Romans and Victorians

[llywela]

Had a pretty lousy night last night. Migraine + running out of painkiller = nausea and no sleep. Not to be recommended.

Today was nice, though. For one thing, it didn't rain. And for another, my Dad had heard of a new (to us) place to visit, and took us there. I was still feeling pretty under the weather all day, unable to eat, but still managed to enjoy myself.

We went to Dewstow, which is in Caerwent, Monmouthshire. And, for a little place tucked away behind a golf course, it is absolutely stunning - a gorgeous Victorian garden recently restored, stuffed full of grottoes and tunnels. Took loads of photos, which for the sake of everyone's f-lists I shall hide behind a cut.

Exploring the gardens



There are little streams everywhere, bridged by stepping stones - have to be careful not to slip!





Down into the grottoes








Garden in a barn


More tunnels leading to underground grotto gardens






Dewstow House

Southern Gardens and grottoes








Me! Just to prove I was there *G*

Southern view from the gardens, looking down at the Bristol Channel and across to northern Somerset.


Having seen all around Dewstow, we then decided that since we were in Caerwent anyway, we'd have a quick look around the Roman remains there - go back 1,600 years, and this was Venta Silures, the largest Roman settlement in Wales. Most of the remains of this Roman town are now buried beneath the modern village of Caerwent, but the foundations of numerous ancient structures have been excavated.

Shops and houses - this was the poorer end of town in Roman days



Roman temple


Forum Basilica



And a slightly more up-market townhouse



Could have taken a stack more pics - Caerwent is absolutely littered with the remains of Roman structures. It's a really pretty little village, as well. Well worth a visit!

Comments

[justwolf.livejournal.com]

I love Classical ruins - and those look fascinating. I'd love to wander round there some time. I love how clearly you can see the layout of rooms, particularly the townhouse.

Those gardens look beautiful too! Those grottoes look so peaceful and so green :)

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Aye, come to Wales - we have ruins for every period! From Roman to modern... LOL

Caerwent isn't far from Caerleon, which features Wales' only Roman ampitheatre. Stunning. But what I really loved about Caerwent was the way the Roman remains sit alongside and intertwine among the homes and farms of today, the old and the new co-existing.

Love your Blaidd Drwg icon.

[justwolf.livejournal.com]

Wales has its own ampitheatre? Ok, I'm definately going!

Modern and ancient co-existing sounds wonderful - I love how that can happen: sometimes it's beautiful and sometimes it's awful.

I thought you'd appreciate an icon in Welsh :D

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Wales has its own ampitheatre?

What's left of it - Caerleon (http://www.caerleon.net/intro/). Popular place for school trips!

[justwolf.livejournal.com]

That looks amazing! I wish they'd taken us to places that cool on our school trips. The way it's coming out of the grass like that: looks so ancient and beautiful.

Ha, I really want to go to Wales now, I am so easily enchanted by Roman ruins. :)

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Hee. I have a list of places in Ireland I'd love to visit someday...

I'm easily enchanted by anything old and crumbly. Something about old stones with plants growing over them - it's very evocative. In Caerwent today, seeing the modern village sitting amid the remains of the old Roman walled fort, stones reused in numerous places (and numerous periods of history) to give the whole thing a sense of continuity, knowing that for as many ancient foundations as we could see there were still more buried beneath homes and fields - that was pretty profound. To think how many generations of humans have lived in that tiny area, for two thousand years or more. It's kinda humbling. And also awesome.

[justwolf.livejournal.com]

Really? Like where? I'm so used to this county that I'm always amazed when people want to visit it!

It really is both humbling and awesome. It's amazing how close the ancient and modern really are. I went to Roman ruins in Portugal, and it was amazing to see things so like what we need now -- swimming pools, town squares, pipes -- that are so ancient. You look at Greek vases, and see people just living their lives. In one way they're so far away, and in another, they permanently mark our lives because they're not really far away at all. I'm so fascinated by that: it's a world so close you can touch it and so similar, and yet gone.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Oh, Ireland has all those stone age, pre-medieval sites going for it - longbarrows and all that. Plus, Kells. Places like that. And lots of pretty green countryside.

We always want to see what someone else has to offer. Grass is always greener and all that, I suppose.

[justwolf.livejournal.com]

I think it's just curiosity. I always want to see what someone else has, but it doesn't meant I want it!

Come quick, then, before all the pretty green countryside turns into motorways :)

[londonronnie.livejournal.com]

Loved your pics of Dewstow - made me think of The Secret Garden, which was always my fav book as a kid.

And as for Caerwent - well, Roman stuff always has me frothing at the mouth...and I love the fact that it all just seems to be sitting there without any big hoo-ha, just stuck amongst the modern houses. Life goes on, eh?

Thanks for posting the pics, they're brill!

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

It really is all just sitting there among the modern houses. Maintained by Cadw, with signage and a little visitor's centre in the car park, with public footpaths connecting each site. But there's no staff or anything, no entrance fees - not even car parking fees. You just park and wander. Fabulous.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Wow, the Dewstone gardens look absolutely lovely, kind of enchanted! ♥ I am usually not much of a garden fan, but this is stunning! Looks like you had a great day with your family! *hugs*

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

LOL Small isn't much of a garden fan either, and only came under sufferance, but fell completely in love and wanted to move in!

[geordiebint.livejournal.com]

Those photos are stunning. Wales has so much to offer. I love living near it, but I wish I had more petrol money to go and see more further afield. Wales reminds me of Northumberland on a bigger scale, all of the rural stuff, but Wales seems to have more history to it. Perhaps it's just because it is new to me I notice it more, or perhaps because a lot of Northumberland's history has been lost.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

It's because Wales is stuffed full of castles, which is because every time the Normans captured another bit of land, they built another castle as a badge of conquest!

[digitalmindy.livejournal.com]

Is jealous. I love historical stuff. America is too new for that kind of thing.

*wants to move to Europe*

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

America is a little new for Roman remains, it's true. But the garden at Dewstow is only a hundred or so years old - I'm sure you have places older than that ;-)

Yes. Move to Europe - bring your adorable kittens with you! I still want one!