In this instalment of Postcards of Castell Coch I investigate a 1908 card from a rare Cardiff publisher.
Researching this postcard sent me down a rabbit hole investigating the history of a small Cardiff business that was established in 1880 and expanded into the early 1900s. I spent hours looking through decades of adverts in newspaper archives and exploring old maps.
The trail eventually led me to reading about the Victorian roller skating craze! I love adding local historical context to these cards and trying to discover their past.
Castell Coch, Taffs Well
The image on this card is a popular view. Today, the photographer would be on the golf course.
It looks like the photo has been colourised, having a very similar appearance to other cards I have. The conical roofs have been given a blue tint, which isn’t unusual. I attempted this process using digital tools recently.
The “Moira” Series
Large postcard publishers often had multiple named and numbered collections of cards, referred to as a series. The name is sometimes related to the technology used in creating the image or the locations featured.
I’ve had this card in my collection and the name of the series didn’t mean anything to me until I started researching the company.
J. E. Comley & Sons was based on Moira Terrace in Cardiff for a number of years. I couldn’t find any information about if they moved anywhere else or when the business closed.
I don’t know how many cards they produced or what areas they covered. There are lots of examples online featuring scenes in Porthcawl. I have two more cards, another view of Castell Coch and one featuring the Garth. All are part of the “Moira” series.
It looks like the postcards were printed in Saxony, Germany.
Messages
The postcard was sent in June 1908. Typically for cards of this era, it was used to notify a family member of an upcoming visit.
The Castell Coch Vineyard
I found another version of this card and the sender mentions, “the noted vineyard”.
This castle is one of Lord Bute’s places, close by, is the noted vineyard, we have a lovely view of it, from where we are living.
I wrote a detailed article about the Castell Coch Vineyard back in 2021. If we assume the card is from a similar date, the vineyard had been established for 30 years.
J. E. Comley & Sons
This old sign proudly states that the company was established in 1880. There was a long article in the South Wales Daily News on 17th November 1897.
Recently extended and considerably improved, the premises now rank as one of the most extensive of their kind in South Wales, while of the business itself, its variety is little less astonishing than its magnitude, including as it does no less than seven distinct departments of goods, ranging from haberdashery, fancy goods, stationery to china, hardware, tin goods, and holloware, each department in its turn being ample and varied enough to stock an ordinary first-class shop. Situated as it is within less than a minute’s walk from the new Infirmary, the visitor to the town has no difficulty in finding his way to the establishment.
Mr Comley is a typical instance of a self-made man, and the story of his business career affords another example of what may be achieved by ability coupled with unflagging industry. Born at St. Mellon’s, a few miles out of Cardiff, in 1852, and having lived amongst Welsh people all his life, Mr Comley, although bearing an English name, is essentially a Welshman.
Assisting Mr Comley in the responsibilities of his great and growing trade are his eldest son, Mr J. T. Comley, whom he took into partnership in 1890, and his youngest son, Mr A. Comley, who joined them this year.
They advertised in newspapers regularly from 1883 to at least 1911. The adverts I’ve discovered show how the business moved over the years and that the name changed as the sons became partners.
Moira Terrace
The South Wales Daily News includes this illustration of the front of the warehouse. The article from 1897 describes how the business moved from 19, 20 and 21 Moira Terrace to finally settling at number 23. Early adverts show the first address was known as the “Rink Buildings”.
The newspaper article from 1897 includes three illustrations, including this scene from the front of the store.
This is 8 Moira Terrace in 2018. The facade looks identical to number 23.
The map from 1954 shows that number 23/24 was bigger than neighbouring properties.
Numbers 9-22 are Grade II listed buildings and plans are in place to develop them into a community space with apartments and commercial units.
These properties were originally called the “Albert Buildings” and there’s a great history on the Glamorgan Archives website. It contains this fascinating fact, “in 1877, an additional, glass-roofed floor was added along the whole length of the block for use as a roller skating rink”. Hence, “Rink Buildings”.
