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Ogwr History Month
Welcome to our second annual Ogwr History Month. Organised with the Ogwr Heritage Network, we look forward to a month full of history talks, walks and activities across Bridgend County Borough.
This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, in partnership with Bridgend County Borough Council. Please note that although most events are free, many events do require you to book in advance.
This year, the History Month programme also includes several paid ticketed events, including historical films, and a history-inspired comedy show. There are also a number of free Open Days across the county throughout September, hosted in collaboration with the CADW Open Doors festival.
If you have any questions, you can either contact the venue for the specific event, or you can email: history@awen-wales.com
We look forward to seeing you at the History Month events throughout September!
*Tickets and activities are subject to availability, and talks may be subject to change. Any changes will be communicated on social media and directly to ticket holders.
What's On
Tuesday 2nd at 7pm | History talk – ‘Arthur and the Welsh Dark Age Saints’ | Three Horse Shoe community pub, Cefn Cribwr | No booking required | Graham Loveluck-Edwards discusses the Dark Age Welsh Saints and the connection between these missionaries and the popularity of the stories of King Arthur. |
Wednesday 3rd at 2.15pm | History talk – ‘Seintiau Cymreig’ (Welsh language talk) | Book with library – free | Rhian Rees talks us through the Welsh saints and the impact they had on Welsh history and culture in this Welsh language talk. | |
Thursday 4th at 11.30m | History Talk – ‘Hunting the Bullseye Killer: How TV Archives Helped to Snare a Murderer.’ | Y Bocs Oren, Maesteg Town Hall | Booking essential: free | Journalist and ITV Wales news presenter Jonathan Hill, co-author of ‘The Pembrokeshire Murders: Catching the Bullseye Killer’, explains how TV archives helped to catch the Bullseye Killer. |
Thursday 4th at 7pm | Cinema – ‘Mr Burton’ | Y Bocs Oren, Maesteg Town Hall | Booking essential: £5-£5.50 | The amazing story of a teacher who inspired a young lad from Pontrhydyfen to become one of the greatest actors of his generation. |
Saturday 6th at 12 noon-4.30pm | Open Day and exhibition | Maesteg Town Hall | No booking required | Visit the restored Town Hall auditorium, which for one day is hosting a special exhibition by VisionFountain, ‘Wales : A Home from Home’ |
Saturday 6th at 2pm | Author Talk: Sophie Keetch
| Y Bocs Oren, Maesteg Town Hall | Booking essential: free | We look forward to this conversation with bestselling author Sophie Keetch, whose ‘Morgan le Fay’ trilogy is inspired by the Arthurian legend.’ |
Sunday 7th at 3pm | History Walk – Bridgend Town | Bridgend town centre | Booking essential – free | Join historian Graham Loveluck-Edwards on a walk through time in Bridgend town centre. This walk is suitable for all ages and abilities. |
Monday 8th at 7.30pm | Public meeting – Cymdeithas Hanes Bro Ogwr (Welsh language event) | Three Horse Shoe pub, Cefn Cribwr | No booking required | Join Cymdeithas Hanes Bro Ogwr for their public meeting, featuring a talk by Gwyn Roberts about Tryweryn. This Welsh talk is also available to attend on Zoom. |
Tuesday 9th at 11am | History Talk – ‘Welsh ports and German WW2 reconnaissance’ | Book with library – free | Nigel Robins explains all about the South Wales Ports and the history of German Aerial Reconnaissance. | |
Tuesday 9th at 11am-5pm | Exhibition – ‘Wales: a home from home’ | Pyle Library | No booking required | ‘Wales: a home from home’ is an interactive multimedia exhibition by VisionFountain. Recently on display in the Senedd, it features stories gathered from Wales’s diverse communities. |
Tuesday 9th at 2pm | History Talk – ‘The Normans in South Wales’ | Book with library – free | The Normans had a big impact when they arrived in South Wales in the 11th century. John Richards tells us all about them. | |
Wednesday 10th at 7pm | Cinema – ‘Mr Burton’ | Blaengarw Workmen’s Hall | Booking essential: £5-£5.50 | The amazing story of a teacher who inspired a young lad from Pontrhydyfen to become one of the greatest actors of his generation. |
Thursday 11th at 2pm | History Talk – ‘Welsh Identity and the Second World War’ | Y Bocs Oren, Maesteg Town Hall | Booking essential: free | Professor Martin Johnes from Swansea University will explore how the Second World War impacted on people’s sense of being Welsh. |
Thursday 11th – Saturday 13th at 11am-4pm | Exhibition: ‘Old Stone Bridge 600’ | Carnegie House, Bridgend | No booking required | To celebrate the 600th anniversary of the old stone bridge, the Bridgend and District Local History Society have created this special exhibition. |
Thursday 11th at 7pm | Cinema: ‘The Color Purple’ | Y Bocs Oren, Maesteg Town Hall | Booking essential: £5-£5.50 | The 2023 musical version of this story about the extraordinary sisterhood of three women in the American South during the early 1900s. |
Friday 12th at 2pm | History Talk – ‘Explaining Places in Medieval Wales’ | Book with library – free | Medieval authors linked towns and mountains to mythical kings, prophets and battles. Dr Rebecca Thomas will explore this phenomenon and what it tells us about identities in the Middle Ages. | |
Saturday 13th at 10am-4pm (tbc) | Open Day – Garw Valley Heritage Society | Tabernacle Chapel, Pontycymer | No booking required | Join the Garw Valley Heritage Society for their Open Day, with heritage displays and a special organ performance. |
Saturday 13th at 10am – 2pm | Open Day – Glamorgan Family History Society | Aberkenfig Resource Centre | No booking required | The Glamorgan Family History Society are hosting their open day, with research opportunities and volunteers on hand to help with enquiries. |
Sunday 14th at 11am-3pm | Open Day – St John’s House | St John’s House, Bridgend | No booking required | Visit the oldest habitable dwelling in Bridgend, and learn all about the history of this fascinating historic house. |
Monday 15th at 10.30am | History Walk – Bryngarw Country Park | Bryngarw Country Park | Free walk; car park charge applies | Join Bryngarw Park Manager Adam for a natural history walk around Bryngarw Country Park – walking boots recommended! |
Tuesday 16th at 2.15 | History Talk – ‘The Maid of Cefn Ydfa’ | Book with library – free | ‘The Maid of Cefn Ydfa’ may be a tragic love story, but Anna Rankin explains the history behind this very local legend. | |
Tuesday 16th at 4pm | History Talk – ‘The Life and Times of Gerald of Wales’ | Book with library – free | Colin Wheldon James talks about the life and times of the 12th century priest and historian, Gerald of Wales. | |
Tuesday 16th at 6pm | History Talk BSL – ‘The Vikings in Wales’ (BSL) | Book with library – free | Deaf British Sign Language Tour Guide Emily Rose leads a history tour on the Vikings in Wales. | |
Tuesday 16th at 7pm | History Talk – ‘Personalities Who Helped Shape Porthcawl.’ | Hi Tide, Porthcawl | £1 for members of Porthcawl Museum (£3 for non-members) | Ceri Joseph’s talk highlights some of Porthcawl’s most influential personalities over the town’s 200-year history. |
Wednesday 17th at 2.15pm | History Talk – Wales at the Olympic & Paralympic Games | Book with library – free | Phil Cope speaks on Wales’s history at the Olympic and Paralympic games, and he’s bringing Olympic memorabilia with him for this engaging talk. | |
Wednesday 17th at 7pm | Show: ‘Five mistakes that changed history’ | Maesteg Town Hall | Booking-essential: £22.50-£23.50 | A hilarious historical storytelling show about five people and how their mistakes (big and small!) changed the world. Performed by historian and comedian Paul Coulter. |
Thursday 18th at 2pm | History Discussion – ‘The 1066 Norman Invasion’ | Y Bocs Oren, Maesteg Town Hall | Booking required – free | Join historians Colin Wheldon James and David Pilling for an engaging discussion on the 1066 Norman invasion. |
Thursday 18th at 7pm | Cinema: ‘Oppenheimer’ | Y Bocs Oren, Maesteg Town Hall | Booking essential: £5-£5.50 | The Oscar-winning story of American scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. |
Saturday 20th at 11.30am | Children’s event: ‘(Hi)stories and tea’ | Bridgend Library | No booking required | Join an Edwardian maid for a special morning tea in Bridgend Library, accompanied by stories of life in Edwardian times. |
Saturday 20th at 9am-1pm | Open Day – The Ogmore Valley Local History Society | Ogmore Heritage Hub, The Mem, Nantymoel | No booking required | The Ogmore Valley Local History Society welcome everyone to their Heritage Hub, full of history displays and Ogmore Valley memorabilia. |
Saturday 20th at 2pm | History Walk: ‘Bedford’s Realm’ | Bedford Park, Cefn Cribwr | No booking required | This walk with Cefn Gwyrdd will take you around the Bedford Iron Works. The circular walk starts and finishes at the history wall opposite the Three Horseshoe community pub in Cefn Cribwr. |
Tuesday 23rd at 2pm | History Talk – ‘Monasticism in Medieval Wales’ | Book with library – free | Peter Rees discusses the role monastic houses played in the religious, cultural, and economic life of medieval Wales. | |
Wednesday 24th at 2pm | History Talk – ‘The National Coal Board Records at the Glamorgan Archives’ | Y Nyth, Bryngarw Country Park | Booking required – free | Discover the records of the National Coal Board on deposit at the Glamorgan Archives, and what they can tell us about the coal industry and the communities it created. |
Thursday 25th at 11.30am | History Talk: ‘Historic place names’ | Y Bocs Oren, Maesteg Town Hall | Booking essential: free | Dr James January-McCann explains the history behind our place names, including new research on the history of Glamorgan place names. |
Thursday 25th at 2pm | History Talk: ‘Forgotten Heroines of History’ Sgwrs Hanes: Arwresau Anghofiedig Hanes (Welsh language talk) | Y Bocs Oren, Maesteg Town Hall | Booking essential: free | In this Welsh language talk, Dr Elin Jones highlights just a few of history’s amazing women and their achievements, and outlines the work of the Women’s Archive of Wales. Yn y sgwrs Gymraeg hon, bydd Dr Elin Jones yn tynnu sylw at rai o fenywod anhygoel hanes a’u cyflawniadau, ac yn amlinellu gwaith Archif Menywod Cymru. |
Thursday 25th at 6pm | History Walk: Merthyr Mawr | Merthyr Mawr | Booking essential – free | Join Graham Loveluck Edwards for this early evening walk around the historic village of Merthyr Mawr. |
Thursday 25th at 7pm | Cinema: ‘Hidden Figures’ | Y Bocs Oren, Maesteg Town Hall | Booking essential: £5-£5.50 | In the 1960s, three female African-American mathematicians play a pivotal role in the launch of the first American astronaut into orbit. |
Friday 26th at 11am | History Talk – The Williams family of Newcastle Hill | Book with library – free | Ian Price explains how the Williams family from Bridgend made their mark on many different aspects of 19th century life. | |
Saturday 27th at 11am | Children’s event: ‘(Hi)stories and tea’ | Maesteg Library | No booking required | Join an Edwardian maid for a special morning tea in Maesteg Library, accompanied by stories of life in Edwardian times. |
Saturday 27th at 11am-3pm | Elvis Day Open Day | Porthcawl Museum | No booking required | As part of the Porthcawl Elvis Festival, Porthcawl Museum is hosting a special Open Day – a great opportunity to discover the museum’s treasures. |
Saturday 27th at 9am-1pm | Public session | Ogmore Vale Primary School | No booking required | Join the Ogmore Valley Local History Society for this public session at Ogmore Primary school, which includes access to the miners’ memorial and an arts display with works from local artists. |
Saturday 27th at 11am-3pm | Open Day | St John’s House, Bridgend | No booking required | Discover the oldest habitable dwelling in Bridgend! For this weekend St John’s House is hosting medieval archers and a herbalist display. |
Sunday 28th at 11am-3pm | Open Day | St John’s House, Bridgend | No booking required | For this open weekend, St John’s House is hosting medieval archers and a herbalist displaying various items. |
Tuesday 30th at 7pm | History Talk: The Welshness of Oliver Cromwell | Three Horse Shoe pub, Cefn Cribwr | No booking required | Lloyd Bowen. Professor of Early Modern History at Cardiff University, will discuss the Welshness of Oliver Cromwell. |
Inspired to learn more?
Find out more about your local history or support your local history society.
Glamorgan Family History Society secretary2@glamfhs.org.uk
Llynfi Valley History Society neilperry382@btinternet.com
Garw Valley Heritage Society jarvismob@tiscali.co.uk
Bridgend and Local District History Society committee.brid.hist.soc@gmail.com
Cefn Gwyrdd masoncj4@hotmail.com
Ogmore Valley Local History Society ovlhs@ovlhs.co.uk
Cymdeithas Hanes Bro Ogwr arw.cleaves@gmail.com
Porthcawl Museum and Historical Society porthcawlmuseum@hotmail.com
St John’s House, Bridgend saintjohns@hotmail.com.uk
Awen Cultural Trust – Heritage Library and Archive history@awen-wales.com