Morgan Ditchburn

For travellers arriving in Conwy in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the first thing they often encountered was not just the castle walls or the quay, but the sound of a Welsh harp. Again and again, visitors recorded the same experience: on arriving at the town’s inns, they were welcomed by a harper who played during dinner, supper, and sometimes late into the night. This was no passing novelty. From at least the early 1700s through to the mid-nineteenth century, the harp...

Christmas 1294. Edward I was at Conwy Castle when tragedy struck. Was it the Welsh uprising spreading across Wales? The fear of running out of food due to the siege? No. The tragedy was that he ran out of wine! Not what you want to happen during the festive period! So what happened? Edward was at the castle, but he wasn’t there to see the carol singing in Lancaster Square, the firework display at the castle, or even to meet Santa, who has visited the castle every year since 1287 (honest…). He...

In a week, I will be delivering a talk on the Edwardian Castles of North Wales. This event is organized by the Rhuddlan Local History Society and will occur at 7pm in the Rhuddlan Community Centre. Everyone is welcome, and the fee for visitors to the group is £3.