58. Caerphilly and Surrounds - UK

Caerphilly

We caught a train to Caerphilly to meet up with Max's cousin, Kaye, who hadn't seen each other for over 50 years. It was great for Max to have another family meet-up.




Max with Kaye's doggy, Ben.


The Welsh part of the family reunion is complete with Ben.
Cousin Kaye, Second cousin Glenys, and Max.



(Max: This was taken outside my (and Kaye's) grandparents' house in Bargoed. They'd had it built and I have fond memories of part of my childhood there.)


Llancaiach Fawr Manor - Nelson 

Kaye was kind enough to take us to the Llancaiach Fawr Manor which is a Tudor manor house in the heart of the Rhymney Valley in South Wales. The semi-fortified house was built on the site of an earlier medieval structure, either on top of the previous dwelling or possibly incorporated within the eastern end of that building. 


The Manor is considered to be one of the most important gentry houses to have survived from the 16th and 17th century period. It was home to a magistrate at the time and petty crimes were dealt with in a courtroom within the house. It is now open to visitors as a living history museum and the staff were in costume and character throughout the tour.

The Family Room.  This fellow was good at his job and, in character, took us through a great deal of history.


The Court Room.


The Kitchen.




The impressive Caerphilly castle is reputed to be the second biggest in Europe.


One of the towers came away from the main structure in the 17th century, but still manages to stand mostly upright.


A view of the courtyard.


One of the bedrooms


A beautiful tapestry tells stories of three key women of the time.


Left Panel.


Middle Panel.


Right Panel.


Max and I took stock of the situation.



Had a lovely lunch out with Kaye, her daughter, Lana and Lana's hubby, Rhys in a local Caerphilly hotel. We look forward to seeing them all again soon!


We have found more places to visit around the area before heading to Surrey. I'll include pics in the next post.


Comments

  1. Dianne WatsonAugust 2, 2023 at 4:49 AM

    Looks like your having a great time guys , xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Annie ClarkAugust 2, 2023 at 5:33 AM

      amazing guys, and to see your respective heads and necks in the wooden surrounds, just a little disconcerting to say the least xxx tough times in our history for humans xoxox

      Delete
  2. Mary Lawrence August 6, 2023 at 12:31 AM

    Fabulous pics, as per usual! And how lovely for Max to have caught up with family.

    ReplyDelete
  3. NataliaAugust 7, 2023 at 5:33 AM

    How lovely is your reunion ❤️.
    Loving learning about the history

    ReplyDelete

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