Tŷ Newydd Burial Chamber.

 

Tŷ Newydd burial chamber although ruined, is still a good example of a megalithic dolmen. 

Set on a natural outcrop it would originally have been covered with a mound or cairn 

now marked out by the small bollards that surround it.

Visit Date May 2023

Click on image for a larger version.

Ty-Newydd has a massive cracked capstone, about 4.0m by 1.8m and up to 1.2m thick, that rests on three of the four remaining uprights. The Capstone is likely to have originally been wider as part of the southern edge has broken off.

The chamber was originally part of a passage grave. One theory is that the tomb was originally similar to Bryn Celli Ddu (the subject of a later blog), with a second chamber joined to the first by a passage, and the entire tomb was covered by a large earth mound which was later removed.

Early reports claim that the second larger chamber existed close by, this has long since been broken up and carried away as has any surface evidence of a covering stone cairn so it is impossible to establish the original layout of the site although several small concrete markers around the chamber hint at the possible extent.

It is said to have once been enclosed by a circular wall about 32m in diameter and this may reflect the form of the cairn.

The huge tilted capstone is split and is now partly supported by brickwork and concrete. This does distract from the natural beauty of this site however one suspects that without this intervention the capstone would now be on the ground.

There is a photo in 'The Ancient Stones of Wales' by Barber and Williams, which purports to show Ty Newydd in 1900, with the capstone resting on 3 uprights, without all the modern brickwork.

The chamber was excavated in August 1935 by Charles Phillips.

There was a lot of charcoal, suggesting evidence of a large fire that formed this thick layer of charcoal as well as a quantity of quartz.

There were no human remains found at the site however the finds included five flint flakes, a burnt flint arrowhead, a small chip from a polished flint axe, and some small fragments of pottery. Phillips believed that the pottery fragments were from the Beaker culture, suggesting a Bronze Age reuse of this earlier Neolithic monument.

More recently, prehistoric artwork termed ‘cup marks’ have been detected on the capstone.

Footer:Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
53.23592779682485, -4.482380635799995

Google search term:
I have had a few problems with google maps trying to locate the exact place by description so please use the google reference above.

What Three Words reference: -
///overgrown.broke.slings

OS Details: -
SH 34422 73862 Altitude:115 ft

Additional information.

Visiting is relatively easy.
There is a turn off to an unnamed road off the A4080
It traveling north the entrance to the field is on the right hand side and is has a ancient monument signpost and information board.
There is a small layby (53.23661829013594, -4.485084849839341).

There are no facilities here.

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Cenarth Falls

 

Cenarth is a small village on the border of Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire. 

The focus of the village is Cenarth Falls, a series of small waterfalls and pools

 on the river Teifi known as The Salmon Leaps.

Visit Date September 2023

The waterfalls are one of the first real barriers to salmon and seatrout on their way up the Teifi from the sea to spawn.

There has been a mill on the south bank of the river at Cenarth since the 13th century when Cenarth Mill came into the possession of Edward I when he became Lord of the Manor of Cenarth.

The mill holds a secret in its base. There is a trap door in the floor and it is said that the miller would open the door and catch the salmon that were leaping there. The catching of salmon here was illegal but despite this, there was a lot of poaching of the fish, especially at night.

Light round boats, called coracles here in Wales, would often be seen on the river in the autumn nights with their occupants poaching the fish.

As well as the falls at Cenarth the other main feature of this small town is the bridge over the River Teifi at Cenarth that joins two counties, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion and has existed at least since 1188 when it was mentioned in the writings of Gerald of Wales.(a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively).

The design includes two cylindrical holes 6 ft (1.8 m) in diameter, one on either side of the central span. The holes were included in the design while reducing the overall weight of the structure they also allow floodwaters to pass through them, instead of going over the top of the bridge: In these images, the water appears to flow under the southern arch only however, when in full flood the Teifi flows through all three arches.

This feature was used by Edwards's father William, who used six holes in the Old Bridge at Pontypridd to reduce the weight and pressure on the centre section.

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Google Reference: -
52.04573152490105, -4.524292938371246


Google search term:
Cenarth Falls

What Three Words reference: -
///shows.riper.correctly

OS Details: -
SN 27008 41592 Altitude:40 ft

Additional information.

Visiting Cenarth falls and bridge is very easy.
There is lots of parking here right on the river bank. (52.04578729006762, -4.525187301082359).


There are shops toilets and a very nice cafe adjacent to the car park other also other amenities close by.

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Faces in the Woods II

This is the second installment of  "Faces in the woods".

New sculptures have been added in a different part of the woods.

No history or legend behind this post only this to say. 

A walk through my local woods revealed that someone had 

taken the time to carve many faces on what looks like 

drift wood and then fixed them on the trees along the pathway.

I don't know who did this or the story behind the sculptures 

but it's a pleasing sight as you walk through the woods known 

locally as Bedford park or more correctly the older name of

 "The Waun"

Visit Date April 2023

Google Reference: -

Between 51.53900948128378, -3.651105732511936

and 

51.53836570213274, -3.637004249173509

What Three Words reference: -

Between ///storybook.exile.trend and ///basics.stores.knots

OS Details: -

Between SS 85494 83592 Altitude: 65 m

and 

SS 86564 83431 Altitude:  75 m

Additional information.

The above information is the two ends of the pathway of the woods.

There is good parking here (51.53821306322769, -3.654298149309796) at Bedford park.

It is a very easy walk through the woods.

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Burry Port Lighthouse

Burry Port is a small coastal town in the South of Wales.

The harbour was built in the early 1830s and was the main port for exporting coal from the surrounding areas.

The Harbour initially was named the Pembrey New Harbour and was a larger upgrade

 to the smaller harbour just along the coast.

The harbour's name was changed by an act of parliament in 1835 to Burry Port Harbour

 and thus gave the name to the Town of Burry Port.

Visit Date August 2020

Today the harbour has been developed into the local Marina and also houses the lifeboat station.

The lighthouse was built in 1842 and was restored in the mid 1990's by Llanelli Borough Training, with the support of the Burry Port Yacht Club with Trinity House*** supplying the lantern for the structure which was officially reopened on 9th February 1996 by the Mayor of Llanelli.

The lighthouse is quite small with its walls being just 24ft high with the gallery and lantern on top.

The lantern light is visible for 15 miles and is an important landmark for the marina.

***Trinity House is a charity dedicated to safeguarding shipping and seafarers, providing education, support and welfare to the seafaring community with a statutory duty as a General Lighthouse Authority to deliver a reliable, efficient and cost-effective aids to navigation service for the benefit and safety of all mariners.

Burry Port harbour was the landing place for the first crossing of the Atlantic by a woman please see my post:-

Amelia Earhart and Burry Port

Footer:Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.677500723894276, -4.2512000337731735


Google search term:
Burry Port Lighthouse

What Three Words reference: -
///kilt.origins.dynamics

OS Details: -
SN 44449 00034

Additional information.

Visiting Burry Port is very easy.
There is lots of parking here, with the closest being the harbour car park (51.680651095461656, -4.2513750336966005).


There are lots of shops toilets and other amenities close by.

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Grove Colliery

In 1849, after the establishing iron furnaces at Kilgetty 

the Pembrokeshire Iron and Coal Company 

considered the possiblity of sinking a new pit at Grove

 to mine the Kilgetty anthracite vein and provide

 anthracite to the ironworks.

Visit Date October 2023

The Pithead and Shaft

The pit would have to be sunk to a depth of 182 metres to reach the vein.

The final decision was taken around 1852 and the new pit was started and opened some time later. When the pit finally started producing coal the Ironworks was in one of its production phases.

The Pithead and Shaft

The pit, being very close to the ironworks was to be linked underground to the workings of the older Kilgetty Colliery, which it drained. It had a tramway link directly to the Ironworks and was also connected to the Saundersfoot Railway.

The shaft was described in 1859 as the largest in Wales.

Coal from Grove was not exclusively used in the ironworks but was also taken by the Saundersfoot Railway to be sold for use elsewhere.

Inside view of Pithead

The Grove Colliery was later finally connected to Kilgetty Colliery via an underground tunnel.

Grove Colliery had its' own Smithy, Carpenters' shop and Stables which housed the pit ponies.

The associated ironworks finally ceased production in 1877 and a few years later coal extraction had ceased at Grove but the 274-horsepower Cornish Beam Pumping Engine was retained for pumping water until its' final abandonment in 1900."

The Cornish Engine House

It is reported that there remains a fully equipped stable at the foot of the shaft.

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Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.731820524163666, -4.696051707193539

What Three Words reference: -
///jets.demanding.losing

OS Details: -
SN 13918 07112 WAltitude:58 m

Additional information.

There is parking here for a a dozen cars or so and the place is easy to visit.
The site is now alongside a Holiday Park

Off the A477 the turning marked for Stepaside, Wisemans bridge and Amroth. Then follow the brown heritage signs for the ironworks.
Then look for direction to the pit.

There are no facilities at the site.

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Kilgetty Ironworks

 

Also known as Stepaside Ironworks, Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire

Like many ironworks in Wales, the works at Kilgetty 

did not provide much iron during its 

intermittent operational years.

Visit Date October 2023

Iconic image of Kilgetty Ironworks

Following the successful introduction of anthracite smelting at Ynyscedwyn in 1836, Kilgetty Ironworks were established in 1848-49 by Charles Ranken Vickermann, a London solicitor, to exploit the local anthracite coal and haematite deposits.

The Cast House.

The ore was obtained largely from levels driven in the cliffs between Saundersfoot and Amroth and transported by the branch line of the Saundersfoot Railway.

The Blowing and winding engine houses

Known then by the name Pembrokeshire Iron and Coal Company by 1853 the works were at a standstill.

The Furnace Wall

In 1853 Grove Colliery was sunk just above the ironworks to provide fuel (This will be added in a further post), however production of both coal and iron was intermittent until 1859.

 

Kilns

The site's fortunes continued to be bleak and by 1862 the works were again at a standstill.

The Coke Ovens

Revived once again in 1863 five further years of poor production resulted in the complex being sold in 1873 to Bonville's Court Coal and Iron Company.

Internal detail of Coke Ovens

In its final stage, the Iron Works consisted of 2 blast furnaces, blowing engines, coke ovens, workshops and lime kilns, however, no pig iron was produced after 1874 and work ceased in 1877.

Calcining Kilns

The property and plant were auctioned in 1878. Vickermann was the successful (in fact the only) bidder.

Remains of the Smithy

The works were dismantled in 1887-89. The chimney stack above the furnaces was eventually demolished in 1909.

Additional information: Also known as Stepaside Ironworks. Stepaside is a small holiday village and Information signs at Stepaside state that Stepaside got its name when Oliver Cromwell and his army passed through on their way to Pembroke. Cromwell is reported to have asked people in his way to step aside.

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Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.73398913017965, -4.693719186700272

Google Search term:
Kilgetty Ironworks

What Three Words reference: -
///broth.polka.verge

OS Details: -
SN 14087 07355 Altitude:14 m

Additional information.

There is parking here for a a dozen cars or so and the place is easy to visit.
The site is now alongside a Holiday Park

Off the A477 the turning marked for Stepaside, Wisemans bridge and Amroth. Then follow the brown heritage signs for the ironworks.

There are no facilities at the site.






A full list of blogs can be found at my website

Read More