Next Page »
The end of my story is this: the people of Aberdare are extraordinary, writes American Jane Powel Thomas.
The beginning lies in the very rich past of Aberdare when one (or possibly more) of my husband’s ancestors was the minister of the Ebenezer Chapel in Aberdare, now located in the Trecynon area. Both of us have a Welsh background, my husband’s family from North Wales and mine from the Brecon area. As a child, my husband was brought to Aberdare to see the church where his great, great grandfather was minister, and he was moved by the fascinating, still-operating chapel that included an interior plaque
commemorating his ancestor, the Rev. Edwards.
Read the rest of this page »
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s first celebrated Blue Plaque has been officially unveiled on a building that was instrumental in opening the industrial valleys to the rest of the world.
Cllr Margaret Davies, Mayor of Rhondda Cynon Taf, joined local historians and guests for the event outside the Navigation Inn, Abercynon.
The building once housed the head office of the Glamorganshire Canal, a feat of engineering that would allow the coal and iron industries of Rhondda, Cynon and Merthyr an acceptable route to the docklands of Cardiff for transportation around the world.
The Glamorganshire Canal originally ran from Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff. Construction started in 1790, and the 25 miles was fully opened by 1794. Its primary purpose was to enable the Merthyr iron industries to transport their goods, and it later served the coal industry of its neighbouring valleys.
It was due to the canal that the Brown Lenox Chainworks opened on its banks, an event which acted as a catalyst to the rapid growth of neighbouring Pontypridd.
Now a popular public house, the Navigation Inn is one of 30 locations throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf where the new Blue Plaques will be installed. The project celebrates the proud tradition of world-famous events, people, places, music and culture which originated in the county borough.
Due to £49,200 of Heritage Lottery funding, the project has set out to identify icons, events and buildings, culminating in the placing of blue plaques to commemorate their history and achievements.
Story via Aberdare News
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council confirmed today that demolition of Maerdy Workingmen’s Hall will begin soon.
Built in 1905, the grand old building was an iconic symbol of Rhondda’s wealth based on the coalmining industry.
The local Council plan to recycle as much of the remains of the building as possible.
Several local organisations have already expressed an interest in reusing the old stone from the venue as soon as it is razed to the ground.
Click here for the Gallery of Photos of Maerdy Workingmen’s Hall
At Prime Minister’s Question Time last week, Ann Clwyd the MP for Aberdare and Cynon Valley, invited Gordon Brown to congratulate the miners of Tower Colliery on their successful management of a coalmine … “despite the efforts of the Conservatives to shut them down” (
Source: Hansard via TheyWorkForYou).
Prime Minister Brown replied in kind … “I want to thank them for their efforts, proving that working people can get together and make a success of a project that other parties said would never work”.
The lack of leadership and statesmanship in the Labour Party in its present configuration remind one of Nye Bevan’s words given in speech to the Labour Party conference on October 4, 1957. Bevan warned of the perils of sending a “British Foreign Secretary naked into the conference chamber”.
And his subsequent question “Do you call that statesmanship? I call it an emotional spasm.”
The ‘emotional spasm’ in the UK Parliament last week came from a Prime Minister who has not been elected to lead his own Party. Moreover, Gordon Brown was unwilling to call a General Election after succeeding Tony Blair in 2007, as he did not want to become known as the shortest-serving Prime Minister since George Canning, who lasted a measly 119 days in 1827.
A fortnight prior to this spasmodic exchange in the House of Commons, the Labour Government renewed their committment to Nuclear Energy. This island is made of coal and thus, to borrow from Bevan again, it takes an organising genius to ensure a future energy crisis. Prime Minister’s Question Time last week should have been used to punctuate the history of Cynon Valley with something serious and statesmanlike, but instead, we got the Labour Party emotional spasm that Bevan warned about fifty years ago.
Amidst the frenetic flurry of stories on Tower Colliery this week, one story caught our eye as an insightful breathe of fresh air …
John Redwood commented in his blog this week on the closure of Tower Colliery. He was Conservative Secretary of State for Wales at the time of the pit closure and subsequent buy-out. Without his enthusiasm for the project, it is doubtful whether the miners would ever have become owners of their own pits.
Redwood blogs thus :
When the miners arrived in my office, I think they were surprised by my enthusiasm for their cause, and by my explanation that their task was not to persuade me, but to work with me on our joint case to the Energy department and Coal Board to give them the opportunity to run the mine. As it meant being allowed to prove the Coal Board wrong it was not going to be easy, but I felt that between us we could do it.
So was forged a partnership in British politics that none had predicted. I joined forces with Tyrone O ‘Sullivan, the charismatic Lodge Secretary and leader of the buy out team to persuade Coal Board and government the should give the miners a chance. I was the only person who saw nothing strange in the alliance. I had always believed in workers participation and employee ownership. Here was a chance to show its magic in an industry that had been gravely damaged by the them and us mentality of the large corporation.
Perhaps the greatest modern legacy Thatcher left the Valleys was the Tower Colliery Story where two hundred or so workers bought their own pit and worked it by and for themselves until they dug every last tonne of coal they could dig out of the ground. The Tower Colliery Story is a success story and a story of radicalism. Every community needs a good story to tell the next generation.
There is a wonderful set of photos on Flickr entitled The Day Tower Colliery Closed by local Welsh photographer Trelewis.
What would the late and great Phil Weekes have to say about the closure of Tower Colliery this week ?
In 1974 at a Conference held during the Year of the Valleys, Philip Weekes described himself thus :
I have all the contrasts, the contradictions, the cussedness, the emotions that you will find in the typical valleys miner, which is what I claim to be. My devotion to the Valleys has no logic that I can discover; it seems to be rooted in emotion. An emotion that made me demand that I be removed from an exciting job as Director-General of Mining in London – to run the largest, geologically-toughest, most unprofitable coalfield in Britain, and probably, Western Europe.
Weekes was a genius communicator but even he would now find it difficult to articulate his disappointment at the demise of our old way of life in the Valleys.
At the
Bridgend Eisteddfod in August 1998, Ron Davies was made a member of the Gorsedd of Bards in a special ceremony. He was Secretary of State for Wales at the time. It was rare praise for a politician and it came in recognition of his work steering through the devolution plans. In September 1997, the Referendum was won by only a whisker (around 6,000 votes). Without Davies’ contribution convincing the conservative British Nationalists within the Labour Party the Referendum result would have been a “no”.
Ron Davies had reason to feel confident at that Eisteddfod. He was truly the ‘architect of devolution’. Thus during the week he made a very confident appearance at a meeting organised by Cymdeithas yr Iaith (Welsh Language Society) to discuss the future of the Welsh Language. He spoke in Welsh for part his speech. And it was good Welsh too! He took the platform with, amongst others, some Cymdeithas veteran campaigners including Sian Howys and Angharad Tomos (as in the attached photograph). Later he was grilled by a variety of people, including Toni Schiavone. In the audience of around two hundred, were Lord Elis Thomas, and a variety other people from all walks of life.
That was nearly ten years ago. What did the man feel at this meeting ? It was a meeting billed as ‘Cymdeithas’ meets the ‘Welsh Secretary’. If only there was a video clip we could upload today in 2007 to convey Mr Ron Davies’ enthusiasm for Wales and his sincere interest in the Welsh language. Alas, there is nothing : a few photos and some memories.
Whatever were Ron Davies’ thoughts in August 1998, it is unlikely he felt that he was on the ‘eve of destruction’. Within a little over two months, his political career would be destroyed in London, and he would resign from the Blair Labour Government. Alun Michael took his place as Secretary of State for Wales, and subsequently as the first First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales. These kind of events usually happen in politics for a reason. In much of the media, Ron Davies’ downfall was portrayed glibly as something to do with an alleged predilection for – to use the modern vernacular – a little cock-fun. This was merely a distraction. Ron Davies had the temerity to think and this would lead to his downfall within a party and system that distrusted thinkers.
*
In the photograph : (from left to right) Sian Howys (Cymdeithas yr Iaith), Ron Davies (then Secretary of State for Wales), and Angharad Tomos (Cymdeithas yr Iaith) at a public meeting with Cymdeithas yr Iaith, Bridgend, as part of National Eisteddfod week, August 1998.
A little over two hundred years ago saw the first steam locomotive haul a load on rails. Cornish Engineer Richard Trevithick’s steam locomotive ran with five wagons for five miles along the rail tramroad, from Penydarren to Navigation, Abercynon, with 70 men and 10 tons of iron on board. It was a historic journey.
What were the thoughts of the people who witnessed this noisy iron monster ?
Did they feel in awe of this spectacte and terrified by the sight ?
The Cambrian Newspaper commented on Trevithick’s terrific invention thus : “It is not doubted but that the number of horses in the kingdom will be very considerably reduced, and the machine, in the hands of the present proprietors, will be made use of in a thousand instances never yet thought of for an engine.”
Richard Trevithick’s achievement is remembered in many places in the Valleys, including a memorial at Abercynon, a memorial at Pontmorlais, Merthyr Tydfil, and a mural at Tesco’s Merthyr Tydfil. Photos of all these sites are available in the Gallery.
Sculptor Robert Thomas has the privilege of having 4 of his works in Cardiff Queen Street, including The Miner.
Why are there so very few monuments to miners in places like the Valleys where mining shaped a whole community ?
Other places in Wales do it.
David Annand’s ‘The Arc – y Bwa’ sculpture in the middle of Wrexham is a worthy reminder of Wrexham’s industrial heritage.
What has Aberdare got ? Some old rusty pit winding gear at places like Cwmdare (Nant y Melyn) and Mountain Ash (Deep Duffryn).
Postscript
There are 4 Robert Thomas sculptures in Cardiff Queen Street : (1) Nye Bevan statue; (2) the Family; (3) a Miner; and (4) Mother and Son.
There is also The Girl by Robert Thomas at Gorsedd Gardens, in front of the National Museum.
According to Carolyn Jacob writing for the
Old Merthyr Tydfil website : “The Dowlais Parish Church was built in 1827 by the most successful iron-master of his generation, John Josiah Guest, who is buried inside the Church. In an iron coffin.The Church was well known for its unusual historic stained glass window, dedicated to the coal-mining industry, ‘The Miners Window’, which was funded by the Martin family. Inside the Church there are a large number of memorials, many to great figures of the Industrial Revolution, who were employed by the prestigious Dowlais Iron-Works. In recent years the Church became far too large for a diminishing elderly congregation and a problem with insurance cover led to its closure in 1997 and it was then sold to Nazir Mohammed. The original parish records are in the Glamorgan Record Office in Cathays Park, Cardiff, and the facsimile copies in Dowlais Library, which is next to the Church.”
The Old Merthyr Tydfil website – http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm – is an excellent online resource for historical information concerning Merthyr Tydfil.
Penrhiw Chapel formely of Dre-Fach Felindre now re-located to the
St Fagan’s National History Museum in Cardiff.
It was re-opened at St Fagan’s in 1956. Click here for a photo of the opening ceremony on the Gathering the Jewels project.
According to the Museum : ” This Unitarian chapel was moved from Dre-Fach Felindre, Dyfed, and is typical of early Welsh nonconformist architecture. It is a simple, severe, structure reflecting the experience of the early congregations which often met in barns. An earlier structure was adapted for the purpose and opened in 1777, when the first lease was granted. It originally had a loft but no galler. In the early years of the nineteenth century the loft was removed and the present gallery built, to increase accommodation without adding to the size of the building.
The pews were made for the chapel : the differences in detail suggest that each family must have been responsible for its own pew. The pulpit illustrates the last stage in the ‘three-decker’ type: the arcaded pew next to the pulpit appears to have been designed for the elders and the one in front of it for the deacons. The floor of the pulpit was raised when the gallery was built.
The floor is of beaten earth except for the communion place which is boarded. Stone seats set against the bank in front of the building were used during preaching festivals.
At different times, both an elementary and grammar school were housed in the chapel : ink-bottles, quill-pens and a Welsh Not were found it in when it was dismantled.”
Photos of the Henry Richard monument in the main town square in Tregaron. The monument depicts Richard standing in frock coat, poised as if about to speak. Holding sheaf of papers headed PEACE in right hand. Left arm flexed with hand holding ‘pince-nez’. Pedestal with moulded cornice and plinth.
The monument was unveiled on 18 August 1893. There is a photo of this occasion on the Gathering the Jewels (GtJ) project website – click here.
According to the GtJ project : “Henry Richard (1812-88) was born in Tregaron, Cardiganshire. He was a Nonconformist minister in London before being elected the Liberal Member of Parliament for Merthyr Tydfil in 1868. He was known as ‘The Apostle of Peace’ in recognition of his work with the Peace Society. He was appointed secretary of the Society in 1848 and edited the Society newspaper, ‘Herald of Peace’. He also organised a series of peace conferences at a number of European cities during the period 1849-53.”
“The statue was designed by the sculptor Albert Toft. On the plaque beneath the statue is written in Welsh followed by English:
‘Born here in Tregaron, he was educated for the Christian ministry, and in 1835 he was ordained in London. In 1848 he was appointed secretary to the Peace Society gaining an international reputation as ‘The Apostle of Peace’. In 1868 he became M.P. for the Merthyr constituency: and such was his concern for Welsh affairs that he became known as ‘The Member for Wales’. He was also a prominent pioneer in education: he served on several commissions of enquiry, and in 1883 he became the first Vice-President of Cardiff University College “I have always been mindful of three things: not to forget the language of my country: and the people and cause of my country: and to neglect no opportunity of defending the character and promoting of the interests of my country”. “My hope for the abatement of the war system lies in permanent conviction of the people, rather than the policies of cabinets or the discussions of parliaments.”‘
Glynhafod School lies at the foot of a mountain.
It was closed last year. The Local Authority, Rhondda Cynon Taff Council, claimed there were too many spare places.
They gave the usual marketing mumbo-jumbo excuses about “rationalising”.
It was reported in the Cynon Valley Leader that the property was sold in an auction in London.
The buyer was one Ian Roberts, a local man who is manager of Cwmaman Institute.
There is a brief ‘walk-around’ video clip on Glynhafod School on Youtube.
The development at Glynhafod is reminiscent of what happened to the site of the old Aberdare Boys’ School : an old school site was sold off in a questionable manner by Rhondda Cynon Taff Council only to be developed for hyper-profits by some local developer/entrepreneur.
It is the Grammar of Capital thing again.
The house-building economy has to expand. It is an imperative of the capitalist system. The conversion of schools into housing estates is perfectly normal in a system which must expand, exploit, and dominate.
Next Page »
