# Boys Village - St Athans - August 2016



## dirge (Aug 12, 2016)

Founded close to the sea on the outskirts of West Aberthaw in 1925 by the Boys' Club Movement, St Athan was a place for the poorest boys of the mining community to take a week's summer holiday, a chance to be children again.

I must admit, this wasn't very high on my list. This thought of not expecting much quickly changed as I got there. It has a certain charm about it and I bet back in it's heyday it was a fun place to go.​

DSCN0767 by robert boucher, on Flickr


DSCN0771 by robert boucher, on Flickr


DSCN0781 by robert boucher, on Flickr


DSCN0787 by robert boucher, on Flickr


DSCN0819 by robert boucher, on Flickr


DSCN0820 by robert boucher, on Flickr


DSCN0825 by robert boucher, on Flickr


DSCN0804 by robert boucher, on Flickr


DSCN0805 by robert boucher, on Flickr


DSCN0761 by robert boucher, on Flickr


DSCN0763 by robert boucher, on Flickr


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## krela (Aug 12, 2016)

Some really nice photos there!


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## smiler (Aug 12, 2016)

Lovely set of pics, the one with the evening primrose in the foreground was particularly nice, Thanks


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## Rubex (Aug 12, 2016)

Lovely clean photos. Great report


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## tazong (Aug 12, 2016)

some great piccys there bud but that poppy shot i loved - good job


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## andylen (Aug 12, 2016)

Nicely shot. Well done love the church ones. Keep it up .
Need to revisit as memory card failure from past visit.


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## dirge (Aug 12, 2016)

Appreciate the great feedback all.


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## Sam Haltin (Aug 12, 2016)

Nicely done. I, too like the poppy shot.


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## Dawnwarrior (Aug 12, 2016)

Haven't been there for a couple of years. Looking okay though. Some cool, wicked camera angles.


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## mookster (Aug 12, 2016)

Good stuff, some real nice shots there.

Just a little tip, I dunno if this is just my experience from taking photographs or it's the same for others too...you'll look back at all the photos you take at a jaunty angle in a year or so time and wish to god you'd taken them straight.


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## dirge (Aug 12, 2016)

mookster said:


> Good stuff, some real nice shots there.
> 
> Just a little tip, I dunno if this is just my experience from taking photographs or it's the same for others too...you'll look back at all the photos you take at a jaunty angle in a year or so time and wish to god you'd taken them straight.



Yea I may do, just digging the angles at the moment. I tend to do both on most things if I got time, I put most on my flickr account, but pick out a random few for reports.


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## krela (Aug 13, 2016)

mookster said:


> you'll look back at all the photos you take at a jaunty angle in a year or so time and wish to god you'd taken them straight.



Or even better, take both. Best of both worlds then.


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## morrti (Aug 21, 2016)

Great set, and good to see this place is still accessible thought the buildings had been sold off as building plots a few years ago. You've prompted me to pop down there again.


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## radar1954 (Oct 24, 2016)

I remember this place very well - I spent a lot of time there as a child and basically we had the run of the place as we were all from the St Athan boys club. Unfortunately the chap who ran the place was a paedophile who went to jail for touching up boys at the boys club and village. The place never really recovered after the court case and quickly fell into disrepair. It was also used to give elderly couples a break, who would be housed at the village and be mayor and mayoress for the week that they were there. Good and bad memories but the good ones still outshine the bad ones. 
This is possibly why there are tales of bad things happening there.


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## HughieD (Oct 24, 2016)

Blimey...that place has gone. Nice set though...


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## Potter (Oct 30, 2016)

I love how you've done the poppy shots. Those stairs look rather scary without the rails.


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## Scaramanger (Oct 30, 2016)

Shame someone's defaced the JPS Freddie


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