Hiraeth 2016: Dydd 22, Tretower! and Llanthony

It was old home week back in Wales and back to the ancient home of the Vaughans at Tretower Court and Castle (check the link if you don't believe me!). While not the most impressive castle or manor house in Britain, it still has its unique charms besides being the ancient seat of my surname. Cadw, or Welsh Heritage, has done much to recreate the late medieval hall most impressively with the art work of Tony Barton who based his wall hangings and other representations of the Vaughans and their half-brothers and cousins, the Herberts, in contemporaneous styles.

Tony Barton emailed me and said that as he was commissioned by the Welsh Government,
he considers the Tretower art to belong to the People.
Thus, I have used his representation of the Vaughan armorial for my personal symbol. I am one of the Vaughan People.

We enter Tretower Court

The courtyard of Tretower

Another view of the Courtyard with the second story walkway.

My wife on the Tretower walkway

The Great Hall decked out for a feast.

How could a Vaughan resist!
Vaughan Family exploits portrayed on the wall hanging. To the far left, the Battle of Agincourt, 1415.
Above me, the Yorkist victory at Mortimer's Cross, 1461, when the parhelion appeared and the Sunne shone in Splendour
for the three sons of York, Edward IV, Clarence, and Gloucester (who, uhm, became Ricard III)
To the right is the knighting of Roger Vaughan ap Rhosier Fychan by Edward IV.

I also succeeded in getting a good pic of the fourth panel as the one from 2010 didn't work out.
Pictured are Vaughan and Herbert at the siege of Harlech, which we won! 1468.
Jasper Tudor is the guy shaking his fist while escaping in the ship.
He later go his revenge by having Vaughan's head removed at Chepstow Castle. The family honor survived.

An interior shot of the upstairs quarters.

And every manor house needs a castle ruin out back.

Tretower Castle from the DeClare's of the 12th Century
For more pics of the castle, see Shakespeare Night on Dydd 6

From Tretower, I knew the main road up to Llanthony Abbey, but Professor Tom insisted on taking the van on a "shortcut" across the Black Mountains which worked out surprisingly well narrow as the mountain lanes were.

Up in the Black Mountains is the beautiful ruin of Llanthoney Priory. It's still a wonder to me that Mormon Missionary, John Needham, established a branch of the LDS Church in Llanthony Village in 1841.

Art and Nature doth combine at Llanthony

Llanthony arches in the Black Mountains

Llanthony roses

There is an inn Llanthony which we haven't tried yet.

The sun on my camera helped colorize these windows at Llanthony

And there is St. David's Church at Llanthony founded on a shrine erected by the Saint in the 6th Century.

Dewi Sant was here!

We went on over Gospel Pass and down the mountain road that we knew so well from 2010 into Hay-on-Wye. I did not take pics this time as we had limited time to visit the multitude of bookstores. 

More on Hay-on-Wye to come . . . .
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Continue on to St Davids!