The Insoles of Llandaff and their mansion, Insole Court

The Insole Family Tree

It’s not often that a talk is presented by a man who has been dead for nearly 100 years, but that was the experience of the History Group members at the March 2015 meeting. John Prior-Morris, suitably attired in the guise of Fred Insole, a member of the Insole family during its heyday, gave a lecture that proved to be a fascinating, amusing and informative history of the Industrial Revolution in South Wales, its premier product, steam coal, and the benefits accrued by the Insole family as pit owners and coal merchants over three generations, commencing with George Insole in the 18th Century.

John Prior-Morris (guest speaker)

John Prior-Morris as Fred Insole

Coal mining activities at Cymmer in the Rhondda, and elsewhere, as well as an interest in the development of Barry Docks, produced the wealth that enabled Fred’s father, James Insole, to transform his small country house into “the grandest house in Llandaff” by the end of the 19th Century; Insole Court even had flushing toilets!

The Edwardian period was a golden age for the house with its superb gardens and large staff. When he took possession, Fred remodelled the building over the period 1906-1909, changing Victorian Gothic style to English Renaissance.

Our speaker, Fred Insole, died in 1917 and the estate passed to his son, Claude, an Army officer who was killed in action a year later. These were not only devastating personal events for the family, but meant two charges of death duty were levied on the estate, a financial disaster.

The family fortunes plummeted and in 1932, threatened by the building of Western Avenue which would split the estate, the house and gardens were sold to Cardiff Corporation. The last Insoles vacated the mansion in 1938.

Insole Court remains a Victorian mansion hidden in the heart of Cardiff and, now under the stewardship of the Insole Court Trust for the benefit of the community, is undergoing a multi-million renovation due for completion later in 2015.

Make a note to visit the house when it re-opens!

Steve Monaghan