THIS year marks the 125th anniversary of Barmouth Sailors’ Institute.

The amazing history of the institute has been researched by secretary of the group, Janet Griffiths.

She has explained what it does and why it came in to being.

“To get more of an idea of the Institute and its beginnings and reason for its existence, I’ll go back in time a little,” she said.

“As late as 1824 there was only one parish church in the Barmouth area – St Mary’s in Llanaber.

“By the time Canon Edward Hughes arrived in Barmouth in 1879, St David’s had been built on the site of an old shipyard. Canon Hughes was well known for his compassion and having his parishioner’s needs at heart, and realised there was a need for a place of rest and relaxation for ‘The people of the Quay’ – a meeting place for mariners in a Temperance atmosphere – and so the Sailors’ Institute and Reading Room was born.”

Janet went on: “Our institute is the last remaining example of this kind of Sailors’ Institute in daily use in Wales. These institutes started with the advent of the railway.

“When the railway came to Barmouth around 1867, a lot of the shipping trade was lost and seafarers had to look further afield for employment."

See this week’s north editions for the full story, in shops and online on Thursday