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Cine Wanderings (Southerndown, Elan Valley dams, St Fagans Castle)

Wanderings amongst the rocks of Southerndown beach, around the dams of the Elan Valley and through the gardens of an Elizabethan mansion.

Amateur film 1948 9 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales

Overview

The rocks of Southerndown beach, Vale of Glamorgan, pose a challenge to Christopher Jenkins and his sister Olive as they pick their way across them without the benefit of walking boots or poles. The dams of the Elan Valley include roads and bridges that make visiting them easier on the feet – the film-maker's wife, Beatrice, and son, Ken, run across Craig Goch. The grounds of St Fagans Castle are easier still – pathways and grass – and include statues and a courting couple!

Chris Jenkins, a stalwart, talented member of Cardiff Amateur Cine Club, owned a hairdressing salon – 'Vanda's' - in the city's Charles Street and lived opposite Roath Park. He was also a keen amateur astronomer and artist. St Fagans Castle, an Elizabethan manor house, was donated to the nation in 1946 as a museum by the Earl of Plymouth, who owned much land in the south, and opened to the public in 1948.