Heritage of Wales News

Digital Past 2012 - PROGRAMME

2012-01-27T09:09:00.000Z

Digital Past 2012
New technologies in heritage, interpretation & outreach
Weds 22nd-Thurs 23rd February 2012, Llandrindod Wells

PROGRAMME

Day 1 Wednesday 22nd February

CONFERENCE SESSION ONE (Main auditorium)
09.00 Registration: Tea and coffee on arrival
10.30 Welcome: Peter Wakelin (RCAHMW)
10.40 Opening address: Professor Huw Bowen (University of Swansea)
Chair: tbc
11.00 Sharing our Digital Past: Digital innovation at the Royal Commission Louise Barker & David Thomas (RCAHMW)
11.40 Digitally preserving a submerged Bronze Age city: The Pavlopetri Underwater Archaeology Project: Dr. Jon Henderson (Nottingham University)
12.20 The use of social media in heritage organisations: James Mott (ProjectBook)
13.00 Lunch

PARALLEL CONFERENCE SESSIONS

Heritage at Risk: Preservation by Record and Conservation strategies – papers. (Main auditorium)

Chair: tbc

14.00 Digital technology in commercial archaeology: Marcus Abbot (ArcHeritage)

14.30 Setting standards: new guidelines on data capture, processing and archiving: James Hepher (Historic Scotland)

15:00 Discovering the submerged landscapes off the Welsh coast – The West Coast Palaeolandscapes Project: Ken Murphy (Dyfed Archaeological Trust)

The Digital Marketplace – seminar. (First floor seminar room)
Chair: Tom Pert

14.00 Social media: James Mott (Projectbook) & tbc

14.40 Digital Inclusion: Does it work? Peter Austin (Ceredigion County Council) & Tom Hadfield (Visit Wales)

15.30 Tea, coffee & cakes

UNCONFERENCE SESSION (Main auditorium, board room & first floor seminar room)
Chairs: Toby Driver, Susan Fielding & Tom Pert
16.00 Unconference session (15 minute presentation slots available to be booked on the day, to run over 3 rooms)
17.45 Open house
18.15 Close

Evening conference dinner, The Metropole, for those paying to attend

Day 2 Thursday 23rd February

TRAINING SESSIONS AND WORKSHOPS

9.00 tea and coffee on arrival

9.30 Workshops

Handling LiDAR: Oliver Davis (RCAHMW)

Terrestrial laser scanning: Paul Burrows (Leica Geo-Systems)

Point cloud data: Creating accurate visualisations for heritage sites: CAST

Uploading information to the Peoples Collection Wales: Sioned Rees-Jones (Culturenet Cymru) Archaeological Photography - New Techniques: Adam Stanford (Aerial-Cam)

Others tbc

11.00 Tea, coffee and cakes

11.25 Depart for parallel conference sessions

PARALLEL CONFERENCE SESSIONS

The Digital Marketplace – papers. (Main auditorium)

Chair: Tom Pert

11.30 The App Furnace project: Jo Reid (Calvium Ltd)

12.00 Placebooks; Community based e-trails: Dr Alan Chamberlain (Nottingham University)

12.30 The importance of having the right infrastructures in place when dealing with new audiences and new technologies: Dominique Attwood & Sue Davies (Leeds Museums and Galleries)

Heritage At Risk: Preservation by Record and Conservation strategies – seminar. (First floor seminar room)
Chair: tbc

11.30 Setting standards I: James Hepher (Historic Scotland) & tbc

12.10 Setting standards II: Marcus Abbott (ArcHeritage), Paul Bryan (English Heritage) & Neil Maylan (Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust)

13.00 Lunch

CONFERENCE SESSION TWO (Main auditorium)
Chair: tbc
14.00 “Botafumeiro and Portico de la Gloria”; Virtual enhancement of the cultural heritage by interactive applications: Julián Flores (University of Santiago de Compostela)
14.40 Making the most of digital technologies on archaeological excavations: visualising the Roman legionary fortress at Caerleon: Dr. Peter Guest (Cardiff University)
15.20 Recent survey work at Stonehenge: Trevor Pearson & Paul Bryan (English Heritage)
16.00 Summing Up: Kate Roberts (Cadw)
16.20 Close

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DIGITAL PAST 2012 - Full Details
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Dating Old Welsh Houses Using Dendrochronology

2012-01-26T13:15:00.001Z

Plas Tirion, Llanwrst, one of the houses tree-ring dated this week.
NPRN 27773 GTJ22359

Earlier this week, Royal Commission staff visited the Conwy valley, to work with Margaret Dunn, the director of the Dating Old Welsh Houses project in evaluating the final batch of houses, which will now be tree-ring dated by Dr Dan Miles and Dr Martin Bridge from the Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory. Working in partnership with the Royal Commission, Dating Old Welsh Houses is a community-based history project focused on dating historic houses in the counties of North-west Wales and then compiling their house histories. In the last three years over sixty houses have been successfully dated by the partnership project and revealed some remarkable results. Contrary to the traditional view that North Wales was an architectural backwater in terms of houses, the results of the project show that the characteristic Snowdonian house took shape in the early sixteenth-century much earlier than previously believed. The work of this project was featured on Wednesday, 25 January by BBC Radio Wales on the Roy Noble programme by their community-reporter, Huw Jenkins. This interview will now be available for the next week on the BBC iPlayer. To learn more about the work of the partnership project, click on the link http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b019m7bm and fast-forward to 1 hour and 48 minutes into the programme. Many of the results are already available in the National Monuments Record and on Coflein.

PLAS TIRION

Coflein - Discovering Our Past Online
Coflein is the online database for the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), the national collection of information about the historic environment of Wales.

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Cadw Chapels Collection - Newly Catalogued

2012-01-25T14:41:00.000Z

Bethania Welsh Baptist Chapel, Bethania Road, Maesteg

Cadw Chapels Collection: Ref. No. CCC02
This group comprises a set of 53 measured drawings of chapels in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, copied by Cadw for its Chapels project. The original drawings were made by students of the Welsh School of architecture (WSA): with whom copyright resides.

Covering dates: 1979

Bethania Welsh Baptist Chapel, Bethania Road, Maesteg:

Survey of Pembrokeshire Slate Quarries

2012-01-23T11:34:00.001Z

The Rosebush and Bellstone slate quarries from the air. The buildings being surveyed are visible alongside the road running right to left across the picture.
Catalogue Number C422589 Image DI2006_1692

Investigators Sue Fielding and Spencer Smith have been undertaking survey work at the Rosebush and Bellstone Slate quarries, near the village of Rosebush, Pembrokeshire. Working in conjunction with the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and the quarry owner, the surviving buildings and structures are being recorded in order to monitor their condition. As well as providing an important resource for the National Park staff to aid them in the conservation of the site, the work will also feature in a book on the Archaeology of the Slate Industry of Wales being produced by the Royal Commission.

Site Details

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Terry James Aerial Photographic Collection - Newly Catalogued

2012-01-16T12:07:00.002Z

Terry James Aerial Photographic Collection: Ref. No. TJA
10 files of black and white negatives, and contact sheets, relating to aerial photographs taken by Terry James, Dyfed Archaeological Trust, of sites in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
The archive is catalogued by site for single site surveys, or by photograph date for more mixed view groups.

Covering dates: 1978-1986
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Sign Up - Friends of the Royal Commission New On-line Form

2012-01-11T09:29:00.000Z

Friends of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales.

Friends of the Royal Commission on-line form

Joining the Friends of the Royal Commission just got easier with an on-line form.

Please sign up or forward the information to any friends who may be interested in joining.

Further reading:
The Friends of the Royal Commission

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Welsh Development Agency Aerofilms - Newly Catalogued Collection

2011-12-23T15:00:00.001Z

Welsh Development Agency Aerofilms: Ref. No. AFW01
Part of the Aerofilms Collection
34 files of colour prints of aerial photographs of South Wales, commissioned by the Welsh Development Agency.

Covering dates: 2005

Further reading:

Aerofilms Collection Project News | Heritage of Wales News 11 Dec 2009
The Aerofilms Collection contains lots of early aerial photographs of Britian. Many of these historic images are facinating and I'm looking forward to creating some great web pages using the images to compare places in Wales ...
Earliest Oblique Aerial Photographs Conservation | Heritage of ... 14 Oct 2010
Acquired for the nation in 2007, the Aerofilms Collection of over 1 million photographs dates from 1919 to 2006 and presents an unparalleled picture of the changing face of Britain in the twentieth century. The four-year ...
Aerofilms Historic Aerial Photography Collection | Heritage of Wales ... 24 Aug 2010
We are developing a project with English Heritage and RCAHMS to make the Aerofilms Collection of aerial photography accessible by conserving it, cataloguing it and putting the images online. If you would you like to be kept ...

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Stephen Hughes Slide Collection - Newly Catalogued Collection

2011-12-23T13:58:00.001Z

Stephen Hughes Slide Collection: Ref. No. SHS
8 files of colour slides of various copper-mills and related buildings: mainly in Swansea, but also in Bristol and Berkshire.

Covering dates: 1995-2002

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J.C. Young Pembrokeshire Standing Stones - Newly Catalogued Collection

2011-12-23T12:54:00.004Z

J.C. Young Pembrokeshire Standing Stones: Ref. No. JYP
53 digital copies of a collection of original oil paintings of standing stones in Pembrokeshire.

Covering dates: 1981-1984

Further reading:

Peintiadau Meini Hirion Sir Penfro J.C. Young | Heritage of Wales ... Crewyd y casgliad o beintiadau sy'n cofnodi meini hirion Sir Benfro gan yr arlunydd J. C. Young dros gyfnod o dair blynedd rhwng 1981 a 1984, gan ddefnyddio rhestr o safleoedd a gyhoeddwyd yn Pembrokeshire Historian ...

J.C. Young Pembrokeshire Standing Stones Paintings | Heritage of ... The collection of paintings recording the standing stones of Pembrokeshire was created by artist J.C. Young over a three year period from 1981 to 1984, using a list of sites published in the Pembrokeshire Historian in ...

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Douglas Hogg Slide Collection - Newly Catalogued Collection

2011-12-23T11:47:00.003Z

Douglas Hogg Slide Collection: Ref. No. DHS
19 boxes of 25mm colour slides of buildings, views, etc. in Wales, taken by Douglas Hogg in his role as Chief Architect at Cadw.

Covering dates: 1990-1993

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Oriau Agor y Llyfrgell: Nadolig 2011 a’r Flwyddyn Newydd

2011-12-23T11:30:00.000Z

Bydd y llyfrgell a’r ystafell chwilio ar gau, a chaiff y gwasanaeth ymholiadau ei atal, o ddydd Gwener 23 Rhagfyr tan ddydd Mawrth 3 Ionawr. Ni chaiff ymholiadau ac archebion a ddaw i law yn ystod y cyfnod hwnnw mo’u cydnabod na’u trin tan i ni ailagor ar 3 Ionawr 2012. Mae’n flin gennym am unrhyw anghyfleustra y gall hyn ei achosi.

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Library Opening Hours: Christmas 2011 and New Year

2011-12-23T11:28:00.000Z

The library and search room will be closed and the enquiry service suspended from Friday 23 December until Tuesday 3 January. Enquiries and orders received during this period will not be acknowledged or dealt with until we reopen on 3 January 2012.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

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St Tudwals Excavation - Newly Catalogued Collection

2011-12-22T09:55:00.001Z

Slide of RCAHMW colour oblique aerial photograph of St Tudwalis' Head, taken by C.R. Musson, 9/5/1989.
Crown Copyright: RCAHMW: GTJ25636 NPRN: 33027

This collection represents material relating to excavation and post-excavation work relating to the Royal Commission's excavations on St Tudwal's East Island.

This comprises: field notes, maps and plans, finds material; historical and comparative material, provisional reports; black and white photographs and negatives; and administrative and personnel records.

The archive is divided into seven groups: field notes, historical and comparative material, provisional reports, and small maps and plans (STE01); finds material (STE02); black and white photographs and negatives (STE03); larger photographs (STE04); larger maps, section plans and drawings (STE05); administrative records (STE06); and restricted access recruitment and personnel files (STE07).

Covering dates: 1957-1985

Coflein - Discovering Our Past Online
Coflein is the online database for the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), the national collection of information about the historic environment of Wales.

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Recent Work On Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire

2011-12-21T09:22:00.001Z

Skomer Island, located off the south-western coast of Pembrokeshire, is a National Nature Reserve, a Marine Nature Reserve and a Scheduled Ancient Monument, famed for its bird life and puffins, and its relict prehistoric agricultural landscape is among the best preserved anywhere in the British Isles.

Two major archaeological surveys have examined the island in the twentieth century, in the 1940s and 1980s. The first was by Professor W.F. Grimes who produced an archaeological map, based on a transcription from a set of Ordnance Survey aerial photographs, checked and augmented by detailed survey on the ground. Forty years later Professor J.G. Evans complemented and built upon this earlier work by recording in detail small enclosures and habitation sites from ground survey. He also expanded the archaeological map from transcription of vertical aerial photographs supplied by Cambridge University and oblique aerial photographs taken by Terry James, then of the Dyfed Archaeological Trust. Evans argued for a simple prehistory of Skomer since in his opinion the fields and farms showed little complexity and may have been built, settled and entirely abandoned in no more than a century.

However, aerial survey in March 2008 by Toby Driver of the Royal Commission in low light, and with compacted vegetation after a heavy frost, yielded a new collection of images that revealed discrepancies with the mapped detail. Mapped field shapes were generalised, altered, wrongly depicted or had details ‘smoothed out’ when compared to the new aerial images. In other places the excellent conditions in which the new photographs had been taken picked out extremely denuded lynchets and boundaries showing clear phasing among overlapping field systems. This suggested a more complex history of the island and provided the stimulus for new fieldwork and survey by the Royal Commission to examine the archaeology and historic land-use of Skomer.

Field systems in the south of Skomer show up spectacularly in low light during March 2008.

Crown Copyright: RCAHMW: AP_2008_0306

New survey and fieldwork

Skomer has no large grazing animals and so the vegetation is dominated by coarse tussocky grass. A field visit in August 2010 revealed that this formed a kind of fescue mattress effectively obscuring much of the archaeology and making it difficult to map features from aerial photographs. Therefore, in February 2011 the Royal Commission commissioned a LiDAR survey of the island in order to identify the full extent of the surviving earthworks. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is a method of remote sensing that obtains three-dimensional data points by using an airborne laser, mounted on an aircraft.

The LiDAR sensor is mounted below an aircraft where it emits short infrared laser pulses towards the earth’s surface, fan-shaped across the flight path. Each pulse will result in multiple echoes or ‘returns’. The first return will usually be received from the tops of trees and vegetation, but as the laser penetrates the canopy, further returns are received from branches and understorey. Typically, the last return is received from the ground surface. As the aeroplane moves forward the position of each return, or point, can be calculated using a satellite navigation system, while the pitch, roll and yaw of the aircraft is recorded by an inertial measurement unit to increase accuracy. Each point therefore has a set of x, y, and z coordinates to reflect its position and elevation. These points can then be processed to create a highly detailed terrain model of the ground surface.

Digital surface model generated LiDAR image of Skomer (top) and interpretation (bottom).

Copyright Reserved, Environment Agency Geomatics Group; hillshade DSM view generated by RCAHMW. Map based upon Ordnance Survey mapping: Crown Copyright and database right 2009. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100022206

The results of the survey have been staggering, revealing hitherto unknown complexity to the field systems and clear phasing of boundaries, particularly within the interior of the island . A first season of fieldwork in April 2011 began the process of ground-truthing these new discoveries, but also undertaking a more nuanced ground survey of the surviving remains. A typological study for the settlement in the north of the island confirmed that Skomer’s field systems are complex and long-lived. The variety of boundary types is notable and there are many subdivisions. The low banks of stone and earth have many different forms and characteristics, and individual boundaries do not have a consistent character throughout their length. What appears to be a single coherent boundary from the air may on the ground comprise a composite of varying build and type, and suggests a succession of phases of expansion, contraction and abandonment.

Skomer has only one prominent megalithic monument, the Harold Stone, which is a 1.7 m high monolith of local stone sited towards the eastern edge of a block of fields, looking out over the maritime approaches to the island. Aside from the Harold Stone, a variety of less obvious monuments of potential Early Bronze Age date are recorded on Skomer. These include the barrow near the Wick along with a considerable number of cairns. In re-visiting some of these cairn cemeteries, and during the re-survey of other settlement areas, the recent survey showed new evidence for megalithic structures of Neolithic or Early Bronze Age date. Among these are at least three unrecorded standing stone pairs, clearly identifiable as unusual paired stones in isolation, or incorporated in later boundaries with stone in-filling, precluding their use as gateposts. A further possible stone pair is closely associated with an earthfast natural slab, prominent on the skyline on the north-eastern part of Skomer Island (SM 7266 0998). There is the strong likelihood that this represents a megalithic or sub-megalithic monument and it lies just to the north of a cluster of cairns.

Probable megalithic site on northeast Skomer, with two orthostats found in close association with a large, earthfast rectangular slab of natural origin, seen from the south. The twin orthostats break the skyline when seen from all southern approaches and look out across St Brides Bay to the peaks of St Davids Head in the north .

Crown Copyright: RCAHMW: DS2011_448_001

Future work

Further ground survey is planned for 2012 to complete the typological study of the island’s field systems and investigate the megalithic site in more detail. Skomer still has many archaeological secrets to be revealed!

Further reading:

Royal Commission films with Ray Mears on Skomer Island ... As part of the Skomer Island project, where the Royal Commission is working with partners to map and understand the well-preserved prehistoric houses and fields, we were invited to film with Ray Mears for his new television ...
Skomer Island Preserved Remains Of A Prehistoric Settlement ... Ynys Sgomer – Tŷ cynhanesyddol ac iddo waliau cerrig. Cwt rhif 20 yw'r enw arno. Skomer Island - Prehistoric stone-walled house, known as hut number 20. (Image/Llun: DS2010_550_005 / NPRN: 24369) ...
The Archaeology of Skomer Island | Heritage of Wales News Royal Commission investigators Louise and Toby, have just been on a visit to Skomer Island situated off the coast of Pembrokeshire. This wonderful place is principally famed for its wildlife, however, its archaeology is equally ...

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Community Archaeology Training Placements

2011-12-20T09:10:00.001Z

The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) is advertising ten 12-month-long training bursaries in community archaeology, supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund, with additional support in Wales from Cadw and the Welsh Archaeological Trusts.

There are five Welsh host organisations and locations:

· Cadw (Cardiff)

· Dyfed Archaeological Trust (Llandeilo)

· Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust (Swansea)

· Gwynedd Archaeological Trust (Bangor)

· Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (Aberystwyth)

Bursary: See individual job descriptions

For complete details of these posts please visit www.britarch.ac.uk/community/bursaries/2012

Application closing date: Friday 20^th January

Interview dates: See individual application packs.

Lleoliadau Hyfforddi Archaeoleg Gymunedol

2011-12-20T09:00:00.001Z

Mae Cyngor Archaeoleg Prydain (CBA) yn hysbysebu deg bwrsari hyfforddi am 12 mis mewn archaeoleg gymunedol, gyda chymorth y Loteri Genedlaethol drwy Gronfa Dreftadaeth y Loteri, a thrwy gymorth ychwanegol yng Nghymru gan Cadw ac Ymddiriedolaethau Archaeolegol Cymru.

Mae pump sefydliad a lleoliad yn cynnig lle yng Nghymru:

· Cadw (Caerdydd)

· Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Dyfed (Llandeilo)

· Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Morgannwg-Gwent (Abertawe)

· Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Gwynedd (Bangor)

· Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru (Aberystwyth)

Bwrsari: Gweler disgrifiadau’r swyddi unigol

I gael manylion llawn y swyddi hyn, ewch i www.britarch.ac.uk/community/bursaries/2012

Y dyddiad cau i wneud cais: dydd Gwener 20 Ionawr

Dyddiadau’r cyfweliadau: Gweler y pecynnau ymgeisio unigol.

Atlanterra Project – Information Needed For Computer Animation

2011-12-09T10:15:00.000Z

A survey drawing of the Winding House at Maenofferen Slate Quarry which will be used as part of the process of producing a computer animation of the site.

Three slate quarries are being recreated through computer animation as part of the 'Atlanterra' project.

Maenofferen, Blaenau Ffestiniog – An example of an underground slate quarry, NPRN: 400427.
Vivian, Llanberis – An example of a slate quarry worked as a series of galleries, NPRN: 40571.
Pen-y-Bryn, Nantlle – An example of a slate quarry worked as a series of pits, NPRN: 33674.

Investigators from the Royal Commission have previously been to survey Vivian, and Maenofferen, a survey of Pen-y-Bryn will be carried out in the New Year.

The company carrying out the computer animation have asked that we supply them with information about these three sites, if anyone has any information about these quarries please contact: spencer.smith@rcahmw.gov.uk

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Chapels Today - Information Needed!

2011-12-07T15:24:00.002Z

Interior view of Ebenezer Chapel, Tumble
NPRN:6570 DI2008_0364

The NonConformist chapel in Wales is part and parcel of the landscape, whether that backdrop is rural, urban or industrial. This statement is substantiated by the fact that six and a half thousand chapels were built in the towns and countryside of Wales during the last two centuries. Today, however, the chapels are disappearing from our lives almost as quickly as they appeared in their heyday.

The Royal Commission has undertaken a massive project to record these chapels over the last few years, and one important aspect of the work is looking at what is happening to chapel buildings today. This survey consists of trying to establish the status of each chapel, whether it is still a ‘chapel’ (with active services), or whether it has been converted, demolished, is lying disused or derelict, or something else. Where conversion has taken place we are recording the new use, and we are also noting any chapels which are in a transitional phase of being for sale or in the planning process.

Our coverage of Wales to this point is very varied. In Anglesey, for example, we are only missing the status for three chapels, representing less than 2% of the original total. Unfortunately, the urbanised historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouth are more complex and we have recorded less than a half and a third of the status information respectively.

Would you be able to help us record the present use of chapels? We are aiming to complete this element of the research by the end of December 2011. Lists of chapels for which we are looking for information are available from anne.harris@rcahmw.gov.uk or susan.fielding@rcahmw.gov.uk

Thank you very much in advance for any assistance you can give.

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Capeli Heddiw – Angen Gwybodaeth!

2011-12-07T15:23:00.003Z

Interior view of Ebenezer Chapel, Tumble
NPRN:6570 DI2008_0364

Gan i chwe mil a hanner o gapeli gael eu codi ar hyd a lled Cymru yn ystod y ddwy ganrif ddiwethaf, mae’r capel anghydffurfiol yn rhan o dirwedd wledig, drefol a diwydiannol Cymru. Ond erbyn heddiw mae’r capeli’n diflannu o’n bywydau ni bron mor gyflym ag y cawson nhw eu codi yn nyddiau eu bri.

Dros yr ychydig flynyddoedd diwethaf, mae’r Comisiwn Brenhinol wedi bod wrthi’n gweithio ar brosiect enfawr i gofnodi’r capeli hynny, ac agwedd bwysig ar y gwaith yw ystyried yr hyn sy’n digwydd i adeiladau’r capeli heddiw. Gwaith yr arolwg hwn yw ceisio dod o hyd i statws pob capel unigol: a yw’n dal i fod yn ‘gapel’ (y cynhelir gwasanaethau ynddo), wedi’i addasu at ddiben arall, wedi’i ddymchwel, yn adfeilion, neu’n rhywbeth arall. Os bu trosi arno, rydyn ni’n cofnodi’r defnydd newydd ohono a byddwn ni hefyd yn nodi unrhyw gapel sydd wrthi’n cael ei werthu neu’n mynd drwy broses gynllunio.

Amrywio’n fawr wna’r sylw a gafodd gwahanol rannau o Gymru hyd yn hyn. Ym Môn, er enghraifft, does ond tri chapel, sef llai na 2% o’r cyfanswm gwreiddiol, na wyddon ni ddim oll am eu statws. Gwaetha’r modd, mae’r darlun o siroedd hanesyddol a threfol Morgannwg a Mynwy yn fwy cymhleth gan i ni gofnodi gwybodaeth am statws llai na hanner capeli’r gyntaf a thraean o gapeli’r ail.

A allech chi’n helpu ni i gofnodi’r defnyddio presennol sydd ar gapeli? Ein nod yw cwblhau’r elfen hon o’r ymchwil erbyn diwedd Rhagfyr 2011. Gallwch chi gael rhestri o’r capeli rydyn ni’n chwilio am wybodaeth amdanyn nhw gan anne.harris@cbac.gov.uk neu susan.fielding@cbac.gov.uk

Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi ymlaen llaw am unrhyw gymorth y gallwch chi ei roi.

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Process Recording of Anglesey Aluminium

2011-12-07T11:51:00.003Z

A process still continuing at the site is the re-melt and casting of scrap aluminium. Here two men work at the cast table where the molten aluminium was cast into bilet. (Crown Copyright)

Royal Commission photographer Iain Wright and Investigator Louise Barker, have just completed photographic and process recording of Anglesey Aluminium. Active operations stopped here in 2009, and a record of the works is important as decommissioning is underway.

The Commission spent three days on site, under the supervision of staff from Anglesey Aluminium Metals Ltd. Their understanding and knowledge of the works and process involved is essential to ensure an accurate record. (Crown Copyright)

The site opened in 1970 and was one of the UKs three aluminium smelters, at its peak employing nearly 1500 people. Many processes occurred over the 100 acre site, principally involving two main raw materials, alumina and calcined coke. Yearly some 330,000 tonnes of alumina were imported from countries such as Jamaica and Sardinia, whilst calcined coke was typically sourced from Jamaica and Europe. Much of this was brought in by ship, docking at Anglesey Aluminium’s own Salt Island Jetty some two miles from the site. The raw materials were then brought to site along a conveyor belt that ran underneath Holyhead Harbour. Annually over 148,000 tonnes of pure aluminium was produced. The process required huge quantities of electricity, some 255MW (enough to power a city) and this was sourced from Wylfa Power Station, 12 miles away at Cemaes Bay.

Aluminium was produced in four Pot Lines, comprising some 316 individual cells. Here Alumina was melted and electrolysed to create molten Aluminium metal. This used huge quantities of electricity and took around 32 hours. (Crown Copyright)

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Oes Gennych Chi Ddiddordeb Yn Archaeoleg Mynyddoedd Cymru?

2011-12-06T11:29:00.001Z

Mynydd hiraethog, mountain trackway
NPRN 408312 DS2008_238_001

Os oes, efallai yr hoffech chi nodi’r dyddiadau isod yn eich dyddiadur.

Bob blwyddyn, bydd Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru yn wneud gwaith arolygu ar draws mynyddoedd a gweundiroedd Cymru fel rhan o’i brosiect ar archaeoleg yr uwchdiroedd. Dros yr 20 mlynedd diwethaf, felly, mae’r broses o ddod o hyd i aneddiadau, ffermydd, safleoedd defodol, adeiladau a gweithgarwch diwydiannol anghyfannedd wedi cynnig darlun newydd o’r uwchdiroedd. Mae hi’n rhoi cipolwg newydd i ni ar fywydau’n hynafiaid a fu’n defnyddio’r tirweddau hynny am filoedd ar filoedd o flynyddoedd.

Eleni, mae Cysylltiadau Metel, prosiect newydd sy’n cael ei ariannu gan Ewrop, wedi dechrau archwilio tirweddau diwydiannol yr uwchdiroedd yn fanylach. Bydd Cysylltiadau Metel yn hoelio’i sylw ar adrodd hanes yr ardaloedd yng Nghymru ac Iwerddon lle bu cloddio am fwynau metel. Un agwedd ar y rhaglen waith fydd samplu palaeoamgylcheddol i ni geisio deall sut y cafodd y dirwedd ei datblygu a’i hecsbloetio dros amser – o eangderau coediog cynhanes i ddefnydd pobl o’i hadnoddau.

Ar 11eg a 12fed Mai 2012 cynhelir fforwm yng Nghanolfan Richard Edwards yn Ystrad Meurig i gyflwyno ffrwyth yr arolygon hynny. Bydd y digwyddiad deuddydd yn cynnwys cyfres o sgyrsiau a thaith dywys i weld safleoedd a henebion yn eu tirwedd. Bydd rhagor o fanylion, a’r trefniadau archebu, ar gael yn nes at yr amser ac i’w gweld ar wefan y Comisiwn, sef www.cbhc.gov.uk

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Are You Interested In The Archaeology Of The Mountains Of Wales?

2011-12-06T11:20:00.000Z

Mynydd hiraethog, mountain trackway
NPRN 408312 DS2008_238_001

If so, you may wish to make a note of the following dates in your diary.

Every year the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales carries out survey work across the mountains and moorlands of Wales as part of its upland archaeology project. As a result, over the last 20 years a new picture of the uplands has come to light with the discovery of abandoned settlements, farms, ritual sites, buildings and industrial activity. These give us new insights into the lives of our ancestors who used these landscapes over thousands of years.

This year Metal Links, a new European funded project, has also begun taking a closer look at the industrial landscapes of the uplands. Metal Links will focus on telling the story of the metal mining industrial areas of Wales and Ireland. One aspect of the work programme will be palaeo-environmental sampling to give us an understanding of how the landscape developed and was exploited over time, from the woodland expanses of Prehistory to people’s use of its resources.

On the 11th and 12th May 2012 a forum will be held to report on the results of these surveys. This will take place at the Edward Richards Centre in Ystrad Meurig. The two-day event will be made up of a series of talks and a guided walk to view sites and monuments in their landscape setting.

Further details and booking arrangements will be available nearer the time and will be found on the Commission’s website, www.rcahmw.gov.uk

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The Laser Scanning of Old College, Aberystwyth

2011-11-29T09:30:00.000Z

An early photograph c. 1870 of Old College, Aberystwyth, then incorporating Castle House. It was the first explicitly Picturesque house in Britain. DI2011_0299 NPRN:23303

The Royal Commission is currently working with staff from the Department of Computer Science, Aberystwyth University, on the laser scanning of heritage sites. Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship student (KESS), Marek Ososinski from the University, is working with Commission Investigators, Sue Fielding and Louise Barker, on a process for capturing and processing 3D laser-scan data of a range of historic buildings and archaeological sites, including the use of robotic vehicles to investigate the possibilities of autonomous surveys.

On 14 November, the team, including project supervisors Dr Fred Labrosse and Dr Mark Neal, spent the morning scanning the interior of the Old Quad of Aberystwyth University’s Old College building (nprn: 23303 ). Most remarkably, the origins of the Old College lie in Castle House, a marine villa designed by John Nash in 1794 for Uvedale Price, one of the founders of the Picturesque movement. The villa was adapted and enlarged by John Seddon in 1864 as the Castle Hotel for the entrepreneur Thomas Savin to take advantage of the newly completed railway to Aberystwyth. But after Savin’s bankruptcy, the unfinished hotel was bought by the newly-founded University College in the early 1870s and converted in various stages, but was badly damaged by a serious fire in 1885. Castle House villa was subsequently demolished and replaced in 1894 by a new central block, designed in the Queen Anne style by C.J. Ferguson. The interior of the Old Quad is full of rich architectural detail, including intricately carved stone capitals, stained glass windows, and wooden bosses to the barrel roof, making it ideal as a test for recording through laser scanning.

The project will run for three years, and the scan data from all surveys will be archived in the National Monuments Record of Wales and made accessible to the public.

CASTLE HOUSE HOTEL;OLD COLLEGE,
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF WALES, ABERYSTWYTH

Photosynth: Aberystwyth Old College

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A Good Day in Pembrokeshire!

2011-11-24T16:06:00.000Z

Target Tank at Castlemartin
NPRN 407853

The Royal Commission was extremely well received at the Pembrokeshire Archaeology day last Saturday, 19 November. The day was jointly organised by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and Planed and was most enthusiastically supported by over 200 members of the public. The day involved five main lectures and talks, a delicious buffet- lunch and fifteen well set out stalls and exhibitions to browse. During the afternoon, Royal Commission military expert Medwyn Parry gave a highly entertaining and informative lecture on Military Remains in Pembrokeshire & Beyond which was well received by all. Indeed Medwyn’s lecture was later praised as being “amazing” and “entrancing” by Mrs Anne Eastham, the Chair of the day’s proceedings, in her summary of the day’s events. Moreover, such was the popularity for the event beforehand, all places were fully booked at least seven days ahead. So please note next year’s event, which is proposed to be held on the 17 November 2012, is definitely a date to be noted in your diary today!

CASTLEMARTIN TRAINING AREA; CASTLEMARTIN RANGE

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Apêl Plant mewn Angen y BBC

2011-11-23T12:50:00.001Z

Pudsey’n archwilio’r pobiad cyntaf o deisennau a bisgedi yn syth ar ôl iddyn nhw ddod o’r ffwrn.

Roedd staff ac ymwelwyr yn y Comisiwn Brenhinol yn dangos eu smotiau ddydd Gwener i godi arian i apêl Plant mewn Angen y BBC. Cynigiwyd teisennau bach a bisgedi yn gyfnewid am roddion a chodwyd dros £50 mewn llai nag awr! Diolch i bawb a gyfrannodd at yr achos!

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BBC Children in Need Appeal

2011-11-23T12:46:00.005Z

Pudsey inspects the first batch of cakes and cookies, fresh from the oven.

Staff and visitors at the Royal Commission were showing their spots on Friday to raise money for the BBC’s Children in Need appeal. Cupcakes and cookies were offered in return for donations, raising more than £50 in just under an hour! Thank you to everyone who donated to the cause!

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Cyfeillion y Comisiwn Brenhinol

2011-11-23T09:42:00.001Z

Ymuno â Chyfeillion y Comisiwn Brenhinol

Mae gan y Comisiwn Brenhinol lu o gyfeillion a phobl sy’n dymuno’n dda iddo. Bob blwyddyn, bydd dros 10,000 o bobl yn mwynhau’n harddangosfeydd a chawn amryw byd o ymholiadau a llu o ymwelwyr â’n llyfrgell a’n hystafell chwilio. Yn aml, bydd ymholiad syml yn esgor ar gyswllt gydol oes â’r Comisiwn. Mae’r tair cyfres o Hidden Histories wedi dod â llu o ddefnyddwyr newydd aton ni’n ddiweddar. Bydd dros 100,000 o bobl yn ymweld â’n cronfa ddata ar-lein Coflein bob blwyddyn.

Bellach, crisialwyd rhwydwaith anffurfiol o gyfeillion yn drefniant mwy ffurfiol o Gyfeillion. Mae ymuno â Chyfeillion y Comisiwn Brenhinol yn syml ac yn rhad ac am ddim a chewch chi amryw byd o fanteision. Cofrestrwch eich manylion gyda ni i ymaelodi â’n rhwydwaith o Gyfeillion. Ymhlith y llu manteision a gewch chi o ymaelodi bydd cael newyddlenni rheolaidd i roi’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i chi am ein holl brosiectau a derbyniadau cyfredol, disgowntiau ar bob un o’n cyhoeddiadau, a fforwm blynyddol i Gyfeillion yn unig a fydd yn cynnwys siaradwyr nodedig, ynghyd â chyfleoedd i wirfoddoli yn y Comisiwn. I ymuno â ni, cliciwch ar y cyswllt isod a chofrestrwch eich manylion heddiw!

Ymuno â Chyfeillion y Comisiwn Brenhinol

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The Friends of the Royal Commission

2011-11-23T09:38:00.000Z

Joining the Friends of the Royal Commission

The Royal Commission has many friends and well-wishers. Over 10,000 people every year enjoy our exhibitions, and we have numerous enquiries and many visitors to our library and search room. Often a simple enquiry will lead to a life-times involvement with the Commission. The recent three series of Hidden Histories have brought us many new users. Over 100,000 people visit Coflein our on-line data-base every year.

An informal network of friends has now crystallised into the current, more formal Friend’s organisation. Joining the Friends of the Royal Commission is both simple and free and the benefits are numerous. Simply register your details with us to secure your memberships to our Friends network. The benefits of joining are many ― regular newsletters keeping you updated with all our current projects and accessions, discounts on all our publications, and an exclusive annual Friend’s forum with keynote speakers as well as, volunteering opportunities at the Commission. To join us, simply click the link below and register your details today!

Joining the Friends of the Royal Commission

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Diwrnod Archaeoleg Sir Benfro

2011-11-15T12:29:00.001Z

Dydd Sadwrn 19 Tachwedd, 2011 bydd staff y Comisiwn Brenhinol yn mynychu Diwrnod Archaeoleg Sir Benfro a drefnwyd gan Barc Cenedlaethol Arfordir Penfro. Cynhelir y digwyddiad yn Theatr Myrddin, Coleg Sir Benfro, Pont Myrddin, Hwlffordd, 9.30 am - 4 o’r gloch. Bydd nifer o siaradwyr gwadd yno ac arddangosiadau. Dewch i weld arddangosfa'r Comisiwn i dderbyn gostyngiad o 10% oddi ar bris ein cyhoeddiadau cyfredol. Am wybodaeth bellach, ffoniwch 01437 720392 (Oriel y Parc, Tyddewi).

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Pembrokeshire Archaeology Day

2011-11-15T12:27:00.000Z

On Saturday 19 November, 2011 Royal Commission staff will be attending the Pembrokeshire Archaeology Day organised by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority. The event will be held at Merlin Theatre, Pembrokeshire College, Merlin’s Bridge, Haverfordwest, 9.30 am - 4.00 pm, and will feature a number of guest speakers and displays. Visit the Royal Commission display to receive 10% off the cost of our current publications. For further details, please telephone: 01437 720392 (Oriel y Parc, St. Davids).

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Wi-Fi Yn Awr Ar Gael I Bob Ymwelydd

2011-11-11T08:02:00.007Z

O ddechrau’r wythnos hon, ac fel gwelliant pellach i’n gwasanaethau i’r cyhoedd, gall pawb sydd o hyn ymlaen yn dod i’r Llyfrgell yn swyddfeydd y Comisiwn Brenhinol ym Mhlas Crug yn Aberystwyth fanteisio ar wasanaeth, sydd newydd ei osod, i gysylltu’n ddiwifr â’r we. Manylion ar gael gan staff y Llyfrgell, a bydd y gwasanaeth ar gael i bawb yn rhad ac am ddim.

Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru,
Y Llyfrgell a'r Gwasanaeth Ymholiadau,
Plas Crug,
Aberystwyth,
SY23 1NJ.
Ffôn: +44(0)1970 621200
Ffacs: +44(0)1970 627701
chc.cymru@cbhc.gov.uk
neu defnyddiwch y Ffurflen Ymholi

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Wi-Fi Now Available To All Visitors

2011-11-11T08:02:00.006Z

From the beginning of this week, as a further improvement to our services to the public, everyone now attending the Library at the Royal Commission offices at Plascrug in Aberystwyth will be able to enjoy the benefits of a newly-installed wireless internet connection service. Details are available from Library staff, and this service will be available free of charge to all.

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales,
Library and Enquiries Service,

Plas Crug,
Aberystwyth,
SY23 1NJ
Tel: +44(0)1970 621200
Fax: +44(0)1970 627701
nmr.wales@rcahmw.gov.uk
or use the Enquiry Form

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Cymdeithas Aberaeron, Darlithiau Gaeaf 2011/12

2011-11-08T13:01:00.001Z

Ar 15 Tachwedd, 2011 am 7.30 pm Richard Suggett, Archwilydd Hŷn gyda’r Comisiwn Brenhinol, fydd y siaradwr gwadd yn Narlithiau’r Gaeaf 2011/2012 i Gymdeithas Aberaeron yn Festri Capel Peniel, Aberaeron. Mynediad £1 i aelodau, £2.50 heb aelodaeth a dim tâl o dan 18. Croeso i bawb.

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Aberaeron Society Winter Lectures 2011/12

2011-11-08T13:00:00.001Z

On 15 November, 2011 at 7.30 pm Royal Commission Senior Investigator, Richard Suggett will be the guest speaker at the 2011/2012 Winter Lectures for Cymdeithas Aberaeron Society in the Chapel Vestry Peniel, Aberaeron. Admission: £1 for members, £2.50 for non-members and no charge for under 18’s. Everyone welcome.

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King Arthur in Wales - Cymdeithas Ddinesig Aberystwyth a'r Cylch

2011-11-08T10:37:00.001Z

Ar 9 Tachwedd, 2011 am 7.30 pm bydd Scott Lloyd ,aelod o Staff y Comisiwn Brenhinol, yn rhoi darlith ddarluniadol ar King Arthur in Wales yng nghyfarfod misol Cymdeithas Ddinesig Aberystwyth a’r Cylch yn Amgueddfa Ceredigion, Aberystwyth. Defnyddiwch y fynedfa o Stryd y Baddon os gwelwch yn dda. Croeso i bawb.

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King Arthur in Wales - Aberystwyth and District Civic Society

2011-11-08T10:37:00.000Z

On 9 November, 2011 at 7.30pm Royal Commission staff member Scott Lloyd will be giving an illustrated lecture on King Arthur in Wales at the Aberystwyth and District Civic Society’s monthly meeting at Ceredigion Museum, Aberystwyth. Please use the Bath Street side entrance. Everyone welcome.

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Local People Help To Reveal Wartime Secrets Of Ynyslas Military Research Establishment

2011-11-07T08:33:00.001Z

Local residents and RCAHMW staff

On Saturday 8 October 2011, local residents from Borth and Ynyslas joined RCAHMW staff, Medwyn Parry, Deanna Groom and Nikki Vousden on a short guided walk of the 20th century military structures hiding amongst the residential homes at Ynyslas.

The remains comprise a former top secret missile fuel research facility – Ministry of Supply Experimental Establishment Anti-Aircraft Ynyslas.

One of the 20th century military structures at Ynyslas

Towards the end of the war (with certainty from 8 February 1945 onwards), Ynyslas was selected by the Air Ministry to become a missile-testing site to explore the effectiveness of solid fuel in comparison to liquid fuels. The Liquid Oxygen and Petroleum Guided Anti-Aircraft Projectile (LOPGAP) project was a merger of the Brakemine project developed by Cossor (3 x 3in rockets) and the Spaniel Project, the first surface to air guided weapon developed at the Projectile Development Establishment. The Ynyslas establishment appears to have been operational until its transfer to Aberporth some 15 months later on 17 May 1946.

The only written evidence so far found for the buildings established and operations conducted at Ynyslas are contained within documentation referring to a similar establishment at Walton on the Naze where the Brakemine project was developed (Nat Archives Kew: AVIA 48/16 C400195). A memo dating to in October 1946 refers to Ynyslas in relation to a specification for a camera/observation post installed at both establishments.

With little documentary evidence apparently surviving, the wartime memories of local people are proving invaluable in helping to unlock the history of the camp.

The footprint of the complex can be clearly seen on RCAHMW aerial photograph 99-cs-0921.

With the arrival of the military, the road or track installed as part of the Ynyslas Estate development plans was upgraded and concreted to serve as the main access road. This road ran to the main workshop and accommodation complex, comprising workshops, assembly shops, accommodation huts, and other ancillary buildings. Two of these camp buildings survive in poor conditions as this image shows.

Local residents have confirmed that several of the existing houses at Ynyslas were commandeered for military use. They have also provided information with regard to the use of HMS CAMROUX III, a coaster that was requisitioned in 1939. It was anchored at Aberdyfi to provide 30 billets for army officers during the construction of the range. The ship’s company carried out a detailed survey of the foreshore at Ynyslas, which was later squared off into grids. Each grid was allocated a target reference code for the rockets and the grid was used to test accuracy. The ship itself used a rocket-testing bed with a thousand rockets each with its own projector placed onboard. Then banks of 25 rockets at a time where fired onto the mudflats and their landing sites recorded. HMS CAMROUX assisted with the experimental development of radio and radar as well as various underwater propulsion systems.

The RCAHMW would love hear from anyone with additional wartime memories of Ynyslas and Borth.

Please contact Medwyn Parry or Deanna Groom.

Coflein - Discovering Our Past Online
Coflein is the online database for the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), the national collection of information about the historic environment of Wales.

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Caravan Catastrophe Brings To Light World War II Gun Emplacement

2011-11-04T15:18:00.000Z

An aerial photograph taken on 27 April 1942

The breaking news on Tuesday morning (1 November 2011) included a story of near disaster for 15 caravans owners at Porthkerry Leisure Park. However, the aerial footage of the scene taken from the news helicopter had RCAHMW staff member Medwyn Parry considerably intrigued.

Vehicles parked near a distinctive “D” shaped road, immediately identified the location as a former Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery. Suspicions were reinforced by a ground shot that showed boundary fence posts of a military pattern. A search through the aerial photographic collections confirmed the location was indeed a WWII HAA Battery.

A search through the Royal Commission’s aerial photographic collections has since confirmed the location was indeed a wartime HAA Battery. Further research by Medwyn has found that it was manned by units from the Royal Artillery. An aerial photograph taken on 27 April 1942 reveals that ‘D’ shaped track of ‘Camp Bulwarks’ linked four gun pits surrounding a rectangular command post. To the east of the guns, an octagonal grid forms the false horizon for the gun-laying radar set. The information fed to the command post given the height, speed and direction of the target aircraft. The predictor station in the command post then calculated the offset to where the target would be after the shell was fired from the gun, and controlled the firing time. The structures to the west of the gun positions are accommodation huts, magazines, mess huts, and the guardhouse.

Other images in the collections confirm several former military sites around the coast re-used by the landowners as caravan parks or holiday camps.

The Royal Commission holds an extensive archive of historical aerial photographs of Wales, available for access through the National Monuments Record public enquiry service.

To see the full news story and the aerial footage that had Medwyn so intrigued, follow this link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-15539898]

Pembrokeshire, Wales and the Sea

2011-11-02T13:18:00.000Z

Pembrokeshire, Wales and the Sea:
Morol Conference at The Coach House Visitor Centre, St Dogmaels, 5 November 2011

Royal Commission’s new innovative mapping of archaeological features on offshore islands using LIDAR data

The Royal Commission is to attend the 3rd Annual Conference of Morol (Institute of Welsh Maritime Historical Studies) this Saturday with an exhibition of recent work being undertaken in Pembrokeshire and round the Welsh Coast.

In particular, the Royal Commission’s new innovative mapping of archaeological features on Pembrokeshire’s offshore islands using LIDAR data; the ongoing work of the Maritime Project to record shipwrecks and aircraft downed at sea, and recent work undertaken with Dyfed Archaeological Trust to monitor erosion of coastal promontory forts and map submerged prehistoric landscapes.

Wrecks and Downed Aircraft around Wales

The conference doors open at 9.30am. Conference speakers in the morning include John Evans from The Sunderland Trust and Dr. Dyfed Ellis Gruffydd revealing the maritime trade in stone associated with Pembrokeshire’s medieval religious houses.

In the afternoon, there will be an open house with opportunities for all to view the exhibitions and enjoy informal talks on various aspects of maritime and local/national history.

MOROL will hold its AGM at the end of afternoon from 4pm.

Inside Welsh Homes - Rarely-seen Photographs and Drawings

2011-11-01T11:44:00.000Z

Here at the Royal Commission, we’re currently working on a book called Inside Welsh Homes. We’re using rarely-seen photographs and drawings from our archive to present a picture of the interiors of Welsh homes. Some of our favourite images are from the 1950s and show the improvements made to Welsh houses through the Housing Improvement Grant Scheme.

This is the kitchen at 2 High Street in Ysbyty Ifan in Denbighshire. It shows a new sink with under unit storage that was fitted in 1959. The cupboards in this kitchen are ventilated and were designed to keep food cool before electric and gas-powered refrigerators were available and affordable.
NPRN: 33103 DI2009_0520

Inside Welsh Homes will be published in 2012, and will be accompanied by an exhibition that will open in May. The exhibition will be travelling to a number of different museums and galleries around Wales – watch this space for more information!

Ysbyty Ifan

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Wrexham’s Landmark Chimney Sold on Ebay

2011-10-28T07:54:00.000+01:00

Marston's Border Brewery
NPRN: 400338 DI2011_0757

Wrexham’s former Marston’s Border Brewery chimney (nprn: 400338), which featured prominently in the Royal Commission’s exhibition panel on Wrexham Pubs and Breweries this summer at the National Eisteddfod, was sold this week on e-bay for £1420, and during the selling process attracted a total of 59 bids. Rivaled only by the tower of St Giles Church (nprn: 162808) in height, the tall 120-foot chimney is one of Wrexham’s most striking landmarks. Situated to the rear of the Nag’s Head Public House, and dated 1894, it was built as part of the Soames Brewery, which became Border Brewery in 1932 but closed in 1984 following a takeover by the Marstons group. It was then bought by former Wrexham AM and MP Dr John Marek, who has cared for the grade II listed chimney for the last twenty years. Brick-built with wrought iron bands, the giant tower has terracotta panels with a large initial ‘S’ for Soames Brewery and somewhat prophetically the date inscription on the brewery chimney reads 1894 horizontally (date of construction) but reads 1984 (date of closure) when read vertically. The timing of this sale coincides with the return of the celebrated town brewed Wrexham Lager which will be on sale once more from this Saturday, 29 October 2011.

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Local History Book Fair - Swansea Museum - Saturday 29 October 2011

2011-10-26T10:07:00.002+01:00

Cyflwyno Cartrefi Cefn Gwlad Cymru
Introducing Houses of the Welsh Countryside

Local History Book Fair, Saturday 29 October 2011

Swansea Museum, 10am and 4 pm

On Saturday 29 October 2011, staff from the Royal Commission will be attending The Royal Institution of South Wales’s annual Local History Book fair at Swansea Museum between 10am and 4 pm. The day will offer the opportunity to buy new local history books, second-hand and antiquarian books, historical maps and paintings, postcards and more. Authors, publishers and bookshops, representatives of local history societies as well as staff from the Royal Commission will be on-hand throughout the day to answer enquiries and chat to visitors. In particular, please come along to our stall, where you will have the opportunity to talk to Royal Commission staff member, Richard Suggett and joint-author of the stunningly illustrated book, Cartrefi Cefn Gwlad Cymru, Introducing Houses of the Welsh Countryside as well as buy any of our current extensive range of publications at a special 10% sale discount. The day promises to be a wonderful opportunity for all, so please come and join us!

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Burry Holms Excavation - Newly Catalogued Collection

2011-10-25T07:55:00.001+01:00

Burry Holms Excavation Archive: Ref. No. BHEA

RCAHMW drawing showing plan of Burry Holms Monastic Site, Llangennith, published in Glamorgan I, iii, fig 5.

These records accrue from a RCAHMW archaeological excavation of Burry Holms medieval hermitage site, carried out under RCAHMW former investigator D.B. Hague, from the mid to late 1960s.

This collection comprises field notes, reports, drawings, photographs, plans, and related material produced during excavations at Burry Holms medieval hermitage site, Lllangennith (Llangenydd), in the north-west Gower.

The collection is divided into eight groups: general excavation material (BHEA01); finds related material (BHEA02); photographs and negatives (BHEA03); larger, mostly board mounted, photographs (BHEA04); location maps and site plans (BHEA05); sections plans and drawings (BHEA06); administrative material (BHEA07); and restricted access material relating to personnel and financial matters (BHEA08).

Covering dates: 1964-1985

Coflein - Discovering Our Past Online
Coflein is the online database for the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), the national collection of information about the historic environment of Wales.

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Arnold Taylor Papers - Newly Catalogued Collections

2011-10-24T08:06:00.000+01:00

Arnold Taylor Papers: Ref. No. ATP

This collection arises from A. J. Taylor’s work as an Inspector of Ancient Monuments in Wales, as a Commissioner for RCAHMW, and material created through research and publication work on Welsh Castles and related sites.

It comprises research notes, facsimile documents, and photographic prints and negatives, relating to castles in Wales, although some also relate to Swiss, French and Italian Castles, and Welsh abbeys and other Welsh sites. The collection contains copies of numerous Public Record Office (PRO: now The National Archives) manuscripts, used by Taylor in his research on the Welsh castles of Edward I.

The collection is catalogued in four groups, according to the specific area of Taylor's research: War of 1277-8 Research (ATP1); Ancient Monuments (ATP2); Castles (ATP3) and (ATP4).

Covering dates: 1759-1998

Coflein - Discovering Our Past Online
Coflein is the online database for the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), the national collection of information about the historic environment of Wales.

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Atlanterra Project Business Meeting – Castro Verde, Portugal

2011-10-20T09:17:00.003+01:00

Members of the Atlanterra Project Team in the Beja City Park, Beja, Alentejo, Portugal

The Fifth Business Meeting of the Atlanterra Project was held between the 5th and 9th of October in Castro Verde, Alentejo, Southern Portugal, attended by Stephen Hughes and Spencer Smith. The host was one of our Portuguese project partners, the Agência de Desenvolvimento Regional do Alentejo (ADRAL) – Alentejo Regional Development Agency.

As part of the Meeting Agenda, excursions were arranged to the mining areas of São Domingos, Aljustrel and Lousal in order see how both ADRAL and Laboratório Nacional De Energia e Geologica (LNEG) - National Laboratory for Energy and Geology - were working within the wider community.

One of the major problems faced at the mining sites visited was pollution. Some of this can be quite obvious in terms of the pollution caused by the extraction and processing of minerals, but pollution can also be considered in terms of the environmental impact of successive phases of mining machinery or buildings remaining in-situ after the end of their working lives. There are problems in terms of the increasing size of cemetery populations from the influx of people and their families who work the mining sites and also in terms of attempts to increase tourist footfall to sites which have begun to develop their own niche and sometimes fragile ecosystems.

At each of these sites the process has begun of turning a derelict mining site into a tourist destination. The work of the RCAHMW as Atlanterra project partners is helping in the process of applying best practice to interpreting these mining sites through archaeological recording and CGI reconstructions of the sites as they looked when they were in operation.

Any questions or enquiries about the work of the Atlanterra project can be directed to either Stephen Hughes stephen.hughes@rcahmw.gov.uk or Spencer Smith spencer.smith@rcahmw.gov.uk

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Gorffennol Digidol 2012 - Technolegau Newydd ym Meysydd Treftadaeth, Dehongli ac Estyn-allan

2011-10-19T11:10:00.003+01:00

Technolegau newydd ym meysydd treftadaeth, dehongli ac estyn-allan
22-23 Chwefror, 2012, Llandrindod Wells

Cynhadledd ddeuddydd fydd Gorffennol Digidol ac ynddi fe arddangosir technolegau digidol arloesol ar gyfer dal, dehongli a lledaenu data am safleoedd ac arteffactau treftadaeth. Hon fydd y bedwaredd flwyddyn, a chynhelir Gorffennol Digidol 2012 yn nhref hanesyddol Llandrindod. Cynigir cyfuniad o bapurau, seminarau, gweithdai ymarferol ac arddangosiadau i ymchwilio i’r technegau arolygu a dehongli diweddaraf a’u cymhwyso’n ymarferol at ddehongli ac addysgu treftadaeth a sicrhau ei chadwraeth.

Bydd y gynhadledd o werth i unrhyw un sydd wrthi’n gweithio neu’n astudio yn y sector archaeoleg a’r sectorau treftadaeth, addysg ac amgueddfeydd. Y bwriad yw iddi fod yn fodd i rwydweithio a chyfnewid syniadau’n anffurfiol ymhlith cynulleidfa gyfeillgar ac amrywiol o unigolion o fyd masnach, o sefydliadau’r sector cyhoeddus ac o’r trydydd sector. Bydd sesiynau Tŷ Agored hefyd yn gyfle i arddangos prosiectau neu gynhyrchion ac i siarad â mudiadau treftadaeth, datblygwyr cynhyrchion a manwerthwyr.

Unwaith eto, mae nifer y lleoedd yn gyfyngedig ac fe’ch cynghorir i archebu lle’n gynnar.

Rhagor o Wybodaeth:
e-bost: susan.fielding@cbhc.gov.uk
Ffôn: 01970 621219

Archebion Cynhadledd:
e-bost: jane.corker@cbhc.gov.uk
Ffôn: 01970 621234

Comiswn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru
mewn cydweithrediad â Leica a ICOMOS UK.

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GORFFENNOL DIGIDOL 2012 – Ffurflen Gofrestru ******************************************

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Digital Past 2012 - New Technologies in Heritage Interpretation and Outreach

2011-10-19T11:10:00.002+01:00

New technologies in heritage, interpretation and outreach

22-23 February, 2012, Llandrindod Wells

Digital Past is a two day conference which showcases innovative digital technologies for data capture, interpretation and dissemination of heritage sites and artefacts. Running for the fourth year, Digital Past 2012 will be set in the historic mid-Wales town of Llandrindod Wells, and offers a combination of papers, seminars and handson workshops and demonstrations to investigate the latest technical survey and interpretation techniques and their practical application in heritage interpretation, education and conservation.

The conference will be of value to anyone working in or studying the archaeological, heritage, education and museums sector, and is designed to allow informal networking and exchange of ideas within a friendly and diverse audience made up of individuals from commercial, public and third sector organisations. Open House sessions will also give the opportunity for display and demonstration of projects or products, and the chance to talk to heritage organisations, product developers and retailers.

Spaces are again limited and early booking is advised.

Further Information:
e-mail: susan.fielding@rcahmw.gov.uk
Telephone: 01970 621219

Conference Bookings:
e-mail: jane.corker@rcahmw.gov.uk
Telephone: 01970 621234

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
in conjunction with Leica and ICOMOS UK.

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DIGITAL PAST 2012 - Registration Form
*********************************

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West Coast Palaeolandscapes Project - Thomas Telford Centre, Menai Bridge, Hosts Lost Lands of our Ancestors Seminar

2011-10-18T08:54:00.000+01:00

West Coast Palaeolandscapes Project

Lost Lands of our Ancestors

Introduction to work which is currently being undertaken to enhance the National Monuments Record of Wales

On Thursday 13 October 2011, portraits of the great engineers Thomas Telford and Robert Stephenson provided the backdrop for presentations by project team from the University of Birmingham, Dyfed Archaeological Trust and the RCAHMW.

In 2010, these three organisations came together to facilitate a programme of research to explore two areas of that vast low-lying plain that once connected Wales to Ireland and the Isle of Man. Seabed seismic reflection surveys undertaken by companies searching for oil and gas reserves were used to map elements of the former landscape in Liverpool Bay and Bristol Channel. These surveys have proven that areas of higher ground, river valleys, depressions that were once lakes, and earlier coastlines can still be seen locked away in the geological formations of the seabed.

Dr Simon Fitch provided an introduction to the University of Birmingham’s work in the southern North Sea and the results of the review of seismic data for Liverpool Bay and Bristol Channel. Ken Murphy, director, Dyfed Archaeological Trust, provided a fascinating overview of the early prehistory of Wales, whilst Louise Austin, Principal Archaeologist Heritage Management, Dyfed Archaeological Trust, introduced some of the key issues with regard managing these heritage assets. She also introduced the project’s site and the educational resources which are soon to be available. Deanna Groom, Maritime Officer, RCAHMW, concluded with an introduction to work which is currently being undertaken to enhance the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW) in offshore areas and how the information from West Coast Palaeolandscapes Project is being integrated.

The audience had the opportunity to view the project’s exhibition panels and to pick up copies of the popular ‘The Lost Lands of our Ancestors’ book. A special addition to the displays available was that brought by Gordon Roberts from the Sefton Coast Partnership: Archaeology and History Task Group. The panels revealed the fossilised human and animal footprints regularly uncovered at Formby Point, Sefton Coast (http://www.seftoncoast.org.uk/hist_footprints.html). Similar sets of footprints have been found around the Welsh coast in the Severn Estuary and most recently at Lydstep near Tenby. These footprints provide the most evocative evidence yet for the inhabitants of the Lost Lands of our Ancestors.

Project’s exhibition panels

The West Coast Palaeolandscapes Project partner’s WWW pages can be accessed at:

Dyfed Archaeological Trust: http://www.cambria.org.uk/lostlandscapes/index.html
University of Birmingham: http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/wcpp_eh_2011/
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales: http://www.rcahmw.gov.uk/HI/ENG/Heritage+of+Wales/Maritime+Archaeology+In+Wales/

New Coflein Site Records 1-30 September 2011

2011-10-13T10:02:00.001+01:00

New site records on the National Monuments Record of Wales online database, Coflein.
67 Sites added from 1-30 September 2011.

Coflein - Discovering Our Past Online

ABERAMAN WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414767 Aberaman, Glamorgan

ABERBARGOED BRANCH, BARGOED AND DISTRICT WORKMEN'S HALL AND LIBRARY, ABERBARGOED
NPRN 414749 Bargoed, Monmouthshire

ABERGORKI WORKINGMENS INSTITUTE, BUTE STREET, ABERGORKY, TREORCHY
NPRN 414719 Treorchy, Glamorgan

ABERTYSSWG WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414756 Rhymney, Monmouthshire

ARRAIL-GRIFFIN WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, SIX BELLS, ABERTILLERY
NPRN 414762 Abertillery, Monmouthshire

BARGOED AND DISTRICT WORKMEN'S INSTITUTE AND LIBRARY
NPRN 414748 Bargoed, Glamorgan

BLAENGARW WORKINGMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, BLAENGARW ROAD
NPRN 414717 Garw Valley, Glamorgan

BLAENGWYNFI WORKMEN'S HALL, INSTITUTE AND LIBRARY
NPRN 414790 Glyncorrwg, Glamorgan

BRITHDIR WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414760 New Tredegar, Glamorgan

BRONALLT, HEOL YR ORSFAF, 4, STATION ROAD, 4, BALA
NPRN 414772 Bala, Merioneth

BRYNAU, MAYALS ROAD, 31, BLACKPILL, SWANSEA
NPRN 414742 Mumbles, Glamorgan

CAERAU WORKMEN'S INSTITUTE, HALL AND LIBRARY
NPRN 414788 Maesteg, Glamorgan

CARROW HILL
NPRN 414706 Caerwent, Monmouthshire

CILFYNYDD WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, CROSS STREET, CILFYNYDD
NPRN 414728 Pontypridd, Glamorgan

CLYDACH VALE WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, HOWARD STREET, BLAENCLYDACH, TONYPANDY, RHONDDA
NPRN 414731 Cwm Clydach, Glamorgan

COACH HOUSE, CHURCH ROAD, 43, CALDICOT
NPRN 414681 Caldicot, Monmouthshire

COMMERCIAL ROAD, 180A
NPRN 414773 Pillgwenlly, Monmouthshire

CWM AND LLANTWIT WELFARE HALL, BEDDAU; GAIETY CINEMA.
NPRN 414727 Llantrisant, Glamorgan

CWMAMAN WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414766 Aberaman, Glamorgan

CWMBACH WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414768 Cwmbach, Glamorgan

CWMDARE MINERS' WELFARE HALL
NPRN 414769 Aberdare, Glamorgan

CWMDU WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, MAESTEG
NPRN 414787 Maesteg, Glamorgan

CYMMER COLLIERY WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, OFFICE STREET, CYMMER, PORTH, RHONDDA
NPRN 414733 Cymmer, Glamorgan

EITHINOG-UCHAF, PENEGROES, CAERNARFON
NPRN 414691 Llanllyfni, Caernarfonshire

FERNDALE AND BLAENLLECHAU WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414738 Ferndale, Glamorgan

FERNHILL AND BLAENRHONDDA WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, CHAPEL STREET, BLAENRHONDDA, TREHERBERT
NPRN 414729 Treherbert, Glamorgan

FFALDAU WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, PONTYCYMMER
NPRN 414783 Garw Valley, Glamorgan

GARTH WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414784 Maesteg, Glamorgan

GLANTOWY:GLANTYWI, LLANEGWAD
NPRN 414741 Llanegwad, Carmarthenshire

GLENRHONDDA WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, BLAENCWM, BLAEN-Y-CWM, RHONDDA
NPRN 414774 Treherbert, Glamorgan

GLYNCORRWG WORKMEN'S INSTITUTE AND MEMORIAL HALL
NPRN 414789 Glyncorrwg, Glamorgan

HENLLYS VALE LIMEKILNS
NPRN 414697 Quarter Bach, Carmarthenshire

INTER-WAR HOUSING, PRESTATYN
NPRN 414726 Prestatyn, Flintshire

LEWIS MERTHYR COLLIERY WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, PONTYPRIDD ROAD, PORTH
NPRN 414781 Porth, Glamorgan

LLANBRADACH WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414747 Llanbradach, Glamorgan

LLWYNYPIA WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414776 Llwyn-y-pia, Glamorgan

MAERDY WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE;
NPRN 414739 Maerdy, Glamorgan

MAINDY AND EASTERN WORKMEN'S INSTITUTE AND HALL; TON PENTRE WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE; PHOENIX CINEMA.
NPRN 414725 Pentre, Glamorgan

MARKET CHAMBERS, MARKET STREET, 5-6, PONTYPRIDD
SHOP 414751 Pontypridd, Glamorgan

MEMORIAL AT ST ATHAN BOYS VILLAGE
NPRN 414693 St Athan, Glamorgan

MYNYDD-Y-GLOG, BRONZE AGE CEMETERY
NPRN 414686 Hirwaun, Glamorgan

NANTYFYLLON WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414785 Maesteg, Glamorgan

NANTYMOEL WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, BERWYN CENTRE, NANT-Y-MOEL
NPRN 414782 Ogmore Valley, Glamorgan

NATIONAL WESTMINSTER BANK, TAFF STREET, 1, PONTYPRIDD
BANK 414743 Pontypridd, Glamorgan

NEW TREDEGAR WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414750 New Tredegar, Monmouthshire

NEWTON LODGE, EARLSWOOD ROAD, SHIRENEWTON
NPRN 414692 Shirenewton, Monmouthshire

NINE MILE POINT WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, CWMFELINFACH
NPRN 414761 Ynysddu, Monmouthshire

NORTH'S MEMORIAL HALL, MAESTEG WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414786 Maesteg, Glamorgan

OPEN AIR SWIMMING BATHS, EAST PARADE, RHYL
NPRN 414696 Rhyl, Flintshire

PALACE CINEMA, MARGARET STREET, ABERCYNON; ABERCYNON EX-SERVICE MENS CLUB & INSTITUTE
NPRN 414708 Abercynon, Glamorgan

PARC AND DARE WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, PARK ROAD, CWMPARC, TREORCHY
NPRN 414732 Treorchy, Glamorgan

PENGAM AND FLEUR DE LYS WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414775 Pengam, Monmouthshire

PENTRE CADWNFA
NPRN 414711 Llanfihangel, Montgomeryshire

PENUEL DRINKING FOUNTAIN, PENUEL LANE, PONTYPRIDD
NPRN 414771 Pontypridd, Glamorgan

PONTLOTTYN WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414757 Rhymney, Glamorgan

POWELL TILLERY WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, ABERTILLERY
NPRN 414763 Abertillery, Monmouthshire

RHYMNEY WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414759 Rhymney, Monmouthshire

RODNEY PARADE NEWPORT
NPRN 414701 Victoria, Monmouthshire

STANDARD COLLIERY WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE, YNYSHIR
NPRN 414735 Ynyshir, Glamorgan

TREHAFOD MEMORIAL HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414734 Pontypridd, Glamorgan

TREHARRIS PUBLIC HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414740 Treharris, Glamorgan

TY BONT LIMEKILN
NPRN 414699 Resolven, Glamorgan

TYLORSTOWN WELFARE HALL AND INSTITUTE, EAST ROAD
NPRN 414737 Tylorstown, Glamorgan

VICTORIA PUBLIC HALL, RHYMNEY; RHYMNEY WORKMEN'S INSTITUTE CINEMA
NPRN 414758 Rhymney, Monmouthshire

WATTSTOWN WORKMEN'S HALL AND INSTITUTE
NPRN 414736 Ynyshir, Glamorgan

WEST GROVE FARM
NPRN 414698 Hundleton, Pembrokeshire

WINDSOR COLLIERY WORKMEN'S INSTITUTE LIBRARY AND HALL, ABERTRIDWR
NPRN 414746 Aber Valley, Glamorgan

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Peat Processing at Fenn's Moss, Wrexham

2011-10-11T10:32:00.000+01:00

Aerial View of Fenn’s Moss: Both small scale and large scale peat cutting has taken place on the Mosses as the distinctive cuttings clearly indicate. Other activities have also taken place here. During the 20th century the Mosses were commandeered for Military use, principally rifle ranges during the World Wars.
(Crown Copyright. CD2003_604_016. NPRN 3358)

A new project for the Recording and Investigation Team of the Royal Commission is to record the unique, yet threatened remains of a peat processing factory, believed to be the last such works remaining in mainland Britain. The works are at the heart of Fenn’s Moss, which together with the adjacent Whixhall and Bettisfield Mosses straddle the Welsh/English border and form the third largest lowland raised bog in Britain. Today the Mosses are a National Nature Reserve nearly 1000 hectares in extent. In the past however, it supported a thriving peat industry. Peat has been cut from the Mosses since at least the medieval period. It was used initially for fuel and distillation, then as bedding for horses and poultry, as well as for packing. Most recently it has been used for garden compost.

Peat Processing Factory: Here hand-cut ‘potting-peat’ was ground up and sieved from the 1930’s until the 1960’s. The product was sold for horticultural use and ‘turf blocks’ were sold for fuel. As a unique structure it is essential that recording of the machinery together with the process of manufacture is undertaken.
(Crown Copyright. NPRN 3358)

Sunshine and Conservation at Llanerchaeron

2011-10-03T12:56:00.001+01:00

Llanerchaeron Countryside and Coastal Management Fair.

On Thursday, 29 September, Royal Commission staff attended the Welsh Countryside and Coastal Management Fair in Llanerchaeron. On a day of glorious sunshine, the Royal Commission joined other members of countryside and conservation organisations in hosting an exhibition stand, distributing free leaflets and booklets, and offering advice and information throughout the day. Highlights of the day included a fascinating talk on the Skomer marine nature reserve and a number of well-prepared presentations focused on sustainable methods of countryside management. Enquiries at the Royal Commission stand were numerous and many were particularly interested in the Commission’s tree-ring dating programme which is currently in its third year of a successful partnership with the North West Wales Dendrochronology project. Many of the reports from this project are now publically available on Coflein.

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Kinmel Military Camp, Bodelwyddan

2011-09-23T11:45:00.002+01:00

Did you know!

Kinmel Military Camp was a huge facility constructed during the First World War. It was served by the Kinmel Camp Railway from Foryd Junction on the North Wales main coast line from 1915. The Camp is infamous for the riot of homesick Canadian troops in 1919 awaiting de-mobilisation after World War I.

Coflein Links:
Discovering Our Past Online

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Strategic Statement 2011-2012 • Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales

2011-09-22T08:42:00.007+01:00

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales is a Royal Warrant body established in 1908 and currently a Welsh Government Sponsored Body in the portfolio of the Minister for Heritage. It is directed under its Royal Warrant ‘to provide for the survey and recording of ancient and historical monuments and constructions from the earliest times (including the ancient and historical monuments in, on or under the sea bed within the United Kingdom territorial sea adjacent to Wales) by compiling, maintaining and curating the National Monuments Record of Wales as the basic national record of the archaeological and historical environment’.

Mission Statement
The Royal Commission is the investigation body and national archive for the historic environment of Wales. It has the lead role in ensuring that Wales’s archaeological, built and maritime heritage is authoritatively recorded, and seeks to promote the understanding and appreciation of this heritage nationally and internationally.

The role of the Royal Commission
The Royal Commission’s original and continuing core functions are to investigate, understand, interpret and disseminate authoritative information about the historic environment, and to care for and maintain its own and others’ records. The resulting archive, the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), holds over 1.5 million photographic images (the largest photographic archive in Wales), 70,000 drawings and over 50,000 current and historic maps, as well as over 3 million pages of text. This archive is a ‘place of deposit’ under the Public Records Act 1958 and open to the public. Coflein, its online information service, provides access to the collections, catalogues and a national index of sites. The Royal Commission is recognised in the UK and inter-nationally as the official body of investigation and record for the historic environment of Wales, and it provides a link to other related bodies in the UK and beyond.

Read in full: Strategic Statement 2011-12

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Datganiad Strategol 2011-2012 • Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru

2011-09-22T08:42:00.006+01:00

Corff a sefydlwyd ym 1908 yw Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru ac mae ganddo Warant Frenhinol. Ar hyn o bryd, mae’n Gorff a Noddir gan Lywodraeth Cymru ac yn rhan o bortffolio’r Gweinidog dros Dreftadaeth. O dan ei Warant Frenhinol fe’i cyfarwyddir i ‘ddarparu ar gyfer arolygu a chofnodi henebion ac adeiladweithiau hanesyddol o’r cyfnod cynharaf (gan gynnwys yr henebion a’r adeiladweithiau yng ngwely’r môr, arno neu oddi tano o fewn moroedd tiriogaethol y Deyrnas Unedig ger Cymru) trwy gywain, cynnal a churaduro Cofnod Henebion Cenedlaethol Cymru fel y cofnod cenedlaethol sylfaenol o’r amgylchedd archeolegol a hanesyddol’.

Datganiad Cenhadaeth
Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru yw’r corff ymchwilio a’r archif cenedlaethol ar gyfer amgylchedd hanesyddol Cymru. Ganddo ef y mae’r rôl arweiniol o ran sicrhau y caiff treftadaeth archaeolegol, adeiledig ac arforol Cymru ei chofnodi’n awdurdodol, a chais hyrwyddo gwerthfawrogi’r dreftadaeth honno yn y wlad hon ac yn rhyngwladol.

Rôl y Comisiwn Brenhinol
Craidd swyddogaethau gwreiddiol a pharhaus y Comisiwn Brenhinol yw ymchwilio i’r amgylchedd hanesyddol, ei ddeall, ei ddehongli a lledaenu gwybodaeth awdurdodol amdano, gofalu am ei gofnodion ei hun a chofnodion cyrff eraill, a’u cynnal a’u cadw. Mae’r archif sy’n deillio o hynny, Cofnod Henebion Cenedlaethol Cymru (CHCC), yn cynnwys dros 1.5 miliwn o ddelweddau ffotograffig (yr archif ffotograffig mwyaf yng Nghymru), 70,000 o luniadau a thros 50,000 o fapiau cyfredol a hanesyddol yn ogystal â thros 3 miliwn o dudalennau o destun. Mae’n ‘fan adneuo’ o dan Ddeddf Cofnodion Cyhoeddus 1958 ac yn agored i’r cyhoedd yn ddyddiol. Mae Coflein, ei wasanaeth gwybodaeth ar-lein, yn darparu mynediad i’r casgliadau, i’r catalogau ac i fynegai cenedlaethol o safleoedd. Cydnabyddir y Comisiwn Brenhinol yn y Deyrnas Unedig ac yn rhyngwladol fel y corff swyddogol sy’n arolygu ac yn cofnodi amgylchedd hanesyddol Cymru, ac mae’n ddolen gyswllt â chyrff cysylltiedig eraill yn y Deyrnas Unedig a thu hwnt.

Darllen yn llawn: Datganiad Strategol 2011-12

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Welsh Countryside and Coastal Management Fair - Royal Commission

2011-09-16T12:07:00.003+01:00

RCAHMW colour oblique aerial photograph of Llannerchaeron House taken on 24/05/2004

The Royal Commission will be at the Welsh Countryside and Coastal Management Fair at Llanerchaeron on 29th September 2011. Come along to see our stall and chat with staff from the Royal Commission.

RCAHMW colour transparency showing detail of early wallpaper at Llannerchaeron

"NATUR and the National Trust will be holding the first fair of its kind in Wales.

Whether you are considering a career in the countryside, our living environment, or are already involved in this broad profession, our event will have something new for you. The purpose is to showcase the countryside and conservation professions, and the fair will be an opportunity for field-based staff, rangers and wardens, heritage managers and visitor/interpretation staff in countryside and conservation to see and discuss different techniques, equipment and experiences from different parts of Wales. The fair will highlight the range of good work being carried out by staff in the whole variety of organizations across Wales."

Programme for the day:
9.30 a.m to 4.30 p.m., Thursday 29th September 2011
A programme of lectures and training events include:
Presentations, field lectures and excursions and guided walks.

Details of the event can be found at:
Natur website http://natur.org.uk/welsh-wildlife-and-countryside-management-fair/

Location details:
Llanerchaeron
Ciliau Aeron, near Aberaeron, Ceredigion SA48 8DG
Telephone: 01545 570200
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-llanerchaeron.htm

Llanerchaeron, Coflein Links:
Discovering Our Past Online

Llanerchaeron House

Llanerchaeron Garden

Llanerchaeron Walled Garden

Site Details of Llanerchaeron Walled Garden
Associated Sites (1)
Associated Collection Records (1)

Another site of interest includes Wig-wen-fach, a precious survival of vernacular building tradition.

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Glamorgan Family History Show 2011 - Merthyr Tydfil

2011-09-12T14:29:00.001+01:00

The Royal Commission at the Glamorgan Family History Show in Merthyr Tydfil.

On Saturday 10 September, two members of staff at the Royal Commission enjoyed a very successful day attending the Glamorgan Family History Show in Merthyr Tydfil. During the day, 175 members of the public visited the exhibition stand and many enjoyed informative discussions with both Frances and Helen, learning about the online resources of Coflein www.coflein.gov.uk and all the work achieved by the People’s Collection Wales www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk in encouraging people to add their photos and memories to the online archive. The show was opened by Councillor Paul Brown, Mayor of Merthyr Tydfil who was accompanied by Miss Crawshay in her fine period dress.

Miss Crawshay in her fine period dress.

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Best-preserved Medieval Town In Wales

2011-09-06T10:57:00.001+01:00

Richard animatedly describing the Aberconwy House, the oldest town house.

On Thursday 1 of September, Senior Investigator Richard Suggett led a tour of the Edwardian borough town of Conwy for a group of members from the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain http://www.sahgb.org.uk. In an afternoon of beautiful sunshine, Richard enthusiastically led the group around many of Conwy’s most notable sites. These included Plas Mawr (nprn:16754), often described as the “finest Elizabethan townhouse in Britain”, Aberconwy House (nprn: 25978), dated 1417-20 by the RCAHMW and the intricately ornate, fine sixteenth-century rood screen from St. Mary and All Saints’ Church, which was built upon the site of the twelfth-century Cistercian Aberconwy Abbey (nprn:43768). The tour also included a walk of the city walls which also took in the delights of the little-known derelict cock-pit in York Street and ever-popular Smallest House in Britain. An excellent afternoon was enjoyed by all, who later agreed with Richard that the historical wealth of the town surely makes it one of the best-preserved walled medieval towns in Britain today.

An encounter at the Smallest House in Great Britain.

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Essential National Treasure House - Royal Commission

2011-09-01T08:37:00.001+01:00

Non Jenkins receiving her box of chocolates from the Open Day prize-draw.

Held on Wednesday, 27th July the Royal Commission Open Day was a very-well attended event. Throughout the day, a constant stream of visitors came to the offices at Plascrug in Aberystwyth, to listen to talks, attend a variety of tours and demonstrations and view the vast range of photographs, maps and original drawings taken from the archive and on display. Satisfaction with the day was unanimous with 100% of visitors reporting that they enjoyed the day, with 85% marking their feed-back questionnaires with the maximum score for enjoyment of the day as being, “very much”. Interestingly, in addition to the many local people attending the day, we also had visitors from all over Wales including the Vale of Glamorgan, Caernarfon, Welshpool, Lampeter and Wrexham and even as far afield as Cannock in Staffordshire and Somerset. Overall, an excellent day was enjoyed by all with such positive praise as “fascinating”, “exceptional” “diddorol, addysgiadol, agoriad llygad” (interesting, educational and eye-opener) and “essential national Treasure house” being attributed to the Royal Commission. Hopefully next year’s event will prove equally successful!

Visitors to the Royal Commission's library

Toby Driver gives a talk on aerial photography

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Stephen Hughes Elected Vice-President For Wales - ICOMOS-UK AGM

2011-08-11T08:26:00.000+01:00

At the ICOMOS-UK AGM in June, Stephen Hughes BA, M Phil, FSA, FR HistS was elected Vice-President for Wales for a period of three years.

Stephen is Projects Director, Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Wales. He edited the first of the international ICOMOS Thematic Studies on Canals and also worked on one on Collieries and on others. He lectures at Aberystwyth University on Welsh Chapel Architecture. He has represented ICOMOS in China and at ICOMOS Heritage Experts Meetings in Canada, the UK and the USA. He also attended the ICOMOS World Heritage Panel in Paris in 2010 and has acted as an ICOMOS Mission Expert in Poland, Belarus & France. He has written books on Welsh architecture and archaeology:

He writes: “I have been a member of ICOMOS-UK for a number of years and have had discussions with the Secretary and Committee to ensure that the recently successful Pontcysyllte Nomination followed best practice: I would like to help to apply this elsewhere in the UK. I have initiated liaison groups in Welsh archaeology and architecture. I run European projects underpinning cultural tourism and pioneering the use of digital interpretation and animations which help to extend Pride of Place to previously inaccessible audiences. I would seek to help provide training on these in the short term and promote their wider use in the long term”.

Contact:
stephen.hughes@rcahmw.gov.uk / (0)1970 621215

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Ar Daith Dywys Sy’n Cyflwyno Cymeriad Trefol Cefn Mawr

2011-07-28T15:27:00.000+01:00

14 Well Street, Cefn-Mawr
DS2011_230_001 NPRN: 413523

Ymunwch â Spencer Smith, Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru, ar daith dywys sy’n cyflwyno cymeriad trefol Cefn Mawr dydd Mercher 3 o Awst rhwng 12-2yh. Bydd y daith yn cychwyn o Gapel Ebeneser,Cefn Mawr. (Mae’r digwyddiad yn rhad ac am ddim, ond yn gyfyngedig i 20. Rhaid archebu ymlaen llaw os am sicrhau lle ar y daith, drwy ffonio 029 20 257075).

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A Walking Tour Exploring The Urban Character Of Cefn Mawr

2011-07-28T15:22:00.000+01:00

14 Well Street, Cefn-Mawr
DS2011_230_001 NPRN: 413523

A walking tour exploring the urban character of Cefn Mawr, led by Spencer Smith from the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, will take place on Wednesday 3 August between 12-2pm. The walk will leave from Ebenezer Chapel in Cefn Mawr. (The event is free of charge but limited to 20. Places must be booked in advance to guarantee a place on the tour by calling 029 20 257075).

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Tai Gweithwyr Cymru

2011-07-27T11:54:00.000+01:00

Tai gweithwyr Cymru - pwysigrwydd cofnodi’r tai hyn.
Digwyddiad yn Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Wrecsam a'r Fro

Dydd Mawrth, 2 Awst 2011 am 2 o’r gloch - Pabell y Cymdeithasau 2

Tai gweithwyr Cymru - pwysigrwydd cofnodi’r tai hyn.
Sgwrs gan Spencer Smith, Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru, ar bwysigrwydd gwaith y Comisiwn yn cofnodi tai gweithwyr Cymru.

Croeso i bawb

Hen-daid a hen-nain Spencer Smith ar garreg drws y tŷ yr oeddynt wedi’i adeiladu eu hunain yn y Rhos, Wrecsam.

Faint wyddoch chi am y tai lle ganed eich cyndeidiau? Faint mae’r tai hyn wedi newid ers eu cyfnod hwy? Wrth gofnodi tai gweithwyr Cymru, mae gwybodaeth wedi dod i’r amlwg ynghylch sut y newidiodd Cymru yn ystod y Chwyldro Diwydiannol yn ogystal â gwybodaeth ynghylch sut yr oedd teuluoedd yn adeiladu eu tai eu hunain.

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Welsh Workers' Housing

2011-07-27T11:51:00.002+01:00

Welsh workers' housing – the importance of recording these houses.

Event at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, Wrexham and District

Tuesday 2 August 2011 at 2pm - Pabell y Cymdeithasau 2

Spencer Smith, Royal Commission, will be delivering a talk on the importance of recording the houses of Wales’s industrial workers ‘Tai gweithwyr Cymru - pwysigrwydd cofnodi’r tai hyn’.

A warm welcome to you all.

Spencer Smith’s great-grandfather and great-grandmother on the doorstep of the house they built for themselves in Rhos, Wrexham.

How much do you know about the houses where your forefathers were born? How much have these houses changed since then? The recording of Welsh workers’ housing has brought to light information about how Wales changed during the Industrial Revolution and also about how families would build their own homes.

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Comisiwn Brenhinol Diwrnod Agored Manylion

2011-07-22T08:32:00.002+01:00

Diwrnod Agored
Dydd Mercher 27 Gorffennaf 2011
11:00 - 19:00
yn Adeilad y Goron, Plas Crug, Aberystwyth

• Arddangosiadau, sgyrsiau a theithiau
• Archaeoleg, pensaernïaeth a hanes lleol
• Lluniau, mapiau a darluniau
• Gweithgareddau i blant

Teithiau tywys
Taith o amgylch yr Hen Goleg a’i gyffiniau
11:30 / 15:00 - Richard Suggett

Ymweliad â’r archif - golwg tu ôl i’r llenni
12:00 / 13:45 / 15:15
Rhaid archebu lle ar y teithiau

Sgyrsiau
13:00 Toby Driver: Archaeoleg o’r Awyr yng Nghymru
14:30 Stephen Hughes: Capeli Cymru: Pensaernïaeth a Phenseiri
16:00 Gareth Edwards: Casgliadau Cofnod Henebion Cenedlaethol Cymru
17:30 Peter Wakelin: Safleoedd Treftadaeth Byd

Arddangosiadau drwy gydol y dydd
• Defnyddio awyrluniau
• Ffotograffiaeth ymchwiliol
• Modelu digidol 3D
• Ymchwilio archaeolegol a arforol
• Coflein - darganfod ein gorffennol ar-lein
• Casgliad y Werin Cymru

Mae’r holl ddigwyddiadau am ddim.
I gael gwybod rhagor ac archebu lle, cysylltwch â:
Ffôn: 01970 621200 / e-bost: chc.cymru@cbhc.gov.uk

Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru
Plas Crug, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 1NJ

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Royal Commission Open Day Details

2011-07-22T08:28:00.001+01:00

Open Day
Wednesday 27 July 2011
11:00 - 19:00
at Crown Building, Plas Crug, Aberystwyth

• Demonstrations, talks and tours
• Archaeology, architecture and local history
• Photos, maps and drawings
• Children’s activities

Guided tours
Tour of Old College and its setting
11:30 / 15:00 - Richard Suggett

Visit the archive - a look behind the scenes
12:00 / 13:45 / 15:15
Booking essential for tours

Talks
13:00 Toby Driver: Aerial Archaeology in Wales
14:30 Stephen Hughes: Welsh Chapels: Architecture and Architects
16:00 Gareth Edwards: Collections of the National Monuments Record of Wales
17:30 Peter Wakelin: World Heritage Sites

Demonstrations throughout the day
• Using aerial photography
• Investigative photography
• 3D digital modelling
• Archaeological and maritime investigation
• Coflein - discovering our past online
• People’s Collection Wales

All the events are free.
For further information and bookings please contact:
Tel: 01970 621200 / e-mail: nmr.wales@rcahmw.gov.uk

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
Plas Crug, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 1NJ

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Royal Commission Open Day 27 July 2011

2011-07-21T08:26:00.001+01:00

An early photograph c.1870 of Old College, Aberystwyth, then incorporating Castle House (demolished 1897), a marine villa designed by John Nash and completed in 1794. It was the first explicitly Picturesque house in Britain.
DI2011_0299 NPRN 23303

Come along and find out all about the work of the Royal Commission on Wednesday 27 July. In a day packed with guided tours, interesting talks, demonstrations and planned children’s activities, everyone will have the opportunity to chat with staff and discover the wealth of heritage material held in the National Monuments Record of Wales. Highlights include a guided walking tour of the Old College in Aberystwyth with survey investigator and popular historian Richard Suggett and behind the scenes tours of the archives. There are talks on Aerial Archaeology, Welsh Chapels, the Collections of the National Monuments Record of Wales and World Heritage Sites. All the events are free and everyone is welcome.

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Royal Welsh Showground Visitors Enjoying Images Of Caernarfonshire

2011-07-20T13:05:00.003+01:00

Showground-visitors to the Royal Commission's stand viewing exhibition panels.

On Monday 18 July many people visited the Royal Commission stall at the Royal Welsh Show. Throughout the day, showground-visitors came and viewed the eighteen large exhibition panels, especially created for this year’s show and based on the host county of Caernarfonshire. From stunning aerial photographs of historic landscapes and industrial sites to reconstruction drawings of houses and cottages these illustrate the huge range of images available in the National Monuments Record at the Royal Commission. Many of these images are available on Coflein, our online database www.coflein.gov.uk

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300 Visitors Joined Royal Commission Staff At The Abermagwr Open Day

2011-07-20T08:30:00.001+01:00

Visitors enjoying Toby Driver’s informative talk and a rare break from the rain!

On Saturday 16 July, over 300 visitors joined Royal Commission staff at the Open Day of Abermagwr Roman villa near Trawscoed. Throughout the day and in between torrential rain showers, they were led by Royal Commission archaeologist Toby Driver in a most enthustically presented tour of the partially excavated Romano-British villa where questions surrounding this amazing discovery were answered. Many children seized the opportunity to dig in the carefully prepared children’s trench running alongside the site of the villa. Here a number of interesting items were unearthed, including fragments of medieval pottery and some nineteenth-century porcelain. On the site of the villa itself numerous pieces of earthenware including a late Roman Black-burnished ware cooking pot from Dorset, Roman coins and even a gold bead have been found as well as many of the distinctive pentagonal stone tiles which are thought to have roofed this substantial estate-villa. Many of the exhibits are currently on show in the Ceredigion Museum.

Two enthusiastic young archaeologists proudly displaying their finds.

Further Abermagwr Links:
4th Century Roman Villa Discovered In Wales
Investigating a probable Roman villa near Aberystwyth
Rediscovering a Roman villa in mid Wales
Archaeologists Return To Abermagwr Roman Villa For New Excavation

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Royal Welsh Show - 2011 - Find Out More About The Work Of Royal Commission

2011-07-19T10:00:00.001+01:00

Bardsey Island 3D landscape

This week come and visit us at the Royal Welsh Show and find out more about the work of Royal Commission and meet the staff. Our exhibition this year includes many fascinating and unique images from our national archive and many are drawn from this year's Royal Welsh host county, Caernarfonshire. Some illustrate our specialist work on the slate industry and chapels, and others our successful ongoing partnerships with other bodies. Come and learn how to access our online information facility Coflein and discover the archaeology of your farm or view images of your local area. Staff will be on-hand all day to answer your questions.

At 2pm on Tuesday, Royal Commission 3D-landscape expert Tom Pert will be giving a talk entitled "Casgliad y Werin Cymru/People's Collection Wales- creating Wales in a website". This will focus on the huge array of digital 3D images, created through new technology and now available for everyone to view through the People's Collection Wales www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk . Everyone is welcome, so do please do come along and meet us all.

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Bardsey Island Important Place Of Pilgrimage In The Middle Ages

2011-07-08T09:13:00.000+01:00

Ynys Enlli / Bardsey Island
GTJ00234 NPRN 402783

Mae Ynys Enlli bron i ddwy filltir y tu hwnt i ben draw Llŷn. Mae yno bron 450 o aceri ac anheddiad o ryw ddeuddeg i bymtheg o dai. Arferai’r ynys fod yn gyrchfan bwysig i bererinion ac yn safle mynachlog drwy gydol yr Oesoedd Canol. Ychydig o’r fynachlog sydd i’w weld heblaw adfeilion y tŵr. Rhwng 1870 a 1875 fe ailgodwyd y ffermydd ac maent yn enghreifftiau diddorol o gynllunio amaethyddol. Cynlluniwyd y goleudy gan Joseph Nelson a chwblhawyd ei godi yn 1821.

The island of Bardsey, or Ynys Enlli, lies nearly two miles off the extreme west end of Llŷn. The total area is nearly 450 acres with a settlement of twelve to fifteen houses. The island was an important place of pilgrimage and monastic settlement throughout the middle ages. Apart from a ruined tower, little remains visible of the monastery. Between 1870 and 1875 the farms were rebuilt and are interesting examples of agricultural planning. The prominent lighthouse designed by Joseph Nelson was completed in 1821.

Related Bardsey Island blog link:
Bardsey Island & Its Remarkable History

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Archaeologists Return To Abermagwr Roman Villa For New Excavation

2011-07-05T08:11:00.001+01:00

Public open day planned at the most north-westerly Roman villa in Wales.

Abermagwr Roman villa excavations 2010: later stone robbing removed the upper stone walls of the villa, but the clay and stone packed foundations survive well. They can be seen in this view.

Archaeologists Toby Driver and Jeffrey Davies are to return to the excavation of the Abermagwr Roman villa near Trawsgoed, Aberystwyth, to attempt to solve some unanswered questions. For two weeks in mid July, last year’s excavation trench will be re-opened and enlarged so that archaeologists can learn more of the buried Roman villa and its surrounding courtyard.

And as part of the Festival of British Archaeology, the public will be able to visit the site on Saturday 16th July to look at Roman finds, enjoy site tours and try their hand at surveying. There will even be a children’s trench where archaeological skills can be learnt, weather permitting of course.

Roman villas were high-status homes of wealthy landowners which sat at the heart of a farming estate. They are common throughout southern England and south Wales, but rare in mid and west Wales. The nearby Trawsgoed Roman fort, excavated by Dr Jeffrey Davis in the 1980s, was abandoned around AD 130. The Abermagwr villa dates to the late 200s and early 300s AD. The discovery of the most north-westerly Roman villa in Wales, dating to the third and fourth centuries AD, has forced archaeologists to re-think the whole nature of Roman settlement across mid and north Wales.

Abermagwr Roman villa. Reconstruction drawing of how the villa may have appeared, standing within a cobbled farmyard (Crown Copyright RCAHMW).

Toby Driver, an archaeologist with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales in Aberystwyth, explained the significance of the discovery.

“ The late Roman villa at Abermagwr is really a very special discovery for mid and west Wales. It is Ceredigion’s first Roman villa, and the site of Ceredigion’s earliest known slate roof. Nothing else like the Abermagwr Roman villa exists in mid and north-west Wales although there must be other similar sites awaiting discovery. The finds from the site show the incredible Roman supply network which existed 1700 years ago. Abermagwr has produced fragments of a Spanish olive oil jar, and coinage minted in southern France and Germany. The finds can still be seen as part of a special display in the Ceredigion Museum, Aberystwyth.”

Abermagwr Roman villa. A late Roman coin from the villa

“We are very grateful to local landowner Huw Tudor for allowing us to return to the site. Last year we had site visits from the three local primary schools, and around 300 visitors came to see us excavating over the two week dig. It is exciting to have an open day planned this year on the 16th July, between 10am-3pm. It will be a chance for the people of Ceredigion to see history being unearthed.”

The 2011 excavations are supported by the Royal Commission and Dyfed Archaeological Trust, with funding from the Department of Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, the Cambrian Archaeological Association, Society of Antiquaries, and the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies.

Further information and contact details:
The Abermagwr site can be found on the Royal Commissions’ online database, www.coflein.gov.uk . Search for ‘Abermagwr Roman villa’ in the Quick Search option. The Internet can be searched for ‘Abermagwr villa’ - there are lots of references and articles already online from its initial discovery in 2009. Alternatively, contact Toby Driver on 01970 621207 or toby.driver@rcahmw.gov.uk

Further Abermagwr Links:
4th Century Roman Villa Discovered In Wales
Investigating a probable Roman villa near Aberystwyth
Rediscovering a Roman villa in mid Wales

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Swyddi Gwag - Uwch Bensaer/Syrfëwr Cadwraeth

2011-07-01T17:14:00.004+01:00

Hysbyseb swydd

Uwch Bensaer/Syrfëwr Cadwraeth

2 swydd yn Nantgarw (ger Caerdydd) a Gogledd Cymru

Cyflog yn dechrau ar £34,000 gan godi i £42,000 y flwyddyn.

Cadw yw gwasanaeth amgylchedd hanesyddol Llywodraeth Cymru. Mae’r swyddi hyn yn gyfle arbennig i chwarae rhan flaenllaw i gadw ac i hybu treftadaeth eithriadol Cymru.

Mae’r swyddi uwch hyn yn y gangen Eiddo mewn Gofal wrth galon gwaith Cadw i warchod ei safleoedd yn ôl y safon orau sy’n bosibl ac i sicrhau bod y safleoedd yn lleoedd diogel, hwylus a difyr i ymweld â nhw. Bydd y ddau ddeiliad swydd yn arwain tîm amlddisgyblaeth o staff arbenigol mewn dylunio a gwaith cadwraeth, gan gynnwys timau o grefftwyr cadwraeth ledled Cymru, ac yn cydweithio’n agos â chydweithwyr sy’n gyfrifol am wasanaethau i ymwelwyr, dehongli a gwaith gwarchod archaeoleg. Bydd y naill swydd yn gyfrifol am safleoedd Cadw yn y De a’r llall yn gyrifol am safleoedd yn y Gogledd.

Mae’r rôl yn gofyn am bensaer neu syrfëwr profiadol sydd â chymwysterau proffesiynol a phrofiad o gadwraeth a henebion. Swyddi ym Mand Rheoli 1 y Gwasanaeth Sifil yw’r rhain. Cynigir cyflog cychwynnol rhwng £34,000 a £42,000 i’r ymgeiswyr llwyddiannus a hynny ar sail eu sgiliau, eu gwybodaeth, eu profiad a’u perfformiad yn y cyfweliad. Does dim modd negodi ynghylch yr amrediad cyflog.

I wneud cais, ewch i www.cymru.gov.uk/recruitment
Ffacs 029 2082 5454 E-bost hr-helpdesk@cymru.gsi.gov.uk

I gael rhagor o wybodaeth am Cadw ac am y swydd hon,
ewch i www.cadw.cymru.gov.uk neu ffoniwch 01443 336083

Y dyddiad cau 25 Gorffennaf 2011

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Job Vacancies - Senior Conservation Architect/Surveyor

2011-07-01T17:13:00.001+01:00

Job advert

Senior Conservation Architect/Surveyor

2 posts based in Nantgarw (near Cardiff) and north Wales

Salary starting at £34,000 and rising to £42,000 per annum.

Cadw is the Welsh Government’s historic environment service. These vacancies provide a special opportunity to play a leading role in conserving and promoting the outstanding heritage of Wales.

These senior posts in the Properties in Care branch are at the heart of Cadw’s work to conserve its sites to the best possible standard and to ensure that the sites are safe, accessible and stimulating places to visit. Each postholder will lead a multi-disciplinary team of conservation design and works specialist staff, including teams of conservation craft workers based across Wales, and working closely with colleagues responsible for visitor services, interpretation and archaeological protection. One post will be responsible for Cadw sites in south Wales and the other for sites in north Wales.

The role requires an experienced professional qualified architect or surveyor with conservation and ancient monument experience. These posts are in the Civil Service Management Band 1. A starting salary between £34,000 and £42,000 will be offered to the successful candidate based on their skills, knowledge and experience and performance at interview. This range is not negotiable.

To apply please visit www.wales.gov.uk/recruitment
Fax 029 2082 5454 Email hr-helpdesk@wales.gsi.gov.uk

For more information about Cadw and this role go to
www.cadw.wales.gov.uk or phone 01443 336083

Closing date 25 July 2011

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Swydd Wag - Cyfarwyddwr Cynorthwyol Eiddo mewn Gofal

2011-07-01T15:22:00.001+01:00

Hysbyseb swydd

Cyfarwyddwr Cynorthwyol Eiddo mewn Gofal

Swyddfa yn Nantgarw (ger Caerdydd)

Cyflog yn dechrau ar £54,500 gan godi i £66,800 y flwyddyn.

Cadw yw gwasanaeth amgylchedd hanesyddol Llywodraeth Cymru. Mae’r swydd hon yn gyfle prin i chwarae rhan flaenllaw i gadw a hybu treftadaeth eithriadol Cymru.

Mae deiliad y swydd yn rhan o’r tîm uwch-reolwyr sy’n cyfeirio camau i ddiogelu, cadw a hybu dealltwriaeth o’r amgylchedd hanesyddol. Dyma rôl allweddol wrth galon Cadw, yn arwain tîm amlddisgyblaeth ddawnus ac yn cydweithio â phartneriaid ledled Cymru ac yn wir yn rhyngwladol.

Ar gyfer y rôl hon mae angen pensaer neu syrfëwr sydd â chymwysterau proffesiynol a phrofiad arwyddocaol o henebion a’r hygrededd i roi hyder i’r bobl y mae Cadw’n gweithio gyda nhw. Swydd ym Mand Rheoli 1 y Gwasanaeth Sifil yw hon. Cynigir cyflog cychwynnol rhwng £54,500 a £66,800 i’r ymgeisydd llwyddiannus a hynny ar sail ei sgiliau, ei wybodaeth, ei brofiad a’i berfformiad yn y cyfweliad. Does dim modd negodi ynghylch yr amrediad cyflog.

I wneud cais, ewch i www.cymru.gov.uk/recruitment
Ffacs 029 2082 5454
E-bost hr-helpdesk@cymru.gsi.gov.uk

I gael rhagor o wybodaeth am Cadw ac am y swydd
hon, ewch i www.cadw.cymru.gov.uk neu ffoniwch
01443 336083

Y dyddiad cau 25 Gorffennaf 2011

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Job Vacancy - Assistant Director Properties in Care

2011-07-01T15:22:00.000+01:00

Job advert

Assistant Director Properties in Care

Based in Nantgarw (near Cardiff)

Salary starting at £54,500 and rising to £66,800 per annum.

Cadw is the Welsh Government’s historic environment service. This vacancy provides a rare opportunity to play a leading role in conserving and promoting the outstanding heritage of Wales.

This post is part of the senior management team which directs action to protect, preserve and promote understanding of the historic environment. Leading a talented multi-disciplinary team and working with partners across Wales and indeed internationally, this is a key role at the heart of Cadw.

This role requires a professionally qualified architect or surveyor with significant experience of monument conservation and the credibility to give confidence to the people Cadw works with. The post is in the Civil Service Executive Band 1. A starting salary between £54,500 and £66,800 will be offered to the successful candidate based on their skills, knowledge and experience and performance at interview. This range is not negotiable.

To apply please visit www.wales.gov.uk/recruitment
Fax 029 2082 5454
Email hr-helpdesk@wales.gsi.gov.uk

For more information about Cadw and this
role go to www.cadw.wales.gov.uk or phone
01443 336083

Closing date 25 July 2011

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Herbert Luck North: Arts and Crafts Architecture for Wales

2011-06-29T09:36:00.000+01:00

Herbert Luck North: Arts and Crafts Architecture for Wales

Herbert Luck North: Arts and Crafts Architecture for Wales
By Adam Voelcker, 2011.
Published by Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
April 2011
ISBN: 978-1-871184-41-9
Price: £14.95
Postage: £0.00
Buy Herbert Luck North: Arts and Crafts Architecture for Wales

Review of Contents

Herbert Luck North: Arts and Crafts Architecture for Wales by Adam Voelcker with a forward by HRH The Prince of Wales, published by The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, paperback, 136pp, £14.95.

This book explores the beautiful and inspiring buildings of the Arts and Crafts architect Herbert Luck North (1871-1941). Although less well known than the architects with whom he began his career, J. D. Sedding and Edwin Luytens, North was an outstanding designer of humane buildings that were sensitively grounded in their local environments. He took an early interest in vernacular building traditions, writing two pioneering books on Snowdonia churches and houses, and he absorbed into his own design work distinctive regional details, the use of local materials and a keen sense of how buildings could complement the landscape. He had a direct or indirect influence on a number of Welsh architects, and his thoughtful, modest and sensitive approach, so lovingly expressed in this new book, still has the power to inspire.

Herbert Luck North: Arts and Crafts Architecture for Wales is superbly illustrated with specially-commissioned photography and ground-plans as well as historical photographs and North’s handsome original drawings. It will enable an understanding of this significant architect’s legacy for the first time, and allow more people to appreciate the richness of his contribution to our built heritage.

CONTENTS
Forward by HRH The Prince of Wales
Preface
Introduction
Early Life: 1871-1898
Early Projects 1898-1900
Domestic Work 1900-1940
Church Work
Other Work
North's Legacy
Notes and References
UK map
Chronological List of Selected Works
Herbert Luck North Collection
Bibliography
Index

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Book Launch at the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC)

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Book Launch at the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC)

2011-06-24T15:33:00.001+01:00

The Royal Commission’s latest work Herbert Luck North: Arts and Crafts Architecture for Wales written by Adam Voelcker, was launched at the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) conference held at the St George hotel in Llandudno on Friday June 17. The previous evening delegates from the conference were taken on a guided tour by the author of some of the distinctive houses that North designed in Llanfairfechan, including his home, Wern Isaf, where he lived from 1901 until his death in 1940. The book covers all aspects of North’s life and career and is profusely illustrated with original plans, designs, photographs and other archive material and also contains a gazetteer of the buildings North designed, including many that never got built. The National Monuments Record of Wales holds many of his original drawings and plans which can be viewed at our reading room in Aberystwyth.

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Royal Commission films with Ray Mears on Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire

2011-06-20T12:42:00.000+01:00

Toby Driver filming with Ray Mears inside a prehistoric hut on the southern side of Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire.

The Royal Commission has been getting some insight into prehistoric ways of life and survival on an off-shore island from the expert – Ray Mears. As part of the Skomer Island project, where the Royal Commission is working with partners to map and understand the well-preserved prehistoric houses and fields, we were invited to film with Ray Mears for his new television series Wild Britain, due to be aired on ITV in autumn 2011.

Filming inside one of the best preserved Iron Age huts on the south of the island, which is still accessible to visitors, Ray was fascinated to hear how a combination of aerial photography, airborne laser scanning and detailed ground survey is allowing the Royal Commission to develop a new understanding of the ways that Skomer was settled and farmed in later prehistory.

However, Ray’s international knowledge of the ways that modern tribes and peoples live off the land brought new insight some aspects of Skomer’s prehistory. Ray reminded Toby Driver that Burdock root was a common cultivated vegetable before potatoes came to the British Isles, and an important part of prehistoric diets; it still grows on the island today and may once have formed a staple crop. He also discussed the need for managed woodland on the island in prehistory, which would have provided not only a renewable source of straight poles for building and fencing, but also hazel nuts in the autumn which were a valuable source of prehistoric protein. Current blank areas in the prehistoric fields may show where permanent managed woodland was located.

Ray was particularly taken with some recent finds of stone tools from Skomer, collected from the ground surface during survey work this spring. Properly recorded prehistoric finds from Skomer are lacking, so these rare finds will be carefully studied and catalogued before being placed in a museum. Ray liked a hand-sized rubbing stone, collected from the prehistoric fields on the northern part of the island and doubtless used with a quern stone to grind corn to make flour. He noted that Aboriginal examples of rubbing stones can be passed down many generations as a family tool. He also like a small flint ‘burin’, manufactured from a flint beach pebble, which is a pointed tool held between thumb and forefinger. It was found along with other flints on an eroding headland on the north-west of the island. Some burins may have been used to pierce holes in leather, but Ray thought that this one was just the right shape to cut needles from animal shin bones; the Inuit people of the Arctic still use similar tools today.

A probable prehistoric rubbing stone, perhaps used to grind grain on a quern stone, collected from prehistoric fields on the northern part of Skomer Island during Royal Commission fieldwork in 2011.

Work continues by the Royal Commission during 2011/12 to make a new map of Skomer Island’s prehistoric fields, working from specially-flown airborne laser scanning data or LIDAR from the Environment Agency. Find out more about Skomer Island in prehistory at www.coflein.gov.uk . ‘Quicksearch’ for Skomer.

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Gwent Family History Society Open Day - Cwmbran

2011-06-14T10:38:00.000+01:00

Gwent Family History Society Open Day, Cwmbran

On Saturday 11th June 2011, the Royal Commission attended the Gwent Family History Society Open Day in Cwmbran where we helped genealogists find images and information on where their ancestors lived, worked and worshipped.

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Surveying a 19th Century Manganese Mine

2011-06-10T07:58:00.000+01:00

RCAHMW Investigator Spencer Smith carrying out a GPS Survey of a Manganese Mine on Mynydd Nodol, Arenig, Bala.

The Atlanterra Project have been surveying a 19th Century Manganese Mine on Mynydd Nodol, Arenig, Bala. The survey is amplifying work carried out by the Uplands Survey and will produce a detailed plan of the workings and associated infrastructure.

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Garth Point Pier - Site Details Online Images Associated Sites & Records

2011-06-09T08:45:00.000+01:00

RCAHMW colour slide oblique aerial photograph of Bangor Garth Pier, Bangor, 2004.
DI2005_0811 NPRN: 34150

Stretching over 460m across the Menai Straits, Garth Point Pier is the longest surviving pier in Wales. Originally built for pleasure steamers, it was constructed in steel and cast-iron in 1896 by J.J. Webster of London and the contractor was Alfred Thorne of London. It was damaged by a ship in 1914 and was closed in 1971, but re-opened in ...
Read full site description of Garth Point Pier on Coflein - Discovering Our Past Online

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Read more: Garth Point Pier www.coflein.gov.uk
Online Images (10)
Associated Collection Records (21)

Coflein is the NMRW's public online database, searchable geographically through Ordnance Survey maps or by text queries.

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