A lovely drive through the Rhandirmwyn Valley in Wales, the scenery is lakes and pine forest and eventually I arrived at the Strata Florida Abbey ruins. This site was very small but notable because it has interesting features worth seeing, there are some original floor tiles which are very detailed and rare especially as they are still in situ. Behind the abbey there are some ancient graves which are said to belong to welsh princes. Also beneath a yew tree the remains of Wales's greatest poet (not Dylan Thomas apparently)- the 12th century bard Daffyd ap Gwilym is buried here.
I have been excavating here for the last 3 years with Lampeter University. I excavated the very road surface that Gerald of Wales and many of the Welsh Royalty would have ridden down....
ReplyDeleteThe excavation and archaeological surveys are suggesting that the Cistercian monastery was built on an earlier christian monastery, likely to be part of the 'celtic' church. It is much larger than most cistercin monastaries and on a much more open plan. It was also the site of many crownings of Welsh Kings and was burnt at least twice by the English monarch, despite the Cistercians being nominally a neutral international organization.
www.westcountryfolklore.blogspot.com
Hi Ent,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a very exciting excavation to be a part of, thanks so much for this interesting info. It is great to know the site is so rich in history. Please keep me updated on your findings,
Ben