Who is Nathaniel Wells?

Hidden Presence explores the extraordinary life of Nathaniel Wells, an 18th-19th century nobleman of mixed heritage, son of a wealthy Cardiff merchant & plantation owner and an enslaved woman.

The project will explore the history of his country seat, Piercefield House, Chepstow; the relationship between the sea ports of South Wales and the West Indies; and it will look at a range of issues linked to cultural heritage, identity, citizenship and what it means to be Welsh today.

Hidden Presence is a Ffotogallery project in partnership with Chepstow Museum and the University of the West of England. For more information and documentation please see http://hiddenpresencewales.tumblr.com/.

Collective Portrait of Piercefield House

Piercefield - What Does It Mean To You?

This was a discussion event chaired by Dr Shawn Sobers of University West of England, with Anne Rainsbury, Curator of Chepstow Museum, Ffotogallery and artists Eva Sajovic and Julian Germain.

Experts and artists were joined by local people to explore the rich history of Chepstow's Piercefield House and Walks and learn about one of Piercefield's most notable residents, the 19th century black landowner Nathaniel Wells. This was also an opportunity to share stories, photographs, cuttings and ephemera of the area with other local residents and to consider what will happen to Wells' story now. What is our vision for Piercefields' future?

The collected material has been digitised and added to the archive by the Ffotogallery team, and can be viewed on the website.

The event took place on 11 December 2014 at the Drill Hall, Chepstow.

Collective Portrait of Piercefield House

Piercefield - What Does It Mean To You?

Graphic Recordings of the Event

Hidden Presence Project