The Boys Village
The Boys Village Opened on August 8, 1925, the inspiration coming from philanthropist David Davies, 1st Baron Davies of Llandinam and president of the Ocean Coal Company and his Welfare Officer Captain J. Glynn Jones, co-founders of the Boys' Clubs of Wales to build a holiday camp for the sons of miners from the South Wales Coalfield. The camp offered them an escape from the polluted and unhealthy atmosphere of Valleys industrial towns and a place to play and be free, as well as being close to the nearby beach.
The buildings included a dining hall, dormitories, a gym, swimming pool, workshops and a church. There was also a full-sized cricket pitch, putting green, tennis courts, football and rugby grounds and a pavilion. A War Memorial in the centre of the complex commemorated men from the coalfields who had lost their lives in the two World Wars.
Boys Village in its Heyday
During the 2nd World War the camp was requisitioned for military use but returned to civilian use in 1946. In 1962, the centre was refurbished and a youth hostel opened on site as well as facilities for teaching work-related skills such as mechanical engineering.
Use of the village declined with the growth of cheap holidays abroad and the decline in coal mining in the Welsh valleys. In 1990, the Boys' Clubs of Wales, the organisation responsible for running the camp, went into administration, forcing the site's closure. After closure, the site was used for residential Bible courses by various church groups for a short period but has subsequently fallen into deriliction, the victim of arson and vandalism.
Occasionally in more recent years the village has been used as a backdrop for music videos by bands including Funeral For A Friend, Deaf Havana and Brutality Will Prevail. Sadly today it is an overgrown and delapidated ruin with no part of the village accessible to visitors.
The derilict Boys Village today
The Cache
The cache is a small pot hidden at the village boundary by the security gates. Parking for one or two vehicles is available at GZ. Please bring your own writing implement.
PLEASE NOTE THAT BOY'S VILLAGE IS PRIVATE PROPERTY AND ALTHOUGH THE BUILDINGS ARE ACCESSIBLE THERE IS NO RIGHT OF ACCESS. ENTRY IS ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Congratulations to FFINITEE - FTF