Product Description

The spectacular landscapes of Gwynedd - the historic counties of Anglesey, Caernarfon and Merioneth - are the setting for many of Wales' greatest buildings. Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech castles are unsurpassed as works of medieval military architecture. Penrhyn is the epitome of romantic castle-making from the Regency age, while the bridges and viaducts constructed for Thomas Telford's new high road and Robert Stephenson's main-line railway are enduring wonders of nineteenth-century civil engineering. The Picturesque tradition makes a late and unexpected flowering at Portmeirion, the bewitching Italianate seaside village founded between the wars by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis. Prehistoric and Early Christian sites of immense evocative power are scattered through the mountainous interior, intermixed with a unique inheritance of early industrial monuments, including vast slate quarries and some celebrated narrow-gauge railways. The diverse towns include the planned Georgian settlement at Tremadoc and the ambitious seaside resort of Llandudno. Atmospheric medieval churches, prolific Nonconformist chapels and houses in distinctive vernacular traditions are plentiful throughout. Altogether, no area of Wales is more rewarding to the architectural traveler.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63577 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 800 pages

Review
"This is a book which will tempt you to explore country lanes and byroads." --Marcus Binney, The Times, 20th July 2009

'... all the volumes have been a revelation, and none more so than this one.'
-- Roger White, Historic House, Autumn 2009

About the Author
Richard Haslam has contributed to The Buildings of Wales series from its foundation. Julian Orbach is an independent architectural historian. Adam Voelcker is an architect practising in North Wales.

Customer Reviews

Buildings of Wales
I found this book extremely useful in Anglesey and was delighted to find that the Pevsner tradition had been taken to Wales. Not only is the book an extremely detailed account of important (and also not so important) buildings but it contains as well a great deal about the social and political background history of the areas covered. Well worth the cost - my copy is now in our Anglesey cottage where it can be used by visitors.

A wonderful holiday companion
We bought this volume after reading a rave review in The Times and in anticipation of a week's holiday in Anglesey. At 789 pages it is certainly not one to read cover to cover or to carry in your handbag, and it was pretty expensive, but we had absolutely no regrets. It follows the format of the Pevsner English counties volumes, with the level of detail of the revised volumes. The gazetteer section is divided into the three ancient counties which make up Gwynedd (Anglesey, Caernarvonshire and Merioneth), particularly helpful as we wanted to concentrate on Anglesey. At the centre of the volume are 120 coloured plates, and with little previous knowledge of Anglesey we found these pictures gave us excellent pointers for planning our week.

pevsner buildings of wales. Gwynedd.
This is a super book it is nicely illustrated and the text describes every
building large and small in supurb detail and has answered lots of questions
that has been raised in the past.