Tiny Castle, Big Impact – St. Quentins Castle

St. Quentins has many names. You say St. Quentins and I say St Quintin’s. It’s also known as Llanblethian, and Castell Llanfleiddan. It sits in what appears to be a quiet, out of the way village in Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Wales.

It’s thought to have started out as a ringwork with a bank and ditch in around 1102 with the stonework being added in the late 12th century and then reinforced in the early 14th by the Earl Gilbert de Clare. However, Gilbert was killed before the castle was completed, and because the castle lacks certain features, it is possible that the building work was discontinued as a result of the Earl’s death. By 1740 it was was said to be in a ruinous state.

The gatehouses did see some use as a prison in the 15th century and was briefly occupied as a dwelling in 1820.

Strata Florida Abbey – ‘Valley of Flowers’

Abaty Ystrad Fflur in the Welsh tongue. This former Cistercian abbey, just outside Pontrhydfendigaid, near Tregaron in the county of Ceredigion, Wales was founded in 1146 by the Cambro-Norman Knight Robert FitzStephen. The name Strata Florida is a Latinisation of the Welsh Ystrad Fflur which means ‘Valley of Flowers’.

Strata Florida controlled many farms throughout Wales; these “granges” provided the monastery with food and income.

In 1401, during Owain Glyndŵr’s rebellion, Strata Florida Abbey was taken by King Henry IV and his son. The monks, sympathetic to Glyndŵr, were evicted and the monastery plundered. It was then turned into a military base. It was returned to the Cistercians with the end of the rebellion.

Caerleon Amphitheatre.

Wolf Nipple Chips! Get ’em While They’re Hot, They’re Lovely! Monty Python quotes aside, this is the location of a Roman legionary fortress or castra and the headquarters for Legio II Augusta from about 75 to 300 AD. That’s Augustus’ Second Legion to the likes of you and me. And where you have soldiers you need to have entertainment. Apparently, subduing the indigenous population just wasn’t entertaining enough and their company clearly wasn’t that good. Probably because they didn’t want to be subdued. (The locals were revolting) Cinema hadn’t been invented yet and so instead, in around 90 AD they built an Amphitheatre with seating for around 6,000 spectators. The word Amphitheatre isn’t even Roman but instead comes from the Greek (amphi), meaning “on both sides” or “around” and (théātron), meaning “place for viewing”. That’s the trouble with the Romans. If it isn’t nailed down, they would have it away.

Haverfordwest Priory

A Priory of Augustinian Canons Regular on the banks of the Western Cleddau at Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, thought to date to the late 12th or early 13th centuries. Between 1983 to 1996 the site was excavated revealing the outlines of buildings and unearthing a unique medieval garden with raised beds.

A River, a major road and a railway line now flank the Priory. It was probably a major route at the time being so close to the river and the valley bottom.

What did the Romans Ever Do For Us? Caerwent Roman Town (Venta Silurum)

If you happen to be bimbling along the lovely leafy lanes of Monmouthshire in Wales, you might just happen across Caerwent Roman Town, also known as Venta Silurum.

It was established by the Romans in around AD 75 as an administrative centre for the defeated Silures tribe in Roman Wales.

Venta Silurum seems to mean “Market town of the Silures” As you can see there are plenty of ruins to explore, including the town walls and the foundations of a number of buildings.

The site even boasts a Norman Motte. It has a bit of everything we love!