Iolo William's has my Sundew picture on his presenter card 😁👍 Every little helps, as they say.

Wild Boar Piglets.......

 

Wild Boar - Sus Scrofa

  

Forest of Dean

 

Status in Britain

 

Wild boars were apparently already becoming rare by the 11th century since a 1087 forestry law enacted by William the Conqueror punishes through blinding the unlawful killing of a boar. Charles I attempted to reintroduce the species into the New Forest, though this population was exterminated during the Civil War.

 

Between their medieval extinction and the 1980s, when wild boar farming began, only a handful of captive wild boar, imported from the continent, were present in Britain. Occasional escapes of wild boar from wildlife parks have occurred as early as the 1970s, but since the early 1990s significant populations have re-established themselves after escapes from farms, the number of which has increased as the demand for meat from the species has grown. A 1998 MAFF (now DEFRA) study on wild boar living wild in Britain confirmed the presence of two populations of wild boar living in Britain; one in Kent/East Sussex and another in Dorset. Another DEFRA report, in February 2008, confirmed the existence of these two sites as 'established breeding areas' and identified a third in Gloucestershire/Herefordshire; in the Forest of Dean/Ross on Wye area. A 'new breeding population' was also identified in Devon. There is another significant population in Dumfries and Galloway. Populations estimates were as follows:

 

The largest population, in Kent/East Sussex, was then estimated at approximately 200 animals in the core distribution area.

 

The second largest, in Gloucestershire/Herefordshire, was first estimated to be in excess of 100 animals. Legally classified as dangerous wild animals, the group is known to be feral descendants of domestic (Tamworth) pigs abandoned nearby. Their numbers grew by 2016 to at least 1500 and the Forestry Commission planned to reduce the total to a manageable 400. "Adult males can reach twenty stone (125 kg), run at thirty miles an hour, and can jump or barge through all but the strongest fences. Also, they are not afraid of humans, so (unlike deer) you can't just shoo them out of your garden."

 

The smallest, in west Dorset, was estimated to be fewer than 50 animals.

 

Since winter 2005/6 significant escapes/releases have also resulted in animals colonizing areas around the fringes of Dartmoor, in Devon. These are considered as an additional single 'new breeding population' and currently estimated to be up to 100 animals.

 

Population estimates for the Forest of Dean are disputed as at the time that the DEFRA population estimate was 100, a photo of a boar sounder in the forest near Staunton with over 33 animals visible was published, and at about the same time over 30 boar were seen in a field near the original escape location of Weston under Penyard many miles away. In early 2010 the Forestry Commission embarked on a cull, with the aim of reducing the boar population from an estimated 150 animals to 100. By August it was stated that efforts were being made to reduce the population from 200 to 90, but that only 25 had been killed.

 

The failure to meet cull targets was confirmed in February 2011.

 

Wild boars have crossed the River Wye into Monmouthshire, Wales. Iolo Williams, the BBC Wales wildlife expert, attempted to film Welsh boar in late 2012. Many other sightings, across the UK, have also been reported. The effects of wild boar on the UK's woodlands were discussed with Ralph Harmer of the Forestry Commission on the BBC Radio's Farming Today radio programme in 2011. The programme prompted activist writer George Monbiot to propose a thorough population study, followed by the introduction of permit-controlled culling.

    

A small, brown, streaky bird, it is the commonest songbird in upland areas and its high, piping call is a familiar sound.Meadow pipit numbers in the UK have been declining since the mid-1970s, resulting in this species being included on the amber list of conservation concern. I always remember Iolo Williams calling them the mountain mars bars as every predator in the uplands loved eating them .What a fantastic nickname lol !!

Please do not use my images in any way without my permission they are copyright protected !!

Please take A look in Large !! press L

Thanks to everyone that takes the time and makes the effort to comment and fave my pics its very much appreciated

Regards Clive

Guess most parents know all about this look especially now the kids are on summer holidays !!

A small, brown, streaky bird, it is the commonest songbird in upland areas and its high, piping call is a familiar sound.Meadow pipit numbers in the UK have been declining since the mid-1970s, resulting in this species being included on the amber list of conservation concern. I always remember Iolo Williams calling them the mountain mars bars as every predator in the uplands loved eating them .What a fantastic nickname lol !!

Please do not use my images in any way without my permission they are copyright protected !!

Please take A look in Large !! press L

Thanks to everyone that takes the time and makes the effort to comment and fave my pics its very much appreciated

Regards Clive

A small, brown, streaky bird, it is the commonest songbird in upland areas and its high, piping call is a familiar sound.Meadow pipit numbers in the UK have been declining since the mid-1970s, resulting in this species being included on the amber list of conservation concern. I always remember Iolo Williams calling them the mountain mars bars as every predator in the uplands loved eating them .What a fantastic nickname lol !!

Please do not use my images in any way without my permission they are copyright protected !!

Please take A look in Large !! press L

Thanks to everyone that takes the time and makes the effort to comment and fave my pics its very much appreciated

Regards Clive

I took this photo of a Dotterel last September, they migrate from North Africa to their breeding grounds in the Scottish Highlands. One of their stop off points for 'refuelling' is the Black mountain in the Breacon Beacons. Springwatch presenter Iolo Williams actually recorded one of his TV shows about Dotterel on the very same mountain. Sadly I have not been able to see any Dotterel migrating this year during the Spring or on their return this Autumn. I hope it's not a sign of things to come and hope next year will be better.

This was shot around midnight with 30 second exposure during thick fog. I modified white balance a bit in PS and added Orton effect to enhance the mood. I just made one correction I flipped the canvas I think it's more pleasing to the eye and less distracting... I keep forgetting about that flip feature in PS ... :D

 

FYI: My office computer was running very slow lately even though it's fairly new so I used software called System Mechanic made by iolo company. It is a fantastic software to keep your computer running like new. It's simply amazing! So if any of you experience anything like that this software will resurrect your computer. I just wanted to share this with you guys ;)

 

Have a nice day Everyone! Thank you everyone for your continued support with your wonderful feedback and awards! I really appreciate that :D

 

~Best Viewed Large!~

Eglwys Mihangel / Churh of Saint Michael the Archangel, Flemingston, Vale of Glamorgan

 

-...-...-...- -...-...-...- -...-...-...-

 

Mae cofeb i Iolo Morganwg yn yr eglwys hon.

 

cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iolo_Morganwg

 

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Ur maen e-koun ar skrivagner kembraek Iolo Morganwg zo en iliz-mañ

 

br.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iolo_Morganwg

 

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A memorial to the Welsh writer Iolo Morganwg is to be found in this church.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iolo_Morganwg

St Michael the Archangel, Flemingstone

 

-...-...-...- -...-...-...- -...-...-...-

 

Mae cofeb i Iolo Morganwg yn yr eglwys hon.

 

cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iolo_Morganwg

 

-...-...-...-

 

Ur maen e-koun ar skrivagner kembraek Iolo Morganwg zo en iliz-mañ

 

br.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iolo_Morganwg

 

-...-...-...-

 

Tha cuimhneachan don sgrìobhadair Iolo Morganwg san eaglais seo.

 

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Tá cuimhneachán don scríbhneoir Breatnaise Iolo Morganwg san eaglais seo.

 

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Eliza honetan Iolo Morganwg idazleari oroitarria dago.

 

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A memorial to the writer Iolo Morganwg is to be found in this church.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iolo_Morganwg

at Parc Slip Nature Reserve. The last time I was here I and my friend had a chance encounter with Iolo Wiiliams who was more than happy to have his photo taken with us *swoon* 😇

A small, brown, streaky bird, it is the commonest songbird in upland areas and its high, piping call is a familiar sound.Meadow pipit numbers in the UK have been declining since the mid-1970s, resulting in this species being included on the amber list of conservation concern. I always remember Iolo Williams calling them the mountain mars bars as every predator in the uplands loved eating them .What a fantastic nickname lol !!

Please do not use my images in any way without my permission they are copyright protected !!

Please take A look in Large !! press L

Thanks to everyone that takes the time and makes the effort to comment and fave my pics its very much appreciated

Regards Clive

"Some jokers just always want to get themselves into the shot!"

Coelbren y Beirdd - en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coelbren_y_Beirdd

I heard this phrase being used in Welsh by BBC presenter Iolo Williams, something his grand mother used to say to describe such places that help you relax... 'Lle i enaid gael llonydd'. This scene ftom Erdek, Turkey, feels like one of those places.

Not for the faint-hearted:

 

Praise of Owain Glyndwr

 

Strong magic, strident motion –

Praise Mair – a noble’s portion.

Good prayer: gods protect

The black bull, lord elect.

Fair is your vale, fierce lord

Pywer Lew, Powys’ sword.

Unworthy, we, to find fault

With the world: proud fate

Favours Owain, peacock true,

Fetlock-deep in bloody slough,

Bold as Bran. Barons grim

All are worthless, but for him:

They bent the knee, white of feather

To his raven father’s father,

And when his sire sallied forth

He leapt the Dee and rent the earth:

Hiriell, the Wrath of Wales.

Weigh other Welshmen in the scales

To find them wanting. Wind, blow

These butterflies! This I know:

From woman’s womb, the best boy

In Powys, full of courtly joy,

Was Owain, black as any bird

And full of praises for a bard:

Never a bully, nor a snob,

Never known to jibe or snub

Or steal a toy, or lie, or slight

Another. He would not smite

Or punch. He gave no pain

To other boys for selfish gain,

Nor crooked a finger, muttered never,

Would not say boo, was prudent ever.

 

Yet, reaching manhood, watch him go

Unflinchingly to slash the foe.

Upon his horse he rides the track,

Man and steed robed in black,

Lance uplifted to the socket

At the shoulder of his jacket

Capped in mail, with helmet fine –

Generous, too, at pouring wine –

And as you tumble to the heather

The helm he doffs bears a feather

Plucked from a flamingo’s wing,

Coloured crimson. He could wring

The Berwick blood he spilt

Out in gallons, up to the hilt

For Gregory, in Scottish gore,

And felling every horse of war

That faced him, till the shattered shields

Floated on the bloodsoaked fields.

The second rout, fraught with fear

Saw his fury smash his spear:

Retreating then, in grim disgrace,

Scotland dare not show its face,

Some screaming, wretched others,

Warlords weeping for their mothers,

Bleating all, like hobbled goats:

Thus came terror to the Scots.

The path was slick with blood and froth

Fit to slake the wolves of wrath,

And grass or dock never grew

Upon the kerns that Owain slew.

When Berwick fell, Owain’s sword

Reaped in gold its own reward.

 

Source material: Poem by Iolo Goch, paraphrased by Giles Watson. An admirer of Owain, and most likely the Welsh lord’s court poet, Iolo Goch wrote this poem at some time after 1385. At that time, Owain was still ostensibly loyal to the English crown under Richard II, although a cogent argument has been made by Alex Gibbon, The Mystery of Jack of Kent and the Fate of Owain Glyndwr, Stroud, 2004, that Owain was biding his time until the conditions were right for rebellion, and that Iolo was colluding with him. Nevertheless, Owain made a name for himself as a ferocious knight, fighting for the Englishman Sir Gregory Sais in Berwick in 1384, and then waging war in Scotland in 1385. Legend has it that on the morning after Owain was born, his father’s horses were found standing up to their fetlocks in blood, prognosticating a violent future. I have alluded to this tradition in my paraphrase.

 

A small, brown, streaky bird, it is the commonest songbird in upland areas and its high, piping call is a familiar sound.Meadow pipit numbers in the UK have been declining since the mid-1970s, resulting in this species being included on the amber list of conservation concern. I always remember Iolo Williams calling them the mountain mars bars as every predator in the uplands loved eating them .What a fantastic nickname lol !!

Please do not use my images in any way without my permission they are copyright protected !!

Please take A look in Large !! press L

Thanks to everyone that takes the time and makes the effort to comment and fave my pics its very much appreciated

Regards Clive

Wild Boar - Sus Scrofa

 

Forest of Dean

 

Status in Britain

  

Wild boars were apparently already becoming rare by the 11th century since a 1087 forestry law enacted by William the Conqueror punishes through blinding the unlawful killing of a boar. Charles I attempted to reintroduce the species into the New Forest, though this population was exterminated during the Civil War.

 

Between their medieval extinction and the 1980s, when wild boar farming began, only a handful of captive wild boar, imported from the continent, were present in Britain. Occasional escapes of wild boar from wildlife parks have occurred as early as the 1970s, but since the early 1990s significant populations have re-established themselves after escapes from farms, the number of which has increased as the demand for meat from the species has grown. A 1998 MAFF (now DEFRA) study on wild boar living wild in Britain confirmed the presence of two populations of wild boar living in Britain; one in Kent/East Sussex and another in Dorset. Another DEFRA report, in February 2008, confirmed the existence of these two sites as 'established breeding areas' and identified a third in Gloucestershire/Herefordshire; in the Forest of Dean/Ross on Wye area. A 'new breeding population' was also identified in Devon. There is another significant population in Dumfries and Galloway. Populations estimates were as follows:

 

The largest population, in Kent/East Sussex, was then estimated at approximately 200 animals in the core distribution area.

The second largest, in Gloucestershire/Herefordshire, was first estimated to be in excess of 100 animals. Legally classified as dangerous wild animals, the group is known to be feral descendants of domestic (Tamworth) pigs abandoned nearby. Their numbers grew by 2016 to at least 1500 and the Forestry Commission planned to reduce the total to a manageable 400. "Adult males can reach twenty stone (125 kg), run at thirty miles an hour, and can jump or barge through all but the strongest fences. Also, they are not afraid of humans, so (unlike deer) you can't just shoo them out of your garden."

The smallest, in west Dorset, was estimated to be fewer than 50 animals.

Since winter 2005/6 significant escapes/releases have also resulted in animals colonizing areas around the fringes of Dartmoor, in Devon. These are considered as an additional single 'new breeding population' and currently estimated to be up to 100 animals.

 

Population estimates for the Forest of Dean are disputed as at the time that the DEFRA population estimate was 100, a photo of a boar sounder in the forest near Staunton with over 33 animals visible was published, and at about the same time over 30 boar were seen in a field near the original escape location of Weston under Penyard many miles away. In early 2010 the Forestry Commission embarked on a cull, with the aim of reducing the boar population from an estimated 150 animals to 100. By August it was stated that efforts were being made to reduce the population from 200 to 90, but that only 25 had been killed.

 

The failure to meet cull targets was confirmed in February 2011.

 

Wild boars have crossed the River Wye into Monmouthshire, Wales. Iolo Williams, the BBC Wales wildlife expert, attempted to film Welsh boar in late 2012. Many other sightings, across the UK, have also been reported. The effects of wild boar on the UK's woodlands were discussed with Ralph Harmer of the Forestry Commission on the BBC Radio's Farming Today radio programme in 2011. The programme prompted activist writer George Monbiot to propose a thorough population study, followed by the introduction of permit-controlled culling.

Prynodd Benjamin Waddington stad Llanofer tua 1792 a chodi'r tŷ hwn. Bu'r geiriadurwr Llydaweg Frañsez Vallee yn aros yn Llanfoer, a cheir ganddo ddisgrifiad o'r lle hwn yn ogystal â disgrifiad manwl o gastell Fictoraidd yr Arglwyddes Llanofer (Gwenynen Gwent) a oedd ar yr un stad. Ei merch, y Foneddiges Hall, a'i gwahoddodd ef i aros, am y tro cyntaf yn 1899. Y fam, sef Augusta Waddington (Gwenynen Gwent, Arglwyddes Llanofer - gwraig Benjamin Hall, (y gŵr yr enwyd Big Ben ar ei ôl), a fu'n croesawu Kervarker (La Villemarqué), casglwr Barzhaz Breizh, yn 1838 adeg Eisteddfod Cymreigyddion y Fenni. Dymchwelwyd plas, neu gastell, newydd Llanofer yn 1935.

 

Gyda golwg ar y tŷ hwn, dywed Vallee fod Carnhuanawc yn byw mewn ystafelloedd yma 'am amser maith' ac iddo godi maen hir a chromlech yn yr ardd.

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Benjamin Waddington bought the Llanofer (Llanover) estate c. 1792 and built this mansion. The house is described by the Breton lexicographer Vallée, who stayed at Lady Hall's, now demolished, Victorian castle-mansion in the same grounds, which he decribes in some detail. The Breton writer Kervarker (La Villemarqué) was a guest there of Lady Hall's mother, Augusta Waddington - the wife of Benjamin Hall, the man who gave his name to Big Ben.

 

"It is in the kitchen of the 'Upper House' that Lady Llanover's Welsh chaplain performs service on Sundays, for to the church she and her people will not go as the clergyman is - undesirable..."

 

Quote from A. J. C. Hare, "The Story of my Life..." (1900) in Rachel Ley's Welsh book: "Arglwyddes Llanofer / Gwenynen Gwent", Gwasg Gwynedd, 2001.

 

Vallee also says that the Welsh writer and historian Thomas Price (who hepled with the Breton translation of the Bible) stayed in rooms at the building pictured here, for a long time, and that he erected a standing stone and dolmen in the garden.

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An ti-mañ zo koshoc'h eget an hini ma voe Kervarker ha Frañsez Vallee o chom, an eil bet pedet gant an Itron Llanofer (lezanvet Gwenanenn Gwent) hag egile bet pedet gant he merc'h, an Itron Hall. An ti-se a voe diskaret, siwazh, e 1935, Vallee a daolenn dre ar munud an ti a zo bet diskaret ha lavaret a ra kement-mañ diwar-benn an ti a zo el luc'hskeudenn-mañ:

 

"El liorzh end-eeun, ur pennad diouzh ar c'hastell nevez, e weler ar c'hastell kozh anvet Ty-Uchaf. Bihanoc'h eo eget ar c'hastell nevez, outañ ur porched gwerennet heñvel ouzh un heolienn pe 'veranda', hag ennañ ar c'hambroù ma vevas pell amzer ar barzh Carnhuanawg a genlabouras gant Ar Gonidig da dreiñ ar Vibl Santel e brezhoneg. Evel Iolo Morganwg, ez oa Carnhuanwg douget-tre d'an drouized kozh. Savet en doa en ur c'horn distro eus al liorzh un daol-vaen hag ur maen-hir heñvel ouzh ar re a weler ken stank e Breizh,"

 

F. Vallee, Eñvorennoù Beaj.. (Mouladurioù hor Yezh, 2007), 51.o

According to Iolo Williams's 'Llyfr Natur', there is no official English translation for this - so the nearest I can suggest is 'Rock thread-moss'.

 

What's interesting is that both of today's uploads were shot with the same lens at the side of the road. The zoom really getting to work!!

 

I did push the midtones in an adjustment layer to bring out those greens and it might be worth a [View on Black]

  

’Roedd John Walters (1721-97), yn enedigol o Lanedi, Sir Gaerfyrddin, ac yn rheithor Llandochau, y Bont-faen.

 

Mae ei eiriadur yn seiliedig ar un William Gambold, ond mae'n helaethach o dipyn. Cyhoeddwyd y rhan gyntaf yn 1770, 14 o rannau pellach rhwng 1770 a 1783 a'r gweddill yn 1794. ’Roedd yn gyfraniad pwysig i helaethu a chyfoethogi geirfa'r Gymraeg am y byddai'n bathu geiriau, yn llwyddiannus yn aml, i lanw bylchau yn yr iaith. Dyma enghreifftiau o fathiadau ganddo:

 

adloniant, ad- + lloniant

adnoddau, ad- + nawdd

amaethyddiaeth, amaeth + -yddiaeth

amhendant, an- + pendant

amlinell, am- + llinell

braslun, bras + llun

cyfyngdir, culdir, cyfyngdir (Saesneg 'isthumus')

cylchlwybr, cylchdro (Saesneg 'orbit')

darlunfa, stiwdio

 

Cyfarfu Iolo Morganwg ag Walters am y tro cyntaf ar ddiwedd y 1760au, a sonia mab Walters am Iolo’n ymweld â chartref ei dad yn Llandochau. Gellir tybio eu bod yn cyfnewid syniadau a hefyd, efallai, fathiadau.

 

❀●❀●❀●❀●❀

 

Unan eus pouezusañ geriadurourien ar c'hembraeg e oa John Walters (1721-1797). Gantañ e voe savet meur a c'her nevez, ma teufe ar c'hembraeg ur yezh vodern hag unan a c'halle bezañ implijet evit breutaat ar bed evel ma oa d'ar mare-se.

 

An eil embannadur zo el luc'hskeudenn.

 

❀●❀●❀●❀●❀

 

John Walters (1721-1797) was one of the most important lexicographers in the history of Welsh. In order to compile his remarkable English-Welsh dictionary he collected words, used other peoples collections of words and also coined new words himself. He wanted Welsh to be a language which could be used to discuss various aspects of contemporary life.

 

The second edition is in the photograph.

 

❀●❀●❀●❀●❀●❀●❀●❀●❀

 

yba.llgc.org.uk/cy/c-WALT-JOH-1721.html

 

yba.llgc.org.uk/en/s-WALT-JOH-1721.html

   

Llanwenog, Ceredigion

 

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Capel o bwys mewn ardal lle y mae'r Undowyr yn draddodiadol gryf. “Y smotyn du” oedd llysenw’r enwadau eraill ar y cylch am fod yr Undodwyr mor gryf yno ac yn cael eu dangos mewn du ar fapiau enwadol.

 

Codwyd yr adeilad hwn yn 1837 a’i addasu yn 1892. Ymhlith dilynwyr yr Undodwyr ’roedd y llenor Iolo Morganwg, a fyddai’n teithio yno yn eithaf aml o Forgannwg i Alltyblaca.

 

Bu’r bardd D Jacob Davies (1916-1978) yn weinidog yno am ddeunaw mlynedd.

 

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Iliz an Undedourien, Alltyblaca

 

Un templ a bouez en ur c’horn ma'z eus un hengoun kreñv gant an Undedourien. An Dreindedourien a rae “ar merk du” eus ar c’horn-se abalamour da niver an temploù Undedour eno. Diskouezet e veze an temploù e du war ar c'hartennoù a savent.

 

Savet e oa bet ar vatimant-mañ e 1837, met gwellaet e voe e 1892.E-touez a re a heulie ar ranngredenn e oa ar skrivagner iolo Morganwg, a yae aliezik betek Alltyblaca eus Morgannwg.

 

Ar barzh D Jacob Davies (1916-1978) a oa bet ministr amañ e-pad triwec'h vloaz.

 

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An Séipéal Úinitéireach, Alltyblaca

 

Séipéal tábhachtach i gceantar ina bhfuil na hÚinitéireaigh láidir go traidisiúnta. Ba é “an spota dubh” an leasainm ag na hainmníochtaí eile ar an gceantar de bharr go raibh na hÚinitéireaigh chomh láidir ann. Taispeántaí na séipéil de chuid na hÚinitéireach i ndath dubh ar a gcuid léarscáileanna.

 

Tógadh an foirgneamh seo i 1837 agus cuireadh feabhas air é i 1892. Bhí Iolo Morganwg i measc na ndeisceabail ann. Thaistealaíodh sé go minic as Morgannwg go hAlltyblaca.

 

Bhí an file D Jacob Davies (1916-1978) ina mhinistir anseo ar feadh ocht mbliana déag.

 

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Unitarian Chapel, Alltyblaca

 

An important place of worship in an area where the Unitarians have a strong tradition. The othere denominations called the area 'the black spot' as there were so many Untarian chapels in this part of Ceredigion. The Unitarian chapels were shown in black on their maps.

 

The chapel was built in 1837 and improved in 1892. Amongst the follwers of Unitarianism was the writer Iolo Morganwg, and he would fairly ooften make the journey from Glamorgan to Alltyblaca.

 

Bu’r bardd D Jacob Davies (1916-1978) yn weinidog yno am ddeunaw mlynedd.

 

www.welshchapels.org/nonconformity/unitarian/

 

Cofeb i Edward Williams - Iolo Morganwg- 1747 - 1826. Llenor amryddawn oedd Iolo. Er na chyfansoddodd eiriadur, bu wrthi'n casglu geiriau Cymraeg, yn bathu geiriau, ac yn benthyg rhai gan ieithoedd eraiill (gan gynnwys y Llydaweg). Cynhwysodd William Owen Pughe rai o'i fathiadau yn ei eiriadur dylanwadol ei hun. Yn rhannol, ysbrydolwyd geiriaduraeth Iolo gan John Walters, Llandochau, a chan Thomas Richards, Llangrallo.

 

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Ur maen e koun unan eus souezhusañ skrivagnerien ar c'hembraeg, un den hag a ouie drevezañ doare sevel barzhonegoù ar varzhed kozh. Gantañ ivez e voe krouet Goursez ar Varzhed, un ensavadur hengounel hervezañ. Dedennet e oa gant ar yezhoù hag amprestañ a reas gerioù diwar ar brezhoneg evit pinvidikaat ar c'hembraeg lennegel. Nebeut eus ar gerioù-se a oa deuet da vezañ implijet er yezh avat.

 

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Scríbhneoir ildánach ab ea Iolo Morganwg. Bhí sé ina fhile, agus thaitníodh leis aithris a dhéanamh ar shaothar na bhfilí ag a raibh tábhacht stairiúil. Cé nár fhoilisgh sé foclóir, ba bhailitheoir focal é agus dhein sé iarracht focail Ghaeilge agus Bhriotainise a úsáid chun cur le saibhreas na Breatnaise liteartha. Bhí tionchar aige ar fhoclóirí eile, go háirithe ar William Owen Pughe. Bhí tionchar ag Thomas Richards agus ag John Walters ar a chuid foclóireachta.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The multi-talented Iolo Morganwg is one of the most interesting of Welsh writers. He was a poet but also an imitator of other poets of historical importance. Although Iolo didn't compile a dictionary, he was a collector and coiner of words and he influenced other lexicographers, especially William Owen Pughe. His own lexicography was partly inspired by the work of Thomas Richards, Coychurch, and John Walters, Llandow.

  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iolo_Morganwg

Buy this photo on Getty Images : Getty Images

 

The man walking on the photo is Terry Dobney, aka Chief Druid of Avebury, keeper of the stones

 

Avebury (/ˈeɪvbri/) is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England. Unique amongst megalithic monuments, Avebury contains the largest stone circle in Europe, and is one of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain. It is both a tourist attraction and a place of religious importance to contemporary Pagans.

 

Constructed around 2600 BC, during the Neolithic, or 'New Stone Age', the monument comprises a large henge (that is a bank and a ditch) with a large outer stone circle and two separate smaller stone circles situated inside the centre of the monument. Its original purpose is unknown, although archaeologists believe that it was most likely used for some form of ritual or ceremony. The Avebury monument was a part of a larger prehistoric landscape containing several older monuments nearby, including West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill.

 

By the Iron Age, the site had been effectively abandoned, with some evidence of human activity on the site during the Roman occupation. During the Early Medieval, a village first began to be built around the monument, which eventually extended into it. In the Late Medieval and Early Modern periods, locals destroyed many of the standing stones around the henge, both for religious and practical reasons. The antiquarians John Aubrey and William Stukeley however took an interest in Avebury during the 17th century, and recorded much of the site before its destruction. Archaeological investigation followed in the 20th century, led primarily by Alexander Keiller, who oversaw a project of reconstructing much of the monument.

 

Avebury is owned and run by the National Trust, a charitable organisation who keeps it open to the public. It has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument, as well as a Unesco World Heritage Site, in the latter capacity being seen as a part of the wider prehistoric landscape of Wiltshire known as Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites.

 

Avebury has been adopted as a sacred site by many adherents of contemporary Pagan religions such as Druidry, Wicca and Heathenry. These worshippers view the monument as a "living temple" which they associate with the ancestors, as well as with genius loci, or spirits of place. Typically, such Pagan rites at the site are performed publicly, and attract crowds of curious visitors to witness the event, particularly on major days of Pagan celebration such as the summer solstice.

 

Druidic rites held at Avebury are commonly known as gorseddau and involve participants invoking Awen (a Druidic concept meaning inspiration), with an eisteddfod section during which poems, songs and stories are publicly performed. The Druid Prayer composed by Iolo Morganwg in the 18th century and the later Druid Vow are typically recited. One particular group, known as the Gorsedd of Bards of Caer Abiri, focus almost entirely upon holding their rites at the prehistoric site, referring to it as Caer Abiri. In their original ceremony, composed by Philip Shallcrass of the British Druid Order in 1993, those assembled divide into two groups, one referred to as the God party and the other as the Goddess party. Those with the Goddess party go to the "Devil's Chair" at the southern entrance to the Avebury henge, where a woman representing the spirit guardian of the site and the Goddess who speaks through her sits in the chair-like cove in the southern face of the sarsen stone. Meanwhile those following the God party process around the outer bank of the henge to the southern entrance, where they are challenged as to their intent and give offerings (often of flowers, fruit, bread or mead) to the Goddess's representative.

 

Due to the fact that various Pagan, and in particular Druid groups, perform their ceremonies at the site, a rota has been established, whereby the Loyal Arthurian Warband (LAW), the Secular Order of Druids (SOD) and the Glastonbury Order of Druids (GOD) use it on Saturdays, whilst the Druid Network and the British Druid Order (BDO) instead plan their events for Sundays.

 

Submitted 27/05/2014

Accepted 25/06/2014

 

Published:

- Telegraph Media Group Limited (United Kingdom (Great Britain)) 15-Jun-2021

Image taken 28.05.2022 by David Moth. At Flugplatz Emden,East Frisia,Lower Saxony ,Germany

 

Built in 2007 Construction Number 2305 Formerly G-CEUA

...ar yr un diwrnod â llun (i)

 

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Kelc'h ar Goursez, Dolgellau - er memes devezh hag al luc'hskeudenn (i)

 

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Gorsedd Circle, Dolgellau - on the same day as photograph (i)

 

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Sefydliad neo-Dderwyddol yw'r Orsedd. Fe'i crewyd gan Iolo Morganwg yn 90au'r 18fed ganrif. Dadleuai ef mai arferiad hynafol oedd i'r Derwyddon ymgynnull mewn cylch, ac ymserchwyd yn y syniad gan rai o'i gyfoeswyr. Daeth yr Orsedd i gael ei gael ei chysylltu â'r Eisteddfod Genedlaethol ac erys seremonïau'r Orsedd yn rhan o'r ŵyl honno.

 

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Un aozadur drouizel nevez eo ar Goursez. Krouet eo bet gant Iolo Morganwg e bloavezhioù 90 an 18vet kantved. Hervezañ en em vode an drouized en ur c'helc'h, ha gwelet mat e oa bet ar soñj-se gant Kembreiz ha diwezhatoc'h gant Breizhiz. Deuet eo lidoù ar Goursez e Kembre da vezañ stag ouzh an Eisteddfod ha war an holl, e Kembre, e talc'h start ar Goursez d'ar c'hembraeg.

 

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The Gorsedd is a neo-Druidic institution. It was created by iolo Morganwg in the 90s of the 18th century. He argued that the Druids would congregate ina circle and the idea appealed greatly to some of his contemporaries. The Gorsedd came to be connected to the National Eisteddfod, the main Welsh cultural festival, and its ceremonies still form part of that annual event.

 

www.eisteddfod.org.uk/cymraeg/cefndir/gorsedd-y-beirdd/

 

www.eisteddfod.org.uk/english/about-us/gorsedd-of-the-bards/

From;

heritageaction.wordpress.

 

As the sun, so shy, speeds on to hide behind the western hills

I stand within this

Ancient circle with its rugged stones

Pointing to the sky

Like the digits on the clock of time -

The time that has refused to move,

As if the keeper of this heather hearth has gone to bed

Remembering not to lift

The fallen weights of Time and Space.

 

The first verse of one of Iolo Morgannwg’s poem, some would call him a fantasist who created an idea or vision of a Celtic Druidic order in the 18th century.

 

His first meeting of the bards was on Primrose Hill in London, where he had erected twelve stones called the Great Circle and a central altar stone known as the Maen Llog, this was in 1792. It is said of Iolo that he constructed an “elaborate mystical philosophy which he claimed represented a direct continuation of ancient Druidic practice. His use of laudanum may have contributed to this fabrication, though many of his writings fall between a small truth and a large imaginative myth that he wrote!

 

In 1795, a gorsedd meeting took place at the Pontypridd Rocking Stone, near Eglwysilam in Glamorgan. This was a huge slab of natural slate stone (the Maen Chwyf), and this stone became a meeting place, though the circles were yet to be put up.

 

The word gorsedd, which in Welsh means throne, but is also loosely used as a coming together of bards. Julian Cope in his book The Modern Antiquarian says of this rocking stone ‘that it stands high on the ground overlooking the confluence of the two great sacred rivers Rhodda and Taff,’ and that this gorsedd stone must have had great significance in prehistoric times. The stone is surrounded by two circles plus an avenue but the circles are not prehistoric, and it now sits in a pleasant landscape next to a small cottage hospital. Photographs can be seen here on the TMA site…

This is one of the rarest plants in Britain as it only occurs on the islands of St Kilda 40 miles west of the Outer Hebrides, and even there it isn't common. There are many micro-species of Dandelion that even most botanists ignore but I thought this was worth uploading as I could not find a single photograph on Flickr, and could only find two photos of it anywhere, one of which was a pot grown specimen accompanying this BBC article about it: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-18628463 Even its Wikipedia page has no accompanying photograph.

 

It was first cultivated at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh from seeds collected by Jim McIntosh on St Kilda in 2010, and was described new to science by A.J.Richards & Ferguson-Smyth in the New Journal of Botany 2(1): 16. 2012 [31 May 2012]. It was named Taraxacum pankhurstianum after a retired staff member at the Gardens (John Pankhurst) who first suggested seeds should be collected. It is the only Dandelion species on St Kilda and is unique in having hairs on the lower bracts of the flower. That is why I inset a macro shot showing the bracts while the main photo that shows the whole plant with its leaf shape. I must admit the bracts weren't as hairy as I'd expected, and seemed to be fringed with hairs along the edges rather than being fully hairy. It is a tiny species of Dandelion; short-stemmed and low growing so very difficult to do anything interesting photographically. It was not common as I only saw about twenty flowers, which were scattered in Soay Sheep-grazed grassland higher on the hill of Hirta. I only saw one growing in waste ground by the tracks lower down (where you'd expect to see Dandelions).

 

And finally I wasn't even aware of this flower until 18 months ago as it is too recently discovered to appear in any of my botanical books. I first read about it in Iolo Williams' excellent book "Wild Places UK: UK's Top 40 Nature Sites" which he kindly sent me after he used my photo of Teesdale Violet (Viola rupestris) in the book. And finally, one of the people who first described St Kilda Dandelion is John Richards (A J Richards) who taught me botany at Newcastle University in the late 1970s. I got to know him when I worked at Northumberland Wildlife Trust for a year or two subsequently.

Kelc'h ar Goursez, Dolgellau

 

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Gorsedd Circle, Dolgellau

 

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Sefydliad neo-Dderwyddol yw'r Orsedd. Fe'i crewyd gan Iolo Morganwg yn 90au'r 18fed ganrif. Dadleuai ef mai arferiad hynafol oedd i'r Derwyddon ymgynnull mewn cylch, ac ymserchwyd yn y syniad gan rai o'i gyfoeswyr. Daeth yr Orsedd i gael ei gael ei chysylltu â'r Eisteddfod Genedlaethol ac erys seremonïau'r Orsedd yn rhan o'r ŵyl honno.

 

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Un aozadur drouizel nevez eo ar Goursez. Krouet eo bet gant Iolo Morganwg e bloavezhioù 90 an 18vet kantved. Hervezañ en em vode an drouized en ur c'helc'h, ha gwelet mat e oa bet ar soñj-se gant Kembreiz ha diwezhatoc'h gant Breizhiz. Deuet eo lidoù ar Goursez e Kembre da vezañ stag ouzh an Eisteddfod ha war an holl, e Kembre, e talc'h start ar Goursez d'ar c'hembraeg.

 

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The Gorsedd is a neo-Druidic institution. It was created by iolo Morganwg in the 90s of the 18th century. He argued that the Druids would congregate ina circle and the idea appealed greatly to some of his contemporaries. The Gorsedd came to be connected to the National Eisteddfod, the main Welsh cultural festival, and its ceremonies still form part of that annual event.

 

www.eisteddfod.org.uk/cymraeg/cefndir/gorsedd-y-beirdd/

 

www.eisteddfod.org.uk/english/about-us/gorsedd-of-the-bards/

Original handmade collage 12cm x 17cm from my “LIBLUETA”

 

Dyma arysgrif yn yr wyddor farddol, Coelbren y Beirdd, a luniwyd gan Iolo Morganwg tua 1791, ond yn rhyfedd iawn, mae'r gair Saesneg "churchwarden" yma yng nghanol y Gymraeg. Parodd hynny dipyn o benbleth imi:

 

'R.W. Ficar. W.E.P. Churchwarden. Adferwyd 1882'

 

Honnai Iolo mai dyma wyddor y derwyddon Celtaidd ac yr oedd yn cael ei naddu ar ddarnau o bren.

 

ϪϪ ϪϪ ϪϪ ϪϪ ϪϪ

 

Maen-badez iliz Beddgelert

 

Implijet eo bet al lizherenneg anvet Coelbren y Beirdd, bet krouet gant Iolo Morganwg e-tro 1791. Iskis a-walc'h eo gwelet ar ger saozneg "churchwarden" en enskrivadur:

 

'R.W. Vicar. W.E.P. Churchwarden. Restored 1882 '

 

Hervez Iolo ez eo al lizherenneg-mañ a implije an drouized gwechall gozh. Er penn kentañ e veze troc'het al lizhernnoù war dammoù koad, emezañ.

 

ϪϪ ϪϪ ϪϪ ϪϪ ϪϪ

 

Beddgelert Church font.

 

This is inscribed in the bardic alphabet, Coelbren y Beirdd, created by Iolo Morganwg around 1791. Strangely enough, the English word "churchwarden" here is used and it took me time to realise that:

 

'R.W. Vicar. W.E.P. Churchwarden. Restored 1882 '

 

Iolo claimed that this was the Celtic alphabet which was originally carved by the druids on pieces of wood.

  

www.wrexham.gov.uk/assets/pdfs/heritage/uniquely_welsh/al...

La primera de la serie y tarea síntesis para Cámara Lúcida.

 

Gracias a la ALE y al MATIAS por su tiempo y comprensión, Mostros!!

RGC Vs Newport RFC 12th May 2018 Principality Premiership

Result 43 : 36

Only the second one ever found in the county of Monmouthshire. Was filmed by Iolo Williams. Found in the garage of my mate Gavin Vella, who loaned her to me for photography purposes. She has the classic pattern of the false widow, but rather faint on her dark body.

ARGO

The Argo is a DP-2 Trenching Support Vessel built for worldwide operations, specially designed and outfitted for supporting a variety of subsea trenching vehicles. She is also well equipped for cable laying and repairs as well as for diving, ROV, Survey, and IMR work. She is fitted with an ROV Hangar housing 2 WROVs (1 x over side launching, 1 through moonpool launching), a 150T AHC offshore crane, and a 65T A-Frame.

IMO Number 9523366

Length 110.60 M

Breadth 20.00 M

Dynamic Position System

Kongsberg KPos-21 with C-Joy (DP-2)

Deadweight abt. 4,406 MT

Accommodation 112 Persons

Flag Greece

The Argo (/ˈɑːrɡoʊ/; in Greek: Ἀργώ) is named after the ship which, according to Greek mythology, carried Jason and the Argonauts from Iolo's in Greece to Colchis in the Black Sea to retrieve the Golden Fleece. She is the second vessel in the Asso fleet to bear this name

Owner Asso Argo Navigation Company Limited, Cyprus.

www.assogroup.com/fleet/trenching-support-vessels/argo/

Eglwys Cadog Sant, lle y bedyddiwyd Iolo Morganwg (Edward Williams 1747-1826). Mae maen coffa i Edward Williams arall, un a fu'n meithrin doniau Iolo pan oedd yn ifanc, i'w weld yn yr eglwys.

 

Gwnaeth Iolo gyfraniad mawr i ddiwylliant Cymru ond tueddai i beidio â thynnu sylw ato ei hun. Cofir amdano fel bathwr geiriau, fel bardd, fel ffugiwr llenyddol ac fel sylfaenydd Gorsedd y Beirdd. Gwelai yn well na neb yn ei gyfnod yr angen i ddysgedigion i gydweithio i greu geiriadur gwir gynhwysfawr:

 

“In the first place, we want a good Dictionary of the words, and idiomatic expressions of the language...”

 

“No lexicographer can ever be intimately acquainted with all arts and sciences... for reasons hence arising I would have a Great Master in every branch of science to compile a vocabulary or Dictionary for his own department of knowledge.”

 

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Iliz Sant Kadog, ma voe badezet ar skrivagner kembraeg Iolo Morganwg.Ur maen-koun d'un den kenanv, unan hag a oa bet o skoazellañ Iolo da dennañ mad eus e zonezonoù pa oa yaouank, a zo da welet en iliz.

 

Ober a reas Iolo kalz evit kas war-raok sevenadur Kembre, peurvuiañ avat hep sachañ evezh outañ e-unan. Dalc'het e vez soñj ennañ evit krouiñ gerioù, evit e varzhoniezh, evit an oberennoù lennegel bet savet gantañ ha lakaet anvioù faos warno hag evit diazezañ ar Goursez. Gwelloc'h eget den all en e vare e wele an ezhomm d'ar ouizieien da genlabouart a-benn sevel ur geriadur gwir glok:

 

“In the first place, we want a good Dictionary of the words, and idiomatic expressions of the language...”

 

“No lexicographer can ever be intimately acquainted with all arts and sciences... for reasons hence arising I would have a Great Master in every branch of science to compile a vocabulary or Dictionary for his own department of knowledge.”

 

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The church of St Cadog, where Iolo Morganwg (Edward Williams 1747-1826) was baptised. There is a memorial to another Edward Williams, one who nurtured Iolo's talents in his youth, inside the church.

 

Iolo made an important contrbution to the culture of Wales but he tended not to draw attention to himself. he is remembered for coining words, for his poetry, for composing literary works and attributing them to other poets form the past anda for establishing the Gorsedd, a quasi-druidic bardic institution. He saw, better than anyone at the time, the need for learned people to cooperate to create a truly comprehensive Welsh dictionary:

 

“In the first place, we want a good Dictionary of the words, and idiomatic expressions of the language...”

 

“No lexicographer can ever be intimately acquainted with all arts and sciences... for reasons hence arising I would have a Great Master in every branch of science to compile a vocabulary or Dictionary for his own department of knowledge.”

 

_______

 

Wedi ei ailolygu: 1/2019

The Tees Transporter Bridge, also referred to as the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge, is a bridge in northern England. It is the furthest downstream bridge across the River Tees and the longest remaining transporter in the world. The bridge is grade II* listed and its winch house and piers are grade II listed.

 

It carries a travelling 'car', or 'gondola', suspended from the bridge, across the river in 90 seconds. The gondola can carry 200 people, 9 cars, or 6 cars and one minibus. The bridge connects Middlesbrough, on the south bank, to Stockton on Tees, on the north bank and carries the A178 road from Middlesbrough to Hartlepool.

 

The idea of a transporter bridge across the River Tees was first mooted in 1872 when Charles Smith, Manager of the Hartlepool Iron Works, submitted a scheme to Middlesbrough Corporation. However, the scheme was not pursued, and it would not be until the new century that the idea of a transporter bridge across the river would again be revisited. Following a 1907 Act of Parliament the Bridge was built at a cost of £68,026 6s 8d (equivalent to £7,660,000 in 2021 values), by Sir William Arrol & Co. of Glasgow between 1910 and 1911 to replace the 'Hugh Bell' and 'Erimus' steam ferry services. A transporter bridge was chosen because Parliament ruled that the new scheme of crossing the river had to avoid affecting the river navigation.

 

Construction work started in July 1909 with caissons being used to allow workers to dig down to bedrock. This turned out to be 65 feet (20 m) below the high tide mark on the Middlesbrough side and 90 feet (27 m) on the other. The shafts that had been dug out by this process were then filled with concrete. The formal laying of the foundation stones, made of Aberdeen granite, took place in August 1910 when they were laid by Mayor of Middlesbrough Thomas Gibson-Poole and Alderman Joseph McLauchlan, the initiator of the transporter bridge scheme.[8] The opening ceremony on 17 October 1911 was performed by Prince Arthur of Connaught. At its opening the bridge was painted red.

 

During the First World War Middlesbrough was bombed by an L11 Zeppelin in April 1916. During this raid it was reported that a bomb fell through the structure before hitting the river below. During the Second World War the superstructure of the bridge was hit by a bomb. In 1953, the gondola got stuck half-way. While it was stuck, gale force winds lashed water to within inches of it; despite this the bridge continued to operate.

 

In 1961 the bridge was painted blue.

 

In 1974, the comedy actor Terry Scott, travelling between his hotel in Middlesbrough and a performance at the Billingham Forum, mistook the bridge for a regular toll crossing and drove his Jaguar off the end of the roadway, landing in the safety netting beneath.

 

In December 1993, the bridge was awarded the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' highest honour, The Heritage Plaque, for engineering excellence, in recognition of the Council's efforts in keeping the bridge in good working order. Its historical importance was also recognised in 1985 by its listing as a Grade II* Listed Building and its prominence as a local landmark was further enhanced in 1993 by the installation of floodlights that operate during the winter months.

 

In July 2000 a visitor centre was opened on land previously occupied by the bridge workshop

 

In 2011 the Tees Transporter Bridge received a £2.6 million Heritage Lottery Fund award for improvement and renovation work to mark the Bridge's centenary. The improvement works include the installation of a glass viewing lift to the landmark's upper walkway and renovation of the gondola.

 

The bridge was closed on 27 August 2013 for 40 days repainting. It was then discovered that repairs were needed. In the same year, the Tees Transporter Bridge Anniversary Award was inaugurated as part of the Transporter Bridge's Heritage Lottery Fund-supported Visitor Experience Project in partnership with the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) and Teesside University. The inaugural award winner was Stephen Brown in autumn 2013, with Jason Dunnett receiving the accolade in autumn 2014.

 

On 5 March 2015, the Royal Mail issued a set of 10 First Class postage stamps featuring iconic British bridges including the Tees Transporter Bridge. The bridge was re-opened for traffic on 6 April 2015, but improvement work continued with the bridge still in daily use. These were completed in September 2015 after more than £4 million had been spent on the structure.

 

In August 2019, the bridge was temporarily closed due to safety concerns.

 

It is thought that repairs could cost up to £7 million and as of 2022 it remains closed with its future under discussion.

 

Locally, the bridge is often referred to simply as 'the Transporter'. The bridge hosts an annual vintage bus running day, organised by The 500 Group. On this one day per year, usually a Sunday in April, vintage buses take people on free rides around Teesside. As part of the 2006 and 2007 events, the bridge made a special trip carrying a former Teesside Municipal Transport Daimler Fleetline, the first time a double-decker bus had used the bridge in 30 years.

 

It has been featured in films and TV programmes including Boys from the Blackstuff, Billy Elliot, The Fast Show, Spender, Vera, and Steel River Blues. In the millennium celebrations of 2000, fireworks were fired from its length. The storyline of the third series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, saw the bridge dismantled to be sold to and re-erected in the US. The local council received calls from people worried that the bridge was really being pulled down, with the BBC adding a disclaimer on the end of the final episode of the series stating that 'The Transporter Bridge is still in Middlesbrough'.

 

Middlesbrough is a town in the Middlesbrough unitary authority borough of North Yorkshire, England. The town lies near the mouth of the River Tees and north of the North York Moors National Park. The built-up area had a population of 148,215 at the 2021 UK census. It is the largest town of the wider Teesside area, which had a population of 376,633 in 2011.

 

Until the early 1800s, the area was rural farmland in the historic county of Yorkshire. The town was a planned development which started in 1830, based around a new port with coal and later ironworks added. Steel production and ship building began in the late 1800s, remaining associated with the town until the post-industrial decline of the late twentieth century. Trade (notably through ports) and digital enterprise sectors contemporarily contribute to the local economy, Teesside University and Middlesbrough College to local education.

 

Middlesbrough was made a municipal borough in 1853. When elected county councils were created in 1889, Middlesbrough was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services and so it became a county borough, independent from North Riding County Council. The borough of Middlesbrough was abolished in 1968 when the area was absorbed into the larger County Borough of Teesside. Six years later in 1974 Middlesbrough was re-established as a borough within the new county of Cleveland. Cleveland was abolished in 1996, since when Middlesbrough has been a unitary authority within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire.

 

Middlesbrough started as a Benedictine priory on the south bank of the River Tees, its name possibly derived from it being midway between the holy sites of Durham and Whitby. The earliest recorded form of Middlesbrough's name is "Mydilsburgh", containing the term burgh.

 

In 686, a monastic cell was consecrated by St. Cuthbert at the request of St. Hilda, Abbess of Whitby. The manor of Middlesburgh belonged to Whitby Abbey and Guisborough Priory.[1] Robert Bruce, Lord of Cleveland and Annandale, granted and confirmed, in 1119, the church of St. Hilda of Middleburg to Whitby. Up until its closure on the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII in 1537, the church was maintained by 12 Benedictine monks, many of whom became vicars, or rectors, of various places in Cleveland.

 

After the Angles, the area became home to Viking settlers. Names of Viking origin (with the suffix by meaning village) are abundant in the area; for example, Ormesby, Stainsby and Tollesby were once separate villages that belonged to Vikings called Orm, Steinn and Toll that are now areas of Middlesbrough were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. Other names around Middlesbrough include the village of Maltby (of Malti) along with the towns of Ingleby Barwick (Anglo-place and barley-wick) and Thornaby (of Thormod).

 

Links persist in the area, often through school or road names, to now-outgrown or abandoned local settlements, such as the medieval settlement of Stainsby, deserted by 1757, which amounts to little more today than a series of grassy mounds near the A19 road.

 

In 1801, Middlesbrough was a small farm with a population of just 25; however, during the latter half of the 19th century, it experienced rapid growth. In 1828 the influential Quaker banker, coal mine owner and Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) shareholder Joseph Pease sailed up the River Tees to find a suitable new site downriver of Stockton on which to place new coal staithes. As a result, in 1829 he and a group of Quaker businessmen bought the Middlesbrough farmstead and associated estate, some 527 acres (213 ha) of land, and established the Middlesbrough Estate Company.

 

Through the company, the investors set about a new coal port development (designed by John Harris) on the southern banks of the Tees. The first coal shipping staithes at the port (known as "Port Darlington") were constructed with a settlement to the east established on the site of Middlesbrough farm as labour for the port, taking on the farm's name as it developed into a village. The small farmstead became a village of streets such as North Street, South Street, West Street, East Street, Commercial Street, Stockton Street and Cleveland Street, laid out in a grid-iron pattern around a market square, with the first house being built on West Street in April 1830. New businesses bought premises and plots of land in the new town including: shippers, merchants, butchers, innkeepers, joiners, blacksmiths, tailors, builders and painters.

 

The first coal shipping staithes at the port (known as "Port Darlington") were constructed just to the west of the site earmarked for the location of Middlesbrough. The port was linked to the S&DR on 27 December 1830 via a branch that extended to an area just north of the current Middlesbrough railway station, helping secure the town's future.

 

The success of the port meant it soon became overwhelmed by the volume of imports and exports, and in 1839 work started on Middlesbrough Dock. Laid out by Sir William Cubitt, the whole infrastructure was built by resident civil engineer George Turnbull. After three years and an expenditure of £122,000 (equivalent to £9.65 million at 2011 prices), first water was let in on 19 March 1842, and the formal opening took place on 12 May 1842. On completion, the docks were bought by the S&DR.

 

Iron and steel have dominated the Tees area since 1841 when Henry Bolckow in partnership with John Vaughan, founded the Vulcan iron foundry and rolling mill. Vaughan, who had worked his way up through the Iron industry in South Wales, used his technical expertise to find a more abundant supply of Ironstone in the Eston Hills in 1850, and introduced the new "Bell Hopper" system of closed blast furnaces developed at the Ebbw Vale works. These factors made the works an unprecedented success with Teesside becoming known as the "Iron-smelting centre of the world" and Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., Ltd became the largest company in existence.

 

By 1851 Middlesbrough's population had grown from 40 people in 1829 to 7,600. Pig iron production rose tenfold between 1851 and 1856 and by the mid-1870s Middlesbrough was producing one third of the entire nations Pig Iron output. It was during this time Middlesbrough earned the nickname "Ironopolis".

 

On 21 January 1853, Middlesbrough received its Royal Charter of Incorporation, giving the town the right to have a mayor, aldermen and councillors. Henry Bolckow became mayor, in 1853.

 

A Welsh community was established in Middlesbrough sometime before the 1840s, with mining being the main form of employment. These migrants included figures who would become important leaders in the commercial, political and cultural life of the town:

 

John Vaughan established Teesside's first ironworks in 1841, The Vulcan Works at Middlesbrough. Vaughan had worked his way up through the industry at the Dowlais Ironworks in south Wales and encouraged hundreds of the skilled Welsh workers to follow him to Teesside.

Edward Williams (iron-master), although he was the grandson of the famous Welsh Bard Iolo Morganwg, Edward had started as a mere clerk at Dowlais. His move to the Tees saw him rise to ironmaster, alderman, magistrate and Mayor of Middlesbrough. Edward was also the father of Aneurin and Penry, who both became Liberal MPs for the area.

E.T. John arrived from Pontypridd as a junior clerk in Williams' office. John became the director of several industrial enterprises and a radical politician.

Windsor Richards, an Engineer and manager, oversaw the town's transition from iron to steel production.

Much like the contemporary Welsh migration to America, the Welsh of Middlesbrough came almost exclusively from the iron-smelting and coal districts of South Wales. By 1861 42% of the town's ironworkers identified as Welsh and one in twenty of the total population. Place names such as "Welch Cottages" and "Welch Place" appeared around the Vulcan works, and Middlesbrough became a centre for the Welsh communities at Witton Park, Spennymoor, Consett and Stockton on Tees (especially Portrack). David Williams also recorded that a number of the Welsh workers at the Hughesovka Ironworks in 1869 had migrated from Middlesbrough.

 

A Welsh Baptist chapel was active in the town as early as 1858, and St Hilda's Anglican church began providing services in the Welsh language. Churches and chapels were the centres of Welsh culture, supporting choirs, Sunday Schools, social societies, adult education, lectures and literary meetings. By the 1870s, many more Welsh chapels were built (one reputed to seat 500 people), and the first Eisteddfodau were held.

 

By the 1880s, a "Welsh cultural revival" was underway, with the Eisteddfodau attracting competitors and spectators from outside the Welsh communities. In 1890 the Middlesbrough Town Hall hosted the first Cleveland and Durham Eisteddfod, an event notable for its non-denominational inclusivity, with Irish Catholic choirs and the bishop of the newly created Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough as honoured guests.

 

In the early twentieth century this Eisteddfod had become the biggest annual event in the town and the largest annual Eisteddfod outside Wales. The Eisteddfod had a clear impact on the culture of the town, especially through its literary and music events, by 1911 the Eisteddfod had twenty-two classes of musical competition only two of which were for Welsh language content. By 1914, thirty choirs from across the area were competing in 284 entries. A choral tradition remained part of the town's culture long after the eisteddfod and chapels had gone. In 2012 an exhibition at the Dorman Museum marked the Apollo Male Voice Choir's 125 years as an active choir in the town.

 

Industrial Wales was noted for its "radical Liberal-Labour" politics, and the rhetoric of these politicians clearly won favour with the urban population of the North East. Penry Williams and Jonathan Samuel won the seats of Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees for the Liberal Party and Penry's brother, Aneurin would also win the newly created Consett seat in 1918.

 

Sir Horace Davey stressed his Welsh lineage and stated that "it was scarcely an exaggeration to say that Welshmen had founded Middlesbrough", courting the Welsh vote that saw him elected MP for Stockton. However, others complained that local Conservative candidates were losing to "Fenians and Welshers" (Irish and Welsh people).

 

These sentiments had grown by 1900 when Samuel lost his seat after a Unionist complained publicly that the town had been "forced to submit to the indignity of being trailed ignominiously through the mire by Welsh constituents". Samuel lost the seat but regained it in 1910 with a campaign that made few, if any, references to his Welsh background.

 

From 1861 to 1871, the census of England & Wales showed that Middlesbrough consistently had the second highest percentage of Irish born people in England after Liverpool. The Irish population in 1861 accounted for 15.6% of the total population of Middlesbrough. In 1871 the amount had dropped to 9.2% yet this still placed Middlesbrough's Irish population second in England behind Liverpool. Due to the rapid development of the town and its industrialisation there was much need for people to work in the many blast furnaces and steel works along the banks of the Tees. This attracted many people from Ireland, who were in much need of work. As well as people from Ireland, the Scottish, Welsh and overseas inhabitants made up 16% of Middlesbrough's population in 1871. A second influx of Irish migration was observed in the early 1900s as Middlesbrough's steel industry boomed producing 1/3 of Britain's total steel output. This second influx lasted through to the 1950s after which Irish migration to Middlesbrough saw a drastic decline. Middlesbrough no longer has a strong Irish presence, with Irish born residents making up around 2% of the current population, however there is still a strong cultural and historical connection with Ireland mainly through the heritage and ancestry of many families within Middlesbrough.

 

The town's rapid expansion continued throughout the second half of the 19th century, fuelled by the iron and steel industry. In 1864 the North Riding Infirmary (an ear, nose and mouth hospital) opened in Newport Road; this was demolished in 2006.

 

On 15 August 1867, a Reform Bill was passed, making Middlesbrough a new parliamentary borough, Bolckow was elected member for Middlesbrough the following year. In 1875, Bolckow, Vaughan & Co opened the Cleveland Steelworks in Middlesbrough beginning the transition from Iron production to Steel and by the turn of the century. Henry Bolckow died in 1878 and left an endowment of £5,000 for the infirmary.

 

In the latter third of the 19th century, Old Middlesbrough was starting to decline and was overshadowed by developments built around the new town hall, south of the original town hall, the town's population reaching 90,000 by the dawn of the 20th century.[9] In 1900, Bolckow, Vaughan & Co had become the largest producer of steel in Great Britain and possibly came to be one of the major steel centres in the world.

 

In 1914, Dorman Long, another major steel producer from Middlesbrough, became the largest company in Britain. It employed a workforce of over 20,000 and by 1929 and gained enough to take over from Bolckow, Vaughan & Co's dominance and to acquire their assets. The steel components of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (1932) were engineered and fabricated by Dorman Long of Middlesbrough. The company was also responsible for the New Tyne Bridge in Newcastle.

 

Several large shipyards also lined the Tees, including the Sir Raylton Dixon & Company, Smith's Dock Company of South Bank and Furness Shipbuilding Company of Haverton Hill.

 

Middlesbrough was the first major British town and industrial target to be bombed during the Second World War. The Luftwaffe first attacked the town on 25 May 1940 when a lone bomber dropped 13 bombs between South Bank Road and the South Steel Plant. One of the bombs fell on the South Bank football ground making a large crater in the pitch. The bomber was forced to leave after RAF night fighters were scrambled to intercept. Two months after the first bombing Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited the town to meet the public and inspect coastal defences.

 

German bombers often flew over the Eston Hills while heading for targets further inland, such as Manchester. On 30 March 1941 a Junkers Ju 88 was shot down by two Spitfires of No. 41 Squadron, piloted by Tony Lovell and Archie Winskill, over Middlesbrough. The aircraft dived into the ground at Barnaby Moor, Eston; the engines and most of the airframe were entirely buried upon impact.

 

On 5 December 1941 a Spitfire of No. 122 Squadron, piloted by Sgt Hutton, crashed into rising ground near Mill Farm, Upsall, on the lower slopes of Eston Hills. Poor visibility due to bad weather and low cloud is believed to have been the cause of the crash.

 

On 15 January 1942, minutes after being hit by gunfire from a merchant ship anchored off Hartlepool, a Dornier Do 217 collided with the cable of a barrage balloon over the River Tees. The blazing bomber plummeted onto the railway sidings in South Bank leaving a crater twelve feet deep. In 1997 the remains of the Dornier were unearthed by a group of workers clearing land for redevelopment; the remains were put on display for a short while at Kirkleatham museum.

 

On 4 August 1942 a lone Dornier Do 217 picked its way through the barrage balloons and dropped a stick of bombs onto the railway station. One bomb caused serious damage to the Victorian glass and steel roof. A train in the station was also badly damaged although there were no passengers aboard. The station was put out action for two weeks.

 

The Green Howards was a British Army infantry regiment very strongly associated with Middlesbrough and the area south of the River Tees. Originally formed at Dunster Castle, Somerset in 1688 to serve King William of Orange, later King William III, this regiment became affiliated to the North Riding of Yorkshire in 1782. As Middlesbrough grew, its population of men came to be a group most targeted by the recruiters. The Green Howards were part of the King's Division. On 6 June 2006, this famous regiment was merged into the new Yorkshire Regiment and are now known as 2 Yorks, The 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards). There is also a Territorial Army (TA) company at Stockton Road in Middlesbrough, part of 4 Yorks which is wholly reserve.

 

Post Second World War to contemporary era

By the end of the war over 200 buildings had been destroyed within the Middlesbrough area. The borough lost 99 civilians as a result of enemy action.

 

Areas of early and mid-Victorian housing were demolished and much of central Middlesbrough was redeveloped. Heavy industry was relocated to areas of land better suited to the needs of modern technology. Middlesbrough itself began to take on a completely different look.

 

Middlesbrough's 1903 Gaumont cinema, originally an opera house until the 1930s, was demolished in 1971. The Cleveland Centre opened in the same year. In 1974, Middlesbrough and other areas around the Tees, became part of the county of Cleveland. This was to create a county within a single NUTS region of England, with the UK joining the European Union predecessor (European Communities) a year earlier.

 

Middlesbrough's Royal Exchange building was demolished, to make way for the road. A multi-storey the Star and Garter Hotel built in the 1890s near to the exchange on the site of a former Welsh Congregational Church, was also demolished. The Victorian era North Riding Infirmary was demolished in 2006 and replaced by a hotel and supermarket.

 

The Cleveland Centre opened in 1971, Hill Street shopping centre opened in 1981 and Captain Cook Square opened in 1999.

 

Middlesbrough F.C.'s modern Riverside Stadium opened on 26 August 1995 next to Middlesbrough Dock. The club moved from Ayresome Park their previous home in the town for 92 years.

 

With the abolition of Cleveland County in 1996, Middlesbrough again became part of North Yorkshire.

 

The original St.Hilda's area of Middlesbrough, after decades of decline and clearance, was given a new name of Middlehaven in 1986 on investment proposals to build on the land. Middlehaven has since had new buildings built there including Middlesbrough College and Middlesbrough FC's Riverside Stadium amongst others. Also situated at Middlehaven is the "Boho" zone, offering office space to the area's business and to attract new companies, and also "Bohouse", housing. Some of the street names from the original grid-iron street plan of the town still exist in the area today.

 

The expansion of Middlesbrough southwards, eastwards and westwards continued throughout the 20th century absorbing villages such as Linthorpe, Acklam, Ormesby, Marton and Nunthorpe[9] and continues to the present day.

The Court of Owain Glyndŵr

Llys Owain Glyndŵr

 

I pledge you this: one promise,

A promising pledge of praise!

Let all pledge, as they purpose

To clasp promise like a purse,

Pledging each to leave his parish

And be pilgrim on the path

To Owain’s court: a palace

Of prosperity - and promise!

 

I leave, and go there swiftly:

I long to live there sweetly,

Seeking honour, and to dwell

Where strong, honest men do well.

My liege-lord, high of lineage

Receives, with a fine flourish

This codger. Gold the colour

Of his curls. High calibre

Alms giver, kind respecter

Of old men! I seek splendour

In your halls, and give my praise

To your house – home of poets,

Gem of Powys, Maig’s abode,

Where hope and promise abide.

 

Thus the form of Owain’s home:

Moat within a bank of loam,

A bright lake spanned by arching

Bridge – strongly built for bearing

Burdensome loads through the gate,

Each couple by a couple girt,

Bells like grapes in a cluster,

Courts like Westminster’s cloister,

Gilded chancel without stain,

Symmetry in every stone,

Bond to bond, slotted together

Cheek to cheek, defying weather,

Like tight knots, all interlaced,

Tied fast and twisted, graced

With curves. Nine-plate palaces –

Eighteen of them – wound like plaits,

Each on four pillars: haven

Held aloft, close to heaven,

And on each pillar, a loft

Perched at the peak of a croft:

Four lovely lofts, locked to keep

A perfect space. Poets sleep

Nestled there. They radiate:

Four lofts open out on eight,

Each house browed with a tiled roof,

And smoking chimney. Aloof

Stand the halls, identical.

Nine wardrobes, symmetrical,

Serve each hall, each one a shop

To knock Cheapside out of shape!

Cruciform and pale as chalk,

With glazed windows: by each walk

A bakehouse and a lush orchard,

A vineyard flanked with great arched

Oaks, on each stream, a mill,

Columbarium on the hill,

A fishpond - the idle wander

Casting nets on still water,

Hauling them in, as they like,

Catching sewin, and fat pike –

The land alive with bright birds,

Herons, peacocks – failed by words –

Bright meadows where hare-bells sway,

Wheat and barley, luscious hay,

Rabbits loping by the burrow,

Heavy horse, plough and furrow,

And in the park, with their herds

Stags who toss their haughty heads,

And serfs labouring early, late,

To enrich the Lord’s estate.

Foaming liquors, none better:

Shrewsbury’s finest bitter,

White bread, wine, and good red meat,

A kitchen fire, cosy seat,

Poet’s shelter. Everyone

Is drawn here. Look you, upon

This lovely court of stone, wood,

Fortress of the great and good,

The best women God has made,

Blessing me and pouring mead!

Fairest girls of lordly birth,

Each dignified, noble, worth

The looking. His children come:

Aspiring chieftains, every one.

 

Largesse puts an end to greed:

For bolts and locks, there’s no need,

No one loiters in the yard,

No one needs to stand on guard,

Nor, in Sycharth, does man thirst,

Hunger, want, or shake his fist.

The best of the Cymry: he

Of Pywer Lew’s family,

Lithe, strong symmetry: the place

Mirrors Owain’s splendid face.

 

Poem by Iolo Goch, paraphrased by Giles Watson. Iolo’s fawning description of Owain’s court pre-dates the latter’s rebellion against the English king. At this time, Owain was a loyal subject to Richard II, and his court is presented as a feudal idyll. The idea of symmetry stands at the heart of this profoundly conservative poem: the symmetrical design of Owain’s court is a symbol of a harmonious – but rigidly hierarchical – social order. Most of Owain’s house was built of wood; it was burned down by Prince Henry during Owain’s later rebellion. A couple (line 27) is a pair of horns which link together to support a roof, and the plates of line 37 are also architectural in nature, akin to lintels. The reference to the newly built cloister of Westminster Abbey is coupled in the original with mention of the bell-tower of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. Interestingly, Iolo writes as if Owain owed fealty to Maig Mygrfras – but Maig was the brother of Brochfael Ysgithrog, who was king of Powys in the sixth century: once more reinforcing Owain’s ancient entitlement to lordship of the land. It is amusing to note that, like his older and more irreverent colleague, Dafydd ap Gwilym, Iolo was cosmopolitan enough to have heard of Cheapside.

 

The picture shows a doorway of the church at Hatherop, in the Cotswolds.

Modern Solstice Celebrations at Stonehenge and Almendres by Daniel Arrhakis (2026)

  

I - Modern Solstice Celebrations at Stonehenge

 

Today, the English Heritage institution opens the monument to the public with free access on the Summer Solstice (night of June 20-21) and the Winter Solstice (December 21). This is the only time of year when visitors can freely walk around and touch the inside of the stone circle.

 

The ceremonies are led by neo-Druidic and pagan groups, operating under a very specific dynamic:

 

The Awakening Ritual: Modern Druids—dressed in their traditional white robes or Celtic cloaks—form concentric circles and play drums, conch shells, and wooden flutes before dawn.

 

Salutation to the Sun: The climax occurs precisely at the moment the sun rises aligned with the Heel Stone. Druids recite medieval Welsh poems, swear oaths of protection to Mother Earth, and share pomegranates and libations (symbols of rebirth).

 

Cultural Eclecticism: Although rooted in Druidic tradition, the event attracts a vibrant mix of shamans, yogis, New Age enthusiasts, tourists, and curious onlookers. The atmosphere oscillates between a solemn religious cult and a peaceful community celebration.

 

Strict Rules: To protect the animistic and archaeological space, the organization prohibits fire, tents, sound amplifiers, and alcohol consumption, keeping the experience focused on a pure connection with nature and the silence of dawn.

 

Recitations and Oaths

 

The recitations and oaths uttered by modern Druids at Stonehenge during the solstices are based on the reconstruction and adaptation of ancient Celtic texts, primarily Welsh and Irish.

 

Although original Druidism was purely oral, these contemporary rituals draw on medieval literature preserved by Christian monks from the 12th century onwards.

 

Below are the most commonly used practical examples in ceremonies at the Stonehenge stones:

 

The Cry for Peace (The Opening of the Ritual)

 

No Druidic ritual can begin without establishing an intention of peace with the spirits of nature and the sacred directions (North, South, East, West). The bard or ritual leader turns to each cardinal point, raises their arms, and proclaims in Welsh and English:

 

In Welsh: "Heddwch ym mhedwar ban y byd!" Translation: "Peace in the four corners of the world!"

 

Meaning: This appeal pacifies the spirits of the place (the Genii Locorum or Genius Loci) and ensures that the stone circle becomes a safe space for spiritual communion.

 

2. Recitation of the Medieval Poem: The Song of Amergin

 

This is undoubtedly the most iconic text recited during sunrise at Stonehenge. Although its origin is Irish mythology (attributed to the bard Amergin), the text is a pillar of universal Celtic animistic philosophy, where the druid affirms his total fusion with all the living elements of Mother Earth:

 

"I am the wind that blows over the sea,

 

I am the ocean wave,

 

I am the murmur of the waters,

 

I am the bull of seven battles,

 

I am the vulture on the rock,

 

I am a tear of the sun,

 

I am the most beautiful of plants,

 

I am the wild boar,

 

I am the salmon in the water,

 

I am the lake on the plain..."

 

Practical action: While these lines are recited in a trance-like state, the druids play a drum in a slow rhythm that mimics the Earth's heartbeat.

  

3. The Oath of Protection to Mother Earth (The Druid's Prayer)

 

Originally written in the 18th century by Iolo Morganwg (a central figure in the Welsh Druidic revival) based on medieval concepts, the Druid's Prayer (Gweddi'r Derwydd) is the formal oath sworn at Stonehenge to seal the alliance with nature:

 

The Traditional Text:

 

"Grant, O Goddess/God, Thy protection;

 

And in protection, strength;

 

And in strength, wisdom;

 

And in wisdom, knowledge;

 

And in knowledge, the knowledge of justice;

 

And in knowledge of justice, the love of it;

 

And in that love, the love of all existences;

 

And in love of all existences, the love of Mother Earth and all Creation."

 

4. The Invocation of Awen (The Sacred Essence)

 

The poetic and sonic climax occurs at the exact moment the first ray of sunlight touches the central stone of the monument. The entire Druidic congregation joins hands and chants the word AWEN (a medieval Welsh term meaning "divine inspiration" or "fluid breath").

 

How it is practiced: The word is chanted in a prolonged manner, divided into three distinct and harmonious syllables: Ah-Oh-Wen.

 

The Effect: The sound echoes among the megaliths of Stonehenge, functioning as a mantra vibration that the Druids believe aligns the energy of human bodies with the energetic frequency of the Earth itself and the cosmos.

  

II - The Solstice Celebrations in Almendres (Portugal)

 

The Specific Alignment of the Almendres Menhir

 

The Almendres Menhir was not erected in isolation in the landscape. It functions as an ancient astronomical "sight" in perfect harmony with the main cromlech.

 

The alignment is strict and purely solstitial:

 

The Visual Phenomenon: If an observer stands on top of the Almendres Cromlech enclosure and looks towards the northeast (where the menhir is about 1.4 km away), the imaginary line of sight coincides geometrically with the sunrise on the summer solstice.

 

The Practical and Spiritual Significance: This alignment transformed the complex into an authentic prehistoric agricultural calendar. On the longest day of the year, when the sun seemed to "rise from above" the menhir, the animist community knew that the earth's ripening cycle had reached its peak and that it was harvest time.

 

Modern Celebrations in Évora

 

Similar celebrations and dynamics exist in Évora, although they operate on a much more intimate scale and are markedly different from that of Stonehenge. Unlike the massive event in the United Kingdom, the Alentejo region focuses on two complementary aspects:

 

1. Spiritual Rituals and Alternative Community

 

On the dawn of the summer solstice (June 20-21), dozens of people spontaneously gather at the Almendres Cromlech.

 

The Atmosphere: Groups associated with New Age spirituality, shamanism, neopaganism, and meditation enthusiasts spread their mats among the monoliths to await the sunrise.

 

The Practices: Sun salutations, rituals with shamanic drums, and circles of silence are practiced to absorb the telluric energy of the monument. It is a peaceful, organic experience without formal stages.

 

2. Official Scientific and Cultural Initiatives

 

The Évora City Council and local archaeology associations usually organize the annual "Summer Megalithic Solstice" program.

 

Guided Tours: These are guided tours at dawn or dusk led by astronomers and archaeologists. The aim is to explain in the field how the stones functioned as real time markers.

 

Expansion to the Circuit: The initiatives are not limited to Almendres. They often extend to other neighboring stone temples that share the same cosmic orientation, such as the Megalithic Enclosure of Vale Maria do Meio or that of Portela de Mogos.

  

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

I - As Celebrações Modernas do Solstício em Stonehenge

  

Hoje em dia, a instituição English Heritage abre o monumento ao público com acesso livre e gratuito no Solstício de Verão (noite de 20 para 21 de junho) e no Solstício de Inverno (21 de dezembro). É a única altura do ano em que os visitantes podem caminhar livremente e tocar no interior do círculo de pedras.

 

As cerimónias são lideradas por grupos neodruídicos e pagãos, funcionando sob uma dinâmica muito específica:

 

O Ritual do Despertar: Os Druidas modernos — vestidos com as suas tradicionais túnicas brancas ou capas celtas — formam círculos concêntricos e tocam tambores, búzios e flautas de madeira antes do amanhecer.

 

Saudação ao Sol: O clímax ocorre exatamente no instante em que o sol nasce alinhado com a Heel Stone (Pedra do Calcanhar). Os druidas recitam poemas galeses medievais, fazem juramentos de proteção à Mãe-Terra e partilham romãs e libações (símbolos de renascimento).

 

Ecletismo Cultural: Embora a raiz seja druídica, o evento atrai uma mistura vibrante de xamãs, iogues, entusiastas da New Age, turistas e curiosos. A atmosfera oscila entre um culto religioso solene e uma celebração comunitária pacífica.

 

Regras Estritas: Para proteger o espaço animista e arqueológico, a organização proíbe fogo, tendas, amplificadores de som e consumo de álcool, mantendo a experiência focada na ligação pura com a natureza e o silêncio da alvorada.

  

Recitações e Juramentos

  

As recitações e os juramentos proferidos pelos druidas modernos em Stonehenge durante os solstícios baseiam-se na reconstrução e adaptação de textos celtas antigos, sobretudo galeses e irlandeses.

 

Embora o Druidismo original fosse puramente oral, estes rituais contemporâneos recorrem à literatura medieval preservada por monges cristãos a partir do século XII.

 

Abaixo encontram-se os exemplos práticos mais utilizados nas cerimónias junto às pedras de Stonehenge:

  

1. O Grito de Paz (A Abertura do Ritual)

 

Nenhum ritual druídico pode começar sem estabelecer uma intenção de paz com os espíritos da natureza e as direções sagradas (Norte, Sul, Este, Oeste). O bardo ou líder do ritual vira-se para cada ponto cardeal, ergue os braços e proclama em galês e inglês:

 

Em galês: "Heddwch ym mhedwar ban y byd!"Tradução: "Paz nos quatro cantos do mundo!"

 

Significado: Este apelo pacifica os espíritos do local (os Genii Locorum ou Genius Loci) e garante que o círculo de pedras se transforma num espaço seguro para a comunhão espiritual.

  

2. Recitação do Poema Medieval: A Canção de Amergin

  

Este é, sem dúvida, o texto mais icónico recitado durante o nascer do sol em Stonehenge. Embora a sua origem seja mitológica irlandesa (atribuída ao bardo Amergin), o texto é um pilar da filosofia animista celta universal, onde o druida afirma a sua fusão total com todos os elementos vivos da Mãe-Terra:

 

"Eu sou o vento que sopra sobre o mar,

 

Eu sou a onda do oceano,

 

Eu sou o murmúrio das águas,

 

Eu sou o touro de sete combates,

 

Eu sou o abutre na rocha,

 

Eu sou uma lágrima do sol,

 

Eu sou a mais bela das plantas,

 

Eu sou o javali bravo,

 

Eu sou o salmão na água,

 

Eu sou o lago na planície..."

  

Ação prática: Enquanto estas linhas são recitadas em tom de transe, os druidas tocam um tambor num ritmo lento que mimetiza o bater do coração da Terra (Earth's heartbeat).

 

3. O Juramento de Proteção à Mãe-Terra (A Oração do Druida)

  

Escrita originalmente no século XVIII por Iolo Morganwg (uma figura central no renascimento druídico galês) com base em conceitos medievais, a Oração do Druida (Gweddi'r Derwydd) é o juramento formal proferido em Stonehenge para selar a aliança com a natureza:

 

O Texto Tradicional:

 

"Concede, ó Deusa/Deus, a Tua proteção;

 

E na proteção, a força;

 

E na força, a sabedoria;

 

E na sabedoria, o conhecimento;

 

E no conhecimento, o conhecimento da justiça;

 

E no conhecimento da justiça, o amor por ela;

 

E nesse amor, o amor por todas as existências;

 

E no amor por todas as existências, o amor pela Mãe-Terra e por toda a Criação."

  

4. A Invocação de Awen (A Essência Sagrada)

  

O clímax poético e sonoro acontece no momento exato em que o primeiro raio de sol toca a pedra central do monumento. Toda a congregação druídica une as mãos e entoa a palavra AWEN (um termo galês medieval que significa "inspiração divina" ou "sopro fluido").

 

Como é praticado: A palavra é cantada de forma prolongada, dividida em três sílabas distintas e harmoniosas: Ah-Oh-Wen.

 

O Efeito: O som ecoa por entre os megálitos de Stonehenge, funcionando como uma vibração mântrica que os druidas acreditam alinhar a energia dos corpos humanos com a frequência energética da própria Terra e do cosmos.

  

II - As Celebrações dos Solstícios Em Almendres

  

O Alinhamento Específico do Menir dos Almendres

 

O Menir dos Almendres não foi erguido de forma isolada na paisagem. Ele funciona como uma "mira" astronómica milenar em perfeita harmonia com o cromeleque principal.

 

O alinhamento é estrito e puramente solsticial:

 

O Fenómeno Visual: Se um observador se colocar no topo do recinto do Cromeleque dos Almendres e olhar em direção ao nordeste (onde o menir se encontra a cerca de 1,4 km de distância), a linha de vista imaginária coincide de forma geométrica com o nascer do sol no Solstício de Verão.

 

O Significado Prático e Espiritual: Este alinhamento transformava o complexo num autêntico calendário agrícola pré-histórico. No dia mais longo do ano, quando o sol parecia "nascer de cima" do menir, a comunidade animista sabia que o ciclo de maturação da terra tinha chegado ao topo e que era tempo de colheita.

  

Celebrações Modernas em Évora

 

Existem celebrações e dinâmicas semelhantes em Évora, embora funcionem a uma escala muito mais íntima e marcadamente diferente da de Stonehenge. Ao contrário do evento massivo no Reino Unido, o Alentejo aposta em duas vertentes complementares:

 

1. Rituais Espirituais e Comunidade Alternativa

  

Na madrugada do solstício de verão (20 para 21 de junho), dezenas de pessoas reúnem-se espontaneamente no Cromeleque dos Almendres.

 

A Atmosfera: Grupos associados à espiritualidade New Age, xamanismo, neopaganismo e entusiastas de meditação estendem os seus tapetes por entre os monólitos para aguardar a alvorada.

 

As Práticas: Praticam-se saudações ao sol, rituais com tambores xamânicos e círculos de silêncio para absorver a energia telúrica do monumento. É uma vivência pacífica, orgânica e sem palcos formais.

  

2. Iniciativas Científicas e Culturais Oficiais

  

A Câmara Municipal de Évora e associações locais de arqueologia costumam organizar o programa anual "Solstício Megalítico de Verão".

 

Visitas Comentadas: São visitas guiadas ao amanhecer ou ao entardecer conduzidas por astrónomos e arqueólogos. O objetivo é explicar no terreno como as pedras funcionavam como marcadores de tempo reais.

 

Alargamento ao Circuito: As iniciativas não se fecham apenas nos Almendres. Estendem-se muitas vezes a outros templos de pedras vizinhos que partilham a mesma orientação cósmica, como o Recinto Megalítico de Vale Maria do Meio ou o de Portela de Mogos.

   

First 'train' to reach Blaenau Ffestiniog since closure of the Conwy Valley line on 15 March? Photo courtesy of Steffan Iolo Williams.

via Facebook ift.tt/1ZHKqFp

IMG 4256

Iolo at 12 weeks old, before I knew quite how much our lives would be changed by his arrival. We just love him to bits xxxx

A participant in the Classic Tracks Targa Rally, organised by Llandysul Motor Club. Photographed on a road section between timed tests.

 

Car: Nissan Micra 1.0 Tempest.

Driver: Iolo Phillips.

Navigator: Sion Penfold.

Number: 63.

Class: Novice.

Result: 28th overall.

Position in class: 4th.

 

Date taken: 25th May 2026.

Album: Classic Tracks Targa Rally 2026

View On Black

 

Llancarvan monastery in Glamorganshire, three miles from Cowbridge, and not far from the British Channel, was founded in the latter part of the fifth century by St. Cadoc (Dranc, "Christian Schools and Scholars", I, 56). He was the son of Gundleus (Swynlliw), a prince of South Wales, who some years before his death renounced the world to lead an eremitical life near a country church which he had built. Cadoc, who was his oldest son, succeeded him in the government, but not long after followed his father's example and received the religious habit from St. Tathai, an Irish monk, superior of a small community at Swent near Chepstow, in Monmouthshire. Returning to his native county, Cadoc built a church and monastery, which was called Llancarvan, or the "Church of the Stags". Here he established a monastery and college, which became the seminary of many great and holy men. The spot at first seemed an impossible one, and almost inaccessible marsh, but he and his monks drained and cultivated it, transforming it into one of the most famous and attractive religious homes in South Wales. The plan of the building included a monastery, a college, and a hospital. The ancient Iolo manuscript (Welsh) gives an account of the numerical strength of this monastery: "The College of Cattwg [Cadoc] in Llancarvan with three cells [halls or subject houses] and a thousand saints [monks], together with two cells in the Vale of Neath"

Wilfrid James Mannion (16 May 1918 – 14 April 2000) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward, making over 350 senior appearances for Middlesbrough. He also played international football for England. With his blonde hair, he was nicknamed "The Golden Boy".

 

Mannion was born on 16 May 1918 in South Bank, the son of Irish immigrants Tommy and Mary Mannion, and one of ten children.

 

Mannion joined his local team Middlesbrough F.C. in 1936 and went on to make 341 Football League appearances for them, scoring 99 goals in the First and Second Divisions, over the next 18 years. However, his career was disrupted by World War II. He scored 110 goals in all competitions for Middlesbrough.

 

Mannion fought in France and Italy during World War II, and in Italy his commanding officer was the England cricketer Hedley Verity.

 

At the end of the 1947–48 season he wanted a transfer, but Middlesbrough refused. In protest he did not play for them for much of the following season but he eventually backed down and started playing for Middlesbrough again.

 

After initially retiring as a player in 1954, Mannion subsequently joined Hull City. However, the Football League suspended him for articles he had written, He then played non-league football with Poole Town and Cambridge United.

 

Mannion was capped on 26 occasions by the England national team between 1946 and 1951, and his final appearance came on 3 October 1951. He was a member of the England squad for the 1950 FIFA World Cup. Along with Middlesbrough and England teammate George Hardwick, he was also part of the Great Britain football team that beat the Rest of Europe 6–1 in 1947.

 

He remains the only Middlesbrough player to score for England at the World Cup.

 

Mannion was eventually awarded a testimonial match by Middlesbrough in 1983, alongside former Boro and England colleague George Hardwick.

 

Mannion died on 14 April 2000 at the age of 81. After his death, Middlesbrough FC erected a statue of Mannion outside the Riverside Stadium.

 

In 2004, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame at the National Football Museum.

 

Middlesbrough is a town in the Middlesbrough unitary authority borough of North Yorkshire, England. The town lies near the mouth of the River Tees and north of the North York Moors National Park. The built-up area had a population of 148,215 at the 2021 UK census. It is the largest town of the wider Teesside area, which had a population of 376,633 in 2011.

 

Until the early 1800s, the area was rural farmland in the historic county of Yorkshire. The town was a planned development which started in 1830, based around a new port with coal and later ironworks added. Steel production and ship building began in the late 1800s, remaining associated with the town until the post-industrial decline of the late twentieth century. Trade (notably through ports) and digital enterprise sectors contemporarily contribute to the local economy, Teesside University and Middlesbrough College to local education.

 

Middlesbrough was made a municipal borough in 1853. When elected county councils were created in 1889, Middlesbrough was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services and so it became a county borough, independent from North Riding County Council. The borough of Middlesbrough was abolished in 1968 when the area was absorbed into the larger County Borough of Teesside. Six years later in 1974 Middlesbrough was re-established as a borough within the new county of Cleveland. Cleveland was abolished in 1996, since when Middlesbrough has been a unitary authority within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire.

 

Middlesbrough started as a Benedictine priory on the south bank of the River Tees, its name possibly derived from it being midway between the holy sites of Durham and Whitby. The earliest recorded form of Middlesbrough's name is "Mydilsburgh", containing the term burgh.

 

In 686, a monastic cell was consecrated by St. Cuthbert at the request of St. Hilda, Abbess of Whitby. The manor of Middlesburgh belonged to Whitby Abbey and Guisborough Priory.[1] Robert Bruce, Lord of Cleveland and Annandale, granted and confirmed, in 1119, the church of St. Hilda of Middleburg to Whitby. Up until its closure on the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII in 1537, the church was maintained by 12 Benedictine monks, many of whom became vicars, or rectors, of various places in Cleveland.

 

After the Angles, the area became home to Viking settlers. Names of Viking origin (with the suffix by meaning village) are abundant in the area; for example, Ormesby, Stainsby and Tollesby were once separate villages that belonged to Vikings called Orm, Steinn and Toll that are now areas of Middlesbrough were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. Other names around Middlesbrough include the village of Maltby (of Malti) along with the towns of Ingleby Barwick (Anglo-place and barley-wick) and Thornaby (of Thormod).

 

Links persist in the area, often through school or road names, to now-outgrown or abandoned local settlements, such as the medieval settlement of Stainsby, deserted by 1757, which amounts to little more today than a series of grassy mounds near the A19 road.

 

In 1801, Middlesbrough was a small farm with a population of just 25; however, during the latter half of the 19th century, it experienced rapid growth. In 1828 the influential Quaker banker, coal mine owner and Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) shareholder Joseph Pease sailed up the River Tees to find a suitable new site downriver of Stockton on which to place new coal staithes. As a result, in 1829 he and a group of Quaker businessmen bought the Middlesbrough farmstead and associated estate, some 527 acres (213 ha) of land, and established the Middlesbrough Estate Company.

 

Through the company, the investors set about a new coal port development (designed by John Harris) on the southern banks of the Tees. The first coal shipping staithes at the port (known as "Port Darlington") were constructed with a settlement to the east established on the site of Middlesbrough farm as labour for the port, taking on the farm's name as it developed into a village. The small farmstead became a village of streets such as North Street, South Street, West Street, East Street, Commercial Street, Stockton Street and Cleveland Street, laid out in a grid-iron pattern around a market square, with the first house being built on West Street in April 1830. New businesses bought premises and plots of land in the new town including: shippers, merchants, butchers, innkeepers, joiners, blacksmiths, tailors, builders and painters.

 

The first coal shipping staithes at the port (known as "Port Darlington") were constructed just to the west of the site earmarked for the location of Middlesbrough. The port was linked to the S&DR on 27 December 1830 via a branch that extended to an area just north of the current Middlesbrough railway station, helping secure the town's future.

 

The success of the port meant it soon became overwhelmed by the volume of imports and exports, and in 1839 work started on Middlesbrough Dock. Laid out by Sir William Cubitt, the whole infrastructure was built by resident civil engineer George Turnbull. After three years and an expenditure of £122,000 (equivalent to £9.65 million at 2011 prices), first water was let in on 19 March 1842, and the formal opening took place on 12 May 1842. On completion, the docks were bought by the S&DR.

 

Iron and steel have dominated the Tees area since 1841 when Henry Bolckow in partnership with John Vaughan, founded the Vulcan iron foundry and rolling mill. Vaughan, who had worked his way up through the Iron industry in South Wales, used his technical expertise to find a more abundant supply of Ironstone in the Eston Hills in 1850, and introduced the new "Bell Hopper" system of closed blast furnaces developed at the Ebbw Vale works. These factors made the works an unprecedented success with Teesside becoming known as the "Iron-smelting centre of the world" and Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., Ltd became the largest company in existence.

 

By 1851 Middlesbrough's population had grown from 40 people in 1829 to 7,600. Pig iron production rose tenfold between 1851 and 1856 and by the mid-1870s Middlesbrough was producing one third of the entire nations Pig Iron output. It was during this time Middlesbrough earned the nickname "Ironopolis".

 

On 21 January 1853, Middlesbrough received its Royal Charter of Incorporation, giving the town the right to have a mayor, aldermen and councillors. Henry Bolckow became mayor, in 1853.

 

A Welsh community was established in Middlesbrough sometime before the 1840s, with mining being the main form of employment. These migrants included figures who would become important leaders in the commercial, political and cultural life of the town:

 

John Vaughan established Teesside's first ironworks in 1841, The Vulcan Works at Middlesbrough. Vaughan had worked his way up through the industry at the Dowlais Ironworks in south Wales and encouraged hundreds of the skilled Welsh workers to follow him to Teesside.

Edward Williams (iron-master), although he was the grandson of the famous Welsh Bard Iolo Morganwg, Edward had started as a mere clerk at Dowlais. His move to the Tees saw him rise to ironmaster, alderman, magistrate and Mayor of Middlesbrough. Edward was also the father of Aneurin and Penry, who both became Liberal MPs for the area.

E.T. John arrived from Pontypridd as a junior clerk in Williams' office. John became the director of several industrial enterprises and a radical politician.

Windsor Richards, an Engineer and manager, oversaw the town's transition from iron to steel production.

Much like the contemporary Welsh migration to America, the Welsh of Middlesbrough came almost exclusively from the iron-smelting and coal districts of South Wales. By 1861 42% of the town's ironworkers identified as Welsh and one in twenty of the total population. Place names such as "Welch Cottages" and "Welch Place" appeared around the Vulcan works, and Middlesbrough became a centre for the Welsh communities at Witton Park, Spennymoor, Consett and Stockton on Tees (especially Portrack). David Williams also recorded that a number of the Welsh workers at the Hughesovka Ironworks in 1869 had migrated from Middlesbrough.

 

A Welsh Baptist chapel was active in the town as early as 1858, and St Hilda's Anglican church began providing services in the Welsh language. Churches and chapels were the centres of Welsh culture, supporting choirs, Sunday Schools, social societies, adult education, lectures and literary meetings. By the 1870s, many more Welsh chapels were built (one reputed to seat 500 people), and the first Eisteddfodau were held.

 

By the 1880s, a "Welsh cultural revival" was underway, with the Eisteddfodau attracting competitors and spectators from outside the Welsh communities. In 1890 the Middlesbrough Town Hall hosted the first Cleveland and Durham Eisteddfod, an event notable for its non-denominational inclusivity, with Irish Catholic choirs and the bishop of the newly created Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough as honoured guests.

 

In the early twentieth century this Eisteddfod had become the biggest annual event in the town and the largest annual Eisteddfod outside Wales. The Eisteddfod had a clear impact on the culture of the town, especially through its literary and music events, by 1911 the Eisteddfod had twenty-two classes of musical competition only two of which were for Welsh language content. By 1914, thirty choirs from across the area were competing in 284 entries. A choral tradition remained part of the town's culture long after the eisteddfod and chapels had gone. In 2012 an exhibition at the Dorman Museum marked the Apollo Male Voice Choir's 125 years as an active choir in the town.

 

Industrial Wales was noted for its "radical Liberal-Labour" politics, and the rhetoric of these politicians clearly won favour with the urban population of the North East. Penry Williams and Jonathan Samuel won the seats of Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees for the Liberal Party and Penry's brother, Aneurin would also win the newly created Consett seat in 1918.

 

Sir Horace Davey stressed his Welsh lineage and stated that "it was scarcely an exaggeration to say that Welshmen had founded Middlesbrough", courting the Welsh vote that saw him elected MP for Stockton. However, others complained that local Conservative candidates were losing to "Fenians and Welshers" (Irish and Welsh people).

 

These sentiments had grown by 1900 when Samuel lost his seat after a Unionist complained publicly that the town had been "forced to submit to the indignity of being trailed ignominiously through the mire by Welsh constituents". Samuel lost the seat but regained it in 1910 with a campaign that made few, if any, references to his Welsh background.

 

From 1861 to 1871, the census of England & Wales showed that Middlesbrough consistently had the second highest percentage of Irish born people in England after Liverpool. The Irish population in 1861 accounted for 15.6% of the total population of Middlesbrough. In 1871 the amount had dropped to 9.2% yet this still placed Middlesbrough's Irish population second in England behind Liverpool. Due to the rapid development of the town and its industrialisation there was much need for people to work in the many blast furnaces and steel works along the banks of the Tees. This attracted many people from Ireland, who were in much need of work. As well as people from Ireland, the Scottish, Welsh and overseas inhabitants made up 16% of Middlesbrough's population in 1871. A second influx of Irish migration was observed in the early 1900s as Middlesbrough's steel industry boomed producing 1/3 of Britain's total steel output. This second influx lasted through to the 1950s after which Irish migration to Middlesbrough saw a drastic decline. Middlesbrough no longer has a strong Irish presence, with Irish born residents making up around 2% of the current population, however there is still a strong cultural and historical connection with Ireland mainly through the heritage and ancestry of many families within Middlesbrough.

 

The town's rapid expansion continued throughout the second half of the 19th century, fuelled by the iron and steel industry. In 1864 the North Riding Infirmary (an ear, nose and mouth hospital) opened in Newport Road; this was demolished in 2006.

 

On 15 August 1867, a Reform Bill was passed, making Middlesbrough a new parliamentary borough, Bolckow was elected member for Middlesbrough the following year. In 1875, Bolckow, Vaughan & Co opened the Cleveland Steelworks in Middlesbrough beginning the transition from Iron production to Steel and by the turn of the century. Henry Bolckow died in 1878 and left an endowment of £5,000 for the infirmary.

 

In the latter third of the 19th century, Old Middlesbrough was starting to decline and was overshadowed by developments built around the new town hall, south of the original town hall, the town's population reaching 90,000 by the dawn of the 20th century.[9] In 1900, Bolckow, Vaughan & Co had become the largest producer of steel in Great Britain and possibly came to be one of the major steel centres in the world.

 

In 1914, Dorman Long, another major steel producer from Middlesbrough, became the largest company in Britain. It employed a workforce of over 20,000 and by 1929 and gained enough to take over from Bolckow, Vaughan & Co's dominance and to acquire their assets. The steel components of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (1932) were engineered and fabricated by Dorman Long of Middlesbrough. The company was also responsible for the New Tyne Bridge in Newcastle.

 

Several large shipyards also lined the Tees, including the Sir Raylton Dixon & Company, Smith's Dock Company of South Bank and Furness Shipbuilding Company of Haverton Hill.

 

Middlesbrough was the first major British town and industrial target to be bombed during the Second World War. The Luftwaffe first attacked the town on 25 May 1940 when a lone bomber dropped 13 bombs between South Bank Road and the South Steel Plant. One of the bombs fell on the South Bank football ground making a large crater in the pitch. The bomber was forced to leave after RAF night fighters were scrambled to intercept. Two months after the first bombing Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited the town to meet the public and inspect coastal defences.

 

German bombers often flew over the Eston Hills while heading for targets further inland, such as Manchester. On 30 March 1941 a Junkers Ju 88 was shot down by two Spitfires of No. 41 Squadron, piloted by Tony Lovell and Archie Winskill, over Middlesbrough. The aircraft dived into the ground at Barnaby Moor, Eston; the engines and most of the airframe were entirely buried upon impact.

 

On 5 December 1941 a Spitfire of No. 122 Squadron, piloted by Sgt Hutton, crashed into rising ground near Mill Farm, Upsall, on the lower slopes of Eston Hills. Poor visibility due to bad weather and low cloud is believed to have been the cause of the crash.

 

On 15 January 1942, minutes after being hit by gunfire from a merchant ship anchored off Hartlepool, a Dornier Do 217 collided with the cable of a barrage balloon over the River Tees. The blazing bomber plummeted onto the railway sidings in South Bank leaving a crater twelve feet deep. In 1997 the remains of the Dornier were unearthed by a group of workers clearing land for redevelopment; the remains were put on display for a short while at Kirkleatham museum.

 

On 4 August 1942 a lone Dornier Do 217 picked its way through the barrage balloons and dropped a stick of bombs onto the railway station. One bomb caused serious damage to the Victorian glass and steel roof. A train in the station was also badly damaged although there were no passengers aboard. The station was put out action for two weeks.

 

The Green Howards was a British Army infantry regiment very strongly associated with Middlesbrough and the area south of the River Tees. Originally formed at Dunster Castle, Somerset in 1688 to serve King William of Orange, later King William III, this regiment became affiliated to the North Riding of Yorkshire in 1782. As Middlesbrough grew, its population of men came to be a group most targeted by the recruiters. The Green Howards were part of the King's Division. On 6 June 2006, this famous regiment was merged into the new Yorkshire Regiment and are now known as 2 Yorks, The 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards). There is also a Territorial Army (TA) company at Stockton Road in Middlesbrough, part of 4 Yorks which is wholly reserve.

 

Post Second World War to contemporary era

By the end of the war over 200 buildings had been destroyed within the Middlesbrough area. The borough lost 99 civilians as a result of enemy action.

 

Areas of early and mid-Victorian housing were demolished and much of central Middlesbrough was redeveloped. Heavy industry was relocated to areas of land better suited to the needs of modern technology. Middlesbrough itself began to take on a completely different look.

 

Middlesbrough's 1903 Gaumont cinema, originally an opera house until the 1930s, was demolished in 1971. The Cleveland Centre opened in the same year. In 1974, Middlesbrough and other areas around the Tees, became part of the county of Cleveland. This was to create a county within a single NUTS region of England, with the UK joining the European Union predecessor (European Communities) a year earlier.

 

Middlesbrough's Royal Exchange building was demolished, to make way for the road. A multi-storey the Star and Garter Hotel built in the 1890s near to the exchange on the site of a former Welsh Congregational Church, was also demolished. The Victorian era North Riding Infirmary was demolished in 2006 and replaced by a hotel and supermarket.

 

The Cleveland Centre opened in 1971, Hill Street shopping centre opened in 1981 and Captain Cook Square opened in 1999.

 

Middlesbrough F.C.'s modern Riverside Stadium opened on 26 August 1995 next to Middlesbrough Dock. The club moved from Ayresome Park their previous home in the town for 92 years.

 

With the abolition of Cleveland County in 1996, Middlesbrough again became part of North Yorkshire.

 

The original St.Hilda's area of Middlesbrough, after decades of decline and clearance, was given a new name of Middlehaven in 1986 on investment proposals to build on the land. Middlehaven has since had new buildings built there including Middlesbrough College and Middlesbrough FC's Riverside Stadium amongst others. Also situated at Middlehaven is the "Boho" zone, offering office space to the area's business and to attract new companies, and also "Bohouse", housing. Some of the street names from the original grid-iron street plan of the town still exist in the area today.

 

The expansion of Middlesbrough southwards, eastwards and westwards continued throughout the 20th century absorbing villages such as Linthorpe, Acklam, Ormesby, Marton and Nunthorpe[9] and continues to the present day.

A 'Wildlife Wednesday" day today with friend Marie. Little did we know that shortly after capturing this oak moss lichen that we'd end meeting, speaking with and having our photos taken with Wales' equivalent of David Attenborough Iolo Williams .

My feet haven't touched the ground since ;)