This part of autumn has been a busy one at Beamish and off site and a few days break in Wales gave the opportunity to sample some other museum/heritage attractions…

Below: A selection of photographs taken at Penrhyn Castle, which also contains (within the stables complex) and industrial railway museum! It has a variety of local (and not so local) exhibits, as well as an external narrow gauge display focussed on material collected from the slate quarries at Penrhyn (whose owner developed the present castle – more a stately home than a true fortification). The National Trust are the guardians and the castle and collection are very well presented. Highlight must be the Penrhyn Railway Hunslet built 0-4-0ST ‘Charles’ – brother to the famous ‘Linda’ and ‘Blanche’ at the Ffestiniog Railway. I was also rather taken with the three foot gauge ex Ironstone Black Hawthorn 0-4-0ST which appears in one scene – and was studied for details that will be usefully applied to the Lewin Restoration. A Hudwell Clarke and Neilson also provided useful details – so there is no such thing as a true day off! Another attraction is ex Padarn Railway 0-4-0 ‘Fire Queen’ of 1848 and built by Horlock, notably using the boiler as the frame.