Welsh Journals

Slade's Foot, along the brink to Overton Mere and then to Culverhole, on the western side of Porteynon Point. Culverhole is a unique pigeon-house, probably built in the 13th or 14th century, and originally associated with Porteynon Castle, which some people think was sited at Salthouse. The cave has been formed by walling up a cleft in the rock, the wall being tremendously thick and strong. At intervals in its height it is pierced by large openings which give light and access to birds. During Spring Tides the base is washed by the waves which sometimes sweep away the pebbles giving easy access through an opening below the masonry. Inside Culverhole many nesting holes may be seen built into the wall. Some dimensions of this peculiar structure may be of interest:- Thickness of wall at base 1 0-If feet. Depth of interior cave 361 feet. Maximum width of interior 22-If feet. Height to top of building 61-L feet. After climbing to the top of the cliff we find, near the present look-out," the ruins of Davy Chissel's house, which was built in the 18th century to counteract smuggling. The panorama from this spot is magnificent. Eastward lies Salthouse Mere, Salthouse ruins, Skysea and Sedges Bank, and in the distance, the spacious bay and Oxwich Point. To the west, the serrated coastline of rugged cliffs stretches as far as Worm's Head. The route then follows a cliff path down to Salthouse and the Quay, where the old oyster pools can be seen. Then along the shore past the old Lifeboat House and to Porteynon. H. M. Tucker. MINCHIN HOLE EXCAVATIONS, 1951 THE GREATER part of the sixth season's excavations at this famous site was undertaken by E. J. Mason and his party, but the extent of the work was restricted by the weather, and by the assistance given in the rescue of the cave-explorers marooned in Ogof-y-Ffynnon-Ddu at the head of the Swansea Valley. However, several interesting relics of the Roman Period have been added to the collection, including a bronze annular brooch with an iron pin, a bronze bracelet ornamented with the ring-and-dot decoration characteristic of the period also part of a bronze penannular brooch. The pottery included fragments of Samian ware probably imported from Gaul, and 4th century coarse ware of home manufacture. Many of the specimens excavated recently from Minchin Hole are now well displayed in the Archaeological Gallery of the Royal Institution of South Wales, where they can be compared with material from other local sites. J. G. Rutter.