Leisure
For many residents of Caerphilly County Borough the concept of leisure time was, until as recent as the 1950's, rare and deeply cherished. Evidence from 1866, when local shops were instructed to close early during the summer (5 o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon!), illustrates how limited leisure time could be. Indeed farm workers often laboured from dawn to dusk and many of those hours were spent alone. For many, the chapel on Sunday provided company.
The pleasure fair was another place to meet friends and in Caerphilly usually took place in summer. The May Fair on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday drew the pleasure seekers and the August or Great Lammas Fair had gingerbread stalls, Punch and Judy shows (originally called Punch and Joan), shooting saloons and other diversions. Boxing booths were also a feature of Caerphilly's fairs. These fairs could attract unsavoury characters, and Caerphilly had its share of pickpockets and rowdy behaviour.
Foot races were popular in the 1860's at venues such as Nantgarw Road and Pontygwyndy Road. Picnics were another popular summer outing and in August 1861 two thousand people were said to have turned up for an event organised by the Oddfellows Friendly Society. A shilling a head was charged for the picnic, and games included wheelbarrow races and climbing the greasy pole.
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