@Reynard possibly, but I'm not sure which ones.
@Slow But Determined thanks for that. I grew up in Powys so am familiar with the story behind it. Such a rural area does not have much in the way of graffiti or street art, but 'cofiwch Tryweren' became a popular piece of graffiti that popped up across Wales from the 1960's, and that particular piece posted above is of great significance to the Welsh, and I think is deserving of monument status.
Here's a bit of history for those that don't know the story. 'Cofiwch Tryweren' in English means 'remember Tryweren'. It relates to the village of Capel Celyn in the Tryweren valley that was flooded to create Llyn Celyn, or as the English know it, Lake Bala. It was created to supply water for Liverpool, and demonstrated historically typical English bully-boy tactics, breathtaking arrogance and a complete disregard for the local community and culture. Capel Celyn was one of the last Welsh-only speaking communities, further fuelling the controversy that this small village was being sacrificed for the needs of an English city.
Authorisation for the project was by a private bill sponsored by Liverpool City Council, which meant Liverpool Council did not have to get the consent of the relevant Welsh Local Authority. In fact there was no discussion at all at Welsh level, and so there was no chance for any arguments against the proposal to be expressed. No consultation, no consent, no choice.
Understandably there was much local objection, the Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (Wales Defence Movement) was formed who took direct action planting explosives to disrupt the works throughout the project, and with continued resentment of the English were later involved with the Meibion Glyndwr movement that attacked houses owned by the English in Wales. The project led to an increase in support for Plaid Cymru and Welsh nationalism, it led to the creation of the Welsh Office and Secretary of State for Wales, but ultimately the project could not be stopped and the valley was flooded in 1965. More info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capel_Celyn
Apart from the historical significance, this must have been some of the oldest graffiti in Wales. There have been attempts to get the wall with the graffiti protected, however the 'authorities' have said it does not qualify as a listed building, and so no protection can be offered. Bah that is crap. However, according to the Wiki page it appears the wall has been touched up over the years, and after over 50 years of being reminded to remember Tryweren, local people won't simply forget Tryweren, so I am confident that the original message will reappear soon enough.
And during last years heat wave the water levels at Llyn Celyn dropped so low that some remains of this lost village could be seen for the first time in decades.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/lost-village-tryweryn-becomes-visible-15017181
Here's a recent BBC report on the story of the 'cofiwch Tryweren' graffiti and how it has been replaced with the word 'Elvis'.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-47110347
Strangely there is already a famous 'Elvis rock' outside Aberystwyth, which is mentioned in the article, which must also be one of the oldest surviving bits of graffiti in the area. This got me thinking of other old graffiti in that area. As a child I recall summer drives in the back of the car out to Aberdovey along the A470, and I remember an old stone bridge that crossed the railway line, I'm sure it was in Commins Coch, that had scrawled across it in big white letters 'get rid of Maggie' or something similar in reference to Margaret Thatcher. I'm sure it was there for years, but google streetview now shows it has been removed. My brother thinks it may have been changed to 'get rid of Major' at some point, but despite searching online I cannot find any reference to it.
@Slow But Determined I don't suppose you remember that do you? I don't live in the area anymore so just wondered if I'm remembering correctly and that 'get rid of Maggie' was the original slogan and when approximately it was removed?
And its worth remembering that this sort of thing is not a thing of the past. Powys has been fighting for years against littering one of the most beautiful, unspoilt parts of the UK countryside with pylons to ferry electricity from the many wind farms into England:
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news...int-could-kill-off-big-wind-farms-and-pylons/ and of course there is the current ongoing battle in many parts of the UK against fracking.
I do love how this thread leads us in all sorts of directions and unearths history along the way
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And I feel obliged after all that text to supply us with some pics, so here's two from today.
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