A real 'Ghost Town'.........

I was reading the other day about the gold rush and how it left many towns empty over night. So got me thinking as to whether the UK had any abandoned but still standing towns?!

Bit of t'internet research later...........step forward Nant Gwrtheyrn - left empty in the 1950s when they stopped mining there.

Ok so it's not quite abandoned, it is now a Welsh Language centre, but the majority of the town is still standing - and empty.

It has a bit of history

	Folk Tales

Nant Gwrtheyrn has many folk tales, for example; • the Brythonic King Gwrtheyrn who fled to the Nant having betrayed his own people to the Saxons • the three monks who cursed the Nant’s villagers, saying that there would never be sacred ground for burial at the Nant, the village would succeed and fail three times before failing forever and, no two people from the same family in the Nant would ever get married • Elis Bach, the dwarf, defeating the sheep robbers However, the most famous is the saddest love story in the Welsh language, the story of Rhys and Meinir. Rhys Maredudd and Meinir Maredudd were cousins that lived on different farms in the Nant. They fell in love with each other and their favourite meeting place was by the trunk of an old oak tree in the valley. They decided to get married in Clynnog Church nearby. On the morning of the wedding, it was customary for the bride to hide from the groom’s friends who were to escort her to church. Rhys’ friends searched and searched for Meinir, but to no avail. They went on to the church without her, expecting to see her there. But, having reached the church she was nowhere to be seen. Everyone started to worry, especially Rhys, who went back to the Nant to look for her. Weeks and months went by with no sign of Meinir. Rhys looked for her day and night – his only companion was his faithful dog, Cidwm. A sad and distraught, Rhys slowly went mad. One stormy night, whilst out looking for Meinir, he and Cidwm took shelter underneath the old oak tree where he and Meinir used to meet. A bolt of lightning struck the tree and split the trunk in half, only to reveal a skeleton wearing a wedding dress which fell to the ground beside Rhys. The shock was too much for poor Rhys and he died instantly. Cidwm, the dog, lay down to sleep beside his master and never woke up. The three of them were buried in the same grave.

So who knows - some of that past might still be wandering around. Didn't manage to find anything of note with regards people doing investigations there or anything - so maybe GPS could get there first. And always a bonus, Most Haunted haven't (to my knowledge) been there and ruined it!

Anyone ever heard of it or anything about it?

Best

Pete

thanks for this peaf sounds like st kildas that was also abandoned off west coast of scotland. might be worth looking at so i wil see what we can dig up.