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During the early days of our exploring adventures, the Urbex Photography team would visit the former St. Athan’s Boys Village on a regular basis. Partly to feed our addiction for anything derelict but also to test out new camera equipment and photography techniques. Our last visit was Circa 2014, shortly after the site was purchased and redevelopment had began.
Now 8 years on, we drove past hoping to see a newly developed property being well maintained. Unfortunately though, we were left saddened with the reality that this site has truly been left to crumble away.
St. Athan’s Boys Village…
Visit Date: October 2022
Our visit was on a typical Welsh day, very cold and lots of rain! We also had the unfortunate luck of being on site with a group of youths that ended up attracting the attention of the local Police.
Since our previous visit, buildings have crumbled away, there’s more vandalism and a fire in 2016 destroyed the very little that remained at this once popular and happy holiday park.
You can see all of our images from this location within the gallery below. All of our images are available to purchase in both printed and digital format, for more information, please contact us.
St. Athan’s Boys Village was officially opened on the 8th August 1925 with the purpose of providing the sons of miners with an escape from the polluted and unhealthy atmosphere of Valleys industrial towns.
In its prime, the Boys Village included a swimming pool, dining hall, workshops, church, dormitories and a gym, along with various administration buildings and a caretakers house.
The holiday village was requisitioned in 1940 for military use but saw its return to civilian use in 1946. In 1962, the village was refurbished and a youth hostel opened on site as well as facilities for teaching work related skills.
In the years that followed, use of St. Athan’s Boys Village declined as the growth of cheap holidays abroad boomed and the decline of coal mining in Wales.
Sadly in 1990, the Boys’ Clubs of Wales, the organisation responsible for running the complex, went into administration forcing the sites closure.
Despite having various uses between 1990 and 2008, it was soon left empty and became
a prime site for air soft enthusiasts but sadly with no on-
Between 2008 and 2022, there have been various fires forcing the demolition of several buildings of this once happy village.
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