The hugely destructive First World War ended in 1918 - a conflict which had taken a terrible toll on the population and the economy. After a short period of post-war recovery, 1924 saw the start of 15 years of struggle and hardship for large sections of the population, and the beginning of a long, slow, economic decline from which South Wales, like many other post-industrial areas, has never fully recovered.  

100 years ago Pontypridd was a hub of interconnected transport networks. On average there were 450-500 trains a day passing through Pontypridd Central station (the town had two other stations until 1930!), transporting raw materials, consumer goods and passengers. Many people worked more locally and reached their workplace on foot or by bus or tram. Nowadays much commercial rail transport has moved to road, and over 83% of personal journeys are made by car. 

The stuff people own has also changed in the past 100 years. We can even see this in the Museum! What would people from the 1920’s think about some of the things we choose to have in the collection, such as postcards, payslips and flat irons? How should we decide today what is important enough to preserve, and what could otherwise be reused, upcycled, or disposed of?