Category Archives: Sea

The hard life and death of a Master Mariner from Dinas

Posted on January 10, 2014 by bookvolunteer

For such a small village, the number of sea captains buried in Dinas’ graveyards seems incredible. Just round the corner from Tegfan, in Ramah, is this headstone, inscribed in memory of Thomas Williams who died over a century ago on the … Continue reading →

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Cwm yr Eglwys and its Mediterranean climate

Posted on January 3, 2014 by bookvolunteer

Our local beach warrants an article on Wikipedia and I’m quoting here from the text: Sheltered from prevailing winds, Cwm-yr-Eglwys is renowned for having its very own microclimate, it being a few degrees warmer and dryer compared to other parts of … Continue reading →

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Same old same old

Posted on November 8, 2013 by bookvolunteer

Had we kept all the post-cards received over the years, our long-standing family connections with Dinas mean that we would now be able to paper a room with versions of this one. The countryside side around Dinas is one of the … Continue reading →

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To Harrods for satin pantaloons

Posted on November 1, 2013 by bookvolunteer

In my role as  a book volunteer in Wilmslow’s Oxfam shop, I’m constantly delighted by the enormous range, quality and quantity of donated books.  When this wonderful book came onto my desk I lingered over it, remembering a childhood experience … Continue reading →

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Bound apprentice: £35 for four years’ work, with twelve shillings per annum in lieu of washing

Posted on October 18, 2013 by bookvolunteer

At the age of 14, 1n 1891, my Dinas-born grandfather went to sea, apprenticed to the master of the barque Glance. The Glance had recently been to New Zealand but, during my grandfather’s time, before the opening of the Panama Canal, they … Continue reading →

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Aberbach in 1930

Posted on October 8, 2013 by bookvolunteer

I think this photo was taken in Dinas’ Aberbach beach in about 1930. Apart from the style of boys’ swimming costumes, nothing much has changed.

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The lime kilns on the Dinas coast

Posted on September 17, 2013 by bookvolunteer

There are lime kilns at Pwllgwaelod, Aberfforest and Newport, sited on the beaches for the convenience of transport which, for heavy bulky material like limestone and coal, used to be by boat. The kilns are probably about 200 years old … Continue reading →

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Objets trouvés

Posted on September 13, 2013 by bookvolunteer

The first time that I went to Jim Ede’s beautiful gallery house in Cambridge, I was struck by the familiarity of the found objects that sat so comfortably among the 20th Century art in Kettle’s Yard. These stones could have come … Continue reading →

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