Cowbridge Fete and Gala, 1909: Photographs taken by Edwin Miles of Bridgend

At the height of summer thoughts turn in many towns and villages to the annual summer fete. We therefore feature today a set of pictures taken by local photographer, Edwin Miles, of the Cowbridge “Fete and Gala” held one hundred and thirteen years ago on 16 June 1909.

The centrepiece of the fete was the initial procession through the main street and the first photograph captures this perfectly.

If you look carefully you will see that the procession is headed by the Lord Mayor and a young girl, Elizabeth Swinton, dressed as the Herald of Wales. They are followed by the Talygarn Brass Band and the local fire brigade, complete with fire engine. Just behind the fire engine you might be able to see a group of nurses, for the carnival aimed to raise money for the local Nursing Association. The weather was mixed that day and the crowd, turned out in their Sunday best, looks a little sparse. Nevertheless, look at the buildings on the left and you can spot people who have stepped out of their upstairs windows to watch while standing on a porch or bay window roof.

Take a look now at the second photograph. It’s difficult to capture the frivolity and fun of a carnival parade but Edwin Miles has done his best.

After the formal groups have passed the crowd and the procession, now dominated by characters and entertainers in fancy dress, have almost merged. Some are walking, many playing musical instruments, while others are in horse drawn carts. The parade included many well-known local figures, including Mrs Ebsworth as a Russian lady and Messrs Gwyn and Wilkins dressed as Italians and playing a barrel organ – costumes that ..deceived even their most intimate friends. In all, there were nearly four hundred people in the parade and perhaps the most popular were the “costers” – comedians dressed as cockney barrow boys.

In the last photograph order has been restored to the procession. The picture tells us a little about what happened next, with a group in the foreground carrying a “Houp-La!” sign followed by a number of young girls riding on a cart with a Maypole.

The next and last stop for the procession was the cricket field, loaned to the fete committee for the day by the local cricket team, the Glamorgan Gypsies.

With entertainment at the field provided by the Maypole dancers, the Talygarn Brass Band and a male voice choir, those attending could enjoy the numerous side shows including a coconut shy and an “Aunt Sally”, alongside the hoopla. For the more energetic there was a gymkhana and “rustic sports” with the evening topped off by singing. Although it rained later in the day, over a thousand people attended the tea provided in the afternoon and around £100 was raised. So all in all, a good day was enjoyed by everyone.

The photographs were taken by a local photographer, Edwin Miles, who at that time owned a Studio on Ewenny Road in Bridgend. Miles also took photographs, primarily used as postcards, of many towns and villages across the Vale of Glamorgan between 1905 and 1929. We plan to feature more over the coming months. The main collection can be seen at Glamorgan Archives or online on the catalogue http://calmview.cardiff.gov.uk/ under reference D261. The Cowbridge Carnival Photographs, used in this article, can be found under reference D1622.

Incidentally if you are bemused by the reference to an “Aunt Sally” we are told that it’s a traditional game where a ball (a dolly) fixed to the top of a pole has to knocked off by throwing a stick.

Tony Peters, Glamorgan Archives Volunteer

Staycation, 1940s Style

It is only in the last decade or so that ‘Staycation’ has become a popular term to describe stay-at-home holidays.

However, the idea of holidaying at home has a much longer history. During the Second World War the idea was actively championed by the Government in an official ‘Holiday at Home’ campaign. The campaign encouraged the population to stay at home and to avoid travelling long distances, freeing up the country’s transport system from non-military traffic, especially vital during the preparations for the D-Day landings in 1944.

Barry Borough participated in the Government campaign, arranging entertainments for local people to make the ‘Holiday at Home’ experience more enjoyable.  Two files amongst the records of Barry Borough (refs. BB/C/8/102,140) illustrate the types of entertainments provided. They also show that the Council was bombarded with promotional literature from would be entertainers and agents from all over the country hoping to secure work in Barry.

The acts ranged from pony displays (with a token goat) to Viennese puppets, Jingles the Jolly Jester and ballet shows (Donna Roma and Her Ballets of England and France).  The Penyghent Alsatians ‘RSPCA approved’ are particularly intriguing. Trained by a Miss Parry, the alsatians performed a variety of tricks, including jumping through hoops and the rather alarming ‘releasing a bound and gagged person.’

Agents also contacted Barry Borough offering to organise wrestling matches, and the file contains some ‘template’ posters with a space ready to insert the name of the local town.

Many of these acts were appearing in ‘Holiday at Home’ programmes in other parts of the country and sent in recommendations as to their proven entertainment value. The material demonstrates the enduring appeal of the ‘variety’ act in Britain as many of these shows would not look out of place on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ today.

However, the limited budget of Barry Borough meant that many of these professional acts were out of its price range, and the majority of the entertainment provided was of the home grown variety.  The emphasis was on dances with music from local bands such as the Cardiff Corporation Transport Band (the band was paid a fee of £15) and the Salvation Army Band.  Local musical groups put on concerts, including pupils of Miss Mae Richards, Miss Hilda Gill and ‘Madame Isabel Davies’ Party’. Panatrope dances (a panatrope was a large gramophone record player) were held with dancing on the local tennis courts. Sporting events such as cricket matches at Barry Island Cricket Ground were arranged, along with bowls tournaments, boxing competitions and even a Grand Marbles Competition in Central Park.  Matinees in cinemas, such as the Tivoli and the Plaza, were advertised as part of the campaign, with Hollywood blockbusters such as Judy Garland in ‘Babes on Broadway’ and future American President Ronald Reagan in ‘International Squadron’.

A further money saving scheme saw events being held in the open air at King Square, Victoria Park, Central Park, The Knap, Romilly Park, Parade Gardens, Whitmore Bay, Gladstone Gardens and Alexandra Gardens. Local churches and chapels were also used as venues, although Salem Baptist Church in Beryl Road had to decline the request to use its building as the ‘black-out is in very bad condition’.

In September 1944 Sir Robert Fossett’s ‘gigantic zoo circus’ visited Romilly Park,  with 20 star turns including lions, tigers, bears, elephant and performing horses, plus a marquee which could accommodate 3,000.

Wartime restrictions also had a bearing on the campaign, with the Council receiving warnings from ‘Paper Control’ about the number of advertising posters which could be produced.

The popularity of the Campaign brought its own problems, and in August 1943 the Glamorgan Constabulary had to arrange for a police officer to be present at band concerts ‘to see that order is kept’ following complaints of children running around and shouting during concerts.  Certainly some of the events attracted huge numbers of people, with one correspondent commenting that over 400 children under 12 years of age paid for admission for a dance, but due to numbers it was impossible to hold the event.

We would love to hear from anyone who remembers Holidays at Home or has photographs of any of the events and concerts to share with us.