A brief history of Wales

The Bronze Age –

The Welsh have been sea faring traders for thousands of years. Go back 3,600 years and you’ll find a copper-mining boom here that was so massive, Welsh copper made its way to the furthest reaches of Europe. You can even visit some of these ancient mines today, like the one on Llandudno’s Great Orme. It’s a real connection to our past.

Romans, Saxons, Vikings and Normans

Wales is a land etched by mountains and a rugged landscape and has a history steeped in defiance. Time and again, invaders — Romans, Saxons, Vikings, Normans, and later, the English — sought to claim its valuable coastal and eastern agricultural lands. But the Welsh, never ones to surrender easily, would retreat into their mountain strongholds, from where they’d taunt and skirmish with their enemies. It wasn’t until the late 1200s that Edward I of England (If you’ve seen the film Braveheart, you’ll know who he was!) truly made his mark, marching his mighty army into Wales and constructing the great castles we know so well today. Yet, even then, the spirit of resistance flickered. A prolonged period of unrest culminated in the legendary uprising of Owain Glyndwr in the early 1400s. It took Henry V another 15 years to finally re-establish English dominance.

Wales’s turbulent history has left an incredible mark on its landscape: we’ve got more castles per square mile than anywhere else on Earth. Among them, the “famous four” – Caernarfon, Conwy, Harlech, and Beaumaris – stand out. They ‘re UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE sites and described as the most important examples of medieval military architecture in all of Europe by UNESCO. If you’re ready to truly experience this unique heritage, our ‘Castles of North Wales’ tour is the perfect way to explore them.

The age of Discovery

The Age of Discovery brought with it a surge in global trade, and you can see its legacy etched into the very stones of Wales’s grandest homes. Stately homes, mansions, and country estates sprung up, each a testament to newfound wealth and connection to the wider world. These aren’t just old buildings; they’re living museums filled with incredible architecture, breathtaking gardens, and historical collections that tell tales of globalization long before the word even existed.

For a true sense of this era, we wholeheartedly recommend Powis Castle. It’s home to the fascinating “Clive of India” collection, offering a glimpse into a pivotal period of history. Then there’s Penrhyn Castle, with its intriguing and controversial ties to sugar, slavery and slate and the opulence and wealth that made the owners the 18^th and 19^th century equivalent to today’s Tech billionaires. And you absolutely can’t miss Bodnant Garden in the Conwy Valley – it’s renowned as one of the finest horticultural gardens in all of Britain. These places aren’t just sights to see; they’re experiences that bring history to life.

The industrial Revolution.

If you’ve ever wondered how North Wales became the place it is today, look no further than the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. It was a time when the very landscape was reshaped, not by nature, but by human ambition. Canals, railways, and roads weren’t just built; they were carved out of the land to export the riches beneath our feet: slate, coal, iron, and even gold.  North Wales literally “roof the world” from Gwynedd’s slate mines, while coal dominated the industrial heartland of South and North East Wales. Some even say Wales was one of the very first industrial superpowers.

This incredible boom also coincided with a new wave of visitors. Victorians, seeking to escape the polluted industrial towns of England, flocked to the fresh air and stunning scenery of Wales’s mountains and charming seaside towns, kicking off a tourism trend that continues to thrive.

Speaking of marvels, you can’t talk about industrial heritage in North Wales without mentioning the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. This incredible feat of engineering, completed by Thomas Telford in 1805, carries the Llangollen Canal high above the River Dee – it’s the highest navigable aqueduct in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site to boot. And on the topic of UNESCO, 2024 saw more exciting news: the industrial slate landscape of Gwynedd was nominated to become the newest UNESCO World Heritage Site in North wales. It’s a testament to the enduring legacy of an era that truly shaped our home.