I’ve acquired a collection of books over the years but I haven’t written about any of them. I’m going to start with one of my favourite items by Roger L Brown.
Roger Brown was the vicar of St Michael’s Church from 1979 to 1993 and a keen historian. He retired and moved away from the area but still remembers his time here with much affection.
Roger purchased a second hand lithographic printer to produce various books and pamphlets. They were sold through members of the church and in local shops.
Contents
- Forward – Michael Roberts MP
- Turn of the Century Ton – Richard Matthews
- Honeymoon at Greenmeadow – Paul Griffiths
- The Ghosts of Tongwynlais – Roger Lee Brown
- Downstairs at Coryton – Mrs Doris Matthews
- Gelynis, an Elizabethan farmhouse in Radyr – J Barry Davies
- The Castell Coch vineyard – Roger L Brown
- Dr Williams’ Report on the sanitary state of Tongwynlais
“All profits from the sale of this booklet will be distributed to local charities.”
Edited and Published by Roger Brown, The Vicarage, 1 Merthyr Road, Tongwynlais, Cardiff. June 1982.
Forward by Michael Roberts MP
Michael Roberts MP (6 May 1927 – 10 February 1983) was the Headteacher of the Bishop of Llandaff School and president of the Cardiff branch of the National Union of Teachers.
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales from 5 May 1979 to 10 February 1983
- Member of Parliament for Cardiff North West from 28 February 1974 to 10 February 1983
- Member of Parliament for Cardiff North from 18 June 1970 to 8 February 1974
“Tongwynlais, standing sentinel over the centuries at a narrow strategic point in the Taff Valley, has witnessed the march past of feudal armies, the endless passage of coal wagons and barges of the Industrial Revolution, and more recently, the daily ebb and flow of commuters from the valleys to the capital city. Now, with a by-pass to give the village much deserved tranquillity and peace, it can look back at its past.”
Turn of the Century Ton
This collection of memories by Richard Matthews covers everything from the Castell Coch vineyard to the local fair.
He describes the village as a place you could, “stand and chat in the centre of the road because the only traffic which one had to step aside for was the delivery of bread or the green-grocer’s cart.”
Colonel Henry Lewis was Master of Hounds for the Ystrad and Pentyrch Hunt. The hounds were kept in kennels next to the old mill, which was worked by “Thomas the Mill”.
Richard describes the Colonel as, “a very stern gentleman”, who “always looked to the lads of the village to doff their caps”. He recalls that, “every New Year’s Day all the youngsters went up to the big house and were each given a bright new penny by the butler, Mr Sharp. The old folk were given a portion of meat and tobacco.”
Richard mentions a couple of shops in the village. Mr Merry ran a saddlery on the corner of Merthyr Road and Ironbridge Road. The shop closed because none of his sons wanted to take over the business.
There was a blacksmith on the square run by “Frank the Blacksmith”. He was a “very cheery fellow” and would allow local lads to play marbles for helping to work the bellows.
There are lots of little nuggets in this chapter and Richard clearly has fond memories of his childhood in the village.
Honeymoon at Greenmeadow
This is a brief account of Wyndham Lewis and Mary Anne Evans’ honeymoon at Greenmeadow.
Wyndham Lewis (7 October 1780 – 14 March 1838) was the Member of Parliament for Cardiff from 1820 to 1826.
© National Portrait Gallery, London
The author recounts events from Mary’s perspective, describing the couple’s first meeting, courtship and marriage.
The arrival at Greenmeadow is described in the following paragraph, “Now as they approached the wrought iron gates of the mansion, the view caught her breath away. She swallowed hard, so impressed was she by the sight which she saw. The Greenmeadow estate was not a castle nor a forbidding fortress of the aristocracy, but a welcoming mansion, built in a Gothic style by Henry Lewis from land inherited from a distant uncle. Greenmeadow was appropriately named, surrounded by grassy lands it reached down to the river Taff, which made the scene appear as a picturesque landscape of meadows and flowers. To the rear of the house stood the wooded plantations which stretched out to meet the horizon. In the distance a Norman ruin peeped through the trees. From behind them and directly opposite to the house was the Garth Mountain, majestic as it loomed over the Welsh valley.”
© National Trust Images
Mary Ann married future Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli in August 1839. Mary Anne Disraeli, 1st Viscountess Beaconsfield died in 1872.
The Ghosts of Tongwynlais
This is a compilation of stories collated by Roger Brown. I’ve shared these on the blog before.
Downstairs at Coryton
This is an interview with Mrs Doris Matthews, who was the daughter of a former head gardener at Coryton.
Coryton was the home of Sir Herbert Cory.
Photos
There are several photos in the centre of the book. There’s a great photo of Colonel and Mrs Lewis outside Greenmeadow, on their way to the National Pageant of Wales in 1909.
Another photo shows King George’s car leaving Tongwynlais in June 1912.
Gelynis, an Elizabethan farmhouse in Radyr
This article first appeared in the Cardiff Naturalists newsletter in 1979.
Mr J Barry Davies describes the history of the farmhouse.
The Castell Coch vineyard
Roger Brown’s history of the Castell Coch vineyard features images of the wine bottle label and some newspaper adverts.
I love this part of the village’s history and did my own research back in 2021.
Dr Williams’ Report on the sanitary state of Tongwynlais
This chapter is taken from “A Sanitary Survey of Glamorgan” by William Williams, published in 1895.
The report paints a bleak picture of sanitation in the area. The village didn’t have a sewerage system and cesspits were often neglected.
The village at the time was under the jurisdiction of two sanitary authorities. Caerphilly District in the north and Cardiff Rural District in the south.
Although the water supply was poor, the pipe on Mill Road provided water from a spring on the hillside, which was away from any pollution.
I’m eternally thankful for Roger’s research and publications. They’ve provided me with loads of inspiration for my own content and they’re and invaluable source of information.
I’ve corresponded with Roger recently and he very kindly told me that he reads this blog and enjoys it.
Great read thanks.
Loved our visits with my grandmother catching the Western Welsh ‘Red’ bus from The Philog to the Ton to visit my Great Aunt Mildred in the late 1950’s early 60’s. She had lived in Lawn Terrace later named Merthyr Road since her marriage to Ted Evans in 1907. They had two children Eleanor & Walter. Eleanor’s daughter Ruth was my playmate. Ted was the Ton Councillor for the Whitchurch Parish during the 1930’s/40’s. Mildred & Ted originally owned an Antiques Shop at 19 Merthyr Road. Ted died in 1948 & the shop was later utilised for other merchandise until Mildred passed in 1964. Eleanor their daughter trained as a nurse at Guys Hospital in London & during the War she returned to the Ton becoming an area district nurse/midwife.
Wonderful, thank you so much. My paternal grandmother Jennet Ann Harman was born in Ton, on the main road going north (Seymour Cottages). Two of her sisters, Morfydd and Bronwen lived in Merthyr Road and I moved in their house in 1955 – I met my husband Lawrence, from Pantgwynlais in 1956. My paternal grandfather, David John Williams, was the last superintendent of the tinplate works