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Old photos of Victorian Cardiff animated into life

Cardiff Castle south gate 1890

When I visit a city full of history like Cardiff, I often wish I could step back in time, just to have a look around and see it as it was in its hey day. Thanks to modern AI, we can now do exactly that and as 20th December 2025 marks 70 years since Cardiff was made capital city of Wales it seemed a fitting time to make this video. 

I have created it by using AI to animate a series of photographs taken at various points around Cardiff between 1880 -1909. I have seen these photos many times before but the injection of movement and human interaction really adds another dimension to them.

I realise that some of these landmarks have changed a lot down the years, so here is what you are looking at, in each clip:

  1. Trolley buses in front of Cardiff Castle. Note the “Animal Wall” used to be there and not along Bute Park as it is today.
  2. Walking towards Canton Bridge looking up at Duke Street. Castle and clock tower in the back left
  3. Castle walls and clock tower strewn with ivy
  4. Castle South Gate, facing onto Duke Street and part of animal wall.
  5. An ivy covered Norman keep inside the castle
  6. The newly opened Westgate Street which follows the old course of the River Taff, after the land had been reclaimed by Brunel
  7. High Street, looking towards the castle
  8. The first ever edition of the South Wales Echo from 6th November 1880
  9. The Empire Theatre on Queen Street
  10. The old town hall which used to stand where Quay Street meets High Street
  11. Another view of the High Street, town hall on the left
  12. The Angel Hotel as it used to be
  13. Crowds gather outside a pub in Bute Terrace (a murder had just been committed inside).
  14. Queen Street
  15. Duke Street
  16. Four views of Cardiff Docks 
  17. The Glamorgan Canal
  18. Cardiff Docks
  19. The old ’Tiger Bay’
  20. Hospital ship
  21. Football fans at a Cardiff game
  22. Cardiff Intermediate Schools Team 1909

To watch the video just click on the image below…

Now that I’ve got the bug I fully intend to make a few more of these. Taking a retrospective wander down the streets of Welsh towns, cities and villages and breathing some life back into age old photographs.

#Cardiff #oldphotos #history

Cardiff Docks 1890
Cardiff Docks 1890
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Breaking News! Book number 5 and a tour.

Scoundrels cads and vagabonds from Welsh history coming soon

Everyone knows that I am rubbish at keeping secrets, so I might as well get it off my chest now. Yes, I have a new book coming out in October. This will be my fifth book on Welsh history and folklore and this time it revels in the misdeeds of some of Wales most wicked miscreants.

It is called “Scoundrels, Cads and Vagabonds from Welsh History” and is published by Candy Jar books and distributed by Books Council For Wales/Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.

What’s it about?

It is the definitive collection of Welsh horrible histories.

It is all based around questions such as: Who were the worst bad guys in Welsh history? The most tyrannical rulers? The most blood thirsty outlaws? The most unscrupulous traitors?

So to answer them, in this book I take a light-hearted romp through a rogues’ gallery of scandalous behaviour.

Everything from medieval miscreants to swashbuckling pirates. Even a few Kings of England thrown in for good measure.

All viewed from the perspective of the people of Wales. We look at the antics of these scoundrels and ask, “do they deserve their bad reputations?”

Just so you know, the answer is usually “yes!”

As you can guess, it is intended to be a bit of fun so as much as what is contained in it is factually correct, it is told in a manner intended to amuse and entertain. A great ‘gateway’ into history for younger readers, or an alternative narrative for people who are more absorbed by the topic.

Who is in the book?

Well I don’t want to give too much away but I do have certain rules around who is in and who is out.

First of all, to get a mention in this book you need to feature in Welsh history. That does not mean however that you have to be Welsh.

There is no question that Edward Longshanks was not Welsh. Equally however, there is no doubt that he made a big impression on Welsh history.

Secondly, there is no one in this book in living memory. My intention when writing it was to give you a light-hearted overview of some scandalous behaviour from history. The trouble with people in living memory is that commentary on their actions becomes political rather than historical and that isn’t as much fun.

So as much as you might be able to think of any number of politicians from the last 100 years who would qualify as scoundrels, none of them have made it into this book. Even though some undoubtedly deserve to be.

Finally, of course, to make it into this book you will need to have done something very naughty indeed. Something utterly scandalous in fact. It is a rogues’ gallery. A compendium of cads, scoundrels, blackguards and ne’r do wells.

How will I be able to get a copy?

It wont be available in the shops or on Amazon until 27th October but you will be able to get it earlier than that exclusively on my website from 13th October (or possibly earlier printers dependant). It will retail for £13.99.

Did you mention a tour?

Good memory. Yes I did. I have written a live show based on the book. It is predominantly a ‘history talk’ but with a few flourishes and surprises along the way to liven things up a bit. The long term plan is take it on tour to venues all over the country so more dates and venues will be announced.

In the mean time however, I have my dates and venues for January 2026 nailed down and they are part of the Glamorgan leg of the tour.

And here they are:

Thursday 8th January (7pm):   Town Hall,   Cowbridge

Friday 9th January (7.30pm):   St Mary’s Hall, Talbot St,   Cardiff

Tuesday 13th January (7pm):   The Museum,   Pontypridd

Thursday 15th January (7pm):   Pioneer Hall,   Barry

Friday 16th January (7pm):   Vivian Hall, Blackpill,   Swansea

Saturday 17th January (7pm):   Town Hall,   Neath

Thursday 22nd January (7pm):   St Augustines Hall,   Penarth

Friday 23rd January (7pm):   Town Hall,   Llantwit Major

Saturday 24th January (7pm):   Coychurch Memorial Hall,   Bridgend

Thursday 29th January (7pm):   The Prince of Wales,   South Cornelly

Friday 30th January (7pm):   Soar Centre, Penycraig,   Tonypandy

In February and March I also intend to add dates in Merthyr Tydfil, Carmarthen, Llandudno, Bangor , Wrexham, Aberystwyth, Brecon, Abergavenny, Newtown, Newport and anywhere else they’ll have me.

Tickets will cost £12 and will go on sale in October, and once again, the best place to get them is from the website.

So for the person in your life who is “difficult to buy for” here is a selection of great Christmas presents to choose from. A book and a ticket to the show for a fraction under £26. Not bad!

Scoundrels January 2026 tour poster A4
Scoundrels January 2026 tour poster A4

Would you like me to contact you when its available to buy?

Just in put your details below. No charge, no obligation. Once the books arrive you will be contacted and offered first dibs on a first print run of the first edition.

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Thank you for your response. ✨

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The Grand Welsh Historic Pub Tour.

If you have a love for history and old pubs (or if you are looking for a Christmas present for someone else who does!) then here’s a series of events you should not miss.

Historian, author and broadcaster; Graham Loveluck-Edwards (off the telly!) is hitting the road in January 2025. Touring some of the oldest and most interesting pubs in Wales. He will be delivering talks based on his best selling book “Historic Pubs of Wales“. The tour is called “Historic Pubs, and all the madness that ensued therein”.

As the name suggests, as much as these talks are based on history, the content is light and the delivery, humorous and ‘tongue-in-cheek’.

Every old pub has a mad back story and in these talks you will get to hear the best of them, told by one of Britain’s finest story tellers.

The dates and venues are as follows:

The grand Welsh historic pubs tour logo

You will hear about all the incredible folklore and history tied up in these wonderful old buildings. Whose thatched roofs, darkened beams and log fires are saturated with stories from the past.

Revealing secrets such the Cardiff pub which bears the scars of a Tsunami, the Vale pub whose landlord was the most notorious pirate on the Severn Sea, the pub on the edge of the dunes with more ghost stories than Hampton Court and many many more.

We’ll also be talking about the role of the inn and tavern in centuries gone by and what the future looks like for them too.

And answering the age old question; which is the oldest pub in Wales? All washed down with your favourite tipple of choice.

The tour, spread throughout January 2025, will take in venues across South Wales. So, you can see it in a fantastic old pub near you. Venues are all within easy reach if you happen to live in Cardiff, Barry, Cowbridge, Bridgend, Penarth, Port Talbot or Porthcawl.

Each talk will be tailored to pubs near by, so if you fancy seeing more than one talk, they will all be different.

All events start at 8pm to give you a chance to grab a pint and a bight to eat before we start. They will all be finished by 9.30pm, so no worries about getting home (or staying on for a few more drinks). Its up to you really!

Tickets are available from this website on the links below. Priced at £10 per person.

These events are e-ticketed so we will have a record of who has bought tickets. So, no need to print emails off or anything like that.

Historic Pubs and all the madness that ensued therein
Historic pubs talk by Graham Loveluck-Edwards
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St Baruc Pilgrimage Fundraiser

📅 27th September 2024

📍 Barry Island Railway Station 

⏰ 9.30am (Bus leaves for Llancarfan) 

10am walk sets off from Llancarfan church 

Distance: 6.2 miles

Finish 1.30-2.00pm (depending on pace) on Barry Island

☕️🍰 Drinks & refreshments at end of walk.

27th September is the feast day of St Baruc, a monk from Llancarfan who lived at the turning point of the sixth and seventh century. This year Vale Foodbank are marking his feast day with a special event. A pilgrimage and history walk that retraces his steps from Llancarfan to Barry Island. The reason we are celebrating him, is because he is the man that Barry is named after. His “miracles” also made Barry Island a place of pilgrimage for around 1,000 years.

When the father of British history; John Leland visited South Wales in the 1530s (around 1,000 years later) he described Barry Island as a place with no buildings other than the 13th Century chapel, the remains of which you can still see on Friars Walk. He said it was a very busy place, packed with pilgrims wanting to visit the chapel and holy well of St Baruc.

You can watch a more thorough account of his story on this video.

The story of St Baruc

Regardless of whether you believe in miracles, this was the town’s founding patron, and he deserves some recognition for that.

The event is being organised by a new kind of miracle worker. The Vale Foodbank. They badly need to raise much needed funds to help provide emergency food parcels for people in crisis in the Vale of Glamorgan. Year on year they have seen demand for food parcels rocket locally. They gave out 8,662 food parcels last year from their centres in Barry, Llantwit Major, Dinas Powys and Rhoose. An increase of 29% on the year before.

Meanwhile donations have reduced by 15% as people struggle with the increased cost of living. Walkers will be charged a small fee for taking part and all profits will go direct to the foodbank. So by taking part, you can help reverse this trend.

The walk itself will start at Llancarfan, in the church on the site of the 6th Century monastery where walkers will be shown the incredible mediaeval murals on the walls. Then onto Penmark and Porthkerry and all the way to Barry Island. History experts, authors, representatives of local churches and the odd celebrity will all add snippets of history and stories to add depth to the places we will pass through.


Buy your tickets via this sign up link.

Here’s some of the places and history you can expect along the way.

St Baruc Chapel Barry Island
sixteenth century murals at Llancarfan church

These amazing murals are in Llancarfan, where our walk begins. This was the monastery established by the amazing St Cadoc. Baruc was one of his disciples. If you want more information on him, follow this link.

Map showing route of St Baruc Pilgrimage for Vale Foodbank
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The success story of the Glamorgan History Walks

The Glamorgan History Walks was a walking festival of immersive history and storytelling that took ramblers around places of historic interest throughout South Wales. Bringing the stories of those places to life.

Between May and July in the Summer of 2024, over 350 people joined us on 15 walks to over 50 sites of historic interest in various locations across the counties of Bridgend, Vale of Glamorgan and Rhondda Cynon Taff.

We took in many castles, hill forts, barracks, burial chambers and tombs, great houses, churches, the site of lost settlements, smugglers’ coves and pirates’ hideaways. Even the odd battlefield, Prisoner of War camp, windmill and lighthouse. And of course, some great old pubs.

The festival was a great success. But it is not without its legacy.

All of the walks we did are now available to download for free, so you can be guided around them using the GPS on your mobile phone. You can also read notes on the routes and places you visit, and see which periods of history are relevant to those places. You can even watch videos to bring their stories to life.

Start your journey by visiting the Glamorgan History Walks web page. Choose a walk from the list and click through to the relevant page. To use the maps you will need to download the OS Maps App (which is also free).

The places we went to included:

  • Dunraven and Ogmore Castles
  • Llantwit Major
  • Monknash and St Donats
  • Barry and Porthkerry
  • Llantrisant
  • St Athan and Gileston
  • Llangynwyd
  • Coity
  • Merthyr Mawr and Island Farm POW camp
  • Kenfig Pool and Castle and Sker House
  • Mynydd Y Gaer and Peterston Super Montum
  • Cefn Cribwr, Bedford Iron Works and Sturmi Castle
  • Newton and Candleston
  • Dinas Powys
  • Cowbridge and St Hilary

Get out into the great and beautiful scenery of South Wales and enjoy everything these walks have to offer.

Walkers on their way to Kenfig CAstle on the Glamorgan History Walk
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History Walks and Talks in Glamorgan | Summer 2024

Glamorgan History Walks and Talks logo
Glamorgan history walks and talks

It has been raining so hard for so long here in Wales lately that I’m beginning to forget that it ever wasn’t raining. A depressing prospect for someone who loves nothing more than taking a walk around some local, historic monuments or sites of historic or legendary interest. Without having to wipe raindrops off my glasses to be able to appreciate them.

But of course we had a glorious Summer last year. So, the time has come to start looking forward and thinking about what we are going to do when weekends start to get warmer and dryer. When it stays light well into the evening.

To that effect I am planning a programme of history walks and talks this summer which I am inviting you to join me on. The plan is that they will all incorporate the following magical ingredients:

  • Walks of between 4 & 6 miles for various abilities
  • Start times around 9:00am
  • Beautiful Welsh countryside
  • Places of historical interest
  • The setting of some of Wales’ most wonderful legends and folklore
  • An author and broadcaster of Welsh history and other experts to tell the stories, sing the songs and bring them to life
  • Some weather (not necessarily sunshine, but definitely something!)
  • Some fun and laughs along the way
  • Always ending up at a pub for lunch and refreshments.
Jasper the history hound guarding my seat

This is roughly how the progamme is likely to look, but at this early stage it is subject to change:

History Walks and Talks in the Vale | May 2024

  • Saturday 4th May: Southerndown – Dunraven – St Brides – Ogmore Castle – Ogmore Estuary – The Three Golden Cups.
  • Saturday 11th May: Llantwit Major Square – The Castle Ditches – Collhugh Beach – Tresilian Bay – The Olde Swan Inn
  • Saturday 18th May: Monknash – Wick Beach – Nash Point – St Donats – The Plough & Harrow
  • Saturday 25th May: Dinas Powys Square – St George Woods – The Iron age Fort – Salmon leaps – The Star Inn
  • Bank Holiday Monday 27th May: St Athan – Berkerolles Tombs – East Orchard Castle – Boys Village – Gileston Manor – The Roost

History Walks and Talks in Bridgend | June 2024

  • Saturday 1st June: Ogmore Castle – Merthyr Mawr – Candleston Castle – Dipping Bridge – The Pelican in her Piety
  • Saturday 8th June: Coity Castle – Coity Common – Hendre – The Five Bells
  • Saturday 15th June: Llangynwyd Village – Llangynywd Castle & Woods – Gelli Lenor Fawr – The Old House Inn
  • Saturday 22nd June: Blackmill – Primaevel Woods – Mynydd Y Gaer – Peterston Super Montum – The Fox and Hounds
  • Saturday 29th June: Kenfig Pool – Sker House – Kenfig Castle – Mawdlam Church – The Prince of Wales

If there is enough demand, I may well add further walks in the other counties of Glamorgan. Namely Cardiff, RCT, Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly through July and August. As well as a pilgrimage walk I am planning from Llancarfan to the shrine of St Baruc on Barry Island on his feast day of Friday 27th September 2024. So watch this space.

In a nutshell, if you love history, and you love walks, pubs, South Wales and chirpy banter – then you’ll probably enjoy these walks.

If you would like to come along, tickets with be on sale soon for £10 per walker per walk, and will be available from this site and Eventbrite.

Over the coming weeks I will be doing risk assessments on each of the walks to make sure the routes are suitable but if you do fancy joining me, there are a couple of things you need to take into consideration.

  • We will be walking across country on public footpaths rather than just on roads and pavements. There will be mud, puddles, rocks and uneven surfaces. So stout footwear is required.
  • Many of these public footpaths require you to be able to climb over gates and styles. Dogs (on leads) and push chairs are welcome on these walks but you need to be prepared to lift them over such obstacles.
  • Like any outdoor activity you will need to be prepared for the predicted weather conditions of the day. Waterproofs for rain, sun hats and sunscreen for sunny days and so on.
  • Water bottles are essential to keep hydrated on these walks. You may also want energy boosting snacks.
  • When I publish the individual walk details they will feature important information to help you decide if the walk matches your abilities. These include distances in miles, the type of terrain we will cross, if the going is easy or tough, and if any climbing is involved. I will also flag any potential hazards such as stepping stones or cliffs. Please read these details carefully before committing to a walk. 🚶

If you would like to be notified when the itinerary is completed and tickets are available, or even if you just want to ask a question, please use the form below:-

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Click the “Contact Us” button below to receive further information about the Glamorgan History Walks and Talks (when available).

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Stories from Dai Woodham’s locomotive scrap yard in Barry

You often hear people (of a certain age) reminiscing about lost institutions they used to know and love. Maybe it’s the chapel their nana used to go to that’s flats now. Or the local cinema that they used to queue up outside every Saturday that today is just a car park. However, it’s not very often that you find people waxing nostalgically about a scrap yard. But if you ask people who grew up in Barry in the 60s or 70s, very few will have nothing to say about Dai Woodham’s scrap yard. It used to occupy the old railway sidings next to the abandoned docks. It was a place that dominated the townscape. Even if you had no interest in it or what could be found there. It was difficult to ignore.

What made the place magical to so many and made it famous throughout the world was the mile after mile of decommissioned steam locomotives in various states of decay parked up there. As far as the eye could see. And even more magical if you were a curious little boy like I was the first time I visited Barry, you were allowed to climb up and play on them. What would the Health & Safety bods make of that today?

A good friend of mine suggested that I should make a programme about the yard and volunteered his expert knowledge. Great idea I thought, so I casually posted about the notion on social media, to see if I could flush out some personal recollections. I wasn’t really expecting much in the way of engagement.

How wrong could I have been. It seems that everyone has a story about Dai Woodham’s locomotive scrap yard.

I heard how children used to climb up the front of the first locomotive in a line, down the chimney into the boiler then through the cab and out the back, onto the front of the next one and so on, to see if they could clear the whole line without touching the ground. I heard how amateur film makers used to light fires next to the cabs and fan the flames so billows of smoke would swirl past them, so it looked on the film like they were driving a steam engine. Even if the one they were in didn’t even have any wheels.

Lots of people had stories about how pragmatic Dai was when it came to pricing. One person told me that he found a small green engine on the yard. He fell in love with it. But it was boxed in on all sides by far bigger locomotives, some of which were missing wheels. He asked Dai ‘how much?’ Dai looked at the engine, looked at the others around it and with an air of ambivalence said ‘£60 – if you can get it out”.

I also heard from the relatives of the great man himself and a lady who worked at the yard for most of her life. They told me about all the preservation societies who would come to the yard in their droves. Their mission? To buy locomotives to restore. Even the BBC TV’s kids programme Blue Peter came to buy one. And of course, the back story of the most famous locomotive of all – the Hogwarts Express. How the old GWR Haul Class 460 engine made its way from Barry Sidings to the silver screen.

When you think about it, nostalgia has always been the currency of Dai Woodham’s. People harking back to the golden age of steam are what kept the business viable for over 30 years. And now the yard is gone the institution itself is the stuff of relived memories.

Incidentally, I did make the programme. It will be broadcasted on Bro Radio FM on Monday 25th September 2023 after the 7pm news. But if the date and transmitter range are a barrier to you enjoying it, it is also available to watch on my YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/NScezzobFAI. #like and subscribe.

Moving a 100 ton locomotive is a delicate operation – which did not always go smoothly.

If you want to know more about Dai Woodham’s scrap yard there is a fantastic article from the Western Mail archives you might be interested in. Just follow this link.

If you want to know more about Graham Loveluck-Edwards, the producer of this video, follow this one.

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The shared history of Wales and Brittany

Bonjour, good morning, bore da, and demat dit

Over the past few weeks I have been researching the many historic and cultural links between Wales and Brittany. Its shown me that we have a shared history going back to the Stone Age. I find is staggering how little people seem to know about it.

So I have made a film which pulls the lid off all this shared history, culture and language and explores the following in more depth:

  • Neolithic standing stones
  • The arrival of the Celts and the tribes who settled in both places
  • The language we share and why
  • The place names you find in both countries
  • The co operation between both nations in the wars against the Saxons in Briton and the Franks in France
  • The Welsh saints who established the Breton church
  • King Arthur’s place in both nation’s history
  • What we have to show for it all today

Across 30 minutes we visit the places where all the action happened and the sources of all this information.

I also should pre-warn you that there are some beautiful beaches and pretty towns filled with mediaeval architecture in this video which might promote a need to go on holiday – I can only apologise.

Feel free to share on social media, please please please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already and if you want to find out more about any of the places or stories featured in this video, then please scroll dwon past the video it self to where I have shared all you need to know.

Click above to watch the video about Wales and Brittany and their connections in history from King Arthur to Geoffrey of Monmouth.

Further Information on the places in this video

Hopefully you have enjoyed the content of this video, but I can understand if you are curious to know more about where it was filmed and the places mentioned.

Carnac

Carnac appears several times in this video. The opening beach sequences were filmed on La Grande Plage De Carnac but I also feature shots of the Kerlescan Standing Stones and Dolmen. The stones at Carnac have made the area a UNESCO World Heritage site. There is a bigger concentration of neolithic monuments in the area than anywhere else in Europe. If you visit, you will need to go the the visitor centre called ‘Maison de Megalithes’ where guided tours around the different sites can be organised. These days all the sites are fenced off so wandering about isn’t an option.

For more information click here to visit the Carnac Tourism website.

Other standing stones featured

In the item about standing stones I also featured standing stones in Trellech in Monmouthshire and at Pentre Ifan. Click on the hyperlinks to see more information on those places.

Vannes

Vannes (or Gwened in Breton) is a beautiful, fortified medieval town and port in southern Brittany.

It was named after the Venetti tribe who the Romans described as being the inhabitants of the area before the Roman invasion.

From a vistors perspective the town is very picturesque with loads of nice bars and restaurants. The old town walls are something special. For more information visit the toursim website by clicking here.

Places associated with Welsh Saints

Iles de St Cado is near the town of Belz in southern Brittany. It is where St Cadoc is remembered for his part in establishing the church in Brittany. You can get more information by clicking here.

I also featured the story of St Teilo and of St Gildas and included footage of the churches which now stand on the site of the medieval monastery at Llantwit Major and the Abbey and Llancarfan. Click on the links in blue in this paragraph for more information on each.

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19th Century Welsh insurrection

Between 1830 and 1844 unrest amongst the industrial workers and farmers in Wales tipped over into riot and uprising. Nineteenth Century South Wales was a tinderbox of revolt. Industrialists were making fortunes in coal and steel but their workers were treated terribly. Living conditions were inhospitable and a breeding ground for cholera and other killer diseases.

High rents and low pay (not in cash but issued in tokens which could only be spent in the shops owned by their employers) made these people little more than slaves. And the introduction of credit and debt bound the working people still further to their employers and land owners.

Outside the industrialised areas things were no better. Welsh farmers and people living in rural areas were being bled by taxes and tythes and on the back of several poor harvests they found themselves on the brink of starvation. Something had to give. And the birth of new political ideas fuelled a number of uprisings.

The Merthyr Rising in 1831, the Rebecca Riots and the Newport Chartist Rising both starting in 1839. But what caused the rebellions? How did they start? Who was behind them? How did the establishment react? What has been their legacy?

In conversation, Graham Loveluck-Edwards and Mark Lawson-Jones pull back the layers of these events and their consequences. And as ever, especially for viewers in the Vale of Glamorgan, there is a tenuous local link. Watch below to find out what it is.

First broadcast June 2023 on Bro Radio.

The Merthyr Rising, The Rebecca Riots and The Chartists March on Newport all took place in the 1830s in Wales
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Talks on Glamorgan history and folklore

If you, like me, love a bit of Glamorgan history, folklore and legend, you may be interested in joining me at any number of talks I am giving in the coming months. As I am a guest speaker at most of these I have given details of the organisers so where tickets are required you know how to get them. Hopefully something for everyone here.

May Walks In The Vale Of Glamorgan 2023

with Chris Jones & Guests

7th , 13th, 20th and 27th May

After the incredible success of the 10 Days in May walking festival in 2022, Chris Jones is back with another walking festival through some of the Vale of Glamorgan’s most beautiful and historic locations. The theme is very much the same as last year with guided walks, talks about points of historical interest along the way (provided by yours truly) and some surprise appearances as character actors bring to life the stories associated with the area. It is tremendous fun.

These are the walks in this years event.

Sunday 7th May – The Iolo Morganwg Heritage Walk – Starting and finishing in Cowbridge. Meet for breakfast at The Maple and Bean (opposite Waitrose) at 10am.

Saturday 13th May – Llantwit Major and the Heritage Coast – Starting and finishing in Llantwit Major – Meet for breakfast 9.30am at the Piccolo Blu Cafe.

Saturday 20th May – St Athan and Gileston Walk – Start and finish at Gileston Manor where we will meet for breakfast at 9.30am.

Saturday 27th May – Dunraven Coastal Path Walk – Meet for breakfast at 9.30am at The Three Golden Cups in Southerndown.

If you would like to register for any of these walks then please click on the link go to the Visit The Vale website for information.

If that all looks a bit too energetic, then here are some other talks you might be interested in where the audience is altogether more static:

17th May – Social Sisters Barry (The Lounge, Tadcross) 8pm

10th June (2.00pm) – “The Cult, the Captain and the Baron” – the fascinating history of St Curig’s Church, Porthkerry

📍St Curigs Church, Porthkerry CF62 3BZ

🕰 2pm Saturday 10th June

💰 Free

13th June – WI Penarth

15th June – Cowbridge U3A

1st July – Ogmore Walk and Talk

I will provide information closer to the time for The Ogmore Walk and Talk and the St Curigs Porthkerry talks.

For the other talks above I am a guest of an organisation so you will need to contact them direct for more information. Contact details are available for all on Google.

If are interested in having me come along to one of your events to speak on any of my specialist areas, please click here for more information on what I can offer.