Pennod 11 100 Lle

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-This week, the spot in Montgomery

-where Welsh polity became a reality.

-We'll savour a taste of Italy

-with Marian Delyth...

-..and hare around Pennant Melangell.

-A great mansion awaits us near

-Welshpool, but we begin in Harlech.

-Welcome to 100 Lle.

-Before visiting the castle,

-it's worth exploring Harlech itself.

-The Arts and Crafts-style Wern Fawr

-was built for George Davison...

-..the head of Kodak Eastman Europe.

-It's now home to Coleg Harlech.

-Next door is Theatr Harlech,

-a contemporary concrete castle.

-We're looking

-at Harlech Castle, John.

-It's on a hill,

-but that has no strategic purpose...

-..because the sea has retreated.

-It isn't a statement of power...

-..like Caernarfon and Beaumaris.

-It doesn't protect an estuary,

-like Conwy.

-This area, which became

-part of Merionethshire...

-..needed some sort of stronghold.

-It was an unruly area,

-or so the king thought.

-Harlech is also a site of real

-significance for the Welsh.

-Edward I stamped his authority

-on any place with Welsh connections.

-In the Mabinogion...

-..the story of Branwen Ferch Llyr

-begins on this crag in Harlech.

-It was a natural choice

-for Edward I to build here...

-..in his quest

-to crush Welsh tradition.

-From here, the castle

-looks relatively complete.

-I can't see much damage

-to its walls from here.

-No. It looks

-in remarkably good condition.

-It was besieged

-during the Glyndwr Rising.

-That's when the damage

-to the outer ward may have happened.

-It is relatively unscathed,

-compared to other castles.

-It glowers menacingly.

-I think this is the Welsh castle

-that's most abhorrent to me.

-Harlech Castle was built

-to oppress the people.

-When the castle was built, the sea

-reached the foot of the crag.

-It's a concentric castle,

-but the location and the gateway...

-..are its most prominent features.

-In all the castles we've seen...

-..I can't remember a gatehouse

-as large and solid as this.

-Caerphilly, Caernarfon and Denbigh

-all have solid gatehouses.

-This one is the most obvious

-statement of power.

-Most of what is now visible

-was built between 1283 and 1298.

-That's a very fast build, in such

-a remote and inconvenient spot.

-When you look

-at the great gatehouse...

-..you see that this is the castle,

-more or less.

-It defends the eastern side.

-That's the only side built

-at the same level as the interior.

-On the western side,

-there's a sharp drop...

-..towards the sea, in those days.

-The western, southern and northern

-sides didn't need huge defences.

-When Owain Glyndwr

-attacked Harlech in 1404...

-..there were

-only five defenders here.

-Because of the nature

-of the building...

-..that was enough to repel an army.

-There were three portcullises

-and three huge doors.

-Above the passage,

-you can see holes...

-..through which projectiles

-could be hurled.

-It took a miracle,

-even when it was besieged...

-..for an army to defeat

-even a handful of English soldiers.

-We can't leave Harlech

-without seeing a 1990s triumph.

-The restoration of Lasynys Fawr...

-..the modest mansion

-which was the home of Ellis Wynne.

-Ellis Wynne was a poet...

-..chiefly remembered as the author

-of Gweledigaethau Y Bardd Cwsg.

-This book is one of the classics

-of Welsh prose.

-His line

-about a long, hot golden summer...

-..has become something of a cliche.

-It proves that the gentry

-of Meirionnydd...

-..numbered writers who had a superb

-command of the Welsh language...

-..almost 200 years after the passing

-of the Act of Union.

-It's clear that renovation work

-has been carried out here.

-I saw it in the late 1960s

-and it was going to rack and ruin.

-You could climb in

-to see Ellis Wynne's telephone...

-..and Ellis Wynne's floors.

-The windows were long gone.

-A group of local people,

-Cyfeillion Ellis Wynne...

-..carried out

-the splendid renovation.

-They are to be congratulated

-for saving a real gem.

-Surprisingly, in 1801, Welshpool

-was the sixth-largest town in Wales.

-A thousand more people lived here

-than in Cardiff.

-Wool was the area's chief industry.

-It flourished thanks to the ease

-of exporting on the River Severn...

-..and, later, on the canal.

-Powysland Museum, Wales's oldest

-county museum, is by the canal.

-The most memorable sight

-in the vicinity is Powis Castle.

-Welshpool was the seat of a dynasty

-of troublesome Welsh princes.

-The princes of Gwynedd and England

-joined forces to try to oust them.

-But Gwenwynwyn ab Owain Cyfeiliog

-and his family...

-..managed to dig their heels in

-and stay here.

-Owain, his grandson, changed

-his name to Baron de la Pole.

-This place only came to life

-in the late 16th century...

-..when it was sold

-to the Herbert family.

-The Herberts were staunch Catholics.

-They had strong links with Rome

-and with the English monarchy.

-The building is now

-in the hands of the National Trust.

-The murals

-are among the best in Britain.

-This is the Long Gallery.

-It's the only room in the castle

-that's exactly as it was...

-..when it was designed

-by Sir Edward Herbert in the 1590s.

-The frieze above the panels...

-..unites the family's connections

-across the generations.

-The same is also true of the

-coat of arms above the fireplace.

-The Caesar busts are the strangest

-feature of the Long Gallery.

-There are eight of them here

-and four more downstairs.

-They came here when the nephew

-of the first marquis...

-..the Earl of Castlemaine,

-was Ambassador to the Vatican.

-The marble and jasper

-pietra dure table...

-..was a gift from the Pope.

-The purpose of the Long Gallery

-was to link the grandest rooms.

-The grandest room of them all

-was at the far end of the gallery.

-This is it - the State Bedroom.

-The idea was that you had to provide

-a room for a Royal visit.

-For example, Charles II

-and Catherine, his wife...

-..slept in this room.

-This balustrade creates

-an inner sanctum around the bed.

-Only the Royal Princes

-could enter that space.

-This is the only room of its kind

-in the world.

-The one in Versailles, France,

-is a reconstruction.

-The king could hold court

-from his bed.

-You'd be invited here

-to his council.

-If you were really lucky,

-you could come in and see him dress!

-Powis Castle's historical gardens

-are among the finest in Britain.

-William Herbert,

-the first Earl of Powis...

-..commissioned these four

-200 metre-long terraces.

-They were inspired

-by Italy's Renaissance gardens.

-These magnificent formal gardens...

-..belong to a time when the castle

-was a home rather than a fortress.

-Where better to end the day...

-..than among the surreal shapes

-of these yew trees?

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-Next, we see Portmeirion through

-the lens of Marian Delyth's camera.

-Of all the locations in the book...

-..Portmeirion is the one

-which has most photographs.

-Yes, and that's partly due

-to my love of the place.

-The village

-has so many different features.

-I put a series

-of small photos on one page.

-I could spend three days

-wandering around hidden nooks...

-..and finding images

-to be photographed.

-I can't think of a better way

-to spend my time.

-I always think of it

-as a tiny Mediterranean island...

-..hidden in the heart of Eifionydd.

-It's a real gem of a place.

-Yes, it certainly is a gem.

-I like the relationship

-between this foreground...

-..and one lonely figure

-walking along the beach.

-It creates drama.

-There's a special mood to it.

-That light, set against

-such a dark background...

-..really makes the sculpture

-stand out.

-I walked around the Gwyllt woodland

-and came across the Dogs' Cemetery.

-This photograph

-doesn't appear in the book...

-..but the poem

-on Sam's headstone is wonderful.

-Sam, the Workshop Dog. 1979 to 1991.

-Through white teeth he did smile.

-And every robber's trousers

-would end in tatters.

-But he was soft-hearted.

-Just a little lad, deep down.

-That's lovely.

-That's lovely.

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-Yes, it's wonderful.

-When I arrived back at the village,

-hallelujah, the sun was out!

-I took a few general shots

-of the village.

-Photographs of some traditional

-Portmeirion highlights.

-I had a big bonus later in the day.

-The visitors

-were leaving the village...

-..and it coincided with what

-photographers call the golden hour.

-It's that hour in the evening

-when there's a golden light.

-It was almost like

-having floodlights...

-..to highlight the finer details

-of the architecture.

-I was intoxicated by the colours

-and the shapes.

-A collection of those shots

-fills a whole page.

-Portmeirion is one

-of the wonders of Wales.

-To see how Wales would look today

-had development stopped in 1790...

-..visit Montgomery.

-Our journey begins

-on the banks of the River Severn.

-We're on our way to Montgomery

-and we've stopped at Rhyd Chwima.

-Why is this ford noteworthy?

-It was the easiest point at which

-to enter Wales from England.

-The river is shallow

-and you can cross it on horseback...

-..without the need for a bridge.

-Evidence suggests that happened

-from a very early time.

-The mound erected

-in around 1070...

-..may be the oldest

-motte and bailey castle in Wales.

-It's certainly

-the oldest one in this area.

-The greatest event seen

-at Rhyd Chwima happened in 1267...

-..when the idea of a Welsh polity

-was fleshed out.

-This is where Llywelyn ap Gruffudd

-was recognized as Prince of Wales.

-Of course, with a prince

-came the idea of a principality.

-The treaty granting Wales

-considerable autonomy...

-..was signed by Henry III

-and Llywelyn here in 1267.

-This is arguably

-the most important location...

-..in Wales's political history.

-The stone castle was built

-by Henry III in the 1220s.

-An elevated castle is more

-threatening than one in a valley.

-This was the most fortified castle

-in the Marches.

-When you entered the Marches,

-you saw Montgomery Castle.

-From here, you can see

-the Severn Valley in all its glory.

-However, the castle and Rhyd Chwima

-aren't the area's crowning glory.

-The crowning glory

-is the town of Montgomery itself.

-It has been dozing in this remote

-green corner of Wales for centuries.

-Another building linked

-to the Herbert family's history...

-..is St Nicholas's Church,

-which is just off the town square.

-This may be

-the most impressive tomb in Wales.

-It dates back

-to the turn of the 17th century.

-It's the tomb of Richard Herbert,

-owner of the castle...

-..and father of poet George Herbert

-and Lord Herbert of Cherbury.

-Magdalen, his wife,

-is depicted beside him.

-However, she's buried in London,

-alongside her second husband.

-It's a magnificent tomb.

-You can see their eight children

-in the background.

-They made sure

-the lineage continued.

-This was the castle's church.

-Like the castle, it was built

-at the turn of the 13th century.

-Its dimensions and its grandeur...

-..prove that Montgomery

-was never intended to be a village.

-It was built to be a royal borough

-of some significance.

-In a town that's so interested

-in its heritage and history...

-..it comes as no shock

-to find a museum here.

-It's a charming museum, located

-in what was the Old Bell pub.

-It closed in the 1970s,

-but I remember drinking here.

-It's been a museum since 1981.

-The town's history as a royal

-borough and as a medical centre...

-..is very well documented here.

-Montgomery stands out

-among our rural towns.

-I think it's the most wonderful

-rural town in Wales.

-Spending time exploring Montgomery

-is one of the great pleasures...

-..of travelling around Wales.

-Seeing the local people's enthusiasm

-and pride in their town...

-..makes it

-a very valuable experience.

-We're on the Berwyn Mountains,

-en route to Llangynog...

-..Europe's largest lead-mining

-centre in the early 18th century.

-The area displays the fruits

-of the labour of man and one woman.

-This is St Melangell's Church,

-at the far end of Cwm Pennant.

-It's some five miles from Llangynog,

-at the foot of the Berwyn Mountains.

-The church was built in a circular

-cemetery, surrounded by yew trees.

-Some of the trees

-are 2,000 years old.

-The site is far older

-than the church itself.

-The story goes that Melangell

-came here from Ireland.

-When Brochwel, Prince of Powys,

-came to hunt in the valley...

-..a hare found shelter

-beneath Melangell's skirt.

-Brochwel was struck by her bravery

-and her sanctity.

-He gave her this valley

-as a sanctuary.

-Pilgrims have come here

-almost since then.

-By 1987, the church was so run-down

-that it was almost beyond repair.

-It has since been renovated,

-as you can see.

-Despite its remote location,

-it's home to a Welsh treasure.

-Here it is - St Melangell's Shrine.

-John tells me there is no finer

-example of Celtic/Romanesque work...

-..in northern Europe than this

-shrine in Pennant Melangell.

-It was reconstructed...

-..after it was demolished

-during the Protestant Reformation.

-The stones were hidden in the walls

-of the church and the cemetery.

-They were rebuilt in the 1990s.

-The bones of Melangell

-lie within the shrine.

-Her grave was discovered...

-..and its stone cover

-is in the apse, through that arch.

-The book Wales: 100 Places

-To See Before You Die...

-..has brought Welsh people

-closer to Wales...

-..and has revealed wonders

-that could have passed us by.

-Pennant Melangell

-is certainly one of them.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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