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
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.
Wandering around Abercynon a year ago we were struck by a small post office in Glancynon Terrace. The street scene we stumbled upon seemed like a typical scene from the post-modern South Wales Valleys. The terraced houses knitted together tightly with so very few shops… a newsagents on the corner, a chinese take-away, and – thank the heavens! – a friendly post office.
Now fast forward a year to the news announcing the list of Post Offices that the powers-that-be would like to close in Glamorgan and the Valleys. On that list is poor old Glancynon Post Office, in the village of Abercynon, Rhondda Cynon Taf. It’s almost like putting the heart of the village on Death Row for the Post Office is at the heart of the village.
There are a few weeks of “public consultation” however this is merely a public relations charade. The decision will be bulldozed through come what may by a corporation now being run into the ground according to ‘market imperatives’ (or whatever other jargon they are currently spouting in the name of economic rationalisation).
To their credit, the most vociferous political opposition to the Post Office closures – at least here in the Cynon Valley – has come from certain voices within Plaid Cymru.
Leanne Wood AM writes in her blog recently, thus :
“The Post Office Network Change Programme is the direct result of Labour Government policy in London, and is the latest stage in their rationalisation agenda. The Welsh Government can not intervene. This shows another example of the weakness of the current constitutional settlement. Plaid argues that not Welsh Post Office should close as a result of a Westminster driven policy agenda. 3,500 Post Offices closed under the last Tory Government, and over 4,000 have closed under New Labour.
Labour claim that the closures are needed to create a viable network. Plaid believes that that uninhibited competition in markets is not always the best way of securing the universal service provision of our public services, particularly in isolated and deprived communities.”
The “rationalisation agenda” that Leanne Wood refers to above leads to the centralising and monopolising of services, of power and of control. It is an argument Vandana Shiva discusses in her writings on Monocultures of the Mind.
“The primary threat to nature and people today comes from centralising and monopolising power and control. Not until diversity is made the logic of production will there be a chance for sustainability, justice and peace. Cultivating and conserving diversity is no luxury in our times: it is a survival imperative.” – Vandana Shiva
Having passed this Church at the top of the Abercynon hill on so many occasions, it was good to stay awhile and take some photos.
Our timing was perfect as we bumped into the Reverend Joy Owen who kindly invited us to step inside Moriah Baptist Church, Abercynon and take a look around.
“Wow” was our reaction, what a splendid Church for worship.
Moriah Baptist Church is on Mountain Ash Road, Abercynon.
Many thanks to the Reverend Owen for the welcome.
Don’t forget to visit the gallery for hundreds of other Church and Chapel photos.
St Thomas Catholic Church in Abercynon : A brightly coloured Catholic Church.
Who are these two gentlemen from Abercynon ?
Photograph : On the right is Councillor Albert ‘Alby’ Davies MBE (Labour, Abercynon) and his good friend Mike Williams (Secretary of Abercynon RFC) as seen in Commercial Street Aberdare.
