of food. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13323072.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6734750344ea262003ac44.jpgLLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Hidden from view and the morning had yet to properly break. I reached the matured grounds of the house Llanfechan in uncertainty. I had been told much remained but also as mentioned in ‘The Lost Houses of Wales’, it was ‘mostly demolished’. I could make out a bulky dark mass in the dim morning light and once beyond the covering of trees, the walls of Llanfechan could easily to reached. And once within those walls, standing in the ruins themselves, it becomes easier still to imagine this was once a rather fine mansion house. The house standing today was built in 1786 and due to fire was already ruined by 1837 and thus remained a ruin all these years since. In the Pevsner Building of Wales guide for Ceredigion it suggests that Llanfechan was designed by John Nash and is comparable to his Llanerchaeron just a few miles away (and it doesn’t take an untrained eye to find these comparisons!). The original full two storeys remain today, the façade and main section of the house. Although the outer is covered almost entirely with foliage and trees and there are a few mature trees within the site, it is generally easily negotiable – one gable end, against a damp and dimly lit bank has large cracks and holes forming with the chimney on the brink on collapsing inward. The morning of my visit the wind blew hard and the overcast day offered little prospect of improving. The wind and the dimness of light meant I required long exposures of around 4 – 16 minutes and this in fact helped me with exposing more of the buildings fabric than would ordinarily be possible. The windswept branches and leaves meant their movement wasn’t properly recorded and was instead recorded as a ‘slight blur’ and thus more stone work was recorded onto the sheet of film inside the camera. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo37041308.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6159913075bfee5d643408.jpgSCOTT'S PIT, Swansea 2018 Notes on SCOTT'S PIT, Swansea 2018 A controlled ruin but a worth visit nonetheless. Scott's Pit was built 1817 - 1824 but the extraction of coal was short lived and had completely closed by 1838. The site stands on the edge of a residential area with the constant sound of the M4 running only a stones throw away. This image was taken using a 100 year old lens, a Kodak Anastigmat 170mm and gave an excellent result. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23975229.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1613766161552e16566698a.jpgLLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2015 Notes on LLUEST ABERCEITHON, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2015 An impromptu visit on a lovely early spring morning, primarily to visit the beech tree just rear of property. The house further deteriorated and yet again, with each visit of which there have been many of the years, another sheep skull - perhaps it's the same one. My daughter loved the house and wanted to restore it as a summer dwelling. Nice idea but... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19325849.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_160264932523b3e7dbff52.jpgMYNYDD-DU, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 Notes on MYNYDD-DU, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 Lovely located in a dingle beside a stream. The house stands hidden from view but on a public footpath, hence most likely it's poor state. Upstairs treacherous, downstairs faired little better. Interesting array of extensions around the rear. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-castell-flemish-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_35866647650ae2ea4717bb.jpgABSTRACTION, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Castell Flemish, Ceredigion 2012 Paint and plaster work in the toilet of a now derelict school house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/troedyfedwen-tre-taliesin-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_112027528650f584f69cd86.jpgTROEDYFEDWEN, Tre-Taliesin, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on TROEDYFEDWEN, Tre-Taliesin, Ceredigion 2012 This house, built in the bank, is long ruined. Oddly positioned with little daylight reaching the walls, the house is damp and unfriendly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/death-in-ruins-elan-valley https://images.on-this.website/7784_1311921284c1db474a709e.jpgDEATH IN RUINS, Elan Valley, Powys 2004 Notes on DEATH IN RUINS AT LLUEST CANOL CAELON, Elan Valley, Rhadnorshire 2004 A simple exposure illustrating textures of stone, wood and the sheep's skull. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789137.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16313789174bcaacb21c94a.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 This image shows the residue of posters that had been glued upon previous posters on an empty shop front. As time passes and the elements begin their daily assault upon the posters, usually all that remains resilient is the base of the poster where the glue is strongest. This leaves many layers of wet and wilted paper, as seen here, and once carefully framed produce strong, albeit ambiguous, compositions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ochr-garth-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_18521370345a8bec999475e.jpgOCHR-GARTH, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on OCHR-GARTH, CEREDIGION 2015 Superb selection of outbuildings still in agricultural use. Farmhouse not derelict. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwrt-glyn-cottages-llanon-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_76471053454dc4f8855148.jpgCWRT & GLYN COTTAGES, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CWRT & GLYN COTTAGES, Llanon, Ceredigion 2015 Two cottages with thatched roofs and corrugated protective layers, now all broken and ruined. These sit beside the river Peris and are long empty. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/swansea-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19335175705a67451011397.jpgSWANSEA 2018 Notes on SWANSEA 2018 Railway arches. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32196691.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7928611025977a3eabd10e1.52385873.jpgPONT LLANIO CREAMERY, Nr Tregaron, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on PONT LLANIO CREAMERY, Nr Tregaron, Ceredigion 2017 A favourite haunt, and one I cannot help returning to, if I have had a break from photographing for a while. The walls inside are partially open to the elements, layers of paint slipping off the walls, frost damage, summer heat damage all contributing to the decay. Little darkroom trickery is needed, the images seen here are simple exposures and a re filled with tactile and interesting shapes and patterns.7 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25474707.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_61775305655eda434c1168.jpgLLAIN, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLAIN, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 The childhood home of J. Kitchener Davies (16 June 1902 – 25 August 1952) who was a Welsh poet and playwright. Little remains of the house but a few low mounds in the earth. A stone gatepost, almost like a gravestone, stands at the entrance - in the hollowed ground many sheep bone and skulls. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img330 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1976260730536e2ac253385.jpgUNKNOWN COTTAGE, Near Silian, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on UNKNOWN COTTAGE, Near Silian, Ceredigion 2014 Small cottage on driveway up to farm Brodawel, situated on main road between Aberaeron and Lampeter. Taken on a 6x9cm folding camera, this was a snaphot photograph, car stopped, window wound down and one quick exposure taken (especially since this stretch of road is notorious for accidents). The result was pleasing and simple. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img407 https://images.on-this.website/7784_38593805537a4be76c87f.jpgFRONWEN CHAPEL & HALL, Llanarth, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on FRONWEN CHAPEL & HALL, Llanarth, Ceredigion 2014 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4508175.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6483132714b93587b004bb.jpgRIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on RIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2009 Taken in January 2009 the winter sun light was soft and low in the sky and reflected upon the crusted muddy surfaces. Into The Murky Depths We Tread I came upon these wetland areas whilst cycling home one summers evening. Wetland areas are essential, basically untouched, and serve as irrigation and to filter pollution. The fact that no ones seems to bother to explore them due to their dampness and seemingly unfriendly environment, also allows them to be rich in wildlife. From the road that leads to Cwm Rheidol (about 8 miles from Aberystwyth) entrance through the undergrowth seems almost impossible and impenetrable. When the sun is low, bright splashes of sun light flicker through the thicket and reveal openings. Ducking under the thicket and forcing your way through, and once in amongst the deep mud and dankness, a whole new world is revealed; jungle-like and heavily branched areas, rich in photographic pickings and in some ways universal. These sorts of geographic landscapes are not typical or localised to any one part of the country. If you travel by train anywhere you always pass these oft ignored areas. They can not be built on because the land is unstable, no one walks through them, due to their (supposed) unpleasantness but once you’ve broken through their barriers of branches you enter a world with it’s own micro-atmosphere. The photographs were taken on either Ilford FP4 or Delta 100 5x4inch sheet film using a Wista camera and either a 90mm super-angulon or 135mm symmar lenses. Exposures on a grey day at F22 usually hovered around the 16 second mark and when photographing in sun light at about 1 second. My boots, trouser legs and the tripod feet were covered in thick, dark mud and although the going was slow, the actual area of these wetlands is perhaps only an acre or two in size. I’ve visited and photographed only three or four times but each time the tranquillity and ever changing photographic opportunities due to the water level rising and falling, the ever evolving process of woodlands – new saplings appearing and older trees uprooting - means visiting here has become a constant source of pleasure. YSTUMLLYN. Cwm Rheidol. Ceredigion 2003 - 2006 Deuthum ar draws y gwlypdir hwn wrth feicio gartref un noson o haf. Mae ardaloedd o wlypdir yn hanfodol. Ar y cyfan, nid oes neb wedi ei gyffwrdd ac mae'n gweithredu fel system ddyfrhau ac mae'n hidlo'r llygredd . Mae'r ffaith nad oes fawr neb yn eu harchwilio oherwydd eu lleithder a'u hamgylchedd yn golygu eu bod yn gyfoethog o ran bywyd gwyllt. O'r ffordd sy'n arwain at Gwm Rheidol (tua 8 milltir o Aberystwyth), ymddengys bod yr isdyfiant yn anhreiddiadwy. Pan fo'r haul yn isel, gwelir goleuadau llachar yr haul drwy'r dryslwyn. Unwaith y byddwch yng nghanol y mwd dwfn a'r gwiybaniaeth, agorir eich llygaid i fyd newydd. Dyma ardal sy'n debyg i jyngl I lawn canghennau Ardal sy'n gyfoethog at ddibenion tynnu lluniau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ivy-tower-gnoll-estate-neath https://images.on-this.website/7784_5971994305ce2e1e9ba4fd.jpgIVY TOWER, Gnoll Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on IVY TOWER, Gnoll Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I had not parked far from the Ivy Tower, only a few hundred yards but planned beforehand to walk a few miles into the uplands above Clyne to visit a ruined property called Blaencwmbach. Alas, the farmhouse although not finished has been re-roofed with a metal roof, gable ends re-built, new windows and doors put in place. It was not ready to be lived in but neither was it dilapidated enough to be called a ruin. I did not even bother peering through the new but dirty window panes. Before I had even left my home on this morning I had written in the map to turn around, and not to walk on, there was another ruin I had intended to visit, Ystrad Owen. To walk there meant an added two miles, at least, to my journey. I had walked only two miles to Blaencwmbach but my backpack and tripod were heavy, 12kg's, and I had not walked recently (or indeed done any exercise). I was feeling the strain! On the way back I stopped at the Ivy Tower. There is no public access to the site. The footpath that seems to head in its direction does not allow access – as a sign proclaimed – so I did not bother. Instead I took a longer route and found the tower easily. Large rocks and old knurled hardwood lay on the hillside on the way up. The tower itself is in a poor state, laid empty since a fire in 1910 and beyond repair. I feel the ruins could be consolidated and the overgrowth cleared, perhaps evening allowing proper access. A few exposures were made, not wholly satisfying but at least a photograph was taken on an otherwise hard but fruitless mornings walk. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/noddfagwynfa-pontrhydygroes-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14374813764f2d373e48c9c.jpgNODDFA/GWYNFA, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on NODDFA/GWYNFA, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 Two houses which have been converted to storage - now with planning to revert back to two dwellings once again - but uncertain if this wil now go ahead. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624308.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14906784204abf000315069.jpgGWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on GWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 I left the house at 4am and spent two and half hours driving in the dark miserable drizzle up to the village of Llanystumdwy. The only other traffic were articulates passing goods around the country. I parked the car and walked past a lodge house and up the winding path across open parkland passed large oaks and up to the imposing ruins of Gwynfryn Plas. The rain had stopped and a warm sun peered through the clouds just north of Snowdon skimming Gwynfryn’s façade with a warm and welcoming hue. The house is positioned beautifully on the Lleyn Peninsula overlooking Snowdonia and Cardigan Bay. Looking up at the house it became quickly apparent that the larger tower is nearing the precipice of collapse. A stone window lintel on the first floor has buckled and cracked with a bulging mass of stone above it looking ready to burst out onto the ground below and no doubt bringing with it much of the tower above. The tower, as much of the house, is built with brick but with a stone outer and was built by Hugh John Ellis Nanney and completed in 1876 (with a date stone on the tower). It remained a family home until 1928 (a mere 52 years) and then became a retirement home for the clergy, a hospital and then a hotel (a mixed, yet not uncommon, history). It burnt down during the 1980’s and has remained that way since (except for a brief period when a squatter took it upon himself to begin a restoration, a seemingly ambitious but futile attempt before eviction). Wandering through the rear rooms and service quarters there’s much evidence of the house as a hotel. Slot machines fill an outbuilding, a room full of children’s books and toys fill another, a room with light fittings and chandeliers, maintenance rooms with metal boxes filled with nuts, bolts and other hardware, rusting and messy, in disarray and disorder. Evidence of the ambitious and, quite frankly, brave squatter - a sole inhibitor - an easy chair and radio. A lot of machinery dotted around the rear of the building; heavy duty bench saws and drill presses, all rusting outside and destined for landfill one day. Many rooms are filled with building material, roof beams, an endless list of supplies and spares, either salvaged or bought for restoration, all redundant and wasted. All this is open to the elements and decaying in the damp. Cars litter the grounds barely visible in the summer foliage, other farming and foresting equipment laying redundant, damp, mouldy, lichen covered with weeds growing in and around wheels and engines. Overall Gwynfryn is a very depressing sight. The entrance is at the side, a lavish decorative stone lattice porch and it was in this doorway that the better exposures were made. A view opened up into the house revealing fallen beans, passageways and into the main hall and onto a large fireplace. I can not say I particularly enjoyed my visit to Gwynfryn. The drive up there was long and slow and under horrid weather conditions. The house so beautifully positioned yet is so miserable and carelessly abandoned that you feel anger towards the waste. I hail the brave squatter and salute his resolve but this house needs more than care put into it. It needs a hefty wallet and a generous and willing loving restorer. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6299416154b3f860608fcf.jpg[/img] Plas Gwynfryn 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14548682.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2404238534f82bf69f0b31.jpgROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on ROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2012 South of Teifi Pools, towards Strata Florida Abbey, is this small hillside whihc is littered with rocks and white rock. I have often wanted to photograph this hillside at night, with the marble rock luminous in the moonlight. But today is very bright, very sunny with some cloud cover. These images are not necessarily typical of my usual compositions. I aimed, by adjusting the front tilt of the lens on my camera, to flatten the perspective and attempt to capture the scene in view as one-dimensional as possible. The rugged rocks at the rear help frame the image, with as little of the sky in view as possible. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14120233.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11684353154f341f155587d.jpgNANT GOCH, Llandeusant, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on NANT GOCH, Llandeusant, Carmarthenshire 2012 A house standing ruined high on a hillside on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. The house stands on a footpath and the walk up from the hamlet of Llandeusant is a pleasant one. The path seems to be once a driveway, trees either side shelter the walker from either rain or a summers harsh sun light. Today I had neither. Today the ground was frozen solid with some snow refusing to hinder nor indeed thaw and the sun shone brightly but any warm it offered was welcomed. The house, as seen here, is roofless and is now just a shell. Fragments of outbuildings remain, some hidden in deep shadow whilst other parts in bright sunlight, bringing out the textured stonework and mortar and causing me to run my hands over its rough texture. Beautifully located and seemingly content in its ruinous state. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/forestry-at-hafod-cwmystwyth-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_15676099014f152ca68855e.jpgFORESTRY AT HAFOD, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2001 Notes on FORESTRY AT HAFOD, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2001 There are many square miles of foresty in the upper reaches of the Cambrian Mountains - these few have been intersected with a fallen branch, dividing the frame into four. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/barn-cwmrheidol-ceredigion-2004 https://images.on-this.website/7784_587930044baf5b4eb7b12.jpgBARN, Cwmrheidol, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on BARN, Cwmrheidol, Ceredigion 2004 A quite large wooden, brick and corrugated iron building alongside the road from Aberystywth towards Cwm Rheidol. It's patchwork facade suggests the builder used whatever materials were at hand and gives this barn a odd but appealing aesthetic feel. SIED HAEARN RHYCHIOG. Cwm Rheidol, Ceredigion 2005 Adeilad mawr o bren, brics a thun wrth ymyl y ffordd tuag at Gwm Rheidol. Mae'r wyneb clytwaith yn awgrymu i'r adeiladwr ddefnyddio pa bynnag ddefnyddiau oedd ger Haw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tai-unos-2-rhos-gelli https://images.on-this.website/7784_147291871557fc4e5e7749.jpgPEN-CWM, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 20 Notes on PEN-CWM, TY-UNNOS #2, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 By far the largest of the buildings, this is a two storey house with a smaller one storey cottage behind. A return to the area and I made an exposure of each property unless so little remained that it was not worthwhile. Hard to imagine that this was once a busy little community. I imagine all the houses were thatched, though all are stone with a few brick chimneys here and there. Only two of the properties were of two storey, the largest of which also had a separate cottage/barn at a right angle behind, no inter-connecting door but interesting nonetheless. The rain lashed down when I reached there and I took shelter for a good ten minutes wondering if, indeed, the rain would stop. It slowed, so I went out, making a few exposures but the horizontal rain was covering my lens with a fine mist. Some of the pictures have been effected and therefore not printed. The rain did at last stop, the sun came out, my fingers were by this time red and raw but the sun soon thawed me and dried my equipment. By the time I returned to my car I was too dry and warm. Previous notes TAI-UNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not know the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2 etc… https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llewenni-stables-denbigh-denbighshire-1997 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2085737047497053f0a9beb.jpgLLEWENNI STABLES, Denbigh, Denbighshire 1997 Notes on LLEWENI STABLES & COACH HOUSE, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 (mansion long demolished) A huge red brick Georgian stable block in decay, the original Lleweni house was built in 16th century and was demolished 1816-18. The re-built Lleweni survives. According to Thomas Lloyd in his book The Lost Houses of Wales, it was demolished by Colonel William Hughes for no better reason than that his wife thought it would be bad for her health and his mother thought the rooms were too big! Demolition he later regretted: it is said that afterwards, when all was done, he sat down in the ruins and cried. Lleweni’s sheer size was stunning, an L shape (with further extensions to form a T), the two arms of the thirteen bays are each sectioned with gothic towers and turrets and built around a massive medieval hall. In 1997, the stables and coach house were derelict and wet. It was mid-summer and the bracken and brambles neck high. One could barely get close to its walls. Once inside, masonry littered the ground and beams balanced precariously from floors above. Bird nests lay empty in high alcoves and cobwebs hung damp from doorways and corners. The roof had various holes and after an unexpected visit in 2005, with a protective fence around its circumference, the holes in the roof had enlarged thus threatening potential collapse. It was, again, on the market but thus far remains unsold. This image shows a dirty window with dried skeleton leaves and cobwebs evoking a sense of stillness and decay. Lleweni coach house has now been converted into flats. Click on this link to see photographs: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1153129 If you appreciate abstract photography such as this please view my 'abstractions' gallery on my sister website www.paulwhitephotographic.co.uk [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1984407074b73b51e0f3ab.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8426261164b73b53c6c2e2.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19531600594b73b55c58f87.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18628391644b73b573a686d.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7196236954b73b59681e0e.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16905480974b73b5b75d464.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5755738014b3887b0f36dd.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1494628297498ed33ab4c33.jpg[/img] Lleweni Stables 2005 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4051682.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3898857575f9ff88bc22c2.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1205440124b5c5b0952b9d.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7696061414b5c5b3c41528.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6698215724b5c5bc4d6cb8.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5639447514b5c5ae86863f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_343839564b5c5acbe80c3.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15831139334b5c5b75cd315.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/banc-esgair-mwyn-ffair-rhos https://images.on-this.website/7784_3828169234b8bc6d3585c1.jpgBANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BANC ESGAIR MWYN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2005 A bleak and desolate place. A jumble of machinery and other red coloured rusty mechanics, some dating from the mid 1900's, blotting the landscape and resilient in the wind and rain. An eerie place and a little further up the hillside two large open mining shafts which at some point had served as a general farmyard junk pit and filled with car parts, corrugated iron and many other unrecognisable and tangled metal. Historically, Esgair Mwn, was a place of hard work and strife, one such episode involving a gang and a gun is recorded in Bethan Hughes' book on Peterwell mansion and its notorious owner Lloyd Herbert. There has been a mine at this sight for over 300 years but finally came to an end in 1966. I was also told that there was a brave sole miner during the 1980's. I wonder if this is true and one also wonders what kind of life it must have been. BANC ESGAIR MWN. Ffair-Rhos, Ceredigion 2005 & 2009 Lie diffaith a llwm. Amrywiaeth o beirianwaith a moduron wedi rhydu yn blith draphlith o amgylch y He, rhai ohonynt yn dyddio'n ol i ganol yr ugeinfed ganrif, yn ddolur i'r llygad ond yn gadarn yn erbyn y gwynt a'r glaw. Lie annaearol yw hwn, ac wrth ddringo ychydig yn uwch ar y llechwedd ceir dwy siafft gloddio fawr agored, a fu ar un adeg yn dwll ar gyfer pob math o sbwriel fferm, ac felly maent yn llawn ceir, tun rhychiog a phentyrrau dryslyd o fetel sy'n amhosib dyfalu beth ydynt. Yn hanesyddol bu cryn ddiwydrwydd ac ymryson yn Esgair Mwn, a bu i Bethan Hughes gofnodi un achlysur yn ymwneud a gang a dryll yn ei chyfrol Peterwell sydd yn ofrhain hanes ystad Ffynnonbedr a'i pherchennog drwg-enwog Lloyd Herbert. Bu mwynglawdd yma am dros 300 mlynedd, ond daeth y gwaith i ben ym 1966. Clywais son y bu mwynwr yn gweithio yno ar ei ben ei hun am gyfnod byr yn y 1980au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624316.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9823597304abf0025bb7ec.jpgGWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on GWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 I left the house at 4am and spent two and half hours driving in the dark miserable drizzle up to the village of Llanystumdwy. The only other traffic were articulates passing goods around the country. I parked the car and walked past a lodge house and up the winding path across open parkland passed large oaks and up to the imposing ruins of Gwynfryn Plas. The rain had stopped and a warm sun peered through the clouds just north of Snowdon skimming Gwynfryn’s façade with a warm and welcoming hue. The house is positioned beautifully on the Lleyn Peninsula overlooking Snowdonia and Cardigan Bay. Looking up at the house it became quickly apparent that the larger tower is nearing the precipice of collapse. A stone window lintel on the first floor has buckled and cracked with a bulging mass of stone above it looking ready to burst out onto the ground below and no doubt bringing with it much of the tower above. The tower, as much of the house, is built with brick but with a stone outer and was built by Hugh John Ellis Nanney and completed in 1876 (with a date stone on the tower). It remained a family home until 1928 (a mere 52 years) and then became a retirement home for the clergy, a hospital and then a hotel (a mixed, yet not uncommon, history). It burnt down during the 1980’s and has remained that way since (except for a brief period when a squatter took it upon himself to begin a restoration, a seemingly ambitious but futile attempt before eviction). Wandering through the rear rooms and service quarters there’s much evidence of the house as a hotel. Slot machines fill an outbuilding, a room full of children’s books and toys fill another, a room with light fittings and chandeliers, maintenance rooms with metal boxes filled with nuts, bolts and other hardware, rusting and messy, in disarray and disorder. Evidence of the ambitious and, quite frankly, brave squatter - a sole inhibitor - an easy chair and radio. A lot of machinery dotted around the rear of the building; heavy duty bench saws and drill presses, all rusting outside and destined for landfill one day. Many rooms are filled with building material, roof beams, an endless list of supplies and spares, either salvaged or bought for restoration, all redundant and wasted. All this is open to the elements and decaying in the damp. Cars litter the grounds barely visible in the summer foliage, other farming and foresting equipment laying redundant, damp, mouldy, lichen covered with weeds growing in and around wheels and engines. Overall Gwynfryn is a very depressing sight. The entrance is at the side, a lavish decorative stone lattice porch and it was in this doorway that the better exposures were made. A view opened up into the house revealing fallen beans, passageways and into the main hall and onto a large fireplace. I can not say I particularly enjoyed my visit to Gwynfryn. The drive up there was long and slow and under horrid weather conditions. The house so beautifully positioned yet is so miserable and carelessly abandoned that you feel anger towards the waste. I hail the brave squatter and salute his resolve but this house needs more than care put into it. It needs a hefty wallet and a generous and willing loving restorer. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17514078064b3f8404d30ce.jpg[/img] Plas Gwynfryn 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5408555794b3f844e97f11.jpg[/img] Plas Gwynfryn 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33968015.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_431506395a67021f0cfeb.jpgCYLLIE FARM, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Notes on CYLLIE FARM, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Another ruin in a small clump of abandoned dwellings, Cyllie farm seems to be undergoing signs of restoration. Three dirty white caravans sit in the grounds. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hills-above-llanddewi-brefi-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_25611473257340f7f5c13e.jpgHILLS ABOVE LLANDDEWI-BREFI, CEREDIGION 2016 Notes on HILLS ABOVE LLANDDEWI-BREFI, CEREDIGION 2016 A bright and misty morning, the mist moving in and out the hills and forests, at once covering me and then retreating, only to return a few moments later. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/lions-at-llanddewi-brefi-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_17058374085488a4853a5b5.jpgLIONS AT LLANDDEWI-BREFI, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LIONS AT LLANDDEWI-BREFI, Ceredigion 2014 These two dirty lions stand guard at a part ruined stone - part cement block - kennels high up in the hills of Llanddewi-Brefi. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25475728.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_164055442955edac187179a.jpgBRONCAPEL, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BRONCAPEL, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2015 Just about visible from the road, Broncapel seems to be on the precipice of restoration/rebuild. Planning had been submitted previously and at a guess I'd say this was when the site was cleared. It's in a nice position with views over the valley - and was obviously a large house, possibly a longhouse. The drizzle impeded my visit, tiny raindrops landing on my lens and it was a constant battle to wipe them off, quickly take the photograph and then move to next viewpoint. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6817532.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16413261484ca62164073a8.jpgCOURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 A remarkable visit. In most instances the mansions I visit are in such a poor state of disrepair that the very layout of the rooms and décor are impossible to determine. Not so at Court. I know not when Court became derelict but it has not fallen into disrepair like so many others, in the 1950’s. Court has not suffered the 60 years of pilfering, or the yearly cycles of the battling elements forcing themselves behind plasterwork, between brick and mortar. The decay here hasn’t quite reached a point where total dereliction would force demolition. It is however true that the roof above the main staircase has begun to let in the rain at an alarming rate. Huge holes have appeared in the ceiling, with large saplings growing and long strands of ivy falling down. This damp area of the house continues all the way down to the basement. It cuts like a knife through a cake. Other rooms, most other rooms, although bare and with some damp, appear to be in a good dry condition. Unfortunately some of the plasterwork has begun to crumble, none as worse as the plaster frieze in the hallway just at the foot of the main staircase and therefore near the dampest areas of the house. The driveway up to the house is no longer in use other than agricultural, and glimpses of the house can be snatched. Court’s rendered façade is peeling and crumbling giving the house a sorrier look of disrepair than perhaps it deserves. Its an imposing house and its wooden portico has all but rotted and collapsed. Inside the house is spacious and although it does not have a large number of rooms, they are all a decent size with the kitchen at the hub of the house. There are the usual signs of dereliction within; old furniture, hearths full of bird nests, rusty kettles and boxes and baskets of knickknacks and ornaments, an empty but dust lined enamelled bath. Also on the site is a walled garden and many outbuildings, mostly renovated although an impressive slate clad barn remains in a derelict state. Photographing Court was a very pleasant experience. Some of the interior images required, since I never use flash photography for the black and white images, exposure times of 16 minutes whilst some of the exterior shots, due to the dimness of the morning also requiring exposure times of between 1 – 8 minutes causing some blurriness of foliage that blew in the wind. A farm stood at this site long before the mansion was built in 1800. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img359 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20783351835370fc6d93975.jpgGLYNTEG & PENCWARRE, Llanarth, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GLYNTEG & PENCWARRE, Llanarth, Ceredigion 2014 A pair of cottages with corrugated roofs and a odd looking extension. The morning was very foggy and the wet grass quickly soaked my inappropriate footwear. Peering inside was uninteresting, both cottages empty and filled with nothing but dust. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36757397.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20348192725bd2a249dc7cd.jpgPEN-Y-GRAIG, Port Tenant, Swansea 2018 Notes on PEN-Y-GRAIG, Port Tenant, Swansea 2018 Nestled in a group of trees on a hillside, half a mile from Port Tenant, which overlooks the industrial harbour at Swansea. Pen-y-graig stands roofless and ruinous. It seems relatively untouched by vandal, mostly ignored by bored youth and content in its derelict state. Outbuildings also ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115756.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19002910834982dd2238be7.jpgBUTTERHILL, St Ishmael's, Pembrokeshire 2005 Notes on BUTTERHILL, St Ishmael's, Pembrokeshire 2005 Built and accommodated by the Roche family from 1607 – 1906, it has been continually enlarged throughout its life. It has three storey’s at the front and a massive, imposing extra storey at the rear. A short walk from the lodge west of the house opens out to Butterhill and its substantial outbuildings. All seemed too ruinous for restoration but in late May 2005 it appeared a new roof had been laid and new draining placed and once again the house has begun a new chapter in its life. Unbeknown to me at the time of my visit there is also a fine and small Shell Grotto in the grounds with a small dome roof. It is said to be in a perilous state. I was also told and/or read somewhere that there was a dolls house based on Butterhill. Does this still remain? [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17333754994b73b25bcc569.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5334123824b73b27bcd2b3.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3885395764b73b29b1d441.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 BUTTERHILL St Ishmael’s. Sir Benfro 2005 Adeiladwyd gan deulu Roche a buont yn byw yno rhwng 1607 - 1906, a chafodd ei ehangu yn gyson drwy gydol ei oes. Mae ganddo dri llawr ar y blaen, a llawr ychwanegol sylweddol yn y cefn. Ychydig o’r lodj i’r gorllewin o’rty gwelir Butterhill a’i dai allan sylweddol. Ymddangosai’r cyfan yn rhy wael i’w hadfer ond ar ddiwedd Mai 2005 gwelwyd to newydd yn cael ei osod a draeniau newydd ac unwaith yn rhagor mae’r ty yn dechrau cyfnod newydd yn ei fywyd. Mae yna hefyd arfdy a thy gwenyn ar y tir. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2120031.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16823986804985358a0aa8c.jpgLLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2005 Notes on LLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2005 Late May, early morning, a heavy drizzle blew around me as I walked along the over-formed yet revealing pathway, over a tumbled bridge and a gentle stream towards the ruins of Llanstinan House. I was unsure what remained, so often the case very little, perhaps a few tell-tale signs; a pile of rocks, a crater forming a pond due to demolition or a new bungalow sharing a demolished mansions name. However, as i walked along the winding path occasional views were partially snatched through the wilderness of exotic trees and common overgrowth and on to the large ruins of Llanstinan House. Once proud with its terraced garden, now all tangled and overgrown, Llanstinan crumbles damp and dark. A small square pillared portico dated 1905 opens into the house, a high four storeys as well as a basement (all caved in). The rear walls are slate clad with ivy ripping apart the slates and mortar and as ever, water dripping from high above. The walled stables and service wings are all ruined, damp and unfriendly. The house was built on an old site in 1680 and throughout its life has been continually altered but eventually was burnt down in the 1940’s. I spent a number of hours at Llanstinan, surprised by its size and although relatively close proximity to a village, untouched by vandals. A fascinating, mysterious place. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5598954594b34b27fc2e23.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18527384404b6e5bc71e036.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_848821374b6e5c26ac12d.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10926484464b6e5d768f427.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 TY LLANSTINAN. Llanstinan, Aberqwaun. Sir Benfro 2005 & 2009 Yn gynnar un bore ar ddiwedd mis Mai a glaw man trwm yn chwythu o'm hamgylch, cerddais ar hyd hen Iwybr a oedd yn llawn llystyfiant tuag at adfeilion dirgel a chyfareddol Ty Llanstinan. Ar un adeg, roedd gan Dy Llanstinan ardd deras odidog (mae rhes hir o balmwydd yn dal i sefyll wrth ymyl y ty), ond erbyn heddiw mae wedi tyfu'n wyllt. Mae'r Ty Llanstinan llaith a thywyll bellach yn adfeilio. Colofnau portico sy'n eich croesawu i'r ty. Mae pedwar llawr i'r ty ynghyd ag islawr (pob un wedi mynd a'i ben iddo). Gorchuddiwyd y waliau cefn a llechi ond bellach mae iorwg yn rhwygo'r llechi o'r morter. Hefyd, mae'r dwr yn diferu i lawr. Mae pob un o'r waliau o amgylch y stablau a'r esgyll gwasanaethu yn llaith, yn anghynnes ac wedi eu difetha'n llwyr. Adeiladwyd y ty ar hen safle yn 1680 a thros y blynyddoedd, cafodd ei newid yn rheolaidd. Yn y pendraw, llosgodd y ty yn yr 1940au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769115.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16061479594a31da66ba386.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13016798894b46e3a6c754c.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (The coat of arms above main entrance) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20721635804b46e4129f0a8.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo35752938.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15495739865b60b792abc2d.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby, Pembrokeshire 2018 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby, Pembrokeshire 2018 Abandoned in 1824 due to a smallpox outbreak and lain ruinous ever since. Surprisingly, for a house that’s been left to the elements for almost two hundred years there’s much to see at Scotsborough. I parked on the B-road next to the gated entrance – two farm gates padlocked together – risking the owner/farmer would not be requiring access on this Saturday morning – the trackway was muddy but I saw no recent tyre treads from tractor or quad bike. I figured I was safe parking my car where it was. I should also mention it was raining hard, I was on a tight schedule, my daughter was with me but my partner refused to leave the car! The walk down the track was short, maybe only 75 yards, and the high walls sat in light woodland. I only had a few sheets of film with me, so I set about exploring and taking a few shots. I knew I would return as soon as I had arrived, a winter visit would be required, when the tree branches are skeleton and the day overcast but dry! As ever prepared, my unsuitable footwear was sodden (as were my daughters) but I can say fairly this was a spontaneous visit on my birthday. According to the web, also known as Scotsborough Castle, and was probably built late 14th or early 15th century. Before the marsh land was reclaimed beside it, the river Rhydeg was an inlet to the sea, and it was likely there was a docking bay close to the house. Wandering around the ruins it becomes obvious that at times the ground around the house has been cleared, saplings have grown but the trees are not overly mature. Perhaps unsurprising, given its close proximity to Tenby, within some of the walls, bottles of beer were found, local youths gravitating to secluded areas, small campfires blackened stone and earth. Quite a solitary visit, my daughter quietly taking photographs, calling excitedly if she saw something worthy of viewing. I thought; chip off the old shoulder. Twenty minutes later we were heading back to the car, drenched but satisfied with our short visit and the mind curious about the history of the house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14266062.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8309031744f5351426dac9.jpgUNKNOWN HOUSE, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN HOUSE, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2012 A small cluster of ruined farmsteads, this one a peasent longhouse, on the west bank of the Garreg-ddu reservoir. Probably vacated when the reservoir was built. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769434.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20086372204a31eca51a1a8.jpgBOVERTON PLACE, Boverton, Nr Llantwit Major, Glamorgan 2009 Notes on BOVERTON PLACE, Boverton, Nr Llantwit Major, Glamorgan 2009 After camping at Llantwit Major, oddly enough at the site of a once ruined mansion, The Ham (demolished 1970), I rose at 4:30am, just before sunrise and walked between school playing fields and housing estates, down narrow twittens and alongside a babbling brook to the ruins of Boverton Place. By the time I’d walked up to its bare high walls my trousers were sodden from the foot to the thigh with the early morning dew. The sun peeked along the tips of the few remaining chimneys. Inside, the walls have patches of plaster but otherwise it is nothing but a very large empty shell with saplings and larger trees filling the remnants of rooms. Birds deftly weave in and out of the tiny windows, hollow doorways and gaps in the walls. The cellars are exposed and kneeling at the opening they appear lowly and uninviting. I decline the invitation. What would I find if I ventured down? Long lost treasures or rusty beer cans? Stone steps lead up and around corners and stop dead, opening out to steep drops. Looking up towards the tower the underside of stone staircases can be seen wending themselves up the high narrow tower. I was reminded whilst exploring Boverton Place of the fate of so many ruins, large and small. Pembrey Court was in a equal state of disrepair when I visited in 1997. Very few traces, other than its size, offer any clues on the greatness of such properties (and families). At most a few stone mullion windows may survive or even, as seen at Ruperra and until recently at Aberpergwm, great doorways; wooden with exquisite shape and feature. But other than these obvious signs (and to my untrained eye) often a property is nothing more than a few high stone walls. Previous and past owners often ransacked the finer architectural details – Boverton for example was supposed to be mostly covered in wooden panelling. Yet if an owner is unable to afford the upkeep of a large house, or even afford the maintenance and prevention of decay by the elements, natural or human, who can argue if the house is left to decay? Many properties can also be on the open market for years without much interest or any chance catching the eye of a sympathetic buyer. The longer a house is left empty it stands to reason the shorter the risk of dereliction. Perhaps in their eyes the only salvation of a property was to remove the fixtures and fittings so that they may be used elsewhere, day in, day out, rather than watch them dampen, crack, be stolen, vandalised, rot or any other of the numerous ways the belongings of house may be lost. There was an outcry at Nanteos (near Aberystwyth) when an owner removed many of the fixtures. What would have happened if the house had become ever more derelict, leading to the inevitable; water entering the building and ruining the fixtures and fitting anyway? It would have been considered scandalous if all the fixtures and fittings at Hafodunos were stolen 10 years ago but since most of it was lost in a fire which becomes the lesser of two evils? I am, of course, not advocating the finer architectural details be removed from houses at risk. I thoroughly believe a house should retain as much of its orginal contents as possible. I do however believe it is worth considering why some families do remove such fixtures and fittings. Of course, it must also be said that many properties are stripped purely for profit and for an owners personal financial benefit. Anyway, once Boverton Place, the house and grounds had been photographed as sympathetically as I can I am on my way again. Whilst visiting a house I often attempt to ignore the ‘romantic’ and traditional compositions but sometimes the urge and sheer beauty of a property is too overpowering and I am powerless to resist the wind-swept trees blowing around and about a house. The walls inside a house can also hint and reveal something about a property, its owners and their tastes – a small mustard coloured room at Great Frampton or the rich crimsons at Gwrych Castle, hushed greens at Neuadd Fawr – all small clues that help the onlooker form a mental picture of how these now decrepit rooms may have once appeared. Boverton Place 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16435710524b498651209b2.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2819101494b4986e95af39.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo27550744.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_88942929657415b4fe89a0.jpgLLAWR-Y-CWM-BACH farmhouse & mine workings, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on LLAWR-Y-CWM-BACH farmhouse & mine workings, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Isolated farmhouse and outbuildings - empty but not derelict although in need of some consolidation - outbuildings still in use, mine workings 100 yards away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699180.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3131008265e1235684695f.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/barn-dol-y-gaer-crickhowell https://images.on-this.website/7784_14770124894f3772639afe0.jpgBARN, DOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 Notes on DOL-Y-GAER, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 A long ruined longhouse. The walk up from Crickhowell isn’t long and although rises steeply, is not too strenuous even with 20 kg of camera equipment. Dol-y-Gaer stands alongside the footpath that climbs to Crug Hywel Mountain in the Brecon Beacons. The views, as one would expect, are stunning but on this snowy & frosty day the winter sun struggled to burn through the morning haze. The main house, according to research on the internet, was built to replace the smaller dwelling seen here, facing west. This older, smaller dwelling is now used as agricultural storage and has a metal roof, as does the long barn beneath it, to protect it from further deterioration. The main house, although once boarded up has been broken into, with the boards kicked/smashed in and within, some furniture remains, all messy and uninviting. The staircase has all but collapsed and I declined the option for climbing them and seeing further debris in the upstairs rooms. Downstairs, the front door opens into the living area and a corridor run along past the kitchen and into a dining area. A strange design, when compared to many other longhouses, and I wondered if extensions or renovations, long ago, had caused this peculiar design. As the ice and snow thawed from the roof it ran down from where the drains had come apart and this constant trickle of water was the only sound to be heard, that and the birds and far away sheep bleating. Everything was still and silent and I took a number of images. The still morning was unbroken and after I had used up the remaining film I had I folded my camera up and packed it back into my bag. On the slippery walk down I met five different groups of walkers. I was pleased not to be disturbed whilst photographing but was more than happy to stop and talk in the way back down to Crickhowell. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36756944.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15186786275bd2178a479bb.jpgPEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 Notes on PEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 A short damp walk and quickly whilst exploring it becomes apparent this farm was the victim of a fire. Inside is much ruinous and blackened. Outside a few possession scattered. A long barn with arrow-slot vents hint at an older property than what I first imagined. The walls within however were rich in photographic pickings, the paintwork blistered, the brickwork crumbling. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaenpant-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1497740364e4c04133d0b4.jpgBLAENPANT, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAENPANT, Ceredigion 2011 Empty for a number of years and wandering around the rear and gardens one can image that this was once a very plesent property. The rear extention has been taken down at some point and has left its scar upon the rear windowless wall. Corrugated sheds at rear in agricultural use? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3626471.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10570131324abf474a52cf4.jpgGWDIG / GOODIG, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on GWDIG / GOODIG, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire 2009 Once again an early 4am start, leaving my house at Cwmystwyth and driving south through Lampeter and beyond Carmarthen towards Llanelli. I had driven by Gwdig a few times before. It stands solemn but in a great location, high on a hillside overlooking Burry Port and the Burry Estuary. Even from below on the main road to Llanelli it is apparent the house is both large and derelict. The hand painted word ‘HOTEL’ stands loudly on its decrepit walls. It is uncertain when built but a date stone was found on a front wall dated 1701 (although this is thought to be when it was restored or re-built – a house stood at this location before then). See http://www.llanelli-history.co.uk/houses_goodig.htm for further information. Up close the house is in a very sad state of disrepair. The upper floors have all collapsed with the staircase a chaotic mess of wood. Some wooden panelling on the walls can be seen, oddly appearing in good order in amongst the mess and disarray within. There are also wooden shutters on the window frames and some panes in tact though mostly broken. It was still relatively dark when I set the camera up and the first few exposures were taken before sunrise. Long exposures of around 16 minutes were used and these give the images a stillness that equals to the calmness of this fine Indian summer morning. As the light began to creep across the house and the darkness faded, the shadows began to be less deep, the birds began their daily chorus and one could not help but be moved by the sorrowful pile that this house had become. Originally a farm, then enlarged to four storeys and considered a ‘Plas’. It was used as a hotel but burnt down in the 1980’s and has remained derelict ever since. There is the usual collection of disused farm machinery lying redundant and rusting and appears untouched by the vandal. Outbuildings are all ruined with empty caravans, cars and an empty lodge(?) near to the main house with similar false beams. It is currently unlisted but was once a fine looking house but since little is known or cared about I can only imagine that Gwdig will eventually be demolished or will just collapse on its own accord in the passing years. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7574575044b3e31611b511.jpg[/img] Gwdig at sun up 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7769223174b3e31ad4c58e.jpg[/img] Gwdig 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2556080844b3e31eb742c0.jpg[/img] Gwdig at sun rise 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3016403604b3e3234d27dc.jpg[/img] Gwdig 2009 GWDIG / GOODIG. Porth Tywyn, Sir Gaerfyrddin 2009 Saif Gwdig yn ddwys ddifrif mewn ileoliad gwych, fry ar ben bryn uwchben Porth Tywyn ac aber Afon Llwchwr. Hyd yn oed o'r ffordd fawr i Lanelli mae'n amlwg bod y ty'n fawr ac yn anghyfannedd. Mae'r gair 'HOTEL' wedi ei beintio a Haw mewn llythrennau mawr ar ei waliau adfeiliedig. Ni wyddys pryd y cafodd ei godi ond darganfuwyd carreg ar un o'r waliau a'r dyddiad 1701 ami (er y credir mai'r dyddiad y cafodd ei adfer neu'i ailgodi yw hwn - arferai ty sefyll yn y safle hwn cyn hynny). Yn agos mae'n amlwg bod y ty mewn cyflwr truenus. Mae'r lloriau uchaf wedi mynd a'u pen iddynt ac mae'r grisiau'n llanast anniben o bren. Mae rhai o'r panelau pren i'w gweld ar y waliau o hyd, ac yn rhyfedd ddigon maent mewn cyflwr da yng nghanol y llanast a'r anhrefn sydd y tu mewn i'r ty. Mae caeadau pren ar y ffenestri, y rhan fwyaf ohonynt wedi torri. Llosgwyd y ty'n ulw yn y 1980au ac mae wedi bod yn wag ers hynny. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img439 https://images.on-this.website/7784_5556413955386d905e315e.jpgTHE COTTAGE (15 Market Street), Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on THE COTTAGE (15 Market Street), Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2014 Empty and a little forlorn, a beautiful dwelling in need of some attention https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llwyn-ll-wyd-ysbyty-ystwyth https://images.on-this.website/7784_17056185634cb53fd509c7f.jpgLLWYN-LL-WYD, Ceredigion 2010 Note on LLWYN-LL-WYD, Ceredigion 2010 I had driven past this house many times and although in an excellent condition it has always had an air of abandonment about it. In fine exterior condition and feels only recently un-occupied. The house itself is typical of the Cardiganshire home and has extensive outbuildings, all in agricultural use but also in need of some basic general maintenance. Peering through the windows of the house there was some furniture, a laid carpet and very little else. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bryn-mwyro-ystrad-fflur-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_5444069074d838e191a656.jpgPEN LAN, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN LAN, Ceredigion 2011 Pen Lan stands, barely, in a beautiful position overlooking the hills towards Teifi Pools. This property, although ruined, looks to be have been well-made, short, squat and solid. Many outbuildings sadly also ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13020346.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11818414694e816ac65a18b.jpgPEN-CNWC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN-CNWC, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2011 A longhouse in a superb location. As so often the case, the barns/byres are in a much better condition that the house. The house, as seen here, is roofless and dividing walls within have all been stripped leaving a long open space. Recently purchased one watches with an enthusiastic eye as this house will hopefully become a family home once again. A simple Ty Bach suspended over a small gullied stream. I wondered who owned and lived here. Does anyone know? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cors-toncin-sylen-llanelli-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11891050595efb02d832e19.jpgCORS-TONCIN, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on CORS-TONCIN, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Nice little cottage on the footpath towards Coed Cwm Uchaf (see the next house) and well positioned but unfortunately much ruinous. A small outbuilding opposite, with a broken electric cycling machine, barn ruinous too and although only a few images taken, viewpoints were slim, and I was on my way a few minutes later. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/lodge-at-poplars-pontlliw-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4648947235e1596f60bb69.jpgLODGE at POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Notes on LODGE at POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Recently put on the market with planning for housing on the grounds, one feels the urbanization around the property is already intrusive but if it helps to keep this lovely building from further deterioration then housing is the lesser of two evils. The property is reached by a gated entrance on the edge of the village Pontlliw. There is no need to open the gate as access can be found simply by walking beside the gatepost. There's a small bricked ruined lodge to the right, small and roofless but the structure itself seems sound. I parked the car here and walked along the meandering driveway. I could hear some kid kicking a ball against a garage door in one of the backyards of the houses built alongside the road and parallel to the driveway. I immediately noticed a CCTV camera on a pole and a small light suddenly coming on as I passed. I did not mind. I was after all trespassing but also knew I had no intention of causing any damage or entering the property. I also knew the house to be in a good structural condition, empty rather than derelict but definitely in need of some re-consolidation, the white wooden veranda is in a very poor state and some of it missing. I wondered since I'd triggered the CCTV if someone would appear asking me to leave. No-one came. A few images were taken, just general views, any foliage around the property had been cleared and due to the good condition of the house I wondered if it even needed to be documented. But why by-pass such an opportunity? This had been an impromptu visit, I had just returned from a walk to visit a number of ruins but discovered a public footpath had been (illegally?) closed with a high barb-wired fence and warnings of loose dogs and about 6 or 7 sheep skulls tied to the gate. I could have found a way to enter but decided that the ruins I was intending to visit were probably not worth a dog bite and goodness knows what else... so I walked back the way I had come, to the car, a mile or so with a heavy backpack. Driving back I remembered this house, 'Poplar's' I'd seen for sale on Zoopla and had passed the entrance early on. Although it was Saturday morning, bright daylight, I was determined not to waste my morning and parked at the entrance in full view. I am pleased I did. My visit, brief, perhaps half an hour saw me shoot around 10 sheets of film, nothing spectacular but perfunctionary. As is often the case. The house is large and long. The stables are also ruined, and stand half way along the driveway. These I did enter and are in good condition and could continue to be used as stables if desired. I am uncertain if the stables are grade 2 listed (as the house is) so could be possibly demolished. There are images on the web which show the house inside - it looks shabby and needs a lot of decorating and modernizing but I'm sure someone will turn this into a wonderful home once again. I believe planning consent consists of turning the house into dual occupancy. I expect this time next year the whole complex will be mostly finished, polished and Poplar's will experience another chapter in it's life. The following has been taken from British Listed Buildings website and gives a detailed description of the house: Constructed c1890 by a local industrialist Friedrich William Dahne and originally called Friedrichsruh. Dahne is believed to be Austrian. He is recorded as advertising for a ‘Working Housekeeper’ in October 1899 and the house and grounds are first shown on the 2nd ed OS map of 1900. It is referred to as an ‘Attractive modern country mansion’ on its sale in 1913, by which point F Dahne had presumably died as the house was occupied ( October 1914) by Friedrich’s son David. By the mid C20 it had been renamed The Poplars. The design of The Poplars has been attributed to Glendinning Moxham (1865-1946) an architect active in South Wales and resident in Swansea. Moxham published Country Homes & Cottages in 1910 illustrated with his own designs of built and proposed houses. In it he outlines his stylistic preferences for white painted roughcast walls and half timbering rather than exposed local stone, and red tiles used for walls and roofs. Internally oak is used for principal joinery elements (stair, beams, doors and panelling) with the remainder painted. He also puts forward ideas on plan types, with practical plans with deep windows preferred over an attractive elevation. Moxham designed the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery (1909), banks, hospitals and markets and other buildings throughout Wales. Glen Hir on Gower Road (1900-1910) designed with a French influence of shutters and swept roofs has been attributed to Moxham. Moxham was responsible for the Old English style Bristol Channel Yacht Club (1904) on Mumble s Road. Swiss or Alpine styles had been used in the Swansea area during the C19 with the Swiss Cottage in Singleton Park constructed in 1826 and the Old Rectory in Llanmadoc village (1876-77) by the Rev J D Davies. Detached house in Alpine Chalet style. Red brick with stone dressings, plinth and ground floor cill band. Decorative timberwork painted white. Slate roofs, half hipped with lead rolled hips and deep projecting eaves and moulded rafter ends. Tall brick stacks, decorative ridge tiles and finials. Segmental headed 6-light casement windows, ground floor with 2 upper lights. Rectangular ‘C’ plan arranged N E-SW on a gently sloping site. Long 2 storey garden range facing SE, gabled 2 storey end wings at NE and SW ends linked by single storey block enclosing what may have once been an internal courtyard, closed off by an entrance screen wall). Tower in S corner with decorative finial and slating breaking through roof of 2 storey ranges. Entrance elevation to SW dominated by large full height projecting 2 tier timber veranda on brick plinth, wrapping round at first floor to left hand elevation. Gabled end of the garden wing breaking forward. Moulded posts with bracing, arched on the ground floor and shorter on the first floor with incised and scalloped detailing. Posts irregularly spaced to the left but grouped into 3 bays on the garden wing gable with wider central bay. First floor projects and is supported by corbels. Enclosing low close boarded panels to ground and first floor with pierced decoration with the same applied as gable boarding. Behind 3 windows to the garden wing, central retains stained glass with Alpine folklore scenes in central panels with text below and surrounded by floral designs. Doors in outer bays on the ground floors, 3 windows to the end wing, central bay French doors with leaded glass with oval stained glass cartouches of females. Tiled floor up steps on the ground floor, timber boarded on first floor. Elevation to NW with gable ends of 2 end wings with shallow timber verandah as before but close to façade and more decorative than functional. 2 window to NE end wing, SW end wing with 5 windows to ground floor and 4 to first floor, irregularly spaced. Single storey range in between with wide central door and flanking windows. NE elevation, single window to return of end wing, blind door to ground floor. Projecting lean-to 2 store block on garden range, window in right return, door in left return, blocked door and low opening in main face. Garden elevation of 5 paired window bays (10 windows), projecting stacks in between the 2nd and 3rd pair (reduced) and 4th and 5th. First floor cill band and projecting cills to ground floor windows. Left hand windows to ground floor blind with small lean-to structure to right. Modern entrance porch added in 4th bay with boarded door. Interior retains original layout substantially intact with doors, skirtings etc surviving. Main entrance from SW front retains large entrance hall with single flight oak stairs with moulded newell, balusters and handrail. Raised and fielded 4-panel doors with veneered panels, door surrounds. Full height panelling, fireplace on left hand wall removed and tiled over. Tiled floor. Below stairs cupboard. Listed for its special architectural interest as a late C19 house of exceptional style and quality, retaining its original character and designed (probably) by a prominent Swansea architect. A good physical reflection of the movement of successful industrialists into this part of Swansea, with its design and touches of detail reflecting the background of its original owner. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4605727.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12669299664ba78bee7dda4.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 201 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Sometimes I wonder why I do it to myself. After visiting the lamentable walls of Blaen Baglan I then drove towards home but stopped off at Neuadd Fawr. My first and only visit to Neuadd Fawr was on a still but very foggy November day in 1996. The countryside around the village of Cil-y-Cwm is quite beautiful and the road up the farm and mansion happily revealed that the lodge house, very derelict in 1996, had recently and considerately been restored. The same can not be said of the mansion. I was met by the owner / farmer and again, as I recall from my first visit some 14 years ago, was welcomed; amicable and friendly. He explained how his family had purchased the land around the farm and mansion at the turn of century. The house had come with the land and they did not have the 3 million perhaps required to restore the mansion and even if they did have the money, wouldn’t spend it restoring it. And who could blame their or anybodies reluctance, for the job at hand would be heading towards the immeasurable! Although the roof wavers it is intact and the outer walls all look structurally sound. Within, as so often the case, is a jumbled, chaotic mess as one would expect from a any house that has been left abandoned for 60 years. All the above floors have either collapsed or on the precipice. I was warned not enter. I was warned not to enter in 1996 too. I took heed. The photographs showing interior views were taken on the outside looking in. Although in such ramshackle details could be noted; fireplaces and ranges, panelling and plasterwork, built-in-cupboards and ornate grills. I purposely visited Neuadd Fawr before the spring and summer foliage all but obscured the classic Ionic cast iron pillars. Of course all rusting but up close they’re solid and feel indestructible. The façade and east side with lovely narrow balcony are beautifully proportioned with large lower floor windows. It become easy to imagine especially on such a beautiful early spring morning, that sitting in these rooms was lovely with light falling and filling even the dimmest and most sheltered of corners. To the north and rear of the house is a messy jumble of extensions, ruinous with some outer walls caved in. The rear is quite unkempt and messy but by this time, once again, I was totally captivated by the house ad estate. The marvellous twin door stable block was however a horrid shock. It had perhaps suffered more than the house, almost completely roofless, windows all broke and where had those lovely large twin doors gone? The weather was perfect but what I had chosen to photograph was devastating. The vast walled kitchen garden contained a few branchless fruit trees. I have seen pictures of the walled garden at Ruperra Castle – it was a beautiful sight – rows of vegetables carefully planted and monitored by the head gardener and his army of workers. Was Neuadd Fawr the same? Also, to the rear of the house, another walled garden, was this the formal garden? It is now just a field kept neat by grazing and curious sheep. A small summer dwelling is built within this garden (as well as a ‘ty bach’ / toilet). The farmer had spoken about CADW rejecting plans to converting the house into flats and only keeping the façade of house. Neuadd Fawr, listed grade II, can not be demolished but if no consolidation work is carried out it will eventually fall. Should CADW be more willing to compromise such examples? After two hours and using all the film I had with me, I stood staring at Neuadd Fawr. I stood still for about 10 minutes soaking up the warmth of the morning sun. It did not feel like this great house had reached its almost inevitable conclusion of total dereliction. It may have been the optimistic warmth from the sun and thawing me and the frozen ground or it could have been the un-afraid and watchful sheep whilst grazing, close by. It could have been the friendly welcome the owner gave me upon my approach or the peace I felt, the peace of that particular morning whilst walking around these particularly magnificent ruins. In those 10 slow minutes it felt like Neuadd Fawr could be, and would be, eventually saved from the brink of dereliction by the restorer of wealth and good taste. I hope I will be proved right. NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13323009.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15226880114ea259e496624.jpgCEFN GARTH UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CEFN GARTH UCHAF, Ceredigion 2011 Lost beneath high thin trees and thick matured redwoods, Cefn Garth is a surprisingly large property. As I reached the house I was joined by some spectacularly heavy and persistent rain. I took cover within the house and explored its many rooms. I set up my camera and took a photograph of the entrance and staircase. A long exposure of 30minutes. Within is dark, nearly all the windows are boarded up with only thin slivers of light penetrating the spacious rooms. Holes in the roof had begun to leave a trail of destruction within the house, the dampness cutting a hole through floorboards and walls with a hole from the far west chimney that bears down all the way through to the ground floor floorboards. In one room, a study(?) with French doors, were scattered across the floor many dozens of books with many hundreds of pages strewn uncaringly and an easy chair and a chest of drawers without the drawers. In another room a wooden fitted alcove cupboard, it’s doors hangings from its hinges and its contents all gone, lost or stolen. The 30 minute exposure was over, 30 minutes can sometimes pass very quickly. I had trodden softly on beams and rotten floor board and comically attempted to spread my weight the best I could but not at all comical if a foot falls through a paper-thin first floor floorboard. Outside the rain persists. The tree cover offers some shelter and further exposures are made (and even at 10am on a mid-week morning in October, exposures are still 4 minutes long at F22). The intrigue of this house defuses any irritation with the weather. The house was too long for me to fit, onto film, in its entirety. Outbuildings set back. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058635.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14537450094a62ce201a3a0.jpgNANTEOS STABLES, Near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion Notes on NANTEOS STABLES, Near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2009 I had visited Nanteos only once before, way back in 1984. The house then looked tired and since then it has been on the precipice of disrepair yet never truly abandoned or derelict. I have however driven and cycled on the valley opposite Nanteos which gives excellent views of the house. Even from such distances one could imagine tiny, searching tendrils were crawling between mortar and stone, finding purchase and slowly destroying the fabric and foundation of this great house. This early July morning I approached Nanteos stables via the rear entrance at Moriah. I walked through the high walled (and massive) gardens, all overgrown and containing ruined greenhouses and other unrecognisable ruined buildings, towards the majestic stables. The sky had patches of cloud but once the sun broke through the morning was warm and stifling and the bright light glanced off the impressive façade. I was joined, in my brief hour there, by tree fellers, ground staff clearing with strimmers, workmen on the roof of the house and finally a postman. A thriving community beside Nanteos mansion – cars and caravans – and to think I imagined to be alone! The house itself is completely under the canopy of scaffolding and plastic sheeting. At last Nanteos appears to have an owner who is willing to maintain and care for this important house. Hopefully the stables too will have equal care, although considering their lack of maintenance over a great number of years they do not appear to be in such an awful state as one would imagine – perhaps judgement of the build quality. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1277966814b594eb415a8c.jpg[/img] Nanteos Stables 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13113194194b594f06ad50a.jpg[/img] Nanteos Stables 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_321631724b594f571f9f0.jpg[/img] Nanteos Stables 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15180954764b594fb072366.jpg[/img] Nanteos Stables 2009 STABLAU NANTEOS. Aberystwyth. Ceredigion 2009 Dim ond unwaith yroeddwn i wedi ymweld a Nanteos cyn hyn, ymhell yn ol yn 1984. Edrychai’r ty bryd hynny yn ddiflas ac ers hynny y mae wedi bod ar drothwy anobaith sawl gwaith, ond eto i gyd ni chefnwyd amo’n llwyr ac ni fu’n wir adfail. Rydw i, fodd bynnag, wedi gyrru a beicio drwy’r cwm sydd gyferbyn a Nanteos lie gellirgweld golygfeydd arbennig o’rty. Hyd yn oed o’rfath bellter, gellir dychmygu bod tendriliau main ymchwilgar yn ymwthio rhwng y morter a’r cerrig, gan raddol fwrw gwreiddiau a difetha deunyddiau a sylfeini’r ty arbennig hwn. Mae’r ty ar hyn o bryd dan orchudd sgaffaldiau a Hen blastig. O’r diwedd ymddengys bod gan Nanteos berchennog sy’n fodlon cynnal a gofalu am y ty pwysig hwn. Gobeithio y bydd y stablau hefyd yn cael gofal tebyg, er o ystyried y diffyg gofal a gawsant dros nifer fawr o flynyddoedd ,nid yw’n ymddangos eu bod yn y fath gyflwr a fyddai rhywun yn ei ddychmygu - mae’n bosib fod hyn oherwydd ansawdd yr adeiladu. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14087498.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14228884484f2d36e7cffa8.jpgWELSH MARTYRS CATHOLIC CHURCH, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on WELSH MARTYRS CATHOLIC CHURCH, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6298636.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18490414194c8648f5c8efa.jpgDEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on DEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 A particular pleasing composition. The dead tree at the centre is both dramatic and breaks traditional photographic compositional rules. The American photographer Edward Weston photographed a palm tree once, showing only its trunk against a blue sky. I spent a number of years photographing the same telegraph pole in a similar style. Since then, as seen here, I have approached much of my subject manner the same way, avoiding, when it made a better compositional, the photographic compositional rule of thirds. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2080958.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11667883814972d6c6a9c13.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 A gatehouse stands at the entrance of Hafodunos, elaborate and ruined, and after a short slight upward slope walk to the house Hafodunos unfolds, obviously empty, elaborate and also in a ruinous state. It is not in a ruinous state due to nature’s reclamation but because of abandonment, vandalism and a terrible fire in the fall of 2004. It is a very large Gothic-style house, built in 1861-66 by Sir George Gilbert-Scott on an earlier site, with a clock tower and octagonal billiard room. Hafodunos is in a desperate state of disrepair, with many of its features either lost to man’s destruction or otherwise stolen. The conservatories, built a little later than the house, all smashed into many fragments but all beautifully lit. The grounds beneath the layer of undergrowth reveal a once well-maintained and extensive garden. The interior, although vacated some 7 years ago, felt as if it had only been vacated last month. Even so, the walls are brittle and scarred with peeling paintwork and spray-can graffiti and the maze of rooms, corridors and courtyards are littered with burnt furniture, perilous ceilings and rotting staircases. The fire had all but destroyed the front facade and had left Hafodunas a very pitiful pile. It accommodated many uses throughout its relatively short life: once an accountancy college, a girls school, then a care home and eventually a hotel and restaurant. I wandered around overwhelmed and with much the same feeling as that of Aberglasney some 10 years previous: of not learning from our past mistakes and just passing on the consequences. Aberglasney was eventually salvaged from the brink of total collapse. Hafodunos however, though greatly admired, may give itself up to the elements, whether human or natural, and it remains to be seen if someone will have the care of attention that this building deserves. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmyrarian-croesyceilog-carmarthenshire-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10944559375d414a03aa8db.jpgCWMYRARIAN, Croesyceilog, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on CWMYRARIAN, Croesyceilog, Carmarthenshire 2019 Long ruined, outbuildings still in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769175.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13790890144a31e42852b0b.jpgGREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2009 Notes on GREAT FRAMPTON, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan 2009 A return, 4 years after my first visit, 5:30 in the evening, a quiet place, walking along the short path, watched by Jacob sheep and curious cows, to Great Frampton. The nettles leading up the house are waist high, large dead tree trunks, branchless and as barren as the empty shell of the house lay around the grounds like monuments. Within, again, one can not be in wonder if the walls, windows and doors are held up not by mortar but by the maze of scaffolding. The barns and outbuildings, although not damaged by the fire that made Great Frampton derelict in 1990, are victims of vandals and lack of maintenance, all sad and depressing and in a very poor state. A narrow side staircase intact rises to the top of the three storeys of the house, was this the staircase that lead to Pigotts observatory? Great Frampton is supposedly owned by a dentist(?) and Charlotte Church was said to be interested in purchasing and restoring the house a few ago. It is not difficult to imagine this house as a family home once again. It is situated close to, but still very secluded, to Llantwit Major and therefore to close to Cardiff. This image was taken waht was once a small bathroom or ty bach. Great Frampton 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14205886144b498cd7c86ed.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20985231234b498f8cc23be.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19075307934b498d9c9bff0.jpg[/img] If you appreciate abstract photography such as this please view my 'abstractions' gallery on my sister website www.paulwhitephotographic.co.uk https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tegfynnydd-llanfallteg-carmarthenshire-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_184006160849701f0e99d8c.jpgTEGFYNNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s 'Lost Houses of Wales', it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. When I visited it had reached the peak of dereliction. The roof long gone, the cellars caved in, only the shell remained and although still magnificent, the house in its entirety is a true gothic-horror-three-story mansion. The wind blew the patchy cloud cover over the house and revealed an unpredictable view – one minute soft and graceful, the next dark and foreboding. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. This is the rear of Tegfynydd as seen from the farmhouse and although it lacks the Gothic fascade of the front it still offers the viewer some the atmosphere felt when standing beside a large ruin, bleak and with tall trees standing bare beside the worn walls. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10814514314b38642d95f16.jpg[/img] Tegfynydd 1996 TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/chantrey-monument-hafod-church-pont https://images.on-this.website/7784_7591190614970540a26f44.jpgCHANTREY MONUMENT, HAFOD CHURCH, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on HAFOD (ruins, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1996 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. Hafod was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired 'Peacocks in Paradise' by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot stone of the monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2125073.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8193384664986d6eae723c.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2005 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2005 I was unsure what to expect as I drove through the new housing estate and up to the wooded area where Llangennech House stands. I had seen an old photograph of the large castellated house and in my research had read that some of the house remained, but I was still unsure if I would find anything at all. After a short search I stood at the tip of an approaching housing development. I saw workmen to my left building part of the new estate and almost presumed that the house I sought would have been demolished many years previous. I was thankfully wrong. The house stood partially hidden by overhanging trees. The ruins were enormous and eerie with extensive outbuildings littered with dead caravans, one though uninhabited had a radio playing, probably 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There were also wreckages of fire engines, boats and other farm machinery. All in ruin, and no doubt, will eventually be swallowed up by the fast approaching urban tide. The house, like so many of the properties I’d visited, felt out of place in it’s new urban setting. Neglected and ignored for many years it was hard to imagine that soon, if it remained, it would be known as the old haunted house up the hill, the one where neighbourhood kids would at first be afraid to enter, but when they did compose themselves, would perhaps become kindly acquainted with and would remember fondly for the rest of their lives. Llangennech Park House was previously owned by the Earl of Warwick, circa 19th century, when it was enlarged, only modestly, to the size it is today. During the Second World War it was taken over by the government and thereafter abandoned. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8389311984b73b2b7992a1.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11810874954b73b2d258741.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15110373454b73b30370f15.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2709332874b73b31ee514f.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16747436034b73b33839971.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19054209204b73b34e90d49.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 The link below will lead you to an external site and show recent images of Llangennech Park House... http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=13845 TY PARC LLANGENNECH. Llanqennech, Sir Gaerfvrddiri 2005 Doeddwn i ddim yn siwr beth i'w ddisgwyl wrth imi yrru drwy'r stad dai newydd i fyny at yr ardal goediog lie saif Ty Llangennech. Yr oeddwn i wedi gweld hen ffotograff o'r ty castellog mawr ac yn ol yr ymchwil a wneuthum yr oedd rhywfaint o'r ty'n dal i sefyll, ond nid oeddwn yn sicr a fyddai dim ar ol i'w weld o gwbl. Ar ol chwilio am ennyd fer safwn ar gyrion datblygiad tai. Gwelwn weithwyr ar y chwith imi wrthi'n codi rhan o'r stad newydd a bron na allwn daeru bod y ty wedi ei ddymchwel flynyddoedd yn ol. Diolch byth nad felly y bu. Roedd y ty wedi ei guddio gan goed a oedd yn gorhongian. Roedd yr adfeilion yn anferth ac iddynt naws annaearol a thai allan helaeth. Codwyd Ty Llangennech ym 1805 ac arferai fod yn eiddo i larll Warwick, ac ef a estynnodd y ty i'w faint presennol. Yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd meddiannodd y llywodraeth y ty ac mae wedi bod yn wag ers hynny. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19538949.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_119923648552570536bec30.jpgRHATTAL-MAWR, Lledred, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on RHATTAL-MAWR, Lledred, Ceredigion 2013 Between Lledrod and Bronnant; instead of following the footpath, which would have meant a mile of walking along a busy road – it wasn’t the danger that concerned me just the curious prying eyes! – I decided upon a cross-country route. A heard of cows watched curiously and began to follow me from a field away. I crossed the stream ‘Afon Wyre’ and joined the footpath – no stiles over fences, no obvious footpath, no user-friendly way – and up to the house. As you can see it’s a longhouse and I’d say laid empty for ten to twenty years. The barns are still in agricultural use but the house was damp and unfriendly and I saw no reason to climb through the window and enter – as ever I left my courage at home. Besides there was no treasure here to be found, the treasure was on the exterior; such pleasures longhouses give me! I made a few brief exposures and then left. The walk back was slow and wet. Never did that matter. The sheets of film had been exposed and I thought the walk back to the car would be a pleasurable one. From a field away a farmer passed on his quad bike and moved from cow to cow. For some reason I ducked down and hid behind some low lying branches. I sat on a fallen log and watched. I do not know if he had seen me but I stayed where I was motionless until he passed by and disappeared over the brow of the hill and I heard a metal gate open and close and the motor from the quad bike fade. I would have felt a complete idiot if he had come in my direction and found me hiding behind some branches. I wasn’t strictly trespassing, I was a few metres from a footpath but inexplicably I decided to hide; there was the fact that although the O/S map said there was a footpath I still felt like an intruder. I’m not sure what my point is here. Perhaps my own method of visiting these ruins is flawed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41118940.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1651524125e7270625d911.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Carmarthenshire 2020 I had only been to Llangennech Park House the once before, back in 2005. I have however driven along the A4138 which bypasses the village of Llangennech and drives a field or so away from the ruins of the mansion. You cannot actually view the mansion from the road but you do get to view the rear end of the stables and farm buildings which are all ruinous. The house itself is lost within the foliage. I parked the car by a school on a wet Tuesday afternoon and walked over a couple of fields to the ruins of the farm buildings. The last time I came here this area was littered with old vehicles, cars, lorries, vans, caravans and boats including a fire engine - all this has now been cleared and although there is still one caravan and two small boats the area is mostly cleared - if you exclude other rubbish of which there is plenty. All the buildings are ruinous and in a terrible state of disrepair and I would say not in use. Just a little beyond the farm buildings are the stables and I presume service quarters. Everything is ruinous and much larger than I remembered. Two large stable doors hang loose from their hinges. There's mess everywhere, hard and soft plastics mostly. The house is beside the stables across a narrow track. I was somewhat surprised by its size - it was at least twice the size as I remembered from 2005. At the front of the house is a large neat lawn and in full view of the owners house. I did not venture out but weaved in and out the ruins, doorways and windows. Some trees and bushes had been cleared and much to my surprise I was standing exactly where I stood fifteen years ago and very, very little had changed. I had, fifteen years ago, visited in the summer but I still would have expected more saplings, the trees to be larger, the bramble to cover house and grounds. Previous viewpoints opened up again and although I did not necessarily capture the house as well as I'd hoped that first visit, I was not tempted to re-take the same images to show the passage of time. Other parts of the house that I hadn't captured last time revealed itself to me; arched windows, curved walls, passageways. A few fragments of architectural detail; a few other fragments of man-made litter; white plastic chair, sheets of corrugated iron, metal drums, piles of rubble, trees stretching up three-storey to the sky. The rear of the house is also very impressive and shows it's true size, a long high wall and a passage along side, stone pillars, steps leading down. Old maps show gardens near to the stables. I'd love to see some images of the house after it was deserted after World War Two - I'm sure plenty exist. Judging by the large amount of large windows and by old paintings it would seem Park House was very light with each room having a number of windows. The photographs I took were not so carefully composed and somewhat hurried. I was overwhelmed with how much there was to document. This isn't my over-lasting memory of my previous visit. Last time I wonder I was restricted of view due to the summer greenery. Maybe I was short of time, short of film. Today I had about twenty sheets of film and if I had the strength to carry it I could have taken another twenty images without having to look too hard. It does feel that the house will stand for many decades yet and who knows what could be done with it if the present owner ever wishes to sell. There are some wonderful painting of the house in Carmarthen Museum - easily found on the internet - and it is quite easy to recognize the castellated facade and even the scale of the property. It seems a shame that this part of Carmarthenshire's heritage is hidden away completely from view. Built circa 1800 and house was in private ownership until the Second World War and laid bare to the elements thereafter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475622.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19200335814b8bc71e6c41b.jpgCHICKEN FARM, Rhayader, Powys 2008 Notes on CHICKEN FARM, Rhayader, Powys 2008 I first visited these caged chicken farms in 2003. Abandoned and ruined farm buildings filled with chicken cages, row upon row. A melancholy place, something clinical and depressing about the buildings and surroundings but nonetheless worthy of photographing. On my return, some five years later many of the buildings had either been demolished or had just fallen. That same clinical and depressing feeling remained and once a few exposures were made I was pleased to be walking back to my car. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23670431.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_96691965754fc1a8890a9d.jpgCUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 A revisit and I came to photograph one particular wall but unfortunately the whole wall had collapsed into a pile of wooden panels and beams - my beloved wall gone forever. All damp and forlorn even on this bright spring morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-brighton-2007 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16471234395621dc6e42202.jpgWALL, Brighton 2007 Notes on WALL, Brighton 2007 Although not given too justice on the computer monitor, this abstraction is a lovely thing. The remnants of a poster has all but worn away with just the thick hardened glue sections remaining, reluctant against the weather. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/smithy-fynnongeitho-llangeitho-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_139518269256be0f8c8bf18.jpgSMITHY, Fynnongeitho, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Long ruined but still in a reasonably good condition, small roadside smithy https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25450029.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_164217544655ec41958f425.jpgTANYALLT, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Another abstraction taken at the ruined house of Tanyallt. This only required an 8minute exposure - I must confess the negative is a little thin and would probably have been better suited to a longer exposure, 16 or 32 minutes. I was impatient to leave the house. This shows wallpaper in the hallway than has peeled, almost buckled off the wall. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/building-foundations-at-pengarreg-reservoir https://images.on-this.website/7784_2766317514be51a665ecc0.jpgBUILDING FOUNDATIONS at Pengarreg Reservoir, Elan Valley, Powys 1994 Notes on BUILDING FOUNDATIONS at Pengarreg Reservoir, Elan Valley, Powys 1994 Low water at the reservoirs reveal foundations of former properties usually hidden beneath the waters. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41460496.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15278136245f2ffa5d610a6.jpgPISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Notes on PISTYLL NORTH, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire 2020 Along a footpath/track and you soon come to the farmstead, large and spread out of Pistyll North. The house itself looks long ruinous, two mature tree trunks cut within the walls evidence the house has long been empty and ruinous. A new metal roof protects the solid walls. A large fireplace inside the extended section was in very poor condition – the extended section a somewhat odd looking intrusion of the main structure of the house, most likely a later addition(?). There were sheep inside when I visited, they left, I entered, I expected the floor to be foot deep in droppings and smelly but it was not, it was dry and a comfort from the rain outside. I wondered why the name of the house was half Welsh/half English. At home I searched on older maps and it seems the house has been called by the same spelling for at least a hundred years. A long stone barn, partially collapsed at the front, stands facing the house at a slight angle. Other barns and outbuildings are scattered around. There’s a lot to see and because of the position of the buildings in relation with other buildings viewpoints/compositions are found easily. The site is for sale currently and it is truly exceptional. It needs a little insight but the general aura of the place is one of positively. My visit was short, forty five minutes or so… exposures were quite long inside the house at around 6 minutes. There was a constant drizzle even if the forecast had been dry. There was no sound of traffic. No sound of farm machinery or even a dog barking somewhere someplace of. Even the birds seemed a little shy of the drizzle and judging by the birds in my garden, town birds aren’t much bothered by the rain and I doubt countryside ones aren’t either. The sheep however were bleating. They had seen me, followed me with their eyes as I walked along the track, and knew most likely and instantly that they did not know me. Yet still they bleated, neither in distress or in hope of food. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13426334.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15834325984eaf9d01c368f.jpgDERRY ORMOND HALT, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DERRY ORMOND HALT, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2011 FInally closed in 1970, some forty years ago this small brick and wooden halt has survived surprisingly well. It is spilt in two, one side the waiting room, the other the ticket office. Both have open fires, both are now filled with debris from vehicles and other useless junk. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/grass-on-rock-cwm-elan https://images.on-this.website/7784_19393383284be3b0a9308d9.jpgGRASS ON ROCK, Cwm Elan, Powys 2003 Notes on GRASS ON ROCK, Cwm Elan, Powys 2003 Dried river swept grasses washed up on a rock side. I did not doctor, nor ever do, any of the grasses - it was literally pointing the camera to find a suitable composition and exposing. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24519314.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_410192585575b0359c02d.jpgTRE-FAES-UCHAF, Bethania, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRE-FAES-UCHAF, Bethania, Ceredigion 2015 Not a ruin but long empty, the first signs of decay beginning to appear; young saplings, broken windows, broken door frame, broken slates. Varies bits of debris lying around, the young nettles sharp with sting, sheep bleating in surrounding fields. The house is large, as too is the barn adjacent. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769186.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2636387144a31e4411360c.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 After visiting Ruperra Castle, a short journey down the M4 to Llanmartin and to the ruins of Pencoed Castle. I had heard it had been re-sold in 2006 and wondered if any progress had been made on its consolidation and restoration. Sadly not. From memory, my first visit in 1997, very little seemed to have changed at Pencoed Castle. Caravans and other farm machinery no longer littered the front lawn but other than that, it remained, seemingly, ever resilient to time and decay. Of course no building can remain solid without the due care and maintenance. Peering through the windows one could see the make-shift wooden scaffolding; beams holding lintels, timbers holding beams. One such covered metal frame was loose. I entered without effort or force and walked the great halls and dusty stone staircases. Stone fireplaces stood without heat and scaffolding kept the floors above barely intact. That said, 12 years after my first visit, Pencoed seems to be in an astonishing condition (to my untrained eye) since it has been left empty since the 1950/60's(?). These days the only occupants of Pencoed Castle are the birds – rooks tending attentively to their demanding young and making such a racket in comparison to the gentle and soft coo-ing of the pigeons. The birds weave in and out of the windows – nearly all smashed and the metal frames twisted – inside stone steps lead up to floorless rooms, dusty but seemingly dry. On the first floor long planks lead from doorway to doorway, the second floor padlocked. Although padlocked, I did not feel the need to venture further. Pencoed, long yet slim, remains a mysterious place – barren within and without, one feels the house has had a long and varied history. Twelve years since my first visit, Pencoed still felt ancient and any ideals of modernization would feel wrong and building against the spiritual grain. Perhaps some houses are better left simply as they are; empty, dry and content. The gatehouse, surrounding walls, barns and dovecote all crumble, slowly without human interference or indeed need, in ruin. Yet again, an easy thought to have in a brief and distant visit. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1732999174b51e381efd6c.jpg[/img] Walkng toward Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15306766534b51e3db5a7af.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19357660874b51e447351d0.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13526894934b51e49d9969d.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10165185534b51e4ecdbe78.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10316959534b51e53012294.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1411879034b51e585a6200.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13512590304b51e64c2674a.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8665784994b51e6a8a4cdd.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13938143424b51e71b7be04.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3717130084b51e7a58d113.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3284888654b51e800a061c.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_413243024b51e86081042.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo16835320.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_208084084350b2535573040.jpgCASTELL FLEMISH SCHOOL HOUSE, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on CASTELL FLEMISH SCHOOL HOUSE, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2012 Formerly a school and then home to 'Tregaron Pottery' this building is now rapidly deteriorating and windows and doors no longer providing much protection. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/stables-at-poplars-pontlliw-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16064152345e1596f4870e8.jpgSTABLES at POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Notes on STABLES at POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Recently put on the market with planning for housing on the grounds, one feels the urbanization around the property is already intrusive but if it helps to keep this lovely building from further deterioration then housing is the lesser of two evils. The property is reached by a gated entrance on the edge of the village Pontlliw. There is no need to open the gate as access can be found simply by walking beside the gatepost. There's a small bricked ruined lodge to the right, small and roofless but the structure itself seems sound. I parked the car here and walked along the meandering driveway. I could hear some kid kicking a ball against a garage door in one of the backyards of the houses built alongside the road and parallel to the driveway. I immediately noticed a CCTV camera on a pole and a small light suddenly coming on as I passed. I did not mind. I was after all trespassing but also knew I had no intention of causing any damage or entering the property. I also knew the house to be in a good structural condition, empty rather than derelict but definitely in need of some re-consolidation, the white wooden veranda is in a very poor state and some of it missing. I wondered since I'd triggered the CCTV if someone would appear asking me to leave. No-one came. A few images were taken, just general views, any foliage around the property had been cleared and due to the good condition of the house I wondered if it even needed to be documented. But why by-pass such an opportunity? This had been an impromptu visit, I had just returned from a walk to visit a number of ruins but discovered a public footpath had been (illegally?) closed with a high barb-wired fence and warnings of loose dogs and about 6 or 7 sheep skulls tied to the gate. I could have found a way to enter but decided that the ruins I was intending to visit were probably not worth a dog bite and goodness knows what else... so I walked back the way I had come, to the car, a mile or so with a heavy backpack. Driving back I remembered this house, 'Poplar's' I'd seen for sale on Zoopla and had passed the entrance early on. Although it was Saturday morning, bright daylight, I was determined not to waste my morning and parked at the entrance in full view. I am pleased I did. My visit, brief, perhaps half an hour saw me shoot around 10 sheets of film, nothing spectacular but perfunctionary. As is often the case. The house is large and long. The stables are also ruined, and stand half way along the driveway. These I did enter and are in good condition and could continue to be used as stables if desired. I am uncertain if the stables are grade 2 listed (as the house is) so could be possibly demolished. There are images on the web which show the house inside - it looks shabby and needs a lot of decorating and modernizing but I'm sure someone will turn this into a wonderful home once again. I believe planning consent consists of turning the house into dual occupancy. I expect this time next year the whole complex will be mostly finished, polished and Poplar's will experience another chapter in it's life. The following has been taken from British Listed Buildings website and gives a detailed description of the house: Constructed c1890 by a local industrialist Friedrich William Dahne and originally called Friedrichsruh. Dahne is believed to be Austrian. He is recorded as advertising for a ‘Working Housekeeper’ in October 1899 and the house and grounds are first shown on the 2nd ed OS map of 1900. It is referred to as an ‘Attractive modern country mansion’ on its sale in 1913, by which point F Dahne had presumably died as the house was occupied ( October 1914) by Friedrich’s son David. By the mid C20 it had been renamed The Poplars. The design of The Poplars has been attributed to Glendinning Moxham (1865-1946) an architect active in South Wales and resident in Swansea. Moxham published Country Homes & Cottages in 1910 illustrated with his own designs of built and proposed houses. In it he outlines his stylistic preferences for white painted roughcast walls and half timbering rather than exposed local stone, and red tiles used for walls and roofs. Internally oak is used for principal joinery elements (stair, beams, doors and panelling) with the remainder painted. He also puts forward ideas on plan types, with practical plans with deep windows preferred over an attractive elevation. Moxham designed the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery (1909), banks, hospitals and markets and other buildings throughout Wales. Glen Hir on Gower Road (1900-1910) designed with a French influence of shutters and swept roofs has been attributed to Moxham. Moxham was responsible for the Old English style Bristol Channel Yacht Club (1904) on Mumble s Road. Swiss or Alpine styles had been used in the Swansea area during the C19 with the Swiss Cottage in Singleton Park constructed in 1826 and the Old Rectory in Llanmadoc village (1876-77) by the Rev J D Davies. Detached house in Alpine Chalet style. Red brick with stone dressings, plinth and ground floor cill band. Decorative timberwork painted white. Slate roofs, half hipped with lead rolled hips and deep projecting eaves and moulded rafter ends. Tall brick stacks, decorative ridge tiles and finials. Segmental headed 6-light casement windows, ground floor with 2 upper lights. Rectangular ‘C’ plan arranged N E-SW on a gently sloping site. Long 2 storey garden range facing SE, gabled 2 storey end wings at NE and SW ends linked by single storey block enclosing what may have once been an internal courtyard, closed off by an entrance screen wall). Tower in S corner with decorative finial and slating breaking through roof of 2 storey ranges. Entrance elevation to SW dominated by large full height projecting 2 tier timber veranda on brick plinth, wrapping round at first floor to left hand elevation. Gabled end of the garden wing breaking forward. Moulded posts with bracing, arched on the ground floor and shorter on the first floor with incised and scalloped detailing. Posts irregularly spaced to the left but grouped into 3 bays on the garden wing gable with wider central bay. First floor projects and is supported by corbels. Enclosing low close boarded panels to ground and first floor with pierced decoration with the same applied as gable boarding. Behind 3 windows to the garden wing, central retains stained glass with Alpine folklore scenes in central panels with text below and surrounded by floral designs. Doors in outer bays on the ground floors, 3 windows to the end wing, central bay French doors with leaded glass with oval stained glass cartouches of females. Tiled floor up steps on the ground floor, timber boarded on first floor. Elevation to NW with gable ends of 2 end wings with shallow timber verandah as before but close to façade and more decorative than functional. 2 window to NE end wing, SW end wing with 5 windows to ground floor and 4 to first floor, irregularly spaced. Single storey range in between with wide central door and flanking windows. NE elevation, single window to return of end wing, blind door to ground floor. Projecting lean-to 2 store block on garden range, window in right return, door in left return, blocked door and low opening in main face. Garden elevation of 5 paired window bays (10 windows), projecting stacks in between the 2nd and 3rd pair (reduced) and 4th and 5th. First floor cill band and projecting cills to ground floor windows. Left hand windows to ground floor blind with small lean-to structure to right. Modern entrance porch added in 4th bay with boarded door. Interior retains original layout substantially intact with doors, skirtings etc surviving. Main entrance from SW front retains large entrance hall with single flight oak stairs with moulded newell, balusters and handrail. Raised and fielded 4-panel doors with veneered panels, door surrounds. Full height panelling, fireplace on left hand wall removed and tiled over. Tiled floor. Below stairs cupboard. Listed for its special architectural interest as a late C19 house of exceptional style and quality, retaining its original character and designed (probably) by a prominent Swansea architect. A good physical reflection of the movement of successful industrialists into this part of Swansea, with its design and touches of detail reflecting the background of its original owner. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img360 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14359081605370fc9ba9af2.jpgGLYNTEG & PENCWARRE, Llanarth, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GLYNTEG & PENCWARRE, Llanarth, Ceredigion 2014 A pair of cottages with corrugated roofs and a odd looking extension. The morning was very foggy and the wet grass quickly soaked my inappropriate footwear. Peering inside was uninteresting, both cottages empty and filled with nothing but dust. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img372 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2138559881537465f721d78.jpgPOST BACH, Synod Inn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on POST BACH, Synod Inn, Ceredigion 2014 I am not entirely sure but I believe this was last used as a farm shop and pub and closed relatively recently. The main road once passed right in front of the shop, on a sharp bend, but recent road improvements means this now sits on a crossroads hardly ever used. My visit was early morning and very foggy. The house seems in good condition and so far well-preserved. It is set to be auctioned end of May 2014, so I doubt it will remain empty much longer. Was this once a farm house? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058685.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21463593624a62d5ac44bfd.jpgLITTLE POOL HALL, Llanvertherine, Monmouthshire 2009 Notes on LITTLE POOL HALL, Llanvertherine, Monmouthshire 2009 Nestled on a gradual decline adjacent to the Offa’s Dyke footpath Little Pool Hall is an untouched gem, untouched by time and equally blessed untouched by vandals. It contains those three essential elements ‘solitary, silent and old’. This medieval house was built sometime in the early 17th century. The bright and hot sun light that shone throughout my visit somehow betrayed the feeling of sadness I experienced whilst exploring the house. The front door was entirely impenetrable due to the summer foliage, however, the side and rear entrances were both wide open. Made up of two storeys and a very large loft are an array of original beams and staircases – bright patches of sunlight beamed through holes in the roof, weeds grew where the rain and light fell on floors. A complete mishmash of rooms on all three floors with beautiful narrow staircases winding in and out of rooms. The upper floors were precarious with holes in the floorboards. I did not venture up the loft – the staircase looked too dangerous and I could see the beams through holes in the ceiling. In bedrooms and bathrooms some traces of human inhabitancy: beds, bedpans, teapots, medicine bottles. Outside, a large barn with beautiful roof beams and also with breeze-block, corrugated iron, brick and every other building material: revealing repair throughout the centuries. A subliminal place and considering its beautiful and incredibly quiet location it is surprising that it has been left to rot for so long. <p><b>LITTLE POOL HALL by Dennis Carter</b></p> Deep in the country lush and green where brown cows graze along and tracks are gone or overgrown and streams have lost their song there stands Little Pool Hall but no one comes to call. A grey farmhouse with blinded eyes and gaps where winds can sneak, with gutters gone so rain can play his games of drip and leak over Little Pool Hall and no one comes to call. Damsons glow on the yellow trees but no one picks the fruit. Brambles and docks fill the borders- the garden's destitute behind Little Pool Hall, so no one comes to call. In an empty room with smooth floors a solitary wooden chair waits in the sparkle of dust-flecks for someone to sit there within Little Pool Hall but no one comes to call. Weighed with cares did the farmer leave, the last one of his kind, as the old ways died and new ones came to leave this place behind, to leave Little Pool Hall so no one comes to call? When we called at Little Pool Hall an old brown owl lived there. She did not put a kettle on. She did not seem to care for Little Pool Hall or that we came to call. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8699233154b4870799dc9e.jpg[/img] Little Pool Hall 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14293070034b4870a470a6b.jpg[/img] Little Pool Hall 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12853086024b4873974834f.jpg[/img] Little Pool Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img455 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3801960195393653247d48.jpgABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2014 A block of something; wood, metal, rubber worn and with patches of moss - taken on a sunny mid-day morning n the middle of Aberaeron. A few people stopped to watch but no-one said anything to me. Whilst focussing I knew this boarded up window would give a good abstraction and upon processing the negative, again I knew holding it up to the light, that it was sharp and with good contrast. The tiny squares of linoleum are splitting from the heat and cold and separating (or are they getting closer?) and this gives the image a sense of time passing, and something else, unwritten but slightly saddening – the joys of getting older, I suppose. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13388682.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2711816364eaba26a40a2f.jpgTAI'N COED, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on TAI'N COED, Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion 2011 Two, early 18th century, outbuildings (stable, barn and cart house) in relatively good condition, of stone and chom, facing one another. One gable end, of the lower barn, has fallen in and I believe this is where the house once stood, which on this day was a mass of stone and bramble. Various machinery, including a large freestanding butter churn, all in good condition and kept dry. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14547977.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16418049014f82a5ebc9a2d.jpgHAFOD MANSION RUINS, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1997 Notes on HAFOD MANSION RUINS, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1997 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. Hafod was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired 'Peacocks in Paradise' by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot stone of the monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 1997 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115759.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17189189334982dd4359461.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo10098176.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6458396184dd36878abe35.jpgDERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DERRY ORMOND GARDEN BRIDGE, Betws Bledwrs, Ceredigion 2011 An ornate bridge, once one of the main driveways up to the country house of Derry Ormond (demolished 1956) now stands a little forlorn and once formed part of three ponds which sat at the foot of the once great house. The bridge these days carries no visitors, by horse and cart nor motor car and serves no purpose except perhaps to move livestock from one field to another. My visit was early on a cloudy morn and I was accompanied by birdsong and the babbling brook of the stream Nant Dyfel. Due to the slow rising dawn long exposures of around 6 minutes were used which caused some blurring of the leaves blowing in the wind and the flow of the stream. Above the bridge are ornate iron gates rusting and hanging off their posts and a view can be stolen of Derry Ormond tower. Much high stone work can be easily viewed which obviously created the pond and the flow of water could be contained and controlled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38373157.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10192427035cdd0a96e92f4.jpgPEN-Y-BANC, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on PENYBANC, Clyne, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I saw this house whilst walking to another ruin half a mile away or so. The house is large, and I believe as originally built as two houses but at some point, judging by partitions inside, was lived in as one house. I reached the house by nipping beneath the railway bridge along the B4434 and alongside the railway line and through woodland. The house is strange in its location, elevated in the corner of field, the driveway long grown over, the sense of previous owners long passed. I have visited many ruins these last few decades but Penybanc (I believe is the name of the house but if it is indeed two properties surely it should have two names) did leave me feeling uneasy. It felt out of place, as if I returned tomorrow it would no longer be there. I confess it sounds ridiculous. I’ve rarely felt fearful at a ruin, mostly its fear of a falling beam, masonry or for trespassing or even pigeons or owls suddenly making their presence known. Penybanc felt odd for other reasons, the front room of the left side of the house had been boarded up so there was no access through the front doorway. Is that reason enough to feel spooked? No. The roof clung on loosely but the floors within were all rotten and missing. The two front doors had been place on the staircases, prohibiting access – surely to stop the sheep from climbing the stairs and hurting themselves but the fact that it also stopped me also spooked me (not that I’d have climbed the stairs, it was far too dangerous). And thus the house stands, a total mess within but seemingly in a relatively good condition on the outside. Nonetheless for all my misgivings, a number of exposures were made of this un-Welsh looking house. The sheep watched unimpressed but neither did they run. Another house only a field away also stood much ruinous but I had used up all my film and thought, ‘next time’ (although quite often the ‘next time’ can take a couple of years). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/sker-house-pyle-west-glamorgan https://images.on-this.website/7784_15256434784971f4a621c45.jpgSKER HOUSE, Pyle, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on SKER HOUSE, Pyle, West Glamorgan 1997 (now restored) Sker is a huge, imposing 16th century house, built by the Monks of Neath Abbey, standing alone, resilient and high on a deserted stretch of coastline. It has been standing empty, partially fallen and decayed for years with much talk and little action taken to save this medieval (at the core) house. A mile long walk from the road up to its door filled my eyes and intrepid heart with glee. Though I wasn't disappointed, a successful exposure was a struggle. I do not feel I caught the essence of Sker. All the elements were present: a stunning surrounding and a magnificent, majestic house, twisted wind blown coastal trees and slow, warm evening sunlight. All this but I couldn't find the angle that satisfied me. Regrettably I forgot to take a torch too. One window had been broken into and the others were all boarded up. Much to my loss I missed the opportunity to view the elaborate plasterwork in the large main hall (said to seat a hundred people): prehistoric bird creatures shooting arrows at dragons! It was abandoned in 1970 but recently and successfully (2000) restored and fully renovated as a family home. The Victorian novelist R.D. Blackmore , best known for his novel Lorna Doone, spent much of his childhood at nearby Nottage Court and knew Sker well. Less well known is the fact that he also wrote a novel called The Maid of Sker. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1002099874498bd70597de7.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8336582964b5dc8bc2f2e2.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10071629274b5dc8aa1bb5c.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1041764064b5dc8df3ed0c.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2749583514b5dc8f1e02c5.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cwmystwyth-lead-mines-ceredigion-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14536034844b936b10c9b1f.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1996 An interesting image showing the side of a building at the lead mines in Cwmystwyth - it has become almost a landscape image showing the a cross section from a piece of ground and rising up to the open landscape above. The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/coalpit-hall-llannon-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8389643545f00b33b84781.jpgCOALPIT HALL, Llannon 2020 Notes on COALPIT HALL, Llannon 2020 Down a short track from another ruin, Ty'r Bryn (see next set of photos), Coalpit Hall is all but hidden within the summer foliage. Coalpit feels like an old house. There are no visual clues just a sense that it has stood at this location for many years. The house stands upright and seems a little larger than most. No front door and within, each floor is covered in hardened foot deep old sheep waste. The ceilings have fallen in some rooms and upstairs is a treacherous ordeal. The staircase itself is in good condition. I took no unnecessary risks and due to the dim interior took all my images outside. Good viewpoints were scarce and I did the best I could with long 30 second to 2 minute exposures. The better viewpoints were around the rear... the back door central, two windows top and bottom and the whole house surrounded by trees. It would be a better option to photograph in the winter months but even then I doubt if the house would open up completely. An unusual name for a house and I wonder if it has some connection to a coal manager/worker? A long barn with falling stone walls and a long corrugated roof near collapse and another outbuilding all ruinous and no longer in agricultural use. Another rural ruin visited, this one at least had a roof and you wonder how many more lay hidden and all but forgotten. How long empty? Why so well preserved considering there was no front door, hardly any glass in the windows? The house is just about visible from the c-class road but who has any reason to come this way? Has it been empty for decades and untouched by casual vandal? Does its location mean it is kept sheltered from the elements which can quicken the dereliction? Small rear garden with outdoor Ty bach, fruit trees un-pruned and fruitless. However Coalpit is a nice house with a good aura and it does not seem impossible for it to return to a family home once again - four bedrooms upstairs but small rooms, complete repair and renovation required for this old house. Or maybe not as the case may be. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34696298.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10322594175ae9e8e099c57.jpgOLD BUTE RAILWAY STATION, Cardiff 2018 Notes on OLD BUTE RAILWAY STATION, Cardiff 2018 Empty, plenty of suggested uses but as yet no work. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4508182.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1295793674b9358b27c951.jpgRIVER RHEIDOL, Ox-Bow Lakes and the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on RIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2003 These were some of the first images taken at the ox-bow lakes along the river Rheidol - taken on a November afternoon with a grey colourless sky. In many ways such days are my favourite time to photograph, nothing becomes obscured by deep shadow nor bleached by bright sun light. It felt a privilege to be in such a place, only a few yards from the road yet hidden, totally from view, due to the thick heavy branches and thousands upon thousands of tiny branches all obscuring these wonderful small ponds and lakes. Into The Murky Depths We Tread I came upon these wetland areas whilst cycling home one summers evening. Wetland areas are essential, basically untouched, and serve as irrigation and to filter pollution. The fact that no ones seems to bother to explore them due to their dampness and seemingly unfriendly environment, also allows them to be rich in wildlife. From the road that leads to Cwm Rheidol (about 8 miles from Aberystwyth) entrance through the undergrowth seems almost impossible and impenetrable. When the sun is low, bright splashes of sun light flicker through the thicket and reveal openings. Ducking under the thicket and forcing your way through, and once in amongst the deep mud and dankness, a whole new world is revealed; jungle-like and heavily branched areas, rich in photographic pickings and in some ways universal. These sorts of geographic landscapes are not typical or localised to any one part of the country. If you travel by train anywhere you always pass these oft ignored areas. They can not be built on because the land is unstable, no one walks through them, due to their (supposed) unpleasantness but once you’ve broken through their barriers of branches you enter a world with it’s own micro-atmosphere. The photographs were taken on either Ilford FP4 or Delta 100 5x4inch sheet film using a Wista camera and either a 90mm super-angulon or 135mm symmar lenses. Exposures on a grey day at F22 usually hovered around the 16 second mark and when photographing in sun light at about 1 second. My boots, trouser legs and the tripod feet were covered in thick, dark mud and although the going was slow, the actual area of these wetlands is perhaps only an acre or two in size. I’ve visited and photographed only three or four times but each time the tranquillity and ever changing photographic opportunities due to the water level rising and falling, the ever evolving process of woodlands – new saplings appearing and older trees uprooting - means visiting here has become a constant source of pleasure. YSTUMLLYN. Cwm Rheidol. Ceredigion 2003 - 2006 Deuthum ar draws y gwlypdir hwn wrth feicio gartref un noson o haf. Mae ardaloedd o wlypdir yn hanfodol. Ar y cyfan, nid oes neb wedi ei gyffwrdd ac mae'n gweithredu fel system ddyfrhau ac mae'n hidlo'r llygredd . Mae'r ffaith nad oes fawr neb yn eu harchwilio oherwydd eu lleithder a'u hamgylchedd yn golygu eu bod yn gyfoethog o ran bywyd gwyllt. O'r ffordd sy'n arwain at Gwm Rheidol (tua 8 milltir o Aberystwyth), ymddengys bod yr isdyfiant yn anhreiddiadwy. Pan fo'r haul yn isel, gwelir goleuadau llachar yr haul drwy'r dryslwyn. Unwaith y byddwch yng nghanol y mwd dwfn a'r gwiybaniaeth, agorir eich llygaid i fyd newydd. Dyma ardal sy'n debyg i jyngl I lawn canghennau Ardal sy'n gyfoethog at ddibenion tynnu lluniau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23788877.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1488303571551072bc931ef.jpgAFON RHEIDOL RIVER, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on AFON RHEIDOL RIVER, Ceredigion 2015 A few miles from Capel Bangor and beside gravel pits - now used for fishing - these pools contain some of my favourite landscapes - dark, damp, muddy, almost impenetrable. Parts are so deep that my tripod legs sunk into the mud a good two foot. One needs to tread carefully. The decayed material however is what makes such places fascinating; nobody bothers with them yet they contain such a wealth of photographic possibilities; fallen ivy covered trees, ox-bow pools, dried leaf, brittle twigs and a sense of tranquillity especially since you are obscured from the world. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo31719618.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2021962825948d1f429bfb3.32637409.jpgCAPEL MAIR CHAPEL, Margam Park, Port Talbot 2017 Notes on CAPEL MAIR CHAPEL, Margam Park, Port Talbot 2017 Chapel long ruined on hillside surrounded by woodland. Very misty morning, no views present only the drone of the M4 motorway. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/belvedere-folly-swansea-2017 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9340168965948d1f6a8c494.78930184.jpgBELVEDERE FOLLY, Swansea 2017 Notes on BELVEDERE FOLLY, Swansea 2017 Long ruined, now for sale. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8121582.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1378566954d1b492a32140.jpgGWYNLLYN, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Notes on GWYNLLYN, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 A small house along the banks of the stream Nantgwynllyn and stands just a mile outside of Rhayader.(now restored - 2015) https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5763284.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_274870104c55be0f7091f.jpgLLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 Notes on LLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 I reached Llwyn Ynn at sun up after a two mile walk that zigzagged along footpaths and bridle paths and then through a long narrow wooded area. The sweet aroma of wild garlic permeated through the morning air. It was already warm when I reached the 18th century stone gate posts that stand, without their iron gates, before an empty patch of elevated ground where once the grand mansion of Llwyn Ynn stood. The great house, built in the 17th century was demolished like so many in the 1950’s after no buyer could be found. The steps leading up to where the entrance of the house once would have stood remain, indeed a galleried platform remains, and it is easy with the aid of old photographs to place the house in this walled area. Of the great house only one wall remains and thereon evidence of a very large fireplace (and a smaller one on the floor above). This wall is attached to the ruined service quarters. It is these service quarters that are the reason for my visit today and they do not disappoint. Beneath the two fireplaces there is a basement entrance that leads into the cottages that once gapped the space between the house and the service quarters. Inside all was quiet, all was dark and once my eyes and ears adjusted I could hear and see three sheep chewing, laying in a large ruinous room. They ceased their chewing as I came into view but did not rise from their sitting positions. There was a short stand-off. I was blocking their only exit. They watched me intently and seemed intent on not moving until I did. I took a few photographs. I then moved to allow their safe passage and that they did but in a typical rather hurried sheep fashion! Internally the service quarters are a mess. The staircase has collapsed and although the floors above are intact they looked paper thin and any attempt to explore, however tempting, would inevitably end up with a foot through a floor board. Holes are also prevalent in the side walls exposing beam and brick and the dim interior. At the rear a mass of extensions which appear in relative sound structural condition and access to the upper floors is possible. Again, all exposed to the weather and the livestock. The stone mullion windows are mainly in an excellent condition but naturally the wooden framed windows are rotting. The house stands on a small bluff and sits before a gentle stream called the Afon Hesbin (which flows further upstream into the river Clwyd). Including the stone buildings at the rear of the timber framed service quarters it quickly becomes apparent that Llwyn Ynn could easily accommodate a large family. The house needs extensive restoration and re-build and personally I do not hold onto much belief that the house will survive much longer if no consolidation work is carried out. I am uncertain, because I felt it unnecessary to venture, but I believe access to the cellars of the original great house may be possible. I however had no great desire to find out. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/railway-depo-kenfig-industrial-estate https://images.on-this.website/7784_6121922515d45e1a4185df.jpgRAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on RAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Uninspiring building - two visit in two days - both trips shortened somewhat dramatically due to homeless people fighting and I felt threatened and left. Such a shame on both occasions since the walls are filled with wonderful potential abstractions. Only a few images were taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789159.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10056630214bcaaed3822d1.jpgBARN WALL, Rhayader, Powys 2002 Notes on BARN WALL, Rhayader, Powys 2002 I sought an image of misty covered Japanese mountains in this wall - this picture is shown upside down but this was always the intention so I can forgive myself for this act of unrealism. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4310892.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5206369344b5dbf4327b94.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5810597834b5c5a0c59da9.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5719210664b5c5a6d96b20.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1205440124b5c5b0952b9d.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8168824424b5c5a452515e.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3609790694b5c5a8eb63fa.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14408224384b5c5aad2193a.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7696061414b5c5b3c41528.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6698215724b5c5bc4d6cb8.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5639447514b5c5ae86863f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_343839564b5c5acbe80c3.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15831139334b5c5b75cd315.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14992230974b5c5b96bcf8b.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13773031744b5c5bfe81cf0.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12926656144b5c5c21d1337.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8819790924b5c5c3529f34.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-robbers-cave-pontrhydygroes-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_199740798349796a8883319.jpgHAFOD, (Robber's Cave), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on HAFOD (ruins, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1996 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. Hafod was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired 'Peacocks in Paradise' by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot stone of the monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/craig-y-pistyll-nr-bont https://images.on-this.website/7784_130010530159c3df48918cb.jpgCRAIG Y PISTYLL, Nr Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2017 Notes on CRAIG Y PISTYLL, Nr Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2017 One of Ceredigion's remotest but finest sites. A narrow path climbs to the left of this view and up beyond to the lake with the same name and then a long seemingly barren landscape. Worth a visit if you are in this area. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/road-to-nant-rhys-bothy https://images.on-this.website/7784_12417554385411ed2295353.jpgROAD TO NANT RHYS BOTHY, Radnorshire 2001 Notes on ROAD TO NANT RHYS BOTHY, Radnorshire 2001 Not strictly a ruin but a well-equipped bothy and I believe well-used these days. This shows part of my journey to Nant Rhys, indeed a long ten miles walk. Taken on 35mm camera. Photograph not for sale. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tair-felin-bont-goch-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_18741806874eb37f6ebb57c.jpgTAI'R FELIN, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on TAI'R FELIN, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 Standing in an imposing position in the centre of Bont Goch, Tai'r Felin is long ruined but it seems some care has begun to materialize and hopefully restoration. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13460870.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15503033784eb64337f370d.jpgPEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 1997 Notes on PEMBREY COURT, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 1997 The ruined mansion house of Pembrey has been empty for since the 1960's and was, during my visit, lost in the undergrowth. It was a difficult place to photograph but within the local youths had built small fires and on the charred medieval walls some of these kids had scratched their names or faces. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo17827849.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2008553236517d2b9b368c3.jpgABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 After a long absence from photographing for this website I've now, slowly, began to wander out in search of abstractions and ruins and landscapes. These images were the first for a long time and were a simple exercise to get me back into the swing of setting up a tripod and exposing a few sheets of film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo17827918.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_132405669517d2d4339fbf.jpgABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 After a long absence from photographing for this website I've now, slowly, began to wander out in search of abstractions and ruins and landscapes. These images were the first for a long time and were a simple exercise to get me back into the swing of setting up a tripod and exposing a few sheets of film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pant-gwyn-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20028261835a8bec989013a.jpgPANT-GWYN, CEREDIGION 2016 Notes on PANT-GWYN, CEREDIGION 2016 Not derelict but vacant at time of photograph - large selection of outbuildings with the house somewhat seemingly lost at rear. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo11741880.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11938166264e366d0e25f97.jpgOLD BOULSTON MANOR, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on OLD BOULSTON MANOR, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 With little information gathered before I left, I reached the ruins of Boulston Manor in constant and substantial rain. I had left my house early in the morning and the skies were free from cloud but as I reached my destination the clouds had gathered and had just begun to release their heavy drops. Nonetheless, I had driven seventy miles so I donned my wellington boots and waterproofs and followed the footpath from New Boulston Manor driveway and down to the banks of the Cleddau Estuary. I had expected some trouble locating the site but once I had reached the estuary it was only a short walk before I came across the high walls, although much covered with summer foliage, that stretch about 100 metres alongside the river bank and form the barrier between river and manor house. What I was viewing however was more than a wall but in fact a long and deep garden terrace which gave excellent views of the estuary and all thereabouts. Behind the walls stand the remnants of the manor house. The most interesting part being the three-storey high staircase block and opposite this another corner(?) section also 3 – 4 storeys high. A vaulted cellar sits between and beneath these two sections and above this was once the great hall. Built in the 15th century with additions throughout the following centuries up until 1702 and was home for the influential Wogan family and it is believed the house was abandoned in 1773 when the then owner built the close-by New Bouslton Manor some third of a mile inland. My visit, although in heavy rain, was not unpleasant in the least. The canopy of the trees and overgrowth kept me and my equipment relatively sheltered with the strong aroma of wild garlic at the end of its growing season, filling the damp air. This decrepit building omits a sense of majestic pride, possible due to its longevity as ruin – this house has been abandoned for over 200 years and one has a sense of the house that it must have been a striking property 400 years ago and it is easy to imagine how it would have felt to wander along the long garden terrace as the estuary waters rippled against the walls and it was probably possible to have reached down, whilst the tide was incoming, to run ones fingers in the tidal waters. To photograph Old Boulston Manor was somewhat of a challenge and I believe a re-visit will be necessary during the winter months when the heavy foliage would not be obscuring the high stone walls. Every image seen here required exposures bewteen 4 - 12 minutes long due to this foliage and dark rain clouds. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo17140823.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_136929095050f585a4c687c.jpgBRYN MEINOG SCHOOL HOUSE, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on BRYN MEINOG SCHOOL HOUSE, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Built by the owners of the farmhouse Bryn Meinog, this school and chapel house has been derelict for many decades but due to it's rural location has thus far escaped the vandals. Beautifully located and built within a stone wall enclosure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo17140820.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_93694587150f5854100a06.jpgOLD SCHOOL HOUSE, Corris, Meirionydd 2012 Notes on OLD SCHOOL HOUSE, Corris, Meirionydd 2012 Former school house and community building. This building is now very much lost under the foliage. I had to crawl on hand and knee along the path, now a stream, to reach the walls. It is built on a sun-less part of a hillside not car from the main road from Machynlleth to Dolgellau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ebenezer-independent-chapel-eglwyscummin-carmarthenshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_2231756925c5dc5d875a36.jpgEBENEZER INDEPENDENT CHAPEL, Eglwyscummin, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on EBENEZER INDEPENDENT CHAPEL, Eglwyscummin, Carmarthenshire 2019 Small chapel, partially restored with modern extensions around the rear. Chapel built circa 1862. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624314.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9249175314abf001ce4c25.jpgTALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on TALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Only a half hour drive from Gwynfryn House to the mining community of Talysarn and the Nantlle Valley. It did not take long to find the ruined villa of Talysarn Hall. I first came across the vast array of outbuildings. I presumed that these were indeed the house converted into showers for the working miners but once past these and walked through the castellated arch I soon became aware of what a jewel this Victorian hall once was. The house itself is somewhat plain with three stories and a basement. The centre front bay slightly protrudes and also has a small porch. It is roofless and with no obvious discernable features within. It is nothing but a heavily graffiti’d shell, overgrown and seemingly heading silently and sadly into total collapse. I made a few exposures of the house which stands lost behind heavy foliage and with huge piles of waste from the quarries behind. I was however somewhat confused and struggled to distinguish between what was once a mansion and its grounds with that of the ever encroaching mine workings. Long driveways lead away from the house with high stone walls, one of these at the rear of the house appeared to be now a stream, an outlet from the mining days or had the driveway become a causality from the recent heavy rain. A strange bridge that led nowhere spans this stream and beyond that a small array of walled enclosures. Down below the washrooms (once stables and kennels?) another such driveway led to a further collection of buildings – built haphazardly upon one another with a narrow passageway leading upstairs and around a corner and into a room without a doorway. Further along again, next to some rendered stone pillars, a small gothic looking chapel or folly(?)sits low and dark in amongst the deep rotting leaves with the canopy of large oaks, beeches and chestnuts all but blocking out the light. The driveway wends out to another two stone pillars and a very large lodge house. I would estimate larger than Talysarn Hall itself, with large rear extensions. Dampness clung to everything. Although this house with its confusing and abundant collection of outbuildings appear, judging by the litter and graffiti, to be visited often by bored kids and vandals, there is much to appreciate here and there is an atmosphere of rural abandonment and loss. My visit at 9am was undisturbed. The greyness of the hills were broken with greenery and recreational pathways now thread though the workings often revealing ruined buildings and big pits in the ground, now lakes, that hint and sometimes loudly announce that this was once a large mine workings. These dangerous pools are a favourite haunt of many divers. Leaving Talysarn Hall I saw the large cracks in the walls of the castellated stable entrance and I was reminded that this house and its many buildings are on borrowed time. Even the extensive mine workings at Nantlle, once a barren, industrialized large mine now feels like parkland with footpaths wending in and out of the quarries, lakes and slag piles. Footpaths that were once roads and railway lines (bringing the men into the hillsides and the waste and precious copper ore out) are now used by mountain bikers, dog walkers and hikers. I spent three hours at Talysarn. After three hours under dark canopy and the damp heavy leaves composting underfoot it was a relief to get back into the open air and brightness of the day. I left Talysarn excited but also mystified. For me the house and location was sublime. It felt like it has had a varied and interesting history (although only built in Victorian(?) times – I’ve found very little information on the house so if anyone knows please do get in touch. I believe it was also known as Plas Dorothea). I could not truly find my bearings with the layout of the outbuildings; I can only imagine they were heavily transformed from domestic service quarters and stables to industrial uses, showers and administration buildings. Yet one can still imagine this estate to be, once more, a substantial and beautiful country house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20456008234b3f824f468ec.jpg[/img] Talysarn Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9861630.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16371972014dc4f0668ad83.jpgCILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Standing and overlooking Newcastle Emlyn and on the banks of the wending river Teifi, Cilgwyn House was once an important estate and owned huge areas of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. Although there is little recorded pictured evidence, a house has stood at this site during the 18th century, possibly earlier. The Cilgwyn we see today was built in 1870. Old photographs of the house reveal a lead turret over the main entrance but this was replaced since causing structural damage and in my opinion the entrance, also lacking its porch, has become somewhat overwhelmingly ordinary. That said the house is large, 17 bedrooms and feels like a solid block of stone. One gets a feeling that this house was built resolute and with resilience. As you can see from these photographs it is beginning to fall into disrepair and those slow but sure ivy coils are creeping between the thinnest of cracks and gaining purchase. There's large stables around the rear and other extensions (at some point the house was a hotel) but all is looking tired and windswept. The mature oaks and freshly mowed lawns can not hide the fact that Cilgwyn needs some care and money poured into it. It is currently for sale. My visit was brief and after a spring of glorious sunshine I found this particular morning devoid of that early morning soft hue that I had been recently waking to. The greyness drab and uninspiring yet seemed appropriate for the task at hand; that is to photograph Cilgwyn sympathetically and with respect. Not all the images are successful – I only had 10 sheets of film and due to the height of the house and the relatively narrow angles of view offered I was somewhat forced into certain viewpoints. But so be it – every house has a different feel and each must be approached differently. Although not all the images were successful there is enough in them to satisfy me. I left Cilgwyn thinking that my next visit should see a much happier house, perhaps not with freshly mowed lawns but with the ivy cut back, the ridge tiles replaced and the windows replaced/repaired. One can hope. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img363 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4816464155373c8ca919b0.jpgOLD SHOP, Penuwch, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on OLD SHOP, Penuwch, Ceredigion 2014 I’m not sure when this ceased to be a shop. A simple corrugated structure on the main thoroughfare through Penwuch. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29924975.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1701519771585a2ad4f34f9.jpgMORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2016 Notes on MORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2016 Morris castle was built between 1768 and 1774 but unoccupied since 1850 when nearby mining made the building unsafe. It sits on a hill in the middle of a residential area, only recently purchased by the council and as yet little work as begun to make the area visitor friendly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img222 https://images.on-this.website/7784_815526352534791ba49194.jpgCEUNANT MINE, Ceredigion 1999 Notes on CEUNANT MINE, Ceredigion 1999 A long exposure, trees blowing in the wind, a small patch of white plastered wall in the centre giving the eye something to focus upon. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22379935.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4009167295411ed1b31007.jpgUNKNOWN HOUSE, Unknown Location, Ceredigion 1989 Notes on UNKNOWN HOUSE, Unknown Location, Ceredigion 1989 Recently discovered on a strip of 35mm negative and printed - a few images show a ruined house in a rural location. I believe, though have no memory of this, that this maybe in the Talybont/Nantymoch area. Can anyone help? Photographs were taken sometime between 1988 and 1990. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/maesllydan-llwynpiod-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_149778599555eda42bac56a.jpgMAESLLYDAN, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on MAESLLYDAN, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Obscured by trees, this house is oddly positioned with little sun light reaching its façade. Almost hidden from view by trees and undergrowth - thanks to John Lewis, Rhydybont, for taking me to this, Trewern fach, Dildre and to the small remaining walls of Llain. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/piercefield-house-st-arvans-gwent https://images.on-this.website/7784_6246283449731c8b4b855.jpgPIERCEFIELD HOUSE, St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Notes of PIERCEFIELD HOUSE, St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Piercefield is a large, notorious mansion estate situated high above the river Severn on the outskirts of Chepstow. Its origins lie in the middle ages and the Classical house as it stands today, was built around 1792. It has been bought and sold many times throughout its relatively short-lived life and today sits covered with supports and scaffolding adjacent to Chepstow racecourse. I had known of Piercefield for some time, a friend had shown me snapshots of the house ruined, and it is well documented in guidebooks and historical interest publications. The house and its many statues were abandoned after 1923 and sold to the racecourse. Unsurprisingly, it is a house that sparks great debate in the Chepstow area. The American Army in the Second World War supposedly used it as a target practice. Two large pavilions either side of the house became obscured by undergrowth and around the rear of the house extensive outbuildings (early 19th century); service courts, stables, a coach house and a walled kitchen garden are all derelict though with some abiding agricultural use. The April morning I arrived was a humid and bright day. Piercefields sand-coloured limestone walls stood brave against the greens of the embroidered foliage and a wispy blue sky behind. Many exposures made, ordinarily I use around 6 sheets of film per house visited but the sheer size and wealth of photographic subject matter soon had me reloading film and searching for that viewpoint which suits the atmospherics of a house with such grand declines. The house, outbuildings and grounds are currently under renovation. Piercefield 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5043837494b51d72924c0a.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9417442054b51d73e478ae.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8030927984b51d75259c20.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4594614.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7819610804ba65225853be.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Sometimes I wonder why I do it to myself. After visiting the lamentable walls of Blaen Baglan I then drove towards home but stopped off at Neuadd Fawr. My first and only visit to Neuadd Fawr was on a still but very foggy November day in 1996. The countryside around the village of Cil-y-Cwm is quite beautiful and the road up the farm and mansion happily revealed that the lodge house, very derelict in 1996, had recently and considerately been restored. The same can not be said of the mansion. I was met by the owner / farmer and again, as I recall from my first visit some 14 years ago, was welcomed; amicable and friendly. He explained how his family had purchased the land around the farm and mansion at the turn of century. The house had come with the land and they did not have the 3 million perhaps required to restore the mansion and even if they did have the money, wouldn’t spend it restoring it. And who could blame their or anybodies reluctance, for the job at hand would be heading towards the immeasurable! Although the roof wavers it is intact and the outer walls all look structurally sound. Within, as so often the case, is a jumbled, chaotic mess as one would expect from a any house that has been left abandoned for 60 years. All the above floors have either collapsed or on the precipice. I was warned not enter. I was warned not to enter in 1996 too. I took heed. The photographs showing interior views were taken on the outside looking in. Although in such ramshackle details could be noted; fireplaces and ranges, panelling and plasterwork, built-in-cupboards and ornate grills. I purposely visited Neuadd Fawr before the spring and summer foliage all but obscured the classic Ionic cast iron pillars. Of course all rusting but up close they’re solid and feel indestructible. The façade and east side with lovely narrow balcony are beautifully proportioned with large lower floor windows. It become easy to imagine especially on such a beautiful early spring morning, that sitting in these rooms was lovely with light falling and filling even the dimmest and most sheltered of corners. To the north and rear of the house is a messy jumble of extensions, ruinous with some outer walls caved in. The rear is quite unkempt and messy but by this time, once again, I was totally captivated by the house ad estate. The marvellous twin door stable block was however a horrid shock. It had perhaps suffered more than the house, almost completely roofless, windows all broke and where had those lovely large twin doors gone? The weather was perfect but what I had chosen to photograph was devastating. The vast walled kitchen garden contained a few branchless fruit trees. I have seen pictures of the walled garden at Ruperra Castle – it was a beautiful sight – rows of vegetables carefully planted and monitored by the head gardener and his army of workers. Was Neuadd Fawr the same? Also, to the rear of the house, another walled garden, was this the formal garden? It is now just a field kept neat by grazing and curious sheep. A small summer dwelling is built within this garden (as well as a ‘ty bach’ / toilet). The farmer had spoken about CADW rejecting plans to converting the house into flats and only keeping the façade of house. Neuadd Fawr, listed grade II, can not be demolished but if no consolidation work is carried out it will eventually fall. Should CADW be more willing to compromise such examples? After two hours and using all the film I had with me, I stood staring at Neuadd Fawr. I stood still for about 10 minutes soaking up the warmth of the morning sun. It did not feel like this great house had reached its almost inevitable conclusion of total dereliction. It may have been the optimistic warmth from the sun and thawing me and the frozen ground or it could have been the un-afraid and watchful sheep whilst grazing, close by. It could have been the friendly welcome the owner gave me upon my approach or the peace I felt, the peace of that particular morning whilst walking around these particularly magnificent ruins. In those 10 slow minutes it felt like Neuadd Fawr could be, and would be, eventually saved from the brink of dereliction by the restorer of wealth and good taste. I hope I will be proved right. NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rhattal-mawr-lledred-ceredigion-2013 https://images.on-this.website/7784_750434664525706bd4c36d.jpgRHATTAL-MAWR, Lledred, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on RHATTAL-MAWR, Lledred, Ceredigion 2013 Between Lledrod and Bronnant; instead of following the footpath, which would have meant a mile of walking along a busy road – it wasn’t the danger that concerned me just the curious prying eyes! – I decided upon a cross-country route. A heard of cows watched curiously and began to follow me from a field away. I crossed the stream ‘Afon Wyre’ and joined the footpath – no stiles over fences, no obvious footpath, no user-friendly way – and up to the house. As you can see it’s a longhouse and I’d say laid empty for ten to twenty years. The barns are still in agricultural use but the house was damp and unfriendly and I saw no reason to climb through the window and enter – as ever I left my courage at home. Besides there was no treasure here to be found, the treasure was on the exterior; such pleasures longhouses give me! I made a few brief exposures and then left. The walk back was slow and wet. Never did that matter. The sheets of film had been exposed and I thought the walk back to the car would be a pleasurable one. From a field away a farmer passed on his quad bike and moved from cow to cow. For some reason I ducked down and hid behind some low lying branches. I sat on a fallen log and watched. I do not know if he had seen me but I stayed where I was motionless until he passed by and disappeared over the brow of the hill and I heard a metal gate open and close and the motor from the quad bike fade. I would have felt a complete idiot if he had come in my direction and found me hiding behind some branches. I wasn’t strictly trespassing, I was a few metres from a footpath but inexplicably I decided to hide; there was the fact that although the O/S map said there was a footpath I still felt like an intruder. I’m not sure what my point is here. Perhaps my own method of visiting these ruins is flawed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39243096.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1290796305d414a01e424c.jpgYNYS-WEN, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshre 2019 Notes on YNYS-WEN, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshre 2019 Copied from 'Geograph' website: The ruined Ynyswen Woollen Factory in Twynllanan, Llanddeusant. In 1901 William Jones (36)'woollen manufacturer' resided here with his wife and six of their little children. An English servant, Joseph Albert Blunden (18), was also employed as a carder https://www.welshruins.co.uk/felin-llanio-llanio-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_17155538244ec761d34971a.jpgFELIN LLANIO, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on FELIN LLANIO, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A disused and empty mill sitting beside the old milk factory and alongside the river. The postbox is still emptied daily. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llain-aberarth-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_936396760554cc56887413.jpgLLAIN, Aberarth, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLAIN, Aberarth, Ceredigion 2015 Peasant longhouse, notable for the thatch and cob walls - apparently last thatched in 1938 between the wars - I am uncertain when this was last lived in. It's a lovely place, quiet and sheltered by trees... a pig shed has faired better but the house and barns are all tumbling. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo27550747.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_197496116457415b5dec708.jpgBWLCH GLAS, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BWLCH GLAS, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2016 Empty but not derelict, large farmhouse with extensive outbuildings still in agricultural use. Mine buildings bottom of field beside stream 100 yards away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rheidol-river-ysbyty-cynfyn-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_13494045784eb8e5ed6c9fc.jpgRHEIDOL RIVER, Ysbyty Cynfyn, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on RHEIDOL RIVER, Ysbyty Cynfyn, Ceredigion 2011 A simple exposure taken along the river, just beneath the mines at Ysbyty Cynfyn. A long exposure of around 16 seconds blurred the fast river flow. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hawthorne-cottage-pond-hafod-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_1979107974be662108f830.jpgHAWTHORNE COTTAGE POND, Hafod, Ceredigion 2000 Notes on HAWTHORNE COTTAGE POND, Hafod, Ceredigion 2000 Taken on a bright day with some soft cloud cover and shows the pond at Hawthorne Cottage. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26620313.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_75198514556be0fa7275dc.jpgGWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on GWRTHWYNT ISAF, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2016 A return, a revisit and a little easier to photograph the house, although the windows and doors are still impregnable, but from afar it is possible to see that there are brambles growing inside the window frames, which surely must mean that internally the house is damp, the stone work possibly damaged. Seems a waste but who knows the reasons why many of these houses are left abandoned, sometimes completely understandable, other times with disbelief. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22293857.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8225034685406c1240cbe6.jpgLLECHWEDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LLECHWEDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Long ruinous and on my ever-growing list of farms and cottages in Ceredigion but somehow never making it here until today. Mud and stone beneath a roof, most likely once thatched, barely clinging to the rafters and should, surely, come down very soon. Now for sale, possibly by now sold, no doubt set for demolition and a new dwelling put up on site. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13071232.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_413584934e855c1c2f840.jpgTYNYLONE, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2011 Note on TYNYLONE, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2011 Standing on a hillside between Stags Head and Llangeitho this ruined farm has been in decay for many years. The front section of the roof has fallen, with the rear wavering and it can only be a matter of time before this too falls. Within, each room can still be distinguished but the ceiling beams sag heavy and piles of stone have fallen where walls have collapsed. Lots of dead cars and farm machinery lays around completing this particular picture of decay. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/esgair-y-gors-swyddffynnon-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_1833096496540f2e80ace14.jpgESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on ESGAIR-Y-GORS, Swyddffynnon, Ceredigion 2014 A large house, long ruined with large barns adjacent and still in agricultural use. The footpath from the road keeps the house from view but within minutes you see a clump of Scot’s Pine and you know exactly where you will find the house. One of Scot’s Pine had fallen recently and smashed into the rear. Most of the roof, indeed façade, had come down and the house is mostly a shell. Clues of the rooms remain, fireplaces, lintels, building materials and as I wandered around I wished I’d visited ten or fifteen years previously. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/great-hall-aberglasney-carmarthenshire-1995 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3117838344bcaaec966c5b.jpgGREAT HALL, Aberglasney, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on GREAT HALL, Aberglasney, Carmarthenshire 1995 Graffiti in the Great Hall at the ruined Aberglasney Mansions - the house was a well known ruin by the time I visited and plaster and paint work soggy with damp was so soft you could engrave it with your finger tips. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094538.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6071062914979615a3409d.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s Lost Houses of Wales, it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. When I visited it had reached the peak of dereliction. The roof long gone, the cellars caved in, only the shell remained and although still magnificent, the house in its entirety is a true gothic-horror-three-story mansion. The wind blew the patchy cloud cover over the house and revealed an unpredictable view – one minute soft and graceful, the next dark and foreboding. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13516248724b46ddbb18c8d.jpg[/img] Fireplace, Tegfynydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15576177174b46de1a6bea8.jpg[/img] Fireplace, Tegfynydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20370654264b46de7ba2dd3.jpg[/img] Fireplace, Tegfynydd 2009 TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img245 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1516971206534aa7a3d3825.jpgELAN VALLEY, Rhadayer 1996 Notes on ELAN VALLEY, Rhadayer 1996 A red and polarizer filter darkened the sky and the light coloured and dry grass makes for a strong contrast image. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19544567.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12308240752584dc16daed.jpgPEN Y PARC, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on PEN Y PARC, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 The first time I came here, some two years ago, full renovation was underway. Unfortunately this seems to have stopped – unless of course the owners are just gathering their strength and resources for another blast of activity. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo17827876.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_307754181517d2c7e8d56a.jpgABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 After a long absence from photographing for this website I've now, slowly, began to wander out in search of abstractions and ruins and landscapes. These images were the first for a long time and were a simple exercise to get me back into the swing of setting up a tripod and exposing a few sheets of film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img398 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8516399395378e0194d8e9.jpgLLANIO FELIN BRIDGE, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LLANIO FELIN BRIDGE, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 Not as such ruined but long empty and looking quite dilapidated. A short drive from the main from between Tregaron and Lampeter, over a small stone bridge (also looking a little worse for wear) and to the house. A few fragments of the mill remain beside the river; notably the metal waterwheel. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ceulan-mill-talybont-ceredigion-2004 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2098188424b8bc65f23a46.jpgCEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on CEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2004 Once within the dimly lit ground floor, Ceulan Mill appears, as ones eyes adjust, an impregnable building with imposing machinery filling all three storeys to the brim with large heavy machinery, looms, and weaving frames, large wicker baskets of withered cones of wool. Ceulan Mill was closed in the 1950’s and it feels like very little has changed within and without the stone walls since then. On the first floor, only three small windows allowing the sun light in, the floor space is heavy with solid machinery. It is dark and when surrounded with such heavy machinery crammed so close together it is also unnerving. The dimness makes the focussing of the camera difficult; I use a small touch to set the shutter speeds and aperture. A forty-minute exposure was used with these first initial exposures. A long wait for a photographer and gives me time to make notes. I feel calm and the still atmosphere helps me to relax. Outside I hear a babbling brook, birds singing, the day is bright, warm and spring-like. These rusty dinosaurs within this mill no longer creak, groan, growl. They’re silent and still, their only movement is that of their slow corrosion. My eyes have long since grown accustomed to the dimness. The machinery is splendid – wheels, cogs, belts, gears, pulley’s, springs, rods, rollers, spinners, presses, chains, oil, wool, spanners, wrenches, dust and cobwebs. A stuffed heron lays on the ground on the first floor and also; a metal chest full of 19th & 20th century books (on Stalin, India, Arithmetic, Philosophy, Chemistry, Law, Communism, worker’s rights and how to better oneself!). More large baskets, clamps, drawing desks, broken chairs, tables, chests, all stand on an uneven floor and under a sagging ceiling. The sun poured through the open windows on the first floor, flooding tiny areas and here the exposures were much shorter, usually around 4 - 16 minutes. Four hours was spend making around ten exposures onto sheet film. The slow process of photographing in such dark places makes the finishing images so much more satisfying. MELIN CEULAN. Tal-v-bont. Ceredigion 2004 Ar Ian afon Ceulan saif Melin Ceulan, a fu unwaith yn brysur a llewyrchus. Wrth i'r llygaid ymgynefino a lled-dywyllwch y llawr gwaelod daw Melin Ceulan i'r golwg, yn adeilad cadarn gyda pheiriannau mawreddog, gwyddiau, fframiau gwehyddu a basgedi mawr o wlan yn llenwi'r tri llawr at y to. Caeodd y felin yn y 1950au a bu iddi aros yn wag ers hynny. Mae'n dywyll, ac ynghanol yr holl beirianwaith trwm sydd wedi'i wthio benben a'i gilydd, ceir hefyd deimlad o anesmwythyd. Yn y tywyllwch mae'n anodd ffocysu'r camera; rhoddaf gyffyrddiad ysgafn i osod cyflymder y caead a lledu'r agorfa. Defnyddiwyd dadleniad o bedwar deg pum munud gyda'r lluniau cychwynnol hyn. Hir ymaros i'r ffotograffydd, a chyfle i mi ysgrifennu nodiadau. Teimlaf dawelwch, ac mae'r awyrgylch llonydd help i mi ymlacio. Y tu allan clywaf furmur y nant a thrydar yr adar, megis diwmod braf a chynnes o wanwyn. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ystwyth-river-at-cwmystwyth-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_15439770344d0dba0e4a70f.jpgYSTWYTH RIVER AT CWMYSTWYTH, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on YSTWYTH RIVER AT CWMYSTWYTH, Ceredigion 2010 Taken at sunrise on a winters morning whilst driving to the Elan Valley. This was a simple photograph which required a 6 minutes exposure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076462.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_301241548497069244b192.jpgSKER HOUSE, Pyle, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on SKER HOUSE, Pyle, West Glamorgan 1997 (now restored) Sker is a huge, imposing 16th century house, built by the Monks of Neath Abbey, standing alone, resilient and high on a deserted stretch of coastline. It has been standing empty, partially fallen and decayed for years with much talk and little action taken to save this medieval (at the core) house. A mile long walk from the road up to its door filled my eyes and intrepid heart with glee. Though I wasn't disappointed, a successful exposure was a struggle. I do not feel I caught the essence of Sker. All the elements were present: a stunning surrounding and a magnificent, majestic house, twisted wind blown coastal trees and slow, warm evening sunlight. All this but I couldn't find the angle that satisfied me. Regrettably I forgot to take a torch too. One window had been broken into and the others were all boarded up. Much to my loss I missed the opportunity to view the elaborate plasterwork in the large main hall (said to seat a hundred people): prehistoric bird creatures shooting arrows at dragons! It was abandoned in 1970 but recently and successfully (2000) restored and fully renovated as a family home. The Victorian novelist R.D. Blackmore , best known for his novel Lorna Doone, spent much of his childhood at nearby Nottage Court and knew Sker well. Less well known is the fact that he also wrote a novel called The Maid of Sker. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1002099874498bd70597de7.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8336582964b5dc8bc2f2e2.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10071629274b5dc8aa1bb5c.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1041764064b5dc8df3ed0c.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2749583514b5dc8f1e02c5.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19544565.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_87127896452584d47d78e6.jpgPEN Y PARC, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on PEN Y PARC, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 The first time I came here, some two years ago, full renovation was underway. Unfortunately this seems to have stopped – unless of course the owners are just gathering their strength and resources for another blast of activity. Lovely clom building shown here. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14266063.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1548793204f5351d9ef3da.jpgDanywern, Glanusk Estate, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 Notes on Danywern, Glanusk Estate, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 This was once the gamekeepers cottage on the Glanusk estate. Now totally ruined. It would seem to have been a typical Welsh cottage with an extension bolted onto one gable end which then became the main entrance. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39243099.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12879953625d414a0524713.jpgCWMYRARIAN, Croesyceilog, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on CWMYRARIAN, Croesyceilog, Carmarthenshire 2019 Long ruined, outbuildings still in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/old-bute-railway-station-cardiff https://images.on-this.website/7784_3607085405abb9bd6e9faf.jpgOLD BUTE RAILWAY STATION, Cardiff 2018 Notes on OLD BUTE RAILWAY STATION, Cardiff 2018 Empty, plenty of suggested uses but as yet no work. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40573394.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2705615975de573f24aca0.jpgKINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 Notes on KINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 I parked the car at the hamlet of Llanddewi, beside the road, a cloudy damp day. I walked passed the tiny and attractive church of St David's and along the bridle-path. The tarmac track soon comes to a gated track and to the right the large farmhouse of 'New Hen-Llys farm'. The track from the farm to (old) 'Hen-Llys' is only passable with wellingtons and at that, barely. The divots of years of tyre tread are around a foot deep but that said it has rained a lot recently. I made my way, waddling through the puddles, disturbing the clear water and occasionally trying the banks to see if the mud was easier to navigate than the water. It wasn't. To a gated field, footpath marker, a large field full of sheep and cows - all ignored me, the grass wet and slippery, more mud, more puddles. Another gate, narrow path between two fields more mud, bicycle tread marks, people do come this way and then another gate, stone track and finally to the ruins of Kingshall farm. A large L-shaped farmhouse, built on a square site, a wall completing the L-shape to create a square. Long ruinous, roofless, door-less and window-less, lintels in place, bits of metal laying around, farm plastic sacks, little sign of care. Nonetheless a nice site, sheltered due to trees, a small stream, two pig sty's, the track running alongside the house. Time to breathe here. Set up the camera. A light aircraft overhead. It circles almost directly above me and then disappears over the horizon. I'd had an argument with my partner in the morning. The walk a tonic. The struggle through puddles and mud were the mild hardship, the conversations re-lived, altered, talking to myself, making logic of my actions, trying not to disregard hers. Keeping a level head. I set up the camera and about to take the first image. I think the unseen plane is a tractor engine, the phone rings, I normally have it on silent, I need to take this picture. It's only a plane, not a tractor. I'm not trespassing but neither am I in the mood for conversation. A picture is made. The phone rings again. I don't want to speak. I compose and take another photograph. The plane returns, the phone rings. I ignore both. Both stop and there is silence but there's another sound that I can't quite work out what it is: a low engine murmur almost like birds. It stops and then I see the cloud of starlings rise above me. I take more pictures, nothing spectacular but document the farm as I see fit. When I finish I phone my partner back. She isn't impressed. I can't say I blame her but sometimes we need to stick by our decisions even if they're not right. I walk back the way I came. I had wanted to explore further - to another ruin but it is already 3pm and the dim day is becoming darker. I also haven't eaten or drank anything all day and I feel upset in body and mind. I stop at Hen Llys farm on the way back. It is not ruinous but neither is it lived in. Rendered, single glazed, a long house of sorts - around the rear a pond - probably modern and often frequented by cattle. I make a few exposures, viewpoints are few, the house looks sorry for itself rather than on the verge of dereliction. My phone is ringing again. Too many short and angry phone calls. Everyone argues. Little solace. I think my partner would not have enjoyed this walk anyway. It's been too long, too muddy, too wet. I finish my photographs again and phone her back. Do I love her? Yes, I love her. Not that she has asked me and not that I have told her. That is what it boils down to, mostly. Everything else in this argument is shrapnel and some of it hurts, some of it misses the mark. I have made my peace with myself. The power of walking with the added bonus of a ruin. I do wonder how it is to live with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40479130.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18747907885dd7934d5c6ff.jpgLLECT-ART FAWR, Mynydd Gellionnen, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on LLECT-ART FAWR, Mynydd Gellionnen, Neath Port Talbot 2019 I parked at the remote Gellionnen Chapel and walked down the single lane track towards the footpath that leads to the ruined farmstead. I took a shorter route through some undergrowth and over a fence. There was a footpath of sorts and it suited me. I reached the house quickly, no closed gateway, an open farmyard with the house standing opposite an old tractor and large metal barn. The drizzle fell but the sun was also out behind the clouds and somewhere there would be a rainbow. A group of cows watched from a metal barn shed, the mud underfoot was deep in places where the cows had trodden and to a point where I almost lost my wellingtons - thank goodness I wore them! The house is large, much ruined and because I was battling with the mud I forgot to look inside the bare walls. A large chimney, not uncommon in Wales stood one gable end, roof long gone, windows and doors long gone, only the bare bones. Other outbuildings stand also ruinous and other than the cows and farm workers it felt very few people walked this footpath. A few obvious viewpoints came, I had to keep lifting my feet so they didn't sink too deep. The camera and lens found their viewpoints easy and I suppose that is a blessing taking images of buildings; there’s only so many viewpoints, the skill-set involved is somewhat limiting and without doing myself an injustice, anyone could take these images. As a collection however, that is where they gain their strength. These thoughts were written down once I returned to the car. I’ve lessened the weight of my camera bag recently; a lighter camera, mostly carry just one lens, only carry 6 – 8 darkslides and a lighter light meter. All this and still my two mile walk gave me a sweaty back! Blame the backpack. Always carry a spare t-shirt and spare pair of shoes. The smell in the air was of cow muck, not un-pleasant by any means and the smell came home with me. A nice reminder of where I come from and how much I miss the countryside. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40699184.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8885598185e12356b02b5f.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40586132.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14828219585de8dd6b9adda.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058636.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11106286314a62ce277addf.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2009 I had heard that Bronwydd had all but gone, demolished by the owner/farmer since my last visit in 1996. I was surprised to find that very little had changed. Some of the ornate arches with Latin inscriptions had fallen but considering it had been 13 years I believe Bronwydd still has much to offer the casual visitor. A border collie came bounding over and accompanied me during my visit demanding I throw stones. Another dog barked constantly somewhere in the farm yard above. As I approached the house the cows and calves fled and the sheep huddled in corners of fields. The most prominent part of Bronwydd is the large high tower, completely ivy covered and resilient. The remnants of fireplaces, doorways, staircases and plastered corners can be seen when looking up from the inside. Foolishly I forgot also to see if the spiral staircase to the narrow rounded tower that projects up beside the large ivy covered tower was still accessible. I’m not sure I would have had the courage to walk up it anyway. A few decorative blocks of plasterwork lay here and there in amongst the rubble and stone. Although I only spent half an hour at Bronwydd I spent a further two hours attempting to dig my car of the mud I had decided to park it in! [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_312845545498bd5e5d5c3a.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14637335094a693b5d1666f.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9156197234b5961bda7cc2.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18635850294b595fa4283c9.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13462290774b3887ff84ddd.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5865035494b596057f17e0.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14505653094b5960a7413ee.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17816598244b596167aea23.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7376366104b59600452e57.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 BRONWYDD. Llanqynllo. Ceredigion 1997 & 2009 Safai ty ar safle Bronwydd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar ddeg ac fe gafodd ei ailadeiladu yn y 1850au - er nad oes dim yma heddiw ond twmpath o rwbel. Mae'r cerfiadau cerrig, y gwydr lliw a'r murluniau wedi hen ddiflannu heblaw am ychydig o arwyddeiriau Lladin uwchben y drysau o garreg Caerfaddon.. Dychwelais i Fronwydd fis Gorffennaf 2009. Prin yr oedd wedi newid. Mae eiddew'n gorchuddio'r twr ac mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r arysgrifau Lladin wedi dirywio a diflannu am byth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42196114.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20066125015fe1ae9c79103.jpgHENLLAN UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on HENLLAN UCHAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 I took a somewhat difficult route up to the ruins of Henllan Uchaf and Henllan Isaf - the two are no more than 50 yards from one another and I wondered if they were built at the same time and possibly by the same family? Henllan Uchaf was a one-storey cottage with a small porch, rendered but all ruinous and access within was impossible due to the brambles. Bits of corrugated tin lay on the ground, most likely it's roof for a number of years. This wasn't a sad place. Someone had also relatively recently had a camp fire here and possibly stayed the night. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo16835285.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_138053170350b252fb0c587.jpgSILIAN SCHOOL HOUSE, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on SILIAN SCHOOL HOUSE, Ceredigion 2012 Built in 1956 and closed down in 1976. Locals had hoped to find use of building but sadly it remains derelict to this day. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/aberarth-mill-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_103587547956be0f91e2f1e.jpgABERARTH MILL, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on ABERARTH MILL, Ceredigion 2016 A return after accidentally fogging the film last time I was here. More info to follow... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img304 https://images.on-this.website/7784_5797824395359470aa2904.jpgCWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH MINES, Ceredigion 1996 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41249158.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14450402435f00b33e13170.jpgCORS-TONCIN, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on CORS-TONCIN, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Nice little cottage on the footpath towards Coed Cyw Uchaf (see the next house) and well positioned but unfortunately much ruinous. A small outbuilding opposite, with a broken electric cycling machine, barn ruinous too and although only a few images taken, viewpoints were slim, and I was on my way a few minutes later. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13460869.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16520211194eb64333df757.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 Graffiti painted over a painted montaged wall. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/henllan-isaf-crynant-neath-port https://images.on-this.website/7784_1410578865fe1ae994121a.jpgHENLLAN ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Notes on HENLLAN ISAF, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2020 Henllan Isaf stands adjacent to Henllan Uchaf, both one-storey cottages, both roofless and most features lost/fallen. Both stand high and have good views over the hills by Seven Sisters. I know not of any history and would appreciate anything anyone should know of these two lonely ruins. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cyllie-farm-cwmtwrch-brecknockshire-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4698607015a67021c5ff1d.jpgCYLLIE FARM, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Notes on CYLLIE FARM, Cwmtwrch, Brecknockshire 2018 Another ruin in a small clump of abandoned dwellings, Cyllie farm seems to be undergoing signs of restoration. Three dirty white caravans sit in the grounds. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22234999.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4473797955400227528526.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22235007.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10308345195400228b62a8e.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4508206.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3816340384b936b0b2ea0b.jpgDEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on DEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 This hollowed tree trunk appears dead but the branches above grow abundantly during the spring and summer months. As seen here the centre part of the truck is damp and dark whereas the outer sections are dried, wood-wormed and bleached. This gives a pleasing contrast to the thick truck. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/chimney-llanelli-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11064935865bd2162c43d56.jpgCHIMNEY, Llanelli 2018 Notes on CHIMNEY, Llanelli 2018 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13323065.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_887067845f9ff7e80f4d2.jpgLLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Hidden from view and the morning had yet to properly break. I reached the matured grounds of the house Llanfechan in uncertainty. I had been told much remained but also as mentioned in ‘The Lost Houses of Wales’, it was ‘mostly demolished’. I could make out a bulky dark mass in the dim morning light and once beyond the covering of trees, the walls of Llanfechan could easily to reached. And once within those walls, standing in the ruins themselves, it becomes easier still to imagine this was once a rather fine mansion house. The house standing today was built in 1786 and due to fire was already ruined by 1837 and thus remained a ruin all these years since. In the Pevsner Building of Wales guide for Ceredigion it suggests that Llanfechan was designed by John Nash and is comparable to his Llanerchaeron just a few miles away (and it doesn’t take an untrained eye to find these comparisons!). The original full two storeys remain today, the façade and main section of the house. Although the outer is covered almost entirely with foliage and trees and there are a few mature trees within the site, it is generally easily negotiable – one gable end, against a damp and dimly lit bank has large cracks and holes forming with the chimney on the brink on collapsing inward. The morning of my visit the wind blew hard and the overcast day offered little prospect of improving. The wind and the dimness of light meant I required long exposures of around 4 – 16 minutes and this in fact helped me with exposing more of the buildings fabric than would ordinarily be possible. The windswept branches and leaves meant their movement wasn’t properly recorded and was instead recorded as a ‘slight blur’ and thus more stone work was recorded onto the sheet of film inside the camera. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/corrugated-shed-talsarn-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10934232025621dc65062f5.jpgCORRUGATED SHED, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CORRUGATED SHED, Talsarn, Ceredigion 2015 Whilst visiting a ruined house, this shed adjacent caught my eye. The rusting walls had corroded and left patterns along the whole wall. By focussing close I was able to isolate certain areas and this was the best of the two exposures made. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img267 https://images.on-this.website/7784_351819837534ebea82040b.jpgCLAERWEN FARM, Ceredigion 1991 Notes on CLAERWEN FARM, Ceredigion 1991 A long walk from Teifi Pools, mid-day, mid-summer and hard to believe these images were taken 35 years ago (now being 2026!). The house stands on the border between Ceredigion and Radnorshire and is very isolated. The house at the time was empty. I had hoped to find a window or door open but I believe, if my memory serves me correctly, that the windows were nailed down, the doors well and truly locked. I used a cheap Chinese Seagull Twin Lens Reflex camera with infra-red film and hand held the necessary filter in front of the lens, resulting in a little vignetting - this resulting in the dark skies and light, almost snow-looking, grass. House now renovated and lived in. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dead-tree-cefn-coch-cwmystwyth https://images.on-this.website/7784_12200336584bae1ee645c1b.jpgDEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on DEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4639815.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11376246114baf0df93e92b.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cil-y-Cwm, Carmarthenshire 2010 Sometimes I wonder why I do it to myself. After visiting the lamentable walls of Blaen Baglan I then drove towards home but stopped off at Neuadd Fawr. My first and only visit to Neuadd Fawr was on a still but very foggy November day in 1996. The countryside around the village of Cil-y-Cwm is quite beautiful and the road up the farm and mansion happily revealed that the lodge house, very derelict in 1996, had recently and considerately been restored. The same can not be said of the mansion. I was met by the owner / farmer and again, as I recall from my first visit some 14 years ago, was welcomed; amicable and friendly. He explained how his family had purchased the land around the farm and mansion at the turn of century. The house had come with the land and they did not have the 3 million perhaps required to restore the mansion and even if they did have the money, wouldn’t spend it restoring it. And who could blame their or anybodies reluctance, for the job at hand would be heading towards the immeasurable! Although the roof wavers it is intact and the outer walls all look structurally sound. Within, as so often the case, is a jumbled, chaotic mess as one would expect from a any house that has been left abandoned for 60 years. All the above floors have either collapsed or on the precipice. I was warned not enter. I was warned not to enter in 1996 too. I took heed. The photographs showing interior views were taken on the outside looking in. Although in such ramshackle details could be noted; fireplaces and ranges, panelling and plasterwork, built-in-cupboards and ornate grills. I purposely visited Neuadd Fawr before the spring and summer foliage all but obscured the classic Ionic cast iron pillars. Of course all rusting but up close they’re solid and feel indestructible. The façade and east side with lovely narrow balcony are beautifully proportioned with large lower floor windows. It become easy to imagine especially on such a beautiful early spring morning, that sitting in these rooms was lovely with light falling and filling even the dimmest and most sheltered of corners. To the north and rear of the house is a messy jumble of extensions, ruinous with some outer walls caved in. The rear is quite unkempt and messy but by this time, once again, I was totally captivated by the house ad estate. The marvellous twin door stable block was however a horrid shock. It had perhaps suffered more than the house, almost completely roofless, windows all broke and where had those lovely large twin doors gone? The weather was perfect but what I had chosen to photograph was devastating. The vast walled kitchen garden contained a few branchless fruit trees. I have seen pictures of the walled garden at Ruperra Castle – it was a beautiful sight – rows of vegetables carefully planted and monitored by the head gardener and his army of workers. Was Neuadd Fawr the same? Also, to the rear of the house, another walled garden, was this the formal garden? It is now just a field kept neat by grazing and curious sheep. A small summer dwelling is built within this garden (as well as a ‘ty bach’ / toilet). The farmer had spoken about CADW rejecting plans to converting the house into flats and only keeping the façade of house. Neuadd Fawr, listed grade II, can not be demolished but if no consolidation work is carried out it will eventually fall. Should CADW be more willing to compromise such examples? After two hours and using all the film I had with me, I stood staring at Neuadd Fawr. I stood still for about 10 minutes soaking up the warmth of the morning sun. It did not feel like this great house had reached its almost inevitable conclusion of total dereliction. It may have been the optimistic warmth from the sun and thawing me and the frozen ground or it could have been the un-afraid and watchful sheep whilst grazing, close by. It could have been the friendly welcome the owner gave me upon my approach or the peace I felt, the peace of that particular morning whilst walking around these particularly magnificent ruins. In those 10 slow minutes it felt like Neuadd Fawr could be, and would be, eventually saved from the brink of dereliction by the restorer of wealth and good taste. I hope I will be proved right. NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2081198.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_165250211049731cb2aa1d7.jpgPIERCEFIELD HOUSE, St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Notes of PIERCEFIELD HOUSE, St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Piercefield is a large, notorious mansion estate situated high above the river Severn on the outskirts of Chepstow. Its origins lie in the middle ages and the Classical house as it stands today, was built around 1792. It has been bought and sold many times throughout its relatively short-lived life and today sits covered with supports and scaffolding adjacent to Chepstow racecourse. I had known of Piercefield for some time, a friend had shown me snapshots of the house ruined, and it is well documented in guidebooks and historical interest publications. The house and its many statues were abandoned after 1923 and sold to the racecourse. Unsurprisingly, it is a house that sparks great debate in the Chepstow area. The American Army in the Second World War supposedly used it as a target practice. Two large pavilions either side of the house became obscured by undergrowth and around the rear of the house extensive outbuildings (early 19th century); service courts, stables, a coach house and a walled kitchen garden are all derelict though with some abiding agricultural use. The April morning I arrived was a humid and bright day. Piercefields sand-coloured limestone walls stood brave against the greens of the embroidered foliage and a wispy blue sky behind. Many exposures made, ordinarily I use around 6 sheets of film per house visited but the sheer size and wealth of photographic subject matter soon had me reloading film and searching for that viewpoint which suits the atmospherics of a house with such grand declines. The house, outbuildings and grounds are currently under renovation. Piercefield 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5043837494b51d72924c0a.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9417442054b51d73e478ae.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8030927984b51d75259c20.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9861632.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1789675844dc4f06c0d185.jpgCILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Standing and overlooking Newcastle Emlyn and on the banks of the wending river Teifi, Cilgwyn House was once an important estate and owned huge areas of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. Although there is little recorded pictured evidence, a house has stood at this site during the 18th century, possibly earlier. The Cilgwyn we see today was built in 1870. Old photographs of the house reveal a lead turret over the main entrance but this was replaced since causing structural damage and in my opinion the entrance, also lacking its porch, has become somewhat overwhelmingly ordinary. That said the house is large, 17 bedrooms and feels like a solid block of stone. One gets a feeling that this house was built resolute and with resilience. As you can see from these photographs it is beginning to fall into disrepair and those slow but sure ivy coils are creeping between the thinnest of cracks and gaining purchase. There's large stables around the rear and other extensions (at some point the house was a hotel) but all is looking tired and windswept. The mature oaks and freshly mowed lawns can not hide the fact that Cilgwyn needs some care and money poured into it. It is currently for sale. My visit was brief and after a spring of glorious sunshine I found this particular morning devoid of that early morning soft hue that I had been recently waking to. The greyness drab and uninspiring yet seemed appropriate for the task at hand; that is to photograph Cilgwyn sympathetically and with respect. Not all the images are successful – I only had 10 sheets of film and due to the height of the house and the relatively narrow angles of view offered I was somewhat forced into certain viewpoints. But so be it – every house has a different feel and each must be approached differently. Although not all the images were successful there is enough in them to satisfy me. I left Cilgwyn thinking that my next visit should see a much happier house, perhaps not with freshly mowed lawns but with the ivy cut back, the ridge tiles replaced and the windows replaced/repaired. One can hope. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22379934.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16175017715411ed16b575c.jpgUNKNOWN HOUSE, Unknown Location, Ceredigion 1989 Notes on UNKNOWN HOUSE, Unknown Location, Ceredigion 1989 Recently discovered on a strip of 35mm negative and printed - a few images show a ruined house in a rural location. I believe, though have no memory of this, that this maybe in the Talybont/Nantymoch area. Can anyone help? Photographs were taken sometime between 1988 and 1990. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14548670.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15528105444f82bedd1cbd6.jpgROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on ROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2012 South of Teifi Pools, towards Strata Florida Abbey, is this small hillside whihc is littered with rocks and white rock. I have often wanted to photograph this hillside at night, with the marble rock luminous in the moonlight. But today is very bright, very sunny with some cloud cover. These images are not necessarily typical of my usual compositions. I aimed, by adjusting the front tilt of the lens on my camera, to flatten the perspective and attempt to capture the scene in view as one-dimensional as possible. The rugged rocks at the rear help frame the image, with as little of the sky in view as possible. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-farmhouse-a40-nr-st https://images.on-this.website/7784_18177817215c5dc5d7e42a2.jpgUNKNOWN FARMHOUSE, A40 Nr St Clears, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on UNKNOWN FARMHOUSE, A40 Nr St Clears, Carmarthenshire 2019 Alongside the A40 and near ruinous with advertising on one gable end. A few exposures made. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/landshipping-house-martletwy-pembrokeshire-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14529916344c56fd1618408.jpgLANDSHIPPING HOUSE, Martletwy, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on LANDSHIPPING HOUSE, Martletwy, Pembrokeshire 2010 Reached by walking along the muddy quay, Landshipping House is superbly situated over looking the start of the Cleddau Estuary, incidentally just a few miles down stream from the Systerne / Sisters House. The house has been a shell for decades with one of the front bays slowly crumbling away. The current owners have had a long battle with the Pembrokeshire National Park Authority who are unwilling to buckle their overall ban on new builds in the National Park – surely each case should be judged overall on its merits and leniency used where appropriate – Landshipping House and its outbuildings would doubtlessly add to the character of this part of beautiful Pembrokeshire. A short row of service quarters at the rear show evidence that these were once stables (a curved brick arch has been filled in). A pig snored in its pen during my visit. The sky began to brighten with an intense orange luminosity as the morning hue revealed tiny spider webs across the lawns in front of the house. The birds had finished their morning chorus and had begun their daily chores. This mansion, on this morning, had an explicit air of positive assurance that soon it would regain its full height and its four walls and once again become a family home. ‘Old Landshipping’ was built in the 1670’s but was dismantled and the stone used to build ‘New Landshipping’ in the late 18th century a few hundred yards down the estuary in a more prominent place where it could be overlooked by visitors to Picton Castle and Slebech Park. ‘New Landshipping’ was also has castellated in response to Picton. Landshipping or has it is also known as 'Big House' (Ty Mawr) has now been restored with the left facing bay and entrance near to full restored. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24417793.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2056377230556b23c47fe84.jpgPANT-Y-RHEW-FACH, Dihewyd, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PANT-Y-RHEW-FACH, Dihewyd, Ceredigion 2015 As you can see, third of the house, end gable, has collapsed but the rest of the structure seems relatively secure. Overgrown, many outbuildings, this was probably once a small farm - other than that I know little else about the place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img396 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14503198855378e365b58eb.jpgLLANIO FELIN, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LLANIO FELIN, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 Not as such ruined but long empty and looking quite dilapidated. A short drive from the main from between Tregaron and Lampeter, over a small stone bridge (also looking a little worse for wear) and to the house. A few fragments of the mill remain beside the river; notably the metal waterwheel. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llanfihangel-rhostie-lledrod-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10799535914d8775672bb76.jpgLLANFIHANGEL RHOSTIE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLANFIHANGEL RHOSTIE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 A roofless church a few miles down a dead-end road between Lledrod and Llanilar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/baron-hill-beaumaris-anglesey-2008 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1950665194b1247fc35d0e.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14408224384b5c5aad2193a.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7696061414b5c5b3c41528.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6698215724b5c5bc4d6cb8.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5639447514b5c5ae86863f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_343839564b5c5acbe80c3.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15831139334b5c5b75cd315.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8121578.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3094296534d1b4924b7a73.jpgGWYNLLYN, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Notes on GWYNLLYN, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 A small house along the banks of the stream Nantgwynllyn and stands just a mile outside of Rhayader.(now restored - 2015) https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34641038.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18855225505ae0d00ec5981.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Notes on Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2018 Another couple of visits, within days of each other, access within made possible by holes in the fence. The time before by a kindly council worker. The machinery in the engine room is spectacular, if a little scary, and a few exposures were made, but not many due to accessibility issues. Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex and restaurants. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769121.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18750648444a31da8551b6f.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15235017274b46e50dd4aef.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (potting sheds and greenhouses – all overgrown and ruined) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14125111514b46e56674531.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (potting sheds and greenhouses – all overgrown and ruined) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2809243194b46e5b5dd29d.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (potting sheds and greenhouses – all overgrown and ruined) For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ If you appreciate abstract photography such as this please view my 'abstractions' gallery on my sister website www.paulwhitephotographic.co.uk https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40573388.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4159697795de573ef33aeb.jpgHEN-LLYS FARM, Llanddewi, Gower 2019 Notes on HEN-LLYS FARM, Llanddewi, Gower 2019 Known has a hall but seems more like longhouse, the house looks sorry for itself rather than on the verge of dereliction - I do not know how long empty - perhaps it's a holiday home, most likely not. Thick gable end chimney hidden by ivy, the house has dirty windows, curtains closed. I did not try to find an way to enter but it would have been nice to have seen the barrel vaulted cellar as described below. The house externally is mundanely rendered but I think the real treasures would have been discovered inside. Hopefully this house will not fall in disrepair. Only a few images taken, I almost did not bother but think I would have regretted it. The rear of the property is pretty much inaccessible - again no great effort was made. The light was fading, I was out of film, time to go home. Found online at: http://www.ggat.org.uk/cadw/historic_landscape/gower/english/Gower_033.htm The house of Henllys and its associated farm of over 200 acres (81 hectares) continued in Mansell ownership until sold to tenants in the 1960s. The house of Old Henllys (01634w; 19501) has a characteristic vernacular Gower plan with lateral outshuts. The central unit of the house is a hall of sixteenth century date, of hearth-passage type with gable-entry stone stairs with cross-slab roof, bed cupboard, later additions, and partly thatched. The hall unit was probably built against an earlier or contemporary west block, subsequently demolished. The existing west extension is undateable, but very substantial: it has at some period been converted to domestic accommodation, as there is an internal door to the older part on each floor. A large chimney (traditionally called the Flemish chimney, but not a large example by Pembrokeshire standards) projects centrally on the gable end. A smaller east extension is of eighteenth and twentieth century date. Barrel vaulted cellars of brick located to the west are thought to have originated as a rainwater reservoir for the house (Morris 1998, 107-117; Listed building description). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14547943.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1637430114f829cd0a3272.jpgHAFOD MANSION, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on HAFOD MANSION, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 The remains of Hafod Mansion - much has been taken but fragments of dressed stone remain within the mess of stone and brick and wood. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115461.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7743006594982ae50e1fda.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 A gatehouse stands at the entrance of Hafodunos, elaborate and ruined, and after a short slight upward slope walk to the house Hafodunos unfolds, obviously empty, elaborate and also in a ruinous state. It is not in a ruinous state due to nature’s reclamation but because of abandonment, vandalism and a terrible fire in the fall of 2004. It is a very large Gothic-style house, built in 1861-66 by Sir George Gilbert-Scott on an earlier site, with a clock tower and octagonal billiard room. Hafodunos is in a desperate state of disrepair, with many of its features either lost to man’s destruction or otherwise stolen. The conservatories, built a little later than the house, all smashed into many fragments but all beautifully lit. The grounds beneath the layer of undergrowth reveal a once well-maintained and extensive garden. The interior, although vacated some 7 years ago, felt as if it had only been vacated last month. Even so, the walls are brittle and scarred with peeling paintwork and spray-can graffiti and the maze of rooms, corridors and courtyards are littered with burnt furniture, perilous ceilings and rotting staircases. The fire had all but destroyed the front facade and had left Hafodunas a very pitiful pile. It accommodated many uses throughout its relatively short life: once an accountancy college, a girls school, then a care home and eventually a hotel and restaurant. I wandered around overwhelmed and with much the same feeling as that of Aberglasney some 10 years previous: of not learning from our past mistakes and just passing on the consequences. Aberglasney was eventually salvaged from the brink of total collapse. Hafodunos however, though greatly admired, may give itself up to the elements, whether human or natural, and it remains to be seen if someone will have the care of attention that this building deserves. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2081196.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_36020510949731c9b5c43e.jpgPIERCEFIELD HOUSE, St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Notes of PIERCEFIELD HOUSE, St Arvan's, Gwent 2005 Piercefield is a large, notorious mansion estate situated high above the river Severn on the outskirts of Chepstow. Its origins lie in the middle ages and the Classical house as it stands today, was built around 1792. It has been bought and sold many times throughout its relatively short-lived life and today sits covered with supports and scaffolding adjacent to Chepstow racecourse. I had known of Piercefield for some time, a friend had shown me snapshots of the house ruined, and it is well documented in guidebooks and historical interest publications. The house and its many statues were abandoned after 1923 and sold to the racecourse. Unsurprisingly, it is a house that sparks great debate in the Chepstow area. The American Army in the Second World War supposedly used it as a target practice. Two large pavilions either side of the house became obscured by undergrowth and around the rear of the house extensive outbuildings (early 19th century); service courts, stables, a coach house and a walled kitchen garden are all derelict though with some abiding agricultural use. The April morning I arrived was a humid and bright day. Piercefields sand-coloured limestone walls stood brave against the greens of the embroidered foliage and a wispy blue sky behind. Many exposures made, ordinarily I use around 6 sheets of film per house visited but the sheer size and wealth of photographic subject matter soon had me reloading film and searching for that viewpoint which suits the atmospherics of a house with such grand declines. The house, outbuildings and grounds are currently under renovation. Piercefield 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5043837494b51d72924c0a.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9417442054b51d73e478ae.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8030927984b51d75259c20.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tyn-y-cefn-llangwyryfon-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_1742040164f82c95dc2d8b.jpgTY'N-Y-CEFN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on TY'N-Y-CEFN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 A traditonal farmhouse, not ruined and not even empty - the furniture is packed high in one room - but obviously this farm no longer has a tenant farmer. Roadside positioned and grey rendered. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24167748.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1090854349554cc593f00a1.jpgFFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 A small house built facing a bank, a shame since there's a lovely view of Llanerchaeron Mansion a few yards away. The house has been gutted and ready for restoration - this unfortunately has ceased and is now open to the elements - although the roof looks to be in a good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-nottingham-1998 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7572539874f82be5ae2c13.jpgABSTRACTION, Nottingham 1998 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Nottingham 1998 Cracked and snapped, paintwork on a wall in an empty house. This house is now rennovated, this fragment gone. I wonder where? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4296052.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8793660004b5bf06c17a68.jpgBARON HILL, Stables, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13773031744b5c5bfe81cf0.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12926656144b5c5c21d1337.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8819790924b5c5c3529f34.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2120029.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1596687113498535777ed4d.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2005 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14992230974b5c5b96bcf8b.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13773031744b5c5bfe81cf0.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12926656144b5c5c21d1337.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8819790924b5c5c3529f34.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39243092.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3153148125d4149feacfbd.jpgTYLE-PENGAM, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on TYLE-PENGAM, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2019 Much ruined, remote small holding.... Copied from 'Geograph' website: The ruined farm known as Tyle-pengam in Llanddeusant. According to the 1841 census the farm was occupied by a certain Isaac Williams (40), his wife Catherine (30), his mother Mary (80) and their six children. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14424328.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3969764264f6ec1528a71b.jpgTEIFI POOLS, Ffair-rhos, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on TEIFI POOLS, Ffair-rhos, Ceredigion 1996 Taken whilst wandering around the hills and lakes. Not my usual type of composition but there's some success with the layering of grey at the bottom of the picture. The sky is dramatic but not particularly interesting! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-lan-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_14379445654d838e210d924.jpgPEN LAN, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PEN LAN, Ceredigion 2011 Pen Lan stands, barely, in a beautiful position overlooking the hills towards Teifi Pools. This property, although ruined, looks to be have been well-made, short, squat and solid. Many outbuildings sadly also ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img434 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4394682355386d827f38ac.jpgTY GWYN, Llangybi, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TY GWYN, Llangybi, Ceredigion 2014 Empty and looking forever forlorn, Ty Gwyn and cowsheds stands on the edge of the village Llangybi, the white painted walls beginning to show signs of peeling away and the odd broken window pane appearing. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bryn-eglwys-fach-pumsaint-carmarthenshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_74849471450ae2dc8320a5.jpgBRYN-EGLWYS-FACH, Pumsaint, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on Stables at BRYN-EGLWYS-FACH, Pumsaint, Carmarthenshire 2012 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img265 https://images.on-this.website/7784_556228873534ebf4735d76.jpgBRIGHTON STREET SCENE, East Sussex 2008 Notes on BRIGHTON STREET SCENE, East Sussex 2008 Two negative sandwiched carefully together gives both a modern and sentimental feeling. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050607.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9864982534f250ba8616ea.jpgLLETHR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLETHR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 A walk through Forestry Commission land and the track underfoot with large puddles frozen solid. The sun had yet to rise and Llethr only becomes visible once you come upon it. Mature hardwoods obscure and almost completely hide this house. The house is not a ruin and is used as a shepherds’ shelter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/boat-oakford-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_92729555650ec7e42c16b6.jpgBoat, Oakford, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on BOAT, Oakford, Ceredigion 2012 A boat, full of holes, situated in a field beside the former farm of Cringoed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tyr-bryn-hendy-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11119593165f00b33c4e191.jpgTY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Notes on TY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Roadside location but forgotten and slowly crumbling. Ty'r Bryn is almost completely hidden by trees and the rear almost impenetrable. I spent just a few minutes here, took a few unsatisfactory images but before leaving I thought I should check out the large corrugated barns beside the house. They were in a poor state but there was a sense i should record them within as abstractions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2120033.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_170147775949853598844ba.jpgPIGEON HOUSE, Cilwendeg House, Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2004 Notes on PIGEON HOUSE, Cilwendeg House (not derelict), Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2004 This is a mock-gothic pigeon house that sits at the rear of the farmhouse on the Cilwendeg estate. It dates back to 1835 and was home to doves (in the tower) and chickens, turkeys and pigeons (in the lower quarters). It has many arched windows and doors and whilst standing beside this extravagant bird house one feels an odd sense of scale. The windows and doors are small, yet the building itself towers above you. Surrounding the Pigeon House is a 6 foot iron railing which again aids the oddness of the scale of the house since the ground floor is set low on a basement level. There is much interest in this and the present restoration of the grotto (a small marbled house covered in large shells, bones and even animal teeth - see a colour image in the ‘Introduction’ page on the main menu). The shell grotto was built before the Pigeon House in the late 18th century and used to have a domed roof which collapsed and was replaced with a cheaper flat one. With hope the Pigeon House will also be restored as dereliction threatens. Long in agricultural use, it typifies the hidden treasures that can be found in Wales, be it grottos, monuments or houses - large and small. The Pigeon House, if unprotected could be further swallowed up by farm buildings and as total dereliction looms it would be a great loss. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14249679534b3863a15912e.jpg[/img] Pigeon House 2004 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18349285834b386385dbb83.jpg[/img] Pigeon House 2004 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8120348984b38636b01e4a.jpg[/img] Service Quarters at Cilwendig (not derelict) 2004 COLOMENDY. Boncath. Sir Benfro 2004 Dyma golomendy ffug-gothig sydd wedi’i leoli tu ol i’r ffermdy ar ystad Cilwendig. Mae’n dyddio yn ol i 1835 ac roedd yn gartref i golomennod (yn y twr), i ieir, i dwrciod ac i golomennod dof (ar y lloriau gwaelod). Mae ganddo nifer o ffenestri a drysau bwaog ac wrth sefyll gerllawY colomendy teimlir syniad rhyfeddol o raddfa Mae’r ffenestri a’r drysau yn fach, ond eto mae’r adeilad ei hun yn ymddyrchafu uwch eich pen. Mae arfdy sy’n berchen i’r ystad bellach wedi’i adnewyddu a gobeithio, gyda thipyn bach o Iwc, y bydd y Colomendy hefyd, sy’n prysur ddadfeilio, yn cael ei adnewyddu. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4958677.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2430755944be65ec58f417.jpgTEIFI POOLS, Ffair-rhos, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on TEIFI POOLS, Ffair-rhos, Ceredigion 1996 Taken on an early morning visit at sun up. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img212 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7476854605347909da1f13.jpgimg212 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gelli-galed-crynant-neath-port https://images.on-this.website/7784_2706562765ab8f7e8e08cd.jpgGELLI GALED, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on GELLI GALED, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Six years since my last visit and the roof has fallen into the house. The outbuildings have all fared little better. It will not be long before the whole site is little more than a large pile of rocks. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ruperra-castle-caerphilly-mid-glamorgan https://images.on-this.website/7784_3242146314a31da4fb5896.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3115885364b46e1f10c629.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16582643904b46e26a49f6d.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058642.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2634069964a62ce4abf24a.jpgBLAEN BLODAU, New Inn, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on BLAEN BLODAU, New Inn, Carmarthenshire 2009 As recorded in the much revered ‘Buildings of Wales’ series (which now covers of whole of Wales, county by county) and also, with photographs, in ‘Welsh Forgotten Houses’. Blaen Blodau was a very pleasant surprise. Larger than the photographs suggest in ‘Forgottten Welsh Houses’ yet neither too large to be considered a rambling pile with two storey’s settled on a basement. Inside is dark, damp and supported with wooden scaffolding – I peered through the side door but did not bother to enter. Two curved rear bays and a front curved bay obscured by a rendered late Victorian/early 20th century overhanging porch (which gives this house a very peculiar appearance). Beautiful and vast firs scatter the overgrown grounds with a short driveway wending itself around to the house. A farm dog barked constantly whilst I was there, unable to see me but obviously aware of my presence. I circled the house and made a number of exposures. The morning had yet to truly break and long exposures were required of around 4 minutes. An air of calmness enveloped the house and grounds and one could imagine once some of the high branches were thinned and more light would enter the house and grounds that this would be a wonderful place to live. A small but lovely coach house also in grounds. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14218197454b3e310791631.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau Coach House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4347521784b3e2d2d6d566.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6611598834b3e2d6994cb0.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20344298274a693a8350f31.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21020623124b7522aca5378.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15129231174b7522437109c.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13704385814b751fa1a32ec.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6396092764b75201e88f50.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14336817754b75212f36b14.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8665919484b75216abf7c3.jpg[/img] Blaen Blodau 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14277352674b75249100b68.jpg[/img] View beside Blaen Blodau 2009 BLAEN BLODAU. New Inn. Sir Gaerfvrddin 2009 Roedd yn braf iawn ymweld a Blaen Blodau. Deulawr ac islawr sydd iddo ac er nad yw'n dy mawr mae'n fwy nag y mae'n ymddangos. Mae'n dywyll ac yn damp y tu mewn gyda sgaffaldiau pren yn ei gynnal ac mae'n amlwg bod angen gwneud gwaith arno i'w atgyfnerthu. Mae dau fae crwm yn y tu cefn i'r ty a bae crwm yn y tu blaen sydd wedi ei guddio gan gyntedd wedi ei rendro sy'n crogi drosodd o ddiwedd oes Fictoria/dechrau'r 20fed ganrif (sy'n rhoi gwedd ddigon rhyfedd i'r ty). Mae coed pinwydd helaeth hardd wedi eu gwasgaru yn yr ardd ac mae dreif byr yn ymlwybro at y ty. Roedd rhyw naws dawel i'r ty a'r tiroedd a gallai rhywun ddychmygu pe cai rhai o'r canghennau uchel eu tocio y byddai mwy o olau yn y ty a'r tiroedd ac y byddai hwn yn lie gwych i fyw. Coetsiws bach a hyfryd yn nhiroedd y ty. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mynydd-du-mynydd-du-commin https://images.on-this.website/7784_272261380523b3e1bbc9c5.jpgMYNYDD-DU, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 Notes on MYNYDD-DU, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 Lovely located in a dingle beside a stream. The house stands hidden from view but on a public footpath, hence most likely it's poor state. Upstairs treacherous, downstairs faired little better. Interesting array of extensions around the rear. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img361 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10416714885370fc2bd261c.jpgGLYNTEG & PENCWARRE, Llanarth, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GLYNTEG & PENCWARRE, Llanarth, Ceredigion 2014 A pair of cottages with corrugated roofs and a odd looking extension. The morning was very foggy and the wet grass quickly soaked my inappropriate footwear. Peering inside was uninteresting, both cottages empty and filled with nothing but dust. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624307.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11091681014abefffe9af5c.jpgGWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on GWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 I left the house at 4am and spent two and half hours driving in the dark miserable drizzle up to the village of Llanystumdwy. The only other traffic were articulates passing goods around the country. I parked the car and walked past a lodge house and up the winding path across open parkland passed large oaks and up to the imposing ruins of Gwynfryn Plas. The rain had stopped and a warm sun peered through the clouds just north of Snowdon skimming Gwynfryn’s façade with a warm and welcoming hue. The house is positioned beautifully on the Lleyn Peninsula overlooking Snowdonia and Cardigan Bay. Looking up at the house it became quickly apparent that the larger tower is nearing the precipice of collapse. A stone window lintel on the first floor has buckled and cracked with a bulging mass of stone above it looking ready to burst out onto the ground below and no doubt bringing with it much of the tower above. The tower, as much of the house, is built with brick but with a stone outer and was built by Hugh John Ellis Nanney and completed in 1876 (with a date stone on the tower). It remained a family home until 1928 (a mere 52 years) and then became a retirement home for the clergy, a hospital and then a hotel (a mixed, yet not uncommon, history). It burnt down during the 1980’s and has remained that way since (except for a brief period when a squatter took it upon himself to begin a restoration, a seemingly ambitious but futile attempt before eviction). Wandering through the rear rooms and service quarters there’s much evidence of the house as a hotel. Slot machines fill an outbuilding, a room full of children’s books and toys fill another, a room with light fittings and chandeliers, maintenance rooms with metal boxes filled with nuts, bolts and other hardware, rusting and messy, in disarray and disorder. Evidence of the ambitious and, quite frankly, brave squatter - a sole inhibitor - an easy chair and radio. A lot of machinery dotted around the rear of the building; heavy duty bench saws and drill presses, all rusting outside and destined for landfill one day. Many rooms are filled with building material, roof beams, an endless list of supplies and spares, either salvaged or bought for restoration, all redundant and wasted. All this is open to the elements and decaying in the damp. Cars litter the grounds barely visible in the summer foliage, other farming and foresting equipment laying redundant, damp, mouldy, lichen covered with weeds growing in and around wheels and engines. Overall Gwynfryn is a very depressing sight. The entrance is at the side, a lavish decorative stone lattice porch and it was in this doorway that the better exposures were made. A view opened up into the house revealing fallen beans, passageways and into the main hall and onto a large fireplace. I can not say I particularly enjoyed my visit to Gwynfryn. The drive up there was long and slow and under horrid weather conditions. The house so beautifully positioned yet is so miserable and carelessly abandoned that you feel anger towards the waste. I hail the brave squatter and salute his resolve but this house needs more than care put into it. It needs a hefty wallet and a generous and willing loving restorer. Although perhaps not evident, as seen here in the low resolution scan, this particular image is a joy to print and see appear in the red light of my darkroom. The shades and tones of grey appeal in the most aesthetic manner and this image has all i seek in a photgraph of a mansion; that is a feeling of atmosphere, abandonment but also of beauty in decay. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3495748344b3f8593566d8.jpg[/img] Plas Gwynfryn 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-swansea-docks-2003 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12307187534bcaaebdddac0.jpgWALL, Swansea Docks 2003 Notes on WALL, Swansea Docks 2003 Taken inside a large, empty corrugated iron warehouse. It was early January and very cold. Inside a large empty space and the walls covered in warped and peeled paint, undraping to reveal the metallic surface behind. This was the most successful of the images taken – the small white slit to the bottom right shows a hole pierced through the metal wall. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ty-newydd-rhos-gelli-gron https://images.on-this.website/7784_83402709955767e9f18856.jpgTY-NEWYDD, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TY-NEWYDD Ty-Unnos #6, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 A return to the area and I made an exposure of each property unless so little remained that it was not worthwhile. Hard to imagine that this was once a busy little community. I imagine all the houses were thatched, though all are stone with a few brick chimneys here and there. Only two of the properties were of two storey, the largest of which also had a separate cottage/barn at a right angle behind, no inter-connecting door but interesting nonetheless. The rain lashed down when I reached there and I took shelter for a good ten minutes wondering if, indeed, the rain would stop. It slowed, so I went out, making a few exposures but the horizontal rain was covering my lens with a fine mist. Some of the pictures have been effected and therefore not printed. The rain did at last stop, the sun came out, my fingers were by this time red and raw but the sun soon thawed me and dried my equipment. By the time I returned to my car I was too dry and warm. Previous notes TAI-UNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not know the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2 etc… https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14330571.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14928894584f5da8df77993.jpgTY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on TY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 This house, on the Neath Road, Tonna, was the victim of a fire some years back. It was built circa 1700's as a private residence (there’s an excellent photograph of it on the 'Royal Commssion on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales' website) and then latterly as a ladies seminary. Nature, perhaps as in God, saw fit to reduce and return this house, its grounds, back to the earth. Today, the façade has all but crumbled away. The red brick structure, built in the 1920’s, glowed in the afternoon, early spring, sunlight. This red brick section seemed well built and salvageable, what a shame it felt more of an industrial addition rather than an aesthetic one. The main house looks as if it has imploded. The cellars filled in with rubble, broken furniture, white goods. I think a potholer could have unrivalled access if a potholer did indeed fancy a different kind of danger, with a more human kind of view and the destructive force of nature. The outer walls, although remain high on three sides, have all but gone on the frontage. This façade stands only a few yards away from the road. And whilst walking along the road and following the stone wall that stands around it perimeter, one cannot but wonder why this house, so openly accessible, has not seen greater vandalism. Is it because it offers the vandal nothing new? Have all the rooms within been explored and trashed, tagged with graffiti and the windows smashed? Well, actually no, peering in through the ground stair windows it would appear relatively untouched. Is it too well known, to the locals, to bother to cast a bored eye upon? I do not know. It was new to me. I have known of this property for many a year but have chosen, although not exclusively, to photograph more rural properties. The empty houses in towns and cities (of Wales) is a whole new project. This one already feels like a lifelong endeavour. This house, on Neath Road, Tonna, has reached the end of its life. It does not seem worth salvaging. Restoration seems unlikely. It is beyond repair. It left me thinking that demolition then a complete re-build would be the preferred path to follow. That is, if I were a property developer, or builder, or architect (but perhaps a gradual restoration for the historian). In its prime this was an attractive, well-proportioned property. Although my visit was a short one, only a few short hours were spent searching for viewpoints and exposing a few sheets of film, it was still a worthwhile visit. Within the grounds, other smaller ruined buildings too, their former use indistinguishable but I presume once were stables and service quarters. All overgrown with mature hardwoods, a prominent monkey puzzle and rampant rhododendrons. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41253148.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9632963915f043b07ee22a.jpgCOALPIT HALL, Llannon 2020 Notes on COALPIT HALL, Llannon 2020 Down a short track from another ruin, Ty'r Bryn (see next set of photos), Coalpit Hall is all but hidden within the summer foliage. Coalpit feels like an old house. There are no visual clues just a sense that it has stood at this location for many years. The house stands upright and seems a little larger than most. No front door and within, each floor is covered in hardened foot deep old sheep waste. The ceilings have fallen in some rooms and upstairs is a treacherous ordeal. The staircase itself is in good condition. I took no unnecessary risks and due to the dim interior took all my images outside. Good viewpoints were scarce and I did the best I could with long 30 second to 2 minute exposures. The better viewpoints were around the rear... the back door central, two windows top and bottom and the whole house surrounded by trees. It would be a better option to photograph in the winter months but even then I doubt if the house would open up completely. An unusual name for a house and I wonder if it has some connection to a coal manager/worker? A long barn with falling stone walls and a long corrugated roof near collapse and another outbuilding all ruinous and no longer in agricultural use. Another rural ruin visited, this one at least had a roof and you wonder how many more lay hidden and all but forgotten. How long empty? Why so well preserved considering there was no front door, hardly any glass in the windows? The house is just about visible from the c-class road but who has any reason to come this way? Has it been empty for decades and untouched by casual vandal? Does its location mean it is kept sheltered from the elements which can quicken the dereliction? Small rear garden with outdoor Ty bach, fruit trees un-pruned and fruitless. However Coalpit is a nice house with a good aura and it does not seem impossible for it to return to a family home once again - four bedrooms upstairs but small rooms, complete repair and renovation required for this old house. Or maybe not as the case may be. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo35752936.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1490191905b60b7914cdf5.jpgSCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby, Pembrokeshire 2018 Notes on SCOTSBOROUGH HOUSE, Tenby, Pembrokeshire 2018 Abandoned in 1824 due to a smallpox outbreak and lain ruinous ever since. Surprisingly, for a house that’s been left to the elements for almost two hundred years there’s much to see at Scotsborough. I parked on the B-road next to the gated entrance – two farm gates padlocked together – risking the owner/farmer would not be requiring access on this Saturday morning – the trackway was muddy but I saw no recent tyre treads from tractor or quad bike. I figured I was safe parking my car where it was. I should also mention it was raining hard, I was on a tight schedule, my daughter was with me but my partner refused to leave the car! The walk down the track was short, maybe only 75 yards, and the high walls sat in light woodland. I only had a few sheets of film with me, so I set about exploring and taking a few shots. I knew I would return as soon as I had arrived, a winter visit would be required, when the tree branches are skeleton and the day overcast but dry! As ever prepared, my unsuitable footwear was sodden (as were my daughters) but I can say fairly this was a spontaneous visit on my birthday. According to the web, also known as Scotsborough Castle, and was probably built late 14th or early 15th century. Before the marsh land was reclaimed beside it, the river Rhydeg was an inlet to the sea, and it was likely there was a docking bay close to the house. Wandering around the ruins it becomes obvious that at times the ground around the house has been cleared, saplings have grown but the trees are not overly mature. Perhaps unsurprising, given its close proximity to Tenby, within some of the walls, bottles of beer were found, local youths gravitating to secluded areas, small campfires blackened stone and earth. Quite a solitary visit, my daughter quietly taking photographs, calling excitedly if she saw something worthy of viewing. I thought; chip off the old shoulder. Twenty minutes later we were heading back to the car, drenched but satisfied with our short visit and the mind curious about the history of the house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-on-house-aberystwyth-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_15282941404bcaaeab3f79a.jpgWALL ON HOUSE, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2001 Notes on HOUSE WALL, Aberystywth, Ceredigion 2003 The plaster on the exterior of this house had been penetrated by the elements and was coming off in the handful. Looking through the ground glass of my camera gave a view of an undistinguishable subject matter with almost pulsating patches of plaster and stonework. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/baron-hill-mansion-anglesey-2008 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16142797354eb641a592453.jpgBARON HILL MANSION, Anglesey 2008 Notes on BARON HILL MANSION, Anglesey 2008 The thin ivy tentacles growing bewteen stable walls and the paint on the walls and thus pushing the damp paint work off. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14115705.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13220177344f32d84c865d8.jpgHOUSE AT CWM RHEIDOL MINES, Cwm Rheidol, Ceredigion 1997 Notes on HOUSE AT CWM RHEIDOL MINES, Cwm Rheidol, Ceredigion 1997 A long in ruin house right at the head of the mines at Cwm Rheidol. An early image taken in 1997 with a 90mm wide angle lens and revealing roots and the stone run above. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769436.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8524781754a31ecae888ea.jpgBOVERTON PLACE, Boverton, Nr Llantwit Major, Glamorgan 2009 Notes on BOVERTON PLACE, Boverton, Nr Llantwit Major, Glamorgan 2009 After camping at Llantwit Major, oddly enough at the site of a once ruined mansion, The Ham (demolished 1970), I rose at 4:30am, just before sunrise and walked between school playing fields and housing estates, down narrow twittens and alongside a babbling brook to the ruins of Boverton Place. By the time I’d walked up to its bare high walls my trousers were sodden from the foot to the thigh with the early morning dew. The sun peeked along the tips of the few remaining chimneys. Inside, the walls have patches of plaster but otherwise it is nothing but a very large empty shell with saplings and larger trees filling the remnants of rooms. Birds deftly weave in and out of the tiny windows, hollow doorways and gaps in the walls. The cellars are exposed and kneeling at the opening they appear lowly and uninviting. I decline the invitation. What would I find if I ventured down? Long lost treasures or rusty beer cans? Stone steps lead up and around corners and stop dead, opening out to steep drops. Looking up towards the tower the underside of stone staircases can be seen wending themselves up the high narrow tower. I was reminded whilst exploring Boverton Place of the fate of so many ruins, large and small. Pembrey Court was in a equal state of disrepair when I visited in 1997. Very few traces, other than its size, offer any clues on the greatness of such properties (and families). At most a few stone mullion windows may survive or even, as seen at Ruperra and until recently at Aberpergwm, great doorways; wooden with exquisite shape and feature. But other than these obvious signs (and to my untrained eye) often a property is nothing more than a few high stone walls. Previous and past owners often ransacked the finer architectural details – Boverton for example was supposed to be mostly covered in wooden panelling. Yet if an owner is unable to afford the upkeep of a large house, or even afford the maintenance and prevention of decay by the elements, natural or human, who can argue if the house is left to decay? Many properties can also be on the open market for years without much interest or any chance catching the eye of a sympathetic buyer. The longer a house is left empty it stands to reason the shorter the risk of dereliction. Perhaps in their eyes the only salvation of a property was to remove the fixtures and fittings so that they may be used elsewhere, day in, day out, rather than watch them dampen, crack, be stolen, vandalised, rot or any other of the numerous ways the belongings of house may be lost. There was an outcry at Nanteos (near Aberystwyth) when an owner removed many of the fixtures. What would have happened if the house had become ever more derelict, leading to the inevitable; water entering the building and ruining the fixtures and fitting anyway? It would have been considered scandalous if all the fixtures and fittings at Hafodunos were stolen 10 years ago but since most of it was lost in a fire which becomes the lesser of two evils? I am, of course, not advocating the finer architectural details be removed from houses at risk. I thoroughly believe a house should retain as much of its orginal contents as possible. I do however believe it is worth considering why some families do remove such fixtures and fittings. Of course, it must also be said that many properties are stripped purely for profit and for an owners personal financial benefit. Anyway, once Boverton Place, the house and grounds had been photographed as sympathetically as I can I am on my way again. Whilst visiting a house I often attempt to ignore the ‘romantic’ and traditional compositions but sometimes the urge and sheer beauty of a property is too overpowering and I am powerless to resist the wind-swept trees blowing around and about a house. The walls inside a house can also hint and reveal something about a property, its owners and their tastes – a small mustard coloured room at Great Frampton or the rich crimsons at Gwrych Castle, hushed greens at Neuadd Fawr – all small clues that help the onlooker form a mental picture of how these now decrepit rooms may have once appeared. Boverton Place 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16435710524b498651209b2.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5878316514b498792894e8.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pemprys-artists-valley-ceredigion-2013 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1983323240523b3debee119.jpgPEMPRYS, Artists Valley, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on PEMPRYS, Artists Valley, Ceredigion 2013 A fine deserted longhouse high in the hills. Currently for sale - much vandalised inside, some of it by human hand, some of it by sheep. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img432 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12753831875386d7c3c5918.jpgCHURCH HOUSE & HALL, St Padarn's Parish Church, Pennant, Ceredigion 20 Notes on CHURCH HOUSE & HALL, St Padarn's Parish Church, Pennant, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage and corrugated hall – the hall still in occasional use – the cottage empty except for a few odds and ends. Both stand adjacent to the church. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24167747.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_882795456554cc590008ba.jpgFFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 A small house built facing a bank, a shame since there's a lovely view of Llanerchaeron Mansion a few yards away. The house has been gutted and ready for restoration - this unfortunately has ceased and is now open to the elements - although the roof looks to be in a good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9083200.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20137013544d87756f2d2ba.jpgLLANFIHANGEL RHOSTIE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLANFIHANGEL RHOSTIE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 A roofless church a few miles down a dead-end road between Lledrod and Llanilar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/old-church-st-catharines-baglan https://images.on-this.website/7784_15178532435b0d0390b2894.jpgOLD CHURCH, ST CATHARINE'S, Baglan, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on OLD CHURCH, ST CATHARINE'S, Baglan, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Long narrow one-storey church at the rear of the graveyard of St Catharine's Church, Baglan. Now surrounded with high metal fence, overgrown and almost lost within the undergrowth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36927130.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20571480115beb3e738e333.jpgSCOTT'S PIT, Swansea 2018 Notes on SCOTT'S PIT, Swansea 2018 A controlled ruin but a worth visit nonetheless. Scott's Pit was built 1817 - 1824 but the extraction of coal was short lived and had completely closed by 1838. The site stands on the edge of a residential area with the constant sound of the M4 running only a stones throw away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115464.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20576926134982ae6985410.jpgGWRYCH CASTLE, Abergele, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on GWRYCH CASTLE, Abergele, Denbighshire 2005 An eerie, melancholic sight overlooking the Irish Sea. Gwrych is a mock castle built 1819, its history is a short one and after few private owners, was opened up to the public from 1948 until 1985. It has been, as often the case, left to the elements and worse still, the vandals. Once left empty, with security packed up and gone, some local residents set about sealing Gwrych from the weather and the boredom and greed of vandals. But it was a battle they seemed destined to lose: though there has been much talk of restoration, with each winter that passes more and more of the castle is lost. I spent a good afternoon at Gwrych. I had seen many images, recent and old, and had wanted to find the image that captures the atmosphere of a ruined building that a general view can but rarely encapsulate. A large castle, it’s front a quarter of mile in length. My peaceful Sunday afternoon was pierced by occasional shouts and blasts of music caught on the wind. Someone, somewhere within the castle was having some kind of party. I tiptoed around, a little nervous and intrepid, until that is, I reached the entrance and came across another party, a small group of people and a photographer, with a young couple having their portraits taken. Gwrych had become a strange community. No longer witness to class prejudice, and even when officially opened to the public, no longer a tourist haunt. It was an odd afternoon. I am unsure of what the future holds for Gwrych. It is too large, too solid, too castle-like to be ignored and forgotten for much longer. I do not believe I came anywhere close to capturing Gwrych at its best. It was purchased again recently and work has begun to restore and to be used as an hotel. This image shows the top of the long staircase that doesn't actually lead anywhere but instead acts as a hallway! Gwrych Castle 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10739132894b46ebea66ccd.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5396409234b46ebf42c876.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21003657684b46ebfef0204.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10687679964b46ebe109fc3.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16678122054b46ebd81b6f5.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29924977.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1907086400585a2ade0b11a.jpgMORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2016 Notes on MORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2016 Morris castle was built between 1768 and 1774 but unoccupied since 1850 when nearby mining made the building unsafe. It sits on a hill in the middle of a residential area, only recently purchased by the council and as yet little work as begun to make the area visitor friendly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/boat-in-woods-resolven-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9298059145e295fe07f977.jpgBOAT IN WOODS, Resolven 2020 Notes on BOAT IN WOODS, Resolven 2020 Boat in woods. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4789124.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3871763924bcaac719168e.jpgWALL, Nottingham 1997 Notes on WALL, Nottingham 1997 A once complete kitchen lino wall has become cracked fragments and slithers. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13460850.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2839994154eb63e5806bb2.jpgPEELED PAINT, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2002 Notes on PEELED PAINT, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2002 A large piece of farm machinery in the corner of a field. The whole metalic areas had all rusted and fragments of paint clung to its side. This was the best exposure made. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img438 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20652910695386d8d730e78.jpgBARNS at WERNFELIN, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on BARNS at WERNFELIN, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2014 Large barns, still in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img470 https://images.on-this.website/7784_44356038553b3ae24b9fca.jpgABSTRACTION, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Alltwalis, Carmarthenshire 2014 An old storage container, sitting high near to the wind turbines, exposed to the elements. The painted words had worn off, barely visible as the layers of paint work battle against the cold winter months and the how summer months. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-pontrhydygroes-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_15870509574ddd1d19c2c96.jpgHAFOD, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on HAFOD, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2011 A simple exposure, a simple composition with four elements; the dead tree at the foreground, the fallen tree, the mature oak and the pines in the background. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img246 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1701795072534aa7c071abc.jpgNotes on ELAN VALLEY, Rhadayer 1996 Notes on ELAN VALLEY, Rhadayer 1996 A red and polarizer filter darkened the sky and the light coloured and dry grass makes for a strong contrast image. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2120044.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17433213498535e8a661e.jpgLLEWENI STABLES & COACH HOUSE, Henllan, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on LLEWENI STABLES & COACH HOUSE, Henllan, Denbighshire 2005 (mansion long demolished) A huge red brick Georgian stable block in decay, the original Lleweni house was built in 16th century and was demolished 1816-18. The re-built Lleweni survives. According to Thomas Lloyd in his book The Lost Houses of Wales, it was demolished by Colonel William Hughes for no better reason than that his wife thought it would be bad for her health and his mother thought the rooms were too big! Demolition he later regretted: it is said that afterwards, when all was done, he sat down in the ruins and cried. Lleweni’s sheer size was stunning, an L shape (with further extensions to form a T), the two arms of the thirteen bays are each sectioned with gothic towers and turrets and built around a massive medieval hall. In 1997, the stables and coach house were derelict and wet. It was mid-summer and the bracken and brambles neck high. One could barely get close to its walls. Once inside, masonry littered the ground and beams balanced precariously from floors above. Bird nests lay empty in high alcoves and cobwebs hung damp from doorways and corners. The roof had various holes and after an unexpected visit in 2005, with a protective fence around its circumference, the holes in the roof had enlarged thus threatening potential collapse. It was, again, on the market but thus far remains unsold. These barns have now been restored as housing. Please click on the link below to see a photograph: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1161756 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18628391644b73b573a686d.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7196236954b73b59681e0e.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16905480974b73b5b75d464.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5755738014b3887b0f36dd.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1494628297498ed33ab4c33.jpg[/img] Lleweni Stables 2005 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9861642.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16458003954dc4f08a12038.jpgCILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Standing and overlooking Newcastle Emlyn and on the banks of the wending river Teifi, Cilgwyn House was once an important estate and owned huge areas of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. Although there is little recorded pictured evidence, a house has stood at this site during the 18th century, possibly earlier. The Cilgwyn we see today was built in 1870. Old photographs of the house reveal a lead turret over the main entrance but this was replaced since causing structural damage and in my opinion the entrance, also lacking its porch, has become somewhat overwhelmingly ordinary. That said the house is large, 17 bedrooms and feels like a solid block of stone. One gets a feeling that this house was built resolute and with resilience. As you can see from these photographs it is beginning to fall into disrepair and those slow but sure ivy coils are creeping between the thinnest of cracks and gaining purchase. There's large stables around the rear and other extensions (at some point the house was a hotel) but all is looking tired and windswept. The mature oaks and freshly mowed lawns can not hide the fact that Cilgwyn needs some care and money poured into it. It is currently for sale. My visit was brief and after a spring of glorious sunshine I found this particular morning devoid of that early morning soft hue that I had been recently waking to. The greyness drab and uninspiring yet seemed appropriate for the task at hand; that is to photograph Cilgwyn sympathetically and with respect. Not all the images are successful – I only had 10 sheets of film and due to the height of the house and the relatively narrow angles of view offered I was somewhat forced into certain viewpoints. But so be it – every house has a different feel and each must be approached differently. Although not all the images were successful there is enough in them to satisfy me. I left Cilgwyn thinking that my next visit should see a much happier house, perhaps not with freshly mowed lawns but with the ivy cut back, the ridge tiles replaced and the windows replaced/repaired. One can hope. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rhosyrhiw-near-devils-bridge-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_17031004504c7f4a9588f41.jpgRHOSYRHIW, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on RHOSYRHIW, Ceredigion 2010 I parked at the entrance and whilst walking down the track towards the house I wondered what I would find. My last visit in 2004 the house seemd run down and felt like nothing more than a seldom visited holiday home. It appears in 2010 that much consolidation work has been done - at the rear of the house the ground cleared revealing the foundations and the house seems to be in generally good structural condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img268 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1339859094534ebed09ad7d.jpgGRASSES ON LAKE, Teifi Pools, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on GRASSES ON LAKE, Teifi Pools, Ceredigion 1996 Grasses blowing in the breeze on one of the lakes at Teifi Pools giving a lovely abstract feel and one of motion. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40728355.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18819844125e1ae25633a08.jpgKINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 Notes on KINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 I parked the car at the hamlet of Llanddewi, beside the road, a cloudy damp day. I walked passed the tiny and attractive church of St David's and along the bridle-path. The tarmac track soon comes to a gated track and to the right the large farmhouse of 'New Hen-Llys farm'. The track from the farm to (old) 'Hen-Llys' is only passable with wellingtons and at that, barely. The divots of years of tyre tread are around a foot deep but that said it has rained a lot recently. I made my way, waddling through the puddles, disturbing the clear water and occasionally trying the banks to see if the mud was easier to navigate than the water. It wasn't. To a gated field, footpath marker, a large field full of sheep and cows - all ignored me, the grass wet and slippery, more mud, more puddles. Another gate, narrow path between two fields more mud, bicycle tread marks, people do come this way and then another gate, stone track and finally to the ruins of Kingshall farm. A large L-shaped farmhouse, built on a square site, a wall completing the L-shape to create a square. Long ruinous, roofless, door-less and window-less, lintels in place, bits of metal laying around, farm plastic sacks, little sign of care. Nonetheless a nice site, sheltered due to trees, a small stream, two pig sty's, the track running alongside the house. Time to breathe here. Set up the camera. A light aircraft overhead. It circles almost directly above me and then disappears over the horizon. I'd had an argument with my partner in the morning. The walk a tonic. The struggle through puddles and mud were the mild hardship, the conversations re-lived, altered, talking to myself, making logic of my actions, trying not to disregard hers. Keeping a level head. I set up the camera and about to take the first image. I think the unseen plane is a tractor engine, the phone rings, I normally have it on silent, I need to take this picture. It's only a plane, not a tractor. I'm not trespassing but neither am I in the mood for conversation. A picture is made. The phone rings again. I don't want to speak. I compose and take another photograph. The plane returns, the phone rings. I ignore both. Both stop and there is silence but there's another sound that I can't quite work out what it is: a low engine murmur almost like birds. It stops and then I see the cloud of starlings rise above me. I take more pictures, nothing spectacular but document the farm as I see fit. When I finish I phone my partner back. She isn't impressed. I can't say I blame her but sometimes we need to stick by our decisions even if they're not right. I walk back the way I came. I had wanted to explore further - to another ruin but it is already 3pm and the dim day is becoming darker. I also haven't eaten or drank anything all day and I feel upset in body and mind. I stop at Hen Llys farm on the way back. It is not ruinous but neither is it lived in. Rendered, single glazed, a long house of sorts - around the rear a pond - probably modern and often frequented by cattle. I make a few exposures, viewpoints are few, the house looks sorry for itself rather than on the verge of dereliction. My phone is ringing again. Too many short and angry phone calls. Everyone argues. Little solace. I think my partner would not have enjoyed this walk anyway. It's been too long, too muddy, too wet. I finish my photographs again and phone her back. Do I love her? Yes, I love her. Not that she has asked me and not that I have told her. That is what it boils down to, mostly. Everything else in this argument is shrapnel and some of it hurts, some of it misses the mark. I have made my peace with myself. The power of walking with the added bonus of a ruin. I do wonder how it is to live with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gwrych-castle-abergele-denbighshire-2004 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2307254754982ae5c1da87.jpgGWRYCH CASTLE, Abergele, Denbighshire 2004 Notes on GWRYCH CASTLE, Abergele, Denbighshire 2004 An eerie, melancholic sight overlooking the Irish Sea. Gwrych is a mock castle built 1819, its history is a short one and after few private owners, was opened up to the public from 1948 until 1985. It has been, as often the case, left to the elements and worse still, the vandals. Once left empty, with security packed up and gone, some local residents set about sealing Gwrych from the weather and the boredom and greed of vandals. But it was a battle they seemed destined to lose: though there has been much talk of restoration, with each winter that passes more and more of the castle is lost. I spent a good afternoon at Gwrych. I had seen many images, recent and old, and had wanted to find the image that captures the atmosphere of a ruined building that a general view can but rarely encapsulate. A large castle, it’s front a quarter of mile in length. My peaceful Sunday afternoon was pierced by occasional shouts and blasts of music caught on the wind. Someone, somewhere within the castle was having some kind of party. I tiptoed around, a little nervous and intrepid, until that is, I reached the entrance and came across another party, a small group of people and a photographer, with a young couple having their portraits taken. Gwrych had become a strange community. No longer witness to class prejudice, and even when officially opened to the public, no longer a tourist haunt. It was an odd afternoon. I am unsure of what the future holds for Gwrych. It is too large, too solid, too castle-like to be ignored and forgotten for much longer. I do not believe I came anywhere close to capturing Gwrych at its best. It was purchased again recently and work has begun to restore and to be used as an hotel. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19490735824b3863f564330.jpg[/img] Gwrych Castle 2004 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6882486.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13002875114caae0ff43263.jpgNotes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on COURT / CWRT, Llanychaer, Pembrokeshire 2010 A farm stood at this site long before the mansion was built in 1800. A remarkable visit. In most instances the mansions I visit are in such a poor state of disrepair that the very layout of the rooms and décor are impossible to determine. Not so at Court. I know not when Court became derelict but it has not fallen into disrepair like so many others, in the 1950’s. Court has not suffered the 60 years of pilfering, or the yearly cycles of the battling elements forcing themselves behind plasterwork, between brick and mortar. The decay here hasn’t quite reached a point where total dereliction would force demolition. It is however true that the roof above the main staircase has begun to let in the rain at an alarming rate. Huge holes have appeared in the ceiling, with large saplings growing and long strands of ivy falling down. This damp area of the house continues all the way down to the basement. It cuts like a knife through a cake. Other rooms, most other rooms, although bare and with some damp, appear to be in a good dry condition. Unfortunately some of the plasterwork has begun to crumble, none as worse as the plaster frieze in the hallway just at the foot of the main staircase and therefore near the dampest areas of the house. The driveway up to the house is no longer in use other than agricultural, and glimpses of the house can be snatched. Court’s rendered façade is peeling and crumbling giving the house a sorrier look of disrepair than perhaps it deserves. Its an imposing house and its wooden portico has all but rotted and collapsed. Inside the house is spacious and although it does not have a large number of rooms, they are all a decent size with the kitchen at the hub of the house. There are the usual signs of dereliction within; old furniture, hearths full of bird nests, rusty kettles and boxes and baskets of knickknacks and ornaments, an empty but dust lined enamelled bath. Also on the site is a walled garden and many outbuildings, mostly renovated although an impressive slate clad barn remains in a derelict state. Photographing Court was a very pleasant experience. Some of the interior images required, since I never use flash photography for the black and white images, exposure times of 16 minutes whilst some of the exterior shots, due to the dimness of the morning also requiring exposure times of between 1 – 8 minutes causing some blurriness of foliage that blew in the wind. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19544560.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3868952052584c3462771.jpgPEN Y PARC, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on PEN Y PARC, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 The first time I came here, some two years ago, full renovation was underway. Unfortunately this seems to have stopped – unless of course the owners are just gathering their strength and resources for another blast of activity. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6185470.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12411473414c7f4ad01ef19.jpgLLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 Notes on LLWYN YNN, Llanfair-Dyffryn, Denbighshire 2010 I reached Llwyn Ynn at sun up after a two mile walk that zigzagged along footpaths and bridle paths and then through a long narrow wooded area. The sweet aroma of wild garlic permeated through the morning air. It was already warm when I reached the 18th century stone gate posts that stand, without their iron gates, before an empty patch of elevated ground where once the grand mansion of Llwyn Ynn stood. The great house, built in the 17th century was demolished like so many in the 1950’s after no buyer could be found. The steps leading up to where the entrance of the house once would have stood remain, indeed a galleried platform remains, and it is easy with the aid of old photographs to place the house in this walled area. Of the great house only one wall remains and thereon evidence of a very large fireplace (and a smaller one on the floor above). This wall is attached to the ruined service quarters. It is these service quarters that are the reason for my visit today and they do not disappoint. Beneath the two fireplaces there is a basement entrance that leads into the cottages that once gapped the space between the house and the service quarters. Inside all was quiet, all was dark and once my eyes and ears adjusted I could hear and see three sheep chewing, laying in a large ruinous room. They ceased their chewing as I came into view but did not rise from their sitting positions. There was a short stand-off. I was blocking their only exit. They watched me intently and seemed intent on not moving until I did. I took a few photographs. I then moved to allow their safe passage and that they did but in a typical rather hurried sheep fashion! Internally the service quarters are a mess. The staircase has collapsed and although the floors above are intact they looked paper thin and any attempt to explore, however tempting, would inevitably end up with a foot through a floor board. Holes are also prevalent in the side walls exposing beam and brick and the dim interior. At the rear a mass of extensions which appear in relative sound structural condition and access to the upper floors is possible. Again, all exposed to the weather and the livestock. The stone mullion windows are mainly in an excellent condition but naturally the wooden framed windows are rotting. The house stands on a small bluff and sits before a gentle stream called the Afon Hesbin (which flows further upstream into the river Clwyd). Including the stone buildings at the rear of the timber framed service quarters it quickly becomes apparent that Llwyn Ynn could easily accommodate a large family. The house needs extensive restoration and re-build and personally I do not hold onto much belief that the house will survive much longer if no consolidation work is carried out. I am uncertain, because I felt it unnecessary to venture, but I believe access to the cellars of the original great house may be possible. I however had no great desire to find out. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llanerchaeron-aberaeron-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7614682595636ff078a292.jpgLLANERCHAERON, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLANERCHAERON, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Simple shot, long exposure, taken on an Autumnal morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/little-pool-hall-llanvertherine-monmouthshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_13516420674a62d5b225c8f.jpgLITTLE POOL HALL, Llanvertherine, Monmouthshire 2009 Notes on LITTLE POOL HALL, Llanvertherine, Monmouthshire 2009 Nestled on a gradual decline adjacent to the Offa’s Dyke footpath Little Pool Hall is an untouched gem, untouched by time and equally blessed untouched by vandals. It contains those three essential elements ‘solitary, silent and old’. This medieval house was built sometime in the early 17th century. The bright and hot sun light that shone throughout my visit somehow betrayed the feeling of sadness I experienced whilst exploring the house. The front door was entirely impenetrable due to the summer foliage, however, the side and rear entrances were both wide open. Made up of two storeys and a very large loft are an array of original beams and staircases – bright patches of sunlight beamed through holes in the roof, weeds grew where the rain and light fell on floors. A complete mishmash of rooms on all three floors with beautiful narrow staircases winding in and out of rooms. The upper floors were precarious with holes in the floorboards. I did not venture up the loft – the staircase looked too dangerous and I could see the beams through holes in the ceiling. In bedrooms and bathrooms some traces of human inhabitancy: beds, bedpans, teapots, medicine bottles. Outside, a large barn with beautiful roof beams and also with breeze-block, corrugated iron, brick and every other building material: revealing repair throughout the centuries. A subliminal place and considering its beautiful and incredibly quiet location it is surprising that it has been left to rot for so long. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8699233154b4870799dc9e.jpg[/img] Little Pool Hall 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14293070034b4870a470a6b.jpg[/img] Little Pool Hall 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12853086024b4873974834f.jpg[/img] Little Pool Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624312.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20288885284abf00140c615.jpgTALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on TALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Only a half hour drive from Gwynfryn House to the mining community of Talysarn and the Nantlle Valley. It did not take long to find the ruined villa of Talysarn Hall. I first came across the vast array of outbuildings. I presumed that these were indeed the house converted into showers for the working miners but once past these and walked through the castellated arch I soon became aware of what a jewel this Victorian hall once was. The house itself is somewhat plain with three stories and a basement. The centre front bay slightly protrudes and also has a small porch. It is roofless and with no obvious discernable features within. It is nothing but a heavily graffiti’d shell, overgrown and seemingly heading silently and sadly into total collapse. I made a few exposures of the house which stands lost behind heavy foliage and with huge piles of waste from the quarries behind. I was however somewhat confused and struggled to distinguish between what was once a mansion and its grounds with that of the ever encroaching mine workings. Long driveways lead away from the house with high stone walls, one of these at the rear of the house appeared to be now a stream, an outlet from the mining days or had the driveway become a causality from the recent heavy rain. A strange bridge that led nowhere spans this stream and beyond that a small array of walled enclosures. Down below the washrooms (once stables and kennels?) another such driveway led to a further collection of buildings – built haphazardly upon one another with a narrow passageway leading upstairs and around a corner and into a room without a doorway. Further along again, next to some rendered stone pillars, a small gothic looking chapel or folly(?)sits low and dark in amongst the deep rotting leaves with the canopy of large oaks, beeches and chestnuts all but blocking out the light. The driveway wends out to another two stone pillars and a very large lodge house. I would estimate larger than Talysarn Hall itself, with large rear extensions. Dampness clung to everything. Although this house with its confusing and abundant collection of outbuildings appear, judging by the litter and graffiti, to be visited often by bored kids and vandals, there is much to appreciate here and there is an atmosphere of rural abandonment and loss. My visit at 9am was undisturbed. The greyness of the hills were broken with greenery and recreational pathways now thread though the workings often revealing ruined buildings and big pits in the ground, now lakes, that hint and sometimes loudly announce that this was once a large mine workings. These dangerous pools are a favourite haunt of many divers. Leaving Talysarn Hall I saw the large cracks in the walls of the castellated stable entrance and I was reminded that this house and its many buildings are on borrowed time. Even the extensive mine workings at Nantlle, once a barren, industrialized large mine now feels like parkland with footpaths wending in and out of the quarries, lakes and slag piles. Footpaths that were once roads and railway lines (bringing the men into the hillsides and the waste and precious copper ore out) are now used by mountain bikers, dog walkers and hikers. I spent three hours at Talysarn. After three hours under dark canopy and the damp heavy leaves composting underfoot it was a relief to get back into the open air and brightness of the day. I left Talysarn excited but also mystified. For me the house and location was sublime. It felt like it has had a varied and interesting history (although only built in Victorian(?) times – I’ve found very little information on the house so if anyone knows please do get in touch. I believe it was also known as Plas Dorothea). I could not truly find my bearings with the layout of the outbuildings; I can only imagine they were heavily transformed from domestic service quarters and stables to industrial uses, showers and administration buildings. Yet one can still imagine this estate to be, once more, a substantial and beautiful country house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7804974994b3f8078b011d.jpg[/img] Talysarn Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img437 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16748336915386d89c5c2a3.jpgCHURCH HOUSE & HALL, St Padarn's Parish Church, Pennant, Ceredigion 20 Notes on CHURCH HOUSE & HALL, St Padarn's Parish Church, Pennant, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage and corrugated hall – the hall still in occasional use – the cottage empty except for a few odds and ends. Both stand adjacent to the church. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/white-sand-dunes-new-mexico https://images.on-this.website/7784_2195092654eb8e340aeae8.jpgWHITE SAND DUNES, New Mexico 1998 Notes on WHITE SAND DUNES, New Mexico 1998 I forgot how many square miles of pure white sand but I found myself lost and sunburnt whilst exploring yet quite content. The ever changing sands forming constant patterns and these spiked grasses forming a crown. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624305.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1356993394abefff664af4.jpgGWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on GWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 I left the house at 4am and spent two and half hours driving in the dark miserable drizzle up to the village of Llanystumdwy. The only other traffic were articulates passing goods around the country. I parked the car and walked past a lodge house and up the winding path across open parkland passed large oaks and up to the imposing ruins of Gwynfryn Plas. The rain had stopped and a warm sun peered through the clouds just north of Snowdon skimming Gwynfryn’s façade with a warm and welcoming hue. The house is positioned beautifully on the Lleyn Peninsula overlooking Snowdonia and Cardigan Bay. Looking up at the house it became quickly apparent that the larger tower is nearing the precipice of collapse. A stone window lintel on the first floor has buckled and cracked with a bulging mass of stone above it looking ready to burst out onto the ground below and no doubt bringing with it much of the tower above. The tower, as much of the house, is built with brick but with a stone outer and was built by Hugh John Ellis Nanney and completed in 1876 (with a date stone on the tower). It remained a family home until 1928 (a mere 52 years) and then became a retirement home for the clergy, a hospital and then a hotel (a mixed, yet not uncommon, history). It burnt down during the 1980’s and has remained that way since (except for a brief period when a squatter took it upon himself to begin a restoration, a seemingly ambitious but futile attempt before eviction). Wandering through the rear rooms and service quarters there’s much evidence of the house as a hotel. Slot machines fill an outbuilding, a room full of children’s books and toys fill another, a room with light fittings and chandeliers, maintenance rooms with metal boxes filled with nuts, bolts and other hardware, rusting and messy, in disarray and disorder. Evidence of the ambitious and, quite frankly, brave squatter - a sole inhibitor - an easy chair and radio. A lot of machinery dotted around the rear of the building; heavy duty bench saws and drill presses, all rusting outside and destined for landfill one day. Many rooms are filled with building material, roof beams, an endless list of supplies and spares, either salvaged or bought for restoration, all redundant and wasted. All this is open to the elements and decaying in the damp. Cars litter the grounds barely visible in the summer foliage, other farming and foresting equipment laying redundant, damp, mouldy, lichen covered with weeds growing in and around wheels and engines. Overall Gwynfryn is a very depressing sight. The entrance is at the side, a lavish decorative stone lattice porch and it was in this doorway that the better exposures were made. A view opened up into the house revealing fallen beans, passageways and into the main hall and onto a large fireplace. I can not say I particularly enjoyed my visit to Gwynfryn. The drive up there was long and slow and under horrid weather conditions. The house so beautifully positioned yet is so miserable and carelessly abandoned that you feel anger towards the waste. I hail the brave squatter and salute his resolve but this house needs more than care put into it. It needs a hefty wallet and a generous and willing loving restorer. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6894566284b3f848e5fba1.jpg[/img] Plas Gwynfryn 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11122227384b3f84e8c9283.jpg[/img] Plas Gwynfryn 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2078538.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21400697584971f4ac33c5c.jpgLLEWENI STABLES & COACH HOUSE, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 Notes on LLEWENI STABLES & COACH HOUSE, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 (mansion long demolished) A huge red brick Georgian stable block in decay, the original Lleweni house was built in 16th century and was demolished 1816-18. The re-built Lleweni survives. According to Thomas Lloyd in his book The Lost Houses of Wales, it was demolished by Colonel William Hughes for no better reason than that his wife thought it would be bad for her health and his mother thought the rooms were too big! Demolition he later regretted: it is said that afterwards, when all was done, he sat down in the ruins and cried. Lleweni’s sheer size was stunning, an L shape (with further extensions to form a T), the two arms of the thirteen bays are each sectioned with gothic towers and turrets and built around a massive medieval hall. In 1997, the stables and coach house were derelict and wet. It was mid-summer and the bracken and brambles neck high. One could barely get close to its walls. Once inside, masonry littered the ground and beams balanced precariously from floors above. Bird nests lay empty in high alcoves and cobwebs hung damp from doorways and corners. The roof had various holes and after an unexpected visit in 2005, with a protective fence around its circumference, the holes in the roof had enlarged thus threatening potential collapse. It was, again, on the market but thus far remains unsold. Lleweni coach house has now been converted into flats. Click on this link to see photographs: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1153129 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19531600594b73b55c58f87.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18628391644b73b573a686d.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7196236954b73b59681e0e.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16905480974b73b5b75d464.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4733519.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5002802444bc1711856d06.jpgDEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1992 Notes on DEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 This image was taken on a square format, 6cm x 6cm, Twin Lens Reflex camera. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ffynnon-wen-ciliau-aeron-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_1742414909554cc55f5a888.jpgFFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on FFYNNON-WEN, Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion 2015 A small house built facing a bank, a shame since there's a lovely view of Llanerchaeron Mansion a few yards away. The house has been gutted and ready for restoration - this unfortunately has ceased and is now open to the elements - although the roof looks to be in a good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/galen-aberaeron-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_712917087556bfadf35813.jpgGALEN, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GALEN, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Built sometime in the 1960's and currently for sale, this town house is completely obscured by trees but once within the grounds, the bungalow is in a poor state of repair, with much rubbish scattered around. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/beulah-capel-aberystywth-ceredigion-2004 https://images.on-this.website/7784_11001571434b8e8eabb466a.jpgBEULAH CAPEL, Aberystywth, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on BEULAH CAPEL, Aberystywth, Ceredigion 2004 This small chapel with the tiny house built beside it lay derelict for many years. It has now been restored; almost completely demolished and then rebuilt. The date stone reads Beulah 1822. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/brechfa-fawr-llangeitho-ceredidion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_24065534056c174bbca50c.jpgBRECHFA FAWR, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BRECHFA FAWR, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2016 Empty farmstead, not long empty, recently boarded up with numerous outbuildings, also ruined but still in some use. More info to follow... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo27550746.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_154023287357415b5984642.jpgLLAWR-Y-CWM-BACH farmhouse & mine workings, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on LLAWR-Y-CWM-BACH farmhouse & mine workings, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Isolated farmhouse and outbuildings - empty but not derelict although in need of some consolidation - outbuildings still in use, mine workings 100 yards away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img253 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1076380736534c15b92cd66.jpgCLOUDS OVER ABERYSTWYTH 1999 Please note: this image is not for sale https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475618.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11115568864b8bc70e572d4.jpgCWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH LEAD MINES, Ceredigion 1993 The lead mines of Cwmystwyth are considered by some to be an eyesore, a reminder of the damage and the danger on landscape and man. When I first photographed them, back in 1989, the large tin finishing mill still stood, red and rusting, set dramatically against the grey heaps and yellowing hillsides. Soon after the finishing mill was dismantled and I believe each piece numbered for reconstruction. I do not know where! Many other buildings scatter the valley, all were in a perilous state back in 1989 and twenty years later some have all but vanished. Although I have visited the mines more times than I can remember - I lived only a few miles away - my most successful images were taken in a single afternoon in 1993. I had begun to use a 5x4inch field camera some months previous and this trip, a two mile cycle ride, proved to be a very creative one and the results hopefully prove this. There is evidence of mining at Cwmystwyth from the Bronze Age and reaching a peak in the late 19th century – Cwmystwyth being one of the countries most productive mines, all the up to early part of the 20th century. It is said that the average age at death of the miners in Cwmystwyth was 32 years due to lead poisoning. It has taken many decades, after the mining finished, for fish to return to the poisoned waters of the river Ystwyth that flow at the foot of the mines. Mwvnoloddiau Plwm Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1993 Mae rhai pobl o'r farn bod mwyngloddiau plwm Cwmystwyth yn salw a'u bod yn eu hatgoffa o'r niwed a'r perygl i dirwedd a dyn. Ceir tystiolaeth o fwyngloddio yng Nghwmystwyth o'r Oes Efydd. Daeth y gweithgarwch hwn i uchafbwynt ar ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Roedd Cwmystwyth yn un o fwyngloddiau mwyaf cynhyrchiol y wlad, hyd at ddechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif. Dywedir bod y mwynwyr a oedd yn gweithio yng Nghwmystwyth ar gyfartaledd yn marw yn 32 mlwydd oed a hynny oherwydd gwenwyn plwm. Aeth nifer o ddegawdau heibio ar ol i'r mwyngloddio ddod i ben cyn i'r pysgod ddychwelyd i ddwr gwenwynig afon Ystwyth sy'n llifo wrth droed y mwyngloddiau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19543362.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18383702235258119555e2f.jpgWIG WEN FACH, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on WIG WEN FACH, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Not strictly ruined but neither used - purchased by the National Trust in 1989, Wig Wen Fach has been empty for many years and is relatively unchanged within. Images can be seen by searching online at: http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/35396/details/WIG-WEN-FACH%2C+LLANERCHAERON/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624311.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_706573124abf000f64132.jpgGWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on GWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 I left the house at 4am and spent two and half hours driving in the dark miserable drizzle up to the village of Llanystumdwy. The only other traffic were articulates passing goods around the country. I parked the car and walked past a lodge house and up the winding path across open parkland passed large oaks and up to the imposing ruins of Gwynfryn Plas. The rain had stopped and a warm sun peered through the clouds just north of Snowdon skimming Gwynfryn’s façade with a warm and welcoming hue. The house is positioned beautifully on the Lleyn Peninsula overlooking Snowdonia and Cardigan Bay. Looking up at the house it became quickly apparent that the larger tower is nearing the precipice of collapse. A stone window lintel on the first floor has buckled and cracked with a bulging mass of stone above it looking ready to burst out onto the ground below and no doubt bringing with it much of the tower above. The tower, as much of the house, is built with brick but with a stone outer and was built by Hugh John Ellis Nanney and completed in 1876 (with a date stone on the tower). It remained a family home until 1928 (a mere 52 years) and then became a retirement home for the clergy, a hospital and then a hotel (a mixed, yet not uncommon, history). It burnt down during the 1980’s and has remained that way since (except for a brief period when a squatter took it upon himself to begin a restoration, a seemingly ambitious but futile attempt before eviction). Wandering through the rear rooms and service quarters there’s much evidence of the house as a hotel. Slot machines fill an outbuilding, a room full of children’s books and toys fill another, a room with light fittings and chandeliers, maintenance rooms with metal boxes filled with nuts, bolts and other hardware, rusting and messy, in disarray and disorder. Evidence of the ambitious and, quite frankly, brave squatter - a sole inhibitor - an easy chair and radio. A lot of machinery dotted around the rear of the building; heavy duty bench saws and drill presses, all rusting outside and destined for landfill one day. Many rooms are filled with building material, roof beams, an endless list of supplies and spares, either salvaged or bought for restoration, all redundant and wasted. All this is open to the elements and decaying in the damp. Cars litter the grounds barely visible in the summer foliage, other farming and foresting equipment laying redundant, damp, mouldy, lichen covered with weeds growing in and around wheels and engines. Overall Gwynfryn is a very depressing sight. The entrance is at the side, a lavish decorative stone lattice porch and it was in this doorway that the better exposures were made. A view opened up into the house revealing fallen beans, passageways and into the main hall and onto a large fireplace. I can not say I particularly enjoyed my visit to Gwynfryn. The drive up there was long and slow and under horrid weather conditions. The house so beautifully positioned yet is so miserable and carelessly abandoned that you feel anger towards the waste. I hail the brave squatter and salute his resolve but this house needs more than care put into it. It needs a hefty wallet and a generous and willing loving restorer. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3585199824b3f870edcdc7.jpg[/img] Plas Gwynfryn 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5730483874b3f8780d8aa5.jpg[/img] View from Plas Gwynfryn 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8257294.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9684162674d2d5b5acc3cb.jpgGARREGLWYD, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on GARREGLWYD, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 With my car out of action I took to pedal power, on a Friday morning, in the sleet, from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid, up further past Strata Florida Abbey and beyond to the Mwyro Valley. I locked my bike near to the small chapel that sits at the dead end of the tarmacked road. The last time I was here was in 2002 and this small chapel lay derelict, the slates barely clinging to the rotting roof timbers. Happily, now it has been beautifully restored. So on foot I walked along the path and up to the farmstead of Garreglwyd. It wasn’t an easy walk. I was tired from the cycle ride, the sleet was bitter against my face and my waterproof clothing had begun to dampen and cling coolly to my body. Yes, I did consider turning back but felt I would be letting myself down. In 2002 I visited Garreglwyd, the ground was baked hard and the heat was stifling. The seasons in Mid Wales can be harsh but better to feel them than be cocooned within a city confines. The house at Garreglwyd is long ruined, in fact there are many small ruins along this once relatively high-populated area of small farms and shepherd dwellings, and the corrugated iron roof had collapsed on what little remained inside. My visit in 2002 showed a small wood burner and some benches and seats. Was this an unofficial rest for the weary wanderer? I rested there in 2002 and appreciated it. With the roof collapsed there is no longer anywhere to rest, other than the barns which are still in agricultural use. Unfortunately Garreglwyd has all but reached the end of its secluded life. Around the rear, the house sits in a bank and one feels it’s is surely sinking back into the ground. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pen-y-parc-llanerchaeron-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_2378533952584bdbc4731.jpgPEN Y PARC, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on PEN Y PARC, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 The first time I came here, some two years ago, full renovation was underway. Unfortunately this seems to have stopped – unless of course the owners are just gathering their strength and resources for another blast of activity. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36927132.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12298946795beb3e7535d06.jpgSCOTT'S PIT, Swansea 2018 Notes on SCOTT'S PIT, Swansea 2018 A controlled ruin but a worth visit nonetheless. Scott's Pit was built 1817 - 1824 but the extraction of coal was short lived and had completely closed by 1838. The site stands on the edge of a residential area with the constant sound of the M4 running only a stones throw away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19229714.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1865529570522f432119f25.jpgYSTRAD EINION MINES, Artists Valley, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on YSTRAD EINION MINES, Artists Valley, Ceredigion 2013 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18174355.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_106282003351aa0f4031e82.jpgPEN-BRYN-RHYG, Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on PEN-BRYN-RHYG, Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 A house not close to anywhere particular. The road up is narrow and could barely be called a road. I came here before, last year, but heard a dog barking and presumed the house was not derelict. It is not strictly derelict, just inhabited and access is only by permission. The farmhouse and outbuildings stand before a small pond. Japanese knotweed has reached here and with the brambles made reaching the front of the house impossible even without summer foliage blocking the way. A little forlorn, a few images were taken and then I left to let the foliage to wend it's way around stone and mortar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo32944795.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_121741822759c3df2c42f7b.jpgABER FALLS, Abergwyngregyn, Gwynedd 2017 Notes on ABER FALLS, Abergwyngregyn, Gwynedd 2017 A morning walk, a mile or so, from the car park and before the hoards of walkers descend. A few exposures made with a 5x4 camera without tripod but nestled on rocks. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img377 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3551963855374f7b85046c.jpgCHURCH HOUSE & HALL, St Padarn's Parish Church, Pennant, Ceredigion 20 Notes on CHURCH HOUSE & HALL, St Padarn's Parish Church, Pennant, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage and corrugated hall – the hall still in occasional use – the cottage empty except for a few odds and ends. Both stand adjacent to the church. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img307 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1878405895535947752e719.jpgTREE, Ceredigion 1997 Notes on TREE, Ceredigion 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img463 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19138384345394998fd3fee.jpgTABERNACLE CHAPEL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TABERNACLE CHAPEL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2014 Built in 1806 and apparently converted in three cottages in 1874 (hence chapel segmented on Ceredigion council planning map) this chapel is in a good condition – now listed – and has been used mostly for storage. Currently for sale (June 2014). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19326399.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2077553652523b46b33a73a.jpgTRINANT, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 Notes on TRINANT, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 House and corrugated barn in very poor state - along the same path as the ruin Mynydd-du and in a slightly worse state. A group of white pony's watched my every move as I wandered around the sight. Overcast and drizzle clung to clothes and camera, a few exposures made and then I carried on away back towards the quarries of Rosebush. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34338303.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8824556135ab8f7fbb6b27.jpgGELLI GALED, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on GELLI GALED, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Six years since my last visit and the roof has fallen into the house. The outbuildings have all fared little better. It will not be long before the whole site is little more than a large pile of rocks. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25474726.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_155695452355eda44836893.jpgTREWERN FACH, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TREWERN FACH, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Surrounded by trees in the middle of a field, Trewern Fach is easily missed. As seen here, roofless and without much architectural detail remaining, it still retains its two storeys. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050677.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12762986774f250d56a9ad4.jpgBARN AT GLASDIR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on BARN AT GLASDIR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 An unusually shaped barn and has had some point been repaired but now, once again, unused. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/wall-on-lewes-road-brighton https://images.on-this.website/7784_20229748134c1db553c1995.jpgWALL ON LEWES ROAD, Brighton, East Sussex 2005 Notes on WALL ON LEWES ROAD, Brighton, East Sussex 2005 Remnants of posters on a wall leaving a strong abstraction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tyn-yr-heol-tonna-neath https://images.on-this.website/7784_4990223214f5ca9bb161a9.jpgTY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on TY'N YR HEOL, Tonna, Neath, West Glamorgan 2012 This house, on the Neath Road, Tonna, was the victim of a fire some years back. It was built circa 1700's as a private residence (there’s an excellent photograph of it on the 'Royal Commssion on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales' website) and then latterly as a ladies seminary. Nature, perhaps as in God, saw fit to reduce and return this house, its grounds, back to the earth. Today, the façade has all but crumbled away. The red brick structure, built in the 1920’s, glowed in the afternoon, early spring, sunlight. This red brick section seemed well built and salvageable, what a shame it felt more of an industrial addition rather than an aesthetic one. The main house looks as if it has imploded. The cellars filled in with rubble, broken furniture, white goods. I think a potholer could have unrivalled access if a potholer did indeed fancy a different kind of danger, with a more human kind of view and the destructive force of nature. The outer walls, although remain high on three sides, have all but gone on the frontage. This façade stands only a few yards away from the road. And whilst walking along the road and following the stone wall that stands around it perimeter, one cannot but wonder why this house, so openly accessible, has not seen greater vandalism. Is it because it offers the vandal nothing new? Have all the rooms within been explored and trashed, tagged with graffiti and the windows smashed? Well, actually no, peering in through the ground stair windows it would appear relatively untouched. Is it too well known, to the locals, to bother to cast a bored eye upon? I do not know. It was new to me. I have known of this property for many a year but have chosen, although not exclusively, to photograph more rural properties. The empty houses in towns and cities (of Wales) is a whole new project. This one already feels like a lifelong endeavour. This house, on Neath Road, Tonna, has reached the end of its life. It does not seem worth salvaging. Restoration seems unlikely. It is beyond repair. It left me thinking that demolition then a complete re-build would be the preferred path to follow. That is, if I were a property developer, or builder, or architect (but perhaps a gradual restoration for the historian). In its prime this was an attractive, well-proportioned property. Although my visit was a short one, only a few short hours were spent searching for viewpoints and exposing a few sheets of film, it was still a worthwhile visit. Within the grounds, other smaller ruined buildings too, their former use indistinguishable but I presume once were stables and service quarters. All overgrown with mature hardwoods, a prominent monkey puzzle and rampant rhododendrons. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gwryhd-chapel-pontardawe-2020 https://images.on-this.website/7784_778655125fc900f39f0f1.jpgGWRYHD CHAPEL, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on GWRYHD CHAPEL, Pontardawe 2020 The chapel, indeed this building, is not ruinous and is still in use. This side building once a stable for the horses of the parishioners. It is well kept but has plenty of charm. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24519298.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9137126325575b01b59ee7.jpgTRE-FAES-UCHAF, Bethania, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRE-FAES-UCHAF, Bethania, Ceredigion 2015 Not a ruin but long empty, the first signs of decay beginning to appear; young saplings, broken windows, broken door frame, broken slates. Varies bits of debris lying around, the young nettles sharp with sting, sheep bleating in surrounding fields. The house is large, as too is the barn adjacent. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/teifi-pools-at-sundown-ffair https://images.on-this.website/7784_10982086004f2d3a8d5b63c.jpgTEIFI POOLS AT SUNDOWN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on TEIFI POOLS AT SUNDOWN, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2012 A cold end to a sunny day and I sat, somewhat impatiently, on a cold rock waiting for the sun to drop further into the sky. Unfortunately the day ended clouded and I had also misjudged where the sun would fall. But only slightly. And it was only a case of turning the tripod a few degrees to the left and framing this image. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12101588.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4260804254e496475843a7.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2011 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2011 On the market but as yet unsold, Ruperra mid summer is overgrown with rampant foliage. Reaching the walls hands, legs and face are scratched by bramble and nettles head high. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/outbuildings-cilwendig-boncath-pembrokeshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3300693144dae73caa4028.jpgOUTBUILDINGS, Cilwendeg, Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2011 OUTBUILDINGS, Cilwendeg House (not derelict), Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2011 I am uncertain of the function of this ruined building on the Cilwendeg estate. A dairy? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9861628.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15655744924dc4f05f9a903.jpgCILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Standing and overlooking Newcastle Emlyn and on the banks of the wending river Teifi, Cilgwyn House was once an important estate and owned huge areas of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. Although there is little recorded pictured evidence, a house has stood at this site during the 18th century, possibly earlier. The Cilgwyn we see today was built in 1870. Old photographs of the house reveal a lead turret over the main entrance but this was replaced since causing structural damage and in my opinion the entrance, also lacking its porch, has become somewhat overwhelmingly ordinary. That said the house is large, 17 bedrooms and feels like a solid block of stone. One gets a feeling that this house was built resolute and with resilience. As you can see from these photographs it is beginning to fall into disrepair and those slow but sure ivy coils are creeping between the thinnest of cracks and gaining purchase. There's large stables around the rear and other extensions (at some point the house was a hotel) but all is looking tired and windswept. The mature oaks and freshly mowed lawns can not hide the fact that Cilgwyn needs some care and money poured into it. It is currently for sale. My visit was brief and after a spring of glorious sunshine I found this particular morning devoid of that early morning soft hue that I had been recently waking to. The greyness drab and uninspiring yet seemed appropriate for the task at hand; that is to photograph Cilgwyn sympathetically and with respect. Not all the images are successful – I only had 10 sheets of film and due to the height of the house and the relatively narrow angles of view offered I was somewhat forced into certain viewpoints. But so be it – every house has a different feel and each must be approached differently. Although not all the images were successful there is enough in them to satisfy me. I left Cilgwyn thinking that my next visit should see a much happier house, perhaps not with freshly mowed lawns but with the ivy cut back, the ridge tiles replaced and the windows replaced/repaired. One can hope. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/east-orchard-castle-st-athan https://images.on-this.website/7784_176284535de8dd7070ec6.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/old-boulston-manor-uzmaston-pembrokeshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_20398828354e366d04a70f8.jpgOLD BOULSTON MANOR, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on OLD BOULSTON MANOR, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 With little information gathered before I left, I reached the ruins of Boulston Manor in constant and substantial rain. I had left my house early in the morning and the skies were free from cloud but as I reached my destination the clouds had gathered and had just begun to release their heavy drops. Nonetheless, I had driven seventy miles so I donned my wellington boots and waterproofs and followed the footpath from New Boulston Manor driveway and down to the banks of the Cleddau Estuary. I had expected some trouble locating the site but once I had reached the estuary it was only a short walk before I came across the high walls, although much covered with summer foliage, that stretch about 100 metres alongside the river bank and form the barrier between river and manor house. What I was viewing however was more than a wall but in fact a long and deep garden terrace which gave excellent views of the estuary and all thereabouts. Behind the walls stand the remnants of the manor house. The most interesting part being the three-storey high staircase block and opposite this another corner(?) section also 3 – 4 storeys high. A vaulted cellar sits between and beneath these two sections and above this was once the great hall. Built in the 15th century with additions throughout the following centuries up until 1702 and was home for the influential Wogan family and it is believed the house was abandoned in 1773 when the then owner built the close-by New Bouslton Manor some third of a mile inland. My visit, although in heavy rain, was not unpleasant in the least. The canopy of the trees and overgrowth kept me and my equipment relatively sheltered with the strong aroma of wild garlic at the end of its growing season, filling the damp air. This decrepit building omits a sense of majestic pride, possible due to its longevity as ruin – this house has been abandoned for over 200 years and one has a sense of the house that it must have been a striking property 400 years ago and it is easy to imagine how it would have felt to wander along the long garden terrace as the estuary waters rippled against the walls and it was probably possible to have reached down, whilst the tide was incoming, to run ones fingers in the tidal waters. To photograph Old Boulston Manor was somewhat of a challenge and I believe a re-visit will be necessary during the winter months when the heavy foliage would not be obscuring the high stone walls. Every image seen here required exposures bewteen 4 - 12 minutes long due to this foliage and dark rain clouds. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-chapel-llangwyrfyon-ceredigion-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3441978604f82ca00a827c.jpgBLAENWYRE CHAPEL, Llangwyrfyon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on BLAENWYRE CHAPEL, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 On the roadside, with the early morning sun hitting the facade, this little exquisite chapel has been empty and unused for around twenty years. Inside, gone are the pews, the large glass dome light and replaced with a dust, a few dead birds and a stone which has recently been thrown through one of the windows. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34374855.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5469758805abb9bdd86c4b.jpgGELLI GALED, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Notes on GELLI GALED, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 Six years since my last visit and the roof has fallen into the house. The outbuildings have all fared little better. It will not be long before the whole site is little more than a large pile of rocks. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/welsh-martyrs-catholic-church-aberystwyth https://images.on-this.website/7784_18250580644f2d36875752b.jpgWELSH MARTYRS CATHOLIC CHURCH, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on WELSH MARTYRS CATHOLIC CHURCH, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo33968448.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7675216195a674519bd1fb.jpgMORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2018 Notes on MORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2018 Morris castle was built between 1768 and 1774 but unoccupied since 1850 when nearby mining made the building unsafe. It sits on a hill in the middle of a residential area, only recently purchased by the council and as yet little work as begun to make the area visitor friendly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23523871.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_977051254dc4f99e0c8f.jpgTRAFLE UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRAFLE UCHAF, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2015 Thank you to Barry Parks for telling me about this house - which he visited in mid 1970's with possibility of restoring - he also said the postman used to walk from the road to this and Trafle (Isaf?), which must be a fair two mile round trip. The other Trafle was restored but Uchaf, as seen here, is in a very ruinous state and sits quietly in a shaded grove, beside a stream. Other outbuildings also ruinous. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/nant-rhys-bothy-rhadnorshire-2001 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12422216175411ed0152ec7.jpgNANT RHYS BOTHY, Rhadnorshire 2001 Notes on NANT RHYS BOTHY, Radnorshire 2001 Not strictly a ruin but a well-equipped bothy and I believe well-used these days. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-house-twynllanan-carmarthenshire-2012 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9012022104f341ce312987.jpgUNKNOWN HOUSE, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN HOUSE, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2012 I know not this area of Wales very well and naturally whenever I drive around the small country lanes I keep one eye open for any ruins along the way that may well be worth photographing. This house would not have been visible from the road mid summer when the bushes and trees in the field where this house modestly sits due to full bloom. It sits quietly on the edge of a field and remains in a good structurally sound condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2094540.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_152195288449796a7795fd1.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20598078334b3886e5648cf.jpg[/img] Aberglasney (restored) interior Mediterranean Garden 2006 ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/derry-ormond-halt-betws-bledrws https://images.on-this.website/7784_5999625274eaf9d4f54a6b.jpgDERRY ORMOND HALT, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on DERRY ORMOND HALT, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2011 FInally closed in 1970, some forty years ago this small brick and wooden halt has survived surprisingly well. It is spilt in two, one side the waiting room, the other the ticket office. Both have open fires, both are now filled with debris from vehicles and other useless junk. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23670436.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16735386554fc1cbb11884.jpgCUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 A revisit and I came to photograph one particular wall but unfortunately the whole wall had collapsed into a pile of wooden panels and beams - my beloved wall gone forever. All damp and forlorn even on this bright spring morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pant-y-barwn-lledrod-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_4253283344f82ffa6dba51.jpgPANT-Y-BARWN, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on BARNS AT PANT-Y-BARWN, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2012 Numerous outbuildings in process of restoration (thankfully) including a small granary (I presume) with remanants of small waterwheel. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42009666.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6576155565f9001318a976.jpgURN at HAFOD CHURCH, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on URN at HAFOD CHURCH, Ceredigion 1994 Churches have lovely light. The decorative urn at Eglwys Hafod shown here was one of the first times I made a long exposure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rhyd-yr-egel-pontardawe-2021 https://images.on-this.website/7784_86742075360f6f09c971ee.jpgRHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Notes on RHYD-YR-EGEL, Pontardawe 2021 Large farmstead long ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/palace-theatre-swansea-2017 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20938198025a2b972dc3403.jpgPALACE THEATRE, Swansea 2017 Notes on PALACE THEATRE, Swansea 2017 Taken from Wikipedia: The Palace Theatre is a building located at the northern end of High Street, Swansea, Wales, recognizable for its distinctive wedge shape. Originally built in 1888 as a traditional music hall, the building's original name was the 'Pavilion'. During its lifetime, the building has been used as a bingo hall as well as a gay nightclub. The Grade II Listed building is one of just two purpose-built music halls left standing in the whole of the UK. In the early years of the 20th century stars like Charlie Chaplin, Lilly Langtry, Marie Lloyd and Dan Leno filled the venue. Sir Anthony Hopkins made his first professional stage appearance there in 1960 with Swansea Little Theatre's production of 'Have A Cigarette' Also in the early 1960s, Morecambe and Wise were booked. Ken Dodd was the last stand-up comedian to appear there before it became nightclub in the 1970s. It was also the first place in Wales to show a silent picture and remained undamaged by the blitz that destroyed much of Swansea city centre during the Second World War. The ground floor bar and lounge was used as a licensed pub for many years before closing. Eventually the theatre was sold for £300,000 to a property company, but in 2010 it was still derelict and actor Edward Fox joined a campaign to have it restored. New campaign In 2014, a new campaign was launched on Facebook. High Street in 1915 In April 2014 Swansea Council made £75,000 available to the owners to carry out work on the High Street theatre, which had been named as one of the 10 most endangered Victorian and Edwardian buildings in England and Wales. The Victorian Society called it "a victim of urban decay", and the Theatres Trust commented in 2013 that, if left, the building might well collapse. The council funds were earmarked for "emergency works", including making the building watertight, removing vegetation and removing loose brickwork that could be deemed “unsafe”. By September 2014 the council was issuing a reminder to the owners that the work needed to be completed promptly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-house-lledred-ceredigion-2013 https://images.on-this.website/7784_857611527525704db23fe3.jpgRHATTAL-MAWR, Lledred, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on RHATTAL-MAWR, Lledred, Ceredigion 2013 Between Lledrod and Bronnant; instead of following the footpath, which would have meant a mile of walking along a busy road – it wasn’t the danger that concerned me just the curious prying eyes! – I decided upon a cross-country route. A heard of cows watched curiously and began to follow me from a field away. I crossed the stream ‘Afon Wyre’ and joined the footpath – no stiles over fences, no obvious footpath, no user-friendly way – and up to the house. As you can see it’s a longhouse and I’d say laid empty for ten to twenty years. The barns are still in agricultural use but the house was damp and unfriendly and I saw no reason to climb through the window and enter – as ever I left my courage at home. Besides there was no treasure here to be found, the treasure was on the exterior; such pleasures longhouses give me! I made a few brief exposures and then left. The walk back was slow and wet. Never did that matter. The sheets of film had been exposed and I thought the walk back to the car would be a pleasurable one. From a field away a farmer passed on his quad bike and moved from cow to cow. For some reason I ducked down and hid behind some low lying branches. I sat on a fallen log and watched. I do not know if he had seen me but I stayed where I was motionless until he passed by and disappeared over the brow of the hill and I heard a metal gate open and close and the motor from the quad bike fade. I would have felt a complete idiot if he had come in my direction and found me hiding behind some branches. I wasn’t strictly trespassing, I was a few metres from a footpath but inexplicably I decided to hide; there was the fact that although the O/S map said there was a footpath I still felt like an intruder. I’m not sure what my point is here. Perhaps my own method of visiting these ruins is flawed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14320612.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8171818324f5cdbfb08968.jpgGELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on GELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Between the months of December and the end of March are my favourite months to photograph. To visit Gelli-Galed on this March day provides the evidence. Other than a few conifers, all the leaves that cling steadfast to all the million of tiny branches have all fallen and decomposed back into the soil to form more soil. All those million of tiny branches; the minor bones of a tree or bush are there to capture onto film. The day of my visit was cloudy. The grey rendered walls of the house; the grey wall of stone of the many outbuildings; the greyness of the ground, the tired foliage; the browned bramble that rose some 6 foot high and covered huge swathes of ground around the properties seen here - All is recorded in a uniform tone of grey upon the film surface and seemed a fitting tribute to this once fine farmstead. Built in the 17th century and standing high on a hillside overlooking the village of Crynant, Gelli-Gared has a remarkable range of buildings all surrounded by a wall enclosure. Within the main house, the fabric of the building is revealed. The plaster is soft and covered in graffiti (‘Alan was here 1999’). A multi-textured sight: A-frames sagging under the weight of a damp roof and the sodden window lintels warping under the pressure of heavy damp walls. The yearly cycle of weeds filling empty spaces; clinging and poking through mortar, gaining purchase, strangling beams, pulling down window frames; a battle they shall one day win - not that the plants know of their future victory, it is a destructive by-product of a greater battle they wage, that of survival. And of all the things one could write about this spectacular enclosed farmstead? The brambles. What can be said? That they have 'spread like wildfire’ or they are 'rife in their uncontrolled corruption’? Without tool or weapon, man is ineffectual, entrance is futile. They defend this crumbled property simply and effectively. I decided to photograph from a safe distance. Their barbs rip clothing, rip skin and I wanted to walk back down into the village of Crynant like I had been merely taking a peaceful walk around the countryside of the Crynant Forest. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14320622.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11466692034f5cdc6aa6c49.jpgGELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on GELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Between the months of December and the end of March are my favourite months to photograph. To visit Gelli-Galed on this March day provides the evidence. Other than a few conifers, all the leaves that cling steadfast to all the million of tiny branches have all fallen and decomposed back into the soil to form more soil. All those million of tiny branches; the minor bones of a tree or bush are there to capture onto film. The day of my visit was cloudy. The grey rendered walls of the house; the grey wall of stone of the many outbuildings; the greyness of the ground, the tired foliage; the browned bramble that rose some 6 foot high and covered huge swathes of ground around the properties seen here - All is recorded in a uniform tone of grey upon the film surface and seemed a fitting tribute to this once fine farmstead. Built in the 17th century and standing high on a hillside overlooking the village of Crynant, Gelli-Gared has a remarkable range of buildings all surrounded by a wall enclosure. Within the main house, the fabric of the building is revealed. The plaster is soft and covered in graffiti (‘Alan was here 1999’). A multi-textured sight: A-frames sagging under the weight of a damp roof and the sodden window lintels warping under the pressure of heavy damp walls. The yearly cycle of weeds filling empty spaces; clinging and poking through mortar, gaining purchase, strangling beams, pulling down window frames; a battle they shall one day win - not that the plants know of their future victory, it is a destructive by-product of a greater battle they wage, that of survival. And of all the things one could write about this spectacular enclosed farmstead? The brambles. What can be said? That they have 'spread like wildfire’ or they are 'rife in their uncontrolled corruption’? Without tool or weapon, man is ineffectual, entrance is futile. They defend this crumbled property simply and effectively. I decided to photograph from a safe distance. Their barbs rip clothing, rip skin and I wanted to walk back down into the village of Crynant like I had been merely taking a peaceful walk around the countryside of the Crynant Forest. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24417800.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1594205658556b23cecdcfa.jpgPANT-Y-RHEW-FACH, Dihewyd, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PANT-Y-RHEW-FACH, Dihewyd, Ceredigion 2015 As you can see, third of the house, end gable, has collapsed but the rest of the structure seems relatively secure. Overgrown, many outbuildings, this was probably once a small farm - other than that I know little else about the place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/outbuilding-borth-ceredigion-2007 https://images.on-this.website/7784_15753905244d41979861679.jpgOUTBUILDING, Borth, Ceredigion 2007 Notes on OUTBUILDING, Borth, Ceredigion 2007 Although not ruined this building is in a poor state and is used as an agricultural store. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14087500.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15772386384f2d37a3a8d62.jpgNODDFA/GWYNFA, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on NODDFA/GWYNFA, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2012 Two houses which have been converted to storage - now with planning to revert back to two dwellings once again - but uncertain if this wil now go ahead. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41253163.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_629420545f04443cc36f6.jpgBERLLAN DYWYLL, Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2020 Notes on BERLLAN DYWYLL, Lliedi Reservoir, Llanelli 2020 Nestled in summer foliage on a bank somewhat lost and impenetrable. The house stands towards the Upper Lliedi Reservoir. Roofless and no doubt characterless within. The morning of my visit, late June, mild and misty and drizzly. I was unable to reach the door, the bramble too high and too wet to be worth the effort, perhaps one more visit during winter but perhaps not. Buildings adjacent in slightly better condition and a trample through high grass, soaked within yards and a stone and a brick building inside concrete cows feeders. Once a farm now swallowed up and lost. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26860993.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_173511514056e51e6c7aaf0.jpgBLAEN-ESGAIR-ISAF, Tyn'celyn, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on BLAEN-ESGAIR-ISAF, Tyn'celyn, Ceredigion 2016 A large house with many outbuildings, all empty and ruinous. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cerrig-gwynion-quarry-rhayader-powys https://images.on-this.website/7784_13998754204d3fc8d61a55f.jpgCERRIG GWYNION QUARRY, Rhayader, Powys 2003 Notes on CERRIG GWYNION QUARRY, Rhayader, Powys 2003 An abandoned stone quarry just a few miles from Rhayader. This was the only building on the site and during my first visit in the mid-1990's was roofed and in a relatively good condition. It has suffered a fire and the steadfast work of the vandals. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19543334.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_192499267552581119ab226.jpgWIG WEN FACH, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on WIG WEN FACH, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Not strictly ruined but neither used - purchased by the National Trust in 1989, Wig Wen Fach has been empty for many years and is relatively unchanged within. Images can be seen by searching online at: http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/35396/details/WIG-WEN-FACH%2C+LLANERCHAERON/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llanstinan-house-llanstinan-nr-fishguard https://images.on-this.website/7784_20077000694982dd1b5b8fb.jpgLLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2005 Notes on LLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2005 Late May, early morning, a heavy drizzle blew around me as I walked along the over-formed yet revealing pathway, over a tumbled bridge and a gentle stream towards the ruins of Llanstinan House. I was unsure what remained, so often the case very little, perhaps a few tell-tale signs; a pile of rocks, a crater forming a pond due to demolition or a new bungalow sharing a demolished mansions name. However, as i walked along the winding path occasional views were partially snatched through the wilderness of exotic trees and common overgrowth and on to the large ruins of Llanstinan House. Once proud with its terraced garden, now all tangled and overgrown, Llanstinan crumbles damp and dark. A small square pillared portico dated 1905 opens into the house, a high four storeys as well as a basement (all caved in). The rear walls are slate clad with ivy ripping apart the slates and mortar and as ever, water dripping from high above. The walled stables and service wings are all ruined, damp and unfriendly. The house was built on an old site in 1680 and throughout its life has been continually altered but eventually was burnt down in the 1940’s. I spent a number of hours at Llanstinan, surprised by its size and although relatively close proximity to a village, untouched by vandals. A fascinating, mysterious place. Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18527384404b6e5bc71e036.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_848821374b6e5c26ac12d.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10926484464b6e5d768f427.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 TY LLANSTINAN. Llanstinan, Aberqwaun. Sir Benfro 2005 & 2009 Yn gynnar un bore ar ddiwedd mis Mai a glaw man trwm yn chwythu o'm hamgylch, cerddais ar hyd hen Iwybr a oedd yn llawn llystyfiant tuag at adfeilion dirgel a chyfareddol Ty Llanstinan. Ar un adeg, roedd gan Dy Llanstinan ardd deras odidog (mae rhes hir o balmwydd yn dal i sefyll wrth ymyl y ty), ond erbyn heddiw mae wedi tyfu'n wyllt. Mae'r Ty Llanstinan llaith a thywyll bellach yn adfeilio. Colofnau portico sy'n eich croesawu i'r ty. Mae pedwar llawr i'r ty ynghyd ag islawr (pob un wedi mynd a'i ben iddo). Gorchuddiwyd y waliau cefn a llechi ond bellach mae iorwg yn rhwygo'r llechi o'r morter. Hefyd, mae'r dwr yn diferu i lawr. Mae pob un o'r waliau o amgylch y stablau a'r esgyll gwasanaethu yn llaith, yn anghynnes ac wedi eu difetha'n llwyr. Adeiladwyd y ty ar hen safle yn 1680 a thros y blynyddoedd, cafodd ei newid yn rheolaidd. Yn y pendraw, llosgodd y ty yn yr 1940au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4489260.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2905642484b8e8e7948303.jpgBEULAH CAPEL, Aberystywth, Ceredigion 2004 Notes on BEULAH CAPEL, Aberystywth, Ceredigion 2004 This small chapel with the tiny house built beside it lay derelict for many years. It has now been restored; almost completely demolished and then rebuilt. The date stone reads Beulah 1822. This shows the dividing wall between the small chapel and the even smaller living quarters. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_21350793975406ec9650a7a.jpgGRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GRAIG-DDU-ISAF, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Empty and forlorn, Graig-ddu-isaf has been left to decay slowly for a number of years. Peeking inside saw the usual bits of furniture and farm machinery. All seems quite depressing and damp on first inspection but beyond the decay there is a pleasant air about the place. It is quiet and tranquil, I felt miles from anywhere, even if the track to the house is just a short walk from road. A number of exposures were made, perhaps the most successful being the image of the corrugated toilet, a familiar sight in these parts, around the side of the house - with make-shift toilet pan included. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/trinant-mynydd-du-commin-rosebush https://images.on-this.website/7784_1365378700523b44e87b45d.jpgTRINANT, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 Notes on TRINANT, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 House and corrugated barn in very poor state - along the same path as the ruin Mynydd-du and in a slightly worse state. A group of white pony's watched my every move as I wandered around the sight. Overcast and drizzle clung to clothes and camera, a few exposures made and then I carried on away back towards the quarries of Rosebush. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dead-oak-near-aberystwyth-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_963870684bc170f02f124.jpgDEAD OAK, Near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2008 Notes on DEAD OAK, Near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2008 This tree is a firm favourite with photographers local to the Aberystwyth area. This old and gnarled oak appears dead but when spring comes around thin shoots appear from its higher branches. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39268552.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6076160495d45e1a622ae4.jpgRAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on RAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Uninspiring building - two visit in two days - both trips shortened somewhat dramatically due to homeless people fighting and I felt threatened and left. Such a shame on both occasions since the walls are filled with wonderful potential abstractions. Only a few images were taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bronwydd-gatehouse-llangynllo-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_985282215552e182f66f6d.jpgBRONWYDD GATEHOUSE, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BRONWYDD GATEHOUSE, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2015 Impromptu visit and previous visit had been in mid summer when the foliage covered much of the building. Building drops at read down steep incline and from below the whole structure was at least three storey high. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-lledred-ceredigion-2013 https://images.on-this.website/7784_747173676525705c0ef99b.jpgHAFOD, Lledred, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on HAFOD, Lledred, Ceredigion 2013 From the road all that can be seen is a stone building and a corrugated iron barn. Behind, beneath the foliage and overhanging trees, is a house and further outbuildings; much overgrown and almost impenetrable – all long ruined and falling down. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36756947.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14704935885bd2178c598eb.jpgPEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 Notes on PEN-CEILO-GWYDD FARM, Llanelli 2018 A short damp walk and quickly whilst exploring it becomes apparent this farm was the victim of a fire. Inside is much ruinous and blackened. Outside a few possession scattered. A long barn with arrow-slot vents hint at an older property than what I first imagined. The walls within however were rich in photographic pickings, the paintwork blistered, the brickwork crumbling. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/factory-faade-nottingham-1998 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2026798784c1db4a72d1ac.jpgFACTORY FAÇADE, Nottingham 1998 Notes on Factory Façade, Nottingham 1998 Between 1995 – 1998 I lived in Nottingham. I went to university to study photography and although I spent very little time at university (I found it too large, too impersonal compared to the collage in Carmarthen where I studied for my HND) I did spend a good deal of time wandering around search primarily for abstractions. This took me to the more deprived areas of the city and it was there, in an area called Radford, that this image was taken. I had cycled out to Radford to take a particular photograph of an abstraction in a wall and was making my way home, cycling down streets I hadn’t ventured down before to maximise the chance of finding more abstractions when I came across this factory. As ridiculous as it sounds whilst I’m out with a certain subject matter focussed in my mind I find it almost impossible to step out of that train of thought and photograph a different subject matter. I usually return at a later date. I came to this building, made a mental note of where it was and then cycled on. The rear of the factory was very quiet with no people or cars. I turned around and then made this exposure. I am generally not a spontaneous photographer but this was too good of a composition to risk. Who knows the factory could have been re-opened or demolished next week. This was also taken at a time when I only owned and used one lens with my camera but I did also have a roll film back which when used converted the lens from a 90mm wide angle to approximately a 150mm standard lens. It was with this roll film back I used which allowed me to tighten the angle of the building. This image works very well for me and other than a handful of abstractions taken in this three years period is the most important image I took whilst living in Nottingham. It is a simple image with blocks of information framing and flattening the perspective. The camera was placed full height on the tripod, the fence in the foreground was at least six foot high and it took considerable adjustment of the lens and film plain to correct any perspective disfiguration. Although I felt somewhat hurried (I have never felt completely comfortable photographing in towns and cities, my concentration can become easily punctured with people enquiring about either the camera or why I am photographing a wall(!), this image was, apart from the technical issues, very easy to compose on the ground glass and remains one of my better pictures. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/st-mary-le-port-church https://images.on-this.website/7784_15255368525a674518a1530.jpgST MARY LE PORT CHURCH, Bristol 2018 Notes on St Mary le Port, Bristol 2018 Single tower of former church in the centre of Bristol. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769435.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4731770004a31ecaa15f35.jpgBOVERTON PLACE, Boverton, Nr Llantwit Major, Glamorgan 2009 Notes on BOVERTON PLACE, Boverton, Nr Llantwit Major, Glamorgan 2009 After camping at Llantwit Major, oddly enough at the site of a once ruined mansion, The Ham (demolished 1970), I rose at 4:30am, just before sunrise and walked between school playing fields and housing estates, down narrow twittens and alongside a babbling brook to the ruins of Boverton Place. By the time I’d walked up to its bare high walls my trousers were sodden from the foot to the thigh with the early morning dew. The sun peeked along the tips of the few remaining chimneys. Inside, the walls have patches of plaster but otherwise it is nothing but a very large empty shell with saplings and larger trees filling the remnants of rooms. Birds deftly weave in and out of the tiny windows, hollow doorways and gaps in the walls. The cellars are exposed and kneeling at the opening they appear lowly and uninviting. I decline the invitation. What would I find if I ventured down? Long lost treasures or rusty beer cans? Stone steps lead up and around corners and stop dead, opening out to steep drops. Looking up towards the tower the underside of stone staircases can be seen wending themselves up the high narrow tower. I was reminded whilst exploring Boverton Place of the fate of so many ruins, large and small. Pembrey Court was in a equal state of disrepair when I visited in 1997. Very few traces, other than its size, offer any clues on the greatness of such properties (and families). At most a few stone mullion windows may survive or even, as seen at Ruperra and until recently at Aberpergwm, great doorways; wooden with exquisite shape and feature. But other than these obvious signs (and to my untrained eye) often a property is nothing more than a few high stone walls. Previous and past owners often ransacked the finer architectural details – Boverton for example was supposed to be mostly covered in wooden panelling. Yet if an owner is unable to afford the upkeep of a large house, or even afford the maintenance and prevention of decay by the elements, natural or human, who can argue if the house is left to decay? Many properties can also be on the open market for years without much interest or any chance catching the eye of a sympathetic buyer. The longer a house is left empty it stands to reason the shorter the risk of dereliction. Perhaps in their eyes the only salvation of a property was to remove the fixtures and fittings so that they may be used elsewhere, day in, day out, rather than watch them dampen, crack, be stolen, vandalised, rot or any other of the numerous ways the belongings of house may be lost. There was an outcry at Nanteos (near Aberystwyth) when an owner removed many of the fixtures. What would have happened if the house had become ever more derelict, leading to the inevitable; water entering the building and ruining the fixtures and fitting anyway? It would have been considered scandalous if all the fixtures and fittings at Hafodunos were stolen 10 years ago but since most of it was lost in a fire which becomes the lesser of two evils? I am, of course, not advocating the finer architectural details be removed from houses at risk. I thoroughly believe a house should retain as much of its orginal contents as possible. I do however believe it is worth considering why some families do remove such fixtures and fittings. Of course, it must also be said that many properties are stripped purely for profit and for an owners personal financial benefit. Anyway, once Boverton Place, the house and grounds had been photographed as sympathetically as I can I am on my way again. Whilst visiting a house I often attempt to ignore the ‘romantic’ and traditional compositions but sometimes the urge and sheer beauty of a property is too overpowering and I am powerless to resist the wind-swept trees blowing around and about a house. The walls inside a house can also hint and reveal something about a property, its owners and their tastes – a small mustard coloured room at Great Frampton or the rich crimsons at Gwrych Castle, hushed greens at Neuadd Fawr – all small clues that help the onlooker form a mental picture of how these now decrepit rooms may have once appeared. Boverton Place 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1075074544b498873f0c87.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11825279114b4987449db6d.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551500.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5556730074f8302ebceeb2.jpgUNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 An unknown outbuilding at the wind farm at Llangwyryfon. The house that belonged was so much a ruin that it was not worthy of photographing. And obviously the fat trunked tree seen here helped me to decided to photograph this outbuilding. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llawr-y-cwm-bach-farmhouse https://images.on-this.website/7784_105787714457415b41c193c.jpgLLAWR-Y-CWM-BACH farmhouse & mine workings, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on LLAWR-Y-CWM-BACH farmhouse & mine workings, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Isolated farmhouse and outbuildings - empty but not derelict although in need of some consolidation - outbuildings still in use, mine workings 100 yards away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bryn-meinog-llanddewi-briefi-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_141402348550ec7e5018b15.jpgBryn-Meinog, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on Bryn-Meinog, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Rural and almost completely derelict, Bryn-Meinog was once a busy and influential farmhouse in the area. Outbuidings are still in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/rocks-at-teifi-pools-ffair https://images.on-this.website/7784_19490228804be3b0cda6511.jpgROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on ROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2003 Often times I've wandered around Teifi Pools almost aimlessly. It's like a warren of lakes and rocky outcrops. This pleasent composition was taken after a days rambling and was almost like a reward after carrying my camera and tripod around with me all day. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14551410.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12953898374f82fe828b28d.jpgUNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN, Llangwyryfon, Ceredigion 2012 A building in a poor state and little changed since my first visit 10, 15 years ago. It stands, barely, beneath the high wind turbines that steal this part of Wales from its rugged scenery. Perhaps this building will remain, just as it is, long after the wind turbines have gone? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/ruperra-castle-service-quarters-caerphilly https://images.on-this.website/7784_8520298514a31da62a11e3.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Service Quarters, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12906991714b46e2bdc15d6.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (stable block – still in some use) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_129264384b46e3049a488.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (Service Quarters – in ruin) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6060964854b46e354b9db6.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (Rear of Service Quarters) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_21248718974b46e5ed511b8.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (Service Quarters – in ruin) For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tai-unos-1-pig-sty https://images.on-this.website/7784_1481694526557742f58fdf7.jpgCARADOG (pig-sty?), Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid... Notes on CARADOG Ty-unnos #1 (pig-sty?), Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2015 A return to the area and I made an exposure of each property unless so little remained that it was not worthwhile. Hard to imagine that this was once a busy little community. I imagine all the houses were thatched, though all are stone with a few brick chimneys here and there. Only two of the properties were of two storey, the largest of which also had a separate cottage/barn at a right angle behind, no inter-connecting door but interesting nonetheless. The rain lashed down when I reached there and I took shelter for a good ten minutes wondering if, indeed, the rain would stop. It slowed, so I went out, making a few exposures but the horizontal rain was covering my lens with a fine mist. Some of the pictures have been effected and therefore not printed. The rain did at last stop, the sun came out, my fingers were by this time red and raw but the sun soon thawed me and dried my equipment. By the time I returned to my car I was too dry and warm. Previous notes TAI-UNOS, Rhos-gelli-gron common, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Late 18th century and set within small irregular field enclosures. Many, I counted seven individual properties – most too ruined and unworthy of photographing. The final occupant of this small community left after World War Two. (A Sunday school and chapel was built in 1886 for the growing population of this remote area. Long ruined but planning had been granted and some work had begun but all seems abandoned. A similar school house/chapel was built further down the valley on the road from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid in 1906 - this too is ruined). These properties are considered to be ‘Overnight Houses’ and I do not know the names of each house hence I’ve called them Tai-unos #1 and #2 etc… https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34338300.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12886959995ab8f7f659433.jpgCAPEL SALEM, BONYMAEN, SWANSEA 2018 Notes on CAPEL SALEM, BONYMAEN, SWANSEA 2018 Shell of chapel, destroyed by fire and standing beside Capel Salem. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23670433.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_137424089654fc1a90d01dd.jpgCUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 A revisit and I came to photograph one particular wall but unfortunately the whole wall had collapsed into a pile of wooden panels and beams - my beloved wall gone forever. All damp and forlorn even on this bright spring morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img254 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1905389794534c15cca4bc7.jpgWELSH COAST, Carmarthen 1996 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-house-elan-valley-radnorshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_18849430804f5350b2964c7.jpgUNKNOWN HOUSE, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2012 Notes on UNKNOWN HOUSE, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2012 A small cluster of ruined farmsteads on the west bank of the Garreg-ddu reservoir. Probably vacated when the reservoir was built. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14320636.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15497108944f5cdce1cf3ee.jpgGELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Notes on GELLI-GALED, Crynant, West Glamorgan 2012 Between the months of December and the end of March are my favourite months to photograph. To visit Gelli-Galed on this March day provides the evidence. Other than a few conifers, all the leaves that cling steadfast to all the million of tiny branches have all fallen and decomposed back into the soil to form more soil. All those million of tiny branches; the minor bones of a tree or bush are there to capture onto film. The day of my visit was cloudy. The grey rendered walls of the house; the grey wall of stone of the many outbuildings; the greyness of the ground, the tired foliage; the browned bramble that rose some 6 foot high and covered huge swathes of ground around the properties seen here - All is recorded in a uniform tone of grey upon the film surface and seemed a fitting tribute to this once fine farmstead. Built in the 17th century and standing high on a hillside overlooking the village of Crynant, Gelli-Gared has a remarkable range of buildings all surrounded by a wall enclosure. Within the main house, the fabric of the building is revealed. The plaster is soft and covered in graffiti (‘Alan was here 1999’). A multi-textured sight: A-frames sagging under the weight of a damp roof and the sodden window lintels warping under the pressure of heavy damp walls. The yearly cycle of weeds filling empty spaces; clinging and poking through mortar, gaining purchase, strangling beams, pulling down window frames; a battle they shall one day win - not that the plants know of their future victory, it is a destructive by-product of a greater battle they wage, that of survival. And of all the things one could write about this spectacular enclosed farmstead? The brambles. What can be said? That they have 'spread like wildfire’ or they are 'rife in their uncontrolled corruption’? Without tool or weapon, man is ineffectual, entrance is futile. They defend this crumbled property simply and effectively. I decided to photograph from a safe distance. Their barbs rip clothing, rip skin and I wanted to walk back down into the village of Crynant like I had been merely taking a peaceful walk around the countryside of the Crynant Forest. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19544518.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_181530920452584b63d01a9.jpgMIN Y AFON, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on MIN Y AFON, Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion 2013 I am not entirely sure if this is the correct name of this house – it stands down a small lane beside the newly erected Llanerchaeron corrugated train waiting room, on the disused railway line. The house is in a poor state but the land around the rear has been cleared so obviously, one hopes, consolidation work will soon begin. I also expect this is owned by National Trust but could be wrong – any info gratefully received. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llangennech-park-house-llangennech-carmarthenshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_20137504844982dd6c5ac74.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2005 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2005 I was unsure what to expect as I drove through the new housing estate and up to the wooded area where Llangennech House stands. I had seen an old photograph of the large castellated house and in my research had read that some of the house remained, but I was still unsure if I would find anything at all. After a short search I stood at the tip of an approaching housing development. I saw workmen to my left building part of the new estate and almost presumed that the house I sought would have been demolished many years previous. I was thankfully wrong. The house stood partially hidden by overhanging trees. The ruins were enormous and eerie with extensive outbuildings littered with dead caravans, one though uninhabited had a radio playing, probably 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There were also wreckages of fire engines, boats and other farm machinery. All in ruin, and no doubt, will eventually be swallowed up by the fast approaching urban tide. The house, like so many of the properties I’d visited, felt out of place in it’s new urban setting. Neglected and ignored for many years it was hard to imagine that soon, if it remained, it would be known as the old haunted house up the hill, the one where neighbourhood kids would at first be afraid to enter, but when they did compose themselves, would perhaps become kindly acquainted with and would remember fondly for the rest of their lives. Llangennech Park House was previously owned by the Earl of Warwick, circa 19th century, when it was enlarged, only modestly, to the size it is today. During the Second World War it was taken over by the government and thereafter abandoned. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8389311984b73b2b7992a1.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11810874954b73b2d258741.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15110373454b73b30370f15.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2709332874b73b31ee514f.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16747436034b73b33839971.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19054209204b73b34e90d49.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 The link below will lead you to an external site and show recent images of Llangennech Park House... http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=13845 TY PARC LLANGENNECH. Llanqennech, Sir Gaerfvrddiri 2005 Doeddwn i ddim yn siwr beth i'w ddisgwyl wrth imi yrru drwy'r stad dai newydd i fyny at yr ardal goediog lie saif Ty Llangennech. Yr oeddwn i wedi gweld hen ffotograff o'r ty castellog mawr ac yn ol yr ymchwil a wneuthum yr oedd rhywfaint o'r ty'n dal i sefyll, ond nid oeddwn yn sicr a fyddai dim ar ol i'w weld o gwbl. Ar ol chwilio am ennyd fer safwn ar gyrion datblygiad tai. Gwelwn weithwyr ar y chwith imi wrthi'n codi rhan o'r stad newydd a bron na allwn daeru bod y ty wedi ei ddymchwel flynyddoedd yn ol. Diolch byth nad felly y bu. Roedd y ty wedi ei guddio gan goed a oedd yn gorhongian. Roedd yr adfeilion yn anferth ac iddynt naws annaearol a thai allan helaeth. Codwyd Ty Llangennech ym 1805 ac arferai fod yn eiddo i larll Warwick, ac ef a estynnodd y ty i'w faint presennol. Yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd meddiannodd y llywodraeth y ty ac mae wedi bod yn wag ers hynny. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img189 https://images.on-this.website/7784_67506583534595211638a.jpgCLOUDS OVER ABERYSTWYTH 1999 Please note: this image is not for sale https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9562906.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10900225704dae73c6466e7.jpgOUTBUILDINGS, Cilwendeg, Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2011 OUTBUILDINGS, Cilwendeg House (not derelict), Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2011 I am uncertain of the function of this building; stables? Service Quarters? It is not derelict and is occupied but worthy of including on this site. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39268551.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5053887175d45e1a5add0e.jpgRAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on RAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Uninspiring building - two visit in two days - both trips shortened somewhat dramatically due to homeless people fighting and I felt threatened and left. Such a shame on both occasions since the walls are filled with wonderful potential abstractions. Only a few images were taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2384289.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_169444953849e0c11559586.jpgLLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2009 Notes on LLANSTINAN HOUSE, Llanstinan, Nr Fishguard, Pembrokeshire 2009 A return to Llanstinan on a late March, early morning and dimly lit. The house had recently been cleared from the foliage that crept around its walls and grounds. Destroyed by fire in the 1940's the house has, since, begun it's slow decline. A side view reveals high on the rendered wall with the date 1769. A row of palms hint at once renowned garden terrace. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_4790715344b34b509ecd70.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9958878794b6e5ee396a4b.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17452514204b6e5f5ad9f0c.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_12485154214b6e5fae8bd8b.jpg[/img] Llanstinan House 2009 TY LLANSTINAN. Llanstinan, Aberqwaun. Sir Benfro 2005 & 2009 Yn gynnar un bore ar ddiwedd mis Mai a glaw man trwm yn chwythu o'm hamgylch, cerddais ar hyd hen Iwybr a oedd yn llawn llystyfiant tuag at adfeilion dirgel a chyfareddol Ty Llanstinan. Ar un adeg, roedd gan Dy Llanstinan ardd deras odidog (mae rhes hir o balmwydd yn dal i sefyll wrth ymyl y ty), ond erbyn heddiw mae wedi tyfu'n wyllt. Mae'r Ty Llanstinan llaith a thywyll bellach yn adfeilio. Colofnau portico sy'n eich croesawu i'r ty. Mae pedwar llawr i'r ty ynghyd ag islawr (pob un wedi mynd a'i ben iddo). Gorchuddiwyd y waliau cefn a llechi ond bellach mae iorwg yn rhwygo'r llechi o'r morter. Hefyd, mae'r dwr yn diferu i lawr. Mae pob un o'r waliau o amgylch y stablau a'r esgyll gwasanaethu yn llaith, yn anghynnes ac wedi eu difetha'n llwyr. Adeiladwyd y ty ar hen safle yn 1680 a thros y blynyddoedd, cafodd ei newid yn rheolaidd. Yn y pendraw, llosgodd y ty yn yr 1940au. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4733518.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17552354154bc1710f6acce.jpgDEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1992 Notes on DEAD TREE, Cefn Coch, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion 1989 - 2010 This image was taken on a square format, 6cm x 6cm, Twin Lens Reflex camera. All these images of dead trees and roots were taken after climbing up and over the cave at Hafod to Cefn Coch plateau. I remember my first visit during heavy fog. The tall trees, branchless, standing like ancient monuments, imposing in the white gloom. The subsequent visits, of which there have been many, as often as I can, returning to particular trees. Photographing, re-photographing the upturned, exposed roots. With each year passing, more of their trunks, branches and roots eaten away by the damp, or wind, or frost or sheep rubbing themselves to rid themselves of an itch. Once at the tip of the plateau before you stand the Cambrian Mountains and their marshy and heavily tussled grasslands, leading to Teifi Pools and Cwm Elan. Seemingly, nothing much to see up there, except cairns and secret lakes, peat bogs and sheep enclosures. But the views and the slowness of foot benefits the soul and many hours of contemplation can do no one any harm. Often I sing while I go. The sheep do not mind and if the wind is behind you, and the ground beneath dry, miles can pass by without notice. COED MARW. Cefn Coch. Cwmvstwvth. Ceredigion 1989 - 2009 Tynnwyd pob un o'r deiweddau hyn o goed a gwreiddiau marw ar ol i mi ddringo dros yr ogof yn yr Hafod i Gefn Coch. Torrwyd y coed ar y llechwedd hon, a oedd ar un adeg yn rhan o ystad yr Hafod, a llawer o goed yr Hafod yn ystod y ddau ryfel byd. Wrth wneud hyn, diflannodd llawer iawn o'r 3 miliwn o goed pren caled a blannwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Cofiaffy ymweliad cyntaf a ddigwyddodd yn ystod niwl trwchus. Safai'r coed tal heb ganghennau fel henebion hynafol, yn fawreddog yn yr oerlwm. Rwyfwedi ymweld a'r ardal hon ar sawl achlysur ac rwyf wastad yn dychwelyd at goed penodol a'm hoff goed. Rwyfwedi tynnu Iluniau o'r gwreiddiau agored hyn dro ar ol tro. Wrth i'r blynyddoedd fynd heibio, mae'r lleithder a'r rhew wedi golygu bod y boncyffion, y canghennau a'r gwreiddiau wedi dirywio. Nid yw'r ffaith bod defaid yn rhwbio yn eu herbyn yn helpu dim. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076359.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_191619946497053fb5cf5e.jpgSKER HOUSE, Pyle, West Glamorgan 1997 Notes on SKER HOUSE, Pyle, West Glamorgan 1997 (now restored) Sker is a huge, imposing 16th century house, built by the Monks of Neath Abbey, standing alone, resilient and high on a deserted stretch of coastline. It has been standing empty, partially fallen and decayed for years with much talk and little action taken to save this medieval (at the core) house. A mile long walk from the road up to its door filled my eyes and intrepid heart with glee. Though I wasn't disappointed, a successful exposure was a struggle. I do not feel I caught the essence of Sker. All the elements were present: a stunning surrounding and a magnificent, majestic house, twisted wind blown coastal trees and slow, warm evening sunlight. All this but I couldn't find the angle that satisfied me. Regrettably I forgot to take a torch too. One window had been broken into and the others were all boarded up. Much to my loss I missed the opportunity to view the elaborate plasterwork in the large main hall (said to seat a hundred people): prehistoric bird creatures shooting arrows at dragons! It was abandoned in 1970 but recently and successfully (2000) restored and fully renovated as a family home. The Victorian novelist R.D. Blackmore , best known for his novel Lorna Doone, spent much of his childhood at nearby Nottage Court and knew Sker well. Less well known is the fact that he also wrote a novel called The Maid of Sker. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1002099874498bd70597de7.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8336582964b5dc8bc2f2e2.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10071629274b5dc8aa1bb5c.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1041764064b5dc8df3ed0c.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2749583514b5dc8f1e02c5.jpg[/img] Sker House 1997 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/garreg-ddu-reservior-elan-valley https://images.on-this.website/7784_17706081274f33c7ef013ee.jpgGARREG-DDU RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2012 Notes on GARREG-DDU RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 2012 Taken as the sun was falling on a very cold winters day. Perhaps a little obvious in its composition but after a good days walk this felt like a reward for hours and hours of lugging camera equipment around with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img404 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1422381335378e16f557da.jpgLLANIO FELIN, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LLANIO FELIN, Llanio, Ceredigion 2014 Not as such ruined but long empty and looking quite dilapidated. A short drive from the main from between Tregaron and Lampeter, over a small stone bridge (also looking a little worse for wear) and to the house. A few fragments of the mill remain beside the river; notably the metal waterwheel. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/water-tower-pennard-gower-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19244181235ab8f7f4778f8.jpgWATER TOWER, Pennard, Gower 2018 Notes on WATER TOWER, Pennard, Gower 2018 Concrete water tower, no longer in use as far as I can tell. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gogoyan-school-house-llanddewi-brefi https://images.on-this.website/7784_21161823695489e1f00b048.jpgGOGOYAN SCHOOL HOUSE, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GOGOYAN SCHOOL HOUSE, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion 2014 Long disused school house and chapel of a familiar design throughout Wales. Now used for storage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pit-cwmystwyth-mines-circa-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_16519248085f90012e7ebda.jpgPIT, CWMYSTWYTH MINES circa 1996 Notes on PIT, CWMYSTWYTH MINES circa 1996 This has now been fenced over but was once just a vertical drop, goodness knows how many metres below. Water fell during wet times as seen here. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo27550743.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_193511841957415b4b59b4c.jpgLLAWR-Y-CWM-BACH farmhouse & mine workings, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on LLAWR-Y-CWM-BACH farmhouse & mine workings, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Isolated farmhouse and outbuildings - empty but not derelict although in need of some consolidation - outbuildings still in use, mine workings 100 yards away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tegfynydd-llanfallteg-carmarthenshire-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8102397554970694d7cc2b.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 1996 Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s Lost Houses of Wales, it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. When I visited it had reached the peak of dereliction. The roof long gone, the cellars caved in, only the shell remained and although still magnificent, the house in its entirety is a true gothic-horror-three-story mansion. The wind blew the patchy cloud cover over the house and revealed an unpredictable view – one minute soft and graceful, the next dark and foreboding. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10371379734b46df846c2dd.jpg[/img] Tegfynydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18994984554b46dfe0a31df.jpg[/img] Tegfynydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15759914264b46e042f2fe4.jpg[/img] Tegfynydd 2009 TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22293858.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16302949775406c127dc975.jpgLLECHWEDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LLECHWEDD, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2014 Long ruinous and on my ever-growing list of farms and cottages in Ceredigion but somehow never making it here until today. Mud and stone beneath a roof, most likely once thatched, barely clinging to the rafters and should, surely, come down very soon. Now for sale, possibly by now sold, no doubt set for demolition and a new dwelling put up on site. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14050590.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15357027394f250b3224998.jpgLLETHR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on LLETHR, Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion 2012 A walk through Forestry Commission land and the track underfoot with large puddles frozen solid. The sun had yet to rise and Llethr only becomes visible once you come upon it. Mature hardwoods obscure and almost completely hide this house. The house is not a ruin and is used as a shepherds’ shelter. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo12599334.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6279896554e65bd5a132e1.jpgHOUSE, Llandeilo Graban, Radnorshire 2011 Notes on HOUSE, Llandeilo Graban, Radnorshire 2011 Sitting beside the church at llandeilo Graban I had presumed that this building was a barn but was informed that it was indeed once a house. Long in agricultural use and remains in a good condition although I did not explore within. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23670435.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_68800381054fc1cb7e1d6a.jpgCUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 A revisit and I came to photograph one particular wall but unfortunately the whole wall had collapsed into a pile of wooden panels and beams - my beloved wall gone forever. All damp and forlorn even on this bright spring morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076361.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1086523024970540593e81.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14266060.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4005665224f53501c9bf90.jpgDanywern, Glanusk Estate, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 Notes on Danywern, Glanusk Estate, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 This was once the gamekeepers cottage on the Glanusk estate. Now totally ruined. It would seem to have been a typical Welsh cottage with an extension bolted onto one gable end which then became the main entrance. This image has flare caused by photographing towards the morning sun. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40708408.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15040956835e1384146e644.jpgPOPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Notes on POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Recently put on the market with planning for housing on the grounds, one feels the urbanization around the property is already intrusive but if it helps to keep this lovely building from further deterioration then housing is the lesser of two evils. The property is reached by a gated entrance on the edge of the village Pontlliw. There is no need to open the gate as access can be found simply by walking beside the gatepost. There's a small bricked ruined lodge to the right, small and roofless but the structure itself seems sound. I parked the car here and walked along the meandering driveway. I could hear some kid kicking a ball against a garage door in one of the backyards of the houses built alongside the road and parallel to the driveway. I immediately noticed a CCTV camera on a pole and a small light suddenly coming on as I passed. I did not mind. I was after all trespassing but also knew I had no intention of causing any damage or entering the property. I also knew the house to be in a good structural condition, empty rather than derelict but definitely in need of some re-consolidation, the white wooden veranda is in a very poor state and some of it missing. I wondered since I'd triggered the CCTV if someone would appear asking me to leave. No-one came. A few images were taken, just general views, any foliage around the property had been cleared and due to the good condition of the house I wondered if it even needed to be documented. But why by-pass such an opportunity? This had been an impromptu visit, I had just returned from a walk to visit a number of ruins but discovered a public footpath had been (illegally?) closed with a high barb-wired fence and warnings of loose dogs and about 6 or 7 sheep skulls tied to the gate. I could have found a way to enter but decided that the ruins I was intending to visit were probably not worth a dog bite and goodness knows what else... so I walked back the way I had come, to the car, a mile or so with a heavy backpack. Driving back I remembered this house, 'Poplar's' I'd seen for sale on Zoopla and had passed the entrance early on. Although it was Saturday morning, bright daylight, I was determined not to waste my morning and parked at the entrance in full view. I am pleased I did. My visit, brief, perhaps half an hour saw me shoot around 10 sheets of film, nothing spectacular but perfunctionary. As is often the case. The house is large and long. The stables are also ruined, and stand half way along the driveway. These I did enter and are in good condition and could continue to be used as stables if desired. I am uncertain if the stables are grade 2 listed (as the house is) so could be possibly demolished. There are images on the web which show the house inside - it looks shabby and needs a lot of decorating and modernizing but I'm sure someone will turn this into a wonderful home once again. I believe planning consent consists of turning the house into dual occupancy. I expect this time next year the whole complex will be mostly finished, polished and Poplar's will experience another chapter in it's life. The following has been taken from British Listed Buildings website and gives a detailed description of the house: Constructed c1890 by a local industrialist Friedrich William Dahne and originally called Friedrichsruh. Dahne is believed to be Austrian. He is recorded as advertising for a ‘Working Housekeeper’ in October 1899 and the house and grounds are first shown on the 2nd ed OS map of 1900. It is referred to as an ‘Attractive modern country mansion’ on its sale in 1913, by which point F Dahne had presumably died as the house was occupied ( October 1914) by Friedrich’s son David. By the mid C20 it had been renamed The Poplars. The design of The Poplars has been attributed to Glendinning Moxham (1865-1946) an architect active in South Wales and resident in Swansea. Moxham published Country Homes & Cottages in 1910 illustrated with his own designs of built and proposed houses. In it he outlines his stylistic preferences for white painted roughcast walls and half timbering rather than exposed local stone, and red tiles used for walls and roofs. Internally oak is used for principal joinery elements (stair, beams, doors and panelling) with the remainder painted. He also puts forward ideas on plan types, with practical plans with deep windows preferred over an attractive elevation. Moxham designed the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery (1909), banks, hospitals and markets and other buildings throughout Wales. Glen Hir on Gower Road (1900-1910) designed with a French influence of shutters and swept roofs has been attributed to Moxham. Moxham was responsible for the Old English style Bristol Channel Yacht Club (1904) on Mumble s Road. Swiss or Alpine styles had been used in the Swansea area during the C19 with the Swiss Cottage in Singleton Park constructed in 1826 and the Old Rectory in Llanmadoc village (1876-77) by the Rev J D Davies. Detached house in Alpine Chalet style. Red brick with stone dressings, plinth and ground floor cill band. Decorative timberwork painted white. Slate roofs, half hipped with lead rolled hips and deep projecting eaves and moulded rafter ends. Tall brick stacks, decorative ridge tiles and finials. Segmental headed 6-light casement windows, ground floor with 2 upper lights. Rectangular ‘C’ plan arranged N E-SW on a gently sloping site. Long 2 storey garden range facing SE, gabled 2 storey end wings at NE and SW ends linked by single storey block enclosing what may have once been an internal courtyard, closed off by an entrance screen wall). Tower in S corner with decorative finial and slating breaking through roof of 2 storey ranges. Entrance elevation to SW dominated by large full height projecting 2 tier timber veranda on brick plinth, wrapping round at first floor to left hand elevation. Gabled end of the garden wing breaking forward. Moulded posts with bracing, arched on the ground floor and shorter on the first floor with incised and scalloped detailing. Posts irregularly spaced to the left but grouped into 3 bays on the garden wing gable with wider central bay. First floor projects and is supported by corbels. Enclosing low close boarded panels to ground and first floor with pierced decoration with the same applied as gable boarding. Behind 3 windows to the garden wing, central retains stained glass with Alpine folklore scenes in central panels with text below and surrounded by floral designs. Doors in outer bays on the ground floors, 3 windows to the end wing, central bay French doors with leaded glass with oval stained glass cartouches of females. Tiled floor up steps on the ground floor, timber boarded on first floor. Elevation to NW with gable ends of 2 end wings with shallow timber verandah as before but close to façade and more decorative than functional. 2 window to NE end wing, SW end wing with 5 windows to ground floor and 4 to first floor, irregularly spaced. Single storey range in between with wide central door and flanking windows. NE elevation, single window to return of end wing, blind door to ground floor. Projecting lean-to 2 store block on garden range, window in right return, door in left return, blocked door and low opening in main face. Garden elevation of 5 paired window bays (10 windows), projecting stacks in between the 2nd and 3rd pair (reduced) and 4th and 5th. First floor cill band and projecting cills to ground floor windows. Left hand windows to ground floor blind with small lean-to structure to right. Modern entrance porch added in 4th bay with boarded door. Interior retains original layout substantially intact with doors, skirtings etc surviving. Main entrance from SW front retains large entrance hall with single flight oak stairs with moulded newell, balusters and handrail. Raised and fielded 4-panel doors with veneered panels, door surrounds. Full height panelling, fireplace on left hand wall removed and tiled over. Tiled floor. Below stairs cupboard. Listed for its special architectural interest as a late C19 house of exceptional style and quality, retaining its original character and designed (probably) by a prominent Swansea architect. A good physical reflection of the movement of successful industrialists into this part of Swansea, with its design and touches of detail reflecting the background of its original owner. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img405 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19923976465378e1afb9374.jpgMAESTEG, Cribyn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on MAESTEG, Cribyn, Ceredigion 2014 Whilst driving to Maesteg I was half listening to the radio and thought I had heard the phrase ‘architects of infinity’ and for some reason this amused me and I said aloud to myself: ‘The Architects of Infinity have forgotten where they had started from’. Many Times to a Ruin: Off the main road and onto a b-class road and then after a few miles onto an unclassified road. This road wends a little while and is in fact a loop road of around 8 miles. Half way a long this road is an entrance and at the entrance an old rusting gate hanging off its hinges and held up with bailing twine. I climb over the gate and walk along the track. There is a line of electricity cables running in the field adjacent and heading in the same direction as the track. There is no cable running from pole to pole. I seek visible signs that no-one has been this way recently; tyre tracks in muddy puddles, footprints and even discarded foot packaging. The track becomes greener, thick grass grows straight and tall and soaks the trousers at the top of the wellingtons. According to the map the track should veer to the right and enter a small wooded area. This is where I am led to believe I will find my ruin. I have checked the Ordnance Survey maps, and saw an ubiquitous rectangle with another long thinner rectangle at a right angle beside it. I am thinking a house and barn. I have also checked GoogleEarth, for all the dislike I claim, I cannot help but wonder at its practicality in searching for ruins. However, in this instance GoogleEarth is of no use, I have peered long and hard at the computer screen and could draw no solid conclusion if the summer foliage of the trees simply disguise the two buildings or they have in actual fact been demolished years ago and the fact I can’t make them out on the computer screen is because they no longer exist. There is really only one way to find out. I plan my journey, make sure all my equipment is working as it should and head out. What joy when you’re in luck! To find a small workers cottage; squat, roof barely clinging on, a large crack one gable end and if fortune carries a little further; an open window, a quick look about and then a small scramble inside, sometimes feet first (my preferred entrance) but occasionally head first and never really knowing for sure what you’re hands might discover. Today feet first, the kitchen with a toilet basin sitting skew whiffed. A wander through the rooms, dead birds, bird shit, broken things. I’ve upset some dust because I cough almost constantly. I am far from any other house but I want to be quiet. A sheep bleats outside and then the horrid sound of a baby crow demanding food, lodged somewhere in the chimney, the gable end with the crack and large gap under the eaves. There’s a lot of daylight coming in into this room. The wall has collapsed and damp runs down the walls all the way through the floorboards (completely rotten) and into the bathroom downstairs. The peeling paint is delicious, it tickles my aesthetic fancy but kneeling down, closing one eye to compose and I see it’s not quite up to scratch (as it were). I resume the search of the rooms. A child’s room; baby wall paper of cartoon tigers and hippos but also a Michael Jackson poster and a car magazine called ‘Fast Fords’ (dated 1994). So this was when the last occupants lived here and they had a child, perhaps no longer a baby but someone whom liked Michael Jackson. Twenty years and the house is near dereliction. I think the last tenants found it cold and damp here. The house is in a lovely position but you can tell that today isn’t the first day for the air to be dusty and damp. These old Welsh houses have little insulation and even a tramp would struggle to find much comfort or warmth here. All the radiators have been ripped out or there had never been any in the first place. I think back to where I was in 1994. I first visited Aberglasney Mansion in 1994. That house is fully restored, this house has begun the quick decline. I find the skeleton remains of a large bird, probably a crow or a pigeon. It had probably found a way in but couldn’t quite work out how to get back out again. I am pleased I do not have this problem. I set the camera up, a slow process focussing in the dim light. It is a simple exposure, taken directly above the birds remains. The bones of the wings and feet are fully stretched out, like it had fallen from a great height and had tried to break its fall by spreading out. An eight minute exposure, time enough to contemplate, time enough to breath. I sit in squat position, knowing I’ll be stiff when I rise. The minutes pass slowly at first but soon reverie takes over and I start thinking back about my journey here and then back further to all ruins visited. I don’t know why I do it sometimes yet it is also addictive and satisfying. Eight minutes has passed and I think for a moment more. Is that it? Any more photographs worth capturing here? I think not. I remove the lens, put the caps back on, unfold the camera, put it carefully away. I zip the zips and push down on the Velcro fasteners. I lower the tripod and climb down the stairs, taking in each step, saying a final farewell to the house. I have been here for no more than forty five minutes but it feels much longer and like every other ruin I’ve ever visited, my visit here has been securely etched onto film and into my memory. The walk back to the car is less worrisome. I will meet no-one I can tell. I will walk along the grassy track and note that my feet had pushed down the long grass on my way here. Dew marks stretch before me. If someone, like myself, wishes to visit and photograph here today, they’d walk along this path and they’d know, by these visible signs that someone had walked along here very recently. Maybe they’d change their mind and turn back. I almost want to make a sign and to leave it somewhere and for it to read; it’s okay, it’s worth a look, come here, look around, go home, save the memories. Once back to the car and the equipment loaded into the trunk I sit at the wheel and scan the map. Where to next? A small chapel house, roadside location, in a church yard. Easy. Not much walking, no trespassing but I know that even if my next visit is easy it will still have the same impact upon me; and for all the good it does me, the silence and stillness of a forgotten home, elsewhere, untouched for some time and careering further to total ruin. Maesteg isn’t all these things. It sits in the corner of a field. You can tell that no one really comes here. Once it was a family home, now it is just an empty house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/maesgwynne-service-quarters-llanboidy-carmarthenshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_4677197964b3864d81b1a1.jpgMAESGWYNNE SERVICE QUARTERS, Llanboidy, Carmarthenshire 2001 Notes on MAESGWYNNE SERVICE QUARTERS, Llanboidy, Carmarthenshire 2001 I parked my car and walked down the towards the house - large barns still stood and as i walked towards the house, dogs barked aggressively - as any dog whose territory is threatened - from the barns. I expected to be questioned why i was walking through but was not approached. I had imagined how Maesgwynne would look. I knew it was derelict and had seen a small photograph in 'The Lost Houses of Wales'. I pictured a moderately large house, not dissimilar in size to Llanerchaeron near to Aberaeron, which would, in my imagination, would be roofless and all but obscured with roof-high foliage, brambles and nettles. Unfortunately I found various vehicles, diggers, caravans and a crater in the ground. I didn’t want to believe that this crater was what was once a fine looking country house. But no amount of disbelieve can rebuild stone and mortar and Maesgwynne had indeed, unlisted, been demolished. Last year I was kindly sent some images from someone who had visited Maesgwynne, and many of the other mansions I had also visited, when it still stood, derelict – although not covered in foliage as my reverie had conjured but show a roofless shell with a large porch entrance. The interior was a mass of stone and wood. There was something about Maesgwynne that fascinates. It’s location and its modest size makes one feel that living at this sight would have been a pleasurable experience. The photograph here shows all that was left worth photographing, the service quarters(?). [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1193500294b386307c5b95.jpg[/img] Maesgynne Service Quarters (now demolished), house also demolished. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hirnant-ponterwyd-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20019743314eb37f0fce5bc.jpgHIRNANT, Ponterwyd, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on HIRNANT, Ponterwyd, Ceredigion 2011 Not ruined, for sale, but in dire need of not only modernization but also structural work - one gable end is bulging quite alarmingly but this possibly may just be dampness behind the render and thus is coming away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19331929.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1959903932523c87e507947.jpgOLD BOULSTON MANOR, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 Notes on OLD BOULSTON MANOR, Uzmaston, Pembrokeshire 2011 With little information gathered before I left, I reached the ruins of Boulston Manor in constant and substantial rain. I had left my house early in the morning and the skies were free from cloud but as I reached my destination the clouds had gathered and had just begun to release their heavy drops. Nonetheless, I had driven seventy miles so I donned my wellington boots and waterproofs and followed the footpath from New Boulston Manor driveway and down to the banks of the Cleddau Estuary. I had expected some trouble locating the site but once I had reached the estuary it was only a short walk before I came across the high walls, although much covered with summer foliage, that stretch about 100 metres alongside the river bank and form the barrier between river and manor house. What I was viewing however was more than a wall but in fact a long and deep garden terrace which gave excellent views of the estuary and all thereabouts. Behind the walls stand the remnants of the manor house. The most interesting part being the three-storey high staircase block and opposite this another corner(?) section also 3 – 4 storeys high. A vaulted cellar sits between and beneath these two sections and above this was once the great hall. Built in the 15th century with additions throughout the following centuries up until 1702 and was home for the influential Wogan family and it is believed the house was abandoned in 1773 when the then owner built the close-by New Bouslton Manor some third of a mile inland. My visit, although in heavy rain, was not unpleasant in the least. The canopy of the trees and overgrowth kept me and my equipment relatively sheltered with the strong aroma of wild garlic at the end of its growing season, filling the damp air. This decrepit building omits a sense of majestic pride, possible due to its longevity as ruin – this house has been abandoned for over 200 years and one has a sense of the house that it must have been a striking property 400 years ago and it is easy to imagine how it would have felt to wander along the long garden terrace as the estuary waters rippled against the walls and it was probably possible to have reached down, whilst the tide was incoming, to run ones fingers in the tidal waters. To photograph Old Boulston Manor was somewhat of a challenge and I believe a re-visit will be necessary during the winter months when the heavy foliage would not be obscuring the high stone walls. Every image seen here required exposures bewteen 4 - 12 minutes long due to this foliage and dark rain clouds. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/bont-goch-old-shop-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_15516304384eb37e5c67d98.jpgBONT GOCH OLD SHOP, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BONT GOCH OLD SHOP, Ceredigion 2011 A disused corrugated iron shop with living quarters - all boarded up and inaccessible. Anyone know when this closed? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-house-unknown-location-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_9122999505411ed11dbfc8.jpgUNKNOWN HOUSE, Unknown Location, Ceredigion 1989 Notes on UNKNOWN HOUSE, Unknown Location, Ceredigion 1989 Recently discovered on a strip of 35mm negative and printed - a few images show a ruined house in a rural location. I believe, though have no memory of this, that this maybe in the Talybont/Nantymoch area. Can anyone help? Photographs were taken sometime between 1988 and 1990. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/gelliau-cwmtwrch-brecknock-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9141187525a759f76c243d.jpgGELLIAU, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 Notes on GELLIAU, Cwmtwrch, Brecknock 2018 A much ruinous, but beautifully positioned small holding, with narrow walled entrance (driveway) leading towards and away from the property. All ruinous and overgrown but must have once been a delightful place to live. Old fruit trees still bearing withered fruit in January. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo27550748.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_140398113257415b61d5d44.jpgLLAWR-Y-CWM-BACH farmhouse & mine workings, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on LLAWR-Y-CWM-BACH farmhouse & mine workings, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Isolated farmhouse and outbuildings - empty but not derelict although in need of some consolidation - outbuildings still in use, mine workings 100 yards away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img243 https://images.on-this.website/7784_337600121534aa75e1f8c5.jpgCWMYSTWYTH, Ceredigion 1990 Notes on CWMYSTWYTH, Ceredigion 1990 Misty set of images https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624313.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5312501574abf00186de0f.jpgTALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on TALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Only a half hour drive from Gwynfryn House to the mining community of Talysarn and the Nantlle Valley. It did not take long to find the ruined villa of Talysarn Hall. I first came across the vast array of outbuildings. I presumed that these were indeed the house converted into showers for the working miners but once past these and walked through the castellated arch I soon became aware of what a jewel this Victorian hall once was. The house itself is somewhat plain with three stories and a basement. The centre front bay slightly protrudes and also has a small porch. It is roofless and with no obvious discernable features within. It is nothing but a heavily graffiti’d shell, overgrown and seemingly heading silently and sadly into total collapse. I made a few exposures of the house which stands lost behind heavy foliage and with huge piles of waste from the quarries behind. I was however somewhat confused and struggled to distinguish between what was once a mansion and its grounds with that of the ever encroaching mine workings. Long driveways lead away from the house with high stone walls, one of these at the rear of the house appeared to be now a stream, an outlet from the mining days or had the driveway become a causality from the recent heavy rain. A strange bridge that led nowhere spans this stream and beyond that a small array of walled enclosures. Down below the washrooms (once stables and kennels?) another such driveway led to a further collection of buildings – built haphazardly upon one another with a narrow passageway leading upstairs and around a corner and into a room without a doorway. Further along again, next to some rendered stone pillars, a small gothic looking chapel or folly(?)sits low and dark in amongst the deep rotting leaves with the canopy of large oaks, beeches and chestnuts all but blocking out the light. The driveway wends out to another two stone pillars and a very large lodge house. I would estimate larger than Talysarn Hall itself, with large rear extensions. Dampness clung to everything. Although this house with its confusing and abundant collection of outbuildings appear, judging by the litter and graffiti, to be visited often by bored kids and vandals, there is much to appreciate here and there is an atmosphere of rural abandonment and loss. My visit at 9am was undisturbed. The greyness of the hills were broken with greenery and recreational pathways now thread though the workings often revealing ruined buildings and big pits in the ground, now lakes, that hint and sometimes loudly announce that this was once a large mine workings. These dangerous pools are a favourite haunt of many divers. Leaving Talysarn Hall I saw the large cracks in the walls of the castellated stable entrance and I was reminded that this house and its many buildings are on borrowed time. Even the extensive mine workings at Nantlle, once a barren, industrialized large mine now feels like parkland with footpaths wending in and out of the quarries, lakes and slag piles. Footpaths that were once roads and railway lines (bringing the men into the hillsides and the waste and precious copper ore out) are now used by mountain bikers, dog walkers and hikers. I spent three hours at Talysarn. After three hours under dark canopy and the damp heavy leaves composting underfoot it was a relief to get back into the open air and brightness of the day. I left Talysarn excited but also mystified. For me the house and location was sublime. It felt like it has had a varied and interesting history (although only built in Victorian(?) times – I’ve found very little information on the house so if anyone knows please do get in touch. I believe it was also known as Plas Dorothea). I could not truly find my bearings with the layout of the outbuildings; I can only imagine they were heavily transformed from domestic service quarters and stables to industrial uses, showers and administration buildings. Yet one can still imagine this estate to be, once more, a substantial and beautiful country house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13708902974b3f80bc69c09.jpg[/img] Talysarn Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo7922106.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1860519194cffb917e0977.jpgBLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 Notes on BLAEN BAGLAN, Baglan, West Glamorgan 2010 I left my flat in Brighton at 1am and drove along the empty motorways to South Wales and reached Blaen Baglan in the false dawn. The air was cold and crisp and it felt good to feel the soft ground underfoot. I wandered around the house in near darkness for half an hour, selecting viewpoints and compositions, judging which lenses to use and waiting for the dawn. I had been here before, almost 15 years ago and knew what to expect. My expectations were not to be trusted. I had somehow imagined Blaen Baglan to be in much the same state 15 years down the line. It is, in my eyes, at the very precipice of total collapse and perhaps due to that is a far sadder sight to behold than that of other lost houses in the region. Sadder than the magnificent Neuadd Fawr which I visited after Blaen Baglan, sadder than Edwinsford which I visited a few days later. All the lower doors and windows are boarded up with metal shutters. First inspection I presumed that the house was still in some kind of agricultural storage use. I felt relieved the lower floors were still in a water tight condition but further investigation showed the entire west side of the house had collapsed and the view within was a chaotic jumble of stone and beams. Blaen Baglan felt truly lost. I must however backtrack. My first visit to Blaen Baglan had been in 1997 and was a hurried affair. I was told the owner who lived in the bungalow next to the house did not appreciate casual sightseers. He was not there on my first visit and who knows, perhaps a private man and didn’t like the idea of strangers spoiling his otherwise secluded existence. Perhaps, he himself, loved the ruined house and considered it his own private pleasure. As it happens the bungalow next to the house also appeared to be empty although the vegetable garden beside it well tended. I photographed Blaen Baglan quickly and moved on. I was in no such hurry on this occasion. The bungalow beside it was roofless and a burnt out shell. Broken slates covered every inch of floor within and cracked loudly underfoot alerting the sheepdogs that spent their nights in the farm building close-by of my presence. Inside the bungalow the walls were covered in peeling and blistered paint, just the type of subject matter I search endlessly for whilst living in cities and towns. I did, unable to completely resist, make a few exposures of the walls of the bungalow but it was, after all, Blaen Baglan that I had come to visit, perhaps for the last time. It had fallen into alarming disrepair and although the dirty white washed façade appeared to be remarkably intact I was disappointed to find all that lay behind. Almost all interior details are lost in the piles of rubble and wood; the wooden panelling, the rear three storey staircase all lost and barely visible at the decayed core. A very depressing site and absolutely desperate for attention. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/garreglwyd-elenydd-pontrhydyfendigaid-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3185663944d2d5b6392768.jpgGARREGLWYD, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on GARREGLWYD, Elenydd, Pontrhydyfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 With my car out of action I took to pedal power, on a Friday morning, in the sleet, from Tregaron to Pontrhydyfendigaid, up further past Strata Florida Abbey and beyond to the Mwyro Valley. I locked my bike near to the small chapel that sits at the dead end of the tarmacked road. The last time I was here was in 2002 and this small chapel lay derelict, the slates barely clinging to the rotting roof timbers. Happily, now it has been beautifully restored. So on foot I walked along the path and up to the farmstead of Garreglwyd. It wasn’t an easy walk. I was tired from the cycle ride, the sleet was bitter against my face and my waterproof clothing had begun to dampen and cling coolly to my body. Yes, I did consider turning back but felt I would be letting myself down. In 2002 I visited Garreglwyd, the ground was baked hard and the heat was stifling. The seasons in Mid Wales can be harsh but better to feel them than be cocooned within a city confines. The house at Garreglwyd is long ruined, in fact there are many small ruins along this once relatively high-populated area of small farms and shepherd dwellings, and the corrugated iron roof had collapsed on what little remained inside. My visit in 2002 showed a small wood burner and some benches and seats. Was this an unofficial rest for the weary wanderer? I rested there in 2002 and appreciated it. With the roof collapsed there is no longer anywhere to rest, other than the barns which are still in agricultural use. Unfortunately Garreglwyd has all but reached the end of its secluded life. Around the rear, the house sits in a bank and one feels it’s is surely sinking back into the ground. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/outbuildings-cilwendeg-boncath-pembrokeshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_4068966594dae73ceda0b8.jpgOUTBUILDINGS, Cilwendeg, Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2011 OUTBUILDINGS, Cilwendeg House (not derelict), Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2011 I am uncertain of the function of this ruined building on the Cilwendig estate. A dairy? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pigeon-house-cilwendig-house-boncath https://images.on-this.website/7784_458938469498535f106366.jpgPIGEON HOUSE, Cilwendeg House, Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2004 Notes on PIGEON HOUSE, Cilwendeg House (not derelict), Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2004 This is a mock-gothic pigeon house that sits at the rear of the farmhouse on the Cilwendeg estate. It dates back to 1835 and was home to doves (in the tower) and chickens, turkeys and pigeons (in the lower quarters). It has many arched windows and doors and whilst standing beside this extravagant bird house one feels an odd sense of scale. The windows and doors are small, yet the building itself towers above you. Surrounding the Pigeon House is a 6 foot iron railing which again aids the oddness of the scale of the house since the ground floor is set low on a basement level. There is much interest in this and the present restoration of the grotto (a small marbled house covered in large shells, bones and even animal teeth - see a colour image in the ‘Introduction’ page on the main menu). The shell grotto was built before the Pigeon House in the late 18th century and used to have a domed roof which collapsed and was replaced with a cheaper flat one. With hope the Pigeon House will also be restored as dereliction threatens. Long in agricultural use, it typifies the hidden treasures that can be found in Wales, be it grottos, monuments or houses - large and small. The Pigeon House, if unprotected could be further swallowed up by farm buildings and as total dereliction looms it would be a great loss. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_307772895498b1639bbb96.jpg[/img] Shell Grotto at Cilwendeg 2004 COLOMENDY. Boncath. Sir Benfro 2004 Dyma golomendy ffug-gothig sydd wedi’i leoli tu ol i’r ffermdy ar ystad Cilwendig. Mae’n dyddio yn ol i 1835 ac roedd yn gartref i golomennod (yn y twr), i ieir, i dwrciod ac i golomennod dof (ar y lloriau gwaelod). Mae ganddo nifer o ffenestri a drysau bwaog ac wrth sefyll gerllawY colomendy teimlir syniad rhyfeddol o raddfa Mae’r ffenestri a’r drysau yn fach, ond eto mae’r adeilad ei hun yn ymddyrchafu uwch eich pen. Mae arfdy sy’n berchen i’r ystad bellach wedi’i adnewyddu a gobeithio, gyda thipyn bach o Iwc, y bydd y Colomendy hefyd, sy’n prysur ddadfeilio, yn cael ei adnewyddu. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5781522.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9033064874c56fd1d0966c.jpgLANDSHIPPING HOUSE, Martletwy, Pembrokeshire 2010 Notes on LANDSHIPPING HOUSE, Martletwy, Pembrokeshire 2010 Reached by walking along the muddy quay, Landshipping House is superbly situated over looking the start of the Cleddau Estuary, incidentally just a few miles down stream from the Systerne / Sisters House. The house has been a shell for decades with one of the front bays slowly crumbling away. The current owners have had a long battle with the Pembrokeshire National Park Authority who are unwilling to buckle their overall ban on new builds in the National Park – surely each case should be judged overall on its merits and leniency used where appropriate – Landshipping House and its outbuildings would doubtlessly add to the character of this part of beautiful Pembrokeshire. A short row of service quarters at the rear show evidence that these were once stables (a curved brick arch has been filled in). A pig snored in its pen during my visit. The sky began to brighten with an intense orange luminosity as the morning hue revealed tiny spider webs across the lawns in front of the house. The birds had finished their morning chorus and had begun their daily chores. This mansion, on this morning, had an explicit air of positive assurance that soon it would regain its full height and its four walls and once again become a family home. ‘Old Landshipping’ was built in the 1670’s but was dismantled and the stone used to build ‘New Landshipping’ in the late 18th century a few hundred yards down the estuary in a more prominent place where it could be overlooked by visitors to Picton Castle and Slebech Park. ‘New Landshipping’ was also has castellated in response to Picton. Landshipping or has it is also known as 'Big House' (Ty Mawr) has now been restored with the left facing bay and entrance near to full restored. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2078549.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11060710734971f4e99ea2f.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 A gatehouse stands at the entrance of Hafodunos, elaborate and ruined, and after a short slight upward slope walk to the house Hafodunos unfolds, obviously empty, elaborate and also in a ruinous state. It is not in a ruinous state due to nature’s reclamation but because of abandonment, vandalism and a terrible fire in the fall of 2004. It is a very large Gothic-style house, built in 1861-66 by Sir George Gilbert-Scott on an earlier site, with a clock tower and octagonal billiard room. Hafodunos is in a desperate state of disrepair, with many of its features either lost to man’s destruction or otherwise stolen. The conservatories, built a little later than the house, all smashed into many fragments but all beautifully lit. The grounds beneath the layer of undergrowth reveal a once well-maintained and extensive garden. The interior, although vacated some 7 years ago, felt as if it had only been vacated last month. Even so, the walls are brittle and scarred with peeling paintwork and spray-can graffiti and the maze of rooms, corridors and courtyards are littered with burnt furniture, perilous ceilings and rotting staircases. The fire had all but destroyed the front facade and had left Hafodunas a very pitiful pile. It accommodated many uses throughout its relatively short life: once an accountancy college, a girls school, then a care home and eventually a hotel and restaurant. I wandered around overwhelmed and with much the same feeling as that of Aberglasney some 10 years previous: of not learning from our past mistakes and just passing on the consequences. Aberglasney was eventually salvaged from the brink of total collapse. Hafodunos however, though greatly admired, may give itself up to the elements, whether human or natural, and it remains to be seen if someone will have the care of attention that this building deserves. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dolgors-devils-bridge-ceredigion-2006 https://images.on-this.website/7784_40867266254fc1a7d5eb5e.jpgDOLGOR'S, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2006 Notes on WALL AT DOLGOR'S FARM, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2006 A companion piece to the superior image seen previously. All the tiny fragments are a little lost on the computer screen but once enlarged to A3 and over, this image reveals itself as a tactile and convoluted work. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/cilgwyn-llandyfriog-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_19890540044dc4f090bacfd.jpgCILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Standing and overlooking Newcastle Emlyn and on the banks of the wending river Teifi, Cilgwyn House was once an important estate and owned huge areas of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. Although there is little recorded pictured evidence, a house has stood at this site during the 18th century, possibly earlier. The Cilgwyn we see today was built in 1870. Old photographs of the house reveal a lead turret over the main entrance but this was replaced since causing structural damage and in my opinion the entrance, also lacking its porch, has become somewhat overwhelmingly ordinary. That said the house is large, 17 bedrooms and feels like a solid block of stone. One gets a feeling that this house was built resolute and with resilience. As you can see from these photographs it is beginning to fall into disrepair and those slow but sure ivy coils are creeping between the thinnest of cracks and gaining purchase. There's large stables around the rear and other extensions (at some point the house was a hotel) but all is looking tired and windswept. The mature oaks and freshly mowed lawns can not hide the fact that Cilgwyn needs some care and money poured into it. It is currently for sale. My visit was brief and after a spring of glorious sunshine I found this particular morning devoid of that early morning soft hue that I had been recently waking to. The greyness drab and uninspiring yet seemed appropriate for the task at hand; that is to photograph Cilgwyn sympathetically and with respect. Not all the images are successful – I only had 10 sheets of film and due to the height of the house and the relatively narrow angles of view offered I was somewhat forced into certain viewpoints. But so be it – every house has a different feel and each must be approached differently. Although not all the images were successful there is enough in them to satisfy me. I left Cilgwyn thinking that my next visit should see a much happier house, perhaps not with freshly mowed lawns but with the ivy cut back, the ridge tiles replaced and the windows replaced/repaired. One can hope. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/nanteos-stables-near-aberystwyth-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_10184434644b1246d5874ea.jpgNANTEOS STABLES, Near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on NANTEOS STABLES, Near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2009 I had visited Nanteos only once before, way back in 1984. The house then looked tired and since then it has been on the precipice of disrepair yet never truly abandoned or derelict. I have however driven and cycled on the valley opposite Nanteos which gives excellent views of the house. Even from such distances one could imagine tiny, searching tendrils were crawling between mortar and stone, finding purchase and slowly destroying the fabric and foundation of this great house. This early July morning I approached Nanteos stables via the rear entrance at Moriah. I walked through the high walled (and massive) gardens, all overgrown and containing ruined greenhouses and other unrecognisable ruined buildings, towards the majestic stables. The sky had patches of cloud but once the sun broke through the morning was warm and stifling and the bright light glanced off the impressive façade. I was joined, in my brief hour there, by tree fellers, ground staff clearing with strimmers, workmen on the roof of the house and finally a postman. A thriving community beside Nanteos mansion – cars and caravans – and to think I imagined to be alone! The house itself is completely under the canopy of scaffolding and plastic sheeting. At last Nanteos appears to have an owner who is willing to maintain and care for this important house. Hopefully the stables too will have equal care, although considering their lack of maintenance over a great number of years they do not appear to be in such an awful state as one would imagine – perhaps judgement of the build quality. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1277966814b594eb415a8c.jpg[/img] Nanteos Stables 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13113194194b594f06ad50a.jpg[/img] Nanteos Stables 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_321631724b594f571f9f0.jpg[/img] Nanteos Stables 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15180954764b594fb072366.jpg[/img] Nanteos Stables 2009 STABLAU NANTEOS. Aberystwyth. Ceredigion 2009 Dim ond unwaith yroeddwn i wedi ymweld a Nanteos cyn hyn, ymhell yn ol yn 1984. Edrychai’r ty bryd hynny yn ddiflas ac ers hynny y mae wedi bod ar drothwy anobaith sawl gwaith, ond eto i gyd ni chefnwyd amo’n llwyr ac ni fu’n wir adfail. Rydw i, fodd bynnag, wedi gyrru a beicio drwy’r cwm sydd gyferbyn a Nanteos lie gellirgweld golygfeydd arbennig o’rty. Hyd yn oed o’rfath bellter, gellir dychmygu bod tendriliau main ymchwilgar yn ymwthio rhwng y morter a’r cerrig, gan raddol fwrw gwreiddiau a difetha deunyddiau a sylfeini’r ty arbennig hwn. Mae’r ty ar hyn o bryd dan orchudd sgaffaldiau a Hen blastig. O’r diwedd ymddengys bod gan Nanteos berchennog sy’n fodlon cynnal a gofalu am y ty pwysig hwn. Gobeithio y bydd y stablau hefyd yn cael gofal tebyg, er o ystyried y diffyg gofal a gawsant dros nifer fawr o flynyddoedd ,nid yw’n ymddangos eu bod yn y fath gyflwr a fyddai rhywun yn ei ddychmygu - mae’n bosib fod hyn oherwydd ansawdd yr adeiladu. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058640.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13891659584a62ce409efa1.jpgNANTEOS STABLES, Near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion Notes on NANTEOS STABLES, Near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2009 I had visited Nanteos only once before, way back in 1984. The house then looked tired and since then it has been on the precipice of disrepair yet never truly abandoned or derelict. I have however driven and cycled on the valley opposite Nanteos which gives excellent views of the house. Even from such distances one could imagine tiny, searching tendrils were crawling between mortar and stone, finding purchase and slowly destroying the fabric and foundation of this great house. This early July morning I approached Nanteos stables via the rear entrance at Moriah. I walked through the high walled (and massive) gardens, all overgrown and containing ruined greenhouses and other unrecognisable ruined buildings, towards the majestic stables. The sky had patches of cloud but once the sun broke through the morning was warm and stifling and the bright light glanced off the impressive façade. I was joined, in my brief hour there, by tree fellers, ground staff clearing with strimmers, workmen on the roof of the house and finally a postman. A thriving community beside Nanteos mansion – cars and caravans – and to think I imagined to be alone! The house itself is completely under the canopy of scaffolding and plastic sheeting. At last Nanteos appears to have an owner who is willing to maintain and care for this important house. Hopefully the stables too will have equal care, although considering their lack of maintenance over a great number of years they do not appear to be in such an awful state as one would imagine – perhaps judgement of the build quality. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1277966814b594eb415a8c.jpg[/img] Nanteos Stables 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13113194194b594f06ad50a.jpg[/img] Nanteos Stables 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_321631724b594f571f9f0.jpg[/img] Nanteos Stables 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15180954764b594fb072366.jpg[/img] Nanteos Stables 2009 STABLAU NANTEOS. Aberystwyth. Ceredigion 2009 Dim ond unwaith yroeddwn i wedi ymweld a Nanteos cyn hyn, ymhell yn ol yn 1984. Edrychai’r ty bryd hynny yn ddiflas ac ers hynny y mae wedi bod ar drothwy anobaith sawl gwaith, ond eto i gyd ni chefnwyd amo’n llwyr ac ni fu’n wir adfail. Rydw i, fodd bynnag, wedi gyrru a beicio drwy’r cwm sydd gyferbyn a Nanteos lie gellirgweld golygfeydd arbennig o’rty. Hyd yn oed o’rfath bellter, gellir dychmygu bod tendriliau main ymchwilgar yn ymwthio rhwng y morter a’r cerrig, gan raddol fwrw gwreiddiau a difetha deunyddiau a sylfeini’r ty arbennig hwn. Mae’r ty ar hyn o bryd dan orchudd sgaffaldiau a Hen blastig. O’r diwedd ymddengys bod gan Nanteos berchennog sy’n fodlon cynnal a gofalu am y ty pwysig hwn. Gobeithio y bydd y stablau hefyd yn cael gofal tebyg, er o ystyried y diffyg gofal a gawsant dros nifer fawr o flynyddoedd ,nid yw’n ymddangos eu bod yn y fath gyflwr a fyddai rhywun yn ei ddychmygu - mae’n bosib fod hyn oherwydd ansawdd yr adeiladu. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9861640.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1519023924dc4f083668cb.jpgCILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Standing and overlooking Newcastle Emlyn and on the banks of the wending river Teifi, Cilgwyn House was once an important estate and owned huge areas of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. Although there is little recorded pictured evidence, a house has stood at this site during the 18th century, possibly earlier. The Cilgwyn we see today was built in 1870. Old photographs of the house reveal a lead turret over the main entrance but this was replaced since causing structural damage and in my opinion the entrance, also lacking its porch, has become somewhat overwhelmingly ordinary. That said the house is large, 17 bedrooms and feels like a solid block of stone. One gets a feeling that this house was built resolute and with resilience. As you can see from these photographs it is beginning to fall into disrepair and those slow but sure ivy coils are creeping between the thinnest of cracks and gaining purchase. There's large stables around the rear and other extensions (at some point the house was a hotel) but all is looking tired and windswept. The mature oaks and freshly mowed lawns can not hide the fact that Cilgwyn needs some care and money poured into it. It is currently for sale. My visit was brief and after a spring of glorious sunshine I found this particular morning devoid of that early morning soft hue that I had been recently waking to. The greyness drab and uninspiring yet seemed appropriate for the task at hand; that is to photograph Cilgwyn sympathetically and with respect. Not all the images are successful – I only had 10 sheets of film and due to the height of the house and the relatively narrow angles of view offered I was somewhat forced into certain viewpoints. But so be it – every house has a different feel and each must be approached differently. Although not all the images were successful there is enough in them to satisfy me. I left Cilgwyn thinking that my next visit should see a much happier house, perhaps not with freshly mowed lawns but with the ivy cut back, the ridge tiles replaced and the windows replaced/repaired. One can hope. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9861634.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3864317604dc4f07272447.jpgCILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Standing and overlooking Newcastle Emlyn and on the banks of the wending river Teifi, Cilgwyn House was once an important estate and owned huge areas of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. Although there is little recorded pictured evidence, a house has stood at this site during the 18th century, possibly earlier. The Cilgwyn we see today was built in 1870. Old photographs of the house reveal a lead turret over the main entrance but this was replaced since causing structural damage and in my opinion the entrance, also lacking its porch, has become somewhat overwhelmingly ordinary. That said the house is large, 17 bedrooms and feels like a solid block of stone. One gets a feeling that this house was built resolute and with resilience. As you can see from these photographs it is beginning to fall into disrepair and those slow but sure ivy coils are creeping between the thinnest of cracks and gaining purchase. There's large stables around the rear and other extensions (at some point the house was a hotel) but all is looking tired and windswept. The mature oaks and freshly mowed lawns can not hide the fact that Cilgwyn needs some care and money poured into it. It is currently for sale. My visit was brief and after a spring of glorious sunshine I found this particular morning devoid of that early morning soft hue that I had been recently waking to. The greyness drab and uninspiring yet seemed appropriate for the task at hand; that is to photograph Cilgwyn sympathetically and with respect. Not all the images are successful – I only had 10 sheets of film and due to the height of the house and the relatively narrow angles of view offered I was somewhat forced into certain viewpoints. But so be it – every house has a different feel and each must be approached differently. Although not all the images were successful there is enough in them to satisfy me. I left Cilgwyn thinking that my next visit should see a much happier house, perhaps not with freshly mowed lawns but with the ivy cut back, the ridge tiles replaced and the windows replaced/repaired. One can hope. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/alltgochmynydd-bont-goch-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13302510234e7f41e7bdae8.jpgALLTGOCHMYNYDD, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ALLTGOCHMYNYDD, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 It never ceases to amaze me that Ceredigion, traditionally one of the poorest of counties, has such numerous ruins in such beautiful locations. Properties that tumble yet stubbornly cling on to these steep soggy banks and hillsides. Alltgochmynydd had obviously, relatively recently (five years ago?), found owners who had intended to make this stunning little property as a home. It would appear that they failed. The rear door hangs off its hinges and entry was made easy into the dark interior. Within large slab floor are a few possessions; a small kitchen unit, a few kitchen utensils, a broken chest of drawers, a few bottles, rusting knives, dusty forks. The downstairs is now one open space, the dividing walls all gone and a make-shift staircase leading upstairs. And upstairs a wardrobe on its side and a number of beds, a child’s mattress – all dark, dimly lit, eerie and sad. The floor boards bend under my weight. The floorboards covered in dust, bits of stone and mortar, litter from a neglected building. Two roof skylights allow a small amount of light to trickle in. Outside mid September and the rain falls in a sheet of a million sticks. I set up my camera and focus upon the child’s bed and mattress trailing on the floor. The meter reads F22 at 8 minutes. I know from experience that I will need a much longer exposure in such a dimly lit building. An exposure of 60 minutes is used. I focus the camera by pointing a torch onto the corner of the bed so I can actually see something through the dimness of the ground glass of the camera. I begin the exposure, set my stopwatch and settle within my new home for the next hour. I wander around, squat down, stand up. I look inside the kitchen cupboards, food, gravy granules, cooking oil in jars covered in mould. I look up the chimney, on the mantel piece. All this is done by torch light. I know not what I am looking for. I know not what I expect to find. More kitchen utensils, rusty and dusty. Lots of broken things, bottles, oil lamps, door knobs, under the back door frame lots of screwed up magazine pages blocking up draughts. One piece of newspaper has the date 1973. I do not think this is the last year that someone lived in this house. It has more recent secrets. But how to estimate a date of its last occupants? It is impossible to tell. Outside the rain has ceased. I step out and explore. Crab apples hang heavy on trees around the rear of the property. A stream, small but running fast, bubbles up from under the long grass. It has been a wet September. I walk, gain views and read over my map and plan my next jaunts. The rain begins to come again. A few warning drops and then the deluge. I re-enter Alltgochmynydd and sit down on the cold floor and let the time pass. I wonder if the exposure will be successful. I wonder if it is worth it. I wonder what tiny fraction of ruins throughout Wales I have actually visited. An hour passes. I am glad to leave. I close all the doors more secure than how I found them. Perhaps this house would make a suitable Bothy. If not, then surely it will just fall, year by year, until just a pile of stone. Alltgochmynydd is Grade 2 Listed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9861638.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5761462674dc4f07d85ca6.jpgCILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CILGWYN, Llandyfriog, Ceredigion 2011 Standing and overlooking Newcastle Emlyn and on the banks of the wending river Teifi, Cilgwyn House was once an important estate and owned huge areas of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. Although there is little recorded pictured evidence, a house has stood at this site during the 18th century, possibly earlier. The Cilgwyn we see today was built in 1870. Old photographs of the house reveal a lead turret over the main entrance but this was replaced since causing structural damage and in my opinion the entrance, also lacking its porch, has become somewhat overwhelmingly ordinary. That said the house is large, 17 bedrooms and feels like a solid block of stone. One gets a feeling that this house was built resolute and with resilience. As you can see from these photographs it is beginning to fall into disrepair and those slow but sure ivy coils are creeping between the thinnest of cracks and gaining purchase. There's large stables around the rear and other extensions (at some point the house was a hotel) but all is looking tired and windswept. The mature oaks and freshly mowed lawns can not hide the fact that Cilgwyn needs some care and money poured into it. It is currently for sale. My visit was brief and after a spring of glorious sunshine I found this particular morning devoid of that early morning soft hue that I had been recently waking to. The greyness drab and uninspiring yet seemed appropriate for the task at hand; that is to photograph Cilgwyn sympathetically and with respect. Not all the images are successful – I only had 10 sheets of film and due to the height of the house and the relatively narrow angles of view offered I was somewhat forced into certain viewpoints. But so be it – every house has a different feel and each must be approached differently. Although not all the images were successful there is enough in them to satisfy me. I left Cilgwyn thinking that my next visit should see a much happier house, perhaps not with freshly mowed lawns but with the ivy cut back, the ridge tiles replaced and the windows replaced/repaired. One can hope. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13323068.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_14710524575f9ff823b6d97.jpgLLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Hidden from view and the morning had yet to properly break. I reached the matured grounds of the house Llanfechan in uncertainty. I had been told much remained but also as mentioned in ‘The Lost Houses of Wales’, it was ‘mostly demolished’. I could make out a bulky dark mass in the dim morning light and once beyond the covering of trees, the walls of Llanfechan could easily to reached. And once within those walls, standing in the ruins themselves, it becomes easier still to imagine this was once a rather fine mansion house. The house standing today was built in 1786 and due to fire was already ruined by 1837 and thus remained a ruin all these years since. In the Pevsner Building of Wales guide for Ceredigion it suggests that Llanfechan was designed by John Nash and is comparable to his Llanerchaeron just a few miles away (and it doesn’t take an untrained eye to find these comparisons!). The original full two storeys remain today, the façade and main section of the house. Although the outer is covered almost entirely with foliage and trees and there are a few mature trees within the site, it is generally easily negotiable – one gable end, against a damp and dimly lit bank has large cracks and holes forming with the chimney on the brink on collapsing inward. The morning of my visit the wind blew hard and the overcast day offered little prospect of improving. The wind and the dimness of light meant I required long exposures of around 4 – 16 minutes and this in fact helped me with exposing more of the buildings fabric than would ordinarily be possible. The windswept branches and leaves meant their movement wasn’t properly recorded and was instead recorded as a ‘slight blur’ and thus more stone work was recorded onto the sheet of film inside the camera. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13323069.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9700842794ea2609f57c70.jpgLLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Hidden from view and the morning had yet to properly break. I reached the matured grounds of the house Llanfechan in uncertainty. I had been told much remained but also as mentioned in ‘The Lost Houses of Wales’, it was ‘mostly demolished’. I could make out a bulky dark mass in the dim morning light and once beyond the covering of trees, the walls of Llanfechan could easily to reached. And once within those walls, standing in the ruins themselves, it becomes easier still to imagine this was once a rather fine mansion house. The house standing today was built in 1786 and due to fire was already ruined by 1837 and thus remained a ruin all these years since. In the Pevsner Building of Wales guide for Ceredigion it suggests that Llanfechan was designed by John Nash and is comparable to his Llanerchaeron just a few miles away (and it doesn’t take an untrained eye to find these comparisons!). The original full two storeys remain today, the façade and main section of the house. Although the outer is covered almost entirely with foliage and trees and there are a few mature trees within the site, it is generally easily negotiable – one gable end, against a damp and dimly lit bank has large cracks and holes forming with the chimney on the brink on collapsing inward. The morning of my visit the wind blew hard and the overcast day offered little prospect of improving. The wind and the dimness of light meant I required long exposures of around 4 – 16 minutes and this in fact helped me with exposing more of the buildings fabric than would ordinarily be possible. The windswept branches and leaves meant their movement wasn’t properly recorded and was instead recorded as a ‘slight blur’ and thus more stone work was recorded onto the sheet of film inside the camera. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13323071.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10271014494ea2617f2eed7.jpgLLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLANFECHAN, Alltyblaca, Ceredigion 2011 Hidden from view and the morning had yet to properly break. I reached the matured grounds of the house Llanfechan in uncertainty. I had been told much remained but also as mentioned in ‘The Lost Houses of Wales’, it was ‘mostly demolished’. I could make out a bulky dark mass in the dim morning light and once beyond the covering of trees, the walls of Llanfechan could easily to reached. And once within those walls, standing in the ruins themselves, it becomes easier still to imagine this was once a rather fine mansion house. The house standing today was built in 1786 and due to fire was already ruined by 1837 and thus remained a ruin all these years since. In the Pevsner Building of Wales guide for Ceredigion it suggests that Llanfechan was designed by John Nash and is comparable to his Llanerchaeron just a few miles away (and it doesn’t take an untrained eye to find these comparisons!). The original full two storeys remain today, the façade and main section of the house. Although the outer is covered almost entirely with foliage and trees and there are a few mature trees within the site, it is generally easily negotiable – one gable end, against a damp and dimly lit bank has large cracks and holes forming with the chimney on the brink on collapsing inward. The morning of my visit the wind blew hard and the overcast day offered little prospect of improving. The wind and the dimness of light meant I required long exposures of around 4 – 16 minutes and this in fact helped me with exposing more of the buildings fabric than would ordinarily be possible. The windswept branches and leaves meant their movement wasn’t properly recorded and was instead recorded as a ‘slight blur’ and thus more stone work was recorded onto the sheet of film inside the camera. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3058638.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1083661534a62ce34ceea2.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2009 I had heard that Bronwydd had all but gone, demolished by the owner/farmer since my last visit in 1996. I was surprised to find that very little had changed. Some of the ornate arches with Latin inscriptions had fallen but considering it had been 13 years I believe Bronwydd still has much to offer the casual visitor. A border collie came bounding over and accompanied me during my visit demanding I throw stones. Another dog barked constantly somewhere in the farm yard above. As I approached the house the cows and calves fled and the sheep huddled in corners of fields. The most prominent part of Bronwydd is the large high tower, completely ivy covered and resilient. The remnants of fireplaces, doorways, staircases and plastered corners can be seen when looking up from the inside. Foolishly I forgot also to see if the spiral staircase to the narrow rounded tower that projects up beside the large ivy covered tower was still accessible. I’m not sure I would have had the courage to walk up it anyway. A few decorative blocks of plasterwork lay here and there in amongst the rubble and stone. Although I only spent half an hour at Bronwydd I spent a further two hours attempting to dig my car of the mud I had decided to park it in! [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_312845545498bd5e5d5c3a.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14637335094a693b5d1666f.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9156197234b5961bda7cc2.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18635850294b595fa4283c9.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13462290774b3887ff84ddd.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5865035494b596057f17e0.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14505653094b5960a7413ee.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17816598244b596167aea23.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7376366104b59600452e57.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 BRONWYDD. Llanqynllo. Ceredigion 1997 & 2009 Safai ty ar safle Bronwydd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar ddeg ac fe gafodd ei ailadeiladu yn y 1850au - er nad oes dim yma heddiw ond twmpath o rwbel. Mae'r cerfiadau cerrig, y gwydr lliw a'r murluniau wedi hen ddiflannu heblaw am ychydig o arwyddeiriau Lladin uwchben y drysau o garreg Caerfaddon.. Dychwelais i Fronwydd fis Gorffennaf 2009. Prin yr oedd wedi newid. Mae eiddew'n gorchuddio'r twr ac mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r arysgrifau Lladin wedi dirywio a diflannu am byth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14115716.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13650468764f32d9dca4027.jpgBRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on BRONWYDD, Llangynllo, Ceredigion 2009 I had heard that Bronwydd had all but gone, demolished by the owner/farmer since my last visit in 1996. I was surprised to find that very little had changed. Some of the ornate arches with Latin inscriptions had fallen but considering it had been 13 years I believe Bronwydd still has much to offer the casual visitor. A border collie came bounding over and accompanied me during my visit demanding I throw stones. Another dog barked constantly somewhere in the farm yard above. As I approached the house the cows and calves fled and the sheep huddled in corners of fields. The most prominent part of Bronwydd is the large high tower, completely ivy covered and resilient. The remnants of fireplaces, doorways, staircases and plastered corners can be seen when looking up from the inside. Foolishly I forgot also to see if the spiral staircase to the narrow rounded tower that projects up beside the large ivy covered tower was still accessible. I’m not sure I would have had the courage to walk up it anyway. A few decorative blocks of plasterwork lay here and there in amongst the rubble and stone. Although I only spent half an hour at Bronwydd I spent a further two hours attempting to dig my car of the mud I had decided to park it in! [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_312845545498bd5e5d5c3a.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14637335094a693b5d1666f.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_9156197234b5961bda7cc2.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18635850294b595fa4283c9.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13462290774b3887ff84ddd.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 1996 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5865035494b596057f17e0.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14505653094b5960a7413ee.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17816598244b596167aea23.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7376366104b59600452e57.jpg[/img] Bronwydd 2009 BRONWYDD. Llanqynllo. Ceredigion 1997 & 2009 Safai ty ar safle Bronwydd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar ddeg ac fe gafodd ei ailadeiladu yn y 1850au - er nad oes dim yma heddiw ond twmpath o rwbel. Mae'r cerfiadau cerrig, y gwydr lliw a'r murluniau wedi hen ddiflannu heblaw am ychydig o arwyddeiriau Lladin uwchben y drysau o garreg Caerfaddon.. Dychwelais i Fronwydd fis Gorffennaf 2009. Prin yr oedd wedi newid. Mae eiddew'n gorchuddio'r twr ac mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r arysgrifau Lladin wedi dirywio a diflannu am byth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/peterwell-lampeter-ceredigion-2006 https://images.on-this.website/7784_834087922497053f69ad71.jpgPETERWELL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2006 Notes on PETERWELL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2005 A lengthy entrance of Lime trees with exposed sculptured roots led to the small remains of Peterwell. A short wait for the wind to disperse the clouds gave a few precious moments to point my camera upon the walls, or all that remains, of the notorious Peterwell. Although it contains few of the characteristic physical features of a mansion, a few tall stone ends offer evidence that a larger than usual house once stood at the hollowed spot. The house is much noted for its roofed garden, with plants cascading over the high walls and more so for it’s most famous owner, Sir Herbert Lloyd, whose well documented mean spirit and cruelty gave not just the Lampeter area but the whole of Cardiganshire one of its most notorious characters. As a point of interest even Herbert Lloyd’s own father amended his will to curtail any rights his son would otherwise have inherited. This, however, was an action his son ignored and throughout his life flaunted his powers and even managed a successful and audacious attempt to persuade an unimpressed King George III, to award him the title of Baronet - all this amongst rumours of involvement in murder and crude tyranny. The house of Peterwell gradually declined with subsequent owners caring less for the house. It was sold and passed through many hands until left abandoned. Eventually the fearing folk of Lampeter shook off their superstitions that Peterwell would bring bad fortune to anyone who had anything to do with it and with some irony began to take stone from the house and repair their own homes, most notably a cottage to house the destitute. Peterwell 2004 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13473737994b46eb3da414a.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13857889754b46eb49eaa02.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20828705294b46eb54e8c25.jpg[/img] FFYNNONBEDR. Llanbedr Pont Steffan, Ceredigion 2003 - 2010 Yn y llun, gwelir nifer o balalwyf a cherflunwaith sy'n arwain at y man He saif gweddillion Ffynnonbedr. Mae'r ty yn enwog am y planhigion a oedd yn dod dros y muriau uchel gan greu nenfwd dros yr ardd. Roedd hyd yn oed yn fwy nodedig am ei berchennog enwog, Syr Herbert Lloyd. Roedd pawb yn ardal Llanbedr Pont Steffan a Sir Aberteifi gyfan yn gwybod pa mor fen a chreulon ydoedd. Yn wir, dyma gymeriad a oedd yn adnabyddus am fod ag enw drwg. Mae'n ddiddorol nodi bod hyd yn oed tad Herbert Lloyd wedi newid ei ewyllys er mwyn lleihau unrhyw hawliau y byddai ei fab fel arall wedi eu hetifeddu. Serch hynny, roedd y weithred hon yn un y bu i'r mab ei anwybyddu a thrwy gydol ei fywyd, bu'n gwneud sioe fawr o'i bwerau a llwyddodd hyd yn oed i berswadio Brenin Sior III, i roi teitl barwnig iddo - er gwaethaf straeon am ei ran ef mewn llofruddiaeth a'i ormes eithafol. Dirywiodd Ty Ffynnonbedr yn raddol wrth i'r perchnogion a ddaeth ar ol hynny roi llai o sylw i'r ty. Cafodd ei werthu i nifer o bobl. Yn y pendraw, dechreuodd pobl Llanbedr Pont Steffan gael gwared a'u hamheuon a chydag ychydig o eironi, bu iddynt ddechrau symud cerrig o'r cartref i atgyweirio eu cartrefi eu hunain. Ymhlith y rhain oedd bwthyn i gartrefi'r anghenus. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4605723.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10350092804ba78bdb4649c.jpgPETERWELL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PETERWELL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2010 I visit Peterwell at relatively regular intervals but the photographic results are often plagued by poor judgement of composition or accidental sloppiness in processing of negatives. I believe the main problem with Peterwell, as subject matter, is that there is very little of the house that remains. I also believe I approach, down the long line of lime trees with the impossible expectation that I will find more of the structure than I know exists. Yet I keep returning. The high cornered wall section that does exist sits in a hollowed spot filled with gnarled trees, thick trunked with thick ivy attempting strangulation. It’s an oddly exposed yet equally hidden spot. It is also well worth a visit if you’re in the Lampeter area. The aforementioned line of lime trees (of around 50 mature specimens) is worthy of visiting on its own. The line of trees then opens out to a large pile of manure and just beyond that, Peterwell. FFYNNONBEDR. Llanbedr Pont Steffan, Ceredigion 2003 - 2010 Yn y llun, gwelir nifer o balalwyf a cherflunwaith sy'n arwain at y man He saif gweddillion Ffynnonbedr. Mae'r ty yn enwog am y planhigion a oedd yn dod dros y muriau uchel gan greu nenfwd dros yr ardd. Roedd hyd yn oed yn fwy nodedig am ei berchennog enwog, Syr Herbert Lloyd. Roedd pawb yn ardal Llanbedr Pont Steffan a Sir Aberteifi gyfan yn gwybod pa mor fen a chreulon ydoedd. Yn wir, dyma gymeriad a oedd yn adnabyddus am fod ag enw drwg. Mae'n ddiddorol nodi bod hyd yn oed tad Herbert Lloyd wedi newid ei ewyllys er mwyn lleihau unrhyw hawliau y byddai ei fab fel arall wedi eu hetifeddu. Serch hynny, roedd y weithred hon yn un y bu i'r mab ei anwybyddu a thrwy gydol ei fywyd, bu'n gwneud sioe fawr o'i bwerau a llwyddodd hyd yn oed i berswadio Brenin Sior III, i roi teitl barwnig iddo - er gwaethaf straeon am ei ran ef mewn llofruddiaeth a'i ormes eithafol. Dirywiodd Ty Ffynnonbedr yn raddol wrth i'r perchnogion a ddaeth ar ol hynny roi llai o sylw i'r ty. Cafodd ei werthu i nifer o bobl. Yn y pendraw, dechreuodd pobl Llanbedr Pont Steffan gael gwared a'u hamheuon a chydag ychydig o eironi, bu iddynt ddechrau symud cerrig o'r cartref i atgyweirio eu cartrefi eu hunain. Ymhlith y rhain oedd bwthyn i gartrefi'r anghenus. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2078533.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8976227014971f48e97fff.jpgHAFOD (ruins, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2001 Notes on HAFOD (ruins, gardens, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2001 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. Hafod was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired 'Peacocks in Paradise' by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot stone of the monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10418373674b38868c20ed6.jpg[/img] Hafod greenhouse, 2000 YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo8179238.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20453187414d241ec38aceb.jpgHAFOD (ruins, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2001 Notes on HAFOD (ruins, gardens, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2001 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. Hafod was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired 'Peacocks in Paradise' by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot stone of the monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10418373674b38868c20ed6.jpg[/img] Hafod greenhouse, 2000 YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24529549.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1846787261557742f13b8a4.jpgBURY LODGE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on BURY LODGE, Trefenter, Ceredigion 2015 A small cottage, whose name mystifies, much ruined therein, upstairs all fallen, stairs collapsed, full of junk; furniture, bicycles, ovens, books and more books in one of the railway carriages - a private library - damp and pilfered. The cottage needs to be gutted and shown some care. Roadside location. The morning promised rain and ultimately delivered. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo38438113.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16338277765ce6eb041ae7c.jpgTYN-YR-HEOL, Tonna, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Notes on TYN-YR-HEOL, Tonna, Neath Port Talbot 2019 A re-visit – the first visit was in 2012 – when access was simply walking through the empty gateway and up the driveway. The entrances have since been boarded up and fefnced off but the wall around the house is not high and can be climbed with ease. My daughter and I jumped up and over. The house, I saw online, is currently set to be auctioned in June 2019 with a start price of £85,000. The house is Grade 2 listed and is, in all purposes, a complete unsalvageable ruin. The façade has almost totally collapsed since 2012, the semi-circle porch laying within the nettle and bramble – speaking of which the brambles almost cover the whole area making most of the house inaccessible and unpleasant to even try to navigate. Inside is a mess of rubble and beams and I wondered since it is Grade 2 listed what can be hoped to be achieved by the next owner of such a house. Again, it has come onto the market far, far too late. There is a lot of land here though and I am certain a developer can make good use of it. Would I be sad to see Tynyrheol demolished? Probably not. Old photographs show a lovely proportioned house without the odd brick extension. A fox hissed at me whilst treading through the undergrowth around the rear of the house, three or four fox cubs stumbled over each other to escape me. They were gone in an instant and I didn’t see them again. Once again, as in 2012, viewpoints were difficult to come by, restricted by the bramble. I tore my coat but didn’t care. Some bramble tore my skin, barely a graze. I trample through the bramble hoping to improve upon the 2012 pictures. I reach a few yards and then set up the camera. Nothing is ever perfect. The sun is too low directly in view. A tree is standing exactly where I wish to place the tripod. These are complaints but are not really complaints. I’ve learnt to accept a site as I find it, make best wit what I am offered, be satisfied with myself that I came here, took out the camera and documented whatever it is I’ve come to visit. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40708412.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7630266555e138416d139b.jpgPOPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Notes on POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020 Recently put on the market with planning for housing on the grounds, one feels the urbanization around the property is already intrusive but if it helps to keep this lovely building from further deterioration then housing is the lesser of two evils. The property is reached by a gated entrance on the edge of the village Pontlliw. There is no need to open the gate as access can be found simply by walking beside the gatepost. There's a small bricked ruined lodge to the right, small and roofless but the structure itself seems sound. I parked the car here and walked along the meandering driveway. I could hear some kid kicking a ball against a garage door in one of the backyards of the houses built alongside the road and parallel to the driveway. I immediately noticed a CCTV camera on a pole and a small light suddenly coming on as I passed. I did not mind. I was after all trespassing but also knew I had no intention of causing any damage or entering the property. I also knew the house to be in a good structural condition, empty rather than derelict but definitely in need of some re-consolidation, the white wooden veranda is in a very poor state and some of it missing. I wondered since I'd triggered the CCTV if someone would appear asking me to leave. No-one came. A few images were taken, just general views, any foliage around the property had been cleared and due to the good condition of the house I wondered if it even needed to be documented. But why by-pass such an opportunity? This had been an impromptu visit, I had just returned from a walk to visit a number of ruins but discovered a public footpath had been (illegally?) closed with a high barb-wired fence and warnings of loose dogs and about 6 or 7 sheep skulls tied to the gate. I could have found a way to enter but decided that the ruins I was intending to visit were probably not worth a dog bite and goodness knows what else... so I walked back the way I had come, to the car, a mile or so with a heavy backpack. Driving back I remembered this house, 'Poplar's' I'd seen for sale on Zoopla and had passed the entrance early on. Although it was Saturday morning, bright daylight, I was determined not to waste my morning and parked at the entrance in full view. I am pleased I did. My visit, brief, perhaps half an hour saw me shoot around 10 sheets of film, nothing spectacular but perfunctionary. As is often the case. The house is large and long. The stables are also ruined, and stand half way along the driveway. These I did enter and are in good condition and could continue to be used as stables if desired. I am uncertain if the stables are grade 2 listed (as the house is) so could be possibly demolished. There are images on the web which show the house inside - it looks shabby and needs a lot of decorating and modernizing but I'm sure someone will turn this into a wonderful home once again. I believe planning consent consists of turning the house into dual occupancy. I expect this time next year the whole complex will be mostly finished, polished and Poplar's will experience another chapter in it's life. The following has been taken from British Listed Buildings website and gives a detailed description of the house: Constructed c1890 by a local industrialist Friedrich William Dahne and originally called Friedrichsruh. Dahne is believed to be Austrian. He is recorded as advertising for a ‘Working Housekeeper’ in October 1899 and the house and grounds are first shown on the 2nd ed OS map of 1900. It is referred to as an ‘Attractive modern country mansion’ on its sale in 1913, by which point F Dahne had presumably died as the house was occupied ( October 1914) by Friedrich’s son David. By the mid C20 it had been renamed The Poplars. The design of The Poplars has been attributed to Glendinning Moxham (1865-1946) an architect active in South Wales and resident in Swansea. Moxham published Country Homes & Cottages in 1910 illustrated with his own designs of built and proposed houses. In it he outlines his stylistic preferences for white painted roughcast walls and half timbering rather than exposed local stone, and red tiles used for walls and roofs. Internally oak is used for principal joinery elements (stair, beams, doors and panelling) with the remainder painted. He also puts forward ideas on plan types, with practical plans with deep windows preferred over an attractive elevation. Moxham designed the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery (1909), banks, hospitals and markets and other buildings throughout Wales. Glen Hir on Gower Road (1900-1910) designed with a French influence of shutters and swept roofs has been attributed to Moxham. Moxham was responsible for the Old English style Bristol Channel Yacht Club (1904) on Mumble s Road. Swiss or Alpine styles had been used in the Swansea area during the C19 with the Swiss Cottage in Singleton Park constructed in 1826 and the Old Rectory in Llanmadoc village (1876-77) by the Rev J D Davies. Detached house in Alpine Chalet style. Red brick with stone dressings, plinth and ground floor cill band. Decorative timberwork painted white. Slate roofs, half hipped with lead rolled hips and deep projecting eaves and moulded rafter ends. Tall brick stacks, decorative ridge tiles and finials. Segmental headed 6-light casement windows, ground floor with 2 upper lights. Rectangular ‘C’ plan arranged N E-SW on a gently sloping site. Long 2 storey garden range facing SE, gabled 2 storey end wings at NE and SW ends linked by single storey block enclosing what may have once been an internal courtyard, closed off by an entrance screen wall). Tower in S corner with decorative finial and slating breaking through roof of 2 storey ranges. Entrance elevation to SW dominated by large full height projecting 2 tier timber veranda on brick plinth, wrapping round at first floor to left hand elevation. Gabled end of the garden wing breaking forward. Moulded posts with bracing, arched on the ground floor and shorter on the first floor with incised and scalloped detailing. Posts irregularly spaced to the left but grouped into 3 bays on the garden wing gable with wider central bay. First floor projects and is supported by corbels. Enclosing low close boarded panels to ground and first floor with pierced decoration with the same applied as gable boarding. Behind 3 windows to the garden wing, central retains stained glass with Alpine folklore scenes in central panels with text below and surrounded by floral designs. Doors in outer bays on the ground floors, 3 windows to the end wing, central bay French doors with leaded glass with oval stained glass cartouches of females. Tiled floor up steps on the ground floor, timber boarded on first floor. Elevation to NW with gable ends of 2 end wings with shallow timber verandah as before but close to façade and more decorative than functional. 2 window to NE end wing, SW end wing with 5 windows to ground floor and 4 to first floor, irregularly spaced. Single storey range in between with wide central door and flanking windows. NE elevation, single window to return of end wing, blind door to ground floor. Projecting lean-to 2 store block on garden range, window in right return, door in left return, blocked door and low opening in main face. Garden elevation of 5 paired window bays (10 windows), projecting stacks in between the 2nd and 3rd pair (reduced) and 4th and 5th. First floor cill band and projecting cills to ground floor windows. Left hand windows to ground floor blind with small lean-to structure to right. Modern entrance porch added in 4th bay with boarded door. Interior retains original layout substantially intact with doors, skirtings etc surviving. Main entrance from SW front retains large entrance hall with single flight oak stairs with moulded newell, balusters and handrail. Raised and fielded 4-panel doors with veneered panels, door surrounds. Full height panelling, fireplace on left hand wall removed and tiled over. Tiled floor. Below stairs cupboard. Listed for its special architectural interest as a late C19 house of exceptional style and quality, retaining its original character and designed (probably) by a prominent Swansea architect. A good physical reflection of the movement of successful industrialists into this part of Swansea, with its design and touches of detail reflecting the background of its original owner. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769112.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19515642474a31da5a95397.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13016798894b46e3a6c754c.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (The coat of arms above main entrance) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20721635804b46e4129f0a8.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/grasses-in-lake-teifi-pools https://images.on-this.website/7784_3504470304c1db545755da.jpgGRASSES IN LAKE, Teifi Pools, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on GRASSES IN LAKE, Teifi Pools, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 1994 I spent many days up at Teifi Pools trying to capture the grasses and lilies in one of the lakes up there. This being one of the more successful images. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13071228.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_742937224e855b7a72098.jpgTYNYLONE, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2011 Note on TYNYLONE, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2011 Standing on a hillside between Stags Head and Llangeitho this ruined farm has been in decay for many years. The front section of the roof has fallen, with the rear wavering and it can only be a matter of time before this too falls. Within, each room can still be distinguished but the ceiling beams sag heavy and piles of stone have fallen where walls have collapsed. Lots of dead cars and farm machinery lays around completing this particular picture of decay. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/llyn-brianne-near-builth-wells https://images.on-this.website/7784_2043518584bae1f35aa8c6.jpgLLYN BRIANNE, Near Builth Wells, Powys 1996 Notes on LLYN BRIANNE, Near Builth Wells, Powys 1996 A vista of the bottom of the dam at Llyn Brianne. A fine mist hangs over the outlet, which allows the river to remain alive during times of drought https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24417771.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_891591991556b23a2db9f2.jpgPANT-Y-RHEW-FACH, Dihewyd, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PANT-Y-RHEW-FACH, Dihewyd, Ceredigion 2015 As you can see, third of the house, end gable, has collapsed but the rest of the structure seems relatively secure. Overgrown, many outbuildings, this was probably once a small farm - other than that I know little else about the place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo6298626.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3144180134c8648e77fe2b.jpgROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on ROCKS AT TEIFI POOLS, Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion 200 Often times I've wandered around Teifi Pools almost aimlessly. It's like a warren of lakes and rocky outcrops. This pleasent composition was taken after a days rambling and was almost like a reward after carrying my camera and tripod around with me all day. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41253147.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_8670280335f043b075bc1e.jpgTY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Notes on TY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Roadside location but forgotten and slowly crumbling. Ty'r Bryn is almost completely hidden by trees and the rear almost impenetrable. I spent just a few minutes here, took a few unsatisfactory images but before leaving I thought I should check out the large corrugated barns beside the house. They were in a poor state but there was a sense i should record them within as abstractions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19326376.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2070552581523b43178ed01.jpgMYNYDD-DU, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 Notes on MYNYDD-DU, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 Lovely located in a dingle beside a stream. The house stands hidden from view but on a public footpath, hence most likely it's poor state. Upstairs treacherous, downstairs faired little better. Interesting array of extensions around the rear. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34338296.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16149399155ab8f7f213fb9.jpgBLAEN-NANT-MEURIG, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 201 Notes on BLAEN-NANT-MEURIG, Crynant, Neath Port Talbot 2018 All remains is what I believe to be is a long barn. Foundations of the house stand before the barn, in a dip. A lovely site however, covered with brambles and overgrowth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pencoed-castle-llanmartin-gwent-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10303326654a31e4302b4ce.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 After visiting Ruperra Castle, a short journey down the M4 to Llanmartin and to the ruins of Pencoed Castle. I had heard it had been re-sold in 2006 and wondered if any progress had been made on its consolidation and restoration. Sadly not. From memory, my first visit in 1997, very little seemed to have changed at Pencoed Castle. Caravans and other farm machinery no longer littered the front lawn but other than that, it remained, seemingly, ever resilient to time and decay. Of course no building can remain solid without the due care and maintenance. Peering through the windows one could see the make-shift wooden scaffolding; beams holding lintels, timbers holding beams. One such covered metal frame was loose. I entered without effort or force and walked the great halls and dusty stone staircases. Stone fireplaces stood without heat and scaffolding kept the floors above barely intact. That said, 12 years after my first visit, Pencoed seems to be in an astonishing condition (to my untrained eye) since it has been left empty since the 1950/60's(?). These days the only occupants of Pencoed Castle are the birds – rooks tending attentively to their demanding young and making such a racket in comparison to the gentle and soft coo-ing of the pigeons. The birds weave in and out of the windows – nearly all smashed and the metal frames twisted – inside stone steps lead up to floorless rooms, dusty but seemingly dry. On the first floor long planks lead from doorway to doorway, the second floor padlocked. Although padlocked, I did not feel the need to venture further. Pencoed, long yet slim, remains a mysterious place – barren within and without, one feels the house has had a long and varied history. Twelve years since my first visit, Pencoed still felt ancient and any ideals of modernization would feel wrong and building against the spiritual grain. Perhaps some houses are better left simply as they are; empty, dry and content. The gatehouse, surrounding walls, barns and dovecote all crumble, slowly without human interference or indeed need, in ruin. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1732999174b51e381efd6c.jpg[/img] Walkng toward Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15306766534b51e3db5a7af.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19357660874b51e447351d0.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13526894934b51e49d9969d.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10165185534b51e4ecdbe78.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10316959534b51e53012294.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1411879034b51e585a6200.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13512590304b51e64c2674a.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8665784994b51e6a8a4cdd.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13938143424b51e71b7be04.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3717130084b51e7a58d113.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3284888654b51e800a061c.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_413243024b51e86081042.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41503444.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5483673165f365a773d7b6.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Revisited: Summer 2020, foliage higher but the site had a different feel than the winter visit of 2019. It was a hot day, a flying visit, only four sheets of film, viewpoints had to be chosen carefully. Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41118933.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_18344822575e72705ebf647.jpgBOAT IN WOODS, Resolven 2020 Notes on BOAT IN WOODS, Resolven 2020 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mine-tower-nr-cilybebyll-pontardawe https://images.on-this.website/7784_15016398075ff8459b9ac17.jpgMINE TOWER nr CILYBEBYLL, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on MINE TOWER nr CILYBEBYLL, Pontardawe 2020 Stands overlooking former rail line now a cycle track/footpath, the tower itself is in surprisingly good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40573385.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11415730935de573ecc0913.jpgKINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 Notes on KINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 I parked the car at the hamlet of Llanddewi, beside the road, a cloudy damp day. I walked passed the tiny and attractive church of St David's and along the bridle-path. The tarmac track soon comes to a gated track and to the right the large farmhouse of 'New Hen-Llys farm'. The track from the farm to (old) 'Hen-Llys' is only passable with wellingtons and at that, barely. The divots of years of tyre tread are around a foot deep but that said it has rained a lot recently. I made my way, waddling through the puddles, disturbing the clear water and occasionally trying the banks to see if the mud was easier to navigate than the water. It wasn't. To a gated field, footpath marker, a large field full of sheep and cows - all ignored me, the grass wet and slippery, more mud, more puddles. Another gate, narrow path between two fields more mud, bicycle tread marks, people do come this way and then another gate, stone track and finally to the ruins of Kingshall farm. A large L-shaped farmhouse, built on a square site, a wall completing the L-shape to create a square. Long ruinous, roofless, door-less and window-less, lintels in place, bits of metal laying around, farm plastic sacks, little sign of care. Nonetheless a nice site, sheltered due to trees, a small stream, two pig sty's, the track running alongside the house. Time to breathe here. Set up the camera. A light aircraft overhead. It circles almost directly above me and then disappears over the horizon. I'd had an argument with my partner in the morning. The walk a tonic. The struggle through puddles and mud were the mild hardship, the conversations re-lived, altered, talking to myself, making logic of my actions, trying not to disregard hers. Keeping a level head. I set up the camera and about to take the first image. I think the unseen plane is a tractor engine, the phone rings, I normally have it on silent, I need to take this picture. It's only a plane, not a tractor. I'm not trespassing but neither am I in the mood for conversation. A picture is made. The phone rings again. I don't want to speak. I compose and take another photograph. The plane returns, the phone rings. I ignore both. Both stop and there is silence but there's another sound that I can't quite work out what it is: a low engine murmur almost like birds. It stops and then I see the cloud of starlings rise above me. I take more pictures, nothing spectacular but document the farm as I see fit. When I finish I phone my partner back. She isn't impressed. I can't say I blame her but sometimes we need to stick by our decisions even if they're not right. I walk back the way I came. I had wanted to explore further - to another ruin but it is already 3pm and the dim day is becoming darker. I also haven't eaten or drank anything all day and I feel upset in body and mind. I stop at Hen Llys farm on the way back. It is not ruinous but neither is it lived in. Rendered, single glazed, a long house of sorts - around the rear a pond - probably modern and often frequented by cattle. I make a few exposures, viewpoints are few, the house looks sorry for itself rather than on the verge of dereliction. My phone is ringing again. Too many short and angry phone calls. Everyone argues. Little solace. I think my partner would not have enjoyed this walk anyway. It's been too long, too muddy, too wet. I finish my photographs again and phone her back. Do I love her? Yes, I love her. Not that she has asked me and not that I have told her. That is what it boils down to, mostly. Everything else in this argument is shrapnel and some of it hurts, some of it misses the mark. I have made my peace with myself. The power of walking with the added bonus of a ruin. I do wonder how it is to live with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13445810.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_11263096714eb37fd059dd0.jpgTAI'R FELIN, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on TAI'R FELIN, Bont Goch, Ceredigion 2011 Standing in an imposing position in the centre of Bont Goch, Tai'r Felin is long ruined but it seems some care has begun to materialize and hopefully restoration. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/peeling-paint-brighton-2010 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13206327684be513adef6b9.jpgPEELING PAINT, Brighton 2010 Notes on PEELING PAINT, Brighton, East Sussex 2010 Peeling paint on a garage door that has all but concealed lettering of a long ago business. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2078531.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3533273324971f48524046.jpgNEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 Notes on NEUADD FAWR, Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire 1996 A pack of sheep dogs barked around my car as I pulled into the farmyard that stands beside the decrepit walls of Neuadd Fawr, built on an existing site by a William Davys in the late 18th century. The dogs continued to bark at my heels as I knocked on the farmhouse door and I very nearly ran back to my car. I was pleased I didn’t turn and drive home as I believe I was lucky that day. The dogs calmed and were friendly and the owner, although it was still very early, was happy for me to spend a few hours exploring the house and its grounds. A heavy morning dew soaked my feet and a bleak mist hung around the grounds, occasionally revealing trees, the walls of outbuildings and a walled garden with ivy covering every inch of the stone. The interior was too dangerous to enter. I always take a hard helmet with me but it felt that at any moment the entire house would tumble down around me. It seemed well beyond repair then. It’s walls, stone and mortar were damp and sodden and the roof was fruitlessly attempting to shelter the inside from any further deterioration of the rot therein. Some 7 years later I drove by again. I parked the car, stood on tiptoe, peering over the hedgerow, and across the field. Neuadd Fawr still stood, resilient, with the wind ever blowing through its rooms. I felt somehow nostalgic and relieved. I didn’t like the thought that someone may purchase, demolish, or even rebuild, such a house. What chance to reclaim its history and character? Then again perhaps these days nothing is beyond repair and I’ve heard it is, once again, on the market. The estate contains (now restored) lodge houses, a walled garden and a marvellous twin door stable block. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2080765445498bd5cc5fbb4.jpg[/img] Neuadd Fawr 1996 NEUADD FAWR. Cilycwm. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2010 Cyfarthai cnud o gwn o gwmpas fy nghar wrth i mi gyrraedd y buarth a saif wrth ymyl muriau musgrell Neuadd Fawr a adeiladwyd ar y safle presennol ar ddiwedd y ddeunawfed ganrif gan William Davys. Parhaodd y cwn i gyfarth o gwmpas fy sodlau wrth i mi guro ar ddrws y ffermdy a bu bron i mi redeg yn ol i'm car. Roeddwn i'n falch na wnes i adael a gyrru adref oherwydd rwyf o'r farn fy mod i wedi bod yn ffodus iawn y diwrnod hwnnw. Tawelodd y cwn, a oedd yn gyfeillgar ac er ei bod hi'n fore iawn, caniataodd y perchennog i mi dreulio rhai oriau yn archwilio'r ty a'r gerddi. Gwlychwyd fy nhraed gan Iwydrew trwm y bore ac hongianai tarth diflas o gwmpas y gerddi gan weithiau amlygu coed, muriau'r tai allan a gardd furiog oedd a iorwg yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o'r cenrig. Mae'r ystad yn cynnwys porthordai (sy'n adfeilion), gardd furiog a bloc o stablau sydd a drysau dwbl arbennig. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo39268655.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15542528915d45e2ed576bc.jpgABSTRACTION at RAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talb Notes on ABSTRACTION at RAILWAY DEPO, Kenfig Industrial Estate, Neath Port Talbot 2019 Uninspiring building - two visit in two days - both trips shortened somewhat dramatically due to homeless people fighting and I felt threatened and left. Such a shame on both occasions since the walls are filled with wonderful potential abstractions. Only a few images were taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dolhalog-cottages-aberaeron-ceredigion-2013 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1228633384522f44767a3b4.jpgDOLHALOG COTTAGES, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on DOLHALOG COTTAGES, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Along a quiet footpath these cottages are reputed to be the oldest in Aberaeron. One is still resided in, the other is abandoned. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4605722.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20049936864ba78bd644dfc.jpgPETERWELL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PETERWELL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2010 I visit Peterwell at relatively regular intervals but the photographic results are often plagued by poor judgement of composition or accidental sloppiness in processing of negatives. I believe the main problem with Peterwell, as subject matter, is that there is very little of the house that remains. I also believe I approach, down the long line of lime trees with the impossible expectation that I will find more of the structure than I know exists. Yet I keep returning. The high cornered wall section that does exist sits in a hollowed spot filled with gnarled trees, thick trunked with thick ivy attempting strangulation. It’s an oddly exposed yet equally hidden spot. It is also well worth a visit if you’re in the Lampeter area. The aforementioned line of lime trees (of around 50 mature specimens) is worthy of visiting on its own. The line of trees then opens out to a large pile of manure and just beyond that, Peterwell. FFYNNONBEDR. Llanbedr Pont Steffan, Ceredigion 2003 - 2010 Yn y llun, gwelir nifer o balalwyf a cherflunwaith sy'n arwain at y man He saif gweddillion Ffynnonbedr. Mae'r ty yn enwog am y planhigion a oedd yn dod dros y muriau uchel gan greu nenfwd dros yr ardd. Roedd hyd yn oed yn fwy nodedig am ei berchennog enwog, Syr Herbert Lloyd. Roedd pawb yn ardal Llanbedr Pont Steffan a Sir Aberteifi gyfan yn gwybod pa mor fen a chreulon ydoedd. Yn wir, dyma gymeriad a oedd yn adnabyddus am fod ag enw drwg. Mae'n ddiddorol nodi bod hyd yn oed tad Herbert Lloyd wedi newid ei ewyllys er mwyn lleihau unrhyw hawliau y byddai ei fab fel arall wedi eu hetifeddu. Serch hynny, roedd y weithred hon yn un y bu i'r mab ei anwybyddu a thrwy gydol ei fywyd, bu'n gwneud sioe fawr o'i bwerau a llwyddodd hyd yn oed i berswadio Brenin Sior III, i roi teitl barwnig iddo - er gwaethaf straeon am ei ran ef mewn llofruddiaeth a'i ormes eithafol. Dirywiodd Ty Ffynnonbedr yn raddol wrth i'r perchnogion a ddaeth ar ol hynny roi llai o sylw i'r ty. Cafodd ei werthu i nifer o bobl. Yn y pendraw, dechreuodd pobl Llanbedr Pont Steffan gael gwared a'u hamheuon a chydag ychydig o eironi, bu iddynt ddechrau symud cerrig o'r cartref i atgyweirio eu cartrefi eu hunain. Ymhlith y rhain oedd bwthyn i gartrefi'r anghenus. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo42204332.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9040726155ff8459c89c76.jpgMINE TOWER nr CILYBEBYLL, Pontardawe 2020 Notes on MINE TOWER nr CILYBEBYLL, Pontardawe 2020 Stands overlooking former rail line now a cycle track/footpath, the tower itself is in surprisingly good condition. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img368 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20808003495373d08d3929e.jpgGREENACRES, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on GREENACRES, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2014 Empty for at least four years, this large town house still seems to be a good condition. It stands beside the university and it seems a shame that it is being left unloved. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40479132.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17202408425dd7934e61fbd.jpgWATER TREATMENT WORKS, Castell Nos Reservoir, Maerdy 2019 Notes on WATER TREATMENT WORKS, Castell Nos Reservoir, Maerdy 2019 Built 1880's and now ruinous. I had thought this was a mining building at first but a quick internet search, as is so often the case these days, offers detailed information. Sat just beneath the reservoir and along the footpath. A pleasant walk on a Sunday afternoon. Small bridge at site is former tram line for mines - mines now all demolished. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769176.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_16996556394a31e42c60202.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 After visiting Ruperra Castle, a short journey down the M4 to Llanmartin and to the ruins of Pencoed Castle. I had heard it had been re-sold in 2006 and wondered if any progress had been made on its consolidation and restoration. Sadly not. From memory, my first visit in 1997, very little seemed to have changed at Pencoed Castle. Caravans and other farm machinery no longer littered the front lawn but other than that, it remained, seemingly, ever resilient to time and decay. Of course no building can remain solid without the due care and maintenance. Peering through the windows one could see the make-shift wooden scaffolding; beams holding lintels, timbers holding beams. One such covered metal frame was loose. I entered without effort or force and walked the great halls and dusty stone staircases. Stone fireplaces stood without heat and scaffolding kept the floors above barely intact. That said, 12 years after my first visit, Pencoed seems to be in an astonishing condition (to my untrained eye) since it has been left empty since the 1950/60's(?). These days the only occupants of Pencoed Castle are the birds – rooks tending attentively to their demanding young and making such a racket in comparison to the gentle and soft coo-ing of the pigeons. The birds weave in and out of the windows – nearly all smashed and the metal frames twisted – inside stone steps lead up to floorless rooms, dusty but seemingly dry. On the first floor long planks lead from doorway to doorway, the second floor padlocked. Although padlocked, I did not feel the need to venture further. Pencoed, long yet slim, remains a mysterious place – barren within and without, one feels the house has had a long and varied history. Twelve years since my first visit, Pencoed still felt ancient and any ideals of modernization would feel wrong and building against the spiritual grain. Perhaps some houses are better left simply as they are; empty, dry and content. The gatehouse, surrounding walls, barns and dovecote all crumble, slowly without human interference or indeed need, in ruin. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1732999174b51e381efd6c.jpg[/img] Walkng toward Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15306766534b51e3db5a7af.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19357660874b51e447351d0.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13526894934b51e49d9969d.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/derry-ormond-tower-lampeter-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_773133284b3864d0bccf3.jpgDERRY ORMOND TOWER, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2000 Notes on DERRY ORMOND TOWER, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion 2000 Standing high upon a hillside above the hamlet of Betws Bledrws, Derry Ormond Tower was built in 1837 by the owner of Derry Ormond House (demolished in the 1950's) and is based on an upturned canon. My morning here, only my second visit ever, surprising since I have driven passed this momument since my school days, was a beautiful experience. As so often the case, a soft night mist lingered along the river Teifi in the valley below and the sun burst through the low cloud as the morning began to break. There is no finer time of day than sun rise and this particular valley often exhibits a momentous beauty. The opening of the tower has been continuously blocked and re-opened throughout the decades. The tower was apparently badly damaged during the 1970's and restored. The concrete blockade had a hole large enough to fit through but I declined the offer, being a little uneasy with heights, and I was also uncertain if the stone steps leading upwards were safe. I have since been told that it is indeed possible to climb to the top. I restricted my visit to sticking my head through the hole and peering upward! Photographically, a tower has limitations. I have attempted to photograph it to the best of my abilities. I believe I read somewhere that Derry Ormond Tower was built on common ground, without planning permission, which was finally granted some 40 years after it was built. This particular black and white image was taken using a 35mm camera and is unavailable to purchase. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15138782594b38646d8bc05.jpg[/img] Derry Ormond Tower 2000 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pembrey-cwrt-court-farm-pembrey https://images.on-this.website/7784_7907291464abf47602a26d.jpgPEMBREY CWRT / COURT FARM, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on PEMBREY CWRT / COURT FARM, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire 2009 There has been much talk over the years of Pembrey Cwrt being restored including recently put forward, and was unfortunately rejected, into the Welsh category to the BBC Restoration program. I had visited before in 1997 and was uncertain what I would find 13 years later. Would the ruin be consolidated, the grounds cleared, the medieval barn under scaffolding? How sad to report that Cwrt is all but completely lost in the undergrowth and ivy, further slipping back down into the earth. Even the vandals and bored local kids seem to have abandoned this impenetrable large and lost carcass. I took a few photographs my first visit and again, due to lack of any clear view of any walls or chimneys I only made two exposures. I had however forgotten just how large Pembrey Cwrt actually is. Rooms and extensions weave in and out, a wooden wall cupboard sits almost complete in a recess in a first floor rear room. Beams hang dangerously overhead, aged and redundant. Slates scatter the floors and the roof is now completely slate-less. Stone mullion and wooden window frames remain, a stone fireplace partially bricked up, spilling the remnants of birds nests onto the ground. All dark and depressing, abandoned in the 1950’s/60’s, and one can not help but wonder if this house will ever be saved. A wonderful photograph can be seen in Thomas Lloyd’s ‘Lost Houses of Wales’ and there is also a fine drawing of the house from 1898 in ‘The Buildings of Wales: Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion’ also by Thomas Lloyd (and Julian Orbach and Robert Scourfield). In this volume it wrote that the RCAHMW (Royal Commission Association of Historical Monuments of Wales) ‘concluded that the core is probably a medieval tower attached to a first floor hall reached from an external stair from the north’ and that the barn (now completely overgrown and barely visible) ‘incorporating a thick corbelled and embattled wall of possible former gatehouse’. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_547079413498bd6165b15e.jpg[/img] Pembrey Court 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6035117994abf4b398c541.jpg[/img] Pembrey Court, Carmarthenshire 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20670043564abf4b75e8c27.jpg[/img] Pembrey Court, Carmarthenshire 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_243856674abf4bda8c671.jpg[/img] Pembrey Court, Carmarthenshire 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pigeon-house-cilwendig-boncath-pembrokeshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_8775653194dae73c20988e.jpgPIGEON HOUSE, Cilwendeg, Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2011 PIGEON HOUSE, Cilwendeg House (not derelict), Boncath, Pembrokeshire 2011 Much talk but little consolidation work has been carried out on the Pigeon House. The Shell House has however been fully restored and is occasionally open to the public. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/peterwell-lampeter-ceredigion-2003 https://images.on-this.website/7784_1497639974972d6bb3862b.jpgPETERWELL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2003 Notes on PETERWELL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2003 A lengthy entrance of Lime trees with exposed sculptured roots led to the small remains of Peterwell. A short wait for the wind to disperse the clouds gave a few precious moments to point my camera upon the walls, or all that remains, of the notorious Peterwell. Although it contains few of the characteristic physical features of a mansion, a few tall stone ends offer evidence that a larger than usual house once stood at the hollowed spot. The house is much noted for its roofed garden, with plants cascading over the high walls and more so for it’s most famous owner, Sir Herbert Lloyd, whose well documented mean spirit and cruelty gave not just the Lampeter area but the whole of Cardiganshire one of its most notorious characters. As a point of interest even Herbert Lloyd’s own father amended his will to curtail any rights his son would otherwise have inherited. This, however, was an action his son ignored and throughout his life flaunted his powers and even managed a successful and audacious attempt to persuade an unimpressed King George III, to award him the title of Baronet - all this amongst rumours of involvement in murder and crude tyranny. The house of Peterwell gradually declined with subsequent owners caring less for the house. It was sold and passed through many hands until left abandoned. Eventually the fearing folk of Lampeter shook off their superstitions that Peterwell would bring bad fortune to anyone who had anything to do with it and with some irony began to take stone from the house and repair their own homes, most notably a cottage to house the destitute. Peterwell 2004 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13473737994b46eb3da414a.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13857889754b46eb49eaa02.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20828705294b46eb54e8c25.jpg[/img] FFYNNONBEDR. Llanbedr Pont Steffan, Ceredigion 2003 - 2010 Yn y llun, gwelir nifer o balalwyf a cherflunwaith sy'n arwain at y man He saif gweddillion Ffynnonbedr. Mae'r ty yn enwog am y planhigion a oedd yn dod dros y muriau uchel gan greu nenfwd dros yr ardd. Roedd hyd yn oed yn fwy nodedig am ei berchennog enwog, Syr Herbert Lloyd. Roedd pawb yn ardal Llanbedr Pont Steffan a Sir Aberteifi gyfan yn gwybod pa mor fen a chreulon ydoedd. Yn wir, dyma gymeriad a oedd yn adnabyddus am fod ag enw drwg. Mae'n ddiddorol nodi bod hyd yn oed tad Herbert Lloyd wedi newid ei ewyllys er mwyn lleihau unrhyw hawliau y byddai ei fab fel arall wedi eu hetifeddu. Serch hynny, roedd y weithred hon yn un y bu i'r mab ei anwybyddu a thrwy gydol ei fywyd, bu'n gwneud sioe fawr o'i bwerau a llwyddodd hyd yn oed i berswadio Brenin Sior III, i roi teitl barwnig iddo - er gwaethaf straeon am ei ran ef mewn llofruddiaeth a'i ormes eithafol. Dirywiodd Ty Ffynnonbedr yn raddol wrth i'r perchnogion a ddaeth ar ol hynny roi llai o sylw i'r ty. Cafodd ei werthu i nifer o bobl. Yn y pendraw, dechreuodd pobl Llanbedr Pont Steffan gael gwared a'u hamheuon a chydag ychydig o eironi, bu iddynt ddechrau symud cerrig o'r cartref i atgyweirio eu cartrefi eu hunain. Ymhlith y rhain oedd bwthyn i gartrefi'r anghenus. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41503446.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19172331885f365a787913a.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Notes on East Orchard Castle, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2020 Revisited: Summer 2020, foliage higher but the site had a different feel than the winter visit of 2019. It was a hot day, a flying visit, only four sheets of film, viewpoints had to be chosen carefully. Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mining-debris-cwm-rheidol-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_1441402454b8e8e7577479.jpgMINING DEBRIS, Cwm Rheidol, Ceredigion 1994 Notes on MINING DEBRIS, Cwm Rheidol, Ceredigion 1994 Taken below the mines at Cwm Rheidol on the rocks in the river - the large rusting metal contraption sat half on the bank nestled in the rocks and half in the river. It has since been removed and no doubt sits contently rusting away in a landfill somewhere. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24167740.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1681746037554cc57182e0d.jpgLLAIN, Aberarth, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLAIN, Aberarth, Ceredigion 2015 Peasant longhouse, notable for the thatch and cob walls - apparently last thatched in 1938 between the wars - I am uncertain when this was last lived in. It's a lovely place, quiet and sheltered by trees... a pig shed has faired better but the house and barns are all tumbling. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hendre-felin-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_21462567874eaad1a2c4c5c.jpgHENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on HENDRE FELIN, Ceredigion 2011 A group of cows, with their young, scattered, re-grouped, came galloping around me and then followed me. They followed me most way up the drive to Hendre Felin. The elder were curious, the younger boisterous yet more fearful. The house, built into a steep bank, south facing, is most unusual. The front door offset to the left, the extension with the long thin window, and along a passage way, rose up to the large kitchen and storeroom(?). The kitchen and storeroom are both single storey and rest on the bank. I am neither historian nor architect but I believe this house was designed this way, and this way is not common in Ceredigion. Inside are large empty rooms, empty except for broken furniture; a panel-less wardrobe, a sowing table, chest of drawers, chairs with three legs, much bedroom furniture all downstairs in the living quarters. And the upstairs bedrooms all empty except for pieces of stone that have fallen inward and dust, a lot of fine dust filling the lungs, dancing in the sun light and adding to my nervousness. The main staircase rises to the first floor and then carries on upward to the attic space. I did not climb into the attic, the steps on the stairs had visible and perhaps not so visible holes and I imagine the floorboards of the attic were the same. Judging by the high pitched roof, a high narrow A-frame, well over head-height, I would say the attic to be large and spacious, although dark. Maybe this housed the man-servants? Did this house have servants? I imagine so. The raised kitchen was large with a well-used Rayburn-style stove rusting and wallpaper hanging off plastered walls (also hanging off). The textures and patterns of the walls revealed much beauty – as much beauty as is possible considering I am in a damp, rotten and long forgotten house. Hendre Felin is a staggeringly interesting house which was built circa 1620 (but is this the layout that we see today?). I found a Yellow Pages dated 1987 – was this the last time this house was inhabited? Maybe. Or maybe a little later but begs the question, should a house that has stood almost four hundred years be allowed to be neglected so? It stands but a stone’s throw away from Hendre Quarry and one must wonder if the regular blasts coming from the quarry can be doing this old house any good. I doubt so and worry so. The photographs taken came easy. The beginning of this Saturday morning, early October, was warm and the sky without any interrupting cloud. Even the internal images, with the sun light streaming through the windows, were relatively short at around 4 minutes (at F16 – F22). It was an unnerving visit. So often I feel this way when a house seems unnaturally at the point of ruin. Structurally it appears to be in good shape, however, there’s a few small holes in the roof and the drain pipes fallen and the ground around the house is very damp, the mud deep where the cows stand poised and digesting! The house does however need to be made water-tight and intruder-tight with the guttering and drainage re-introduced and holes in the roof repaired. Then why not put it on the market, offered as a large family, country residence? An old family home needs a family to make it home again. And again, after my visit, long and fruitful, I crossed the watery driveway that runs around the house and back into the field where the cows had temporarily forgotten me. Once again, spooked and energetic, it was pleasant to be around some life affirming creatures that contained no dust, no rotten walls, no bleak future nor sorrowful core. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/trees-on-hafod-pontrhydygroes-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_5102570484cac07a440c21.jpgTREES ON HAFOD, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on HAFOD, Ceredigion 2010 Taken on a Mid-summers evening with a stiff breeze causing movement to be recorded as blur. This was take on the hill above the car park and next to the church at Hafod. My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. It was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired Peacocks in Paradise by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began innocently to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2010 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dolhalogdolheulog-cottages-aberaeron-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_10589345735695f4fc5f625.jpgDOLHALOG/DOLHEULOG COTTAGES, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on DOLHALOG/DOLHEULOG COTTAGES, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2016 Three cottages, all now empty or ruined. Number 1 I believe was lived in until quite recently, the middle one has recently been purchased, the land cleared away and the third and smallest is still filled with personal belongings and is much ruined and damp. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14140760.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_7978115864f39587a39391.jpgCILMEDDU, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on CILMEDDU, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 Long ruined and high, remote longhouse overlooking Maenarthur, Pontrhydygroes and Ysbyty Ystwyth. There are numerous ruined buildings on this hillside, their function unknown to me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19538970.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17907387352570720b368a.jpgRHATTAL-MAWR, Lledred, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on RHATTAL-MAWR, Lledred, Ceredigion 2013 Between Lledrod and Bronnant; instead of following the footpath, which would have meant a mile of walking along a busy road – it wasn’t the danger that concerned me just the curious prying eyes! – I decided upon a cross-country route. A heard of cows watched curiously and began to follow me from a field away. I crossed the stream ‘Afon Wyre’ and joined the footpath – no stiles over fences, no obvious footpath, no user-friendly way – and up to the house. As you can see it’s a longhouse and I’d say laid empty for ten to twenty years. The barns are still in agricultural use but the house was damp and unfriendly and I saw no reason to climb through the window and enter – as ever I left my courage at home. Besides there was no treasure here to be found, the treasure was on the exterior; such pleasures longhouses give me! I made a few brief exposures and then left. The walk back was slow and wet. Never did that matter. The sheets of film had been exposed and I thought the walk back to the car would be a pleasurable one. From a field away a farmer passed on his quad bike and moved from cow to cow. For some reason I ducked down and hid behind some low lying branches. I sat on a fallen log and watched. I do not know if he had seen me but I stayed where I was motionless until he passed by and disappeared over the brow of the hill and I heard a metal gate open and close and the motor from the quad bike fade. I would have felt a complete idiot if he had come in my direction and found me hiding behind some branches. I wasn’t strictly trespassing, I was a few metres from a footpath but inexplicably I decided to hide; there was the fact that although the O/S map said there was a footpath I still felt like an intruder. I’m not sure what my point is here. Perhaps my own method of visiting these ruins is flawed. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29924986.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1237686583585a2b0bed0d1.jpgMORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2016 Notes on MORRIS CASTLE or CASTELL GRAIG, Swansea 2016 Morris castle was built between 1768 and 1774 but unoccupied since 1850 when nearby mining made the building unsafe. It sits on a hill in the middle of a residential area, only recently purchased by the council and as yet little work as begun to make the area visitor friendly. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24167739.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1716807370554cc56d2f81e.jpgLLAIN, Aberarth, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on LLAIN, Aberarth, Ceredigion 2015 Peasant longhouse, notable for the thatch and cob walls - apparently last thatched in 1938 between the wars - I am uncertain when this was last lived in. It's a lovely place, quiet and sheltered by trees... a pig shed has faired better but the house and barns are all tumbling. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769187.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6718975364a31e44540fda.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 After visiting Ruperra Castle, a short journey down the M4 to Llanmartin and to the ruins of Pencoed Castle. I had heard it had been re-sold in 2006 and wondered if any progress had been made on its consolidation and restoration. Sadly not. From memory, my first visit in 1997, very little seemed to have changed at Pencoed Castle. Caravans and other farm machinery no longer littered the front lawn but other than that, it remained, seemingly, ever resilient to time and decay. Of course no building can remain solid without the due care and maintenance. Peering through the windows one could see the make-shift wooden scaffolding; beams holding lintels, timbers holding beams. One such covered metal frame was loose. I entered without effort or force and walked the great halls and dusty stone staircases. Stone fireplaces stood without heat and scaffolding kept the floors above barely intact. That said, 12 years after my first visit, Pencoed seems to be in an astonishing condition (to my untrained eye) since it has been left empty since the 1950/60's(?). These days the only occupants of Pencoed Castle are the birds – rooks tending attentively to their demanding young and making such a racket in comparison to the gentle and soft coo-ing of the pigeons. The birds weave in and out of the windows – nearly all smashed and the metal frames twisted – inside stone steps lead up to floorless rooms, dusty but seemingly dry. On the first floor long planks lead from doorway to doorway, the second floor padlocked. Although padlocked, I did not feel the need to venture further. Pencoed, long yet slim, remains a mysterious place – barren within and without, one feels the house has had a long and varied history. Twelve years since my first visit, Pencoed still felt ancient and any ideals of modernization would feel wrong and building against the spiritual grain. Perhaps some houses are better left simply as they are; empty, dry and content. The gatehouse, surrounding walls, barns and dovecote all crumble, slowly without human interference or indeed need, in ruin. Yet again, an easy thought to have in a brief and distant visit. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1732999174b51e381efd6c.jpg[/img] Walkng toward Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15306766534b51e3db5a7af.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19357660874b51e447351d0.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13526894934b51e49d9969d.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10165185534b51e4ecdbe78.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10316959534b51e53012294.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1411879034b51e585a6200.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13512590304b51e64c2674a.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8665784994b51e6a8a4cdd.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13938143424b51e71b7be04.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3717130084b51e7a58d113.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3284888654b51e800a061c.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_413243024b51e86081042.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/penygarreg-reservior-elan-valley-radnorshire https://images.on-this.website/7784_13010517864c2ae309d9619.jpgGARREG-DDU RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 1991 Notes on GARREG-DDU RESERVIOR, Elan Valley, Radnorshire 1991 Early Infra-red roll film image taken on fine spring morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/castell-flemish-school-house-tynreithyn https://images.on-this.website/7784_101411776550b251a940c1b.jpgCASTELL FLEMISH SCHOOL HOUSE, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on CASTELL FLEMISH SCHOOL HOUSE, Tynreithyn, Ceredigion 2012 Formerly a school and then home to 'Tregaron Pottery' this building is now rapidly deteriorating and windows and doors no longer providing much protection. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-stables-pont-rhyd-y https://images.on-this.website/7784_8793890994972c99891c14.jpgHAFOD, Stables, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Ceredigion 1998 Notes on HAFOD (ruins, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1996 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. Hafod was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired 'Peacocks in Paradise' by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot stone of the monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2080926.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_5388778054972c9553b153.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 A gatehouse stands at the entrance of Hafodunos, elaborate and ruined, and after a short slight upward slope walk to the house Hafodunos unfolds, obviously empty, elaborate and also in a ruinous state. It is not in a ruinous state due to nature’s reclamation but because of abandonment, vandalism and a terrible fire in the fall of 2004. It is a very large Gothic-style house, built in 1861-66 by Sir George Gilbert-Scott on an earlier site, with a clock tower and octagonal billiard room. Hafodunos is in a desperate state of disrepair, with many of its features either lost to man’s destruction or otherwise stolen. The conservatories, built a little later than the house, all smashed into many fragments but all beautifully lit. The grounds beneath the layer of undergrowth reveal a once well-maintained and extensive garden. The interior, although vacated some 7 years ago, felt as if it had only been vacated last month. Even so, the walls are brittle and scarred with peeling paintwork and spray-can graffiti and the maze of rooms, corridors and courtyards are littered with burnt furniture, perilous ceilings and rotting staircases. The fire had all but destroyed the front facade and had left Hafodunas a very pitiful pile. It accommodated many uses throughout its relatively short life: once an accountancy college, a girls school, then a care home and eventually a hotel and restaurant. I wandered around overwhelmed and with much the same feeling as that of Aberglasney some 10 years previous: of not learning from our past mistakes and just passing on the consequences. Aberglasney was eventually salvaged from the brink of total collapse. Hafodunos however, though greatly admired, may give itself up to the elements, whether human or natural, and it remains to be seen if someone will have the care of attention that this building deserves. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/plas-rhiwaethog-bala-caernarvonshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2134017874e5b3cbeba57d.jpgPLAS RHIWAETHOG, Bala, Caernarvonshire 2011 Notes on PLAS RHIWAETHOG, Bala, Caernarvonshire 2011 Info to follow... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/boverton-place-boverton-nr-llantwit https://images.on-this.website/7784_3034519584a31ecb9d054b.jpgBOVERTON PLACE, Boverton, Nr Llantwit Major, Glamorgan 2009 Notes on BOVERTON PLACE, Boverton, Nr Llantwit Major, Glamorgan 2009 After camping at Llantwit Major, oddly enough at the site of a once ruined mansion, The Ham (demolished 1970), I rose at 4:30am, just before sunrise and walked between school playing fields and housing estates, down narrow twittens and alongside a babbling brook to the ruins of Boverton Place. By the time I’d walked up to its bare high walls my trousers were sodden from the foot to the thigh with the early morning dew. The sun peeked along the tips of the few remaining chimneys. Inside, the walls have patches of plaster but otherwise it is nothing but a very large empty shell with saplings and larger trees filling the remnants of rooms. Birds deftly weave in and out of the tiny windows, hollow doorways and gaps in the walls. The cellars are exposed and kneeling at the opening they appear lowly and uninviting. I decline the invitation. What would I find if I ventured down? Long lost treasures or rusty beer cans? Stone steps lead up and around corners and stop dead, opening out to steep drops. Looking up towards the tower the underside of stone staircases can be seen wending themselves up the high narrow tower. I was reminded whilst exploring Boverton Place of the fate of so many ruins, large and small. Pembrey Court was in a equal state of disrepair when I visited in 1997. Very few traces, other than its size, offer any clues on the greatness of such properties (and families). At most a few stone mullion windows may survive or even, as seen at Ruperra and until recently at Aberpergwm, great doorways; wooden with exquisite shape and feature. But other than these obvious signs (and to my untrained eye) often a property is nothing more than a few high stone walls. Previous and past owners often ransacked the finer architectural details – Boverton for example was supposed to be mostly covered in wooden panelling. Yet if an owner is unable to afford the upkeep of a large house, or even afford the maintenance and prevention of decay by the elements, natural or human, who can argue if the house is left to decay? Many properties can also be on the open market for years without much interest or any chance catching the eye of a sympathetic buyer. The longer a house is left empty it stands to reason the shorter the risk of dereliction. Perhaps in their eyes the only salvation of a property was to remove the fixtures and fittings so that they may be used elsewhere, day in, day out, rather than watch them dampen, crack, be stolen, vandalised, rot or any other of the numerous ways the belongings of house may be lost. There was an outcry at Nanteos (near Aberystwyth) when an owner removed many of the fixtures. What would have happened if the house had become ever more derelict, leading to the inevitable; water entering the building and ruining the fixtures and fitting anyway? It would have been considered scandalous if all the fixtures and fittings at Hafodunos were stolen 10 years ago but since most of it was lost in a fire which becomes the lesser of two evils? I am, of course, not advocating the finer architectural details be removed from houses at risk. I thoroughly believe a house should retain as much of its orginal contents as possible. I do however believe it is worth considering why some families do remove such fixtures and fittings. Of course, it must also be said that many properties are stripped purely for profit and for an owners personal financial benefit. Anyway, once Boverton Place, the house and grounds had been photographed as sympathetically as I can I am on my way again. Whilst visiting a house I often attempt to ignore the ‘romantic’ and traditional compositions but sometimes the urge and sheer beauty of a property is too overpowering and I am powerless to resist the wind-swept trees blowing around and about a house. The walls inside a house can also hint and reveal something about a property, its owners and their tastes – a small mustard coloured room at Great Frampton or the rich crimsons at Gwrych Castle, hushed greens at Neuadd Fawr – all small clues that help the onlooker form a mental picture of how these now decrepit rooms may have once appeared. Boverton Place 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20652773654b49882024d10.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10918252364b4987de058d4.jpg[/img] [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11491019934b49868b57473.jpg[/img] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/scotts-pit-swansea-2018 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12437086635beb3e73159b4.jpgSCOTT'S PIT, Swansea 2018 Notes on SCOTT'S PIT, Swansea 2018 A controlled ruin but a worth visit nonetheless. Scott's Pit was built 1817 - 1824 but the extraction of coal was short lived and had completely closed by 1838. The site stands on the edge of a residential area with the constant sound of the M4 running only a stones throw away. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/caehopcyn-llanedi-carmarthenshire-2013 https://images.on-this.website/7784_89369124151aa0f21831f2.jpgCAEHOPCYN, Llanedi, Carmarthenshire 2013 Notes on CAEHOPCYN, Llanedi, Carmarthenshire 2013 A small long house, which beneath the corrugated iron sheeting is still thatched. The house is low and was once a farm but, as ever, is sinking back into the ground. According to internet sources: In 1891 Caehopcyn was home to David Williams and his wife, Mary, and their eight children! The farm has been empty for approximately 60 years. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769111.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4478935874a31da5566a93.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13016798894b46e3a6c754c.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 (The coat of arms above main entrance) [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_20721635804b46e4129f0a8.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41319197.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6872560455f16c2abecb4d.jpgGWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on GWYNFRYN PLAS, Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire 2009 I left the house at 4am and spent two and half hours driving in the dark miserable drizzle up to the village of Llanystumdwy. The only other traffic were articulates passing goods around the country. I parked the car and walked past a lodge house and up the winding path across open parkland passed large oaks and up to the imposing ruins of Gwynfryn Plas. The rain had stopped and a warm sun peered through the clouds just north of Snowdon skimming Gwynfryn’s façade with a warm and welcoming hue. The house is positioned beautifully on the Lleyn Peninsula overlooking Snowdonia and Cardigan Bay. Looking up at the house it became quickly apparent that the larger tower is nearing the precipice of collapse. A stone window lintel on the first floor has buckled and cracked with a bulging mass of stone above it looking ready to burst out onto the ground below and no doubt bringing with it much of the tower above. The tower, as much of the house, is built with brick but with a stone outer and was built by Hugh John Ellis Nanney and completed in 1876 (with a date stone on the tower). It remained a family home until 1928 (a mere 52 years) and then became a retirement home for the clergy, a hospital and then a hotel (a mixed, yet not uncommon, history). It burnt down during the 1980’s and has remained that way since (except for a brief period when a squatter took it upon himself to begin a restoration, a seemingly ambitious but futile attempt before eviction). Wandering through the rear rooms and service quarters there’s much evidence of the house as a hotel. Slot machines fill an outbuilding, a room full of children’s books and toys fill another, a room with light fittings and chandeliers, maintenance rooms with metal boxes filled with nuts, bolts and other hardware, rusting and messy, in disarray and disorder. Evidence of the ambitious and, quite frankly, brave squatter - a sole inhibitor - an easy chair and radio. A lot of machinery dotted around the rear of the building; heavy duty bench saws and drill presses, all rusting outside and destined for landfill one day. Many rooms are filled with building material, roof beams, an endless list of supplies and spares, either salvaged or bought for restoration, all redundant and wasted. All this is open to the elements and decaying in the damp. Cars litter the grounds barely visible in the summer foliage, other farming and foresting equipment laying redundant, damp, mouldy, lichen covered with weeds growing in and around wheels and engines. Overall Gwynfryn is a very depressing sight. The entrance is at the side, a lavish decorative stone lattice porch and it was in this doorway that the better exposures were made. A view opened up into the house revealing fallen beans, passageways and into the main hall and onto a large fireplace. I can not say I particularly enjoyed my visit to Gwynfryn. The drive up there was long and slow and under horrid weather conditions. The house so beautifully positioned yet is so miserable and carelessly abandoned that you feel anger towards the waste. I hail the brave squatter and salute his resolve but this house needs more than care put into it. It needs a hefty wallet and a generous and willing loving restorer. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_6299416154b3f860608fcf.jpg[/img] Plas Gwynfryn 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/unknown-house-beside-penbontbren-mochno https://images.on-this.website/7784_7964527515417210ab6d9d.jpgUNKNOWN HOUSE beside Penbontbren-Mochno, Llancynfelyn, Ceredigion 2000 Notes on UNKNOWN HOUSE beside Penbontbren-Mochno, Llancynfelyn, Ceredigion 2000 A well known site along the road from Tre'r'ddol and Ynys Las - two red brick chimney's standing alone in a field and judging by their height belonged to a cottage or perhaps a prefab of some description. I wonder why they were left standing? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/aberduhonw-builth-wells-breconshire-2009 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3593619194a62d45fac749.jpgABERDUHONW, Builth Wells, Breconshire 2009 Notes on ABERDUHONW, Builth Wells, Breconshire 2009 I had driven past this property many times, noting it appeared abandoned, in the last few years but never had any film loaded. This time the house was my destination and I had film loaded! As decribed in ‘Powis: The Buildings of Wales’ by Richard Halsam: ‘Behind the 19th century front is a 17th century staircase’. I did not attempt to gain entry so was unable to view the interior. Aberduhonw is a large farmhouse with a very large, and often seen in mid Wales, sloping rear roof. Net curtains in the dirty windows were threadbare and the house has begun to look on the verge of decay. I do not know what it is like within – the grounds were too overgrown to get close to the house and peer through the windows and it would have probably been too dark to see much anyhow. Behind the house is a small cottage also empty. A sheep dog tied up outside by one of the outbuildings barked whenever I came into view and I became very conscious of his and my intrusion in an otherwise quiet morning. I made a few exposures and walked around the generous buildings and attractive arched barns before making my way to Crickhowell to re-visit the ruined house in the Black Mountains called The Hermitage. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17945075484b594d12d6987.jpg[/img] Aberduhonw 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10479265584b594cc38de00.jpg[/img] Aberduhonw 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1704405344b594c7349a6b.jpg[/img] Aberduhonw 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10569970344b594d60b4225.jpg[/img] Aberduhonw 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/danywern-glanusk-estate-crickhowell-brecknock https://images.on-this.website/7784_7302182454f534f6e59985.jpgDanywern, Glanusk Estate, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 Notes on Danywern, Glanusk Estate, Crickhowell, Brecknock 2012 This was once the gamekeepers cottage on the Glanusk estate. Now totally ruined. It would seem to have been a typical Welsh cottage with an extension bolted onto one gable end which then became the main entrance. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tyle-pengam-twynllanan-carmarthenshire-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_3502923035d4149fe4539a.jpgTYLE-PENGAM, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2019 Notes on TYLE-PENGAM, Twynllanan, Carmarthenshire 2019 Much ruined, remote small holding.... Copied from 'Geograph' website: The ruined farm known as Tyle-pengam in Llanddeusant. According to the 1841 census the farm was occupied by a certain Isaac Williams (40), his wife Catherine (30), his mother Mary (80) and their six children. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo5325431.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10862524974c1db537a8b35.jpgHAFOD FIELDS, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1991 Notes on HAFOD FIELDS, Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1991 Taken using infra-red film (on a Twin Lens Reflex camera) which records foliage and clouds almost white as snow and blues skies black. I haven't used infra-red film since 1993 but look back fondly at these images for their dramatic qualities. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo18174360.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_125908208451aa0f59ef0e8.jpgCAEHOPCYN, Llanedi, Carmarthenshire 2013 Notes on CAEHOPCYN, Llanedi, Carmarthenshire 2013 A small long house, which beneath the corrugated iron sheeting is still thatched. The house is low and was once a farm but, as ever, is sinking back into the ground. According to internet sources: In 1891 Caehopcyn was home to David Williams and his wife, Mary, and their eight children! The farm has been empty for approximately 60 years. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41253152.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20606866265f043b09ba00b.jpgTY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Notes on TY'R BRYN, Hendy 2020 Roadside location but forgotten and slowly crumbling. Ty'r Bryn is almost completely hidden by trees and the rear almost impenetrable. I spent just a few minutes here, took a few unsatisfactory images but before leaving I thought I should check out the large corrugated barns beside the house. They were in a poor state but there was a sense i should record them within as abstractions. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4508174.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13481483514b9358752758f.jpgRIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2002 Notes on RIVER RHEIDOL: Ox-Bow Lakes on the River Rheidol, Ceredigion 2002 One of the first images taken at these floodplains and although taken on a bright afternoon they reveal how dark it can be under the canopy of heavy thicket. A long exposure of 16 seconds was used and this helps with the calmness of the image, the waters blurred and appearing smooth when in reality they were quite fast flowing. Into The Murky Depths We Tread I came upon these wetland areas whilst cycling home one summers evening. Wetland areas are essential, basically untouched, and serve as irrigation and to filter pollution. The fact that no ones seems to bother to explore them due to their dampness and seemingly unfriendly environment, also allows them to be rich in wildlife. From the road that leads to Cwm Rheidol (about 8 miles from Aberystwyth) entrance through the undergrowth seems almost impossible and impenetrable. When the sun is low, bright splashes of sun light flicker through the thicket and reveal openings. Ducking under the thicket and forcing your way through, and once in amongst the deep mud and dankness, a whole new world is revealed; jungle-like and heavily branched areas, rich in photographic pickings and in some ways universal. These sorts of geographic landscapes are not typical or localised to any one part of the country. If you travel by train anywhere you always pass these oft ignored areas. They can not be built on because the land is unstable, no one walks through them, due to their (supposed) unpleasantness but once you’ve broken through their barriers of branches you enter a world with it’s own micro-atmosphere. The photographs were taken on either Ilford FP4 or Delta 100 5x4inch sheet film using a Wista camera and either a 90mm super-angulon or 135mm symmar lenses. Exposures on a grey day at F22 usually hovered around the 16 second mark and when photographing in sun light at about 1 second. My boots, trouser legs and the tripod feet were covered in thick, dark mud and although the going was slow, the actual area of these wetlands is perhaps only an acre or two in size. I’ve visited and photographed only three or four times but each time the tranquillity and ever changing photographic opportunities due to the water level rising and falling, the ever evolving process of woodlands – new saplings appearing and older trees uprooting - means visiting here has become a constant source of pleasure. AFON RHEIDOL. Cwm Rheidol. Ceredigion 2003 - 2006 Deuthum ar draws y gwlypdir hwn wrth feicio gartref un noson o haf. Mae ardaloedd o wlypdir yn hanfodol. Ar y cyfan, nid oes neb wedi ei gyffwrdd ac mae'n gweithredu fel system ddyfrhau ac mae'n hidlo'r llygredd . Mae'r ffaith nad oes fawr neb yn eu harchwilio oherwydd eu lleithder a'u hamgylchedd yn golygu eu bod yn gyfoethog o ran bywyd gwyllt. O'r ffordd sy'n arwain at Gwm Rheidol (tua 8 milltir o Aberystwyth), ymddengys bod yr isdyfiant yn anhreiddiadwy. Pan fo'r haul yn isel, gwelir goleuadau llachar yr haul drwy'r dryslwyn. Unwaith y byddwch yng nghanol y mwd dwfn a'r gwiybaniaeth, agorir eich llygaid i fyd newydd. Dyma ardal sy'n debyg i jyngl I lawn canghennau Ardal sy'n gyfoethog at ddibenion tynnu lluniau. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo14087507.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_13678333974f2d3aed1bf1a.jpgWELSH MARTYRS CATHOLIC CHURCH, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 Notes on WELSH MARTYRS CATHOLIC CHURCH, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 2012 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img401 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20261806885378e0e4a0ceb.jpgMAESTEG, Cribyn, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on MAESTEG, Cribyn, Ceredigion 2014 Whilst driving to Maesteg I was half listening to the radio and thought I had heard the phrase ‘architects of infinity’ and for some reason this amused me and I said aloud to myself: ‘The Architects of Infinity have forgotten where they had started from’. Many Times to a Ruin: Off the main road and onto a b-class road and then after a few miles onto an unclassified road. This road wends a little while and is in fact a loop road of around 8 miles. Half way a long this road is an entrance and at the entrance an old rusting gate hanging off its hinges and held up with bailing twine. I climb over the gate and walk along the track. There is a line of electricity cables running in the field adjacent and heading in the same direction as the track. There is no cable running from pole to pole. I seek visible signs that no-one has been this way recently; tyre tracks in muddy puddles, footprints and even discarded foot packaging. The track becomes greener, thick grass grows straight and tall and soaks the trousers at the top of the wellingtons. According to the map the track should veer to the right and enter a small wooded area. This is where I am led to believe I will find my ruin. I have checked the Ordnance Survey maps, and saw an ubiquitous rectangle with another long thinner rectangle at a right angle beside it. I am thinking a house and barn. I have also checked GoogleEarth, for all the dislike I claim, I cannot help but wonder at its practicality in searching for ruins. However, in this instance GoogleEarth is of no use, I have peered long and hard at the computer screen and could draw no solid conclusion if the summer foliage of the trees simply disguise the two buildings or they have in actual fact been demolished years ago and the fact I can’t make them out on the computer screen is because they no longer exist. There is really only one way to find out. I plan my journey, make sure all my equipment is working as it should and head out. What joy when you’re in luck! To find a small workers cottage; squat, roof barely clinging on, a large crack one gable end and if fortune carries a little further; an open window, a quick look about and then a small scramble inside, sometimes feet first (my preferred entrance) but occasionally head first and never really knowing for sure what you’re hands might discover. Today feet first, the kitchen with a toilet basin sitting skew whiffed. A wander through the rooms, dead birds, bird shit, broken things. I’ve upset some dust because I cough almost constantly. I am far from any other house but I want to be quiet. A sheep bleats outside and then the horrid sound of a baby crow demanding food, lodged somewhere in the chimney, the gable end with the crack and large gap under the eaves. There’s a lot of daylight coming in into this room. The wall has collapsed and damp runs down the walls all the way through the floorboards (completely rotten) and into the bathroom downstairs. The peeling paint is delicious, it tickles my aesthetic fancy but kneeling down, closing one eye to compose and I see it’s not quite up to scratch (as it were). I resume the search of the rooms. A child’s room; baby wall paper of cartoon tigers and hippos but also a Michael Jackson poster and a car magazine called ‘Fast Fords’ (dated 1994). So this was when the last occupants lived here and they had a child, perhaps no longer a baby but someone whom liked Michael Jackson. Twenty years and the house is near dereliction. I think the last tenants found it cold and damp here. The house is in a lovely position but you can tell that today isn’t the first day for the air to be dusty and damp. These old Welsh houses have little insulation and even a tramp would struggle to find much comfort or warmth here. All the radiators have been ripped out or there had never been any in the first place. I think back to where I was in 1994. I first visited Aberglasney Mansion in 1994. That house is fully restored, this house has begun the quick decline. I find the skeleton remains of a large bird, probably a crow or a pigeon. It had probably found a way in but couldn’t quite work out how to get back out again. I am pleased I do not have this problem. I set the camera up, a slow process focussing in the dim light. It is a simple exposure, taken directly above the birds remains. The bones of the wings and feet are fully stretched out, like it had fallen from a great height and had tried to break its fall by spreading out. An eight minute exposure, time enough to contemplate, time enough to breath. I sit in squat position, knowing I’ll be stiff when I rise. The minutes pass slowly at first but soon reverie takes over and I start thinking back about my journey here and then back further to all ruins visited. I don’t know why I do it sometimes yet it is also addictive and satisfying. Eight minutes has passed and I think for a moment more. Is that it? Any more photographs worth capturing here? I think not. I remove the lens, put the caps back on, unfold the camera, put it carefully away. I zip the zips and push down on the Velcro fasteners. I lower the tripod and climb down the stairs, taking in each step, saying a final farewell to the house. I have been here for no more than forty five minutes but it feels much longer and like every other ruin I’ve ever visited, my visit here has been securely etched onto film and into my memory. The walk back to the car is less worrisome. I will meet no-one I can tell. I will walk along the grassy track and note that my feet had pushed down the long grass on my way here. Dew marks stretch before me. If someone, like myself, wishes to visit and photograph here today, they’d walk along this path and they’d know, by these visible signs that someone had walked along here very recently. Maybe they’d change their mind and turn back. I almost want to make a sign and to leave it somewhere and for it to read; it’s okay, it’s worth a look, come here, look around, go home, save the memories. Once back to the car and the equipment loaded into the trunk I sit at the wheel and scan the map. Where to next? A small chapel house, roadside location, in a church yard. Easy. Not much walking, no trespassing but I know that even if my next visit is easy it will still have the same impact upon me; and for all the good it does me, the silence and stillness of a forgotten home, elsewhere, untouched for some time and careering further to total ruin. Maesteg isn’t all these things. It sits in the corner of a field. You can tell that no one really comes here. Once it was a family home, now it is just an empty house. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29924981.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_560513151585a2af325f91.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115764.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_3879709144982dd72c5f0e.jpgLLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2005 Notes on LLANGENNECH PARK HOUSE, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire 2005 I was unsure what to expect as I drove through the new housing estate and up to the wooded area where Llangennech House stands. I had seen an old photograph of the large castellated house and in my research had read that some of the house remained, but I was still unsure if I would find anything at all. After a short search I stood at the tip of an approaching housing development. I saw workmen to my left building part of the new estate and almost presumed that the house I sought would have been demolished many years previous. I was thankfully wrong. The house stood partially hidden by overhanging trees. The ruins were enormous and eerie with extensive outbuildings littered with dead caravans, one though uninhabited had a radio playing, probably 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There were also wreckages of fire engines, boats and other farm machinery. All in ruin, and no doubt, will eventually be swallowed up by the fast approaching urban tide. The house, like so many of the properties I’d visited, felt out of place in it’s new urban setting. Neglected and ignored for many years it was hard to imagine that soon, if it remained, it would be known as the old haunted house up the hill, the one where neighbourhood kids would at first be afraid to enter, but when they did compose themselves, would perhaps become kindly acquainted with and would remember fondly for the rest of their lives. Llangennech Park House was previously owned by the Earl of Warwick, circa 19th century, when it was enlarged, only modestly, to the size it is today. During the Second World War it was taken over by the government and thereafter abandoned. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8389311984b73b2b7992a1.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11810874954b73b2d258741.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15110373454b73b30370f15.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_2709332874b73b31ee514f.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16747436034b73b33839971.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19054209204b73b34e90d49.jpg[/img] Llangennech Park House 2005 The link below will lead you to an external site and show recent images of Llangennech Park House... http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=13845 TY PARC LLANGENNECH. Llanqennech, Sir Gaerfvrddiri 2005 Doeddwn i ddim yn siwr beth i'w ddisgwyl wrth imi yrru drwy'r stad dai newydd i fyny at yr ardal goediog lie saif Ty Llangennech. Yr oeddwn i wedi gweld hen ffotograff o'r ty castellog mawr ac yn ol yr ymchwil a wneuthum yr oedd rhywfaint o'r ty'n dal i sefyll, ond nid oeddwn yn sicr a fyddai dim ar ol i'w weld o gwbl. Ar ol chwilio am ennyd fer safwn ar gyrion datblygiad tai. Gwelwn weithwyr ar y chwith imi wrthi'n codi rhan o'r stad newydd a bron na allwn daeru bod y ty wedi ei ddymchwel flynyddoedd yn ol. Diolch byth nad felly y bu. Roedd y ty wedi ei guddio gan goed a oedd yn gorhongian. Roedd yr adfeilion yn anferth ac iddynt naws annaearol a thai allan helaeth. Codwyd Ty Llangennech ym 1805 ac arferai fod yn eiddo i larll Warwick, ac ef a estynnodd y ty i'w faint presennol. Yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd meddiannodd y llywodraeth y ty ac mae wedi bod yn wag ers hynny. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24417767.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1427699784556b239e1b8bb.jpgPANT-Y-RHEW-FACH, Dihewyd, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PANT-Y-RHEW-FACH, Dihewyd, Ceredigion 2015 As you can see, third of the house, end gable, has collapsed but the rest of the structure seems relatively secure. Overgrown, many outbuildings, this was probably once a small farm - other than that I know little else about the place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2115761.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6417433354982dd55dfc0a.jpgBUTTERHILL, St Ishmael's, Pembrokeshire 2005 Notes on BUTTERHILL, St Ishmael's, Pembrokeshire 2005 Built and accommodated by the Roche family from 1607 – 1906, it has been continually enlarged throughout its life. It has three storey’s at the front and a massive, imposing extra storey at the rear. A short walk from the lodge west of the house opens out to Butterhill and its substantial outbuildings. All seemed too ruinous for restoration but in late May 2005 it appeared a new roof had been laid and new draining placed and once again the house has begun a new chapter in its life. Unbeknown to me at the time of my visit there is also a fine and small Shell Grotto in the grounds with a small dome roof. It is said to be in a perilous state. I was also told and/or read somewhere that there was a dolls house based on Butterhill. Does this still remain? [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_17333754994b73b25bcc569.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5334123824b73b27bcd2b3.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3885395764b73b29b1d441.jpg[/img] Butterhill 2005 BUTTERHILL St Ishmael’s. Sir Benfro 2005 Adeiladwyd gan deulu Roche a buont yn byw yno rhwng 1607 - 1906, a chafodd ei ehangu yn gyson drwy gydol ei oes. Mae ganddo dri llawr ar y blaen, a llawr ychwanegol sylweddol yn y cefn. Ychydig o’r lodj i’r gorllewin o’rty gwelir Butterhill a’i dai allan sylweddol. Ymddangosai’r cyfan yn rhy wael i’w hadfer ond ar ddiwedd Mai 2005 gwelwyd to newydd yn cael ei osod a draeniau newydd ac unwaith yn rhagor mae’r ty yn dechrau cyfnod newydd yn ei fywyd. Mae yna hefyd arfdy a thy gwenyn ar y tir. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076819.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17350039104970b3f096d1c.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5719210664b5c5a6d96b20.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1205440124b5c5b0952b9d.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8168824424b5c5a452515e.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3609790694b5c5a8eb63fa.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_14408224384b5c5aad2193a.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22934485.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1251068720545d06730b986.jpgTAN-Y-RALLT, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TAN-Y-RALLT, Llangeitho, Ceredigion 2014 A nice surprise - I drive along the road from Llangeitho to Talsarn quite often and saw this footpath leading up to the hills. A quick internet search on Ceredigion town planning showed a house with no other access than this path. Before work one morning I decided to go and visit. Half a mile from the road this house stood, on first inspection made of concrete blocks but quickly I realise that this was a modernisation - probably undertook some time in the 1980's. The rest of the outside shows stone and brick and I wondered if the cement blocks were put up in place of cob/mud(?). Inside is damp and dark and water ran through the back of the house and out the front door - the mud covered the tiled hall floor. The small pantry/kitchen still had many food jars untouched - I checked a brown sauce bottle - best before 1991 - was this when the house was deserted? Making exposures was difficult - the foliage before the house seemed impenetrable but after wrestling with some thick and long and quite resilient bramble branches I managed to get the camera set up for two exposures (as seen here). There was little else to photograph - maybe come back on a winter's day when more view should open up. Small [i]ty bach[/i] stands in a dip in front of the house - outbuildings no longer in use and filled with junk. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13060732.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15851395534e8424d282ee3.jpgPONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on PONT LLANIO MILK FACTORY, Llanio, Ceredigion 2011 A few miles from where I live and I had no idea this was here! It was built in 1937 and once had its own train station. The factory and rail-link closed in 1970 with production moving to Felin Fach. (The milk factory’s history can be found with a quick internet search) On my visit, during a day off work, the rain fell hard in prolonged showers. Water dripped from the high roofed building and various noises made my trip a jumpy one. Heavy drops falling from 40 foot ceiling hitting metal sheets reverberated from the huge hollow rooms and sounded like a dog barking! The abstract photographs here were the most successful images and required long exposures of between 4 – 12 minutes. Other railway buildings remain, station storage building as seen here still in agricultural storage use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/sign-carmarthenshire-1995 https://images.on-this.website/7784_9682811434d2c1450cb658.jpgSIGN, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on SIGN, Carmarthenshire 1995 An early abstraction and one that has stayed with me since I took it. The play on words from 'start' to 'tart' to 'art' that sit juxtaposed to the rabbit and deer legs do, in my opinion, add an element of pretentiousness that I at least attempt to avoid when taking and when talking about my own abstract work. I think this image works. I usually tend to avoid complete words whilst photographing signs but this is one exception. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img376 https://images.on-this.website/7784_15860729035374f77b68610.jpgCHURCH HOUSE & HALL, St Padarn's Parish Church, Pennant, Ceredigion 20 Notes on CHURCH HOUSE & HALL, St Padarn's Parish Church, Pennant, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage and corrugated hall – the hall still in occasional use – the cottage empty except for a few odds and ends. Both stand adjacent to the church. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo29924979.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1959904318585a2ae911fd7.jpgHAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Notes on HAFOD MORFA COPPERWORKS, Swansea 2016 Finally closing down in 1980, I had visited here before around 2003 but took no photographs for some reason. Those days it was possible to walk freely around, piles of rubble, rubbish and graffiti sprayed everywhere. The site has been successfully cleaned and fenced off with information panels. Recently talk of a hotel complex. How times change. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo13426324.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17271371194eaf9bad55a95.jpgMAES Y BEUDY, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on MAES Y BEUDY, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion 2011 Walking along the stone lined path to Maes y beudy on this windy afternoon it becomes something other than another path to another ruin. The wind blows the trees in a slow motion, with the branches swaying in a harmonious union with the westerly wind. The outside walls of Maes y beudy look unremarkable and modern but behind these rendered and grey walls there lays a small and lovely peasant longhouse – the windows are all irregular and the rooms within are small but strangely numerous! Once the house and outbuildings explored I ventured around the rear of the property, a small orchard with rotting fruit, and an open window, large and no longer protecting the house and judging by the mess within has not protected this lovely little cottage for many a year. Inside is a mess. The house was obviously abandoned with its contents in place. A calendar with the date March 1983 lay in the living room. Was this when Maes y beudy was abandoned? Possibly. The furniture inside is all stripped from its panelling, its drawers or chairs stripped from their coverings. A tiny, tiny kitchen filled with pots, pans and unrecognizable tins and slug eaten packaging. The upstairs filled with clothing, bundled into damp and rotting masses. The floorboards are beginning to rot due to small holes letting the water in through the roof. The fireplaces have been ripped out, books are strewn, carpets like sponge, mattresses soggy and a mould, dampness filling the rooms, the air, the walls and all their contents. I tread with care, set the camera up and expose film. Long exposures of around 16 minutes allow me to unravel the nervousness of entering dangerous and empty properties. 16 minutes is long enough to alter ones opinion of a house. Maes y beudy is a lovely little property in a beautiful location with views of the church and hamlet of Ysbyty Ystwyth. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23670430.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_56316872554fc1a8504c73.jpgCUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on CUB HUTS, Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion 2015 A revisit and I came to photograph one particular wall but unfortunately the whole wall had collapsed into a pile of wooden panels and beams - my beloved wall gone forever. All damp and forlorn even on this bright spring morning. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2125069.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_9100954224986d6d3278d9.jpgLLEWENI STABLES & COACH HOUSE, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 Notes on LLEWENI STABLES & COACH HOUSE, Henllan, Denbighshire 1997 (mansion long demolished) A huge red brick Georgian stable block in decay, the original Lleweni house was built in 16th century and was demolished 1816-18. The re-built Lleweni survives. According to Thomas Lloyd in his book The Lost Houses of Wales, it was demolished by Colonel William Hughes for no better reason than that his wife thought it would be bad for her health and his mother thought the rooms were too big! Demolition he later regretted: it is said that afterwards, when all was done, he sat down in the ruins and cried. Lleweni’s sheer size was stunning, an L shape (with further extensions to form a T), the two arms of the thirteen bays are each sectioned with gothic towers and turrets and built around a massive medieval hall. In 1997, the stables and coach house were derelict and wet. It was mid-summer and the bracken and brambles neck high. One could barely get close to its walls. Once inside, masonry littered the ground and beams balanced precariously from floors above. Bird nests lay empty in high alcoves and cobwebs hung damp from doorways and corners. The roof had various holes and after an unexpected visit in 2005, with a protective fence around its circumference, the holes in the roof had enlarged thus threatening potential collapse. It was, again, on the market but thus far remains unsold. Lleweni coach house has now been converted into flats. Click on this link to see photographs: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1153129 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1984407074b73b51e0f3ab.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8426261164b73b53c6c2e2.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19531600594b73b55c58f87.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_18628391644b73b573a686d.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_7196236954b73b59681e0e.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_16905480974b73b5b75d464.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5755738014b3887b0f36dd.jpg[/img] Lleweni Coach House 1997 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1494628297498ed33ab4c33.jpg[/img] Lleweni Stables 2005 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaenpant-maestir-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8644618034e4c040e36146.jpgBLAENPANT, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAENPANT, Ceredigion 2011 Empty for a number of years and wandering around the rear and gardens one can image that this was once a very plesent property. The rear extention has been taken down at some point and has left its scar upon the rear windowless wall. Corrugated sheds at rear in agricultural use? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo20156713.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_92171650052c5467f51210.jpgTY TREHERNE, Groes-wen, Caerphily, Vale of Glamorgan 2013 Notes on TY TREHERNE, Groes-wen, Caerphily, Vale of Glamorgan 2013 Currently on the market for £330,000, this longhouse, former farmhouse is in a poor state. It would appear that there had been a fire at some point, the roof rafters were blackened but I am unsure if this was the original cause of dereliction. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2078547.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12353461884971f4dc630f0.jpgHAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 Notes on HAFODUNOS, Llangernwy, Denbighshire 2005 A gatehouse stands at the entrance of Hafodunos, elaborate and ruined, and after a short slight upward slope walk to the house Hafodunos unfolds, obviously empty, elaborate and also in a ruinous state. It is not in a ruinous state due to nature’s reclamation but because of abandonment, vandalism and a terrible fire in the fall of 2004. It is a very large Gothic-style house, built in 1861-66 by Sir George Gilbert-Scott on an earlier site, with a clock tower and octagonal billiard room. Hafodunos is in a desperate state of disrepair, with many of its features either lost to man’s destruction or otherwise stolen. The conservatories, built a little later than the house, all smashed into many fragments but all beautifully lit. The grounds beneath the layer of undergrowth reveal a once well-maintained and extensive garden. The interior, although vacated some 7 years ago, felt as if it had only been vacated last month. Even so, the walls are brittle and scarred with peeling paintwork and spray-can graffiti and the maze of rooms, corridors and courtyards are littered with burnt furniture, perilous ceilings and rotting staircases. The fire had all but destroyed the front facade and had left Hafodunas a very pitiful pile. It accommodated many uses throughout its relatively short life: once an accountancy college, a girls school, then a care home and eventually a hotel and restaurant. I wandered around overwhelmed and with much the same feeling as that of Aberglasney some 10 years previous: of not learning from our past mistakes and just passing on the consequences. Aberglasney was eventually salvaged from the brink of total collapse. Hafodunos however, though greatly admired, may give itself up to the elements, whether human or natural, and it remains to be seen if someone will have the care of attention that this building deserves. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/leri-mills-talybont-ceredigion-2014 https://images.on-this.website/7784_50250904654002268c89d9.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo36757395.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_21285495585bd2a2480dddb.jpgPEN-Y-GRAIG, Port Tenant, Swansea 2018 Notes on PEN-Y-GRAIG, Port Tenant, Swansea 2018 Nestled in a group of trees on a hillside, half a mile from Port Tenant, which overlooks the industrial harbour at Swansea. Pen-y-graig stands roofless and ruinous. It seems relatively untouched by vandal, mostly ignored by bored youth and content in its derelict state. Outbuildings also ruined. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/abstraction-llanelli-2019 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8834832205c8a1857382f7.jpgABSTRACTION, Llanelli 2019 Notes ABSTRACTION, Llanelli 2019 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img378 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12117708525374f7f17c5cc.jpgCHURCH HOUSE & HALL, St Padarn's Parish Church, Pennant, Ceredigion 20 Notes on CHURCH HOUSE & HALL, St Padarn's Parish Church, Pennant, Ceredigion 2014 A small cottage and corrugated hall – the hall still in occasional use – the cottage empty except for a few odds and ends. Both stand adjacent to the church. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img462 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8228800565394995423bab.jpgTABERNACLE CHAPEL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TABERNACLE CHAPEL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2014 Built in 1806 and apparently converted in three cottages in 1874 (hence chapel segmented on Ceredigion council planning map) this chapel is in a good condition – now listed – and has been used mostly for storage. Currently for sale (June 2014). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo19326382.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_265470910523b43f6eab07.jpgMYNYDD-DU, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 Notes on MYNYDD-DU, Mynydd-du Commin, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire 2013 Lovely located in a dingle beside a stream. The house stands hidden from view but on a public footpath, hence most likely it's poor state. Upstairs treacherous, downstairs faired little better. Interesting array of extensions around the rear. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/hafod-fountain-pontrhydygroes-ceredigion-1996 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13704899664971f48a386ed.jpgHAFOD (fountain), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1996 Notes on HAFOD (ruins, monuments and stables), Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion 1996 My home territory – the house that stood was much older than its famous owner, Thomas Johnes, who inherited 1760. One of the greatest monuments to the picturesque movement, Johnes created a paradise in the then wild and dangerous Cardiganshire by planting over 3 million hardwood trees (all but felled for the two great wars), folly’s, many miles of paths, a hermits cave, monuments, a robbers cave (a small walk down a cave turns a corner into a mass of sound as you stand confronted by a waterfall), many secret gardens and retreats. The ruins came down in 1956. A pile of rubble remains. Hafod was painted by Turner, visited by George Burrows and inspired 'Peacocks in Paradise' by Elizabeth Eglais Jones. The famous monument by Chantrey in Hafod church survived the fire in 1932 but did not survive the fireman’s hose: the coolness of the water caused the hot stone of the monument to irreparably crack and crumble. Much has been written about Hafod. I moved to one of the lodge houses in 1989 when I was 17 years old. At about the same time I purchased my first camera and began to document the landscape around me. I have chosen the landscape of Hafod many times but as unpredictable and beautiful as it is, it can be a frustrating photographic experience. For this I am partially thankful, since I live here I can appreciate the landscape and history without the worry that I have let myself down creatively. YR HAFOD. Pontrhydygroes. Ceredigion 2000 Hwn yw fy nhiriogaeth i - roedd y ty a safai yno lawer yn hyn na'i berchennog enwog, Thomas Johnes. Creodd Johnes baradwys yn Sir Aberteifi drwy blannu mwy na 3 miliwn o goed pren caled (torrwyd y cyfan i lawr ar gyfer y ddau ryfel byd ). Fe wnaeth hynny mewn sir a oedd ar y pryd hwnnw'n wyllt a pheryglus. Hefyd adeiladwyd ffoieddau, milltiroedd o Iwybrau, ogof meudwy, henebion, ac ogof lladron ynghyd a nifer o erddi ac encilion cudd. Dymchwelwyd yr adfeilion yn 1956. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2384311.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_205045380749e0c1b6422ce.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2009 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2009 A return to Tegfynydd at the end of March on a sunny afternoon. After thirteen years little had changed. The house and its grounds hold a romantic and tranquil atmosphere. Tegfynydd was originally a Georgian house, but was replaced and renovated circa 1885 by Christopher Morgan, to a Victorian Gothic house and is thus very untypical of the Carmarthenshire home. Visiting it was an unexpected pleasure and although I had seen a photograph in Thomas Lloyd’s Lost Houses of Wales, it did not lay a solid enough platform for the emotional impact Tegfynydd has on the visitor, accidental or planned. A huge stone fireplace stands in the main hall whose floor, once the winter leaves are swept aside, reveals a splendid multi-coloured mosaic. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_103220650149d866a06d176.jpg[/img] Tegfynydd 2009 TEGFYNYDD. Llanfaliteq. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1996 & 2009 Ty Sioraidd oedd Tegfynydd yn wreiddiol, ond fe’i adnewyddwyd yn dy Sioraidd Fictoraidd oddeutu 1885 gan Christopher Morgan ac o ganlyniad mae’n hollol annodweddiadol o dy Sioraidd yn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd ymweld ag ef yn bleser annisgwyl ac er fy mod wedi gweld ffotograff ohono yn llyfr Thomas Lloyd The Lost Houses of Wales’, nid oedd yn cyfleu’n ddigonol yr effaith emosiynol a gaiff gweld Tegfynydd a llygaid eu hunain ar yr ymwelydd boed hynny’n ddamweiniol neu wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen Haw. Pan ymwelais i a’r lle’r oedd wedi cyrraedd penllanw esgeuiustra. Roedd y to wedi hen fynd, y seleri wedi cwympo a dim ond y gragen a safai ac eto i gyd roedd yn parhau i fod yn ysblennydd. Mae'rty yn ei gyfanrwydd yn bias tri llawr gwir gothig ryfeddol. Chwythodd y gwynt gymylau blotiog dros y ty gan ddangos golygfa annisgwyl - un funud edrychai'n addfwyn a gosgeiddig a'rfunud nesaf edrychai'n dywyll ac iasol. Dengys y ffotograff hwn y lie tan cerrig anferth yn y brif neuadd. Cyn gynted ag y caiff y dail eu hysgubo i'r naill ochr, dadlennir mosaig aml-liw. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24429626.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_305342061556bfae38d67d.jpgGALEN, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on GALEN, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2015 Built sometime in the 1960's and currently for sale, this town house is completely obscured by trees but once within the grounds, the bungalow is in a poor state of repair, with much rubbish scattered around. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo25474730.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_193819375855eda44c62009.jpgMAESLLYDAN, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on MAESLLYDAN, Llwynpiod, Ceredigion 2015 Obscured by trees, this house is oddly positioned with little sun light reaching its façade. Almost hidden from view by trees and undergrowth - thanks to John Lewis, Rhydybont, for taking me to this, Trewern fach, Dildre and to the small remaining walls of Llain. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo26620314.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_198170630456be0fac393ca.jpgABERARTH MILL, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on ABERARTH MILL, Ceredigion 2016 A return after accidentally fogging the film last time I was here. More info to follow... https://www.welshruins.co.uk/neuadd-bryn-glas-bontgoch-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_151040059157340f8d7982a.jpgNEUADD BRYN GLAS, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Notes on NEUADD BRYN GLAS, Bontgoch, Ceredigion 2016 Long empty - at least thirty years - Neuadd Bryn Glas is currently listed on Ceredigion's Planning Map as possible restoration as holiday home. Little remains but is remote and situated in a delightful and bright valley. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076820.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10936583314970b3f797c85.jpgBARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 Notes on BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey 2008 About half a mile west of Beaumaris stands the overgrown and spectacular ruins of one of Anglesey’s most stately of homes, Baron Hill. A short walk through a wooded area along well-trodden paths reveals exotic gardens, palms, massive pines and twisted knuckled bark all overgrown and offering surprising viewings. Although huge in its entirety, no obvious photographic views presented themselves or were easily found due to the mass of brambles and other vegetation. Roofless and too ruinous to enter, Baron Hill, although violently tumbling and emphatically reclaimed, is a beautiful and calming experience. Sun light flickered fleetingly through the heavily canvassed tree tops and large sections of fallen dressed stone stood, as monuments, alongside the ruin. It was built in 1612, both reduced then enlarged into a very grand house, it was finally damaged by fire during the Second World War and thereafter remained vacant. Sixty years of rain and wind, frost and snow, has taken its toll, as expected, upon its walls. Sixty years: a generation of trees, once small saplings, have grown as high as its walls have crumbled. The large blocks of dressed stone are soft and weathered, thin layers worn off over the years. The vegetation completes its yearly cycle and slowly eats away at mortar and takes hold of any gaps in the stonework, all contributing to the demise of house and character There are many outbuildings, all ruined: stables with enormous large wooden doors, all rotting and overrun with brambles. Sneaking views around the grounds show the foundations of greenhouses and other outbuildings, the stone work covered in moss, the beams, windows and door frames damp and rotten, inevitable as time, eating and furthering the decay and finality of collapse. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_975624480498bc96cad14f.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1090144401498bcaf52bd52.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1570281462498bca4a813dd.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5810597834b5c5a0c59da9.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_5719210664b5c5a6d96b20.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1205440124b5c5b0952b9d.jpg[/img] Baron Hill 2008 To read further information on Baron Hill and the recent plans submitted to convert the house into flats please visit the external link:[url=http://www.penmon.org/page10.htm]BARON HILL[/url] https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769118.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6495728734a31da7617fcb.jpgRUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 2009 Notes on RUPERRA CASTLE, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan 1997, 2005 and 2009 Ruperra was built by Sir Thomas Morgan in 1626 and likely on a former medieval site. Requisitioned, like many a stately home, by the army during the Second World War. In 1941 it was gutted by fire and in 1956 sold and since then there has been a slow and steady demise of the once rich estate. In 1982 the South Eastern tower collapsed and large cracks have appeared in the other three. An awful waste and a compulsory purchase order would seem the obvious choice. Adjacent and within its walled borders are large service blocks, greenhouses and stables now all empty and neglected. A trust, formed in 1996, with the aim of purchasing the castle and grounds, own woodland around Ruperra with many walks offering the visitor various views of the castle. I was unable to gain permission to enter the grounds, once in 1997 and again in 2005. Negotiations are underway to sell the house to the trust so in the longer term its survival seems more secure. Notes on images taken in 2009 My alarm went off at 4am, I rose and drove to the village of Draethen and walked up and over Ruperra hill to the castle, barns, outbuildings and greenhouses. Buttercups filled the meadows and three horses trotted up to me braying/naying, curious but guarded. The castle on this morning, today as all days, is impregnable due to the spring foliage of nettle and bramble and stands, as it did on previous visits in 1997 and 2005, majestic yet also sadly in its crumbling state. In 1997 the owner(?) lived in the service quarters that stands beside the castle. He refused me entry or even allowed me to take a quick snapshot of the castle. I believe he was tired of the constant flow of artists, photographers and historians wishing to visit and pay homage to such a lovely building. It is understandable of course. I visited again in 2005 and walked around the ruins. Little seemed to have changed since my previous visits. The service quarters however were long empty, windows broken and looking as sickly as the castle. A further visit in 2009 and a wrecked car sits at the entrance. The morning air is clean and there's a heavy dew clinging to the high grass soaking my trousers. Within the walls of Ruperra someone had enjoyed a barbeque and a few cans of lager I don't think I could have enjoyed a meal and drink within those high dangerous walls(!). The inner walls are built with red brick and in John Newman's - 'The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan' he states this is one of the earliest buildings substantially using brick in Glamorgan. He also mentions the grey and depressing render on the outside walls. He is right of course. Ruperra Castles grey exterior does nothing but to depress the viewer even further and one wonders if this jewel in Glamorgans history will be left until the remaining towers collapse. Maybe then, and only then, will something be done to stabilise this impressive building. The service quarters were still empty and peering through the windows, damp and rotting, revealing sodden joists and vandalised walls and furniture. Plastic sheeting attempted to keep water (and people) out of the windows but the plastic sheeting is no defence against the weather and it flapped noisily in the morning breeze leaving the air uncomfortable and eerie. From the footpath above, the stable roof seemed also to be losing the battle against the elements. The stables it must be said, although not as spectacular as the castle are worthy due to their size and aesthetic proportions. Where undamaged they appear to be partly in use as storage. Down the side of the short steep bank the greenhouses; all broken glass, searching bramble and of course, the country house favourite, the rhodendrum, thick and twisting itself through the undergrowth, fighting to capitalize on any gaps in the canopy. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19568119274b46e0a5cbafd.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15730535234b46e103d88cc.jpg[/img] Ruperra Castle 2009 For further information on the trust thats been formed to help preserve Ruperra Castle click on this link http://www.ruperra.org.uk/ and for up to date information on planning click here http://www.ruperracastle.blogspot.com/ https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2769184.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_19434041294a31e43cbb220.jpgPENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 Notes on PENCOED CASTLE, Llanmartin, Gwent 2009 After visiting Ruperra Castle, a short journey down the M4 to Llanmartin and to the ruins of Pencoed Castle. I had heard it had been re-sold in 2006 and wondered if any progress had been made on its consolidation and restoration. Sadly not. From memory, my first visit in 1997, very little seemed to have changed at Pencoed Castle. Caravans and other farm machinery no longer littered the front lawn but other than that, it remained, seemingly, ever resilient to time and decay. Of course no building can remain solid without the due care and maintenance. Peering through the windows one could see the make-shift wooden scaffolding; beams holding lintels, timbers holding beams. One such covered metal frame was loose. I entered without effort or force and walked the great halls and dusty stone staircases. Stone fireplaces stood without heat and scaffolding kept the floors above barely intact. That said, 12 years after my first visit, Pencoed seems to be in an astonishing condition (to my untrained eye) since it has been left empty since the 1950/60's(?). These days the only occupants of Pencoed Castle are the birds – rooks tending attentively to their demanding young and making such a racket in comparison to the gentle and soft coo-ing of the pigeons. The birds weave in and out of the windows – nearly all smashed and the metal frames twisted – inside stone steps lead up to floorless rooms, dusty but seemingly dry. On the first floor long planks lead from doorway to doorway, the second floor padlocked. Although padlocked, I did not feel the need to venture further. Pencoed, long yet slim, remains a mysterious place – barren within and without, one feels the house has had a long and varied history. Twelve years since my first visit, Pencoed still felt ancient and any ideals of modernization would feel wrong and building against the spiritual grain. Perhaps some houses are better left simply as they are; empty, dry and content. The gatehouse, surrounding walls, barns and dovecote all crumble, slowly without human interference or indeed need, in ruin. Yet again, an easy thought to have in a brief and distant visit. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1732999174b51e381efd6c.jpg[/img] Walkng toward Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_15306766534b51e3db5a7af.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_19357660874b51e447351d0.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13526894934b51e49d9969d.jpg[/img] Pencoed Castle 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10165185534b51e4ecdbe78.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_10316959534b51e53012294.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_1411879034b51e585a6200.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13512590304b51e64c2674a.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_8665784994b51e6a8a4cdd.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_13938143424b51e71b7be04.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3717130084b51e7a58d113.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_3284888654b51e800a061c.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_413243024b51e86081042.jpg[/img] Pencoed Interior 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40573390.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2701128895de573f04f8d3.jpgKINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 Notes on KINGSHALL FARM, Gower 2019 I parked the car at the hamlet of Llanddewi, beside the road, a cloudy damp day. I walked passed the tiny and attractive church of St David's and along the bridle-path. The tarmac track soon comes to a gated track and to the right the large farmhouse of 'New Hen-Llys farm'. The track from the farm to (old) 'Hen-Llys' is only passable with wellingtons and at that, barely. The divots of years of tyre tread are around a foot deep but that said it has rained a lot recently. I made my way, waddling through the puddles, disturbing the clear water and occasionally trying the banks to see if the mud was easier to navigate than the water. It wasn't. To a gated field, footpath marker, a large field full of sheep and cows - all ignored me, the grass wet and slippery, more mud, more puddles. Another gate, narrow path between two fields more mud, bicycle tread marks, people do come this way and then another gate, stone track and finally to the ruins of Kingshall farm. A large L-shaped farmhouse, built on a square site, a wall completing the L-shape to create a square. Long ruinous, roofless, door-less and window-less, lintels in place, bits of metal laying around, farm plastic sacks, little sign of care. Nonetheless a nice site, sheltered due to trees, a small stream, two pig sty's, the track running alongside the house. Time to breathe here. Set up the camera. A light aircraft overhead. It circles almost directly above me and then disappears over the horizon. I'd had an argument with my partner in the morning. The walk a tonic. The struggle through puddles and mud were the mild hardship, the conversations re-lived, altered, talking to myself, making logic of my actions, trying not to disregard hers. Keeping a level head. I set up the camera and about to take the first image. I think the unseen plane is a tractor engine, the phone rings, I normally have it on silent, I need to take this picture. It's only a plane, not a tractor. I'm not trespassing but neither am I in the mood for conversation. A picture is made. The phone rings again. I don't want to speak. I compose and take another photograph. The plane returns, the phone rings. I ignore both. Both stop and there is silence but there's another sound that I can't quite work out what it is: a low engine murmur almost like birds. It stops and then I see the cloud of starlings rise above me. I take more pictures, nothing spectacular but document the farm as I see fit. When I finish I phone my partner back. She isn't impressed. I can't say I blame her but sometimes we need to stick by our decisions even if they're not right. I walk back the way I came. I had wanted to explore further - to another ruin but it is already 3pm and the dim day is becoming darker. I also haven't eaten or drank anything all day and I feel upset in body and mind. I stop at Hen Llys farm on the way back. It is not ruinous but neither is it lived in. Rendered, single glazed, a long house of sorts - around the rear a pond - probably modern and often frequented by cattle. I make a few exposures, viewpoints are few, the house looks sorry for itself rather than on the verge of dereliction. My phone is ringing again. Too many short and angry phone calls. Everyone argues. Little solace. I think my partner would not have enjoyed this walk anyway. It's been too long, too muddy, too wet. I finish my photographs again and phone her back. Do I love her? Yes, I love her. Not that she has asked me and not that I have told her. That is what it boils down to, mostly. Everything else in this argument is shrapnel and some of it hurts, some of it misses the mark. I have made my peace with myself. The power of walking with the added bonus of a ruin. I do wonder how it is to live with me. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4343062.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_4438124734b66eec44701b.jpgABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 Notes on ABERGLASNEY, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire 1995 This image was taken around the rear of Aberglasney - at some point somebody had boarded up a broken window with another window which in turn also had become broken. Aberglasney was the first house I visited. A friend told me of this old house some 8 miles out of Carmarthen. One Saturday morning my friend took me with about five others, in two cars, on a short expedition. We followed the path that led to the mansion, under the yew tree tunnel, up to the mansion façade and into the great hall. Decorative blocks of plasterwork hung perilously around the high walls and other blocks lay redundant on the heavily littered floor. As we explored the house, its many rooms, its crumbling masonry and expansive and hidden gardens, I became overwhelmed with the romanticism of the place. I knew I had stumbled upon something special and I returned, without my friends, the very next morning with my camera. I spent a fair few hours at Aberglasney. I was unnerved. Was I trespassing? Will one of those rotten beams crash down on me? Or will the floor give way and the dark murky waters of the cellar pull me under? I controlled my fear. After a few hours the house turned from foe to friend. The exposures, some of which I am still very proud of, showed the house, peering out from the undergrowth, proud with resolve. Raindrops clung to every leaf, to every soggy floorboard, every searching ivy coil. There appeared to be an endless number of rooms offering an endless supply of possible photographic compositions. Outside, at the rear of the building, a white door leaned against the corner of the house. Overcast and grey, the undergrowth overlaying, this white door stood out quite brilliant against its gloomy surroundings. For me this image, above any other, typifies this project. After all, it is not particularly the size of the house that I am interested in, nor its social or economic history but rather the juxtaposition of man and nature. It is often the unwritten history of the previous tenants; those who loved, neglected, restored, became bankrupt, their heirs and children, through to the most recent tenants; the squatters, vandals, uninterested heirs and those with no interest other than demolition worth. It is this which fascinates me: when the first slate falls from a roof and thereby releases the inevitability of nature quickly engaging the house and filling the rooms and walls not with furniture, conversation and fine art works but with damp and mould and patches of fungi. Recently the gardens have been restored with much success and opened to the public. The house, to begin with just its façade, is also being restored to its former glory. I have not returned since its restoration. The house was extended on the former site by Bishop Rudd in the 1600’s. Rudd lost all his maidservants, who as they slept in their quarters, were poisoned due to drying lime plaster. Other owners include poet John Dyer who wrote ‘Grongar Hill’ in admiration for the estate and local countryside. ABERGLASNEY. Llanqathen. Sir Gaerfvrddin 1995 Wrth astudio ffotograffiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerfyrddin dywedodd fy ffrind wrthof fod yr hen dy hwn oddeutu 8 milltir y tu allan i Gaerfyrddin. Un bore Sadwm aeth fy ffrind a mi gydag oddeutu pump arall, mewn dau gar, ar daith fer. Dilynom y llwybr sydd yn arwain at y plas, o dan dwnnel o goed yw, i fyny at ffrynt y plas ac i mewn i’r neuadd fawr. Roedd blociau addumiadol o waith plaster yn hongian yn beryglus o gwmpas waliau uchel ac roedd blociau eraill yn segur ar y llawr llond sbwriel. Wrth i ni archwilio’r ty, y nifer o ystafelloedd, y gwaith cerrig bregus a gerddi cudd ac eang, teimlais wrth fy modd gyda rhamant y lie. Yr oeddwn yn gwybod fy mod wedi dod ar draws rhywbeth arbennig a dychwelais y bore wedyn gyda chamera ond heb fy ffrindiau. Yn ddiweddar cafodd y gerddi eu hadfer heb lawer o Iwyddiant ac agorwyd hwy i’r cyhoedd. Mae’r ty hefyd wedi ei adfer i’w ogoniant blaenorol. Cafodd y ty ei ymestyn ar y safle blaenorol gan yr Esgob Rudd yn y 1600au. Mae perchnogion eraill yn cynnwys y bardd John Dyer a ysgrifennodd ‘Grongar Hill’ yn canu clodydd yr ystad a chefn gwlad. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/mines-at-cwm-elan-mine https://images.on-this.website/7784_1582207084c7f4a5ca70b6.jpgMINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Notes on HOUSES & MINES at CWM ELAN MINE, Elan Valley, Rhayader, Radnorshire 2010 Nestled in a quiet valley between the high lands and the reservoirs and ancient broadleaf woodlands the Cwm Elan mines are a worthy experience not just for its solitary atmosphere but also its historical interest. It sits 1000ft over looking the Garreg-ddu reservoir. The only sounds one can hear are the babbling brook, the bleating sheep and the sweeping and singing birds. The two ruined houses which stand beside one another are a stark contrast in style and colour. I believe the stone house was home to the manager of the mine when lead was discovered at the site in 1796 (and was mined until 1877). Much of the mining equipment and indeed buildings have or are slowly vanishing as the years pass. The red brick house was built by the Birmingham Corporation Waterworks for one of its estate workers and is now in agricultural storage use (although my last visit a few years ago access inside was easy and very little remained since it was used by the sheep as shelter!). The ferns had yet to fully burst open and last years crunched underfoot. When fully grown at the height of summer these ferns cover much of the fields and hills around the mine and are chest high (and also a fertile breeding ground for sheep ticks). My visit on this occasion was humid but cloudy but after a few hours, towards the end of my visit, the sun returned with strength and lit up the spring greenery and the red brick building with pure delight. To see photographs of the two houses please visit the 'Rhadnorshire' derelict mansions gallery. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9083194.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1098892854d877562f3b41.jpgLLANFIHANGEL RHOSTIE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on LLANFIHANGEL RHOSTIE, Lledrod, Ceredigion 2011 A roofless church a few miles down a dead-end road between Lledrod and Llanilar. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo9562896.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_10443600824dae73a8d4bf2.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 It had only been two years since my previous visit to Tegfynydd and after 70 years of being left empty little had changed in those two years. A few exposures were made, nothing spectacular. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/corrugated-workshop-abermagwr-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_12326254944dca2c7c197ed.jpgCORRUGATED WORKSHOP, Abermagwr, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on CORRUGATED WORKSHOP, Abermagwr, Ceredigion 2011 Dilapidated but still in use - the facade is a typical hotch-potch of sheets of metal but the windows lift this building to something worth photographing! https://www.welshruins.co.uk/swansea-boys-club-townhill-swansea https://images.on-this.website/7784_17948112845948d1eb71fc95.91231488.jpgSWANSEA BOYS CLUB, Townhill, Swansea 2017 Notes on SWANSEA BOYS CLUB, Townhill, Swansea 2017 Bricked up, hillside urban location. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/tegfynydd-llanfallteg-carmarthenshire-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_5684765224dae73af2abbc.jpgTEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 Notes on TEGFYNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire 2011 It had only been two years since my previous visit to Tegfynydd and after 70 years of being left empty little had changed in those two years. A few exposures were made, nothing spectacular. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/dead-oak-nr-aberystywth-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_675169574bc16b6bba018.jpgDEAD OAK, Nr Aberystywth, Ceredigion 2009 notes on DEAD OAK, Nr Aberystywth, Ceredigion 2009 This tree is a firm favourite with photographers local to the Aberystwyth area. I had photographed it once, unsuccessfully before, and decided another attempt was needed. This time the images are a little more successful with close-up of the gnarled bark and the thick trunk filling the frame. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/barn-pillars-nr-penlone-stags https://images.on-this.website/7784_198234883251aa0f08c832f.jpgBARN PILLARS (nr Penlone), Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on BARN PILLARS (nr Penlone), Stags Head, Ceredigion 2013 Opposite Penlone is a footpath and a little down this footpath is a ruined cottage (name unknown) and these three stone pillars. One pillar is only a few inches high but the other two stand, as seen here in this photograph. I presume these are barn pillars. They stand somewhat oddly overlooking an open field and thought they were worth documenting. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/water-treatment-works-castell-nos https://images.on-this.website/7784_2487420105dd7934a5de91.jpgWATER TREATMENT WORKS, Castell Nos Reservoir, Maerdy 2019 Notes on WATER TREATMENT WORKS, Castell Nos Reservoir, Maerdy 2019 Built 1880's and now ruinous. I had thought this was a mining building at first but a quick internet search, as is so often the case these days, offers detailed information. Sat just beneath the reservoir and along the footpath. A pleasant walk on a Sunday afternoon. Small bridge at site is former tram line for mines - mines now all demolished. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/img464 https://images.on-this.website/7784_39941713539499cb6538e.jpgTABERNACLE CHAPEL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on TABERNACLE CHAPEL, Lampeter, Ceredigion 2014 Built in 1806 and apparently converted in three cottages in 1874 (hence chapel segmented on Ceredigion council planning map) this chapel is in a good condition – now listed – and has been used mostly for storage. Currently for sale (June 2014). https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pant-y-rhew-fach-dihewyd https://images.on-this.website/7784_1228441761556b2399672ed.jpgPANT-Y-RHEW-FACH, Dihewyd, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on PANT-Y-RHEW-FACH, Dihewyd, Ceredigion 2015 As you can see, third of the house, end gable, has collapsed but the rest of the structure seems relatively secure. Overgrown, many outbuildings, this was probably once a small farm - other than that I know little else about the place. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4475581.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_6079985294b8bc65247b7e.jpgCEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Notes on CEULAN MILL, Talybont, Ceredigion 2009 Once within the dimly lit ground floor, Ceulan Mill appears, as ones eyes adjust, an impregnable building with imposing machinery filling all three storeys to the brim with large heavy machinery, looms, and weaving frames, large wicker baskets of withered cones of wool. Ceulan Mill was closed in the 1950’s and it feels like very little has changed within and without the stone walls since then. On the first floor, only three small windows allowing the sun light in, the floor space is heavy with solid machinery. It is dark and when surrounded with such heavy machinery crammed so close together it is also unnerving. The dimness makes the focussing of the camera difficult; I use a small touch to set the shutter speeds and aperture. A forty-minute exposure was used with these first initial exposures. A long wait for a photographer and gives me time to make notes. I feel calm and the still atmosphere helps me to relax. Outside I hear a babbling brook, birds singing, the day is bright, warm and spring-like. These rusty dinosaurs within this mill no longer creak, groan, growl. They’re silent and still, their only movement is that of their slow corrosion. My eyes have long since grown accustomed to the dimness. The machinery is splendid – wheels, cogs, belts, gears, pulley’s, springs, rods, rollers, spinners, presses, chains, oil, wool, spanners, wrenches, dust and cobwebs. A stuffed heron lays on the ground on the first floor and also; a metal chest full of 19th & 20th century books (on Stalin, India, Arithmetic, Philosophy, Chemistry, Law, Communism, worker’s rights and how to better oneself!). More large baskets, clamps, drawing desks, broken chairs, tables, chests, all stand on an uneven floor and under a sagging ceiling. The sun poured through the open windows on the first floor, flooding tiny areas and here the exposures were much shorter, usually around 4 - 16 minutes. Four hours was spend making around ten exposures onto sheet film. The slow process of photographing in such dark places makes the finishing images so much more satisfying. MELIN CEULAN. Tal-v-bont. Ceredigion 2009 Ar Ian afon Ceulan saif Melin Ceulan, a fu unwaith yn brysur a llewyrchus. Wrth i'r llygaid ymgynefino a lled-dywyllwch y llawr gwaelod daw Melin Ceulan i'r golwg, yn adeilad cadarn gyda pheiriannau mawreddog, gwyddiau, fframiau gwehyddu a basgedi mawr o wlan yn llenwi'r tri llawr at y to. Caeodd y felin yn y 1950au a bu iddi aros yn wag ers hynny. Mae'n dywyll, ac ynghanol yr holl beirianwaith trwm sydd wedi'i wthio benben a'i gilydd, ceir hefyd deimlad o anesmwythyd. Yn y tywyllwch mae'n anodd ffocysu'r camera; rhoddaf gyffyrddiad ysgafn i osod cyflymder y caead a lledu'r agorfa. Defnyddiwyd dadleniad o bedwar deg pum munud gyda'r lluniau cychwynnol hyn. Hir ymaros i'r ffotograffydd, a chyfle i mi ysgrifennu nodiadau. Teimlaf dawelwch, ac mae'r awyrgylch llonydd help i mi ymlacio. Y tu allan clywaf furmur y nant a thrydar yr adar, megis diwmod braf a chynnes o wanwyn. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo40586130.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_1490472745de8dd6946896.jpgEAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Notes on EAST ORCHARD CASTLE, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan 2019 Built in the 14th century and then demolished in the 1756, East Orchard is an impressive site. I like these types of ruin, off the tourist radar but large and wealthy of atmosphere and photographic viewpoints. The site consists of the castle (unfortified and considered more so as a domestic dwelling), a chapel, barn, kitchen and dovecote. All are in remarkably good condition considering the age of the site. I arrived late afternoon, not long before the sun was to set and I had to work quickly to get the viewpoints I considered the more worthy. I focussed firstly upon the house; large, three storey possible basement – fragments remain but high fragments, perhaps void of detail but a general sense of the size and statue of the place can be easily sensed. It reminded me much of other sites in South Wales such as Old Bouston Manor, Boverton Place, Llantrihyd Place... all large, all old and long dismantled but with much remaining. All are also, I believe, privately owned. East Orchard is reached by a footpath alongside the B4265 just east of St Athan. Right at the beginning of the path there is an old air raid bunker in good condition. The path carries on for quarter of a mile through field, thicket, hedgerow and hardwood trees set within a few shallow hollows to the chapel and then less than fifty yards to the house itself. The house sits on the side of a bank – the barn and dovecote are higher up overlooking the house. East Orchard is a striking place; I was accompanied by birdsong, a few bleating sheep and an encroaching twilight. The afternoon was peaceful and thankfully so after a semi-stressful morning at work. I was in a bad mood and this visit was the tonic I needed. That’s said, it didn't necessarily improve my mood but neither did it make it any worse. It was good to breathe out in the open, my time outside much diminished since I moved to Swansea. Of the buildings, there are few tell-tale signs that the chapel was indeed a chapel. It is long and narrow and it is just about apparent one gable end that there was a large window. It is possibly the least well-preserved of all the larger buildings on-site. The house is large, overlooking both Thaw River/Afon Ddawan and a large tarmac factory with high chimneys and is set in the bank with fine views. It's an imposing building but a quiet location - that said the sound of traffic was just about noticeable. A few images were captured, not wholly satisfactory but documented nonetheless. Doorways and windows offered viewpoints, framing the landscape around. Small aircraft flew overhead every five or ten minutes, breaking up the peace, a contrast between old and new, a reminder that civilisation is never more than a few minutes away. The dovecote was in an excellent condition but the barn less-so, the A-frames had come down within and much of the roof had collapsed. A few more exposures made - a few sheets of film and there's always a sense of fear that the film will be ruined one way or another until it is developed. I guard this exposed film with great care. Only once it is developed, washed and dried can I consider the visit complete and a success. Within the hour it was dark and I found myself back on the road moving at a snail’s pace along the M4 through Port Talbot wondering why there were so many cars on the road all times of the day. The memory of the house remained with me for the rest of the evening and indeed through to the next morning too. During quiet times I often return to a site, imagining it is much the same, depending on the time year and then, as in the case of East Orchard, flipping back the decade upon decade, attempting to imagine how is slowly decayed since it was dismantled. Did I visit at the optimum time of deterioration? Of course not. But am I satisfied when I did visit? Yes I am. I had known of this site for many years. Why hadn’t I visited years ago? I have many notes of places/ruins to visit. What had taken me so long to visit East Orchard? I am not sure. Perhaps because my notes are not collated and are scattered from attic to computer file to scrap pieces of paper and notepads. I am also fully aware that my one hour visit is the tiniest of fraction compared to the 250 years since the house had been dismantled. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo17827859.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_617006675517d2c05a9922.jpgABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 Notes on ABSTRACTION, Aberaeron, Ceredigion 2013 After a long absence from photographing for this website I've now, slowly, began to wander out in search of abstractions and ruins and landscapes. These images were the first for a long time and were a simple exercise to get me back into the swing of setting up a tripod and exposing a few sheets of film. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo22235009.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_741308626540022927def1.jpgLERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Notes on LERI MILLS, Talybont, Ceredigion 2014 Upstream mill comprises of numerous buildings – Metal frames of large water wheel lost in overgrowth – further downstream a long mill with rusting/rotten water wheel. Doors off hinges, dusty and damp, morning yet to break, floorboards rotten, dark pieces of machinery, all metal, all wooden, spindles of brightly coloured wool – covered in cobwebs – a small spider scrambles across an old edition of the ‘Sun’ newspaper (dated 1980). Only the spiders inhabit this place now. The only sound is that of the river. Otherwise, total silence unless one listens beyond the water and a thudding lorry passes on the main coastal road just half a mile away. The weather was changeable; August – one moment torrential rain, the next bright humid sunlight making the exposures difficult to measure. The light varies by two or three aperture stops. I can only use my judgment in such dim interiors – a new-old film has been purchased for this very visit – Fuji Acros 100 sheet film – no longer made – apparently it has no reciprocity failure – which means if my light meter reads F32 at 15 minutes I do exactly as the light meter suggests – ordinarily, with every other type of black and white film, taking photographs under such dimly light circumstances, I would need to increase my exposures from 15 minutes up to one hour – Using an hour long exposure means I will take less images, the impact of waiting for such long times lessens my interest a little. Boredom sets in and I feel uneasy exclaiming I can be bored. I take about twelve images – total exposure time approximately three hours, otherwise, with any other film stock I would have been here for twelve hours. Maybe if I had a book and packed lunch… Focusing the camera too can be difficult in such darkness. I bring a strong torch and direct the beam towards the area I want to focus upon. I squint, I check, re-check, I stop the lens down and even after five minutes just trying to focus upon something there’s always a chance I may have got it wrong. There are a few sections of the negative, on the edges where there is some less than pin-sharp information. I can forgive myself for this, I think. I leave this complex of ruins and head back towards Aberystwyth. I go to Morrison’s café and order scrambled egg on toast and some coffee. I watch the mid-day shoppers and know I must join them in a moment. My trousers are muddy, I’ve kicked off my wellington boots and swapped them for trainers. I’m back in the land of the living, of noise and essential food shopping. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pentre-bwlen-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_8533777765a8bec7d93bd5.jpgPENTRE-BWLEN, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on PENTRE-BWLEN, CEREDIGION 2015 House not derelict - outbuildings are still use but showing signs of age. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/pentre-brain-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_20440655565a8bec8981203.jpgPENTRE-BRAIN, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on Notes on PENTRE-BRAIN, CEREDIGION 2015 House not derelict - outbuildings in use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/felin-fach-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_7905959265a8bec85a7b1d.jpgFELIN-FACH, CEREDIGION 2015 FELIN-FACH, CEREDIGION 2015 House not derelict, old mill buildings in storage usage. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/werndriw-ceredigion-2016 https://images.on-this.website/7784_6042045085a8bec8eca09e.jpgWERNDRIW, CEREDIGION 2016 Notes on WERNDRIW, Ceredigion 2016 Superb house with outbuildings, not derelict, small Quaker burial ground at rear. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34135523.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_15158399075a8bec8d23635.jpgPENTRE-BWLEN, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on PENTRE-BWLEN, CEREDIGION 2015 House not derelict - outbuildings are still use but showing signs of age. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo34135518.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12344411395a8bec821b1eb.jpgPARCAU GWYNION, CEREDIGION 2015 Notes on PARCAU GWYNION, CEREDIGION 2015 House not ruined but un-inhabited when photographs were taken. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/barn-in-llandewi-brefi-ceredigion https://images.on-this.website/7784_16523711615a8bec7705b7e.jpgBARN in LLANDEWI-BREFI, CEREDIGION 2014 Notes on BARN in LLANDEWI-BREFI, CEREDIGION 2014 This was for sale in 2015 but was then unsold, uncertain if sold by now. Large cracks throughout structure. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-gorffen-pontrhydfendigaid-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_13130033474ea25c3487a22.jpgBLAEN GORFFEN, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN GORFFEN, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 High, exposed and dramatic. Blaen Gorffen was, on this day, a blustery but delightful site. The wind did indeed blow hard and the sky thickened with dark cloud but the rain held off. The sheep scattered as I approached the house and outbuildings. Views opened up over Tregaron Bog and across towards Pontrhydyfendigaid and Ystrad Meurig. I made some slow careful exposures and enjoyed, devoured the views (why snatch when stationary?). The house and outbuildings look the worse for wear. The house all but fallen with the last slates just beginning to complete this desolate picture. A cast iron bed acted as a doorway and to halt any intruder into the house. But what was there to see within? A pile of rubble and stone and two fireplaces. I resisted the temptation to cross the cast iron bed threshold. A pig pen sits down beside the back of the stream that runs in front of the house, roofless and ruined. Some of the extensive outbuildings are still in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/blaen-gorffen-pontrhydyfendigaid-ceredigion-2011 https://images.on-this.website/7784_134197594ea25c8897f78.jpgBLAEN GORFFEN, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on BLAEN GORFFEN, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion 2011 High, exposed and dramatic. Blaen Gorffen was, on this day, a blustery but delightful site. The wind did indeed blow hard and the sky thickened with dark cloud but the rain held off. The sheep scattered as I approached the house and outbuildings. Views opened up over Tregaron Bog and across towards Pontrhydyfendigaid and Ystrad Meurig. I made some slow careful exposures and enjoyed, devoured the views (why snatch when stationary?). The house and outbuildings look the worse for wear. The house all but fallen with the last slates just beginning to complete this desolate picture. A cast iron bed acted as a doorway and to halt any intruder into the house. But what was there to see within? A pile of rubble and stone and two fireplaces. I resisted the temptation to cross the cast iron bed threshold. A pig pen sits down beside the back of the stream that runs in front of the house, roofless and ruined. Some of the extensive outbuildings are still in agricultural use. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/olmarch-schoolhousechapel-ceredigion-2015 https://images.on-this.website/7784_2108403837554cc57ca7f1a.jpgOLMARCH SCHOOLHOUSE/CHAPEL, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on OLMARCH SCHOOLHOUSE/CHAPEL, Ceredigion 2015 The organ is the notable thing, making this otherwise unremarkable building something worthy of recording - built circa1900 and derelict for twenty odd years(?), old bibles sit covered in cobwebs on rotten benches that stand on the rotten floorboards... a few empty beer bottles and soft sun light streaming through the cobweb windows. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo24519296.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_2823719275575b0171be95.jpgTRE-FAES-UCHAF, Bethania, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on TRE-FAES-UCHAF, Bethania, Ceredigion 2015 Not a ruin but long empty, the first signs of decay beginning to appear; young saplings, broken windows, broken door frame, broken slates. Varies bits of debris lying around, the young nettles sharp with sting, sheep bleating in surrounding fields. The house is large, as too is the barn adjacent. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo4633504.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_20858449554bae2302f3eec.jpgPENGLAIS FACH, Ceredigion 2010 Notes on PENGLAIS FACH, Ceredigion 2010 A ruined farmhouse and barns on the golf course in Aberystwyth overlooking the Irish Sea. I have been contacted by various people if I knew about this house. It stands completely isolated in the centre of the golf course, not even boarded up or fenced off. Inside doors hang off hinges, windows smashed with ivy pouring in, the floors covered in debris, internal walls with huge holes, wallpaper hanging off revealing brightly covered walls beneath. All quite depressing and will probably be set alight one day by the visits from nightly youths who come to sit around the 1950's fireplace and drink beer. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo41241772.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_17755469275efb02db82633.jpgYSTODWEN ISAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Notes on YSTODWEN ISAF, Sylen, Llanelli 2020 Set just off the road, large barns beside still in agricultural use but the house, as seen here, roofless and ruined. A shame since nicely located and site has good vibes. I parked the car outside early one June morning and took a gate or two. The ground was firm although I image cows were not so long treading up the ground. A few quick images taken. I set the camera up quick, a set routine, all fingers and eyes and the horizon leveled in the viewfinder. Within a minute a photograph is taken. It takes a lot less with a digital camera but a minute with large format is quick. Ystodwen stands well back from the road, there’s a low set of stone outbuildings set at a right angle to the front, even a few panes of glass in the window frames. The rear of the house shows a large chimney and the rear not rendered giving a little more texture and evidence of the rubble stone walls. The grass around the house is short. The mist was beginning to drop. The Scot’s Pine always looking good in the mist. I wonder how many decades the house has laid empty? https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo23515797.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_53497525654d9af2dc095a.jpgMAES MYNACH, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2015 Notes on MAES MYNACH, Cilcennin, Ceredigion 2015 I fancied a walk and saw on the O/S map that there was a property here but wasn’t too sure if anything would remain. Thankfully it did. A few exposese were made, the wind blew hard and I was worried it may cause the camera set upon the tripod to move but other than a few blurred bracnhes, the photographs came out well… Some of the hardwoods had recently been chopped back… the barns and stables have fared a little better than the house. Maes Mynach seemed to me to be much dilapidated and long ruined and I could find nothing about it on either the internet or in books. Once home I loaded the colour photographs onto the website and the next day received an email – please read on… Dear Paul - I return to your lovely website often, and today''s visit is especially emotional for me. I rented Maes Mynach, Cilcennin from late 1976 to 1981. In those days it was still habitable (electric, water piped in from a spring) and I was young and fit enough to bear the cold, the draughts, the Elsan ... Nice to see my green paint on the back door is still holding up! The landlord, Sylvan Jones, whose farmhouse was down in Talsarn, was very emotionally attached to the place, and would invariably effect repairs, however botched, when slates blew off. Sadly, he died in the yard sometime in the 1980s when his old Fergie tractor overturned and crushed him at Maes Mynach. The house and outbuildings were inherited by daughter and son-in-law: the latter’s first action was to punch out the doors and windows to render the place uninhabitable (although, to be absolutely fair, the blizzard at the end of 1981 that forced my departure had already done a lot of damage). I regard my 5 years in this crumbling and exposed house as a pivotal period in my life, and it still figures in my dreams to this day. It's incredibly sad to see it in this ruinous state ... how I loved this house and my time there. It was once a grange farm connected to Strata Florida Abbey, and the existing building would certainly not have been the first one on the site. It also has intriguing musical links: the early 1970s rock band Heads Hands & Feet (including world-famous guitarist Albert Lee) lived there for a few months in 1973, and the sleeve of their LP Old Soldiers Never Die (1974) has photos taken at the house ... I'm also a musician/songwriter and, oddly enough, am about to release a retrospective CD of songs, some of which were either written at Maes Mynach or are influenced by my time there. So finding your photographs this morning is serendipitous and emotional for me. I have a number of photos of the house taken around 1980/81, plus a couple taken shortly after the 2nd World War, when Sylvan''s elderly spinster aunt lived there with her animals ... Andrew Hawkey. https://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo3624304.html https://images.on-this.website/7784_12836827454abeffeed9b18.jpgTALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Notes on TALYSARN HALL or PLAS DOROTHEA, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire 2009 Only a half hour drive from Gwynfryn House to the mining community of Talysarn and the Nantlle Valley. It did not take long to find the ruined villa of Talysarn Hall. I first came across the vast array of outbuildings. I presumed that these were indeed the house converted into showers for the working miners but once past these and walked through the castellated arch I soon became aware of what a jewel this Victorian hall once was. The house itself is somewhat plain with three stories and a basement. The centre front bay slightly protrudes and also has a small porch. It is roofless and with no obvious discernable features within. It is nothing but a heavily graffiti’d shell, overgrown and seemingly heading silently and sadly into total collapse. I made a few exposures of the house which stands lost behind heavy foliage and with huge piles of waste from the quarries behind. I was however somewhat confused and struggled to distinguish between what was once a mansion and its grounds with that of the ever encroaching mine workings. Long driveways lead away from the house with high stone walls, one of these at the rear of the house appeared to be now a stream, an outlet from the mining days or had the driveway become a causality from the recent heavy rain. A strange bridge that led nowhere spans this stream and beyond that a small array of walled enclosures. Down below the washrooms (once stables and kennels?) another such driveway led to a further collection of buildings – built haphazardly upon one another with a narrow passageway leading upstairs and around a corner and into a room without a doorway. Further along again, next to some rendered stone pillars, a small gothic looking chapel or folly(?)sits low and dark in amongst the deep rotting leaves with the canopy of large oaks, beeches and chestnuts all but blocking out the light. The driveway wends out to another two stone pillars and a very large lodge house. I would estimate larger than Talysarn Hall itself, with large rear extensions. Dampness clung to everything. Although this house with its confusing and abundant collection of outbuildings appear, judging by the litter and graffiti, to be visited often by bored kids and vandals, there is much to appreciate here and there is an atmosphere of rural abandonment and loss. My visit at 9am was undisturbed. The greyness of the hills were broken with greenery and recreational pathways now thread though the workings often revealing ruined buildings and big pits in the ground, now lakes, that hint and sometimes loudly announce that this was once a large mine workings. These dangerous pools are a favourite haunt of many divers. Leaving Talysarn Hall I saw the large cracks in the walls of the castellated stable entrance and I was reminded that this house and its many buildings are on borrowed time. Even the extensive mine workings at Nantlle, once a barren, industrialized large mine now feels like parkland with footpaths wending in and out of the quarries, lakes and slag piles. Footpaths that were once roads and railway lines (bringing the men into the hillsides and the waste and precious copper ore out) are now used by mountain bikers, dog walkers and hikers. I spent three hours at Talysarn. After three hours under dark canopy and the damp heavy leaves composting underfoot it was a relief to get back into the open air and brightness of the day. I left Talysarn excited but also mystified. For me the house and location was sublime. It felt like it has had a varied and interesting history (although only built in Victorian(?) times – I’ve found very little information on the house so if anyone knows please do get in touch. I believe it was also known as Plas Dorothea). I could not truly find my bearings with the layout of the outbuildings; I can only imagine they were heavily transformed from domestic service quarters and stables to industrial uses, showers and administration buildings. Yet one can still imagine this estate to be, once more, a substantial and beautiful country house. [img]/imgs/pages/med_7784_11912378424b3f80fdc22bc.jpg[/img] Talysarn Hall 2009 https://www.welshruins.co.uk/esgair-ffosfudr-nant-y-moch https://images.on-this.website/7784_8177042884e86a4c03d36e.jpgESGAIR FFOSFUDR, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2011 Notes on ESGAIR FFOSFUDR, Nant-y-moch, Ceredigion 2011 A mile or so from Bwlchystyllen (see previous property) stands, albeit oddly positioned deep within a bank, Esgair Ffosfudr. Barely. A small stream ran not six feet from the front door and has obviously become blocked under the long grass. It bubbles over, running in front of the entrance and into the outbuildings. The ground around the house is sodden with foot and equipment sinking under their own weight. The far wall of the house, as seen here, as collapsed, revealing the upstairs bedroom with a cast iron bed still in situ. All very damp and I imagine this was once a much loved, much cared for, small-holding – now on the brink of total collapse.