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Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Cymdeithas Aberaeron, Darlithiau Gaeaf 2011/12
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
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
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
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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Monday, 7 November 2011
Local People Help To Reveal Wartime Secrets Of Ynyslas Military Research Establishment
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| 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.
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.
Subscribe to the Heritage of Wales News and sign up for the full feed RSS, just click this RRS button and subscribe!
The remains comprise a former top secret missile fuel research facility – Ministry of Supply Experimental Establishment Anti-Aircraft Ynyslas.
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| 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.
Subscribe to the Heritage of Wales News and sign up for the full feed RSS, just click this
RRS button and subscribe! Friday, 4 November 2011
Caravan Catastrophe Brings To Light World War II Gun Emplacement
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| An aerial photograph taken on 27 April 1942 |
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:
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Pembrokeshire, Wales and the Sea
| 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.
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| 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.
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.
Subscribe to the Heritage of Wales News and sign up for the full feed RSS, just click this
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Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Inside Welsh Homes - Rarely-seen Photographs and Drawings
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.
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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| 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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Friday, 28 October 2011
Wrexham’s Landmark Chimney Sold on Ebay
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| 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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Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Local History Book Fair - Swansea Museum - Saturday 29 October 2011
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| 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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Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Burry Holms Excavation - Newly Catalogued Collection
Burry Holms Excavation Archive: Ref. No. BHEA
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.
Subscribe to the Heritage of Wales News and sign up for the full feed RSS, just click this RRS button and subscribe!
Also find us on:
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| RCAHMW drawing showing plan of Burry Holms Monastic Site, Llangennith, published in Glamorgan I, iii, fig 5. |
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.
Subscribe to the Heritage of Wales News and sign up for the full feed RSS, just click this
RRS button and subscribe! Also find us on:
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