Sir William Reardon Smith (1856-1935) David Jenkins, 15 October 2009 The tramp steamer Prince Rupert City, a typical Reardon Smith vessel of the inter-war years. The sail training yacht Margherita, on which Reardon Smith apprentices gained experience of seafaring under sail. Sir William Reardon Smith, Bart., 1856-1935. The Reardon Smith lecture theatre at the National Museum Cardiff, inaugurated in 1932. Most museums can acknowledge a great benefactor without whom their histories would have been very different; in the case of Amgueddfa Cymru, that person was Sir William Reardon Smith.During his terms as the Museum's treasurer (1925-28) and president (1928-32), Sir William Reardon Smith utterly transformed the Museum's faltering finances and oversaw the completion of National Museum Cardiff's splendid east wing, which forms an integral part of Cardiff's unique civic centre.Reardon Smith was not Welsh by birth; he was born to a seafaring family in the north Devon coastal village of Appledore on 7 August 1856.Cabin boyWhen Reardon Smith was 3 his father died when his schooner sank in a storm off Burry Port. Nevertheless, by the time he had reached his early teens he was a cabin boy on similar local vessels engaged in the coasting trades of the Bristol Channel. He later served on sailing ships carrying railway lines to the USA and copper ore Chile.Captain Reardon SmithAged just 22, he served as captain of a number of sailing ships and steamers, mostly owned by the famous Scottish shipping company Hugh Hogarth of Glasgow, until he left the sea in 1900 and moved to Cardiff with his wife and family.In 1905 he embarked on what would become his life's work when he promoted a company to acquire and operate a new steamship, the City of Cardiff. The venture prospered, and by the outbreak of the First World War he owned 9 tramp steamers, all working in the export of coal from south Wales.Despite a number of losses to submarines during the war, Reardon Smith continued to expand his fleet, and by 1930 he controlled no fewer than 35 ships.Sir WilliamSir William was created a baronet in 1920, and became increasingly involved in philanthropic activities. In 1921 he established the Reardon Smith Nautical School; four years later he acquired a large yacht, the Margherita, to serve both as training vessel and family yacht.He gave generously to the Cardiff Royal Infirmary and towards the cost of a new hospital at Bideford, and also endowed the chair of geography at Exeter University, which still bears his name.However, the object of his greatest generosity was the National Museum of Wales. Between 1915 and 1935 he and his wife Lady Ellen donated something in the region of £150,000.In addition to his personal donations, he also worked tirelessly to raise funds from elsewhere. In recognition, the new lecture theatre built as part of the Museum's east wing in 1932 was named the Reardon Smith Lecture Theatre.Sir William died on 23 December 1935 after a brief illness. His success as a shipowner was equalled only by his exceptional generosity. By preferring to spend his fortune on improving the lives of others rather than indulging himself, he ensured that many present-day inhabitants of both south Wales and the West Country still owe him a debt of gratitude.Article by: David Jenkins, Senior Curator of Industry
Remembering the white ox of Nannau Oliver Fairclough, 15 September 2009 The Nannau ox painted with the family's cowman, Sion Dafydd, by Daniel Clowes of Chester. The ox was one of the last of an ancient herd of white cattle at Nannau. Sir Robert Williames Vaughan (1768-1843). By permission of Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / National Library of Wales The candelabrum made from the horns of the Nannau Ox, mounted onto two of its hoofs. The horns can be detached to form two drinking cups. This oak and silver cup is part of a set of six acorn-shaped cups made for the 1824 birthday celebrations at Nannau, using the wood of the Ceubren yr Ellyll. The White OxOn 25 June 1824 one of Wales's grandest 21st-birthday celebrations took place for the son of Merioneth's biggest resident landowner. Held on the Nannau estate, Dolgellau, 200 guests sat down to an extravagant banquet that included a huge joint of beef from the white ox of Nannau. Various items produced to commemorate the event are now in the collections of Amgueddfa Cymru including a candelabrum made from the horns and hoofs of the prized white ox.Heirs to landed estatesFor centuries it was customary for communities to celebrate the coming of age of the heir to a landed estate. This seems to have been especially true in north Wales. Until the Parliamentary reforms of 1832, the region was socially conservative, and its traditional Welsh-language culture remained strong.The best-documented celebrations were those of Robert Williames Vaughan of Nannau.A pillar of the communityThe young man's father, Sir Robert Williames Vaughan (1768-1843), 2nd baronet, was Merioneth's biggest resident landowner and its sole representative in Parliament for over four decades. A pillar of the community, he took pride in maintaining old Welsh customs and kept open house at Nannau, where the neighbourhood came to dinner daily without special invitation.Beef for the poor, beer for the richThe younger Robert Williames Vaughan's coming of age was marked not only by his family but also by the local inhabitants of the nearby towns. It was accompanied by illuminations, fireworks, balloon ascents and cannon fire, and also much eating and drinking, especially of beef, which the poor never otherwise enjoyed, and beer, which the wealthy usually avoided in favour of wine. Oxen were roasted for the poor of Corwen, Barmouth and Bala and subscription dinners were held in Conway, Dolgellau and Chester.Tables bent under the weight of good thingsThe central event was the celebration at Nannau itself on 25 June 1824. A wood, canvas and thatch tent was built in front of the late 18th-century mansion. Here, played in to the tune of The Roast Beef of Old England, 200 guests sat down to "a most sumptuous and plentiful banquet". After a fish course, a huge joint or 'Baron' of beef from a prized white ox, weighing 166lbs, was escorted into the room by the family's cowman, Sion Dafydd. The tables literally bent under the weight of good things. As well as wines, enormous jugs of Cwrw Da ('beer') were placed at proper intervals on the tables.The Vaughans had a long tradition of cultural patronage and Sir Robert's toast to his son encapsulates the spirit of the occasion: "May he fear God and Honour the King; show reverence to his superiors and respect to his inferiors. Heddwch, Dedwyddwch a Chymydogaeth dda".Owain Glyndwr and the hollow oak of the demonThe white ox was commemorated in a painting by Daniel Clowes of Chester, and the horns and hoofs were made into a candelabrum. Sir Robert also had six special toasting cups made for the occasion. They were made from the wood of the Derwen Ceubren yr Ellyll, 'the hollow oak of the demon', an ancient tree at Nannau associated with Owain Glyndwr. These were subsequently cherished by the Vaughans, and are now also in Amgueddfa Cymru's collection.The 1824 celebration was the highpoint of the family's influence. When the region marked Robert Williames Vaughan's wedding eleven years later in 1835 feeling in the neighbourhood was still said to be "worthy of old times when the words Radical & Reform were unknown", but he never enjoyed his father's prestige and died childless in 1859.Article by: Oliver Fairclough, Keeper of Art, Amgueddfa Cymru
The De la Beche archive at Amgueddfa Cymru Tom Sharpe, 20 April 2009 Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche (1796-1855) The first geological map of Jamaica Duria Antiquior - A more Ancient Dorset. A watercolour painted in 1830 by Henry De la Beche. This was the first portrayal of a fossil environment in its entirety, showing the interactions of the various elements of the fossil fauna and flora, in particular the large marine reptiles of the early Jurassic Period. De la Beche and his daughters in Swansea, 1853 The Department of Geology at Amgueddfa Cymru houses one of the most important geological archives in the world. It contains over 2,000 items - letters, diaries, journals, sketches and photographs - of one of the leading geologists of the early 19th century, Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche (1796-1855). During the first half of the 19th century De la Beche played an important role in the new science of geology. In addition to his own scientific contributions, he established geology as a profession and founded several of Britain's major geological institutions, including the British Geological Survey the Museum of Practical Geology (later the Geological Museum and now part of the Natural History Museum in London) the School of Mines (now part of Imperial College London) and the Mining Record Office (now part of the Coal Authority). De la Beche was born in London and brought up in Devon and in Lyme Regis in Dorset, where he developed an interest in geology through his friendship with a local fossil collector, Mary Anning (1799-1847). Jamaica His family wealth came from slavery, and a sugar plantation in Jamaica, and in 1823-4 he spent 12 months on the estate. He toured the island, examining its rock outcrops. On his return to England he published the first description of the geology of Jamaica and its first geological map. De la Beche is regarded as the 'Father of Jamaican geology'. De la Beche began mapping the rocks of Devon in the early 1830s. However unrest in Jamaica, related to the abolition of slavery and the collapse of the sugar market, left him in financial difficulties and unable to continue his work. He wrote to the Board of Ordnance offering to complete the geological mapping of Devon for the Government for £300. His application was successful and he was appointed Geologist to the Ordnance Trigonometrical Survey. Founding the British Geological Survey Once the Devon work was completed, he successfully applied to continue with the geological mapping of Cornwall, and in 1835 the Ordnance Geological Survey was established. From this grew today's British Geological Survey. When most geologists were clerics or interested amateurs of private means, De la Beche was one of the first professionals. In 1837, De la Beche moved his Geological Survey to Swansea, recognising the economic importance of the Welsh coalfield. He soon became involved in the local scientific scene as a member of the Swansea Philosophical and Literary Institution and a friend of the Swansea naturalist Lewis Weston Dillwyn. De la Beche was accompanied by his 18-year-old daughter Elizabeth (Bessie). She soon got to know one of Dillwyn's sons, Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn , and they married in August 1838. It is from their descendants that the Museum acquired the bulk of the De la Beche archive in the 1930s. Spectacular fossils discovered The papers contain a wealth of information about the developing science of geology in the first half of the 19th century. The names of the geological timescale (Cambrian, Ordovician and so on) that we now take so much for granted were being proposed and argued over, new and spectacular fossils were being discovered and evidence of the Ice Age was being recognised for the first time. De la Beche himself worked on the first descriptions of the large fossil marine reptiles, the ichthyosaurs and the plesiosaurs, and there is much in the papers on the formation of the Geological Survey and the other organizations he established. Darwin writes to De la Beche De la Beche corresponded with the leading geologists of the day and, with his experience of Jamaica, was often called on for advice relating to that island. One letter of 1842 in the collection quizzes him about the colours of horses, cattle and other animals bred for a number of generations on the island, and how they had changed. The author was Charles Darwin, at that time formulating his theory of evolution. De la Beche was a skilled draughtsman and this is evident in the archive, for in addition to faithful landscape views, fossil illustrations and geological cross-sections, he sketched many caricatures and cartoons. Through these he would comment on developments in the science, or on his activities and those of his contemporaries. The archive is an important resource for the history of geology and is frequently consulted by researchers from Britain and abroad - to arrange a visit, please contact us . Editor's note: this article was amended on 28/06/17 to remove a reference to de la Beche being a "fair slave-owner".
From Industry to Impressionism – what two sisters did for Wales 1 January 2009 Gwendoline Davies (1882-1951)Known as Gwen, the elder, more determined and thoughtful sister, and an accomplished musician. Margaret Davies (1884-1963)Known as Daisy, the younger, more practical sister, and a fine painter and engraver. Gregynog Hall David Davies (1818-1890) This image shows him in a rare moment of repose. Private collection (Lord Davies) 'The Loan Exhibition of Paintings' held in the temporary national museum in Cardiff City Hall in 1913. Gwendoline (1882–1951) and Margaret Davies (1884–1963), two sisters from mid-Wales, were among the first people in Britain to collect French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. They bequeathed their magnificent art collection to Amgueddfa Cymru, completely transforming the range and quality of Wales’s national art collection.The Davies sisters were the greatest benefactors of the Museum’s first hundred years. Their idealism and generosity had a remarkable impact generally on cultural and intellectual life in Wales and is still with us today.The industrial legacy of David DaviesGwendoline and Margaret were the granddaughters of David Davies of Llandinam, one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the 19th century. He built much of the railway system in mid-Wales and was a pioneer of the coal industry in south Wales.David Davies created a massive fortune. After his death in 1890, his son Edward succeeded him. In turn, Gwendoline, Margaret and their brother David, later 1st Lord Davies, inherited the estate.Their upbringing and childhoodThe sisters had a childhood dominated by the strict religious beliefs of Calvinistic Methodism. They were taught that it was their Christian duty to use well the great wealth they would inherit.After a good and progressive education, they developed a passion for the arts and music. Art history was in its infancy in Britain, so the sisters travelled widely in Europe, studying art in Germany and Italy before beginning their art collecting.Their sophisticated knowledge of art history was unusual for women of this period and their background.Beginning the collectionIn 1908, the sisters began collecting art in earnest. Their early purchases included landscapes by Corot, peasant scenes by Millet and also Turner’s The Storm and Morning after the Storm.In the first six years of collecting, they amassed nearly a hundred paintings and sculptures. Their early taste was quite traditional, but in 1912 they turned to buying Impressionism.ImpressionismTheir Impressionist purchases were generally less expensive than the works they had been acquiring by artists such as Turner and Corot.In 1913, Gwendoline acquired her most important painting, La Parisienne, for £5,000.The impact of the First World WarThe War transformed the lives of Gwendoline and Margaret. They worked as volunteers with the Red Cross in France. However, they still managed to add to their collection during these years. They bought works by Daumier, Carrière, Renoir, Manet and Monet. In 1916 Gwendoline Davies also spent £2,350 on ten oil paintings and a drawing by Augustus John.In 1918, Gwendoline bought her two celebrated landscapes by Cézanne, The François Zola Dam and Provençal Landscape, which are among her most important and visionary purchases.Collecting after the First Word WarIn 1920, Gwendoline acquired perhaps her finest works, Cézanne’s Still-Life with Teapot for £2,000 and Van Gogh’s Rain – Auvers for £2,020.They also spent large sums on Old Masters, including Botticelli’s Virgin and Child with a Pomegranate.Then their collecting suddenly reduced. Gwendoline wrote in 1921 that they could not continue to purchase so much ‘in the face of the appalling need everywhere’.They still spent over £2,000 on Turner’s Beacon Light in 1922 and £6,000 on a Workshop of El Greco Disrobing of Christ in 1923. In 1926, Gwendoline stopped collecting altogether.Gregynog: a centre for the arts, music and craftsThe Davies sisters championed many social, economic, educational and cultural initiatives in Wales during the 1920s and 1930s.In 1920, they bought Gregynog Hall, which they established as a centre for music and the arts in Wales. They also set up the Gregynog Press in 1922, which produced some of the finest books ever illustrated in Britain between the two world wars. Gregynog Hall complemented the Arts and Crafts Museum the sisters had already helped create at Aberystwyth.Gregynog hosted the popular Festivals of Music and Poetry up until the outbreak of war in 1939, when the sisters again turned their attention to the war effort.The end of an eraWhen Gwendoline died in 1951 Margaret kept up such activities as she was able to during her final years. However, without Gwendoline, its ‘chief creator and inspirer’, Gregynog’s heyday was never to be revived. In the year before she died, Margaret gave the house and its grounds to the University of Wales for use as a residential conference centre.From personal to public collectionIn October 1951, Amgueddfa Cymru announced the arrival of ‘the late Miss Gwendoline Davies’ bequest. This was one of the most valuable donations in recent years to any public collection in Britain.Margaret continued to collect art until just before her death in 1963, focusing on work by modern British artists, many of whom were Welsh. Her works were also destined for the Museum and many of her later acquisitions were made with the Museum in mind.In 1963 Margaret’s bequest of 152 objects joined that of Gwendoline. Together, the sisters’ collections completely transformed the Welsh national art collection.A guide to the paintings Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot (1796–1875), Castel Gandolfo, dancing Tyrolean shepherds by Lake Albano, oil on canvas, 1855–60 In 1909 Gwendoline paid £6,350 for this painting, described at the time as one of Corot’s masterpieces. Earlier that year, Margaret recorded seeing ‘several charming pictures by Corot’ at the Louvre.Amgueddfa Cymru, Bequest of Gwendoline Davies, 1951) NMW A 2443 Jean-François Millet (1814–1875), The Goose Girl at Gruchy, oil on canvas, 1854–6 Gwendoline and Margaret Davies bought a number of works by Barbizon School artists in the early years of their collecting. Millet was one of the sisters’ favourites.Amgueddfa Cymru (Bequest of Gwendoline Davies, 1951) NMW A 2479 J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851), The Morning after the Storm, oil on canvas, about 1840–5 Gwendoline purchased this work in November 1908 for £8,085, while Margaret acquired its companion The Storm. Both paintings were apparently inspired by the great storm of 21 November 1840.Amgueddfa Cymru (Bequest of Gwendoline Davies, 1952) NMW A 434. Claude Monet (1840–1926), San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight, oil on canvas, 1908 The sisters visited Venice in 1908 and 1909. The subject is the Palladian church of San Giorgio Maggiore, shown as a purple silhouette at twilight. Gwendoline acquired this work for £1,000 in October 1912.Amgueddfa Cymru (Bequest of Gwendoline Davies, 1951) NMW A 2485.
Richard Trevithick’s steam locomotive 15 December 2008 The replica locomotive in its present home, the National Waterfront Museum. The Penydarren locoOn 21 February 1804, the world’s first ever railway journey ran 9 miles from the ironworks at Penydarren to the Merthyr–Cardiff Canal, south Wales. It was to be several years before steam locomotion became commercially viable, meaning that Richard Trevithick and not George Stephenson was the real father of the railways.In 1803, Samuel Homfray brought Richard Trevithick to his Penydarren ironworks at Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. Homfray was interested in the high pressure engines that the Cornishman had developed and installed in his road engines.He encouraged Trevithick to look into the possibility of converting such an engine into a rail-mounted locomotive to travel over the newly laid tramroad from Penydarren to the canal wharf at Abercynon.Crawshay’s wagerIt would appear that Trevithick started work on the locomotive in the autumn of 1803 and, by February 1804, it was completed. Tradition has it that Richard Crawshay, owner of the nearby Cyfarthfa ironworks, was highly sceptical about the new engine, and he and Homfray placed a wager of 500 guineas each with Richard Hill (of the Plymouth ironworks) as to whether or not the engine could haul ten tons of iron to Abercynon, and haul the empty wagons back.The first run was on 21 February, and was described in some detail by Trevithick:‘...yesterday we proceeded on our journey with the engine, and we carried ten tons of iron in five wagons, and seventy men riding on them the whole of the journey... the engine, while working, went nearly five miles an hour; there was no water put into the boiler from the time we started until our journey’s end... the coal consumed was two hundredweight’.Unfortunately, on the return journey a bolt sheared, causing the boiler to leak. The fire then had to be dropped and the engine did not get back to Penydarren until the following day.This gave Crawshay reason to claim that the run had not been completed as stipulated in the wager, but it is not known if this was ever settled!The engine was, in fact, too heavy for the rails. Later, it would serve as a stationary engine driving a forge hammer at the Penydarren works.Replica locomotiveThe replica locomotive on display in the Museum today was built working from Trevithick’s original documents and plans (now in the National Museum of Science and Industry). It was inaugurated in 1981 and, ironically, presented the exact same problem as the original engine – it too broke the rails on which it ran!We cannot overestimate the importance of Trevithick’s locomotive. In 1800, the fastest a man could travel over land was at a gallop on horseback; a century later, much of the world had an extensive railway system on which trains regularly travelled at speeds of up to sixty miles per hour. This remarkable transformation, a momentous occasion in world history, was initiated in south Wales in that February of 1804. The Penydarren locomotive – Steaming DaysA short film documenting the yearly steaming of Richard Trevithick’s replica locomotive at the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.
