Meiros Colliery, Llanharan – Photographs taken by Edwin Miles of Bridgend

Given the part that coal played in the lives of communities across South Wales it is perhaps not surprising that the collection of photographs taken by Edwin Miles and held at Glamorgan Archives, includes several of collieries. The photograph, below, is of Meiros Colliery in Llanharan and it was probably taken in the 1920s.

As with most of the Miles collection there is little by way of background information. However, Glamorgan Archives has a wide range of resources that tell the story of local collieries and the mining communities in South Wales. The National Coal Board Records held at the Archives have basic information on just about every colliery. The information sheet on Meiros confirms that the mine operated for just over fifty years from 1880 to 1931. At its height, in 1923, it employed 750 men working the Pentre seam for coal used primarily for gas-making and coke ovens.

As with coal, you occasionally find a rich seam in the records at the Archives. Meiros Colliery was part owned for much of the time by Francis Andrews. Francis was the son of Solomon Andrews, who had extensive business interests in Cardiff and South Wales, and the records for Solomon Andrews and Son are held at the Archives. They include a number of glorious photographs of Meiros Colliery along with business papers and annual reports detailing the performance of the colliery. The photographs were probably taken around 1918, at a time when the pit was producing almost a quarter of a million tons of coal each year and making a significant profit.

Inevitably, Meiros also had its share of mining disasters. The records include a report of six men sent down at the end of the day shift to deal with a suspected pocket of gas. Sadly there was an explosion and one of the men was killed and the others were badly burned. Such were the stark realities of life in the pits at that time, it was judged that the explosion had not significantly damaged the pit and the night shift went down that evening as planned.

With an economic recession following the war, the 1920s were difficult times for the coal industry. In the latter part of the decade the pit made a loss most years and was eventually closed in 1931. One of the last entries in the Andrews records is a copy of the brochure produced for the sale of the colliery equipment that included two magnificent six wheel, main line gauge locomotives.

The photograph of Meiros Colliery taken by Edwin Miles can be found under reference D261/M774. The NCB information sheets referred to can be found at DNCB/5/2. The photographs taken from the Andrews papers are at DAB/34/25 and DAB/25/4/78.

If you are interested in the history of the coal industry and local communities in South Wales you can access a research guide, “Colliery Records for Family Historians”, on the website of Glamorgan Archives. You may also wish to visit the Glamorgan’s Blood exhibition. Dates and venues for the exhibition, compiled using the NCB records, can be found on the Glamorgan Archives website under the “What’s On” heading.

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

Gileston Manor – Family country house to a beautiful wedding venue

This final blog post of the five on the Stephenson and Alexander collection concerns Gileston Manor House. Gileston Manor is situated in the small village of Gileston, near St Athan, on the South Wales coast. Originally built in the medieval period, most of the architecture on display nowadays derives from the eighteenth century. Now, the manor is a popular wedding and events venue, though the house had been a family residence for hundreds of years. The Stephenson and Alexander collection contains a few interesting stories about the manor, particularly during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Figure 1 – Photograph of Gileston Manor, dating late-19th or early-20th century

Figure 2- Photograph of Gileston Manor, dating late-19th or early-20th century

The first of which details interest in the property by the Quirke family, in the August of 1899, all of which can be seen through a collection of letters in the case file. It seems that Stephenson and Alexander were actively searching for tenants for this property in 1899. Indeed it is recorded that, one client, John Randall, did ‘not think that Gileston manor would suit him’. A letter to Colonel Quirke looked to have gained more success. They implored the Colonel to view the property after an expression of interest and highlighted the surrounding Vale of Glamorgan Railway path as a beautiful one to cycle down. Yet, when one reads the remaining letters, we see that it was in fact Mrs Quirke, the Colonel’s wife, who sent the initial expression of interest. Mrs Quirke, seemingly without her husband’s knowledge, requested details of the property and wished to view it, as her husband was not even present in Cardiff at this time. The auctioneers were happy to comply, describing the manor’s nine bedrooms, walled garden, cottages and seven acres of land, all at a price of £180 per annum. Whilst Mrs Quirke seemed charmed by the manor, it is not clear if she managed to persuade her husband to reside there.

Figure 3 – Advert for the sale of Gileston Manor, c.1912

Figure 4 – Ground floor plan of Gileston Manor, likely used for the installation of new water pipes for Thomas Lewis

Fast forward twelve years, and Figure 3 shows a photo of Gileston Manor in 1912, alongside on advert of the property which described how it overlooked ‘the sea, with beautiful views of Exmoor and Devonshire coast’, and was close to nearby golf attractions. The gardens were also ‘amongst the most charming in the country’; the photo in Figure 5 shows ‘Anne Gardens’, which still exist today. At this time, a man named Thomas Lewis seemed to be living at the manor, though by 1922, he wished to leave. The auctioneers note in the advert how Mr Lewis invested heavily in the property; he had apparently fixed all the roofs of the manor. A household inventory was completed in 1925, and by this time ‘Mr Minchin’ was the tenant of Gileston Manor. Amongst Mr Minchin’s personal belongings in the house, some objects of interest included: a deer mat, a badminton set, Charles Dickens’ novels, and even an ice cream freezer. It is unclear, however, how long Mr Minchin stayed at Gileston.

Figure 5- ‘Anne Gardens’, Gileston Manor, early-20th Century

Whilst the stunning Gileston is no longer a family or residential home, it now provides the perfect setting for a wedding or venue. The case files describe how, across thirty years, the manor was home to a variety of tenants, all with their own stories and personal additions to the manor. Luckily, the manor has been preserved well for us to enjoy in the twenty-first century. The case files for Gileston manor can be found within the Stephenson and Alexander collection at the Glamorgan Archives by using the references: DSA/12/776, DSA/12/4300 and DSA/12/4429.

Hannah Bartlett, Cardiff University SHARE Placement Student

Angel Street, Cardiff – A Luxury Hotel and Famous Ironmongers on a forgotten street

Angel Street is now a forgotten street name in Cardiff. In fact, the street is now appropriately named Castle Street, given that it runs adjacent to the magnificent castle in the city centre. Angel Hotel, now situated at the end of Castle Street, used to be located opposite to the castle. Indeed, Figure 1 shows a photograph of the hotel, taken some time during the late nineteenth century. A prime location for travelling tourists and customers, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Angel Hotel seemed to be a large and comfortable place to stay.

Figure 1 – Photograph of the old Angel Hotel, late 19th Century

Figure 2 – Inventory for the Angel Hotel, 1897

The Stephenson and Alexander case file for the old hotel contains large book inventories for the Hotel that date from 1897 and 1918. We can deduct from the 1897 inventory book, as shown in Figures 2 & 3, that the hotel had at least 70 bedrooms. Some notable items that catch the eye when working through the inventory include: pictures of the then Prince and Princess of Wales, photos of Cardiff Castle, a picture of the German Emperor (perhaps Willhelm II) in a ‘gilt’ frame, a ‘China centre piece’, ‘brussels carpet’ and a ‘honeycomb counterpane’. Further to this, the case file also contains a detailed inventory of the wine cellar, which comprised of ‘cherry brandy’, sodas and ‘vino de Pacto’; for, what is a hotel without a well-stocked bar for the guests to enjoy?

Figure 3 – Bedroom 54, Inventory for the Angel Hotel, 1897

Interestingly, the file also holds a group of correspondence regarding a legal case to do with the hotel. The tenant of the hotel from 1897 to around 1918-1919 was a woman called Emily (or perhaps Elizabeth) Miles. A conflict arose between Emily and a Mr Charles Jackson, a barrister, surrounding the end of her tenancy, and whether she could take the furniture that she had bought for the hotel with her. Stephenson and Alexander seemed to act as mediators between the two, and reported that ‘Mr Jackson is bristling’, he will ‘stand it no longer’ and is ‘determined to take steps to enforce his rights’. Whilst an agreement was eventually settled for Emily’s departure, the letters make for an interesting read into a troubled relationship of the past.

Figure 4 – Plan showing 19 Angel Street, as well as Angel Hotel, circa 1883

Figure 5 – Auction particulars, 19 Angel Street

Directly next to the Angel Hotel was 19 Angel Street; described in 1882 as an ‘extensive and valuable freehold premises’, the property was owned by Mrs Fanny Lewis. The house fronted onto Angel Street, and had a large shop, five bedrooms and a kitchen; as Figure 4 shows, the building was in a ‘very important and central position’ in Cardiff.  Fascinatingly, Fanny Lewis is recorded as being an ironmonger, and her property was ‘one of the oldest houses of business in town’. It was perhaps considered unusual for a woman to be an ironmonger at this time, though Fanny Lewis appears in a couple of documents at the archives; one concerns farming, and another where she even stood as a prosecutor for a case!

Whilst Angel Street is now Castle Street, and the old Angel Hotel and Ironmongers no longer exist, this case file from the Stephenson and Alexander collection nevertheless provides an interesting insight into Victorian and Edwardian life in Cardiff, businesses ran by women, and even human conflicts. These case files can be accessed via the Stephenson and Alexander collection by searching for these references: DSA/2/74, DSA/12/3161, DSA/12/439 and DCNS/PH/9/51.

Hannah Bartlett, Cardiff University SHARE Placement Student