St Helen's Archive

27/08/2026

...In anticipation of the return of first-class rugby to St Helen's, we present a rare image from 146 years ago, when the famous St Helen's ground hosted Wales's first-ever rugby international on home soil. This is the England team, photographed at Henry Chapman's studio on High Street pre-match. The Wales team photo is sadly lost to history, with no known copy existing. Unfortunately, the match was lost to a strong England side, their Australian player Gregory Wade scoring a hat trick of tries as the visitors scored 2 goals and 4 tries to nil. Come to St Helen's in 2026-27 to enjoy more historic occasions. Find out more by searching for PH285 on the St Helen's Archive website, or going to 1882-1883 in Rugby Seasons and Statistics on the menu tabs.

16/08/2026

Now that the Swansea RFC v Plymouth Albion RFC match report is online, here's one from the archive.... The match was played at South Devon Place, Plymouth. The Whites won by 17 points to 5!

Have a look at our website: https://sthelensarchive.wales/s/st-helens-archive/page/home

11/08/2026

11/08/2026

09/08/2026

Before Ospreys Rugby moved to the then Liberty Stadium, St Helen's was all about household names. Of course, from October this will be the case again!

Here we have the archives' latest acquisition, and there are some real gems here... These will eventually be part of a new and improved display in the 1876 Lounge - formerly the St Helen's Lounge.

Keep an eye on the website over the coming weeks for further information. Ospreys in the Community's Sporting Memories group will get to hear all about the items on Tuesday. These items belong to Joseph Ivor Thomas Morris - known as Glyn. We have both his Swansea and Wales caps, a wonderful portrait, and a menu for a gala dinner, fully signed by the 1924- 25 Invincible All Blacks! The keener-eyed may also spot an Aberavon Rugby Club squad photo, as Glyn later played for the Wizards.

30/07/2026

As the Ospreys are set to return to St Helen's, here's a throwback to the inaugural season. Neath-Swansea Ospreys were formed as one of the 'regional' sides, playing out of the Gnoll and St Helen's. Ospreys Rugby's return to St Helen's is very exciting for us at the archive team. You can read more about the now fairly rare jersey here: https://sthelensarchive.wales/s/st-helens-archive/item/8634 #?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-159%2C0%2C3825%2C2338

18/07/2026

This is the 150th jersey that's been posted on our website! It's signed by the former Ireland international, Rhys Ruddock - it was donated to us by former Ireland netball international, Katie Ruddock, Rhys' sister. Katie presented the jersey to us at her last session with Ospreys in the Community, before she left for pastures green...

17/07/2026

St Helen's Archive on the road again. This time we're with the Swansea Age Well group, kindly hosted by the Glynn Vivian Gallery. A really engaging talk about the amazing collection at St Helen's and the stories associated with the items. It's our history, let's celebrate it and learn about it. Look out for our next adventure.

09/07/2026

This is an incredible artefact; it's the long-lost 1898-99 Swansea team that won the first of six Welsh Championships in seven seasons, Swansea RFC's first 'Golden era'!. We were incredibly happy to be allowed to copy it! The original print is owned by the grandson of Livingstone Davies, who appears in the photo. It's also significant because it depicts the reinstated James brothers, who had reluctantly been allowed to play rugby union again after a long hiatus. (You can read more about this using the search facility here: https://sthelensarchive.wales/s/st-helens-archive/page/home). This was the final appearance of Evan and David James as they went north a second time in January!