A Brief History of Bridgend & District Local History Society.
Bridgend & District Local History Society was founded as an offshoot of the Glamorgan Local History Society in 1952.
Bridgend & District Local History Society was founded as an offshoot of the Glamorgan Local History Society in 1952.
The Glamorgan Local History Society (founded in 1949) expressed the desire for local branches to be formed. Bridgend members of the Glamorgan Local History Society came together and held their inaugural meeting on the 5th of March, 1952, at the Civic Restaurant. Over 100 people attended the meeting, it must have been heartening for the organisers to see so many people interested in the town’s history.
Rev E Lewis (the chair of The Glamorgan Local History Society) and Cllr Ellis, the Chairman of Bridgend Urban District Council, presided over the first meeting. Bridgend Urban District Council provided refreshments and was heavily involved in the early days of the society.
It was decided that the newly formed Bridgend & District Local History Society would meet every third Wednesday of the month between October and March. The meetings were held at 6:45pm at Bridgend Technical College (now Bridgend College) and a subscription to the society cost 5s per annum. It was decided that there would be two outings every summer.
The inaugural lecture was given by eminent historian Anthony Steel, then Principal of Cardiff University. His lecture ‘Humours of Local History’ gave the newly formed society an interesting introduction to the subject of local history.
Members of the Bridgend and District Local History included many names that may be familiar to readers: Dr. Annear, Edward Loveluck, Wil Ifan, Dennis Verity and Roderick Williams.
The second meeting of the society was held in April 1952. The lecture was given by Dr Dillwyn John, then Director of the National Museum of Wales. His lecture titled ‘The Museum in Relation to Local History’ gave the society members a chance to find out more about how the museum worked and possibly, what local items were held in the museum collections.
As a result of Dr Henry Randall’s connections, the society lectures were given by those “high-ups” in the world of Welsh history. These included lectures by Roderick Williams, Glanmor Williams, Dr Dillwyn John and of course, Dr Henry Randall himself.
The first official season began in October 1952. Some very interesting lectures were given including: ‘Villiages of the Vale’, ‘Local Folklore and Customs’ and ‘The Sussex Ironmaster in Mid Glamorgan’. The season outings included an evening visit to Llantwit Major and an afternoon outing with Dr. Henry Randall. Randall took members of the society to Blackmill, Merthyr Mawr, Ogmore Castle and Craig yr Eos.
The Bridgend & District Local History Society published a journal every year. The journal included results of society elections, a list of members, an overview of the year, photographs and essays by members.
In later years, the Bridgend & District Local History Society expanded. The society started to hold public exhibitions and become involved in local heritage matters.
In 1968, the Bridgend & District Local History Society was involved in the campaign to ‘Save Bridgend Town Hall.’ The campaign was started due to the proposed sale of the town hall, but sadly, it failed and the town hall was demolished in 1972.
In 1972, the society held its first exhibition at the ‘Bridgend Festival.’ The exhibition showcased local archaeological finds, courtesy of the National Museum of Wales. The reference library exhibited its collection of old photographs while members of Hope Chapel shared the history of the chapel.
In 1993, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of Bridgend & District Local History Society, local historian and member of the society David Pearce published ‘Bridgend 900.’
The book was a short chronological of Bridgend’s 900-year history. In the same year, Bridgend Civic Trust was founded. Working closely with the Bridgend & District Local History Society, the Trust dedicated itself to retaining Bridgend’s historic buildings and promoting heritage in the town.
Bridgend & District Local History Society sought premises to set up a ‘Bridgend Museum’ in Bridgend Town Centre. The proposed premises for this venture were the derelict cottages in Elder Lane. The council agreed that it was a good location but understood that the society could not afford the rent due to the property’s commercial value.
Having celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2022, Bridgend & District Local History Society is still flourishing in the town. They hold photographic exhibitions that attract hundreds of people to Bridgend Town Centre.
Bridgend & District Local History Society now hold their meetings at Carnegie House, on the second Wednesday of every month.