My little Gnudren,
Unfortunately, Barry Island is not in the New York Times Bestseller volume 1,000 Places You Must See Before You Die. This is a crying shame as it has a rich history and was once listed as a Holy Place.
Let us start at the beginning. Various accounts are given of how this once island, that encapsulates a glorious piece of Welsh cultural history, was so named. According to one 6th century Celtic legend, Saint Baruc drowned in the Bristol Channel when his boat capsized on his way back from Flat Holm Island. He had been sent to retrieve a holy manual. His body was washed up on Whitmore Bay. And so, the island was named after him. One would expect it to be called Baruc Island, but we know that the Welsh have always had problems with spelling, with consonants and vowels appearing in the most unexpected and inconvenient places. Take for example this shocking display of bad spelling in the St. Fagan’s heritage museum of all places:
Anyway, bad spelling apart, Barry Island became a holy place of pilgrimage. But Saint Baruc was not the only dead ‘object’ or be washed up on Barry Island.
This brings us to our second Welsh and possibly Celtic figure of importance who without realising it went one step beyond St. Baruc and transformed death into resurrection!
We speak of course of Saint Dai Woodham (1919-1994)
He arranged for 297 precious steam locomotives to be washed up in his scrapyard by Barry Docks. This, thanks to Doctor Beeching’s death sentenced passed upon them in 1963. Saint Dai also intended to sentence these locomotives to death by the use of a cutting torch. But unexpectedly he did the reverse of what, according to St.Paul, the Mosaic Law was supposed to do: “The commandment which was supposed to bring life led to death.” In Saint Dai’s case what was sentenced to death become a sentence to life! He inadvertently saved 213 of these locomotives which are now alive and well. How did it happen? Well, while he was busy making a fast buck cutting up the easily chopped up metal wagons he’d acquired first, offers came in to purchase the Steam Locos on death row.
St. Baruc reminds us of an unfortunate death. But St. Dai reminds us of the possibility of Resurrection, a commuting of the death sentence, and new life! In addition, St. Dai has brought life, interest and purpose to an estimated 26,000 people – 22,000 volunteers plus 4000 paid – who work on our heritage railways. Some of these workers are presently engaged in clearing embankments so that these snorting steam and fire breathing monsters don’t set the place on fire in this hot weather. 80% of Steam Locomotives on UK Heritage Railways owe their life to St. Dai, their inadvertent saviour.
The sacred site where death resulted in resurrection is now an Asda Superstore, car park and acres of new housing. But there is not one plaque to remind us of this miracle that began there.
(Incidentally, Pope Leo has not canonized St. Dai yet, but I am inclined to put in my bid, convinced he’ll eventually come round.)
But let us finish this discourse on the wonders of the holy place that is called Barry Island with one present day wonder.
You will look in vain for a Costa Coffee shop on the sea front at Whitmore Bay. Obviously, this mighty chain of Coffee dispensers does not think the place worthy of their presence. This has been rectified by an inspired local initiative. You will realise that I speak of the wondrous coffee drinking emporium on the sea front that is called Coastal Coffee!
A fine choice of colours, don’t you think?! Put your hands together for COASTAL COFFEE! Far better quality Coffee, excellent food at less cost than the so called COSTA which lives up to its name, and where one mouth full of food of any sort will set you back 3 or 4 pounds.
But many more are the wonders of Barry Island, how it became one of the first sites of Butlin’s Holiday (holy-day, St. Baruc would have been pleased) Camps and how its beaches are policed to maintain cleanliness, with regular announcements over a PA system as to what they will do to you if you drop litter or any sort of unwanted deposit. They aim to regain their Blue Flag status. But we cannot stop to speak of all these wonders now.
Vetus Pater Gnu
Academiae Musicorum et Theologia
Turris LA
XXII Mensis Iunni MMXXVI