Samuel Coupe Fox was born Sutton in Ashfield in 1864. He married Alice Chaney and they had a son, William, in 1889. Samuel moved to Cardiff in 1890, where he lived until his death in 1953. He started his career as a printer’s apprentice and became a journalist after his move to Cardiff.
Samuel’s interest in photography started in 1895. He was known to carry lightweight, hand-held cameras and had a particular interest in maritime subjects. Samuel also captured rural scenes around Cardiff and hundreds of photos of the Glamorganshire Canal.
The photographs were stored in Cardiff Central Library by the 1980s but they weren’t labelled or dated. The authors of “The Glamorganshire and Aberdare Canals”, Stephen Rowson and Ian L Wright, visited the library in 1983 and managed to identify and caption the whole collection.
It’s thanks to Stephen and Ian that we have this information about Samuel Fox. They have a detailed biography in volume 2 of their book.
William Fox donated his father’s collection of Cardiff photographs to the Welsh Industrial & Maritime Museum.
These images of Tongwynlais are just a few from the collection held by Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales.
1897 – 1920
This first image is very interesting as it shows various people using the Glamorganshire Canal. The photo is on a glass lantern slide and contains several codes to identify it, but not the date it was taken.
The item is attributed to S.C. Fox and W.C. Fox. (Samuel and his son William) The date of the collection is estimated to be from 1897 to 1920.
“Collection of 14 glass lantern slides of the Glamorganshire Canal and environs, Cardiff to Nantgarw by S.C. Fox and W.C. Fox c1897-1920.”
1920/30s
The following photos aren’t dated but a handful in the collection are from the early 20th century.
This photo shows the village viewed from the Glamorganshire Canal looking towards Castell Coch. The canal at this point is by the children’s playground at the bottom of school. The large building on the right is the old Bethesda Chapel.
This photo is from a similar spot, you can still see Bethesda Chapel behind the trees on the right.
This image shows the old foot bridge by Ivy House Farm. This is now an underpass that goes under the A470.
This view shows the old bridge on Merthyr Road that used to cross the railway line. I’ve written about the houses on Merthyr Road that were demolished for the construction of the A470. You can also read my article about Tongwynlais railway station.
This view is from Ynys Bridge looking towards Castell Coch and shows the cottages that sat underneath it.
There are loads more fantastic photos by Samuel Coupe Fox on the Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales website.
Sources
- Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales: Glamorganshire canal, Tongwynlais
- Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales: Glamorganshire canal, Ivy House Bridge, Tongwynlais
- Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales: North of Tongwynlais
- Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales: near Tongwynlais Ynys bridge (over Taff River)
- Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales: Glamorganshire canal, Tongwynlais
- Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales: Two ladies walking along tow path
- The Glamorganshire and Aberdare Canals (Vol 2) by Stephen Rowson and Ian L Wright
