Following the decline in industrial activity and usefulness of the docks, Barry lost several streets and buildings to redevelopment, breaking up a number of close-knit communities. Mentioned here is a Colonial Club, which served as a place to which coloured seamen could go and socialise over cards, share music and enjoy a drink.
The loss of this community is grieved by those being interviewed in the video, and we see how integral the community was to the growth and development of Barry at the beginning of the 20th Century.
“On those couple of streets, Barry was built.”
“In the Same Boat”, 1990
Oral history interviews with residents of Barry, discussing the cultural development and many diverse aspects of society from the beginning of the 20th Century until 1990. This short film has been divided into 7 parts, each of which deals with a different aspect of life in Barry’s society.
Interviewees:
Phyllis Caldwell, Maureen Flipse, Pini Hicks, Violet Jones, Frossini Moran, Johnny Palmer, Gwen Payne, Elsie Phipps, Betty Pring and Ronnie Smith.