Our Location
pixel foundry is situated in the village of Ceinws Esgairgeiliog, on the banks of the Dulas River, a tributary of the Dyfi. The dramatic landscape of the region has always been a powerful stimulus to the storyteller. The brooding, rock-strewn heights of Cader Idris were the domain of Idris; the giant skilled in poetry, philosophy and astronomy. Anyone who dares spend a night on his summit will end up as a poet, a madman or a corpse! The area offers the historical landscapes of King Arthur and nearby Castell y Bere, the last Welsh castle of Llywelyn to hold out against the English invaders of Edward I. The Parliament of Owain Glyndwr was established in 1404 at Machynlleth during the uprising against English rule. This was the longest uprising in European History.
Hemmed in by thick forest and steep mountain slopes, slate is the key to the history of Ceinws (formerly Esgairgeiliog). This small village grew up alongside the slate quarries and mines which flourished in the second half of the 19th century. The activities here in those days must have made Ceinws seem a lot busier than it appears today. Narrow-guage trains rattled past the village on their way from the quarries to Machynlleth. The railway closed in 1948.
Downstream from Machynlleth the Dyfi widens into a magnificent estuary before joining the sea. Cardigan Bay offers wonderful sandy beaches and is associated with a kingdom lost beneath its waves. When Seithenin, the keeper of it's sea wall ignored his duties during a great storm many years ago, the town was drowned. Some say the bells of the town can still be heard today as "Clychau Cantre Gwaelod" (The Bells of Cantre Gwaelod). Innovation and a vision for the future has been associated with this region for the last twenty years. A short mile from pixel foundry is the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT). Established in the unpromising location of a disused slate quarry in the 1970's, CAT has since lived a life based on the principles of conservation and care for the Earth's resources, creating a successful 'village of the future' promoting concern for 'green' and environmental issues.
Cadair Idris
Cadair Idris means 'The Chair of Idris', Idris being a legendary giant who inhabited the mountain. Idris may also have been one of the kings of Meirionnydd allied to the powerful kingdom of Gwynedd. The mountain dominates Southern Snowdonia making it a popular destination for walkers and climbers. People who venture up the mountain are rewarded with spectacular views in all directions. It is also said that if you spend a night on the mountain you will wake up as either one of three things - as a poet, as a mad man or as a corpse! Walkers are advised to keep to paths, be prepared for all weather conditions even on fine days and not to venture onto the mountain if the forecast is bad.
Castell y Bere, Llanfihangel y Pennant, 13th Century Welsh Castle.
In 1221 Llywelyn 'The Great' (Llywelyn ap Iorweth) built the castle. Several design features link Castell y Bere to other Welsh castles, notably the D - shaped towers at the
north and south ends. In 1240 Llywelyn the Great died. At his death he was the undisputed ruler of 'pura Wallia', had corresponded on equal terms with Phillip Augustus of France and had hanged one of the most powerful Marcher Lords for undue familiarity with his wife, the daughter of King John of England. At Llywelyn the Great's death the kingdom of Gwynedd and it's pre-eminent status was threatened by disputed inheritance and interest from England. Only when his grandson, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, overcame family rivals in 1255 could the legacy of Llywelyn the Great be rebuilt. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd's position as ruler of all of Wales as far south as Caerphilly was recognized by Henry III, in the treaty of Montgomery in 1267. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was given the title 'Prince of Wales' and the concept of Wales as a unified state was given recognition it hadn't received before. Llywelyn the Great's castles still provided the main defence of the kingdom and Llywelyn ap Gruffudd enlarged and reinforced them - including Castell y Bere. In 1272 Henry III was succeeded by his son Edward I. Llywelyn Prince of Wales refused homage to Edward and war was declared in 1276. An uneasy peace came in 1277 but the war was restarted in 1282. Llywelyn was betrayed and ambushed at Cilmeri near Builth Wells. Castell y Bere is situated on the southern border of the kingdom of Gwynedd, and in the war of 1282 to 1283 Llywelyn's brother Dafydd was besieged by the central English army from Montgomery under Edward's lieutenant, the Savoyard Sir Otto de Grandison. Bere fell on 25 April 1283. The castle was re-captured by the Welsh during Madoc ap Llywelyn's revolt in 1294. Despite the King's urgent desire to regain it, Bere doesn't appear again in English accounts, which suggests it was then abandoned.
