Robin Weaver’s stunning photos of South Wales in the 1970s capture a different era in Welsh culture – faces and places that are no longer with us, images frozen in time before the onset of the hyper-connected world we live in today.
South Wales 1970s
After leaving Newport College of Art in the 1970s, Robin was a photographer for the South Wales Argus. Aside from his day job, photographing everything from mayoral visits to rugby matches, Robin followed his passion for documentary photography – capturing people’s everyday lives in and around the valleys of South Wales.
“These photographs have developed a special character – a unique sheen imbued by the passage of time. Looking through these photographs today, decades later, I find myself not only in a different time but also in a different country.” – Robin Weaver.
Photo © Robin Weaver, all rights reserved.
Evocative
The images in our gallery below highlight a simple way of life for many living in the Welsh valleys, although it was not without its hardships. In the 1970s, de-industrialisation impacted many in South Wales, including Ebbw Vale Steel Works workers who faced redundancy after their plant closed in 1975.
Photo © Robin Weaver, all rights reserved.
Blaenavon
In Blaenavon, famous for its Big Pit Colliery and Ironworks, Robin documented everyday life in the town and the last residents of the ironworkers’ cottages. The cottages now form part of the Blaenavon Ironworks museum within the UNESCO World Heritage site.”
Photo © Robin Weaver, all rights reserved.
Robin: “I was taking some moody shots of the row of empty cottages when Mr Parfitt (aged 84) came out of one of them. His wife then invited me in for a cup of tea. They were the last residents due to be rehoused, but they were still very proud of their neat and cosy home.”
Photo © Robin Weaver, all rights reserved.
Splott
“The above image was taken at a corner shop in Splott, Cardiff, 1974. It’s one of my favourite photos, full of little details – things you don’t see anymore, like bacon slicers and glass milk bottles. The girl is probably spending her pocket money on a comic and some sweets, and I love the look of pleasure on her face.”
Gallery
Photo © Robin Weaver, all rights reserved.
Photo © Robin Weaver, all rights reserved.
Photo © Robin Weaver, all rights reserved.
Photo © Robin Weaver, all rights reserved.
Photo © Robin Weaver, all rights reserved.
Photo © Robin Weaver, all rights reserved.
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