Phil Carradice
Blog posts in total 426
Posts
Penry Williams
Painter Penry (or Penri) Williams was born in Merthyr Tydfil in 1802.
The Rhondda School
Wales is fortunate in being able to boast a whole range of writers, musicians, singers and artists who have achieved international acclaim.
Welsh place names
Welsh place names are part of what makes Wales different, but where did they come from and what is their origin?
Wales, a country of festivals
There are many Welsh celebrations, both ancient and modern, which are woven into the delicate fabric of the Welsh social structure.
Healthcare in Wales before the NHS
Wales - and the Welsh people in general - played an important role in the creation of universal health care in the UK.
The Story of Singleton Park, Swansea
Situated on the edge of the suburb of Sketty, Singleton is the largest of all Swansea’s parks, covering over 200 acres.
Welsh festive feasting traditions
A summary of Welsh Christmas traditions, in particular those related to food and drink. Includes the Wassail which was particularly prominent near to the English border and in Gower.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales
Blog on Dylan Thomas' epic bit of writing about Christmas - A Child's Christmas in Wales' analysing its appeal and its longevity.
Welsh Christmas number ones
Looking back over the years, a record of all Welsh artists who have had a Christmas No.1, with special mention for those others who have come close. The very first Welsh No.1 was the Spencer Davis Group in 1963.
Llanelly House: a perfect example of a Georgian town house
Blogger Phil Carraidce writes about the recently restored Llanelly House one of the finest examples of a Georgian town house in South Wales.
Jack Jones - writer and political activist
The life story of writer and political activist Jack Jones.
Ghosts Galore This Winter Time
Ghost stories from various parts of Wales - Monkton, Llancarfan and Cardiff Castle
Death of the Merthyr Matchstick
The date 4 November might not mean an awful lot to most people. But 4 November 1980 was when Welsh boxing entered its own, very specific, very sad “dark season” with the death of Merthyr bantamweight Johnny Owen, after his attempt to win the World Championship went tragically awry.
Inter-City 125: Fast train to Wales
Phil Carradice recalls the first Inter-City 125 train to arrive in south Wales from London Paddington in 1976.
Ghost Stories and Legends of Wales
Ghost stories are a part of our cultural heritage, tales from a long and distant past shrouded in mystery. Stories that originate so long ago it is almost impossible to separate fact from fiction.
Poets’ Graves
You can learn a lot from the gravestones that stand proudly in our churchyards. Whether they’re simple slabs of marble or slate, or huge neo-gothic edifices, the tombstones of our ancestors can tell us much about the character of their owners and about the times in which they lived and died.
Morgan Jones - Railway Builder
Few people in Wales will have ever heard of Morgan Jones. Yet in the late nineteenth century, this farmer's son from Tregynon near Newtown in Powys became a major hero in the State of Texas and built many of the railways that opened up the arid deserts of the southern states.
From the Skerries to the Smalls, the automation of Welsh lighthouses
Phil Carradice summarises the history of lighthouses around the coast of Wales and process of automation that meant lighthouse keepers were no longer needed.
Born at Monmouth, one of the most famous of English kings
Henry V is one of the most famous of all English kings. However, the perception of most people has been formed not by reading history books but by watching Shakespeare's plays. Henry features in three of them: two as heir apparent and, perhaps more memorably, as the friend of Sir John Falstaff a...
Dyffryn House and Gardens
Phil Carradice reflects on the history of the popular tourist attraction in the Vale of Glamorgan - Dyffryn House and Gardens.
