This batch of pictures of Conwy was taken before 1896 by
my grandfather, Arthur Priestley, and was included in my book, The Priestley
Collection. The scans do not do justice to the original prints, unfortunately.
These photographs show the railway at the point where it crosses the river and
passes through the ramparts of the castle, just as it does today, of course.
Conwy Castle, one of a series of fortifications built by
King Edward I to contain the Welsh, was built between 1283 and 1289. One image
shows Thomas Telford’s early suspension bridge of 1826 in front of the tubular
railway bridge, completed in 1848 by Robert Stephenson.
Arthur walked out of Conwy to the south and took a group of
four pictures of the castle from the hillside opposite, looking back towards
the town and the railway. The Chester
and Holyhead Railway had been taken over by the London North Western Railway in
1859. There are examples of goods trucks and passenger rolling stock visible in
the sidings adjacent to the main line.
The presence of other photographers and their tripods
suggests that this was a photographers’ group outing.
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