Mary Traynor at her easel painting.
Mary Traynor, a Cardiff-based artist and campaigner, died peacefully at home in August 2025, aged 91. She served as Secretary and subsequently Chair of the South Wales Branch of the Victorian Society, and was also a member of Cardiff Civic Society. Mary was passionate about Victorian and Edwardian architecture.
Born in China, Mary studied at Goldsmith’s, Birmingham College of Art and Crafts and Birmingham Repertory Theatre. After moving to Cardiff, she produced illustrations of industrial archaeology and historic buildings for the Western Mail, as well as work for the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff Council and the Wales Tourist Board.
From the late 1960s onwards, Mary recorded buildings in Cardiff and the surrounding area, particularly those threatened with demolition. Her paintings and drawings appeared in numerous exhibitions and provide a valuable record of the changing built environment. Many of her sketches and paintings of Welsh buildings are now held at Glamorgan Archives. Her drawings were also used to illustrate the walking notes produced by the Victorian Society’s Welsh Group.
Cardiff Castle Clock Tower from the bailey by Mary Traynor.
In 2020, Mary published Creating Cardiff: An Artist’s Exploration of the Capital, a richly illustrated account of the city’s history and architecture. All the illustrations were based on sketches made on site. Mary spent much of her life recording Cardiff’s buildings and campaigning to save those under threat. Sadly, some of the buildings featured in her book have since been demolished, making it an important record of the city’s lost architectural heritage.
Cover of Creating Cardiff, Mary Traynor’s book
A fuller obituary will appear in The Victorian.
