Digital Collections at Swansea University
'Black Friday' and the 1921 Lockout
This online exhibition marks the 100 year anniversary of the 1921 lockout, which saw one million British miners locked out of the mines after rejecting colliery owners’ wage terms. The material comes from the South Wales Coalfield Collection held between the Richard Burton Archives and the South Wales Miners’ Library.
‘The Dawn of a New Era’
‘The Dawn of a New Era’ is the slogan on the Risca Lodge banner, which was made just before the nationalisation of the coal mining industry in 1947. The image on the banner is a sun rising and reflects the hope for the future.
At least 50 miners’ banners are known to have existed in South Wales and many of them are preserved at the South Wales Miners’ Library at Swansea University. Over the years, the banners have been used in protests, marches and demonstrations, including during the 1972, 1974 and 1984-85 miners’ strikes. The miners’ banners provide a rich source of social history and provide a unique and powerful insight into our collective history and tradition.
Paul Robeson and Wales
Paul Robeson’s life is an inspiring chronicle of the cultural and social history of the twentieth century. His gifts were prodigious. Scholar, athlete, intellectual, linguist, singer, actor, orator and activist, he shaped his turbulent times like few others and left a memorable mark on all who met him, saw him perform or listened to his voice on record or radio.
Swansea University Centenary 2020
To mark the centenary of Swansea University, this online exhibition showcases a selection of Centenary Essays which explore the people and events that have shaped the University’s unique and fascinating history. Also available is the first report of the Council in 1920 and a selection of inaugural lectures.
Tylorstown Welfare Hall and Institute
Tylorstown Welfare Hall and Institute, built in 1933, is the last remaining Miners' Welfare Hall in the Rhondda Fach and very much still at the heart of the community. Thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund's 15-Minute Heritage Scheme, staff and volunteers from the Hall have been working with staff from the Richard Burton Archives and South Wales Miners' Library at Swansea University on a project to capture memories, and show case the outputs through an online exhibition.
The Dillwyn Papers
The Dillwyn Project is based at Swansea University and brings together academics, archivists, librarians and experts from outside the University. The Dillwyn Working Group was set up in 2009 to coordinate the various strands of the Dillwyn Project. It comprises academic and lay members, reflecting the mixed nature of the various strands of the Dillwyn Project and is Chaired by Dr Kirsti Bohata.