1897 in Wales

← 1896 1895 1894 1897 in Wales → 1898 1899 1900
Centuries:	17th 18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1897 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1897 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales — The Prince Albert Edward, son of Queen Victoria
• Princess of Wales — Alexandra of Denmark
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales — Hwfa Môn

Events

• January — Sir Owen Morgan Edwards founds the periodical Heddyw, published in Wrexham.
• 9 April — The Snowdon Mountain Railway resumes operation, a year after a fatal accident on its maiden run.
• c. May — The Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway opens.
• 13 May — Guglielmo Marconi sends the first ever wireless communication over water, from Lavernock Point to Flat Holm.
• 20 June — Celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee is muted in Nonconformist parts of Wales, as the date falls on a Sunday.
• November — Four Customs officers are rescued from the River Usk, near Newport's Alexandra Dock pier-head after their boat capsizes.
• Completion of the first Jubilee Bridge (Queensferry) across the River Dee.
• Opening of the Tal-y-cafn Bridge across the River Conwy.
• Roller coaster erected on Barry Island, origin of Barry Island Pleasure Park.
• Opening of the Grand Theatre, Swansea.
• Construction of Pierhead Building as offices for Cardiff Docks.
• Weaver's Mill, Swansea, becomes the first building in the UK to be constructed from reinforced concrete, by L. G. Mouchel of Briton Ferry.
• Merthyr Tydfil is refused a town charter; it is eventually granted one in 1905.
• Opening of the Canterbury Building at St David's College, Lampeter (demolished in 1971).
• Edgeworth David leads the Royal Society's expedition to the coral atoll of Funafuti.
• Opening of Llanfyllin County School. Politician Clement Davies is one of the first pupils.

Arts and literature

Awards

National Eisteddfod of Wales — held at Newport

• Chair — John Thomas Job
• Crown — Thomas Mafonwy Davies

New books

• Caniadau Cymru (anthology)
• John Cadvan Davies — Caneuon Cadvan
• Alfred Neobard Palmer — Owen Tanat
• Ellis Pierce — Teulu'r Gilfach
• Owen Rhoscomyl — The White Rose of Arno
• John William Willis-Bund — The Celtic Church of Wales

Music

• Walford Davies — Overture in D minor
• Llyfr Hymnau a Thonau y Methodistiaid Calfinaidd (collection of hymns)

Film

• Arthur Cheetham begins making films in Wales.

Sport

• Rugby Union — Due to an argument with the International Football Rugby Board the Welsh Rugby Union withdraws from the organisation and Wales do not play international rugby for 12 months.
• Swimming — The Welsh Amateur Swimming Association is founded. The first Welsh championships take place, with events for men only.

Births

• 3 April — Frank Evans, dual-code international rugby player (died 1972)
• 5 April — Ness Edwards, politician (died 1968)
• 21 April — Albert Stock, Wales international rugby player (died 1969)
• 22 June — Kathleen Freeman, classical scholar (died 1959)
• 21 August — Victor Nash-Williams, archaeologist (died 1955)
• 28 September — Harry Beadles, Wales international footballer (died 1958)
• 15 November — Aneurin Bevan, politician (died 1960)
• 31 December — Rhys Williams, politician (died 1969)

Deaths

• 14 January — William Basil Jones, Bishop of St David's, 75
• 3 February — David Pugh Evans, songwriter, 31
• 1 April — William Gwynn, Rugby union international
• 12 May — Thomas Llewellyn Thomas, linguist, 56
• 6 September — Thomas Rees Morgan, engineer, 63
• 8 September — James Milo Griffith, sculptor, 54
• 16 September — Edward Edwards (Pencerdd Ceredigion), musician, 83
• 20 September — Hugh Morris, footballer, 25
• 15 October — Charles John Vaughan, former Dean of Llandaff, 81
• 2 December — Thomas Lewis, politician, 76
• 4 December — Griffith Rhys Jones ("Caradog"), choral conductor, 62
• date unknown — Arthur James Herbert, Quartermaster-General