Study Abroad: Castles and Cathedrals of England and Wales

Mason Monter

Study Abroad

My STEP project was a Study Abroad class to England and Wales studying the engineering and history of castles and cathedrals in those countries, ENGR 5797.13. I spent three weeks abroad in England and Wales exploring fifteen castles and cathedrals, as well as the cities we stayed in.

I have always been a fan of history, but it has been at somewhat of a distance. It is hard to fully appreciate events, places, and people that are over five hundred years old when the oldest building you see and can imagine was built at the turn of the 20^th century. It is always weird to think of the United States as a young country, only two hundred and forty years old, but compared to the rest of the world it is but the blink of an eye. Taking this trip abroad has helped physically expose me to some of the oldest structures in the world and expanded my view of the world and its history. The stark contrast between old and new that exists in many of the smaller towns of Wales and rural England was startling. For the locals, seeing a castle first built in the 14^th century standing on the hill next to their favorite pub is normal. For them history is a part of everyday life. I had always kind of understood that the past affected the present, but until I was able to see modern life juxtaposed against monuments of the past, to actually see people living their daily life in the shadows of the past, did it really hit me.

For me as an engineering student, I feel that we are always pushed to look ahead to the future, to always work on the next best thing, how to solve the next problem. But rarely do we slow down, and understand why we are in the position we are now. The first step to thinking outside of that box was standing in the center of Salisbury Cathedral to see stone and stained glass that has stood, mostly unchanged, for over seven hundred and fifty years. It was overwhelming to stand at the center of the nave and just take in the surroundings; to see the tombs of warriors, bishops, and prominent locals lining the sides of the interior, hearing the whispered voices of other visitors echoing throughout the entire building. We toured the upper spaces of the cathedral and from the top of its steeple, we could see the entire city of Salisbury and most of the surrounding country. Absorbing that view was when I finally began to realize that the past, present and future are all mixed together.

As part of the class, we had to study and give a guided tour of one of the locations we visited. This exercise helped me bring together the past and present of a location and bring it together. I was assigned possibly the most fascinating castle we visited, Caernarfon Castle on the northwest coast of Wales. Among the last of the Edwardian castles built in Wales, it is the largest and most technically advanced castles in the UK. To understand why it was built the way it was we have to look at the events that led to its construction. Caernarfon was built as part of series of castles by Edward the I after he conquered Wales to help subdue the local populace. In particular, Caernarfon was meant to be the seat of British power in Wales, justifying its massive size, and expense. This particular experience allowed me to take what I had learned and expand it out into a system of events that span across both area and time.

England is a nation filled with history. Whether it is the remains of Roman occupation, medieval arms and armor, or pieces of history gathered from around the world, the museums of London are among the best in the world. Within just the British Museum you can view the entirety of human existence just by walking up and down its hallways. From the birth of recorded civilization to selected gallery pieces from the enlightenment period, all under one roof. Talk about perspective. Being able to walk through history, see how one period or location affected to the next really reinforced what I had begun to realize through this trip.

Being able to understand and relate to history is important not just to historians but to everyone. The logic that carries you through how historic events influence each other to be applied to any series of cause and effect. Being able to take a step back, to try to see the whole picture, and the events that led up to the current situation is vital to being able to craft a long term solution to a problem. Looking at history and piecing together its events helps strengthen the ability to objectively look at past events a determine how it all leads up to one moment. I understood all of these pieces individually, but I had never been able to fully
piece it together until now.