Books & Poetry

FROM BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

An insightful new book explores the fascinating past of Wales’ fi rst specialist mental hospital

Victorian Asylum is the fi rst of three volumes covering the history of North Wales Hospital, or the North Wales Asylum for the Insane as it was once known. Written by former nursing manager Clwyd Wynne, it covers the years from the hospital’s founding in 1848 to the end of the Writer Clwyd Wynne is chairman of the North Wales Hospital Historical Society and 19th century. Clwyd, now 74, also chairman of Vale of Clwyd MIND began his career as a 19-year-old nursing assistant at the hospital in 1965 and worked there for 30 years. He welcomed the recent news that the building is to be restored as part of a major redevelopment by contractors Jones Bros.

Hard times

Painstakingly researched, the book tells of the dreadful conditions in which inmates were often kept. Some were admitted after being judged insane by their families. Many were transferred from the workhouse, since the hospital was a cheaper option for the authorities. In 1948, when it opened, there were 200 patients; by 1890 the number had trebled.

Clwyd said: “Life was very hard for poor people at this time, and here they had regular meals and sanitary conditions. There were a lot with severe mental illnesses and people with learning disabilities. Epilepsy was considered a mental illness. There were children as young as six, and pregnant women whose babies were born in the hospital. There were also a number of private patients whose fees were paid for by their families, which helped to subsidise the hospital.”

2

“Treatment was experimental and sometimes horrifi c”

1. Hospital matron Miss Pugh, late 19th century 2. Dr Richard Lloyd Williams of Denbigh, who played a leading role in setting up and running the hospital 3. Matron Catherine Parry and colleagues with Dr Llewellyn Cox about 1900. Pictures courtesy of the North Wales Hospital Historical Society.

Care and friendship

A strict regime consisted simply of work and recreation. “It wasn’t until the 1920s that very rudimentary treatment was introduced, but it was experimental and sometimes horrifi c,” said Clwyd. “This was the case until the NHS was founded in 1948, but from then on the hospital had a very high reputation for the care and treatment it provided. The people of Denbigh were accepting of the patients, and strong friendships were forged. The hospital was a big employer and many families worked there for generations.”

The book is packed with illustrations, many found during recent work. One cache included photos dating back to the 1870s. “We were gobsmacked,” said Clwyd. “No-one knew they were there.” Victorian Asylum is published by Fineline of Clwyd Street, Ruthin, and is available for £13.95 from Denbigh Museum, or by pre-order for £11.95 from Clwyd at denbigharchive@gmail.com

BOOK EVENTS

Working Out What’s Worth Writing About – a masterclass with Guy Stagg, Gladstone’s Library, Hawarden. 26th November, 10am-3pm

How do you know whether a personal experience is worth writing about? How to put it on the page? How best to convey it to a reader? In this masterclass participants will use everyday items and their own memories in a series of creative exercises designed to get you thinking – and writing – in vivid detail.

Stagg is a writer and journalist. After a turbulent period in his life he decided to walk to Jerusalem in what would turn out to be a 10-month pilgrimage via Rome and Istanbul. His account of this journey, The Crossway (2018), was awarded the Edward Stanford Travel Memoir of the Year in 2019.

The Gods Are All Here – storytelling event with Phil Okwedy, Theatr Clwyd, Mold. 24th November, 7.45pm

Sparked by the discovery of a series of letters from his father in Nigeria to his mother in Wales, The Gods Are All Here is a compelling, funny and warm, one-man performance from fi rst-class storyteller Phil Okwedy. This captivating show skilfully weaves myth, song, folktales and legends of the African diaspora with an astonishing personal story that uncovers Phil’s experiences of growing up as a child of dual heritage in 1960s and ’70s Wales.

Exploring equality, freedom, racism, family and growing up without your birth parents, The Gods Are All Here is both timeless and very much a story of now.

Chester Literature Festival 2022, 10th-25th November, Storyhouse, Chester

Chester’s annual celebration of the written word will fi ll Storyhouse with two weeks of unmissable events, performances and conversation. Special guests include writers, poets, actors and broadcasters from David Harewood, Lemn Sissay and Kit de Waal to Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan, Clare Mackintosh and Patrick Gale.

Aspiring writers will enjoy the debut writers’ panel and fl ash fi ction events. There are free sessions to help you fi nd your next great read; go on a blind date with a book or come along to the book pharmacy for a literary remedy for your maladies. With a bumper programme of brilliant authors, workshops, panel discussions, performances and themed events there’s something for everyone.

To accompany the dark nights of winter, our friends at Linghams Booksellers in Heswall recommend a couple of historical reads with sinister twists and turns…

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

This beautifully written and illustrated book tells the tale of Gabriel de Leon, captured and captured and tortured by the vampires he has been hunting all his life. It has been 27 years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; have waged war against humanity; building their empire even as they tear building their empire even as they tear down our own. Now only a few sparks of light endure. Gabriel de Leon, half man, half monster and last remaining silversaint – a sworn brother of the holy Silver Order dedicated to defending the realm – is all that stands between the world and its end. Imprisoned by the monsters he vowed to destroy, he is forced to tell his story.

A tale of battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope: the Holy Grail.

The Women of Troy The Women of Troy

by Pat Barker by Pat Barker This is the sequel to is the sequel to the excellent The the excellent Silence of the Girls, Silence of the Girls and continues the and continues the story of Queen story of Queen Briseis who had Briseis who had been held captive been held captive as a slave by the as a slave by the Greeks since the Greeks since the loss of her city loss of her city and murder of her and murder of her husband. Now husband. Now Troy has fallen. Troy has fallen. The Greeks can sail home as victors – but The Greeks can sail home as victors – but the wind has vanished, the seas becalmed the wind has vanished, the seas becalmed by the gods, and so the warriors remain in by the gods, and so the warriors remain in limbo, camped in the shadow of the city, kept company by the women they stole from it. The women of Troy.

Helen, poor Helen. All that beauty. Cassandra, who has learned not to be too attached to her own prophecies. Stubborn Amina, determined to avenge the slaughter of her king. Hecuba, howling and clawing her cheeks on the shore. And Briseis, carrying the unborn child of the dead hero Achilles. Once again caught up in the disputes of violent men. Once again faced with the chance to shape history.

An Invitation by Norman Marshall

Some men dream then walk, Others sit and drink, Some simply do the talk But few really think. Now one man sees his land Across a pale blue plain, Far from outstretched hand And few there complain. I have my invitation To go and seek, To fi nd my own destination Is not for idlers or the weak. I go with my own character Leaving only print and mark, But if you read my chapter You might fi nd a spark. Follow not others And be your own man, Beware of crowding brothers And those without a plan

Guardian Angel by Rob Challinor

Your guardian angel looks down from above Watching over you with care, devotion and love. Your angel follows you by day and by night She hides in the shadows and her spirit is bright She holds up a candle to show you the way And is right there beside you at night when you lay Your angel she watches your every move And in God’s great eyes you have nothing to prove God has sent you your angel and thankfully we pray The identity of which is your mum,

Betty Mai The gift that is given is a sign of her love And is a message that she is watching from high up above

The Seal by Michael Burns

A denizen from another world is he; the tide has turned, now swiftly fl owing out, when from a swirling pool, up comes his snout; he pauses for a moment, looks at me, then dives deep down, his back arched gracefully; I’m frozen to the spot… I almost doubt what I have seen! –“Come up again,” I shout, “I am your friend.” – In vain, of course, my plea. I’ve seen him, or his like, here once before: it must have been a year or two ago, and I am sure it was this very spot, for frequently I walk along this shore; the names of all the sea birds, well I know… yet when to come and see him, I know not!

We want your poems!

Share your creativity – we print our favourite poems every issue. Send them to Poetry Page, Shire, PO Box 276, Oswestry, Shropshire SY10 1FR or email editorial@ shiremagazine.co.uk.

A FINE FOLLOW-UP

Local author Gerald Jones has a new read out in time for Christmas. A sequel to The Consequence, Sam takes up where his previous novel fi nished, with Sam – eldest son of Jim and Violet of Jim and Violet Pryce – striking Pryce – striking out on his own across the pond to make his fortune in New York.

Welshman Gerald used his Welshman Gerald used his extensive local knowledge to make sure the historical details of his fi rst story, set in Llandyssil, were accurate. The setting here is no less vivid. The Roaring ’20s are upon us and in America it’s a time of huge change. With the Great War over, the young are seeking to carve out a new life far removed from the men who fell in the trenches and the women who wept for a generation. Sam, who has never been further than the horizon he could see from the hills of his home, is o to pursue his destiny. Will he ever return to Wales? Will he fi nd the love of his life? Read and fi nd out!

Sam is available direct from the author: g.jones47@hotmail.co.uk

Calling local authors…

If you live in the Shire area or have written about a local person or place we’d love to feature you. Email editorial@shiremagazine.co.uk

PUZZLE TIME

Rearrange the highlighted letters to fi nd the name of a market town in the Dyfi Valley

Sudoku

Di culty: medium

Across

7 George ____, pen name of Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin (4) 8 Treatise by Niccolò Machiavelli (3,6) 9 & 2 Down A uent village which has attracted footballers including Rio Ferdinand and David Beckham (8,4) 10 Electrically powered vehicle with two wheels (6) 11 Web portal and various services for Windows, fi rst launched in 1995 (3) 12 The Sun Also ____, 1926 novel by Ernest Hemingway (5) 13 Carry On ____, 1964 fi lm with Kenneth Williams as Julius Caesar (4) 15 How Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller are described in the title of a book by Charles R. Morris (7) 17 Early 18th-century French Rococo artist (7) 19 Constance ____, fl orist and educator who co-invented coronation chicken (4) 21 Historical artifact of religious signifi cance (5) 24 A river in Shropshire, or a river in Birmingham (3) 25 Dye used in the production of denim (6) 27 Cheshire market town at the northern end of the Sandstone Trail (8) 29 Eponymous system of geometry described in the Elements (9) 30 The heaviest sword used in fencing (4)

Down

1 Town at the mouth of the River Mersey (8) 2 See 9 Across 3 Castle on the coast of Fife where Mary, Queen of Scots met her second husband, Lord Darnley (6) 4 Body of water in which Anglesey is the largest island (5,3) 5 One of the Mechanicals in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, or a small room in a pub (4) 6 Triple-bodied Greek goddess associated with doorways, crossroads and magic (6) 8 Wat ____, leader of the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381 (5) 13 Roman senator and orator who opposed Julius Caesar (4) 14 Tributary of the Mersey that rises near Peckforton Castle (4) 16 A drug that has numbing or paralysing qualities (8) 18 Konrad ____, fi rst chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (8) 20 Playwright who wrote The Birthday Party (6) 22 River that fl ows through the centre of Dublin (6) 23 The ____, TV drama series that featured Claire Foy and Olivia Colman in the same role (5) 26 The Seven Year ____, 1955 rom-com starring Marilyn Monroe (4) 28 A prophet or diviner (4)

Sudoku rules

1. Every square has to contain a single number. 2. Only numbers 1 to 9 can be used. 3. Each 3×3 box can only contain each number from 1 to 9 once. 4. Each row and column can only contain each number from 1 to 9 once.

ANSWERS

The highlighted letters when rearranged spell MACHYNLLETH

28 Seer 26 Itch 23 Crown 22 Li ey

5 Snug 4 Irish Sea 3 Wemyss 2 Edge 1 Wallasey

21 Relic 19 Spry 17 Watteau 15 Tycoons 13 Cleo

20 Pinter

Down

12 Rises

18 Adenauer 16 Narcotic 14 Gowy 13 Cato 8 Tyler 6 Hecate

30 Épée 29 Euclidean 27 Frodsham 25 Indigo 24 Rea 11 MSN 10 Segway 9 Alderley 8 The Prince 7 Sand

Across

Alice Leetham is a writer and puzzle maker from Cheshire. She works in the fi ntech industry and also enjoys creating quizzes and cryptic crosswords. Contact: alice@downstream.co.uk