Echoes of Merlin in Monmouth!

Hi marvellous Monmouth, back again!  Sorry about the week break...summer and hols...nothing like being in marvellous Monmouth!  And time for a confession, I have always been a big fan of Merlin, and a few weeks ago whilst visiting the totally awesome Bridges I was hit by the news that the 12th century cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth provided us with our earliest info on Merlin!  Geoffrey wrote about the early history of Britain in Historia regum Britanniae and Vita Merlini.  To commemorate Geoffrey of Monmouth's tales, there are some glass panels (v v old) depicting the story.

 

 

 

 

So even today in marvellous Monmouth there are echoes of Merlin!
Roo

marvellous Monmouth and ... the history of fire!

Every day in marvellous Monmouth I pass the sparkling fire station on the Rockfield Road

all photos copyright Roo 2013

with its bright red doors...but it got me thinking was this Monmouth's history of fire...or did it start elsewhere...time for a time trail around Monmouth, I think...

 

seems it all started under the Shire Hall arches, with Monmouth's first fire service starting out here with three ladders and a leather bucket - and not one red, shiny door in sight!  Things moved on in 1733, with the purchase of a small fire engine which was housed in the Jury Room of the Shire Hall.  Later engines were kept at Troy House.  But with the council shamed after some v bad fires with people dying, a fire station was first made in Whitecross Street.

then next came a station at St Mary's Street (which today is still being used by St John's Ambulance)

and the fire trail then leads back to the spanking, red quarters on the Rockfield Road!

but the great thing I found about this trail is Monmouth hasn't erradicated signs of its past, its kept momentos of its history of fire on the buildings which use to house its old fire stations.  St Mary's street has kept its fire sign and garage structure, and Whitecross Street has kept its garage structure too!  Monmouth just uses these momentos to make the buildings more quirky and cute - it never forgets its history, just recycles it to make the future!

Roo

Monmouth Heritage trail....Part deux!

number 13 is The Rolls Hall...

Number 14 is the Judges' Lodgings...

Number 15 is the dispensary...

Number 16 is the Monmouth Methodist Church...

Number 17 is St Mary's Roman Catholic Church...

Number 18 is the Angel Hotal...

Number 19 is the Savoy Theatre...

Number 20 is The White Swan Inn...

Number 21 is Agincourt House...

Number 22 is the Beaufort Arms Hotel...

Number 23 is Hyam's Mineral Water Works...

Number 24 is Nelsons' Gardens...

and that is it folks...the totally awesome Monmouth blue plaque heritage trail...I really hope you enjoyed our adventure through photos...now is your turn to take the trail...well, as it's Monmouth it truly is marvellous! Roo