George William Manby was an English inventor who toured south Wales in the early 1800s and documented his travels. He’s credited with inventing the “Manby Mortar” and an early type of fire extinguisher. George William Manby George William Manby (28 November 1765 – 18 November 1854) is most famous for his invention that was used …
I purchased the article, “Great Houses – A Welsh Fantasy” by Ursula Robertshaw a few years. It was just a cutting from the magazine and it sat in my collection waiting to be published. I stumbled across an image of the front cover a few years later and hoped I’d find the full issue on …
I have a few postcards that feature a view of Castell Coch by photographer Martin John Ridley (1861-1936). This example was written in 1917 but not posted. The original photo is thought to be from 1905. I have another postcard using this image that was sent in 1908. The postcard is titled, “Castle Coch, Taffs …
John Crichton-Stuart, the 3rd Marquess of Bute (1847 – 1900), was simply known as Lord Bute. The Bute family played an important part in Cardiff’s modern history and Lord Bute was the driving force behind the reconstruction of Castell Coch. The young Bute inherited a vast fortune as was, perhaps, the richest man in the …
I published a blog post in 2021 about the Castell Coch guidebooks from 1957 to 1975. I didn’t have the original version from 1954 at the time. The original guide was written by Peter Floud, C.B.E. (1911 – 1960), who was the Keeper of Circulation at the Victoria and Albert Museum. State Guardianship After Lord …
After digging through my collection for 1980s memorabilia back in 2022, I’ve gone back to see what I have from the 1990s. I’m fascinated by the very early history of the castle but I also love more recent history (yes, I know the 90s were 30 years ago!) I have a selection of guidebooks, leaflets, …
I picked up a copy of, “Transactions of the Cardiff Naturalists’ Society” (Volume 59 from 1926) a few years ago. It contains an article about the Castell Coch vineyard by Andrew Alexander Pettigrew. Andrew Pettigrew’s father, also called Andrew, was Lord Bute’s Head Gardener and responsible for the creating the vineyard. Andrew followed his two …
The Cambrian Archaeological Association is a charity dedicated to preserving the history of Wales. They were founded in 1846 and have published the annual “Archaeologia Cambrensis” journal ever since. Many of the early journals are available to read online and they contain some fascinating local history. I discovered a report of the association’s tour of …
For Valentine’s Day, I’m sharing this unique panoramic postcard by the famous publisher J Valentine & Sons. J Valentine & Sons was a prominent postcard publisher based in Dundee, Scotland. Founded in 1851 by James Valentine, the company initially focused on photography and printing before venturing into the postcard business in the late 19th century. …
The history of Castell Coch in World War II was, and still is, a bit of a mystery. I spoke to a volunteer in the castle recently and she mentioned that they knew very little about this period of its history. I asked some local residents who know lots about the village and they didn’t …
