December 2015 Christmas Tree Festival at St. John’s Church

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Annie

As part of the celebrations marking 165 years of worship at St. John’s Church, a Victorian themed Christmas Tree Festival was held in December. The Society took part in this event and here are some of the trees that were on display.

: Tree 18: St. John’s Parish Church Choir

: Tree 22: St. Mary’s

: Tree 9: Abbey Primary

: Senior Citizens’ tree

: Tree 12: Neath Abbey Women’s Institute

: Chairperson Virginia Jones checks the decorating work

: Our Treasurer, Lynette Drake, decorating the back of the tree

: Our Treasurer Lynette Drake returns from decorating the back of the tree!

: Tree 15: Society Tree

: Tree 15: Society Tree

: Tree 15: The foot of the Society tree

: Tree 10: Helping Hands

: Tree 14: Wednesday Stitchers

: Tree 19: Sunday School & Messy Church

: Tree 21: Mothers’ Union

: Tree 17: Flower Guild

Society at the Waterfront Museum, Saturday, 10th October, 2015.

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Annie

The Society took part in a local history day at the Waterfront Museum, Swansea, on Saturday, 10th October. It provided us with an opportunity to show the work of the Society to a wider audience.

: Virginia Jones, Kitty Griffiths, Janice Gardner and Bill Payne at the Society stand.

: Kitty Griffiths

: Display about the work of the Society

: Victorian Skewen display

: Anne Morgans

: Committee members chatting informally at the stand

: Kitty Griffiths inspects the display

Visit to Lanerchaeron 6th July

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Annie

Our visit to see Nash’s house at Llanerchaeron was not dampened by the poor weather. Although it was overcast most of the day, with a lot of drizzle on and off, it was still possible to get around and admire the interior of the house and its gardens – the walled garden was especially pretty. As it is a National Trust property there was always the cafe with its tempting menu to lift the spirits when the drizzle did start. The day was rounded off by a stop at Aberaeron with its quaint harbour and sea front.

Nash House: The house was remodelled by Nash

Nash House: The entrance hall

Nash House: Main staircase

Nash House: The dining room

With thanks to Ken Jones for the photographs.

Flower Festival at St. John’s Church, Skewen

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Annie

To celebrate 165 years of worship at the Skewen Parish Church, St. John’s held a Flower Festival from Thursday 25th June to Saturday 27th June. The theme of the displays was the Victorian age.

The Society had a display entitled “Victorian Skewen”.

There was a lot of ingenuity to be seen in the many arrangements.

The Society’s display –

Victorian Skewen: Skewen & District Historical Society: Victorian Skewen

Victorian Skewen: Skewen& District Histoprical Society: Victorian Skewen

DSC01554

Victorian Skewen: Skewen & District Historical Society: Victorian Skewen

Vicotrian Skewen: Mrs. Kitty Griffiths at work on the display

Victorian Skewen: Mrs. Kitty Griffiths at work on the display

Examples of the displays on show:-

The Skewen Parish Vicarage Garden: The Vicarage garden provided all the plants in this display

Musical Interlude: Helping Hands Longford: Musical Interlude

Victorian Valentine: St. Thomas Parish Church; Victorian Valentine

Mrs. Beaton: Community of Christ: Mrs. Beaton

The Castle Hotel Neath: Neath Abbey Women’s Institute: The Castle Hotel, the birthplace of the Welsh Rugby Union

Messy Victorian Church: Messy Church: The building of St’ John’s in 1850

Victorian Christening: Mother Craft Longford: Victorian Christening

Queen Victoria & Prince Albert: St. Mary’s Church: Queen Victoria & Prince Albert

A Victorian Tea Party: St. John’s Parish Weekly & Monthly Fellowship: A Victorian Tea Party

The Suffragette Movement: Bethania Chapel: The Suffragette Movement

Song of the Earth: Dyffryn Community Council: Song of the Earth

Florence Nightingale: The Neath Hospital League of Friends: Florence Nightingale

Brunel: Skewen OAP Ladies’ Section: Isambard Kingdom Brunel

The Society at the Waterfront Museum

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Annie

The Society has taken part in two recent events in the Waterfront Museum. The first event was “Local History Live” at which several members of the committee represented the Society and “manned” a display of some of the material we have gathered on Skewen and WW1 – see below.

DSCN2487.jpg-WEB: Vice Chairman Bill Payne and Mrs. Margaret Owen

DSCN2488.jpg-WEB: Vice Chairman Bill Payne, Mrs. Margaret Owen, Chairperson Virginia Jones, Treasurer Lynette Drake and Miss. Janice Gardner

DSCN2489: Vice Chairman Bill Payne, Mrs. Margaret Owen, Chairperson Virginia Jones, Miss,. Janice Gardner and Treasurer Lynette Drake

The second event was “Cartooning in WW1”. This event proved to be very helpful for the research being undertaken for the Society’s book on Skewen and WW1. Here are some examples of cartoons from the WW1 period.