One of the best ways to get an idea of what life was like in Tongwynlais is to explore Welsh Newspapers Online. This article from the South Wales Daily News was published 141 years ago, on 24th March 1883.

These stories can tell us what businesses existed and who owned them. They’re an invaluable insight into the past.

South Wales Daily News – 24th March 1883

Serious Fire at Tongwynlais

Damage from £2,000 to £3,000

The inhabitants of Tongwynlais, a little village about five miles from Cardiff, on the Merthyr road, were thrown into a state of intense excitement early on Good Friday morning by the alarm of fire. When the cry was first heard, the villagers did not put any reliance in it, as the little hamlet has hitherto happily experienced immunity from serious fires.

The alarm, however, turned out to be true, for it was found that a fierce tire was raging: on the premises of Mr S. N. Jones, draper and grocer, an establishment built some 20 years ago by the late Mr Jeremy. How the premises took fire is not exactly known. It seems that the wife of the Rev. W. Roderick, Baptist minister, who lives next door to the shop, observed to Mr Roderick about three o’clock in the morning that she could smell something burning.

This she repeated several times, but Mr Roderick did not seem to take any notice, and replied that everything was all right. At length he rose, and found that a fire was raging in some part of the building. In all haste he proceeded to knock the neighbours up, and on going near the shop he found smoke proceeding from the shutters and doors.

The shutters were immediately pulled off the window, and flames were at once seen in the west end of the shop, behind the counter. A supply of water was at once brought into requisition, but it proved of no avail. A messenger was in all haste despatched to Cardiff for the fire-engine. The manual engine arrived on the spot about seven o’clock, and commenced playing on the burning mass. Before the arrival of the engine the building was gutted, every floor having fallen in. The engine, however, did good service in preventing the flames spreading to the adjoining houses.

The tenants of those houses had at once commenced to remove their furniture, &c., as it was feared the whole block would be burned down before the fire was subdued. At one time Mr Jeremy kept a stock of paraffin oil, &c., for sale, but happily the sale of these combustibles had been abandoned for some time, otherwise the fire would have been of a much more serious character. Hundreds of the inhabitants were soon on the spot, and did everything in their power to get the fire under.

The damage is estimated at between £2,000 to £3,000. The premises are insured. The fire was got under about 10 o’clock, but the ruins are still smouldering.

Source

Welsh Newspapers Online