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Friday 26 September 2014

National Sporting Heritage Day and the Heritage of Wales






“Every pavilion or clubhouse has had its own struggle to be built and every club has faced its own fight for survival. It is why we cherish our fields of play and defend them furiously.” Eddie Butler

Although the Millennium stadium in Cardiff might be world famous, many of us take the existence of parks, recreation grounds and leisure centres for granted. In Fields of Play, the author, Daryl Leeworthy, explores the history of these everyday sites and examines the impact of sport on the landscape of modern Wales.

It explores the diversity of sporting facilities from the earliest public park opened in 1858 at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, through the Llwyn Onn swimming baths in Wrexham, opened in 1854, to the numerous welfare grounds that opened across Wales at the turn of the twentieth century. Lesser-known sporting venues are also highlighted, such as the American Roller rink in Cardiff from 1908, the Welsh White City greyhound stadium of 1928 and the short-lived Penarth Road Speedway Stadium from the 1950s.

A game of tennis, photographed around 1934, in the ruins of the Bishops Palace, St Davids, NPRN: 21633
Activities such as the Powderhall races, pushball, baseball, hill-climbing races in cars and the development of adventure playgrounds and leisure centres are all considered, alongside the better-known rugby, football and cricket that dominate the sporting press today.

The book also considers the sporting heritage of Wales in wider terms, with a chapter on the role of the countryside as a national playground, looking at the infrastructure generated by the rise in popularity of cycling, hill-walking, climbing and youth hostelling in the early twentieth century.
Superbly illustrated with 172 historical and contemporary photographs, including many never-before-seen images from the Aerofilms archive of the National Monuments Record of Wales, Fields of Play will enable an understanding of this significant aspect of Wales’ built heritage and encourage a greater appreciation of sporting places in the landscape.

Whatever you are doing to celebrate National Sporting Heritage Day on Tuesday 30 September 2014  it is worth remembering that without the efforts of those who struggled to create the parks and open spaces of Wales over a century ago, we would all have far fewer sporting facilities than we have today.

The book is priced at £9.95 and is available from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and all good bookshops.

Fields of Play: The Sporting Heritage of Wales by Daryl Leeworthy, with a Foreword by Eddie Butler, published by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, 2012, 180pp, 172 illustrations, size 252x224mm.
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Tuesday 16 September 2014

Open Doors 2014: Come and find out more about our chapels!





Seion Chapel , Aberystwyth, NPRN: 7149.
 Bethel Chapel , Aberystwyth, NPRN: 7147. 
The flamboyant facades of the Baker Street chapels remain impressive over 100 years after construction.
As part of Open Doors 2014, on 20 September the Royal Commission in Aberystwyth will be opening its doors for a chapels’ history day. The day will involve talks by leading experts, the display of rare archive material, and the opportunity to discover more about our database of over 6000 chapels, and the exciting partnership project between the Royal Commission and Addoldai Cymru. At 1.30pm and 2pm there will also be the opportunity to join guided tours of some of Aberystwyth’s finest historic chapels. Led by a chapels expert from the Royal Commission, each tour will start from outside The English Baptist Chapel, Alfred Place, and will take between 1½ and 2 hours. The tours will conclude with tea, cake and biscuits at St Paul’s Methodist Centre, Queens Road, Aberystwyth. For further information and booking, please contact nicola.roberts@rcahmw.gov.uk, tel: 01970 621200.

First held in France in 1984, Open Doors is part of European Heritage Days, which take place across Europe every year in September and is organised in Wales by Cadw. It is an annual celebration,  which promotes architecture and the built heritage to as wide an audience as possible  by opening up buildings not normally open to the public, and by offering free entry to those sites that usually charge for entry.

'Open Doors is a national celebration of our heritage, and an excellent opportunity for people who care about their local heritage to share their passion with visitors by showing them their little corner of Wales’s history.' Minister for Natural Resources, Culture and Sport 2014


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Tuesday 9 September 2014

Job Vacancy - Learning Officer People’s Collection Wales





National Museum Cardiff, National Roman Legion Museum or National Slate Museum

29 hours per week

Contract up to 31 March 2015
(Secondments would be supported)


People’s Collection Wales is a Welsh Government-funded bilingual programme that enables individuals to celebrate Wales’ history through the sharing of their own personal stories.

The postholder will be responsible for developing and delivering exciting and innovative learning and training resources based on the People’s Collection Wales programme. The post-holder will also contribute to training educationalists in the museums, libraries and archives sector to use the website.

The successful candidate will have a good understanding of the National Curriculum as well as excellent project management and communication skills.

This post requires a good standard of spoken Welsh, for example, the ability to take an active part in meetings and presentations.

To apply please visit our website www.museumwales.ac.uk

Closing Date: 18 September 2014 (by 5pm)

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales is an equal opportunities employer. Applications are welcome from all sections of the community.



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Monday 1 September 2014

Open Doors 2014: Come and find out more about chapels!





Hen Gapel, Llwynrhydowen, nprn:11594
Talks by leading experts, archival material, and the opportunity to discover more about the database of over 6000 chapels, and the exciting partnership project between the Royal Commission and Addoldai Cymru.

Hen Dŷ Cwrdd Unitarian Chapel, Trecynon, Aberdare, CF44 8NT.
6 September, 10am-12pm. Exhibition and talk by Stephen Hughes, “Chapels: The National Architecture of Wales”.

Yr Hen Gapel, Llwynrhydowen, Rhydowen, Llandysul, Ceredigion, SA44 4QB.
13 September, 3-6pm. Local choir and talk by Stephen Hughes, “Chapels: The National Architecture of Wales” Refreshments available from the Alltyrodyn Arms, Rhydowen.
Seion Chapel, Aberystwyth, nprn:7147
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, Plascrug, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 1NJ. 20 September, talks 11am -1pm, tours 1.30pm and 2pm. The afternoon tours of Aberystwyth’s historic chapels are limited to 15 people per tour. For further information and booking, please contact nicola.roberts@rcahmw.gov.uk, tel: 01970 621200. Tours will start at 1.30pm and 2pm and will meet outside The English Baptist Chapel, Alfred Place, Aberystwyth.


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