Category: History

When we’re on holiday I’m sure most of us like to check out online reviews and guide books. To get inspiration for places to visit.

You may be surprised how interesting it can be to do this in reverse.

I once found myself having to kill time in an airport book shop. There was the initial moment of disappointment when I discovered that they didn’t stock any of my books, but after I had got over that I started thumbing through the books they did have.

One was a guide for people visiting Wales. Out of curiosity I picked it up. I was wondering what outsiders made of places I knew and loved, and what recommendations they would make.

That got me thinking.

What did people make of Wales when they visited it back in bygone eras? What did they see? How different was their experience to that of a modern traveller?

When the grand tour was nothing to do with Jeremy Clarkson.

There was a long standing tradition amongst the young men born of aristocratic families to go on what was known as “the Grand Tour”. It meant traveling through Europe to visit the major cities and capitals of the continent to better acquaint themselves with the architecture, the art and the culture.

Then every now and then, Britain would go to war with France or Spain or the Netherlands making overseas travel too dangerous, so they would have to find destinations closer to home to explore.

Some came to explore Wales, but in these days before Trip Advisor and Expedia, they had to rely on diarists who had gone before them. To plan their routes and itineraries, and to decide where to stay.

One of my favourite pioneers of this brave new world of stay-cations, was Sir Richard Colt Hoare 2nd Baronet.

Before there was Trip Adviser, there was Sir Richard Colt Hoare

His ancestors had established Hoar’s merchant bank in the City of London in 1672. It’s still going. It’s the oldest Merchant bank in London. His father was also Lord Mayor of London, so, the family was not short of a bob or two. There are many reasons why I love Sir Richard. First of all, he was obsessed with all things historic.

He sunk a large part of his personal fortune into sponsoring archeological digs and in the acquisition of ancient texts and manuscripts. According to the Bishop of Salisbury, his library at his home at Stourhead in Wiltshire (which is now owned by the National Trust) boasted one of the finest collections of ancient manuscripts in the world. It even included writings by the legendary 13th Century Welsh Bishop, traveller and chronicler Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of wales).

These historic writings in particular, also inspired his other great passion. Travel.

More significantly, a desire to travel through Wales and revisit the places Gerald had written about to see how they had changed.

No doubt, also partly inspired by Giraldus, he had a hunger for documenting everything. He kept a diary and would religiously write in it about the places he visited and the things he saw. He would also meticulously record his opinions of the places he visited and the quality of the food and service at inns he stayed at.

This for me is the best thing about his diary.

That and how his experiences highlight how much travelling through Wales has changed.

Reviews of places you know

Some of Sir Richard’s experience of traveling in South Wales were “most grievious”. Not least getting here in the first place. He was of course traveling into Wales at a time before the two bridges spanning the Severn Estuary had been built. He crossed at what used to be known as ‘New Passage’. This was a ferry route between the village of Redwick in South Gloucestershire and Portskewett in Monmouthshire. This was his description of his crossing:

Thursday 2nd May 1793

“After a rough and tedious passage of two hours and a half, I landed on the opposite side of the channel. I never would recommend anyone to go over in the large passage boat (as I did) but to take a small one, as the former is generally much loaded with cattle and horses, which are not the pleasantest companions on a rough sea”

So crossing the Severn Estuary used to take up to 2 1/2 hours, and you had to share the deck with anxious livestock. I can only imagine how rough that must have been and certainly puts into context my woes of traffic jams around Bristol.

When he got to Wales though, he soon cheered up and recorded: “I proceeded to Chepstow… the Beaufort Arms is the best inn. After dinner I continued through Raglan… there is a tolerable inn… but bad attendance.”

He didn’t pull any punches with his reviews of inns he stayed or dined at.

The first time he visited Cowbridge he was clearly in a bad mood as this was how he described it

Monday 8th July 1793

“In the evening I proceeded on my journey through Cowbridge. Situated in a bottom and consisting of one long street. The inn is indifferent.” – Harsh!

For balance I should add that he came back in 1797. On his second visit he stayed at the Bear (which is still there) which he was very complimentary about.

More complimentary reviews

Another traveller of this era was a chap called The Rev William Gilpin who visited in 1770. He loved Monmouthshire in particular and described the Wye as his favourite river. He may have dismissed the countryside between Pyle and Bridgend as a “vile heath” but he went into gushing raptures about the town of Bridgend it self.

He wrote: “A beautiful landscape burst again upon the travellers. Woody banks arose on both sides… which continued a considerable way, marking the course of the river.”

Wow! That’s changed a bit then!

It is worth pointing out that the stage and post coaches of this era did not always go into Bridgend itself. If you were London bound, the most direct route was along New Inn Road in Merthyr Mawr which might explain the landscape he described.

Gilpin also loved Llanblethian and was so moved by the site of St Quentins castle, he stopped to sketch it.

Another contemporary on a similar trip was Henry Penruddocke Wyndham from Salisbury. He came in June 1777 accompanied by a Swiss artist called Samuel Grimm.

The two gentlemen’s fondest memory of visiting the area was tasing for the first time, the local delicacy of “Sewen” (also known as Sea Trout). Wyndham described it as a kind of salmon found in Welsh rivers and he extolled “its flavour is superior to any salmon” and went on “it is so plentiful… it sold for 2p a pound”.

Fish stocks and food prices another thing that is much changed.

Wyndham had intended on visiting the castles of St Donats and Dunraven but was put off by bad weather (something which deffinitely has NOT changed). Instead he only got to visit Ewenny Priory. Which he loved, despite the fact that it was in ruins at the time. He was particularly fascinated by the tomb of Maurice De Londres there.

His companion, Grimm, also drew a sketch of the priory and this was the only picture from the area which made it into his book which was published after their tour.

And to be fair to dear old Colt Hoare, as much as I love how direct his bad reviews were, he was generally, very complimentary about the area. Everywhere was described as “pretty” or “beautiful” or “picturesque”.

Except may be Llandaff Cathedral. Which to be fair was in ruins at the time, but he really did not like what they had done there…

Saturday 5th August 1777

“From Cardiff to Llandaff… village prettily situated. West front of the old cathedral bears a picturesque appearance. It is in a state of ruin. Three doors of Saxon architecture remain. Within this front another church is built, or part of the old cathedral modernised, in a style corresponding very badly to its architecture. The building is modern but the most glaring defect, and what I never recollect to have seen in any other church, is the alter, which is placed under a regular Grecian portico. In short a heathen temple is introduced within a Christian one.”

He drew the sketch below of how the cathedral looked in 1777.

Its only from reading these diaries that I become aware of how many of our churches and cathedrals were in ruins in the 18th Century. I had not appreciated the state Llandaff had got itself in until I read this passage. We take it for granted now but its easy to forget that it was not properly rebuilt until the Victorian era under John Pritchard.

I am going to start serialising the diaries of these travellers to cover the whole of Wales. Partly because I am nosey about what outsiders think of the places I know. Especially the rather grumpy and cantankerous Sir Richard Colt Hoare. The main reason I want to do it however, is because they provide such a vibrant snap shot in time of what Wales used to look like and what it was like trying to travel around it.

So stay tuned for more instalments.

#travel #wales #history #colthoare