Reviews

In his foreword, the author remembers his happy teenage years in Radnorshire when his family moved there with the appointment of his father as Postmaster in Llandrindod in the early 1920s. Many years later he still retains vivid memories like finding a dippers nest under the Shaky Bridge at Cefnllys ... skating in the moonlight on the Lake, or tobogganing down the Brifty ... His joy in discovering the landscape and towns of Radnorshire permeate the text. He takes us on a historical journey from its earliest settlers at the beginning of the Bronze Age, through to the Iron Age, life under Roman Occupation, the spread of Christianity, the construction of Offas Dyke, Norman and Saxon advances, the revolt of Glyndwr, and then, in the early 16th century, the development of Drovers roads along which Welsh farmers drove their cattle great distances east into England, to take full advantage of an expanding market. He concludes with a chapter on individual Radnorshire towns including Rhaeadr, Knighton, Presteigne and Llandrindod. Against the backdrop of a remote, rugged and ancient landscape, he gives us a vibrant account of human settlement, intervention and conflict and of other, more settled times. Despite the provisions of an act of Parliament in 1974 which clumped Radnorshire, Brecknockshire and Montgomeryshire together in the vast administrative area of Powys, Gregorys guide retains the distinctive and separate identity of Radnorshire, known to those who are familiar with this part of Wales: its ancient settlements, early Christian Llans; remains of medieval castles; churches such as those of Rhulen, Painscastle, Pilleth and Glascwm, and its towns bustling with hundreds of years of trading across the borders. Wild and underpopulated, Radnorshire is wholly delightful to those who like to see around them so much evidence of the past surviving in the present. The past seems to linger longer here. A lively and enthusiastic guide. Jane MacNamee It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council