The History Man

He’s the man behind our popular history pages. But there’s far more to his story. Meet Nigel Lewis

His stories have been read by thousands, both in print and online. But for local history enthusiast Nigel Lewis, that’s just the start of his ambitions.

“I’ve been writing short stories about the old parish for the last four or five years. These were first published on Facebook during the COVID lockdowns, under the title of ‘101 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Whitchurch.’ These bite-sized stories, accompanied by my sketches, were well received and I’ve been asked ever since by so many folk when they might be turned into a book.”

Nigel has spent the last few years crafting tales for the local community, but his creative streak stretches all the way back to his youth.

“I’ve always enjoyed drawing and painting, but I was never really encouraged to develop it at school. I left education with a hatful of O-Levels, and I joined a local architectural practice as the most junior of juniors. I have remained in the profession ever since!

“I’ve always loved the Arts & Crafts Movement, and at an early point in my professional career, I was also introduced to the delights of Scandinavian design. The landscapes, their buildings, even the jewellery!

“And then, there was the joy of discovering the landscapes and buildings here in Wales.”

Nigel’s interest in the history of north Cardiff is rooted in his own past:

“Chris (my wife) and I are both from Cathays and lived only half a mile from each other. We both attended the local chapel (and both went to the church youth club) and married there five or so years later.

“Chris had an elderly uncle living in Whitchurch so it seemed obvious that when we wanted to upsize, we’d move to the village. We’ve now been here for over fifty years.”

But it’s not just Whitchurch’s history that intrigued Nigel.

“My first experience of Rhiwbina was as a (very) young assistant in my first firm. In the late 1960s, they were busily designing huge swathes of Rhiwbina with hundreds of new houses, bungalows, and flats.

“As a callow youth, I was sent up from town to Heol Llanishen Fach on my bicycle, to check on the mature trees around the open space just south of the shops. I was confronted by an old man from one of the nearby houses brandishing a shotgun, challenging me what I was doing with a clipboard outside his bungalow! It made the front page of the Echo that evening!

“I won’t say that I’m still traumatised, but I occasionally wonder what happened to the man. The trees are still there though!”

Even though he’s the go-to expert on north Cardiff’s history, Nigel doesn’t see himself as an official authority.

“I’m no historian, not in the academic sense anyway. I’ve spent over fifty years in architectural practice, always local, and am privileged to have worked with some of the best designers, architects and planners in Wales.

“I’ve worked in England too, but mostly on heritage and conservation projects in all four corners of Wales. Castles, art galleries, churches and chapels, museums, and grand houses – I’ve done my share of smaller domestic schemes too!”

Nigel studied first at Llandaff Technical College. Then, aged 48, he bookended his studies with an honours degree in architectural conservation.

“For the final twenty years of work, I had my own home-based practice. Projects became even larger; designing Ty George Thomas (now City Hospice) in Whitchurch, and meeting the future King and Queen; designing the new student centre at the Cyncoed Campus for Cardiff Met, and my final project was designing the new headquarters building for Ty Hafan in Sully.

“Along the way, I realised how fragile the state of our Welsh landscape and built heritage was, and how easily, insensitive design could destroy it.

“Since retiring from practice, both Chris and I have been members of AWEN, the community group based at Whitchurch Library. This was initially formed ten years ago to save our Carnegie library from closure, as well as other libraries in North Cardiff. It has been so rewarding!”

And they have both been kept busy since.

“We helped to set up the Reminiscence Group. This meets monthly where we regularly learn of new stories and experiences.”

The project is continually unearthing new and long-lost stories of the area.

“I am constantly amazed by the history of the old parish, and how little is known. For instance, the old parish church, probably dating back to the Conquest, which has now gone. Then there’s the local family links with Oliver Cromwell. Did you know that we used to have a castle here in Whitchurch? This was a motte and bailey castle, just around the corner from the Fox & Hounds pub. Alas, this has also gone. There was even an Elizabethan mansion in Gabalfa, which was only demolished in 1945!”

The members of the Reminiscence Group and the band of local experts have proved invaluable in Nigel’s quest for discovering long-forgotten stories from the area.

“Of course, there are the old books – Edgar Chappell, Hilary Thomas, and the wonderful stories of Ernie Broad. The old newspapers, online records, and the resources of Glamorgan Archives are all readily available and are proving invaluable. The old parish has over a thousand years of history to discover!”

The group has been pulling together information from all sorts of places.

“Photography has only been around since the 1870s. Before then, there were just paintings and sketches. The old Tithe Map and the 10-yearly Census Returns fill in some of the blanks. The further back you go, the scantier the information.

“So much of our built environment has been lost since the 1960s. Even today things are being lost; recently the kissing gate at Ararat, and the insensitive restoration of Lady Cory Field. More worryingly is the deterioration of Whitchurch Hospital and its uncertain future. The precious heritage that remains can so easily be lost!”

In response to this threat, the north Cardiff communities have been rallying around to preserve the area’s history.

“The AWEN Reminiscence Group has been running for the last eight years or so; the Rhiwbina Memories group, is just a year old and flourishing, and the Llandaff North Local History group, is just a baby only at four months old, yet with growing numbers. There’s always room for more members!

“Fifty years ago, when we first came to the village, there was so little local shared knowledge. It’s the same today. There are younger generations; children, parents (even grandparents) who know little of the history. And most lead such busy lives; there’s so little time to discover the stories. It’s lovely that the school curriculum now includes local history as part of the wider historical picture.

“There’s still a natural appetite to learn though, and a need to share widely. That’s what’s lovely about contributing articles to the Rhiwbina and Whitchurch Living magazines, and the encouraging responses from their readers.”

To help document the stories forever, Nigel has recently published his first book about the area.

“Finding a publisher, and the process of turning the blogs into an actual book is quite a story in itself. Deciding what to include and what to leave out was a huge task but we got there in the end.

“The book is now out, in paperback. It’s available at Siop-y-Felin in Whitchurch and Victoria Fearn Gallery in Rhiwbina. A bargain at £15, it makes a terrific gift!

“The publisher suggested adding the suffix ‘Part One’ to the title, in case there’s a need for a second volume. There’s more than enough history, so watch this space!” laughs Nigel.