Graham Greaseley
Contact Details
Address: 24 Offa Lodgevale Park CHIRK Wrexham LL14 5BP
Telephone: 01691 777 527
Mobile: 07580482944
Email: grahamoffa@gmail.com
Biography
Having retired from engineering in 2011, I embarked on a career as a tour guide covering North Wales and in particular the Llangollen, Chirk , Trevor and Wrexham area.
My home town of Chirk was once known as the gateway to North Wales as it sat on the main A5 road which runs from London to Holyhead, the road being re-constructed by the famous engineer, Thomas Telford.
The area is of course famous for the Aqueducts of Chirk and Pontcysyllte which form part of the World Heritage site stretching from the Chain Bridge, Llangollen to the Gledrid roundabout.
Besides these incredible structures there is also the 13th Century Chirk Castle, one of the few medieval intact castles in North Wales, Valle Crucis Abbey and Castell Dinas Bran plus many other interesting places.
Besides all the above I also specialise in the Industrial Heritage of the area covering mining, brick production and slate along with family heritage research
I have also co written three books covering the men and women from the area that went off to war in the Boer war, the First World War and World War two.
Interests
Best of Wales - general interest tours
Over the years I have undertaken tours of all the main castles of North Wales along with the World Heritage site of Pontcysyllte and Chirk besides visiting numerous small market towns through out the area.
Castles
North Wales is known for it's incredible heritage of Castles built by Edward 1st.
These incredible buildings are always impressive, even though I have visited them all many times over the past 60 plus years from when I was a child I am still blown away by the fact that these have stood the test of time and are still amazing structures, all with their own fascinating history.
Churches Chapels and Cathedrals
North Wales has many old and wonderful churches, all of which are home to many incredible sculptures and statues of long past church patrons.
Whilst most villages had a church, many also had chapels which with the rise of Methodism saw a large variety of the various branches of this aspect of religion develop in Wales.
The rise of Methodism also saw an increase in many people becoming Teetotal. It was only in the 1970's when the laws changed that people could get a drink on a Sunday in Wales.
Family History/Ancestral Tours
This aspect of guiding is particularly rewarding especially when doing family tree research and discovering long lost graves which unlock a puzzle for client.
I also spend a great deal of time in church yards looking at graves and doing research usually in the Chirk Llangollen area and tracing old buildings that were once the homes for clients relatives.
Industrial Heritage
Coming from an engineering background this has always been of interest, be it railways, the canal or the road network.
The area is synonymous with the development of iron and steel, along with coal production, brick and tile manufacture and slate.
All of this led to the need to develop infrastructure to transport the goods to the cities, and so we went from tracks to canal systems, roads and finally the railways. Each change impacting on the other as they developed.
Copper Coal and Iron
The North East part of Wales sits on a rich coal field which was developed from the Elizabethan period up until the 1970.
Sadly today very few structures remain and but there is still plenty to see and sites to visit.
The area of Gresford being the site of one Wales' worst mining disasters where 262 miners died and remain underground to this day.
Slate and Slate Landscape
It is said that Wales roofed the world, and the incredible scars left on the land bear witness to the amount of slate that was mined in North Wales. But it also hides the extremely difficult working conditions that the men and boys worked in to feed their families,
A trip through the mountains of North Wales will show you remains of the once huge industry.
History and Prehistory
Industrial Heritage
III
Religion
RRR
