What makes for a great story? Castles and medieval times, the regent Victorian era, or how about an eccentric town figure that declared himself king and lived to tell the tale? Well there such a town that has a unique story. On the English/Wales border, settled along the winding River Wye is a town known for its love of stories, more specifically books.
Hay-on-Wye has over 30 bookstores and honesty shops that carry every conceivable topic you dared dream of reading! What's more, Hay-on-Wye has many stories of its own that make it characteristically unique and interesting! Fun fact, about 10% of Hay-on-Wye is actually in England, the other 90% in Wales. It's true, on our way out, we saw the 'Welcome to England' sign. And that's just one thing we learned from our tour guide, Martain, who was absolutely brilliant and entertaining!
Thursday, my friends and I took a tour of Hay Castle. It is mostly ruins and was left in despair; however, a trust was recently set in motion to restore the castle and preserve its history (we had to sign a waiver stating we were entering at our own risk and the property would not be liable should we be injured).
Like most English histories, the Normans play an important role in shaping the past. The Normans first swept through England in 1066, and it was around the early 1100s that they reached the Welsh border and the first castle, a motte and bailey castle was built. It is said that William the Conqueror had difficulty in taking Wales, 1) because of the terrain, where England is flat, Wales is mountainous, and 2) the Welsh simply didn't like the idea. William gifted lands along the England/Wales borders to numerous barons with the stipulation the barons kept the Welsh out of England, and if they should be successful invading Wales, all lands they capture would belong to them.
The present castle was built c. 1200, a short distance from the first after it was destroyed. The castle has been destoryed and rebuilt many times over. King John destroyed it in 1216; however, legend has it, the castle was rebuilt overnight by Maud de St. Valery, wife of William de Breos, by carrying stones in her apron. The castle went through a series of attacks, fires, and successions over the years; ownership changing hands many times over. Additions were made, a manor house in the 1300s and a Jacobean style mansion during the first half of the 1600s.
Photo by: T.M.
During the 1600s, ownership of the castle belonged to a wealthy family, the Gwynn family. The day Queen Anne Boleyn, 2nd wife to King Henry VIII, was to be beheaded, it is said Anne removed from her person, a miniature whistle, her first present from the King, and bestowed it to Captain Gwynn saying she would no longer have use for it.
The castle in Victorian times had many a party and visitors, one being a poor curate that may or may not have inappropriately fancied young girls. However, one of the most notable persons of Hay-on-Wye is Richard Booth, self proclaimed 'King' of the town.
In 1962, Richard Booth opened the first secondhand bookstore, and 10 years later the town had become a Mecca for book lovers, boasting 40 bookstores. April 1, 1977, Richard Booth declared Hay-on-Wye an independent kingdom, he as king and his horse as prime minister. He also went on to claim his own air force (a remote control plane) and navy (his personal boat on the river Wye). This eccentricity brought the town lots of attention, good attention! Former president Bill Clinton reportedly said during his speech during one of the annual Hay Festivals of Literature that Hay-on-Wye is the Woodstock of the mind. Richard Booth is still currently living, although he has since sold his bookstore, only to open a new bookstore called King of Hay.
Richard Booth's store, like others such as the Hay-on-Wye bookstore, Hay Cinema bookstore, and others offer a variety of genres and topics ranging from new to used to antiquarian. However, there are some bookstores that specialize in a particular genre. Murder and Mayhem is for the crime and horror enthusiasts; beware the ever ongoing crime scene! A white chalk body outline is a brilliant and thrilling aspect to the themed bookstore! The Poetry bookstore is for those that love the written word in iambic pentameter or haiku format. The Oxford bookstore houses mostly the historical and scientific works, just to name a few of the shops.
Photo by: T.M.
Another story our tour guide spoke about was the town was originally called Hay (not on-Wye). However, there was also another town called Hoy and both Hay and Hoy's mail would continuously get sent and delivered to the wrong place. A mailman in Hay, fed up with the occurrences, petition to have the town called Hay-on-Wye to avoid further confusion.
Books aren't the only things to be found in Hay. There are also a number of antique, charity, and gallery shops to browse as well. There's a market every Thursday (and Friday?). Nearby, you can rent a canoe and travel the river Wye, check out a Cider Museum, horseback riding adventures, hiking the Black Mountains, and more; maybe to try out the next time we visit ;)
Another fun fact, Hay-on-Wye is twinned with Timbuktu! Also, driving to/from Hay-on-Wye, was pretty epic! The roads are narrow and winding. Sometimes the road would take us up and up and all of a sudden we just seemed to pop over the top! Crazy fun and scary!
Lastly, I want to mention the delightful apartment we enjoyed while we explored this literary town! The apartment is built inside the wall surrounding the castle, excellent location to the centre, and was very tidy and clean. We absolutely loved the place and would recommend anyone wanting to spend time perusing Hay to book this location. The Sandwich Cellar right outside the apartment has some delicious scones and a very reasonable priced cream tea! The Three Tuns is the oldest pub in Hay-on-Wye and has some delicious foods and drinks! Also, Shepherd's Ice Cream has some yum, delicious ice cream, try the toffee honeycomb! Also, high quality coffee as my friend had several, and the sip I enjoyed was very pleasant (and I'm not particularly fond of coffee)!
I can honestly say this was the most pleasant trip I've taken. Everyone was outgoing and friendly. One of the shop keepers told us that the town was half "newcomers" which created and eclectic variety of people. The only downside is that come 5pm, the town is deserted and not much activity. However, it wasn't a challenge for us book lovers to just stay in and enjoy our new found treasures!
Thursday, my friends and I took a tour of Hay Castle. It is mostly ruins and was left in despair; however, a trust was recently set in motion to restore the castle and preserve its history (we had to sign a waiver stating we were entering at our own risk and the property would not be liable should we be injured).
Like most English histories, the Normans play an important role in shaping the past. The Normans first swept through England in 1066, and it was around the early 1100s that they reached the Welsh border and the first castle, a motte and bailey castle was built. It is said that William the Conqueror had difficulty in taking Wales, 1) because of the terrain, where England is flat, Wales is mountainous, and 2) the Welsh simply didn't like the idea. William gifted lands along the England/Wales borders to numerous barons with the stipulation the barons kept the Welsh out of England, and if they should be successful invading Wales, all lands they capture would belong to them.
The present castle was built c. 1200, a short distance from the first after it was destroyed. The castle has been destoryed and rebuilt many times over. King John destroyed it in 1216; however, legend has it, the castle was rebuilt overnight by Maud de St. Valery, wife of William de Breos, by carrying stones in her apron. The castle went through a series of attacks, fires, and successions over the years; ownership changing hands many times over. Additions were made, a manor house in the 1300s and a Jacobean style mansion during the first half of the 1600s.
Photo by: T.M.
The castle in Victorian times had many a party and visitors, one being a poor curate that may or may not have inappropriately fancied young girls. However, one of the most notable persons of Hay-on-Wye is Richard Booth, self proclaimed 'King' of the town.
In 1962, Richard Booth opened the first secondhand bookstore, and 10 years later the town had become a Mecca for book lovers, boasting 40 bookstores. April 1, 1977, Richard Booth declared Hay-on-Wye an independent kingdom, he as king and his horse as prime minister. He also went on to claim his own air force (a remote control plane) and navy (his personal boat on the river Wye). This eccentricity brought the town lots of attention, good attention! Former president Bill Clinton reportedly said during his speech during one of the annual Hay Festivals of Literature that Hay-on-Wye is the Woodstock of the mind. Richard Booth is still currently living, although he has since sold his bookstore, only to open a new bookstore called King of Hay.
Richard Booth's store, like others such as the Hay-on-Wye bookstore, Hay Cinema bookstore, and others offer a variety of genres and topics ranging from new to used to antiquarian. However, there are some bookstores that specialize in a particular genre. Murder and Mayhem is for the crime and horror enthusiasts; beware the ever ongoing crime scene! A white chalk body outline is a brilliant and thrilling aspect to the themed bookstore! The Poetry bookstore is for those that love the written word in iambic pentameter or haiku format. The Oxford bookstore houses mostly the historical and scientific works, just to name a few of the shops.
Books aren't the only things to be found in Hay. There are also a number of antique, charity, and gallery shops to browse as well. There's a market every Thursday (and Friday?). Nearby, you can rent a canoe and travel the river Wye, check out a Cider Museum, horseback riding adventures, hiking the Black Mountains, and more; maybe to try out the next time we visit ;)
Another fun fact, Hay-on-Wye is twinned with Timbuktu! Also, driving to/from Hay-on-Wye, was pretty epic! The roads are narrow and winding. Sometimes the road would take us up and up and all of a sudden we just seemed to pop over the top! Crazy fun and scary!
Lastly, I want to mention the delightful apartment we enjoyed while we explored this literary town! The apartment is built inside the wall surrounding the castle, excellent location to the centre, and was very tidy and clean. We absolutely loved the place and would recommend anyone wanting to spend time perusing Hay to book this location. The Sandwich Cellar right outside the apartment has some delicious scones and a very reasonable priced cream tea! The Three Tuns is the oldest pub in Hay-on-Wye and has some delicious foods and drinks! Also, Shepherd's Ice Cream has some yum, delicious ice cream, try the toffee honeycomb! Also, high quality coffee as my friend had several, and the sip I enjoyed was very pleasant (and I'm not particularly fond of coffee)!
I can honestly say this was the most pleasant trip I've taken. Everyone was outgoing and friendly. One of the shop keepers told us that the town was half "newcomers" which created and eclectic variety of people. The only downside is that come 5pm, the town is deserted and not much activity. However, it wasn't a challenge for us book lovers to just stay in and enjoy our new found treasures!
