Welsh Landed Estates: Architecture, Landscapes and their People

Overview

From the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, most landownership in Wales was divided between a handful of wealthy and influential families, ranging through the aristocracy, gentry, and the new middle-class industrialists. Using historical records students will analyse the relationships between some of these families and their surrounding communities. Students will explore the fates of these families, seeking to identify how marriages, deaths, political events, wars, the economy, etc. influenced the fortunes of these families, for good or for ill. Additionally, students will view these houses from an architectural and landscape perspective, tracking changes in the architectural history of Wales alongside the social, political, and economic changes. Beginning with the dissolution of the monasteries during the turbulent history of the Reformation through to the grand gothic architecture and deep coal pits of industrial Wales, students will analyse changes in the history of Wales through the eyes of its buildings and landscapes.

Programme 

(1). Introduction – module outline, assessments, introduction to Welsh history, landscapes, and landed estates
(2). Reading a landscape – the resources available to us, how can we read a building/landscape 
(3). Dissolution and Reformation: Strata Florida and the Hafod Estate 
(4). A House at War: Llancaiach Fawr and the Civil War
(5). Rural Wales: Dinefwr and Rebecca 
(6). Industrial Wales: Cyfarthfa Castle, Iron Works, and Coal Mines
(7). Sacred Places: Anglican and Dissenting Churches in Wales 
(8). The Picturesque in Regency Wales: The Hafod Estate and Llanerchaeron 
(9). Romanticism and the Gothic Revival: Cardiff Castle

Learning Outcomes

Identify the social, economic, political, and relational factors that affected the formation, fortunes, and decline of the landed estates in Wales Summarise and reflect the history of the landed estates, the families, and their relationships with the local area and communities covered in the case studies examine and analyse the social, economic, and political conditions of the gentry, the landscape, and local communities explore how local and national events affected the estates, the families, the landscape, and the local communities.

Assessments

• Written assignment (500 words) 30%
• Essay (1500 words) 70%

Reading Suggestions

Reading suggestions will be offered throughout the course. 

Entry Requirements

This course is for everyone. No previous experience is needed and there are no formal entry requirements. 

What Do I Need?

As this is an online course, you would need the following:

• Internet access.
• Access to a laptop or computer with a web camera and microphone; the use of headphones might also benefit.
• Use of the Chrome web browser where possible.