Bron-yr-Aur is the cottage in Wales where Jimmy Page and Robert Plant wrote much of Led Zeppelin III in 1970 after a grueling US tour. Bron-Yr-Aur means "golden breast" or "breast of gold" in Welsh, as in a hillside of gold. The cottage had no electricity or running water, but the change of scenery provided inspiration for many songs on the album. Robert Plant wrote this for his dog, Strider, whom he took with him to Bron-yr-Aur. Plant named his dog Strider (the inspiration for this song) after Aragorn from Lord Of The Rings since one of his aliases is Strider. Lord Of The Rings references exist throughout many Led Zeppelin songs. The lyrics also make reference to the song ", a 1933 song by Red Foley: "When you're old and your eyes are dim / There ain't no 'Old Shep' gonna happen again." Drummer John Bonham played spoons and castanets. John Paul Jones played an acoustic 5-string fretless bass.
In December 2007 a vicar, the Reverend John Dale, who has owned the Bron-yr-Aur cottage since 1972 told the BBC news that he'd asked Led Zeppelin fans to stop visiting his property. He explained: "It is a beautiful place, but people must remember that it is a private house surrounded by private farmland, although there is a footpath at the top of the field behind the house." Fans from all over the world, including Japan, China and the United States, have been trekking up the hill in Gwynedd's Dyfi Valley to see the property. He said: "On the whole people are fine: they walk up and take a photo and go, but I don't want hundreds coming up here." He added that however, "We've had more than one break-in and once a photograph was taken near the fireplace and posted on the web. There have been other incidents too, with one quite amusing one where someone removed a piece of cement stuff from the house but later posted it back to us. We've resorted to painting the house name on a ruddy great boulder which I've concreted into the ground." Three house name signs have also gone missing. The Reverend was not aware of the connection with Led Zeppelin when he first bought the cottage. He was later told "some pop musicians" had stayed there. According to the vicar there is also a misconception about the links between the house and band. Despite stories to the contrary, Robert Plant never owned the cottage, although he does have a property elsewhere in mid Wales, and the band only visited it once. It has been said he visited in the 1950's with his family on holiday.
of the cottage.
Robert and Strider. I can't be positive, but that may be at his Jennings farm in 1970.
Right on.
That's so cool. The story in a picture. Thank you.
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