Hooks, wheels and rag dolls 16 December 2011 Home-made toys A group of children, photographed around 1892 in Rowe Square, Cardiff, with one holding an iron hoop and two others sitting on what appears to be an upturned wheelbarrow. In Wales, as in many parts of the world before the rise of factory-produced items, the toys of yesteryear consisted of unsophisticated, home-made objects, constructed from whichever raw materials were locally available. Wood was the main material used to make children's toys, as it could easily be shaped into a wide variety of objects such as dolls, spinning tops and rattles. Also popular were iron hooks and wheels and footballs made from pigs' bladders. These were commonplace at home and in schoolyards and would entertain children for hours. Being in possession of a ball opened the door to a host of exciting team games such as rounders, hand ball and football, especially for boys, while both boys and girls would roll wooden or iron hoops to their hearts' content, either on their own, or in competitions to see who could roll the fastest, the slowest or the furthest. Treasured possessions Homemade toys such as these were played with in Wales before the rise of factory-made products. The cup and ball, whistle and rattle shown are modern replicas. Folk toys describe playthings made either by the child, or by parents or craftspeople according to the child's wishes. In nineteenth-century Wales children from poor families where little money was available for life's essentials, let alone playthings, owned only the simplest of toys. These, however, would have been treasured possessions and a means of escaping the harshness of daily life. With poverty the reality for many families at this time, making one's own forms of entertainment and amusement was a necessity, and children were justifiably proud of fashioning their own toys out of nothing. All that was needed for a paper kite, for example, was a light wooden frame and some paper, while even the youngest children could create a hobby horse from a stick and a considerable amount of imagination. For a see-saw, two wooden planks were often placed one over the other on a barrel. Two children would then sit either end, happily rocking up and down until they tired. Ropes could be used for skipping, or climbed by securing one end to a strong branch, leaving the other end free to be scaled by the brave and fearless. For boys, creating such objects as paper kites, toy boats or catapults was extremely satisfying, while girls could use their needlework skills to make rag dolls and dolls' house pieces, or play drapers' shops using little scraps of material. Mass-produced toys Toy steamroller, produced by Glamtoys Ltd at Treforest Industrial Estate, late 1950s Until the early twentieth century, bought toys belonged almost exclusively to the wealthy. As methods of mass-production improved, however, more affordable toys were made available. These transformed the toy market in Wales and elsewhere. Toy factories were opened in great numbers, and as their marketing and advertising campaigns became increasingly high profile, they reached children of all social backgrounds. As a result the simple folk toy became surplus to the requirements of most youngsters, who stopped making their own toys and saved their pennies for the brightly-coloured, decorative and more fashionable shop-bought versions.Although home-made folk toys are often regarded today as somewhat quaint and quirky, in recent years a growing number of craftsmen have begun to turn their hand to toy-making, perhaps in reaction to the large number of factory-made items shipped into Britain from elsewhere. Despite the continuing dominance of commercially-made toys, most people would agree that home-made objects possess a more enduring appeal, for who could deny the innocent and timeless charms of such items as a knitted finger-puppet or a painted peg-doll? The unique individuality of hand-crafted pieces and the care and patience that have gone into their creation undoubtedly tell us more about the maker than a mass-produced Barbie or computer game ever could.
Aftermath: remembering the Great War in Wales 10 November 2011 Of the 700,000 British servicemen who lost their lives in the First World War, 35,000 are listed in the Welsh Book of Remembrance. The decision taken in 1915 to ban the repatriation of bodies from the battlefield had far reaching consequences in the commemoration process. The many hundreds of local war memorials across Wales reflected the desire for an immediate and permanent reminder of the dead, as communities sought public acknowledgement for their loss. Inscriptions on memorials invoke ideals of honour, sacrifice and loyalty, and are often expressed in Welsh and English, or as at Swansea, in Latin. The Second World War prompted a new ear of commemoration. A selection of different designs of war memorial built throughout Wales is shown in the following image gallery. War Memorials Ystrad Mynach UKNIWM Ref: 6803 Whitchurch, Cardiff [UKNIWM Ref: 6724] Troed-y-rhiw [UKNIWM ref: 6799] Swansea [UKNIWM ref: 6627] Seven Sisters [UKNIWM ref: 6853] Senghenydd [UKNIWM ref: 6791] St Athan [UKNIWM ref: 17704]. See also: War memorials trust Ruthin [UKNIWM ref: 7050] Prestatyn [UKNIWM ref: 7157] Pontlotyn [UKNIWM ref: 6786] Pontardawe [UKNIWM ref: 6622] Penrhiw-ceiber [UKNIWM ref: 6782] Pendoylan [UKNIWM ref: 37258] Penarth [UKNIWM ref: 6703] Oakley Slate Quarries [UKNIWM ref: 51556] Newport [UKNIWM ref: 2044] Newport Athletic Club [UKNIWM ref: 3687] Nantlle [UKNIWM ref: 17391] Mountain Ash [UKNIWM ref: 6777] Miskin [UKNIWM ref: 6776] Merthyr Vale [UKNIWM ref: 2116] Merthyr Tydfil [UKNIWM ref: 2009] Llanrhystud [UKNIWM ref: 17476] Llanharan [UKNIWM ref: 6764] Llanbradach [UKNIWM ref: 6763] Llanbadarn Fawr [UKNIWM ref: 6920] Lampeter [UKNIWM ref: 6813] Hirwaun [UKNIWM ref: 6761] Gwauncaegurwen [UKNIWM ref: 6856] Fochriw Blaenau Ffestiniog Dolwyddelan [UKNIWM ref: 17366] Dolaucothi Denbigh Cwmann Criccieth [UKNIWM ref: 24475] Cilfynydd [UKNIWM ref: 6756] Church Village [UKNIWM ref: 17692] Chirk [UKNIWM ref: 17780] Cemmaes Carmarthen [UKNIWM ref: 6809] Welsh National War Memorial, Cardiff [UKNIWM ref: 6640] Capel Curig [UKNIWM ref: 24488] Caerphilly [UKNIWM ref: 6746] Caernarfon [UKNIWM ref: 6831] Cadoxton-juxta-Neath Builth Wells [UKNIWM ref: 6837] Briton Ferry [UKNIWM ref: 6609] Tirphil [UKNIWM ref: 6792] Bridgend [UKNIWM ref: 6738] Bridgend Police War Memorial [UKNIWM ref: 6739] Blackwood [UKNIWM ref: 3671] Bersham [UKNIWM ref: 17812] Bedwas [UKNIWM ref: 6737] Barry [UKNIWM ref: 6633] Barry [UKNIWM ref: 17700] Bangor War Memorial Gatehouse Bangor War Memorial Aberystwyth [UKNIWM ref: 6913] Abercynon [UKNIWM ref: 6727] Aberbargoed [UKNIWM ref: 6726] Aberaeron [UKNIWM ref: 17467]
Pithead Baths Ceri Thompson, 30 June 2011 The pithead baths at Bit Pit: National Coal Museum All prevailing coal-dust Before pithead baths became widely available, most coal miners, already exhausted from a day's work had little choice but to travel home from work still filthy with coal dust. Their clothing was often soaking with sweat and mine water and they were at risk from contracting pneumonia, bronchitis or rheumatism. Once home they had the task of removing as much of the dirt as possible in a tin bath in front of the fire. The women of the house were usually responsible for the heating of water for the miner's bath and the cleaning and drying of his clothes. In addition it was a constant battle to clean the house from the all-prevailing coal dust. This was never ending and back breaking work and exhaustion and physical strain often led to serious health problems, leading in some cases to premature births and miscarriages. It took considerable lobbying by social reformers, working under the banner of the 'Pithead Baths Movement', to convince the Government, mine owners and even some of the miners and their wives, that pithead baths were needed. From the initial campaigns of the 1890s it was a long, hard struggle to the establishment in 1926 of a special fund for the building of baths under the auspices of the Miners' Welfare Committee. Social Reform Pithead baths had been in use in Belgium, France and Germany since the 1880s. In 1913, a delegation was sent by David Davies, the proprietor of the Ocean Coal Company and an advocate of social reform, to see these European baths. This visit led to the building of the first Welsh baths at Deep Navigation Colliery, Treharris, in 1916. The success of the Deep Navigation baths played a key part in the propaganda campaign by those who wished to see pithead baths at every Welsh colliery. In 1919 the British Government established a Royal Commission, (the 'Sankey Commission'), to investigate social and living conditions in the coalfields. As a result a 'Miners' Welfare Fund' was set up to '... improve the social well being, recreation, and condition of living of workers in or about coal mines.' This fund gained its income through a levy of a penny on every ton of coal mined. The fund was used for various purposes including the provision of playing fields, swimming pools, libraries, and institutes. From 1926, an additional levy was raised specifically to fund a baths building programme. Modern Architectural style During the period the Miners' Welfare Fund was in existence, from 1921 to 1952, over 400 pithead baths were built in Britain. The Miners' Welfare Committee's own architects' department established the most cost-effective way of constructing, equipping and operating baths buildings. By the 1930s, a 'house style' had developed, based on the 'International Modern Movement' of architectural design. Baths stood out amongst other colliery buildings with their flat roofs, clean lines and the plentiful use of glass to give a natural light and airy feel. Some baths, such as the one at Big Pit, were rendered white which, even today, makes it a prominent landmark on the hillside. The limited resources available to the Miners' Welfare Committee meant that many Welsh collieries were not provided with baths until the 1950s. After the nationalisation of the coal industry in 1947 the provision of pithead baths became the responsibility of the National Coal Board.
The Llandaf Diptych Mark Redknap, 25 June 2011 The diptych showing the resin replica of the Liverpool piece on display at National Museum Cardiff Laser scanning the left leaf in Liverpool. (c) National Museums Liverpool Married again: the two leaves of the Llandaf diptych. Left leaf (c) National Museums Liverpool Medieval diptychs and triptychs were two- and three-panel images intended to aid devotion and meditation of Christ's life and suffering. A right hand ivory diptych panel from Llandaf housed in the collections at Amgueddfa Cymru has recently been reunited with its left hand panel for the first time in over a century. Medieval ivories are known from secular sites in Wales, such as gaming pieces from castle sites and a small shield from Caerleon (Monmouthshire). A figurative ivory with devotional significance has been excavated from Dolforwyn Castle (Montgomeryshire), while a carved ivory diptych from Valle Crucis Abbey (Denbighshire) was reported in 1866. However, as in England, many objects of private devotion in Wales were destroyed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; many diptychs in museums are now incomplete, the partner panels becoming separated in antiquity. Occasionally, missing elements are rediscovered and reunited. The Llandaf diptych For over 100 years, the right hand panel of an elephant ivory diptych from Landaff has been considered a rare survivor with a Welsh provenance. Made in Paris about 1340/60, it depicts Christ on the Cross, flanked by the Virgin Mary on the left and St John the Evangelist as a young man on the right, holding a book and turned away from the cross. The figures are positioned beneath an architectural canopy composed of three Gothic trefoiled arches, each surmounted by a triangular gable with crockets and finials. According to museum records, it was discovered by Mr Henry Bird of Cardiff during the demolition of 'the old well-house' at Llandaf in May 1836. After passing through several hands, it was purchased in 1901 by the Cardiff Museum (precursor of the National Museum of Wales) from the estate of John Storrie (curator 1878-93). Research has revealed that the decorative details, dimensions, condition and hinge positions of the Llandaf piece corresponded very closely to a left-hand ivory panel now in the collections of National Museums Liverpool. This left hand panel shows the Virgin and Child flanked by Saints Peter (bearing keys) and Paul (with sword), providing a neat visual counterpoint to the Crucifixion scene on the right panel. The architectural canopies on each leaf are the same, while the style of execution of the figures and size of the borders also correspond. When did the two become separated? The Liverpool panel was acquired in 1953 from the estate of Mr Philip Nelson, who purchased it from a dealer in Bath in 1934. The right hand leaf was bought by John Storrie from a shop of Mr L. Roberts. Could both have been found at Llandaf in 1836, to end up in different hands, or were they separated at an earlier date? Llandaf, whose focal point remains the cathedral rebuilt by Bishop Urban (1107–34) and his successors, abounded in wells. Two of the better known examples are St Teilo's holy well (Ffynnon Deilo), and the "Dairy Well" in the grounds of Llandaf Court, a house used as the Bishop's Palace from 1869 to 1940. The latter became, for a time, the resting place for a late tenth- or eleventh-century cross shaft and head, set into its end wall in 1870. The thirteenth-century fortified Bishop's Palace lies to the south-east of the cathedral: could this have been the location of the original diptych? Today the Llandaf diptych panel is displayed with a laser-cut resin copy of its partner, commissioned from National Museums Liverpool (Conservation Technologies). The latest technology was used to create an accurate replica of the Liverpool piece. A great advantage of this replication method is that it involves no contact with the original artefact surface and, therefore, no risk to the object whatsoever.
