Graham WatkinsOct 30, 20212 minThe Smallest HouseQueen Elizabeth I was on the throne when a rather unusual house was built in Conwy. To keep the cost down, the builder wanted a site...
Graham WatkinsDec 2, 20204 minGnoll Belvedere - A Story of Welsh Coal, Copper and Corruption.Sir Humphrey Mackworth was an industrialist, lawyer and fraudster who studied the scriptures in his spare time. He was educated at...
Graham WatkinsOct 23, 20203 minThe Mad King's Monument.King George III, the first Hanoverian king of Britain who spoke English as his main language, had been on the throne for nearly forty...
Graham WatkinsOct 14, 20204 minPaxton's Tower, a nabob's revenge.There is a strange looking gothic tower standing high above the Towy valley between Carmarthen and Llandeilo which was built by a...
Graham WatkinsAug 18, 20202 minTŷ Castell - Castle or Cow Shed.The Elizabethan country house, Nercwys Hall, was built by John Wynn in the 1638. Wynn, a wealthy gentleman left the estate to his son...
Graham WatkinsMar 17, 20206 minWhy is a lighthouse or is it a clock tower in the middle of a Cardiff boating lake?"I am just going outside and may be some time.” Captain Lawrence (Titus) Oates 17th March 1912 In 1909, a young naval lieutenant named...
Graham WatkinsDec 15, 20193 minCilwendeg Shell House - Built with profits from a shining light.When William Trench visited a group of islands off the coast of Anglesey known as The Skerries he came up with a money making idea. The...
Graham WatkinsNov 3, 20192 minCrow’s Nest Farm - Is Your Home Really Your Castle?In 1760, the Prime Minister, William Pitt, stated. ‘The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the force of the Crown. It may...
Graham WatkinsOct 6, 20193 minOrielton Banqueting Tower - Doesn't everyone need one?Once a grand three storey building, Orielton Banqueting Tower, now stands alone and neglected in the south western corner of Wales. The...
Graham WatkinsJul 28, 20194 minThe Kymin - A folly of voluptuary and gluttonyA painting of Philip Meakins Hardwick, in Monmouthshire Museum, portrays him as a portly gentleman who clearly enjoyed his food. During...
Graham WatkinsJun 18, 20196 minThomas Picton - Welsh Hero or MonsterThomas Picton - Welsh Hero or Monster; you decide.
Graham WatkinsJun 2, 20194 minNantyglo Roundhouses - Riots, masters and men.In the 19th Century, the South Wales valleys underwent dramatic industrial change. People arrived in their thousands, looking for work...
Graham WatkinsMay 5, 20193 minThe Hallelujah Obelisk - 'Praise the Lord' but it also means, 'Fools.'In 1736, landowner Nehemiah Griffiths, who lived near Mold built an obelisk in one of his fields. The stone monument he erected included...
Graham WatkinsApr 21, 20193 minProspect Tower - Bats and a copper bottomed story.Robert Morris moved from Shropshire to Swansea, in 1724, to work as the manager of Llangyfelach Copper Works. When the proprietor of the...
Graham WatkinsMar 24, 20193 minJersey Marine Tower. Rocky Marciano's Wartime home?In 1886, the brewer Captain Evan Evans was looking to diversify his business. Brewing beer was profitable but he wanted to expand and...
Graham WatkinsDec 12, 20183 minFort Williamsburg - A toy fort with real cannon.When in 1549, John Wynn was King Edward VI’s standard bearer the king rewarded him with a gift of Bardsey Island. In the 17th Century,...
Graham WatkinsNov 26, 20184 minCastell Gwrych - A monster folly.In the 19th Century, gothic revival architecture was the height of fashion. The new Houses of Parliament were built in the gothic style...
Graham WatkinsAug 26, 20183 minDry Bridge LodgeStrangers travelling along a minor road south west of Mostyn are surprised to find themselves driving under a house. The structure, known...
Graham WatkinsAug 5, 20182 minSix foot three Mr. Jones slept with his feet sticking out of the window.Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne when a rather unusual house was built in Conwy. To keep the cost down, the builder wanted a site...
Graham WatkinsMay 31, 20183 minSo why did Mr. Jones build a funny looking castle?The practice of erecting a memorial to a loved one is common enough but when William Jones’ wife Elizabeth died in 1787 he felt that...