Stunning landscapes of Victorian-era Wales

The Victorians and Edwardians apparently loved Llandudno, calling it the Queen of the Welsh Resorts. Today, much of the elegant seaside architecture remains


Exquisite vintage colour postcards from the Victorian-era reveal the lavish landscapes of Wales and its rivers, bridges and cathedrals as our forebears would have witnessed the landscape.

The alluring snapshots represent the stunning views of Wales’ most picturesque tourist spots, such as the canal walk in Llangollen, Bangor Cathedral and the Iron Pier in Llandudno.

Other images show the sun setting on a lake in Bala over 100 years ago, the elegant lighthouse in Llandudno and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in Llangollen. 

One postcard illustrates a picturesque canal walk (left) while another shows two women wearing traditional Welsh costume (right)

The alluring snapshots from times gone by represent the stunning views of Wales’ most picturesque tourist spots

This is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in north Wales. 

The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure, which took 10 years to design and build, was completed in 1805.

It is now the oldest and longest navigable aqueduct in Great Britain and the highest in the world. 

The aqueduct was to be a key part of the central section of the proposed Ellesmere Canal, an industrial waterway that would create a commercial link between the River Severn at Shrewsbury and the Port of Liverpool on the River Mersey. 

Barmouth is southern Snowdonia's most popular seaside resort. The town's beach, Abermaw, is west facing and is ideal for bathing and watersports

The dramatic Pontycysyllte Aqueduct soars 90 feet above the River Dee. It is considered an engineering marvel of the industrial age and it is listed as a World Heritage Site

Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains 

Bangor Cathedral is an ancient place of Anglican worship located in Bangor, Gwynedd, north-west Wales and founded by Saint Deiniol.

It has been used as a place of Christian worship since the sixth century. Its founder was traditionally the first Bishop of Bangor in the Kingdom of Gwynedd.

Another image illustrates the traditional Welsh clothing during the late 19th century. 

The traditional Welsh apparel was worn by rural women in Wales. Ensembles consisted of a striped flannel petticoat, worn under a flannel open-fronted bedgown, with an apron, shawl and kerchief or cap.

It was identified as being different from that worn by the rural women of England by many of the English visitors who toured Wales during the late 18th centuries. And it was an item of clothing that survived in Wales for longer than elsewhere in Britain. 

The postcards also show how the fashions have changed, with people lounging around in long dresses and smart hats

The Mumbles is a small fishing village situated at the western end of Swansea Bay, at the entrance to The Gower Peninsula

Llandudno lighthouse was constructed in 1862 out of limestone and Canadian pitch pine. The beacon remained a continuous warning to mariners until March 22, 1985, when the optic was removed

The Marine Drive is a four mile scenic drive round the base of the Great Orme headland, from Llandudno's north shore to its west shore

A seaside parade boasts a sense of calm, as a few pedestrians stroll along the gravel paths soaking in the scenery 

Bangor Cathedral has been a place of worship and prayer for almost 15 centuries. It is one of the oldest cathedral foundations in Britain, founded circa 525AD

It appears everyone wore their finest threads to the seaside. They were also armed with umbrellas to shield themselves from the sunshine 

The magnificent Bala Lake, otherwise known as Llyn Tegid, is the largest natural body of water in Wales

A lone fisherman sails along a stretch of water along the Welsh coastline, with a small community a short ride away

Aberdovey is a small peaceful seaside village nestling on the north side of the Dyfi estuary. It has been a popular resort for many years, with a thriving harbour 

The church of Llanycil sits beside Bala Lake in the old county of Merionethshire, Wales. The place of worship is built on an ancient Celtic Christian site

Carmarthen Bridge is where the A484 crosses the River Towy in Carmarthen. This road runs from Swansea to Cardigan

Holyhead is the largest town on the island of Anglesey and is perhaps known best for being a busy ferry port

I do like to be beside the seaside: A seaside pier appears to be a popular spot with day trippers with the promenade teeming with people