Various residents recollect the native homes of their fathers, pointing to the multiple nationalities which came to Barry as work in the docks drew people from around the world. This led to a diverse and thriving multicultural community and the establishment of Barry itself.
The massive influx in workers coming from abroad led to a need for boarding houses, many of which appeared and gave good business to the people who owned them. People of a specific nationality very often went to the boarding house which was most likely to be home to others from the same part of the world, leading to close-knit communities and streets which were filled with families from abroad.

“In the Same Boat”, 1990
Oral history interviews with residents of Barry, discussing the cultural development and many diverse aspects of society from the beginning of the 20th Century until 1990. This short film has been divided into 7 parts, each of which deals with a different aspect of life in Barry’s society.
Interviewees:
Phyllis Caldwell, Maureen Flipse, Pini Hicks, Violet Jones, Frossini Moran, Johnny Palmer, Gwen Payne, Elsie Phipps, Betty Pring and Ronnie Smith.