Local History

Contact the Convenor – Stuart Swinburne

This group meets on the third Friday of the month in the morning at Eglwys Dewi Sant in St Andrew’s Crescent, Cardiff. Sometimes we will go on short “walk and talk” tours or meet at a place of interest. But you will always get good notice of activities on the web-site and from regular e-mail updates.

Local history is such a potentially diverse subject there are many new areas that can be explored together, from the archaeological history of the area to very recent times. The people, the politics, architecture, industry, culture, fashions, sport etc. all have their history. Through taking information from external sources and sharing the knowledge our group members have we will investigate our local history through a series of themes:

Cardiff Districts

Iconic Cardiff

Influential families in Cardiff

Origin & lives of ethnic groups in Cardiff

Cardiff characters

Cardiff transport

My view is that history is not ours to re-write (as many try to do) but to learn from. The group will tease out the lessons that local history teaches us so that we might share those with our own individual circles and thus contribute in a more informed way to wider debates.

April 2024

Friday 19th April

10:30 – 12:00
Local History

Iconic Cardiff Part 2: Bute Park

Following the success of the last walk & talk tour around Bute Park and the demand out-stripping the guided tour capacity in the park, we’re repeating it for those that missed it last time. This time it will be a pleasant spring time stroll as Richard Green from the Cardiff Parks wardens team shares the history of the park and it’s connections with the castle and the Butes

May 2024

Friday 17th May

10:30 – 12:00
Local History

Cardiff Districts Part 4: Rhiwbina Garden Village

Dr Llion Wigley will open up what in some respects is a hidden world. Rhiwbina Garden Village has a fascinating history and is very much preserved as it was first envisaged. Come along to Eglwys Dewi Sant and find out more

June 2024

Friday 21st June

10:30 – 12:00
Local History

Cardiff Transport Part 1: Trams & Trolleybus Services

Our very own Brian Neale will take a look at this fundamentally important aspect of Cardiff’s development. Most people think that the history of transport development in a city reflects the growth of that city.. which it does. But have you ever thought how the transport development drives the growth of the city? Brian will not only look at the evolution of the (often beautiful) vehicles but how the services impacted daily lives

Cardiff