Green Room Poster June 2026
As the heatwave of late June faded, Porthcawl’s Green Room staged an evening celebration of the coast as its last event before the charity Sustainable Wales moves to new premises.
Kristian Evans read from his new book Duneland: A Year in Kenfig (Seren Books).
Porthcawl’s resident writer and poet Robert Minhinnick read an extract from his award winning collection of essays ‘Watching the Fire Eater’ as a celebration of 50 years of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, which runs between Newton Point and Aberthaw.
Back in the 1980’s Robert was a manager of a Community Programme scheme at Dunraven Park, Southerndown. His essay ‘The Scheme of Things’ introduces a disparate group of characters brought together under the aegis of the Government’s bid to relieve chronic unemployment. Come rain and shine the group’s work proceeded intermittently on footpaths and walls as participants came and went.
A question and answer session followed the two readers and there was some reminiscing on the Dunraven Estate and in particular the missing castle. Among the audience local resident Chris Fray said that he stayed at the castle in 1960 when he was 11 years old. His parents were keen visitors to properties run as guest houses by the Workers Travel Association (WTA).
Dunraven Castle
For a few brief years Dunraven Castle was leased to the WTA but its condition deteriorated and it was later demolished by the landowners. On his arrival at Dunraven, Chris recalled the warning to all children not to access the beach unaccompanied by the zigzag path. Of course this was a challenge met with relish by a group of intrepid children arriving at the beach at high tide as the waves hammered against the rocks. This visceral experience was beyond his suburban life in South London and the occasional visit to the genteel South Coast. Its memory still lingers and Chris returned to South Wales as a student in 1967 and persuaded a friend to drive him to Southerndown to explore the coast. At that time the Dunraven Estate had fallen into disrepair with the trees salt burned to a ghostly white and the castle reduced to rubble.
Further visits ensued over the years and in 1974 Chris was appointed as a planning officer with the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
© Copyright Stephen McKay
Among the projects he contributed to was the preparation of a management plan for the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, one of three pilot projects trialled by the then Countryside Commission. Although the Dunraven Estate was in the adjoining Ogwr Council area a joint working party of officers identified a boundary for the pilot project and carried out public consultation across South and Mid Glamorgan, and the respective local authorities adopted the management plan some 50 years ago. Key to the work was the the enthusiastic Heritage Coast Officer, John Howden, and John Sienkiewicz a charismatic civil servant whose challenge was to improve access, remove eyesores and provide information on the natural attractions of three coastal areas: Suffolk, Purbeck (Dorset) and Glamorgan. Cooperation and teamwork were the order of the day which provided a basis for conflict resolution and positive intervention in the countryside. Heritage Coasts were subsequently rolled out across England and Wales. The work to conserve the natural undeveloped character of the coastal scenery and protect and enhance its natural resources continues to this day.
The Friends of Glamorgan Heritage Coast is a non-profit charity which helps to conserve the coastline through fundraising and volunteering. A small grants programme has been launched by the Friends and offers grants of £500-£3000 to support practical projects that protect, maintain and enhance the unique character of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast. Apply for details at email below.
Why not become a member of the Friends of Glamorgan Heritage Coast : contact@foghc.org.uk
The AGM of the organisation takes place on Saturday 25 July 11am at the Heritage Coast Centre, Dunraven Park CF32 0RP
Duneland: a year in Kenfig by Kristian Evans is available from SUSSED Porthcawl