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Menter Merthyr have received a grant of £2100 towards developing traditional Welsh music in Merthyr.
The money has come following a number of successful pipe workshops funded by Communities First Town and Parc.
The workshops will run over a 1 year period with arch-piper Geraint ‘Jacob’ Roberts giving people the chance to play the pibgorn, tin whistle, bohdran and Welsh pipes.
If you are interested in learning to play traditional Welsh music, complete beginers or experienced musicians, contact the Menter now on 01685 722176
Photo Credit : Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
Louise Rees blogs here looking for people to help her research project :
Hi, I am looking for people who are in receipt of Income Support/ Job Seekers Allowance or Incapacity benefit who live in the Merthyr area to discuss barriers that they are finding to getting work or training or support. This is anonymised and confidential and part of a University of Glamorgan research project. Thanks
To contact Louise use the email address louise.rees@wanadoo.fr
This is a decidedly difficult sculpture. An imposing steel rocket-like structure on the edge of Merthyr town.
When the late Charles Sansbury created this massive installation way back in 1975, little did he realise how unloved his gangly child would become.
Logic and reason suggest that it is difficult not to notice this work at a height of approximately 20 feet. The fact is, most people do not notice it.
The sculpture was installed at the edge of Merthyr main car park, in front of Merthyr College, and at the entrance of the footbridge leading into St Tydfil’s shopping centre.
Although it was guaranteed a daily audience of thousands of passers-by, few noticed when it was recently moved to the Caedraw roundabout as part of a town landscaping project.
And the colour seems to have changed. It was previously painted in dark matt colours, now it’s been stripped of colour. To better effect, in our opinion.
The new location causes difficulty. It sits in the middle of Merthyr town’s busiest roundabout, near the T Mobile call centre and Welsh Assembly buildings. The onlooker and photographer is distracted.
The steel sculpture is difficult to like because we don’t think it reflects the reality of Merthyr’s industrial history. This sculpture doesn’t tell us any story about the struggles of working people who created Merthyr’s vast industrial wealth.
Enjoy Photos of the Charles Sansbury ‘rocket’ in the Gallery
We posted a set of photos of the Old Town Hall and Court House in Merthyr Tydfil to Flickr, click here to see them.
A local photographer made a wonderfully insightful comment, writing that the photo had “an almost 2D feel to it as though it is part of a film set”.
There are many other buildings thereabouts that could form part of a film set.
See lots more of our Merthyr photographs here
Merthyr Tydfil town is a goldmine of fascinating sights for the passing photographer. There are many sculptures and other interesting landmarks, the Carnegie Library, old Town Hall & County Court, several Churches and Chapels, and of course the people of Merthyr itself!
When walking through the town centre, cast your head back high and take a look at some of the architectural detail high-up on the older buildings. Some of it is breathtaking.
On a walk from Merthyr town centre to the Pontmorlais area of town, we snapped some photos of the Hope and Market Square United Church.
Full Set of Photos here on Flickr.
Our plea for help researching the large mural in Merthyr town centre was answered…
Author Lynnette Rees claims the mural was created by a group of school children and their teacher, Pen-Y-Dre School circa [late 80s early 90s].
Link to the Mural Photos in the Gallery
It is with considerable sadness we announce that Huw Lewis AM has joined the Mumbo Jumbo Cult.
On 3rd July 2008, he announced on his blog that he has “joined the revolution”. This is a common phrase chanted by new Cult Members as they ritually affirm that they belong to their new ‘family’.
The Mumbo Jumbo Cult has swept through the Welsh political landscape claiming many other Assembly Member casualties.
Symptoms of Cult Membership include excessive use of brand names and imagery in a not-very-subtle attempt to recruit more people to the Mumbo Jumbo ’cause’.
Huw Lewis History
- On July 18th 2007, Huw Lewis was sacked as Deputy Minister for Transport and the Economy. Two months later he published his Winning for Wales pamphlet on the future of the Labour Party in Wales.
- Huw Lewis forewarned that in 2011, the Welsh Labour Party will face its biggest challenge.
- He claimed in Winning for Wales (pg. 11) “the only way to successfully combat these challenges is to create a self-sufficient genuinely Welsh Labour Party which can properly shape this next exciting phase of devolution.“
- Today, eleven months later, Huw Lewis joins the Mumbo Jumbo Cult performing a public volte-face and completely ignoring his own advice. It’s goodbye to those ideas of a “self-sufficient” and a “genuinely Welsh Labour Party”…
Once again
Groundwork Trust host another Green Dayz Weekend at the Fedw Hir Eco Centre near Llwydcoed. The event runs this weekend on Saturday 17th May and Sunday 18th May from 10am until 4pm.
The fun-filled ‘green weekend’ is all free with plenty of activities to entertain the whole family including hands-on pottery and ceramic session, handmade twig pencil-making, felt-making, face-painting, willow weaving, hurdle fencing and … welly wanging.
For Saturday only there was grand show of eagles and owls, including the world’s largest owl who was, thankfully, quite placid and friendly.
According to the Groundwork Trust, Welly Wanging is a sport that originated in Britain, most likely in Yorkshire. Competitors are required to hurl a Wellington boot as far as possible within boundary lines.
If you recognise this mural from Merthyr Town Centre, please
drop us a note to let us know more about it.
It is located at the rear of High Street Chapel, in the centre of Merthyr town.
The wall itself may form part of the High Street Chapel.
Nearby is Merthyr Police Station.
The mural depicts many key landmarks in Merthyr Tydfil.
It’s very good!
Link to photos of the Merthyr Tydfil Mural
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.
Merthyr people raise a glass in celebration tonight as the local brewery wins the top award in Cardiff at the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival 2007.
The Champion Beer of Wales competition has been won by Rhymney Brewery of Merthyr Tydfil with their classic beer, Dark. The competition, run by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, was held at the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival at Cardiff City Hall today. The beer was judged by a panel of beer experts from a selection of more than 200 real ales that are brewed every year in Wales. The judges looked at the aroma, appearance, taste and aftertaste of the top beers of Wales and came to the unanimous decision that Rhymney Dark was the best beer brewed in Wales this year. The beer is 3.9% ABV.
Rhymney Brewery was set up 3 years in Merthyr Tydfil ago by father and son team Steve and Marc Evans. Said Steve Evans, “This award is something that we’ve been aiming for since we started the brewery. It’s a dream come to true to win Champion Beer of Wales and have the recognition from CAMRA”.
In the photograph : Steve Evans of Rhymney Dowlais Brewery
A collection of photographs of the closed, bricked-up and boarded-up Ebenezer Welsh Baptist chapel, at Cefn Coed y Cymmer.
Cefn Coed y Cymmer is a small village at the crossroads of the A465 (Heads of the Valley) and A470 roads, about two miles north of Merthyr Tydfil town centre.
The most famous – and unmissable – landmark in Cefn Coed y Cymmer is the curved viaduct built in 1866 to carry the Brecon and Merthyr Railway line.
Ebenezer was built in 1838 and rebuilt in 1861 but when did this chapel close ?
Who owns the building and what are the plans for the future of the site ?
The photos reveal a chapel slowly de-constructing : becoming derelict, revealing constituent parts and architectural detail.
It seems to be held together precariously by the addition of some breeze blocks as support.
Note : The photographs were taken in May 2006.
Photos of Zion Welsh Baptist chapel, Twyn-y-Rodyn, Merthyr Tydfil.
Merthyr Tydfil has a wealth of fine public monuments and sculptures.
Enough to keep a tourist happy for a fortnight’s holiday.
This ornamental fountain and canopy was unveiled in 1906. It is situated south of the St Tydfil’s churchyard.
According to the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association : “The fountain was inaugurated in 1906 to mark the granting of the town’s charter. It remained in position until 1966 when it was removed as part of a road improvement scheme. By this time the original drinking troughs had been removed and the canopy needed restoration. It was relocated in 1966 within the Caedraw redevelopment area outside St. Tydfil’s Church although the whereabouts of the original drinking fountain and five of the eight shields is unknown. In 1993 as a result of a refurbishment programme, the fountain was moved to its present position immediately south of St. Tydfil’s churchyard. In 1995 the local council awarded the project to restore the fountain to Acorn Restorations Ltd and the resited and refurbished fountain was officially opened in July 1996.”
“The fountain was commissioned to celebrate Robert Thomas (1770-1829) and Lucy Thomas (1781-1847) of Waunwyllt. They successfully mined the deep-seam coal around Merthyr and marketed it in the expanding steam-powered industries in Wales and England. One of the donor’s of the fountain, Sir W.T. Lewis, married Thomas’s granddaughter.”
“Eight fluted columns carry eight semi-circular arches. Pierced foliage spandrels, dragon finials and a hemispherical dome of pierced foliage panels, crowned with a statuette of Samson, emblematic of strength. Decorative shields in the spandrel arches depict figures of miners and other symbols of the coal industry. The fountain is painted black and gold.”
Commissioned by Sir W.T. Lewis and William Thomas Rees
Grade II Listed status.
Foundry was MacFarlane & Co. Glasgow, W.
Inscription on plate in one of the spandrel arches: ERECTED BY / SIR WILLIAM T. LEWIS / AND / WILLIAM THOMAS REES / OF ABERDARE / AND PRESENTED TO THEIR NATIVE / TOWN, IN COMMEMORATION OF / ROBERT AND LUCY THOMAS / OF WAUNWYLLT THE PIONEERS IN 1828 / OF THE / SOUTH WALES STEAM COAL TRADE IN THIS PARISH
The material used is cast-iron. Approximately 457cm high.
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