Background
Born on 31 August 1835, Richard Glynn Vivian was the seventh child and fourth and youngest son of the nine children of industrialist John Henry Vivian and his wife Sarah, daughter of Arthur Jones, of Reigate.
Born on 31 August 1835, Richard Glynn Vivian was the seventh child and fourth and youngest son of the nine children of industrialist John Henry Vivian and his wife Sarah, daughter of Arthur Jones, of Reigate.
He graduated from Cambridge University as Master of Arts In February 1855, when he was nineteen years old, his father died, and he inherited a quarter of his father"s copper business, Vivian & Sons. But leaving his brothers to be involved in the copper industry he chose to travel and pursue the arts
He gradually built a large art collection. He became a burgess of Swansea, and a Deputy Lieutenant. In 1898 he bought Sketty Hall, Swansea, installed his art collections there and began improving the house and its grounds.
But in March 1902 he became almost blind - an event described in his book, East Tenebris Lux, dictated in 1906.
This development affected him deeply, strengthening his Christian faith and prompting him to use his wealth to serve the needs of others In 1905, visiting Brighton, he was moved by the preaching of James Philips, pastor of the Union Street Mission.
In 1906 he established the Glynn Vivian Miners Mission and endowed it with £30,000, and helped start a mission hall in Swansea. Its first pastor was Herbert Voke, who had been Glynn Vivian"s assistant.
In 1908 a second miners" mission was established in Japan, and others followed around the world (the Glynn Vivian Miners" Mission still exists today as the International Miners" Mission).
He also established near Swansea the Glynn Vivian Rest Home for the Blind, at Caswell Bay in Gower. In 1905 he offered his collection of paintings, drawings and china to Swansea Corporation, who with his endowment built the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery to house lieutenant