I have a few postcards that feature a view of Castell Coch by photographer Martin John Ridley (1861-1936). This example was written in 1917 but not posted. The original photo is thought to be from 1905. I have another postcard using this image that was sent in 1908. The postcard is titled, “Castle Coch, Taffs … more…
The Glamorganshire Canal was devised by the ironmasters of Merthyr Tydfil to transport their goods from the valleys to Cardiff. Construction of the canal began in 1790 and the final section that linked the Cardiff docks was opened in 1798. The decline of the canal started in 1876 when competition from the railways affected its … more…
I picked up this photo of two vintage lorries belonging to “Evans Quarries Ltd” a few years ago. Underneath the company name it says, “Tongwynlais” and “Taffs Well 40”. The load beds also have the text, “Use Cefn Garw Stone” on the side so I had a few topics to research. The vehicles are tippers … more…
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 … more…
This series was inspired by an article from John&Jane that explored the design of a modern flag for Cardiff. In the first part I looked into the history of Cardiff and found some examples of the “Cardiff Arms”. In the second part I discovered some of the history of the arms and shared more examples … more…
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 … more…
That's really good. I love the details, you even have the heart stone! You have more flowers than we've ever…