Welsh Places in England!

Does anyone have any ideas for walks (countryside or city) in England that could have a Welsh connection? Doesn’t have to be anything big just a plaque or name of a landmark etc so that a walk can have just a bit of a different purpose than just the open air.

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If anyone else had asked this I’d probably be saying, I’m not sure you could ask @Peterallen as he knows a lot about Welsh landmarks :slight_smile:

I’ll be watching to see if you get any good suggestions, useful for when we finally get to resurrect Llon-dain!

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There’s the Iolo Morgannwg memorial on Primrose Hill in London. I haven’t been there but I saw it the other day on Huw Edwards’ television programme about the Welsh in London.

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Thanks Rhian, I went to see it last year assuming it would be a huge circle on the ground but it is quite small. That said it was great to see it there and worth visiting.

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There’s a memorial to Princess Gwenllian at Sempringham, Lincolnshire.

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Okay, that’s an interesting one. My sister lives close to there so should be able to visit it. Thanks.

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There used to be a Welsh Cross at the junction of Bull Street and High Street/Dale End in Birmingham, apparently, where the Welsh drovers used to sell their cattle. I don’t think there’s anything to mark it now and I don’t know much about it - perhaps some other Midlanders can help.

But if you’re travelling that far, I guess you might as well just walk to Wales!

Myrddin ap Dafydd has mentioned Stockbridge in Hampshire a couple of times in his bit on Aled Hughes’ programme on Radio Cymru. Apparently there is a sign on one of the pubs in Welsh advertising rooms to drovers.

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Jesus College, Oxford. Known as The Welsh College. We have an insider @owen-mcknight who may be able to give more information if this interests you.

https://www.jesus.ox.ac.uk/about/the-welsh-college

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… and in St Michael Northgate, Cornmarket, Oxford you’ll find this:
image

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I like the idea of a Welsh aisle. Thanks for the suggestion.

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Really interesting, thanks for that.

Thanks, that’s one sign to find. Diolch.

Dylan Thomas left quite a trail in London. The programme I worked on with Ifor ap Glyn a few years ago isn’t now available, but here’s the associated webpage https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01wm8p0
and while I was looking for that, I found this!
https://www.thewordtravels.com/dylan-thomas-in-london.html

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I’d forgotten that there are places with Dylan Thomas connections in Oxford, too - a historian, Mark Davies, has been organising walking tours around them on Dylan Thomas Day

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I live by Milkwood Road in Herne Hill (South London) and it appears that Dylan Thomas lived here and gave the name of Under Milk Wood to his play because of that. It rings true as, the pub at the bottom of Milkwood Road was used by the London Welsh rugby club between the wars and they drunk in the pub with Dylan. The pub is called the Half Moon Tavern and celebrates Dylan day most years with a bit of Welsh and some music.

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There’s a bit more information, including pictures, here http://www.localdroveroads.co.uk/drovers-house-stockbridge/

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There must be some connection with Wales in every city or town in the UK but it is finding what and where they are. There are several Welsh chapels in London but I don’t know if there are any in other towns or cities in England though others might know. Yes, we need a destination for the Llon-dain nesaf too (Llon-dain is a Welsh walk in London).

In Winchester I think :slight_smile:

There are Welsh chapels in Liverpool - and of course the Eisteddfod stone in Birkenhead. Plenty of connections, given that Liverpool is so close.

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