Bangor, Wales

“ Waving woods, barren precipices, distant mountains, Bangor and Beaumauris, Penrhyn Castle, Paenman Mawr, the Great Orme’s Head, the ocean, and the strait, are objects that dazzle and astonish from the exquisite beauty of their natural arrangement. ”

“ The road from Aber to Bangor is replete with interesting scenery. The mountains assume a p. 368dark and gloomy grandeur, half clad in rolling vapours, which at intervals reveal their black and purple forms, their barren summits and deep hollows, to the eye. Towering above them all, Benclog rises conspicuous, into whose threatening gorge the road to Capel Curig winds, like a snake venturing into some monster’s jaws which appears ready to devour it. Upon the right, the shores of Anglesea, with its luxuriant woods, are seen stretching down to the Menai, and agreeably diversify the scene. ”

“ As I had sent my luggage by coach direct from Bangor to Llangollen, I had no incumbrance; and I decided upon walking about four miles, to Bettws y Coed, a small place on the great Welsh road. On leaving Llanrwst, and crossing the bridge towards Gwydyr House and wood, I was much pleased with the beauty of the scenery up the river; scenery which forcibly reminded me of the exquisite Diorama of Holyrood Chapel. The unclouded moon was shining above the summits of the hills towards the south-east, and brightly illumined the left bank of the river, and all the neighbouring objects in that direction ”

“ After remaining three days in this interesting neighbourhood, I took my departure from Bangor towards Chester. The tourist who may be inclined to follow my track, and has sufficient time to spare, should leave the train at
RHYL,
A pretty watering place at the termination of the beautiful Vale of Clwyd, and near the mouth of the river from which it derives its name. The town is neat, and is yearly increasing in importance. From hence the visitor will obtain a view of the Great Orme’s Head, the Puffin Island, and the wide expanse of the Irish Sea. ”

“ Here is Overton Churchyard, one of those “seven wonders of Wales” whose title to fame is so often inexplicable. At this place there is less to wonder at in the churchyard itself than in the view of the Dee which is presented therefrom, for here it winds, with many curves, through a pleasant valley, interspersed with broad, flat green spaces, woods, and low, rounded hills. Bangor-on-Dee, the chief spawning ground for salmon, is near at hand; and, then, before long, the great tower of Wrexham Church comes in sight, much more of a wonder than either Overton Churchyard or Llangollen Bridge. ”

“ The road from Bangor to Caernarvon is very good and the scenery interesting—fine hills border it on the left, or south-east, and on the right at some distance is the Menai with Anglesey beyond it. Not far from Caernarvon a sandbank commences, extending for miles up the Menai, towards Bangor, and dividing the strait into two. ”

“ Alexander archdeacon of Bangor [50b] acting as interpreter to the Welsh. It is remarkable that many of the most notorious murderers, thieves, and robbers of the neighbourhood were here converted, to the astonishment of the spectators. Passing from thence through Caerleon and leaving far on our left hand the castle of Monmouth, and the noble forest of Dean, situated on the other side of the Wye and on this side the Severn, and which amply supplies Gloucester with iron and venison, we spent the night at Newport, having crossed the river Usk three times. ”

“ From a letter preserved to Cromwell, it would seem that he liked to live in his remote diocese; when in London, even after the dissolution, he seems to have stayed at Bermondsey. In 1548 he was one of those who in the drawing up of the Book of Common Prayer represented the Bangor use. In 1551 he was placed on the council for Wales. ”

“ In the afternoon I again passed over into Anglesey, but this time not by the bridge but by the ferry on the north-east of Bangor, intending to go to Beaumaris, about two or three miles distant: an excellent road, on the left side of which is a high bank fringed with dwarf oaks, and on the right the Menai strait, leads to it. ”

“ Another delightful view may be obtained by ascending the rock, which overhangs the lodge of the bridge upon its eastern side. A flight of steps conducts to the summit, where a seat is most conveniently placed for the accommodation of the lovers of romantic beauty; and the bridge, although inferior in magnitude to the stupendous work of art which stretches over Bangor Ferry, commands the admiration of the spectator. But the chief object of interest is the castle, which surpasses in picturesque grandeur any building of the kind I ever beheld. ”

“ After the dreadful slaughter of the monks of Bangor, those who survived took shelter upon this island. A few ruined walls alone remain of the ancient abbey; and the inhabitants, who do not exceed one hundred persons, support themselves chiefly by fishing.
About three miles from Barmouth, upon the summit of the mountain called Dinas Gortin, are the remains of a military encampment, and near to the town there stood a tower, where it is said the Earl of Richmond used to conceal himself, when he visited his secret allies in this part of the country. ”

“ He received his education at the free grammar schools of Oswestry and Bangor, and in 1665, he was admitted a member of Jesus College, Oxford, where he obtained a scholarship, and afterwards a fellowship; he proceeded regularly through his degrees, and became rector of Llanvrothen, which he left in 1672 for the living of Trawsfynydd. Having been made a canon of Bangor, he was installed dean of the same cathedral in 1680, and in 1689, he was raised to the bishopric, from which he was translated to the see of Hereford in 1701. ”

“ Whatever modern importance Bangor possesses is attributable to the successful conduct of these quarries, and its commercial value will always be found to rise and fall with the prosperity of this trade alone. ”

“ A hardworking group of Bangor enthusiasts have done about all the work that has been done here. In November 1894 J. M. A. T., H. H., H. E., and J. S., quitting the road just beyond the eighth milestone from Bangor, reached, in twenty minutes, the mouth of a gully, broad except where it narrows into a gorge, about half-way up. The climbing on the left of the stream is quite easy, on its right less so; but in either case the stream has to be abandoned at the first waterfall, which is quite impracticable when there is any quantity of water falling. ”

“ Then he took the first train for Wales, and reached Bangor about three o'clock the next day. All this he explained after expressing his surprise at finding Grey there, and saying to him, good-humoredly:
"You always manage to get ahead of me. If I ever get to heaven I do believe I shall find you there before me." ”

“ John Ellis, a young clergyman of large independent fortune, who was wishing for a curacy under the Bishop of Bangor, Doctor Hutton—so poor Gronwy the eloquent, the learned, the meek was obliged to vacate the pulpit of his native place to make room for the rich young clergyman, who wished to be within dining distance of the palace of Bangor. Truly in this world the full shall be crammed, and those who have little, shall have the little which they have taken away from them. ”

“ As I subsequently made a journey to Caernarvon on foot, I shall say nothing about the road till I give an account of that expedition, save that it lies for the most part in the neighbourhood of the sea. We reached Caernarvon, which is distant ten miles from Bangor, about eleven o’clock, and put up at an inn to refresh ourselves and the horses. It is a beautiful little town situated on the southern side of the Menai Strait at nearly its western extremity. It is called Caernarvon, because it is opposite Mona or Anglesey: Caernarvon signifying the town or castle opposite Mona. ”

“ This prince settled himself after his victories at Llaneillan, and was submitted to as Chief or King of Anglesey. There are remains of a strongly fortified camp near the summit of Holyhead mountain, still called Mur Caswallon or Caer-y-Twr.
Caswallon’s son was the famous Maelgwyn Gwynedd, the hero of many battles and the terror of the Saxons. He erected the See of Bangor about the year 550, where, a short time before, Daniel, the son of Dionothus, Abbot of Bangor-is-Coed, had built a college for North Wales clergy. ”

“ From this origin, the celebrated Cistercian monastery is said to have derived its establishment. Powel, in his chronicle, says, “For the first abbey or frier house that we read of in Wales, sith the destruction of the noble house of Bangor, which savoured not of Romish dregges, was the Tuy Gwyn, built the yeare 1146, and after they swarmed like bees through all the countrie.” (Powel, p. 254.) —Authors differ with respect to the founder of this abbey; some have attributed it to Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of South Wales; and others to Bernard, bishop of Saint David’s, who died about the year 1148. ”

“ No faults, however, at that early age disturbed my pleasure, except that, after one whole day's travelling, (for so long it cost us between Llangollen and Holyhead,) the want of water struck me upon review as painfully remarkable. From Conway to Bangor (seventeen miles) we were often in sight of the sea; but fresh water we had seen hardly any; no lake, no stream much beyond a brook. This is certainly a conspicuous defect in North Wales, considered as a region of fine scenery. ”

“ CHAPTER XXIII An Expedition—Pont y Pandy—The Sabbath—Glendower’s Mount—Burial Place of Old—Corwen—The Deep Glen—The Grandmother—The Roadside Chapel.
I was now about to leave Llangollen, for a short time, and to set out on an expedition to Bangor, Snowdon, and one or two places in Anglesea. I had determined to make the journey on foot, in order that I might have perfect liberty of action, and enjoy the best opportunities of seeing the country. ”

“ Are you going far to-night, sir?”
“I am going to Bethgelert,” said I.
“A good six miles, sir, from here. Do you come from Caernarvon?”
“Farther than that,” said I. “I come from Bangor.”
“To-day, sir, and walking?”
“To-day, and walking.”
“You must be rather tired, sir; you came along the valley very slowly.”
“I am not in the slightest degree tired,” said I; “when I start from here, I shall put on my best pace, and soon get to Bethgelert.”
“Anybody can get along over level ground,” said the old man, laconically. ”

“ This village has become, within the last few years, a favourite resort for sea-bathing, and is rapidly increasing in population and importance.
We arrived at the Castle, in Conwy, greatly fatigued, and equally delighted with our day’s journey. The following morning we proceeded by railway to Bangor.
p. 128CHAPTER IX. Bangor.—Inns.—The Cathedral.—Penrhyn Castle.—The Britannia and Menai Bridges.—Carnarvon.—The Castle.—Rhyl.—Holywell.—St. Winefred’s Well.—Basingwerk.—Flint.—Chester.—Conclusion. ”

“ To the Welsh, besides being the hill of the Awen or Muse, it has always been the hill of hills, the loftiest p. 174of all mountains, the one whose snow is the coldest, to climb to whose peak is the most difficult of all feats, and the one whose fall will be the most astounding catastrophe of the last day.
To view this mountain I and my little family set off in a calèche on the third morning after our arrival at Bangor.
Our first stage was to Caernarvon. ”

“ Davies, "without its parallel in the history of the education of any country;" the most striking feature being, that these collections were made in support of an institution from which the quarrymen could only very remotely derive any benefit.
While I was at Bangor, on the 24th of August, 1883, the news arrived that the Committee of Selection had determined that Bangor should be the site for the intended North Wales University College. The news rapidly spread, and great rejoicings prevailed throughout the borough, which had just been incorporated. The volunteer band played through the streets ”

“ THE CHAIN-BRIDGE.
For a description of this magnificent and truly surprising structure, see pages 12 to 14.
CARNARVON.
This place is so called from Caer, a fortress, yn, in, and Arfon, the district opposite to Mon, or Anglesea. The ancient city was the only station possessed by the Romans in this part of Wales; it stood about half a mile south of the present town, where, probably, the British dwelt. The Castle is a magnificent ruin. ”

“ At about eight in the morning I arose, returned to the inn, breakfasted, and departed for Bethgelert by way of Caernarvon.
It was Sunday, and I had originally intended to pass the day at Bangor, and to attend divine service twice at the cathedral, but I found myself so very uncomfortable, owing to the crowd of interlopers, that I determined to proceed on my journey without delay; making up my mind, however, to enter the first church I should meet in which service was being performed; for it is really not good to travel on the Sunday without going into a place of worship. ”

“ His native country sustained a great loss by his death, which took place in 1825, in a most melancholy manner: a drunken man knocked him down in the street; he fell with his head against the pavement, and was killed upon the spot, leaving a wife and five children unprovided for.
p. 53Richard Parry, D.D., was born at Ruthin, Denbighshire, in the year 1578, and was educated at Westminster School, under Camden, from whence he was elected a student of Christ Church, Oxford; at the age of nineteen, he became chancellor of Bangor, vicar of Gresford, and then dean of Bangor. ”