Discovering a Welsh Landscape: Archaeology in the Clwydian Range

In the far north-east corner of Wales, a line of hills looks east across the plain into England, guarding the way towards Snowdonia. Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Clwydian Range has a very rich archaeology. This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of this landscape: a history of Wales in microcosm. At the northern end of the Welsh March, the Clwydian Range is a crossroads, a place where outside influences have always been profound. The book consequently places the Range's archaeology in the context of the broader themes in Welsh and British history. We learn of: the mammoth bones left in the area's caves by Paleaeolithic hunters; the great chain of Iron Age hillforts that crown the Range; the bronze brooches in Romano-British burials; from the medieval period, motte and bailey castles and Gothic churches; the watercourses, mines and engine houses of the industrial era; the Range's links with the great poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. Throughout, the photographs capture the spirit of Hopkins' original 'landscape plotted and pieced'. The Clwydian Range is perhaps typical of Britain, where places have a great depth of historical connections. This book shows how much there is to be discovered. Ian Brown, formerly County Heritage Officer for Clwyd, managed the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Mick Sharp and Jean Williamson are two of Britain's leading archaeological and landscape photographers.