Tag Archives: Historical Association Swansea

Digital Past 2015 comes to Swansea

Organised by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, Digital Past is an annual conference which showcases innovative technologies for the data capture, interpretation and dissemination of heritage sites. Open to anyone working in, or studying, the archaeological, heritage, education or museum sectors, the conference is aimed at allowing informal networking and exchange of ideas within a friendly and diverse audience made up of participants from commercial, public and third sector organisations.

Bees – Action for Verges

Gower Society, 31 July 2014, by ‘Steve’.

No-one can fail to be aware that bee populations have suffered over the last few years. They and other pollinators need our help – without them, ecosystems will not flourish. We can all do our bit by enriching our gardens with plants that provide food and breeding sites for insects.

There is a groundswell of support slowly growing to encourage this on a wider scale. The broadcaster and TV gardener, Alan Titchmarsh, is spearheading a campaign by Plantlife to enhance roadside verges. Its aim is to encourage local authorities to leave verges unmowed over summer, so that the flora can flower, set seed and then distribute its seeds. This would entail mowing only between the months of end August / early September to March.

Allowing the flora to flourish will be of benefit for our essential pollinators and halt the loss of flower populations – which have too often been mowed down in their prime. In some cases, it could be necessary to mow a narrow strip edging the road for road safety reasons (but leaving the majority of the verge untouched). As Alan Titchmarsh has said “We’ve lost 98% of our wild flower meadows, let’s look after the slivers that are left.”

The verge bordering the marsh road adjacent to the Oxwich National Nature Reserve has yellow rattle present, a plant that parasitizes grass and by weakening it, allowing other plants to multiply. There are orchids, clovers, yellow iris – all these would be absent if the owner, the Penrice Estate, had not persuaded the local authority to refrain from mowing. Just imagine what our verges would look like over the county if this practice were to be adopted as council policy. Let us hope that this will be so.

You can read more about Plantlife’s campaign on www.plantlife.org.uk. Buglife has a campaign that embodies 7 principles and 27 action points – all to encourage an increase in pollinators.

We should all be persuading our local authority to sign up to this campaign. City and County of Swansea is moving in the right direction with their wild flower seeding on council land last year and extended this year. Let us all try to do our part to improve our ecosystems for the future. [www.biodiversitywales.org.uk]

John Alban talk 2 August – Belgian Refugees and Swansea’s Belgian Community

Swansea Central Library, Saturday 2 August, 2pm.

As the First World War began, Britain suddenly received the largest movement of refugees in its history as 250,000 French and Belgians arrived fleeing the advancing Germans. Many refugees came to Swansea where they united with a pre-existing community of Belgian metal workers and lived in exile. Dr John Alban, Honorary Senior Lecturer, School of History at the University of East Anglia and former Norfolk County Archivist, explores the role the Belgians played in Swansea, and how they symbolised the conflict which began 100 years ago.

 

Youth Forum, National Waterfront Museum

We are seeking Youth Forum members for the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. Are you aged 14-25? Can you help us make our museums more attractive to young people? We are looking for creativity, fresh ideas and most importantly your voice – to speak up and influence decision making.

The role of the Youth Forum members will be to assist with, develop and organise a range of varied activities and events at National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. The focus will be on social history, including topics such as industry, transport and leisure; sustainability, digital media and marketing.

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/takepart/youth-forum/?id=924

 

Local History . . . Live! 2014

Local History . . . Live! 2014 will be held on Saturday 18 October in the National Waterfront Museum.

All organisations with an interest in local history are welcome to exhibit at the free event, the fourth in the increasingly successful LHL! series.

This year, in addition to the many exhibitors, we have a number of other attractions.

  • 60 Second Show and Tell – bring along your mystery objects to baffle the Museum curators!
  • Crane Drivin’ Music – folk music with a Swansea theme.
  • Waterwheel Singers – the Aberdulais Choir.

Participation and entry is free.

 

Swansea HA’s regular monthly event at 1100 on 18 October is Hitler, Stalin and Gareth Jones, a special screening of the award winning film documenting the tragic short life and mysterious death of Gareth Jones, an investigative journalist for the Western Mail.

‘A dense, powerful, moving film’ The Guardian.

The film will be followed by a talk by Arnold Rosen about the life of Gareth Jones, born in Barry in 1905. Jones was the Foreign Affairs Advisor to Lloyd-George in 1930 whose writings exposed a famished Russia.

 

Local History . . . Live! 2014 is organised by the Swansea Branch of the Historical Association, www.haswansea.org.uk

 

Buffalo Bill in Swansea – talk at the Waterfront Museum, Saturday 21 June

On Saturday 21 June, at 11.00 in the National Waterfront Museum, John Ashley will give an illustrated talk on the visit of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West to Swansea in 1903. The Wild West was a spectacle and a logistical marvel, hardly rivalled even today. Learn about the show, the personalities – and how to shift a 20,000 seat stadium, 800 men and women, and 600 horses overnight to give two shows a day, every day, in different towns!

The talk is sponsored by the Swansea Branch of the Historical Association. Admission is free, all are welcome. Please check firearms at the door.

Medieval Swansea, 20/21 June

www.medievalswansea.ac.uk

City Witness Exhibition

An exhibition linked to the ‘City Witness’ project will run at Swansea Museum from 21 June, 2014. Events and activities linked to the exhibition include:

Friday 20 June

7.30-9pm: Launch event, including overview of the research, introduction to the digital resources and Q&A with the project team, and Private View of the exhibition with refreshments (by invitation)

Saturday 21 June

10am-12pm: Mapping Medieval Swansea workshop
What can maps tell us about medieval Swansea? This interactive workshop will introduce participants to sources and research techniques for reconstructing historic landscapes.

12.15-1.15pm: Medieval manuscript workshop
The strange tale of William Cragh, hanged in Swansea in 1290, survives in a manuscript in the Vatican Library. This workshop explores the hidden clues and evidence in this fascinating medieval source.

2.30-4.30pm: Medieval Swansea tour
Join the research team to explore traces of medieval Swansea in the city today, and walk in the footsteps of William Cragh and other medieval characters.

(Please contact Swansea Museum for further information regarding these events – booking required.)

Conference Presentations

The ‘City Witness’ project will be represented at a number of conferences in 2014, including:

  • ‘Beyond Engagement: Creating Integration, Innovation and Impact’, University of Victoria, Canada, May 2014
  • Leeds International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, UK, July 2014
  • Digital Heritage 2014: Digital Communities in Action, University of York, UK, July 2014
  • ‘Urban History: Cities in Europe, Cities in the World’, Lisbon, Portugal, September 2014

 

White Rock conference, 11 June

The White Rock project is holding a mini-conference on Wednesday 11 June at Swansea University. Team members including our invaluable students will present the results of their research and activities, and we will finish by laying plans for the next stages of the project. The programme is below. Lunch will be provided.

Wednesday June 11 2014, Glyndwr A 0930 – 1600
11.00 Introduction John Ashley
11.10 Digital Trails MEng teams
11.30 White Rock site history Rob Hulme
11.55 White Rock lease Dominic Williams
12.10 Schools Pack Rosemary Crahart
12.40 Anthropology and industrial heritage Sarah Rojon
13.00
13.40 White Rock Ferry an oral histories Tudor and Janet Price
14.00 Oral histories Rachael Lovering and Sarah Daly
14.20 Our Heritage funds John Ashley and Kate Spiller
14.30 Discussion – next steps All
15.00 Finish

 

White Rock talk, Cymmer 4 June

John Ashley will give a talk on White Rock to Cymmer Afan and District History Society on Wednesday 4 June at 7pm. The venue is the English Methodist Chapel, directions below.

 

“If you are coming from Swansea the easiest was is along the M4 to junction 40, just after the speed camera. Down the slip road and turn left, following the road sign to

“A4107 Cymmer. Go along the road to the mini island, turn left and up the hill. Follow the road along the A4107 to Cymmer. Do not turn off this road.

“After about 8 miles, you will come into the village of Cymmer. On the left are some new houses, on the right a bowling green and tennis courts. A little further on the right is a bus turning circle and on the left Phil’s DIY. This is Brytwn Road. Follow the road along the flat then up the hill. At the top of the hill STOP. The road bears to the left, but you need to turn right, across the flow of traffic. In front of you is the swimming pool and on your left is the English Methodist Chapel, where we meet. Turn right up the hill and on your left is the entrance to the car park for the swimming pool, park in there (the car park not the swimming pool). Come out of the car park down the hill and cross the road.”