Welcome to the 20th instalment of my flagship series! This is one of my favourite images and shows the village at the beginning of the 1900s.
I’ve seen a few poor quality examples of this photo. I was really pleased to find this excellent copy posted in 1907 with a very sweet message. It was quite expensive but I want these images to be preserved and shared for everyone to enjoy.
I’ve digitally restored the image by removing some scratches and blemishes. I’ve also adjusted the contrast and brightness to present the best version I can.
Spot the Landmarks
The landmarks are:
- Castell Coch
- Castle Farm
- The Castell Coch Vineyard
- Mill House
- Kennels
- 10 -12 Castle Road
- The Mill
- 1 – 7 Castle Road
- 11 Castle Road
- 17 – 21 Castle Road (This was a single cottage that was knocked down and replaced by four townhouses.)
Gale Jolly took this photo before the cottage at the top of Castle Road was demolished.
The vineyard was still producing grapes for Lord Bute’s wine when this postcard was sent. 1911 was reported to be an outstanding year. Read more about this fascinating part of our village’s history in my post on CastellCoch.com.
Close Up
I’ve cropped the photo to show the mill and kennels in more detail. The mill must have been a very big and imposing building.
Dear Beatrice
There’s no publisher details on the card but the message is very sweet.
From the Picture Album
The following images are taken from the “Tongwynlais, Taff’s Well and Nantgarw Picture Album”.
This view shows that two houses on Castle Road haven’t been built yet. The image is credited to Mr Gwyn Jones.
Colonel Henry Lewis kept his dogs in kennels at the Mill. This is Mr Palmer, who was the Colonel’s keeper and perhaps kennel manager. The image is credited to Dr Fred Holley.
Sources
- The Tongwynlais, Taff’s Well and Nantgarw Picture Album by Roger L Brown. (Vol. III)
I did hear that the Pugh family (of garden centre fame) still have, or at least had, an original vine from the vineyard in front of the castle, cutting growing in their garden ?