humanities.lit.authors.shakespeare

On Mar 12, 7:48 pm, Lyra wrote:

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(quote, excerpts)

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> Clydach - and Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream
>
> The story goes that Shakespeare himself not only visited Clydach on
> his travels, but that he also drew inspiration for Midsummer Night's
> Dream from local myths and superstitions.
>
> The great Bard is said to have stayed at Clydach House when he stayed
> in the village- and was quoted as 'the stranger who came looking for
> the house of many windows' (which it still has to this day).

http://www.clydach-gilwern-llanellyhill.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=99&Itemid=38

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I've not found anything about Clydach House, so far, except this...

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(quote, excerpts)

Henry Bartle Frere


Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, 1st Baronet, GCB, GCSI, (March 29, 1815-
May 29, 1884)



Born in Clydach Specifically Clydach House,
home of the manager of Clydach Ironworks (Frere's Father) in
Brecknockshire,
he was the son of Edward Frere and a nephew of John Hookham Frere, of
Anti-Jacobin and Aristophanes fame.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Bartle_Frere

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>
> (quote, excerpts)
>
> About the Clydach, Gilwern and Llanelly Hill community
>
> The canal at Gilwern
>
> The Three Villages of Clydach, Gilwern and Llanelly Hill make up the
> Llanelly parish ward of Monmouthshire County Council.
>
> Situated four miles from the busy market town of Abergavenny this is
> an area of outstanding natural beauty on the northernmost edge of the
> Brecon Beacons National Park. Very close to the South Wales Valleys
> The Clydach Gorge is an internationally renowned area of outstanding
> natural beauty. The river Clydach meanders down the gorge, the banks
> are lined with beech trees whilst beneath the earth there are miles of
> caves. The Clydach Gorge is a haven for walkers and cavers.
>
> Llanelly Hill perched on top of the escarpment is now largely a
> dormitory village. There are spectacular views of the surrounding
> countryside across the Beacons and the Black mountains for those that
> visit this interesting village.
>
> Clydach and William Shakespeare
>
> Find out the links between William Shakespeare and Clydach in the new
> article by Marit Meredith. Do you have any items about the history of
> our area?
>
> http://www.clydach-gilwern-llanellyhill.org.uk/
>
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>
> Shakespeare and Clydach PDF Print E-mail
>
> Clydach - and Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream
>
> The story goes that Shakespeare himself not only visited Clydach on
> his travels, but that he also drew inspiration for Midsummer Night's
> Dream from local myths and superstitions.
>
> The great Bard is said to have stayed at Clydach House when he stayed
> in the village- and was quoted as 'the stranger who came looking for
> the house of many windows' (which it still has to this day).
>
> What would have spurred him on to come looking for this place, we'll
> never know, unless the legends of Cwm Pwca (Hobgoblins' Dingle - or
> Valley of Puck) were known further a field, perhaps.
>
> It has been suggested that his friend Richard Price, son of Sir John
> Price, of the Priory, Brecon, was the person who first made
> Shakespeare aware of the Cambrian fairies and that when visiting his
> friend, he sojourned to 'the Valley of Fairy Puck' (The fairy Glen)-
> which became the principal machinery for his Midsummer Night's Dream -
> supposedly penned as he sat in what is now known as Shakespeare's
> Cave, in a dingle just above Cwm Pwca.
>
> Cwm Pwca was where waters from the river Clydach mingled with waters
> from another stream - a place that filled people with dread, because
> of the malicious powers of some evil spirits believed to be residing
> there.
>
> Cwm Pwca lies below Devil's Bridge (the bridge can be accessed by
> walking down past the Drum and Monkey in Blackrock, on through the
> subway under the Heads of the Valley Road, then continuing down
> towards the river). It is apparently called Devil's Bridge because it
> looks as though the face of the devil himself is hewn into the rock
> below. The river runs through a narrow channel at this point and drops
> straight down into a swirling pool below, which is called 'Pwll Cwn' -
> or the Dog's Pool. This dark and cavernous pool forms the centre of
> the valley called Cwm Pwca -
>
> and was where
> Shakespeare
> is thought to have visited and got his inspiration, if not his
> knowledge, of Puck, who he subsequently introduced into his Midsummer
> Night's Dream.
>
> So is the Pwca of Clydach and the 'shrewd knavish sprite that frights
> the maidens of the villag'ry ... at every turn' one and the same? It
> would certainly seem so...
>
> http://www.clydach-gilwern-llanellyhill.org.uk/index.php?option=com_c...
>
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