Vanished Wales returns with new series telling the stories behind lost landmarks

A new series of Vanished Wales will return to screens this Friday, shining a light on historic Welsh landmarks, communities and buildings that have disappeared within living memory.

The six-part series, airing on ITV Cymru Wales and streaming on ITVX, once again follows presenter Adeola Dewis as she travels the length and breadth of the country uncovering remarkable stories behind some of Wales’ most significant lost sites.

Across the new episodes, Dewis explores 18 pieces of Welsh history erased by development, war, industrial decline or changing fashions.

From shipyards and toymaking factories to demolished villages, gothic mansions and murals, the programme documents a past that has been built over, replaced or forgotten.

This year’s series includes the story of Temperance Town, a tightly knit Cardiff district flattened to make way for a grand boulevard approach to the city centre; the Chartist mural in Newport, destroyed in 2013 despite national outcry; and Merthyr Tydfil’s Tri-ang toy factory, once a major postwar employer.

Other episodes revisit lost seaside attractions including Deganwy Bathing Pool, and explore industries whose closure reshaped communities, such as Saunders-Roe, the Anglesey engineering works where flying boats and hovercraft were once built.

Reflecting on what has vanished and why it matters, Dewis said the series reveals how communities connect to their surroundings.

“Our physical heritage says something about a place, a people and their connection,” she said. “These lost landmarks have left gaping spaces, not just in our environment but most importantly in the hearts of our communities.”

Series producer Carwyn Jones said the programme celebrates what has gone.

“These programmes showcase the beauty that was once in our back yard – incredible feats of engineering, stunning architectural gems and traditional tight-knit communities,” he said. “They were the pride of our nation.”

The new series of Vanished Wales begins on Friday January 9th at 7pm on ITV Cymru Wales.