The perfectly preserved A S Ockwell Ltd automotive garage located outside of Cardiff in Peterstone Super Ely, is a working garage offering a wide range of services.

A.S. Ockwell Ltd. Garage Peterstone-Super-Ely

September 25, 2022

After visiting the awesome Spring edition of Barryfornia in May, I took the scenic route back and ended up travelling through the small village of Peterstone-Super-Ely, where I was greeted by this wonderful garage and its vintage petroliana artefacts.

With its enamel signs, and original petrol pumps still on display, this garage gives a great insight into automotive garages from times past. Brands on display include Castrol, Duckhams, British Petroleum and Shell among many more, it’s a great place to visit, for anyone interested in seeing how garages used to look in the UK.

The old Pioneer automotive garage located between Cardigan and Poppit Sands, is now an abandoned building but one that would have once been a busy workshop serving petrol back in its heyday. I adore the patina and vintage pieces still on display, giving us a reminder of a quieter and slower paced time.

Old Pioneer Garage

August 22, 2021

Automotive garages such as this were once a common site in villages and towns up and down the country, but are now few and far between, with many have been knocked down or repurposed for other ventures, but if you look hard enough some still remain.

The Pioneer garage featured here was spotted on a recent road trip I made travelling from Cardigan on the way to Poppit Sands along the St Dogmaels road. Having driven past it I instantly made the decision that I had to stop and photograph it on the way back due to the strength of its photographic appeal.

The old Cwm Coke Works located in Tynant, RCT is a large scale abandoned site that now provides interesting subject matter for photography. This is the giant and imposing concrete coal bunker.

Abandoned Cwm Coke Works

August 11, 2021

The now abdanoned Cwm Coke works site is an impressive, historical reminder of the hard, dirty work that was carried out through much of the Welsh valleys in its proud coal mining heyday.

After watching a youtube photography video that focussed on the site by an American photographer, I felt compelled to give the Cwm site a visit for myself, and although no longer accessible through legal means, the exterior provides some great photo opportunities especially when explored with a lens with a decent reach.

I was lucky enough to test out the Canon R6 during this weekend and pair it with a number of different RF glass, including the RF 24-105mm f4 L series, RF 50mm 1.8 STM lens and the RF 600mm f11 IS STM lens.

Wildings was a well known and established department store with a traditional shopping experience, much loved in Newport since 1874.

Wildings department store

August 7, 2021

What I have captured here is a small reminder that is still present today. It’s an awesome piece of signage that probably welcomed delivery drivers since the 1980’s or 90’s judging by it’s style. I love its age and patina which for me visually represents the tough times and ending that the store went through.

This is a nice visual urban piece which appeals to me as a photography subject, with the vibrant, but distressed teal painted doors present in the photos providing a nice juxtaposition between the industrial brick walls and the small hint outlined by the signage that there was a vibrant and successful business that thrived here for many years.

I captured a quick succession of photos on my Canon 5D MKii paired with a Tamron 24-70 f2.8 lens which led to an enjoyable 15 minute project that has spurred me into capturing and documenting more subjects like this going forward.