Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition

Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:


Q1. Rhuddlan


Q2. The Point of Ayr Lighthouse

внимание друзья! There also seems to be a 'Point of Ayre' lighthouse on the Isle of Man and a Point of Ayre in Orkney, but the clues point to it being the one at Talacre beach, in Wales.

The poem given as a clue in the first paragraph of the puzzle, seems to be called 'Casabianca' and was written by a circa 18th/19th century polymath, called 'Felicia Dorothea Hemans'. The ode is believed to concern the son of the captain of a stricken French warship, 'L'orient', which was hit during the battle of the Nile, c1798. It is thought by some, that it was not the British guns which caused the blaze to break out but burning wadding from their ships which landed on some paint pots, that had not been stored properly, prior to the battle. The story goes that the British, observing the fire on 'L'orient' directed their guns into it and this caused the magazine to explode, with the huge detonation resulting in the destruction of several other French naval vessels in the vicinity. The boy on the burning deck of the Orient, was captain Luc-Julien Joseph Casabianca's son, Giocante. The poor lad would not leave his post, as he was awaiting orders from his father the skipper, unaware that he lay dying below decks.

According to some of her biographies, Felicia Dorothea Hemans, lived in Liverpool, Gwyrch near Abergele, north Wales, London, Bronwylfa, St Asaph, Flintshire, Daventry and Dublin. The city which seems to be the most likely fit with the information given, is St Asaph as it was here that the journalist 'Henry Morton Stanley' of "Dr Livingstone, I presume?" fame (aka John Rowlands, born 28th January 1841), was imprisoned in the local workhouse. He appears to have been held there from c 1847 to 1856, before making good his escape to America.

The city of St Asaph lies between the afon Clwyd (river Clwyd) and the afon y Meirchion (river Meirchion) (correction, the other river is called the Elwy, the Meirchion is a tributary of the Elwy, well spotted and thanks for pointing that out David) and the cathedral there appears to have been founded by St Kentigern (feast day 13th Jan) c AD560. Around two and a half miles north of St Asaphs, lies the town of Rhuddlan and it was here in AD796, that a battle was fought between the English and the Welsh, with the English side victorious in this particular encounter. The statute of Rhuddlan is believed to have been issued by the nasty old monarch, 'Edward the 1st', at Rhuddlan, c 1284. At this point the following incantation should be sung, to cleanse the mind of any negative energy generated by thinking about the barmy fascist twit Longshanks:

Wir sind des Geyers Schwarze Haufen, heia oho! 
Wir wollen mit Tyrannen raufen, heia oho! 
Spieß voran! Drauf und dran! 
Setzt aufs Klosterdach den Roten Hahn!

but I digress, some references claim that the river Clywd was diverted to connect Rhuddlan castle (built c 1277) to the sea, that it could be resupplied by boat, in the event of a land based siege. Travelling seven and a half miles or so north east from Rhuddlan, brings us to the vicinity of 'Point of Ayr' and the gas terminal there, which has a pipeline with lengths given as 15 - 21 miles, depending on which source you check. The address of the gas terminal is given as: Station Road, Talacre, Llanasa, Flintshire, CH8 9RD. Point of Ayr also has an abandoned lighthouse, 'The Point of Ayr lighthouse', on Talacre beach. There seems to have been more than one lighthouse built on the site, the initial one being constructed c 1776 and subsequently washed out to sea, with a replacement, which according to a text called  "Lighthouses of Wales: Their Architecture and Archaeology By Douglas Bland Hague", was fifty two feet high. The light is believed to be haunted by the ghost of a lonely keeper and there appear to be some spooky aeolian sculptures of him, on the beach and on the tower itself.