Latest Blog Post
Our latest blog article on our website has just been published:-
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Morfydd Owen, a talented Welsh composer and mezzo-soprano, died tragically aged 26 under mysterious circumstances. Born in 1891, she showcased remarkable musical talent early on and studied at renowned institutions. Her legacy continues through an annual festival in Pontypridd, celebrating her unique style and contributions to music. Our article explores her connections with Cardiff and possibly Roath.
Newsletter:
Our August newsletter is now available. It contains the follwoing articles:-
- Just who lived in Newport Road in its Prime? – Gareth Brown
- Whatโs In a Name? John Hobson Matthews and Ffynon Llandenis – Liam Affley
Visit our Newsletter page to access previous copies of our Monthly Newsletter.
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During research on Cardiff Shipowner Marcus Gunn (see our recent blog post) a newspaper article was discovered saying that after his death his friends had commissioned sculptor Goscombe John to make a bust of him. It was placed on display on the staircase of the old library in The Hayes, Cardiff. Enquiries were made but nobody claimed any knowledge of the bust. It didnโt even appear in a list of works by the renowned sculptor.
Recently, a kind person in the Cardiff Library Stacks agreed to go and have a look just in case it was there. Lo and behold it is!
The significance of the find may not be fully appreciated as yet. It would be good to see it back on display one day but for now itโs good to know Marcus is safe and wall even if a little horizontal.
Goscombe John was a Cardiff Sculptor but his works are held by a number of museums throughout the country. His statues include Lord Tredegar and John Cory in the centre of Cardiff, John Viriamu Jones inside Cardiff University and Edward VII on horseback in Liverpool. Click to view Works of Goscombe John.
YouTube Channel
We’ve recently made and added our second video to the Roath Local History Society YouTube channel. This time we visited the Mackintosh Sports Club and looked back at the history of the buiding.
Roath Virtual War Memorial
This is one of the latest additions to our Roath Virtual War Memorial:
WILLIAM THOMAS BOWEN
Private, No. 4 Company. 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards (Service Number: 3323)
William Thomas Bowen was born in Cardiff on 25 Feb 1898 to George Bowen, a carpenter, originally from Jeffreyston, Pembrokeshire and Jane Bowen nรจe Lloyd originally from Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire. He was baptized at St Andrewโs church on 10 Apr 1898 when the family were living at 60 Harriett Street. In Mar 1901, at the time of the 1901 census, three year old William is staying with his aunt and uncle at the Cresselly Arms in Pembrokeshire. His father tragically died a few weeks later in Cardiff. William attended Gladstone Primary School from 1905 to 1912 before leaving to commence work. At the time of the 1911 census William was living at 1 Coburn Street with his widowed mother who was working as a newsagent. Prior to WWI he worked in the accountantโs office at the City Hall. He served as a Private in the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. He was killed in action on 1 Dec 1917, aged 19 at the Battle of Cambrai, France. He has no known burial place. He is remembered on the Cambrai Memorial in France (Panel 3). He is also remembered on the St Andrewโs and St Teiloโs war memorial plaque and St Andrews Adult Bible Class processional cross. Commonwealth War Graves Commission record.
You may like to consider joining our new Roath Local History Society Facebook group. It is another way of sharing some of the fascinating history of the area and of advertising our society.
Just follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/roathlocalhistorysociety
You will be asked to answer one simple question on joining: โWhat city is Roath in?โ This may seem strange but it is to try and prevent robots joining the group.
Society Background:
Roath is a suburb of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Our area of interest is not just Roath as we know it today but all areas that were in the ancient parish of Roath. That includes the suburbs of Adamsdown, Splott, Tremorfa, Pengam, Plasnewydd, Penylan, parts of Cathays and Cyncoed as well as Roath itself.
Our lively and interesting meetings are held at 7.30pm on the second Wednesday of the month from September through to May. See Programme for details.
We meet at St Edward’s church, Westville Road, Pen-y-lan, Cardiff. CF23 5DE.
Annual membership is just ยฃ13 (membership form) and visitors are welcome to attend any meeting for ยฃ3.
In June and July we undertake a series of trips to places of historic interest in both Cardiff and the wider South Wales area.
We are now over 40 years old. More information on our activities can be found on the Society page. A Short History of Roath Local History Society has also recently been added and can be found on the Society page.
We have published a number of books about Roath history. These together with links to other books of interest can be found on the Publications page.
On our Links page we have listed websites that ma be of interest to people studying local history in the Cardiff and surrounding areas.
In our Local History section we have started to assemble articles on a whole range of topics connected to the old parish of Roath.
Finally, we draw your attention to our Blog. We hope you enjoy the posts and having a wander around the website.
Thanks for visiting.
