I guess we're not going to Catbrain after all

[ellenkushner]

Greetings from our luxurious hotel in Bristol! I think deliasherman told you all about our day here - or is about to. It's a fine town - wish we had one more day. But we must drive to Tintern Abbey tom'w, to see it & then meet radio friends who live nearby, who will be giving us dinner in exchange for some Devon cider. I checked Googlemaps to see that the town of Catbrain is not far - and I know you all want to see photos of us standing in front of the sign saying "Welcome to Catbrain" striking suitable attitudes - but I'm afraid this Wiki entry has defused my enthusiasm:

Catbrain Hill, or simply known as Catbrain, is a small village near the north of Bristol, at the edge of neighbouring district South Gloucestershire, England. It is located by Cribbs Causeway, on a road that contains many car dealerships.

And now for the good news:

The name "Catbrain" derives from the Middle English "cattes brazen" which is a reference to the rough clay mixed with stones that is characteristic soil type of the location, though some speculation has been made that it derives from the Welsh Cath Bregion - Cath being a battlefield.

Did Delia tell you we're staying at a haunted Welsh castle next week?

Comments

[anghara.livejournal.com]

Say hi to the peacocks for me! I was there lo these many years ago - I still remember the place. Did you know I went to school in Bodelwyddan Castle - just a few miles the other way from Conwy, towards Rhyl?... (Not a school any more but the castle is still there and still spectacular...)

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

How amazing! I've never been in that part of the world, and am very much looking forward to it. I'll think of you, at school in nearby castle....

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I don't know about the ghosts, but the Wynn family of Gwydir were collectors of historical manuscripts (particularly genealogical ones), most of which are now in the National Library of Wales. So the historian in me is very grateful to them.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

We were told about the ghosts (and the castle/B&B) by a friend of theirs, whom we were hanging out wtih in Devon, Elizabeth-Jane Baldry - who is herself a most amazing artist & human being:
http://www.fairyharp.com/homepage.html

A friend of E-J's was apparently kicked out of bed by a ghost when they stayed there!

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Her art is lovely!
That's an acticle ghost, though I think most of the famous Welsh ones are relatively kindly (there are exceptions). I hope that is the only kind you encounter.

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

Alas, many fine old names around Bristle, as it is known down here, are mangled by the urban sprawl. I am particularly fond of Drugger's Lane. Ah, the old days, when you could be chloroformed and kidnapped en route to the pub!

[mantichore.livejournal.com]

Aah, Bristol! Went there on a language exchange in my early teens. It's a wonderful little town. The Downs, the Cabot Tower, Christmas Steps (sadly gentrified, these days: when first I knew them, they were filled with dusty second hand bookshops), Clifton Bridge, Whiteladies Road, St-Nicholas Market and Broadmead, and Lewis's, the big store (bears a different name now) which I kept hearing as Louis XVI, wondering at the oddity of such a name for an English store.

It's a very green and flowery city, as well: you turn a corner and you find a tiny lawn, with bushes and trees, just a stone's throw away from a busy city street. I recommend visiting Bristol in the spring. And Bath, Cheddar and Wells are not very far away, either...