Rhosesmor exists today as a quiet little village on Halkyn Mountain.  And like many little villages in the area, it has returned to a time of remembered solitude.  But is that entirely accurate, that notion of a remembered solitude?  Has Rhosesmor ever been as serene as it is today?  Rhosemor was as involved in the 19th century exploitation of the lead beneath its fields and streets as anywhere in this much exploited area, and in truth there is some evidence of the mining of lead in the centuries before that 19th century paroxysm of frenzied industry.  Most of the buildings in Rhosesmor reflect a 19th century expansion, but there are others – older still.

 

And then there is Moel y Gaer hillfort overlooking the village, pushing back its history another several thousand years, back in fact to the Neolithic.  And what of the persistent association with Arthurian legend?  Does Rhosesmor actually stand within the Isle of Avalon?

 

Suddenly, this little village built from lead and with its 19th century façade becomes something else entirely.

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