History of Llangollen and Its Vicinity / Including a Circuit of About Seven Miles

Transcribed from the 1853 David Roberts edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org
INCLUDING A CIRCUIT OF ABOUT SEVEN MILES.
BY W. T. SIMPSON.
Second Edition, with Marginal Notes.
LLANGOLLEN: PUBLISHED BY DAVID ROBERTS, BRIDGE-STREET. 1853.
“Here let me still with simple Nature live, My lowly field-flowers on her altar lay; Enjoy the blessings that she meant to give, And calmly pass my inoffensive day.”
The attraction of North Wales, by its romantic scenery, the antiquity of its language, and the well authenticated records of its desperate struggle for independence, renders every part of the Principality interesting, and perhaps none more so than the beautifully picturesque town and neighbourhood of Llangollen, which have deservedly excited the attention and admiration of a vast number of strangers and antiquarians. Nor have the expectations of its numerous visitors been disappointed; for, though the Alps may raise their towering summits to a greater height—may embosom in their dark recesses more ample lakes, and give rise to more magnificent rivers—yet even they cannot present a more pleasing variety of scenery, or more picturesque views, than those with which Llangollen is surrounded.
Two principal inns and hotels adorn the town—the Hand inn, which is in the centre, near the church; and the King’s Head, at the west end, near the bridge. The excellent accommodations afforded in both of them are not surpassed; they are under the best regulations, and abound with elegance and convenience. Post carriages and horses are kept at both houses, and the harp resounds in their halls. The Viceroys of the sister kingdom, as well as the nobility, seem to regard Llangollen as a favourite resting-place, in passing from one country to the other.
The sacred Dee, which here foams along its rocky bed, is crossed by a stone bridge at the western extremity of the town; the church stands in the centre; and at the east end is Plas Newydd, the residence of the two highly respected ladies whom Miss Seward has recorded in song.