low graphics version | feedback | help
| Front Page World |
| UK |
| Northern Ireland Scotland Wales |
| UK Politics Business Sci/Tech Health Education Sport Entertainment Talking Point In Depth AudioVideo |
|
 BBC Wales's Melanie Doel"The hills around Crickhowell would have inspired George Everest and spurred him on quite literally to bigger things."  real 28k |
Celebrating Wales on top of the world
Sir George Everest left Wales to become the Surveyor General of India
A ceremony has been held in mid Wales to celebrate a remarkable link between one of Wales' smallest market towns and Mount Everest.
Sir George Everest - the man who first surveyed the Himalayan peak and gave it his name - was born in Crickhowell.
Now a room in his former home has been named in his honour.
It was the hills around Crickhowell which would have inspired George Everest and spurred him on, quite literally, to bigger things.
Born in 1790 in the Manor of Gwernvale, he left Wales to become the Surveyor General of India.
There he studied what was then known only as Peak 15 or to the local Tibetans - Chom olung ma meaning Goddess mother of the World.
"George Everest took part in one of the great mapping feats of history - the survey of India which began on the south cape and moved gradually up towards the Himalayas," said journalist and author Trevor Fishlock.
"It took them more than 20 years to do that and they had to carry enormous pieces of equipment weighing half a tonne a piece."
But it was more than 20 years before the significance of his work was truly appreciated and the peak was finally recognised as the highest point on earth's surface.
Later it was named Mount Everest in his honour.
It was a century later that the race to conquer Everest was won - when in 1953 Edmund Hilary and Sherpa Tenzing reached the summit.
But for some time controversy raged over its exact height.
"The height has been argued a few times," explains Chris Barber of Walking Wales. "But they have now one back to the original figure of 29,002ft."
Today a restaurant at his former home - now the Manor hotel - has been renamed the Everest room.
It is a gesture which seals the remarkable and little known link between one of Wales smallest market towns and one of the most dramatic wonders of the world.
Sir George Everest - the man who first surveyed the Himalayan peak and gave it his name - was born in Crickhowell.
 Sir George's home - the Manor of Gwernvale |
It was the hills around Crickhowell which would have inspired George Everest and spurred him on, quite literally, to bigger things.
Born in 1790 in the Manor of Gwernvale, he left Wales to become the Surveyor General of India.
There he studied what was then known only as Peak 15 or to the local Tibetans - Chom olung ma meaning Goddess mother of the World.
 Mount Everest - the world's highest peak |
"It took them more than 20 years to do that and they had to carry enormous pieces of equipment weighing half a tonne a piece."
But it was more than 20 years before the significance of his work was truly appreciated and the peak was finally recognised as the highest point on earth's surface.
Later it was named Mount Everest in his honour.
 |
But for some time controversy raged over its exact height.
"The height has been argued a few times," explains Chris Barber of Walking Wales. "But they have now one back to the original figure of 29,002ft."
Today a restaurant at his former home - now the Manor hotel - has been renamed the Everest room.
It is a gesture which seals the remarkable and little known link between one of Wales smallest market towns and one of the most dramatic wonders of the world.
| Search BBC News Online | |
|  Advanced search options | |
| |
 | |
 | |
| |
 | BBC RADIO NEWS |
| |
| |
| BBC ONE TV NEWS |
| |
| |
| WORLD NEWS SUMMARY |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| PROGRAMMES GUIDE |
See also:
Internet links:
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Links to other Wales stories are at the foot of the page.
E-mail this story to a friend
