Portal:Wales

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Wales (Welsh: Cymru [ˈkəmrɨ] ^ⓘ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic Sea to the south-west. As of 2021^[update], it had a population of 3.2 million. It has a total area of 21,218 square kilometres (8,192 sq mi) and over 2,700 kilometres (1,680 mi) of coastline. It is largely mountainous with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit. The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable, maritime climate. Its capital and largest city is Cardiff.

A distinct Welsh culture emerged among the Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and Wales was briefly united under Gruffydd ap Llywelyn in 1055. After over 200 years of war, the conquest of Wales by King Edward I of England was completed by 1283, though Owain Glyndŵr led the Welsh Revolt against English rule in the early 15th century, and briefly re-established an independent Welsh state with its own national parliament (Welsh: senedd). In the 16th century the whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by David Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party. Welsh national feeling grew over the century: a nationalist party, Plaid Cymru, was formed in 1925, and the Welsh Language Society in 1962. A governing system of Welsh devolution is employed in Wales, of which the most major step was the formation of the Senedd (Welsh Parliament, formerly the National Assembly for Wales) in 1998, responsible for a range of devolved policy matters. (Full article...)

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The Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal was a canal and tramroad system in Carmarthenshire, Wales, built to carry anthracite coal to the coast for onward transportation by coastal ships. It began life as the Kymer Canal in 1766, which linked pits at Pwll y Llygod to a dock near Kidwelly. Access to the dock gradually became more difficult as the estuary silted up, and an extension to Llanelli was authorised in 1812. Progress was slow, and the new canal was linked to a harbour at Pembury built by Thomas Gaunt in the 1820s, until the company's own harbour at Burry Port was completed in 1832. Tramways served a number of collieries to the east of Burry Port.

In 1832 engineer James Green advised on extending the system, and suggested a line with three inclined planes to reach Cwmmawr, further up the Gwendraeth Valley. Green underestimated the cost and could not complete the work. He was sacked in 1836, but the canal company finished the new route the following year. In 1865 the company changed its name to become the Kidwelly and Burry Port Railway, amalgamated with the company running Burry Port in the following year, and the canal became the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in 1869. Kymer's Dock at Kidwelly continued to be used for the export of coal by coasters for another 50 years. It was used as a rubbish dump during the 1950s, but together with a short section of the canal was restored in the 1980s.

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Portmeirion is an Italianate village designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975. It has served as the location for numerous films and television shows, most famously serving as The Village in the 1960s television show The Prisoner.

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Did you know...?

... that the church dedicated to St Cwyllog in Llangwyllog, Anglesey, has a rare surviving Georgian triple-decker pulpit?
... that The Brahmin and the Mongoose, an Indian folktale about the rash killing of a loyal animal, travelled the world and inspired shrines to the dogs Saint Guinefort in France and Gelert in Wales?
... that Eleazar Roberts pioneered the tonic sol-fa method of sight-singing in Wales?
... that although the church of St Pabo, Llanbabo has a 14th-century monument to Pabo Post Prydain, its supposed 5th-century founder, there is no strong evidence that he founded the church?

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Arthur Joseph "Monkey" Gould (10 October 1864 – 2 January 1919) was a Welsh international rugby union centre and full back who was most associated as a club player with Newport Rugby Football Club. He won 27 caps for Wales, 18 as captain, and is considered the first superstar of Welsh rugby. Gould led Wales to the country's very first Home Nations Championship and Triple Crown titles in 1893; defining himself as a great player and captain in the match against England during the same tournament. Towards the end of his career Gould was at the centre of a controversy which saw Wales withdraw from international rugby for 12 months.

Gould was the most capped Welsh centre until Steve Fenwick of Bridgend beat the record at Lansdowne Road on 15 March 1980. He played 27 times for Wales, twice at full back and 25 at centre, ending his career against England on 9 January 1897. This last game was played in front of 17,000 supporters at Rodney Parade; Wales won 11–0. It was the 18th time Gould had captained Wales and this record stood until broken by Ieuan Evans in 1994.

A superb all round player and even-time sprinter with swerve, Gould could side-step and kick with either foot. He never ceased to practise to develop his fitness and skills. He was considered the outstanding player of his time.

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In the news

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General images

The following are images from various Wales-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Gravestone of King Cadfan ap Iago of Gwynedd (died c. 625) in Llangadwaladr church (from History of Wales)
Image 2Bryn Celli Ddu, a late Neolithic chambered tomb on Anglesey
Image 3Medieval map of Welsh realms (from History of Wales)
Image 4Facsimile of Part of Column 579 from the Red Book of Hergest (from Culture of Wales)
Image 5Opening of the Sixth Senedd in Cardiff in 2021 (from History of Wales)
Image 6Medieval kingdoms of Wales shown within the boundaries of the present day country of Wales and not inclusive of all (from History of Wales)
Image 7Owain Glyndŵr (from History of Wales)
Image 8Crempog - Anglesey style (from Culture of Wales)
Image 9Harlech Castle was one of a series built by Edward I to consolidate his conquest. (from History of Wales)
Image 10Standard of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, King of Powys 1063-1075. (from History of Wales)
Image 11Dowlais Ironworks (1840) by George Childs (1798–1875) (from History of Wales)
Image 12Portrait of William Morgan. (from History of Wales)
Image 13The Flag of Saint David (from Culture of Wales)
Image 14King Hywel Dda depicted enthroned in a 13th-century manuscript (from History of Wales)
Image 15Market Day in Old Wales by Sydney Curnow Vosper (1910) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 16Senedd-Welsh Parliament, Cardiff Bay. (from History of Wales)
Image 17Map of the Roman invasion of Wales (from History of Wales)
Image 18Big Pit, National Coal Museum. (from History of Wales)
Image 19Red Dragon of Wales (from Culture of Wales)
Image 20Battle at Mametz Wood by Christopher Williams (1918), commissioned by Secretary of State for War at the time, David Lloyd George. (from History of Wales)
Image 21Medieval crwth instrument (from Culture of Wales)
Image 22Owain Glyndŵr painting by AC Michael (from Culture of Wales)
Image 23Britain in AD 500: The areas shaded pink on the map were inhabited by the Britons, here labelled Welsh. The pale blue areas in the east were controlled by Germanic tribes, while the pale green areas to the north were inhabited by the Gaels and Picts. (from History of Wales)
Image 24The Bard, 1774, by Thomas Jones (1742–1803) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 25"Cymdeithas yr Iaith" (Society for the Language) bilingual road sign protest, 1972. (from History of Wales)
Image 26Offa's Dyke (Clawdd Offa) Map. (from History of Wales)
Image 27Tom Jones performing with Janis Joplin in 1969 (from Culture of Wales)
Image 28Caradog by Thomas Prydderch. Caradog was leader of the north Walian Celtic tribe, the Ordovices, and led multiple Celtic tribes against the Romans. (from History of Wales)
Image 29Cawl, a Welsh dish of meat and vegetables (from Culture of Wales)
Image 30Statue of Owain Glyndŵr (c. 1354 or 1359 – c. 1416) at Cardiff City Hall
Image 31A Plaid Cymru rally in Machynlleth in 1949, where the Parliament for Wales Campaign began (from History of Wales)
Image 32Two of the furnaces of the Blaenavon Ironworks (from History of Wales)

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