# 1987 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1987 to Wales and its people.

## Incumbents

* Secretary of State for Wales – Nicholas Edwards (until 13 June); Peter Walker
* Archbishop of Wales – George Noakes, Bishop of St David's (elected)
* Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
** Elerydd (outgoing)
** Emrys Deudraeth (incoming)

## Events

* 12 January - The lowest daytime maximum temperature ever recorded in Wales (-8.0 °C) is recorded at Trecastle, Powys.
* 12 February - The Roman Catholic Church in Wales creates a new Diocese of Wrexham and moves the Diocese of Menevia to Swansea.
* 5 March - The High Court declares Dorothy Squires a vexatious litigant.
* 15 March - Roy Jenkins is elected Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
* 14 April - Oakwood Leisure Park opens near Narberth, Pembrokeshire.
* 7 May - District council elections take place across Wales (and England). The Conservatives lose control of Cardiff City Council.
* 24 May - Neil Kinnock is interviewed by David Frost about Labour's defence policy and plans for government.
* 28 May - The Mametz Wood Memorial, sculpted by David Petersen, is unveiled in Cardiff.
* 11 June - In the general election
** Plaid Cymru's Ieuan Wyn Jones wins the seat of Ynys Môn from the Conservatives. Plaid retain their other two parliamentary seats.
** Alun Michael replaces James Callaghan as MP for Cardiff South.
** Labour's Paul Flynn wins back Newport West from the Conservatives.
* 11 July - The Mametz Wood Memorial is dedicated at the site of the Royal Welch Fusiliers battle of 1916 in France.
* 5 October - Keith Best, former Conservative MP for Ynys Môn, having been sentenced to four months' imprisonment for share-dealing activities, has his sentence quashed by the Court of Appeal after serving five days.
* 19 October - Four people are killed in the Glanrhyd Bridge collapse, when a train falls into the swollen River Tywi, as a result of the flooding that affects many parts of Wales.
* 20 November - Roy Jenkins becomes Baron Jenkins of Hillhead.
* 22 November - The Welsh language is used within the Vatican for the first time on an official occasion, as part of a beatification ceremony for three Welsh martyrs.
* date unknown
** Creation of the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation.
** Chris Loyn establishes the architectural practice Loyn & Co in Penarth.
** The National Trust buys Dinefwr Park in Llandeilo, including the deer park.

## Arts and literature

* Jim Burns becomes the first non-American to win the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist.

### Awards

* National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Porthmadog)
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Ieuan Wyn
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - John Griffith Jones
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Margiad Williams

### New books
#### English language

* Dannie Abse - Ask the Bloody Horse
* Rees Davies - Wales: The Age Of Conquest, 1063-1415
* Stephen Gregory - The Cormorant
* Douglas Houston - With the Offal Eaters
* J. Beverley Smith - Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
* Frances Thomas - Seeing Things
* Peter Thomas - Strangers from a Secret Land
* R. S. Thomas - Welsh Airs

#### Welsh language

* Euros Bowen - Oes y Medwsa
* T. Glynne Davies - Cerddi
* Dafydd Glyn Jones - Drych yr Amseroedd
* Nesta Wyn Jones - Rhwng Chwerthin a Chrio
* Alan Llwyd - Barddoniaeth y Chwedegau
* Gwylon Phillips - Llofruddiaeth Shadrach Lewis
* Rhydwen Williams - Amser i Wylo

### Music

* 3 December - Indian classical musician Ram Narayan records his album Rag Lalit at Wyastone Leys near Monmouth.
* MusicFest Aberystwyth is founded by cellist Nicholas Jones.
* The Alarm - Eye Of The Hurricane (album)
* Anrhefn - Defaid Skateboard a Wellies
* Y Cyrff - Y Testament Newydd (EP)
* Frank Hennessy - Thoughts and Memories (album)
* Karl Wallinger - Private Revolution (album)

## Film

* Timothy Dalton makes his debut as James Bond in The Living Daylights.
* On the Black Hill, adapted from the novel by Bruce Chatwin and set in Wales, stars Bob Peck, Gemma Jones and Mike Gwilym.

## Broadcasting
### English-language radio

* John Humphrys becomes a regular presenter on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

### Welsh-language television

* Ioan Gruffudd joins the cast of Pobol y Cwm.

## Sport

* BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year - Ian Woosnam.
* Golf - David Llewellyn and Ian Woosnam win golf's World Cup in Hawaii.
* Rugby union
** Wales finish 4th in the 1987 Five Nations Championship with just a single win, over England.
** Wales finish third, their best ever position, in the first Rugby World Cup.
** 5 April - Pontypool Park hosts the first international for the Wales women's national rugby union team who lose 22–4 to England.
* Skiing - Dry ski slope opened on the Great Orme at Llandudno.

## Births

* 9 January - Bradley Davies, rugby union player
* 21 January - Joe Ledley, footballer
* 24 January - Wayne Hennessey, footballer
* 14 February - Lee Selby, World champion boxer
* 24 March - Rob Davies, footballer
* 27 March - Adam Davies, footballer
* April - Hannah Stone, harpist
* 8 May - Aneurin Barnard, actor
* 23 August - Alexandra Roach, actress
* 4 September - Mike O'Shea, cricketer
* 29 September - Claire Williams, athlete
* 21 October - Steph Davies, cricketer
* 30 November - Victoria Thornley, Olympic rower

## Deaths

* 5 January - Brinley Williams, Wales dual-code rugby international, 91
* 21 January - Donald Holroyde Hey, chemist, 83
* 4 February - Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, writer and broadcaster, 78
* 7 March - E. D. Jones, librarian, 83
* 4 April - Richard Ithamar Aaron, philosopher, 85
* 13 April - Alfred Evans, Labour MP, 73
* 19 April - Stan Richards, footballer, 70
* 22 May - Keidrych Rhys, poet and editor
* 22 June - William Price, footballer, 83
* 20 August - Dorothy Rees, politician, 89
* 4 September - Richard Marquand, film director, 49 (stroke)
* 11 September - Hugh David, television director, 62
* 25 September - Emlyn Williams, dramatist and actor, 81
* 5 November - Howard Davies, rugby player, 70
* date unknown - Clifford Williams, politician, Labour MP for Abertillery 1965–1970