Llangollen

14/8/2019
Llangollen gives its name to the canal that winds into the Welsh hills, and the River Dee that runs through the town, gives water to the canal. The horseshoe falls upstream from the town divide the tumbling Dee, with a small channel running to the canal.





The chain bridge spans the Dee below the falls, built by a frugal gent in 1817, to transport coal. This meant he didn't have to pay the toll to use the stone bridge nearby.











At Llangollen lies the fascinating house and garden of Plas Newyyd. In the late 18th C two women fled their families in Ireland, finding an old farmhouse to rent on the hill above Llangollen. Over the next decades they encouraged friends and family to send them any unwanted old carved oak furniture . It arrived by the cartload, providing the 'two eccentric ladies' with the Gothic style interior they desired. Pieces of furniture were dismantled and used to panel the walls.
Pieces edge the bannisters, cover the walls. Some date back to medieval times.




Below is a portrait painted of the two ladies, who entertained poets, writers, artists, intrigued by the romantic lifestyle as well as the extensive garden they created.







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