Grangetown by Barbara Jones-Baker

Grangetown by Barbara Jones-Baker

This selection of almost 200 old photographs, maps and illustrations explores the history of Grangetown down the years and celebrates the character and achievements of this fascinating suburb of Cardiff. Author, Barbara Jones, starts with the ancient origins of Grange Farm, tracing the story from the building's beginnings as an 'outpost' of the Cistercian abbey at Margam, through to the present day when his delightful historic 'kernel' of Grangetown is now a Grade II listed building. The reader is given a superb overview of how and why Grangetown has developed over the last century and a half. We get a flavour of many aspects of the late-Victorian era from the illicit Sunday drinking booths on the Marl to the confident celebration of national and industrial success shown by images of the 1889 opening of the Clarence Road Bridge or the 1897 Diamond Jubilee. The bulk of the book then deals in depth with themes of religion, education, business and industry, the war years, and sport and leisure. In these varied spheres of life Grangetown has had much to offer and we encounter several of the men and women who have contributed to the strength of this community, and of Cardiff as a whole, through public service, entertainment or sheer hard work. Out of one builder's yard in Penarth Road, for exmaple, local craftsman once fashioned Cardiff's famous Civic Centre stone by stone. All in all, this is a collection of photographs and memories which is sure to interest and intrigue all those for whom Grangetown has been home.

Barbara Jones, FRSA, is well known internationally as a pioneer of strawbale building and designer of innovative foundations (including using car tyres). She has been designing and building with natural materials for 20 years; including forming part of the Strawbale tour of the USA in 1999, organised by Judy Knox and Matts Myrhman, that brought European strawbale pioneers to the US.

Barbara has also developed a uniquely empowering method of practical training on building sites. She was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by Women in Construction in 2011, and a Woman of Outstanding Achievement Award in 2009. Her practical skills include strawbale building, clay and lime plastering, carpentry and roofing. Barbara runs her own company, Straw Works, designing natural buildings of all shapes and sizes, and supporting self-builders.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780752403830
ISBN 10	0752403834
Title	Grangetown
Author	Barbara Jones-Baker
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	The History Press Ltd
Year published	1996-10-01
Number of pages	128
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.