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Memories of the Whitsun March

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After publishing the fantastic guest post by Suzanne Phillips about our traditional Whitsun March, readers Carol and Andrea sent me some pictures of the march from the 50s and 70s. Follow @mytongwynlais These first two photos are from the 1970 March. Notice the old Bethesda Chapel in the first picture. The banner in the second … more…

Whitsun – Keeping Traditions Alive

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Guest post by Suzanne Phillips With Whitsun holidays fast approaching, for many of us it represents a well-deserved time off on the last Monday in May. However, in Tongwynlais in days gone by it was a huge celebration. I started asking questions of a few local people and thought that it would be interesting to … more…

Today in Tongwynlais History – 10th April 1936

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The Birmingham Gazette reported on 11th April 1936 that 30 visitors fell off the drawbridge at Castell Coch when it collapsed. Follow @mytongwynlais There were some serious injuries but most of the group escaped with minor abrasions. One of the women was carrying a baby who, thankfully, wasn’t hurt. The custodian of the castle thought … more…

Postcards from Tongwynlais – Part 2

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Welcome to the second instalment of our new series featuring postcards from Tongwynlais. This post features a classic view of Castell Coch produced by Frith’s. Francis Frith (born 1822) was an early pioneer of photography. He was a founder member of the Liverpool Photographic Society and travelled extensively documenting his journey. After returning to Britain, … more…

Postcards from Tongwynlais – Part 1

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Welcome to the first instalment of our new series of articles featuring postcards from Tongwynlais. I’ve been collecting postcards for a few years now and I’m planning to post them regularly over the coming months. I’ve got lots of postcards featuring Castell Coch but I thought I’d start with one of my favourites of the … more…

Retracing The Cardiff Railway

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Kris Carter is looking for backers to produce a coffee table book about the Cardiff Railway. The South Wales freelance artist and writer developed an interest in local history, urban decay and architecture. Kris began blogging about the history of the troubled project in 2013 and produced a fascinating series of articles. We really enjoyed … more…