We took a trip with Brittany's parents last week to see where her ancestors on both sides lived and tour some of the medieval castles in Wales. We had a blast, and it was a very humbling experience to think about the rich heritage of this country and the legacy left from our forebears. Brittany capitalized on the experience for a class assignment on identity, so I look forward to seeing some of those photos signifying her roots on here soon.
Seaton
On Friday after work and school, we took the train from London to Basingstoke to meet up with Mark and Susan. We then headed southwest for Seaton, a town on the southern coast of England. Our hotel/B&B was literally across the street from the Atlantic Ocean. It was here in Seaton that William Walton was a vicar at the parish church in 1627. He was the one that later immigrated with his family to the United States. I apologize I haven't really edited these videos much, so there will likely be parts that are kind of boring for most of you. Maybe someday I'll actually put a little time into cutting it up into a more cohesive package. Anyway, on with the show.
Chepstow Castle
Saturday we drove up to Wales, with our first stop at Chepstow Castle. Although parts of it were in ruins, it was breathtaking on the cliffs of the River Wye. It was originally built in the 11th century by the Normans. Because of limitations on YouTube, I had to split the video into two parts. So here is a playlist that includes both parts in succession.
Big Pit
Later on we traveled to visit Big Pit, an old coal and iron mine in Wales where some of Brittany's ancestors on her mom's side worked. (It was primarily an iron mine when they worked there.) Although the mine is no longer actively mined, they still operate by the standard safety codes for mines because they provide guided tours there. It was a really cool experience. It was very humbling to learn how dangerous and difficult the conditions were there. We actually weren't allowed to take any cell phones or cameras down into the shaft because the batteries can cause sparks that would ignite the methane gas that's released from the coal. So this video is just on the surface above the mine.
It's a good thing they gave us hard hats, as my head hit the ceiling several times. I don't know how the workers' backs could have taken being crouched over so much day in and day out, let alone the strenuous physical labor they endured for around 72 hours a week. It was also sad to learn about the "pit ponies" that were used to haul the carts of coal back and forth. Once they went down the shaft, they pretty much lived and worked the rest of their lives hundreds of feet below ground in darkness. On rare occasions, they were taken above ground for a brief break, but would go blind if taken up in the daytime. Their eyes needed to adjust to sunlight more gradually overnight.
Benbow Pond and Wales
This is actually a collection of clips from our trip through Wales, including some of the churches in around Blaenavon and a visit to Benbow Pond. It was here that Wilford Woodruff baptized about 600 people from the United Brethren in 1840, including a couple of Brittany's ancestors on the Bowen side. The LDS Church now owns the land and has a little fence around the pond to protect it.
Raglan Castle
Raglan Castle in southern Wales, is a 14th-century castle that was ransacked during the English Civil War in 1646. Even in ruins, though, it still gives you a great sense of its former majesty and grandeur. I think this was probably when I've felt the most immersed in a medieval castle and could imagine archers defending the castle walls by the moat, and the residents and servants living and working here like a small city.
Berrington Hall
We later toured a neoclassical mansion in Herefordshire, built in the late 18th century. Our visit to Berrington Hall included a guided tour by someone portraying the lead laundry maiden, explaining what life would have been like for the servants of the estate. The home and the grounds were immaculate.
Croft Castle
This one was rushed, because we were running out of time before we had to head to the train station. We basically just ran in and took some pictures/videos of the outside. Croft Castle in Herefordshire was a different kind of castle, because it wasn't really designed for defensive purposes with walls, moats, and defense towers and turrets. Instead it was primarily a residence. A beautiful one, yes, but it wasn't quite as fascinating.
Leominster
Unfortunately, our trip finally had to come to and end. Not before Brittany and Susan had a chance to frolic with a flock of sheep, though. Just outside Leominster, we were driving past a farm where lots of young lambs were bounding through the field behind their mothers. They just couldn't resist. And who could blame them... the lambs were pretty cute. The second half of the video, taken at the Leominster train station right before we headed back to London, is rather odd. While we were waiting for our train, I saw some young people running from the police in a field just behind the station. We were watching from afar as the situation unfolded, and the teens kept trying to flee. Kind of random; probably not interesting enough for Real TV.
And with that, we bid farewell to Mark & Susan--for a week anyway. They're traveling up to Snowdonia and Scotland for a little bit before they come back to London for a few days. Their visit here will overlap with Jeremy & Maria's for a couple days, so that should be fun. Looking forward to it. After celebrating Jimmer Fredette's 52 points to help BYU finally beat New Mexico last night, now onto the Arsenal game versus Manchester United. Cheers mates!
