Pennod 4 100 Lle

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-Welcome to 100 Lle...

-..a series based on the book Wales:

-100 Places To See Before You Die.

-This week, Abergavenny, Grosmont,

-White Castle and Skenfrith.

-Marian Delyth's perspective

-of Llanthony Priory.

-A visit to the magnificent

-Welsh castle of Raglan...

-..and the World Heritage Site

-of Blaenavon.

-The market town of Abergavenny

-is a lively place...

-..but we're here

-to celebrate death.

-The town's church houses

-the finest group of tombs in Wales.

-John, we're in St Mary's Church,

-in Abergavenny.

-Thanks to all the alabaster tombs,

-it feels more like a morgue.

-This is the largest collection

-in any church in Wales.

-This is a former Benedictine priory.

-There were 14 tombs here at one time,

-all of them exquisitely crafted.

-It's said to be the largest group

-of tombs in Britain...

-..after the one at Westminster Abbey.

-The craftsmanship is breathtaking.

-Originally, it was a resting place

-for members of the family...

-..that held the lordship

-of Abergavenny.

-The centre - the place of greatest

-honour - became the resting place...

-..of William ap Thomas

-and his wife, Gwladus.

-A Welsh family lies here,

-at the heart of what was...

-..the centre of authority

-of the Marcher lords.

-It's proof that the days

-of the Marcher lords were numbered...

-..and the age of the Welsh gentry

-had dawned.

-William ap Thomas died in 1446.

-He commissioned Raglan Castle.

-His wife, Gwladus, was described

-as the Star of Abergavenny...

-..by the poet Lewys Glyn Cothi.

-Lewys Glyn Cothi

-had a vivid imagination!

-She doesn't look like a star.

-She doesn't look like a star.

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-She was younger and prettier then!

-She was also alive, of course!

-She was also alive, of course!

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-Yes - that helps!

-Some magnificent restoration work

-has been carried out on these tombs.

-This piece is the jewel in the crown

-of St Mary's Church.

-It's the largest surviving medieval

-wooden sculpture in the world.

-This is Jesse.

-You can see his head

-and his long beard.

-Jesse was an ancestor of Christ,

-through Joseph.

-You can see that if you read

-the genealogical lines in the Bible.

-The story was that a tree

-rose from his body as he slept.

-All his descendants could be seen

-on the tree's branches.

-That's exactly

-what was here, originally.

-Branches grew from the tree trunk,

-protected by his arm...

-..and the piece stretched

-all the way to the ceiling.

-The figures on the branches

-were more or less life-sized.

-It must have been enormous.

-It was carved in the 15th century...

-..but most of it was destroyed

-during the Reformation.

-Fortunately, this section survived.

-Fortunately, this section survived.

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-This is its original home.

-Yes, though it has been exhibited

-in London on a few occasions.

-It's the star of any exhibition

-of medieval woodwork.

-It's truly astonishing.

-We're fortunate to have this great

-medieval piece here in Abergavenny.

-From St Mary's Church,

-we meander up the main street...

-..keeping to the theme of death.

-A heinous case of genocide

-happened at Abergavenny Castle.

-As we mentioned earlier, Gwladus,

-William ap Thomas's wife...

-..was known

-as the Star of Abergavenny.

-The man who lived here was known

-as the Ogre of Abergavenny.

-William de Braose was an ogre.

-He was the father

-of Black William...

-..who was hanged

-by Llywelyn the Great.

-On Christmas Day 1175, he invited

-local Welsh leaders to a feast...

-..and had them all murdered.

-They were all unarmed...

-..because they had come in peace

-to celebrate Christmas.

-William de Braose

-hasn't been forgotten here.

-When children are naughty,

-parents say he'll come after them!

-It's despicable to kill your guests.

-It's the worst example of ethnic

-slaughter in medieval Wales.

-There are three castles

-on the border here in Gwent.

-They form a triangle - Skenfrith,

-Grosmont and this one, White Castle.

-It's known as White Castle

-because it was painted white.

-The three castles were built

-around the same period...

-..and were under the same ownership

-for 700 years.

-The great attraction for me is that

-I can see all three in one day.

-John says that a fit walker

-can see all three in a day.

-It's a round trip

-of around 20 miles.

-Do yourselves a favour

-and go by car - it's much easier!

-There was some sort of building

-on this hill...

-..soon after the Norman Conquest.

-It was probably a timber structure

-on the motte, in the middle here.

-These curtain walls were erected

-in the late 12th century.

-It was the Crown's response

-to a revenge attack on Abergavenny.

-The Welsh sought retribution...

-..after the Christmas Day massacre

-carried out by William de Braose.

-It was literally a vicious circle.

-A form of political ping-pong

-across the border.

-At Skenfrith, you'll see the remains

-of a rectangular castle...

-..built between 1219 and 1232.

-There's also a round tower

-in the centre.

-Several families

-owned the three castles...

-..including John of Gaunt

-and Henry IV.

-The last of those owners

-was the Duke of Beaufort.

-They remained in his hands

-until the early 20th century...

-..when he sold 11,000 acres of land

-that included Tintern Abbey...

-..Raglan Castle, 20 manors

-and 20 hotels.

-It was a huge sale.

-Last and least is Grosmont,

-the smallest of the trinity.

-This one has the finest

-architectural features.

-There are several pretty arches here

-and the chimney is beautiful.

-There are also wonderful features

-in the unlikeliest of places.

-In 1404, during the Revolt,

-Owain Glyndwr attacked it twice.

-On the second occasion,

-the residents fled to the gatehouse.

-Gruffudd ab Owain, Glyndwr's son,

-laid siege to this castle.

-The failure of that siege...

-..was an important factor in the

-collapse of Glyndwr's principality.

-Despite all the wars and revolts

-in the history of these castles...

-..their future is secured

-and they're well worth a visit.

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-In our weekly feature,

-we see one location...

-..from the perspective

-of photographer Marian Delyth.

-This time, we're in Llanthony.

-There's peace

-and tranquillity there.

-There's something special

-about the priory and the valley.

-It's a place that has attracted

-idealists across the centuries.

-People who sought inner peace.

-This is the evening light.

-The setting sun

-warmed the colour of the stone.

-I also included a shot of Llanthony

-in very different conditions.

-This was taken on a misty day

-and the colours are quite different.

-I wanted to show the majesty

-and the beauty of the architecture.

-Once again, although I photographed

-the location extensively...

-..my eye was drawn

-to small details at the site.

-I took photographs of things

-such as this carved stone.

-If I zoom in even closer...

-..there's an image among the lichen

-and the other patterns.

-Yes - I see a candle.

-Yes - I see a candle.

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-History isn't about dates for me.

-History is about the individual

-who carved that candle.

-When was he alive?

-What was his world like?

-What was in his mind?

-You don't see many statues

-of the Virgin Mary in Wales.

-There is one in this valley.

-She stands there,

-in the most wonderful of settings.

-I've taken many photographs

-of this statue.

-This is the one in the book.

-I took a black and white photograph

-of it years ago, when I was young.

-There's something very special

-about that area.

-I took these photographs

-without the book itself in mind.

-These encapsulate seconds

-of my experiences in Llanthony.

-Photography allows us to capture

-and to freeze a split second.

-You often see a special light

-when you're driving...

-..and think, "Wow! Isn't that

-absolutely stunning?"

-Photography allows you

-to keep it for posterity.

-That's one of the great things

-about it.

-We never lose that moment.

-Next, to Raglan...

-..to see one of Welsh history's

-most substantial buildings.

-This is Raglan Castle...

-..one of Wales's

-most magnificent castles.

-It's the largest British castle

-built during the 15th century.

-It was commissioned

-by William ap Thomas.

-We saw his tomb

-and that of his wife, Gwladus...

-..at St Mary's Church, Abergavenny.

-William ap Thomas built the keep

-and the section behind it.

-William Herbert, his son,

-inherited the castle.

-He continued his father's work.

-He created the castle,

-in all its glory.

-For many, William Herbert

-was the Son of Prophecy.

-Poet Guto'r Glyn urged him to...

-.."Unite Glamorgan and Gwynedd

-as one, from Conwy to Neath."

-He was seen

-as the rightful King of Wales.

-William Herbert's son

-was a bit of a wimp...

-..but his granddaughter

-married into an influential family.

-She married Charles Somerset,

-the Earl of Worcester.

-William ap Thomas built a castle

-with defence in mind...

-..the Somerset family

-turned it into a real palace.

-The remarkable number of fireplaces

-bear witness to that.

-This is the banqueting hall.

-Invited guests would come here

-to dine with the owners.

-One of the main talking points

-in this glorious room...

-..would have been

-this enormous fireplace.

-It was built directly below

-a very large window.

-People must have wondered how it was

-possible to build a fireplace there.

-Where did the smoke go?

-Well, quite simply,

-they split the flue.

-It's a sign of the sophistication

-that I mentioned.

-It shouts out, "Look how clever

-we are. Look at what we created!"

-It was home

-to the fifth Earl of Worcester...

-..when Cromwell and his men came by.

-The castle was damaged

-during the siege, in 1646.

-The Somersets regained possession

-of it, but never lived there again.

-Before we leave Raglan, it's worth

-visiting St Cadoc's Church...

-..to see the mutilation

-of the Somerset tombs...

-..and to see the magnificent castle

-from the top of the tower.

-Next, we visit

-Blaenavon's dramatic landscape.

-It bears witness

-to the industrial developments...

-..of the early 19th century.

-Of all the World Heritage Sites,

-only nine are industrial landscapes.

-Blaenavon is one of them.

-All the processes

-are visible on the landscape.

-We'll visit the old ironworks.

-From there, we'll see the tunnels

-leading to Garnddyrys Forge...

-..and, from there, the tram road

-that led to the canal at Llanfoist.

-We'll see where they mined

-for iron ore and coal.

-It's all visible here.

-The landscape tells the whole story.

-There's nothing to compare to this.

-The iron industry went into decline

-in the late 19th century...

-..to be replaced

-by the coal industry.

-Big Pit, behind us,

-was opened in 1873.

-It was very modern in its time.

-It was the first pit

-to use electricity...

-..and the first to have two shafts

-running two trams at a time.

-It functioned for a century,

-then reopened as a museum in 1983.

-It then became part

-of the National Museum in 2005.

-In the same year,

-it won the Gulbenkian Prize...

-..Britain's biggest

-culture and arts prize.

-We're standing

-in a historical place.

-It's one of the most popular

-industrial museums in the world.

-In we go, John.

-We're going down into the pit.

-You've been here before.

-You've been here before.

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-Yes, I have.

-This is the stuff

-that we used in our fireplaces.

-Yes, this is the coalface.

-It's quite a large seam of coal.

-It suggests

-that there's a lot of coal here.

-It glitters, doesn't it?

-Yes, it has been compressed

-over millions of years...

-..and here it is,

-in front of your eyes.

-What you see here are marks

-to count the number of trams filled.

-The markings are in groups of five.

-They were paid according

-to how much coal they produced.

-It's strange to think that horses

-were stabled underground.

-At one time,

-there were 72 ponies here.

-Yes, and they continued to be used

-in the pit until the 1970s.

-There's a suggestion that they were

-treated better than the miners!

-The men worked 12-hour shifts

-and the ponies eight-hour shifts.

-They were allowed into the open air

-for a fortnight every year...

-..and ran around wildly for days.

-There's a saying,

-as crazy as a pit pony.

-Having spent months underground,

-their eyesight was poor, naturally.

-They'd bump into each other.

-They then became accustomed

-to sunlight and enjoyed it.

-They all had their names

-on their own stable.

-The pony stabled here

-was called Welsh.

-Bullet's stable was over there.

-Up, beyond here,

-was Shergar's stable.

-Shergar came here!

-I think that's a joke.

-I think that's a joke.

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-No, it's true!

-Big Pit deserves its place among

-Europe's most popular museums...

-..but Blaenavon's main story

-belongs to the ironworks.

-Here we are, at Blaenavon Ironworks.

-It belongs to the very early days

-of the Industrial Revolution.

-It may even come ahead of it.

-It was built at the advent

-of the Industrial Revolution.

-These are the most complete remains

-of an ironworks...

-..from the early years

-of the Industrial Revolution.

-That adds further significance

-to Blaenavon...

-..especially when you consider

-the industrial landscape around it.

-You can read the landscape.

-That's why the landscape,

-along with the ironworks...

-..are a World Heritage Site.

-The invention of new techniques...

-..prompted the owners to build

-new works across the valley.

-That's why these works survived.

-The developments at the new works

-at Forgeside in 1878...

-..places Blaenavon

-at the forefront of world history.

-Sidney Gilchrist Thomas

-discovered a way to produce steel...

-..by eliminating phosphorus

-from iron ore.

-This crucial development...

-..led to the industrial growth

-of the modern world.

-From the outset,

-they used steam to create the blast.

-That allowed them to have

-a group of furnaces working together.

-Originally,

-the process relied on water...

-..which only allowed you

-to use one furnace.

-This was the first group of furnaces

-to be built in the world.

-In the 1790s, this was

-the world's largest ironworks.

-Blaenavon was outstanding

-for many reasons.

-It is, without a doubt,

-the most significant place in Wales.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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