St Athan
St Athan maps (2 available)
Map of South Glamorgan
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
See this old map of South Glamorgan
Personalised maps
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St Athan books (4 available)
- 2 photos on St Athan appear in 2 Frith books - View photos of St Athan
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on St Athan and South Glamorgan
St Athan memories
Read and share memories of St Athan and South Glamorgan inspired by Frith photos
War-time
My Grandfather, Clifford Taylor, was a Civil Servant at RAF St. Athan during the Second World War. He could not join the Forces at all because he had club feet and was rejected at his Call Up Board. He used to be involved with giving out the uniforms, as well as other duties, which obviously changed when Peace broke out in 1945. Grampy had a fantastic sense of humour and would sometimes be allowed to bring one or two of the Airmen home to his wife and baby girl (my Mum) to have a meal. He stayed at the Base until his untimely death at 50 in January 1964, meaning that I never met him.
Contributed by Caroline Scott
Mustow's cafe.
I lived with my family in St Athan village from the time of my first birthday in 1946 to my marriage in 1970. Mt wife and I were married at the church shown in the photograph. The church is dedicated to an Irish saint by the name of Tathan. The village was once known as Llandathan, then Saint Tathen and finally St Athan(s). At this church I was a choirboy, Sunday School teacher and bellringer too. There are six bells in the tower cast by Warners.
Mustows' Cafe figures prominently and this shop was run by Dai Mustow, as we knew him, along with his wife and they lived next to his brother in one of ...read more here
Contributed by Mr WM Price
Hammett's Farm.
This building was known to us as Hammett's Farm, properly West Orchard Farm, in the Higher End area of St Athan. Arthur Hammett and his wife ran the farm and I occasionally helped to deliver milk from the farm around the village from a horse and cart. Arthur, who lived to the great age of 92, and continued farming to the last, would bottle his own milk in a tiny parlour. He was a lovely chap and always gave us a mangold to make a lantern for Halowe'en night. The farmhouse is alongside the old main road from Barry to Llantwit Major before the huge RAF Station at St Athan was further enlarged and another road had ...read more here
Contributed by The Frith Memory Archivist
South Glamorgan memories
War-time
My Grandfather, Clifford Taylor, was a Civil Servant at RAF St. Athan during the Second World War. He could not join the Forces at all because he had club feet and was rejected at his Call Up Board. He used to be involved with giving out the uniforms, as well as other duties, which obviously changed when Peace broke out in 1945. Grampy had a fantastic sense of humour and would sometimes be allowed to bring one or two of the Airmen home to his wife and baby girl (my Mum) to have a meal. He stayed at the Base until his untimely death at 50 in January 1964, meaning that I never met him.
A memory of St Athan contributed by Caroline Scott
Extracts From St Athan & South Glamorgan books
St Athan is home to RAF Athan, and has formed part of the local community and economy for many decades, particularly following the Second World War. It has grown steadily in recent times as other bases have been reduced or closed. The parish church, the cottages and the café selling petrol to the occasional motorist or serving refreshment to some tired cyclists reveal the slow pace that has now ceased to exist for most of us.
An extract from from"Wales Living Memories".
Beyond the happy
holidaymakers the
distinctively striped rock
face, vividly illustrated here,
is a signature feature of the
cliff face between Barry and Penarth.
An extract from from"Around Penarth Photographic Memories".
How sad – this is the end of our photographic journey around this part of the Vale of Glamorgan. Built for Peter Birt in the 1770s to a design by Robert Adam, this grand residence was for many years renowned for its beautiful interiors, their opulence virtually unparalleled in South Wales. From its pink and green dining room, a 19th-century visitor could wander throughout the castle enthralled by its vast and remarkable collection of stuffed animals on display.
An extract from from"Around Penarth Photographic Memories".
Initially commissioned to honour those of the parish who fell in the First World War, the simple Celtic cross of the war memorial was to be sadly amended in the aftermath of the Second World War with the loss of four local men. Corporal Cyril Channon died as a Japanese POW, Gunner Alec Collins was lost at sea with Captain John Duncan, and Lieutenant Rhys Thomas was killed in action.
An extract from from"Around Penarth Photographic Memories".
Seemingly indifferent to its position beside the busy thoroughfare connecting Cardiff and Cowbridge, Church Hall House (pictured) stands testament to a romanticised Victorian vision of a pre-industrial Britain. Built in 1898 in a William Morris-inspired Arts and Crafts style, the house boasts a distinctive stone, brick and render façade topped by terracotta tiles and an exaggerated turret.
An extract from from"Around Penarth Photographic Memories".