Leslie Scase Author

 Just saw a newspaper article from 1918 on a local history site. It referred to a new railway station to be built at Treforest. Initial impact - aargh, did I get it wrong? Thankfully no. The article referred to a proposed new one by a different company. The TVR station was built in 1847. Phew..... 

  Sometimes authors of historical fiction can be accused of stretching credibility too far, but often truth is stranger than fiction. I was tempted (when writing Sabrina's Teardrop in particular) to put a couple of gadgets at Chard's disposal but restrained myself. Here's one which was considered, brought to my attention via a post by one of my favourite sites (the Virtual Museum of Police in Wales. )some time ago :- This newspaper article comes from 1897........................ BETTER THAN THE TRUNCHEON. In the midst of the discussion as to the best means of dealing with the street ruffian, Mr. Frank Garrett, of Armscote Manor, Stratford, appropriately puts forward the claims of a new weapon, which he has patented, and which he suggests should be placed in the hands of every policeman. Mr. Garrett's invention is a small revolver-shaped instrument, which discharge fluid instead of lead, and the idea is to disable the assailant by directing the charge into the eyes. It...

  I like libraries, I always have; at least the quiet ones. This one is probably the best I've visited. Built on the site of a Victorian one. It's at Hawarden. What's the relevance to my writing? If you know, you know

  The Golden Cross pub in #cardiff as featured in Flames of Anarchy. Current building is from 1903 but the glazed ceramic tiles are typical of the late Victorian period. The original building was a brothel in the mid 1800s before becoming a pub in Inspector Chard's time. The clientele today is rather.....let's say.....different. (though much friendlier than in the novel).

  Another modern photo of a location from Flames of Anarchy. The Blue Bell in Cardiff, known by many including myself as The Goat Major, until it reverted back to its original name a couple of years ago.

  The former Coal Exchange taken in 2024 (then a hotel). My original post on Fb was :- As part of my research for Flames of Anarchy I visited the The Coal Exchange Hotel the site of the former National Coal Exchange. The main hall is absolutely stunning. It is rumoured that the first million pound cheque was written here.

 

  I've seen many old photos of Pontypridd but I'd never seen this one. Inspector Chard would have walked from the town, under the Railway bridge up the Graig hill (technically High Street) along this road. The turn to the Courthouse and the Workhouse being further along on the right. No doubt he'll do it again when the new novel is released. Watch this space....

    Victorian spy camera disguised as a ladies compact.

  Photo of a football match six years after the one featured in Sabrina's Teardrop. Note the pitch markings

  This is the Shrewsbury market hall referred to in Sabrina's Teardrop. Picture from Original Shrewsbury . Demolished now.

 

  An example of Victorian photographic trickery. It's the same actress but the first photot was doctored

  For anyone unfamiliar with Shrewsbury, this is the Three Fishes pub which appears in Sabrina's Teardrop. This was a no smoking pub for many years before the government ban came in. It also appears very briefly in a Fast Show Christmas Special with someone being thrown out through the window. To the left of me but not in view, is Tiny Tim's house from the Christmas Carol movie starring George C Scott.

  From Chapter One of Sabrina's Teardrop. The entrance to Attingham Park NT from the garden of the Mytton and Mermaid Hotel

  This was posted by R Cheeseman on the Pontypridd Grammar School Old Boys Facebook Group. It's a photo I've seen often before - but don't let it fool you. Although the date on the building says 1907, this is after it had a major renovation. It was there in the 1890s (and well before) for Inspector Chard to have a pint in.

  n my first book in particular I have mentioned the names of a number of real public figures from 1890s Pontypridd. One of them was Mrs Miles who owned the New Inn. A remarkable businesswoman, she is buried in the graveyard of St Mary's, Treforest which also features in Fortuna's Deadly Shadow. You can read more about her and other characters in the book 'The Hidden Histories at St Mary's, Glyntaff Churchyard: Stories from the Stones ' author Mr Jones, available from Storeyville Books, Pontypridd.

  The Roman excavations at Wroxeter as mentioned in Sabrina's Teardrop. If the whole site was uncovered it would be larger than Pompeii (or so I've been told).

  Electric cars aren't new. This is an electric taxi in the 1890s. They ran in London for a couple of years. They failed due to the range and time it took to recharge the batteries

  A little while ago I posted a picture of the Dingle ornamental gardens as featured in Sabrina's Teardrop. In the book a meeting takes place by the statue of Sabrina, the goddess of the River Severn. Here she is in all her glory.

 

 

  First time I've actually come across a real one rather than just an image. It's a 'bulls-eye' lamp used by constables at the turn of the 19th century.

  I came across this photo on the Pontypridd Grammar School Old Boys Facebook Group (unfortunately I couldn't share it direct from the page without including the whole thread). The relevance is in Fatal Solution which includes a rugby match at Taff Vale Park. This is the rugby ground in 1980 by which time the stands and terraces had largely disappeared and it was (and I think still is) only used by local schools. In the late 1800's until the 2nd World War it was a major sports venue (Even Tottenham Hotspur played a football match there). The terraces went around three sides of the ground, but the far side was always as shown - just trees with the river beyond.

  Later than the Inspector Chard era - but the market still in its heyday

  The photo  is  of Nellie Bly who in 1889 decided to take up the Jules Verne challenge of Around the World in 80 days herself. She did it in 72 days. Nellie was also a wonderful investigative reporter who led a fascinating life. At one point she had herself committed to an asylum in order to write an expose '10 Days in the Madhouse'. Inspector Chard will meet a female reporter in a future adventure - but unfortunately not Nellie

  t is with great thanks to author Catrin Collier that I now have this image (the only one that probably exists) of a key site that features in my first two books. This is the main building of Pontypridd Workhouse as it was in 1935.

  Another little bit of trivia from Fortuna's Deadly Shadow. I make mention of the Machine Bridge. The picture attached is the best I've got. There is now a 'double bridge'. The new one is the grey structure, the original is supported by the stone pillars that you can see. Why the Machine Bridge? Because Iron was fetched down from Aberdare by canal, offloaded close to the bridge, which had a weighing machine on it. Then it was put onto horse-drawn trams and taken to the tin-plate works further South.

  This is a 'special' one. It's a modern photo of the back of Billy William's street. (If you've read the book - you'll know what I'm talking about)

  If you've read Fortuna's Deadly Shadow, you will have seen mention of Castle Inn bridge by the weir. On a 'normal' day one might wonder whether the river ever gets high enough to cause problems. This photo is of relatively recent floods and a shipping container hitting the bridge. Sadly the bridge had to be demolished and has been replaced with a modern design .

 The often featured St Catherine's, Pontypridd

  Modern view of Long Row (Danny's street in the book), one of the oldest streets in Treforest, The houses are two storey on the other side, facing the river and the original road leading down to Treforest Tinplate Works. The road shown was originally a back lane.

  Modern photo of a location from the book. The very wonderful Otley Arms which back in 1895 (and until the 1970s) was The Commercial. In Fortuna's Deadly Shadow it is Constable Danny Preece's local

  Another modern photo of a location from the book. This is the drinking fountain in Penuel Square, unveiled in 1895. The modern architecture in the background greatly detracts from it and the road level used to be lower, with the fountain's plinth on a raised pavement. Nevertheless it is a fine bit of stone sculpture, though somewhat faded.