Winter in Merthyr Mawr: Photographs taken by Edwin Miles of Bridgend

For those hoping for snow over the holiday period the photographs selected from the Edwin Miles collection this week are of winter scenes at Merthyr Mawr and Ogmore.

The first photograph will be a familiar scene to many with snow covered fields, Ogmore Castle in the background and the stepping-stones across the river in the foreground.

The second may not be so well known. It shows one of the two lodges that mark the entrance to the Merthyr Mawr estate first acquired by Sir John Nicholl in 1804. The lodge is situated on the “new road” built by the Nicholl family to replace the original route that passed close to the site of Merthyr Mawr House. Known as Merthyr Mawr Lodge or West Lodge, the cottage first featured in maps in 1813. With its thatched roof and scenic setting, it is a much-admired property and a Grade 2 listed building.

Edwin Miles worked, primarily, from his studio built at the rear of his home on Ewenny Road.  Merthyr Mawr was, therefore, very much “on his patch”. The collection held at Glamorgan Archives includes over twenty photographs of the village and the surrounding area.

There are very few clues that allow us to date the winter scenes other than that the Edwin Miles collection covers the period from 1900 to 1929. His work falls broadly into blocks, the years leading up to the outbreak of war in 1914 and the 1920s. During both periods the lodges on the approaches to Merthyr Mawr House would have housed staff working for the Nicholl family.

Edwin Miles took photographs of many towns and villages across the Vale of Glamorgan up until his death in 1929. The photographs of Merthyr Mawr in the winter can be found under reference D261/M130-134. We plan to feature more photographs from the Edwin Miles collection over the coming months. The main collection can be seen at Glamorgan Archives or online in the catalogue at http://calmview.cardiff.gov.uk/ under reference D261.

Tony Peters, Glamorgan Archives Volunteer

The Proclamation in Cowbridge of the New King on 26 January 1901

Photographs taken by Edwin Miles of Bridgend

The photograph from the Edwin Miles collection this week has echoes of recent events in that it features the proclamation of a new King.

The picture was taken on the 26 January 1901, just four days after the death of Queen Victoria who had reigned for over 63 years. The figure in the centre is the Mayor of Cowbridge, Alderman Edward John, who just had completed the proclamation of the new monarch, Edward VII, the Queen’s eldest son and 69 years of age in 1901.

In line with custom still followed today, the accession of the new King was publicly announced in towns and cities across the country. It was a feather in Cowbridge’s cap that arrangements had been put in hand for the reading of the proclamation well before their local neighbours in Bridgend.

As the local newspapers reported, it was quite an event with the entire population of the borough and the surrounding areas lining the streets. At the head of the procession strode the Mayor and members of the Corporation, followed by local Magistrates, the Vicar and the Master, teachers and pupils of the Grammar School. A guard of honour was provided by two mace bearers, members of the local Volunteers and the Cowbridge Town Band.

With flags flying, the proclamation was read at the site of the Old Cross and at three more sites on the boundary of the borough. On each occasion the arrival of the entourage was heralded by a fanfare of trumpets with the completion of the reading followed by the singing of God Save the King.

The photograph was taken at the conclusion of the ceremony as the Mayor retired to the council chambers to entertain his guests. Overall, it would have been a memorable day for Edward John, a local seed merchant and proprietor of the Eagle Stores, who served several terms as Mayor of Cowbridge. Perhaps not surprisingly at the end of a long day, the newspapers reported that the Mayor asked his companions to join him and drink the health of King Edward the Seventh …which was done right loyally.

The photograph is one of the earliest in the Edwin Miles collection held at the Glamorgan Archives. In 1901 Miles was still working as a railway signalman and living on Cowbridge Road in Bridgend. The picture may well have been taken as he honed his skills before taking the plunge as a professional photographer working from a studio at Wrexham Villa on Ewenny Road. The photograph mount makes reference to the Ewenny Studio, suggesting that it was added at a later date.

Edwin Miles took photographs of many towns and villages across Glamorgan up until his death in 1929. The photograph of the Proclamation can be found under reference BCOW/C/114/3. We plan to feature more photographs from the Edwin Miles collection over the coming months. The main collection can be seen at Glamorgan Archives or online on the catalogue at http://calmview.cardiff.gov.uk/ under reference D261.

Tony Peters, Glamorgan Archives Volunteer

The Bridgend Fire Brigade: Photographs taken by Edwin Miles of Bridgend

The photograph selected this week is one of the more unusual items in the Edwin Miles collection – a picture of the Bridgend Urban District Council Fire Brigade.  

The star of the show is the Leyland Fire engine with its 35 foot ladder, delivered to the force in August 1924. The Bridgend Fire Brigade was made up entirely of volunteers and pre-1914 would have relied on horse drawn equipment. The acquisition of the new Leyland engine was, therefore, a significant step up for a brigade that provided cover for both Bridgend and the surrounding towns and villages.

In dating the photograph it may well have been taken on 11 July 1925, when forty-four brigades and over eight hundred men from across South Wales came together in Aberdare for a demonstration of fire-fighting techniques. The house in the background looks very much like Glanogwr House in Bridgend, which was acquired by the local authority in this period, and would have provided a suitable point for the brigade to meet. They are certainly very well turned out and the brigade records confirm that new uniforms were issued to the men for the Aberdare event.  

The man in the cap, on the right of the group, is Henry Percival Williams, the Brigade’s Chief Officer.  A local draper of Nolton Street, Bridgend, H.P Williams was a key figure in the running of the brigade for many years. He also provided great service to the Bridged UDC, including serving as chair of the council on three occasions.

Over the years the Brigade provided an invaluable service to the local community. In May 1926 a fire in the Avona Confectionary Company premises in Meadow Street, possibly caused by a sugar boiler, threatened to destroy local homes and property when it was discovered that a petrol tanker and cars were stored in the same building. As the local newspapers reported “a wave of relief went up from the thousands of onlookers” when prompt action by the brigade tackled the fire and hauled the vehicles from the building.

On a lighter note, in December of the same year, firemen broke into a house on Park Street in Bridgend when smoke was seen billowing from an upstairs window. On this occasion the fireman came face to face with the owner sitting in the bath with steam issuing out of the open window. Being a little deaf she had not heard the banging on the front door. No harm done and a fine story to be told in the shops and pubs of Bridgend in Christmas 1926. 

The subject matter is unusual for Edwin Miles, who specialised in photographs of places and well-known local buildings. However, Miles was involved in the running of the local scout groups and the Bridgend brigade provided training in fire safety for the young scouts. It may well have been Miles’ dealings with the brigade that led to the photograph being taken. Whatever the reason, it provides a wonderful record of the Brigade at that time.

The photograph of the Bridgend Fire Brigade can be found at Glamorgan Archives under reference UD/BR/F/1. The main collection of Edwin Miles’ photographs can be seen online on the catalogue at http://calmview.cardiff.gov.uk/ under reference D261.

Tony Peters, Glamorgan Archives Volunteer