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Caerleon – The Sculptures

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Caerleon town, just five miles from Newport in Wales, is a pleasant, charming little town of mostly Georgian houses, narrow streets with good shops and some excellent restaurants. A historic town, famous for its Roman amphitheatre and the Roman Museum, it is easy to spend a good couple of days here just enjoying the fascinating history of the place. See my post Camelot in Wales.

Views of the town and the River Usk at dusk

But Caerleon has more to offer than ancient history.  Just off the High Street you can walk through a reconstructed arch of the main Roman gates, across cobblestones and into an eighteenth century walled garden peopled with sculptures of King Arthur, Merlin, Mordred and Morgana, and, at 44 feet long – the world’s largest love spoon.  Alongside these carvings of mythical figures are carvings of characters from classic Welsh folktales from The Mabinogion, a collection of sculptures that has no equal anywhere in Wales.

Nymphs, fauns, fictional figures, a Welsh dragon and an Irish Patriot, Daniel O’Connell

Caerleon has FFWRWM

Lifesize Head

So here, in the heart of Caerleon town, is Ffwrwm Arts where people can meet, sit and talk, shop, view an exhibition, have holistic treatments, enjoy fine arts, eat or even join a workshop.  And all around you are wonderful carved works of the imagination. If you’ve ever wondered about the Welsh myths, this is the place to find out exactly what they mean.

Arthur’s Throne and a description of same

The range is eclectic, the themes bookish and mythical.

The Green Man. I’ve never felt comfortable with the Green man and once had to dispose of a pendant I’d been given as a present because it made me feel bad. True.
All so very different but all giving food for thought. There are seats around on which to sit to contemplate the art, cafes and restaurants serving great food and, honestly, what more could you ask for?
I call these my grotesques but I’m not sure if they are.
We’ll finish with some Roman Legionairres fighting, because Caerleon was one of the most important military sites in Britain under the Roman Empire, home to the 2nd Augustan Legion of 6,000 soldiers.

13 thoughts on “Caerleon – The Sculptures”

  1. What a brilliant, if slightly bonkers looking place. It’s like Narnia and Alice in Wonderland in one big historical melting pot. I can’t believe I missed out on this one when we went to Newport earlier in the year, definitely one for the next road trip.

    Funny you say about the Green Man, one of my teen daughters draws lots of Mother Nature inspired and whimsical forest spirit type images…but she won’t doodle the Green Man and didn’t like the one we found in the woods in Pewsey. He’s not everyone’s cup of tea!

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    1. I can understand your daughter’s reluctance re the Green Man, Helen. A few years ago a friend bought me a pendant of the Green Man in a lovely green colour. I wore it one day and felt so uncomfortable that I had to take it off before I got home. In the midst of shopping I just felt something wasn’t quite right, I had a sense of unease which I can’t explain. Although my husband often accused me of “being away with the fairies” I don’t think I’m a superstitious person, so …………………. No green men for me ever again!
      And yes, do visit Caerleon and don’t miss the Roman amphitheatre.

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  4. This looks an amazing place, absolutely somewhere I would love! My favourite of the sculptures is probably ‘Emerging from the wood’ and I have to confess I also really like the Green Man 🙂 I never knew there was so much to Caerleon!

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    1. It really is an amazing place and well worth spending a few days there. Good accommodation and good road system to other places, could be just what you’re looking for, for your next weekend trip in the UK. And I never got around to mentioning the great Museum there as well!

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    1. Thanks. Jo. I’ve probably overdone the pictures this time but it’s been ages since I posted anything and I no longer feel I can judge the right number of images to post, so I just whacked a whole lot into Gallery settings! Lazy, that’s me! But at least I energized myself enough to do two posts this week after weeks of nothing!

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