John Cory statue

John doesn't have the greatest vista to look out on these days from where he stands in Gorsedd Gardens, the busy Boulevard De Nantes and the old Dock Feeder canal.  I'm sure when the statue was unveiled in 1906 things would have looked better.  If not John Cory may have had something to say about it as he was apparently there at the unveiling. Most statues of famous people are erected after the person has died but not in this instance.  The work and generosity of this man seems to have outweighed that convention.

So who was John Cory?  It's easy to get a bit confused if you try looking him up as there were two wealthy Cory families in Cardiff at the time and both contained a John Cory.  This particular John Cory, was born in Bideford, Devon in March 1828, son of Richard Cory and his wife Sarah.

The Cory company, originally set up by Richard Cory and then run by his sons was tremendously successful at making money.  They owned coal mines in South Wales, an awful lot of railway wagons, were partly responsible for the development of Barry Docks and owned coal depots across the world.

Source: Wiipedia

Yes they made a lot of money but seemed to specialise in giving away large sums to good causes, many of them closely associated with the church.  John Cory became the leader of the Methodists in Cardiff and gave money to the Salvation Army.  He was an evangelist and closely associated with the Temperance movement in Cardiff

I'm not sure John Cory would have approved of being pictured on a cigarette card.

The Cory's originally lived in a mansion near St Mellons to the NE of Cardiff.  They then purchased land to the west of Cardiff and were responsible for the construction of Duffryn House and its landscape gardens, now in the ownership of National Trust.

 Vaendre Hall near St Mellons, Cardiff

Duffryn House

I associate the name Cory with a building that bore their name.  The Cory Hall stood opposite where Queen Street Stations is now.  It's where I saw my first concert - Ralph McTell in around 1973.  It's long gone now together with the YMCA building that stood next to it and also built from money given by the Cory family.

Cory Hall also called Temperance Hall - I guess it didn't have a bar.
Source: WalesOnline

John Cory died in January 1910.  He is buried in the church in St Nicholas to the west of Cardiff.  It may be hard to get a drink there too as he had the Inn converted to a Temperance Hall.

Source: http://newspapers.library.wales/view/3237976/3237977/22

 So next time you are in the Gorsedd Gardens opposite Cardiff Museum or passing down boulevard de Nantes on a Megabus, take a peep at John there holding his bowler hat in one hand and what is presumably a bible in the other.

Position of Statue. 
Source: Google Maps

Snowdogs of Wales

This autumn sees the appearance Cardiff of some 43 lovely Snowdog sculptures together with 57 Snowdog pups.  They are based on the novel and animated film Snowman and the Snowdog.

Snowdog Plentyn by Cardiff artist Vikki Cornish outside the Central Library

These art trails are all the rage and cities across Europe have been hosting various animal sculptures for some years now.  I think I saw my first ones, cows, in a Swiss city some fifteen years ago now.

The sculptures are made from what I guess is tough glass reinforced polyester.  Their limited display period cleverly ensures they are removed before they get weathered or too damaged.

Pop Pup by Bristol artist Damien Jeffery in Cardiff Central Square.

The Cardiff Snowdog trail is in conjunction with the children's charity Ty Hafan.  The trail serves the purpose of raising awareness of the charity and encourages donations.  Here's the link to the trail: Snowdogs in Wales

The Snowdogs are individually painted by various artists and at the end of their display period are auctioned off in aid of Ty Hafan.  The smaller pups have been painted by local organisations such as schools and guide groups.

The Pups in Central Library.

The trail makes the most of social media, encouraging visitors to post photos of themselves standing next to a Snowdog they like.

Like all works of art I would encourage people to stop and take a real look at them and admire the work that has gone into creating them.  They are certainly tactile in nature and I noticed many passers-by stop and give them a stroke.  People's first instinct these days seems to be to have a picture of themselves taken with one of the sculptures. That's not necessarily a criticism, more just an observation.

Personally, I also get enjoyment from coming home and researching the various artists, looking at their other work online and seeing what thy were trying to express in their Snowdog art.

McCoo by Steven Brown.  

If you have't seen any Steven Brown artwork then I recommend he is well worth a look.

And now time for a confession.  I'm a list man.  There's nothing I like more than working towards completing a list.  Will I get to see all 100 Snowdogs and their pups before they disapear?  The 99p App makes it easier to track progress.  I'll add and extra dimension to my challenge.  I will only use public transport in my quest.

Candy Stripes decorated by ceramic artist Lowri Davies

All 100 Snowdoogs and pups

And so with a couple of weeks to go till the Snowdogs were taken off display I made it.  All 100 Snowdogs and pups visited and only by the use of public transport.  I used the train to reach places like Barry Island and Penarth and the bus to go to Cardiff Airport and some of the parks in Cardiff.  I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, the artwork and the adventure.  Many thanks to all the artists.